Welcome to a space where we engage in deep, honest conversations about the untold experiences of South Asians living in America. This podcast is your invitation to join me as we peel back the layers of tradition, culture, and the unspoken struggles we face in a world that often feels like it’s caught between two identities. From societal pressures to the desire for self-expression, we’ll break down generational barriers, challenge norms, and spark dialogue on the issues that affect our communities. Tune in and let’s start this journey of breaking silence—together.
"Ewww, what is that smell?" If you've ever heard that opening your lunchbox in the cafeteria, this one's for you. Season 2 opens on the food our moms woke up early to pack, the shame that made us beg for the "normal" lunch, and the wild irony that the same food once called smelly and greasy is now a seven-dollar golden milk latte. Here's the thing: we never needed anyone's permission to be proud of it.
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14 Aug 2026
Too Desi for Them, Too American for Us
The Season 1 finale.
Too Desi for them, too American for us, doing "too much" and "not enough" at the exact same time. This episode is about mixing: the jhumkas with a Western dress, the mojari with jeans, the kurta over jeans that got called both too Desi and too American on the same day. Because a culture was never a gate with a bouncer at the door, it's a living thing that moves. You are not a threat to your heritage. You are what your heritage looks like now.
Thank you for all seven episodes. Season 2 is coming. Follow so you don't miss it.
7 Aug 2026
Be Your Favorite Kind of Cookie
Ever been called an Oreo? Brown on the outside, "too white" on the inside? This episode is about the way we police our own — coconut, Oreo, FOB, "you're so whitewashed," and the family that says you're not Desi enough for going out, getting a tattoo, or simply saying no. Who put us in charge of deciding who's "really" Desi and why do we do it to each other, and to ourselves?
Be your favorite kind of cookie. Follow, like, and comment if this one hit home.
24 Jul 2026
Two Voices, One Me
You know the voice. The phone rings, it's an unknown number, and suddenly — "Hello, this is she." Who is that? This episode is about code-switching: the work voice, the family-function voice, the one that only comes out around your parents, and that reflex where you change mid-sentence because someone walked past your desk. Is it fake? Is it fluency? And why is it so exhausting?
Follow the show and leave a rating if this one hit home.
18 Jul 2026
The C Doesn't Stand for Confused
They call it the "C" in ABCD — confused. But what if you were never confused at all?
This episode digs into the label so many of us grew up hearing, sometimes from strangers, sometimes from our own parents. We get into where "confused" really comes from, why adapting to the culture around you was never the same as abandoning your roots, and how that same fear gets pointed at everyone — the kid born here and the person who moved here and keeps hearing "don't forget where you came from."
Here's the truth underneath all of it: adapting isn't confusion, and that word usually says more about someone else's fear than it does about you. So claim your identity back. However your mix looks — 100%, 50/50, whatever it is — you get to build your own values, and no one can take that from you.
You are not confused. You are loved, needed, capable — and exactly enough.
Follow the show and leave a rating if this one hit home.
10 Jul 2026
My Kem Cho Counts Too
Been told your Gujarati sounds "too white-washed," or that your mother tongue isn't "proper" enough? This episode is for you. We get into the guilt and identity spiral of speaking your heritage language your own way, the question of whether your "first language" is the one you were born into or the one you actually live in, and why — however you say it — your kem cho counts too.
Follow the show and leave a rating if this one hit home.
1 Jul 2026
Taking My Name Back
New name, same badass. After three years away, Desi by Default returns with an episode about names — why we let people get ours wrong, and how to stop. Say it again, louder.
19 Oct 2023
Shattered Reflections
Beauty standards vary across cultures, and South Asia is no exception. Our diverse region has its own unique set of ideals, often perpetuated by media, traditions, and societal expectations. Let's break down these standards and how they've evolved over time.
25 Jan 2021
Deeply Rooted: Self-Worth
In this episode, we dive deep into why self-worth is so focused on image and what that does to us externally and internally.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
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