Where can I listen to this podcast?

This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.

Does this podcast accept guests?

Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

Portraits of Strength

Claim This Podcast

by Harry, The Anecdotist

11 episodes

Updated Daily

Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸

Podcast Overview

Everyday People with Extraordinary Stories

Language

🇺🇲

Publishing Since

3/2/2026

Visit Website View on Apple Podcasts RSS Feed

1 verified contact email on file for Portraits of Strength

Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.

See contact details

Recent Episodes

August 6, 2026

The Mirror Is Enough with Pritha Lal

In this episode, Harry sits down with Pritha Lal ~ HR professional turned authenticity life coach, global citizen, and mother. Pritha spent the first seven years of her life with selective mutism, unable to speak a word outside her own home. Raised across Kolkata, Kanpur, Delhi, Mumbai, and Kuwait, and now living in Utah, she's built a life and a career around a question she spent decades answering for herself: what happens when you stop looking outside yourself for permission to be okay?This conversation goes deep. We talk about the second-grade teacher who broke her silence in a single sentence, surviving the first Gulf War as a teenager with no word from her father for three and a half months, three car accidents in one month that led to an undiagnosed depression, and the moment in front of a bathroom mirror that finally pushed her toward the work she does today. This isn't a story about arriving. It's a story about learning, again and again, to trust yourself over the crowd.What We Cover<ul><li>Growing up selectively mute, and the second-grade teacher who handed her the class and changed everything</li><li>Moving across five Indian cities and Kuwait, and what that taught her about difference vs. sameness</li><li>Surviving the 1990 Gulf War, and 3.5 months without word from her father</li><li>Choosing to remain childless for 15 years, and the judgment that followed her and her parents</li><li>Three car accidents in one month, and the PTSD-induced depression she didn't know she had</li><li>Her therapist's "strings" exercise ~ learning to cut the ties that let outside things control her</li><li>The difference between confidence and self-trust</li><li>Becoming a "recovering people pleaser" and what that recovery actually looks like</li><li>The bathroom mirror moment that pushed her toward coaching</li><li>Building "Be the Sequoia" ~ why authenticity is the root everything else grows from</li><li>Writing a book on high-functioning depression in high-achieving people</li><li>Rapid fire: favorite book, song, quote, and her definition of strength</li></ul>A Moment That Will Stay With You"For the first time in my seven years, I decide I am worth more than my silence.""The mirror is good enough for me to tell me how I look today. I don't need a compliment.""You cannot stay in your part of the forest forever. At some point you have to come out."Connect with Pritha Find her coaching practice, Be the Sequoia, and follow her journey online. <a href="http://www.bethesequoia.com">www.BeTheSequoia.com</a>@bethesequoiacoachingListen & Subscribe Available on Spotify and YouTube. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs it today.A quick shout-out to today's sponsor, Sri Krishna Jewellers ~ over 50 years of craftsmanship, now serving the Dallas community from Frisco, Texas. Visit srikrishna.com or call 430-231-1111.Portraits of Strength is a podcast where everyday people share the extraordinary stories that shape their lives. Hosted by Harry, the Anecdotist.

July 23, 2026

Born to Do Great Things with Tejaswini Vaidya

What does success look like when you stop counting it?In this episode, I sit down with Tejaswini, VP of Financial Services at InComm Payments and co-owner of Zest Kitchen and Porch here in Utah. She's a tech and operations leader with 20+ years in fintech. A restaurateur. A wife and mom. And someone who told herself at 5 years old, "I'm born to do great things."We talk about growing up as the eldest daughter in a middle-class Indian family, moving to a new city every three years, and the quiet lessons her father taught her without ever saying them out loud. She shares how a health scare last year changed the way she leads, why she believes consistency beats motivation every time, and what finally gave her permission to pause.Fun fact: the morning we recorded this, she worked a server shift at her own restaurant because no one showed up. Then she sat down and gave me this conversation. That's the whole episode in one moment.What we cover:<ul><li>Growing up across India and learning early that everybody is different, but at the end of it, all of us are the same</li><li>Her father's unspoken lesson: talent means nothing without hard work</li><li>Learning about stocks, bonds, and mutual funds at 18, and why women need to be in those conversations</li><li>How her definition of success went from grades, titles, and promotions to slow mornings and Tuesday evening walks</li><li>Why she calls herself a follower disguised as a leader</li><li>Opening two restaurants while climbing the corporate ladder, and the humility that came with it</li><li>The health scare that taught her to trust her people and let go of control</li><li>"It's lonely at the top" and why nobody tells you the truth once you get there</li><li>Her advice for anyone afraid to take a risk: know your why, calculate it, and ask yourself how badly you want it</li></ul>Timestamps:00:00 – Cold open 01:24 – Meet Tejaswini 02:41 – Childhood in India and being the silent, ambitious eldest daughter 05:00 – A new city every three years 09:02 – Her father, her biggest influence 12:07 – Learning finances at 18 14:19 – How her definition of success evolved 20:21 – Early signs of leadership 24:55 – Why open restaurants during a corporate career? 30:02 – The health scare that changed her leadership 33:13 – Every decision is a calculated risk 35:12 – Why high achievers struggle to pause 38:18 – Consistency over motivation 41:36 – Advice for anyone afraid to take the leap 46:27 – Rapid fire round 49:10 – Closing thoughtsConnect with the show: Follow @portraits.of.strength.podcast on Instagram New episodes on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple PodcastsToday's sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Sri Krishna Jewellers. Over 50 years of craftsmanship, now serving the Dallas community from Frisco, Texas. If you have someone special worth celebrating, check out their collection at srikrishna.com or call 430-231-1111.

June 26, 2026

Choosing Joy: A Mother, a Son, and the Dance That Saved Her with Sarika Nayak

In this episode, Harry sits down with Sarika Nayak — IT professional, Bollywood dance instructor, community builder, and mother to Ranch, her son on the autism spectrum. Born and raised in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, Sarika has been dancing since she was three years old, training for over a decade in the classical Indian dance form Odissi under a guru who shaped not just her art but her spirit. Now rooted in Salt Lake City, Utah, she leads the Bollipop dance community — a space she built from scratch that has become, in her own words, a home away from home.This conversation goes deep. We talk about what it felt like when Ranch was first diagnosed, the silence and isolation of those early days, and how dance became the lifeline that pulled Sarika back. But this isn't just a story about surviving hardship. It's about what it looks like to choose joy — deliberately, repeatedly — and how that choice ripples outward into everything you build. What We Cover<ul><li>Growing up hyperactive and happy in Bhubaneswar, and a mother's quiet wisdom in channeling that energy into Odissi</li><li>The "Indian checklist" — academics, job, marriage — and the buried dream of dance that never quite went away</li><li>Moving to Utah in 2014, Ranch's diagnosis at eighteen months, and the first time Sarika felt truly low</li><li>How a recreation center instructor's offhand suggestion sparked the Bollipop community in 2015</li><li>Reimagining milestones, accepting different timelines, and what resilience actually looks like for a special needs parent</li><li>The Bollipop community as mutual healing — comeback moms, IT professionals, people who just need to move</li><li>What autism has taught Sarika about unconditional love, purity of heart, and living without judgment</li><li>Her advice for parents just beginning their autism journey: get the diagnosis, accept it on your own timeline, and know that you are the difference</li><li>Why staying passionate isn't selfishness — it's the thing that keeps you showing up</li></ul> A Moment That Will Stay With You"I think I never left dance. And I think it was mutual — dance never left me.""When you look at a heart rate monitor, it's the ups and downs that tell you the person is alive. If it's flat — he's dead. Life is that. If you have the ups and downs, you're actually living.""Ranch has come into my life to make me a better person." Rapid Fire<ul><li>Favorite book: Autobiography of a Yogi</li><li>Favorite song: Love Me</li><li>Favorite quote: "Miles to go before I sleep" — Robert Frost</li><li>Favorite movie: Titanic</li><li>Greatest fear: That Ranch won't know what to do without her</li><li>Philosophy of life: Be happy. Make others happy. Everything will magically change around you.</li></ul> Connect with Sarika Find her and the Bollipop community on Instagram and in Salt Lake City, Utah. Listen & Subscribe Available on Spotify and YouTube. If this episode moved you, share it with someone who needs it today. A quick shout-out to today's sponsor, Sri Krishna Jewellers — over 50 years of craftsmanship, now serving the Dallas community from Frisco, Texas. Visit srikrishna.com or call 430-231-1111.

11 total episodes available

Deep-dive analytics for Portraits of Strength

Frequently asked questions

Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

What is Portraits of Strength?: Everyday People with Extraordinary Stories
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

Legal Disclaimer

Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.

All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.

We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.

By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.