RAW with Uma

About RAW with Uma

RAW with UMA is a podcast and living document of becoming unapologetically human. Hosted by leadership and reinvention strategist Uma Thana Balasingam, it features honest conversations with people redefining success, power, and self-trust in life’s messy middle. From Careerquakes™ to midlife transitions, this space explores the unspoken truths of identity, ambition, love, and meaning. This podcast doesn’t conclude, it holds space. Becoming yourself isn’t neat. It’s raw. And it’s real.

Publisher

RAW with UMA

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

2 Mar 2025

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

33 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   What Doctors are Finding about Microplastics in Pregnancy

   Why are women still routinely giving birth on their backs when other positions may reduce trauma, pain and unnecessary interventions? In this episode of Raw With Uma, I speak with obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Ondřej Šimetka about active birth, vertical birth positions, water birth and what women should know before choosing where and how to give birth. We also discuss the role of midwives, doulas and partners, why postpartum care and maternal mental health need far more attention, and how home midwife visits can help women after they leave hospital. Ondřej also breaks down his research into microplastics in amniotic fluid, what we still don’t know about exposure during pregnancy, and why a healthy baby should not be the only measure of a successful birth. It’s a practical conversation about pregnancy, childbirth, maternal health and what better maternity care can actually look like. IN THIS EPISODE: 00:56 Why Your Birth Experience Matters More Than You Think 02:38 How One Couch Changed the Way Women Give Birth 04:03 Who Should Actually Be in the Room When You Give Birth? 06:12 The Birth Team That Puts the Mother Back in Control 11:20 Why Giving Birth on Your Back May Not Be Your Best Option 18:48 What the First Hours After Birth Can Do to Your Mental Health 21:34 How Midwife Training Helped Cut Maternal Mortality by 75% 27:09 How Fighting One Birth Rule Took Him Into Politics 29:18 Why New Mothers Need Help After They Leave the Hospital 34:36 The Water Birth That Changed His Mind After 27 Years 39:04 What He Wants Every Woman to Know Before Pregnancy 42:22 They Found Microplastics in Amniotic Fluid 46:41 The Legacy He Wants to Leave Behind Dr. Ondřej Šimetka is an obstetrician-gynecologist, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University Hospital Ostrava, and a Senator in the Czech Republic. His medical career has taken him across Asia and Africa through humanitarian and maternal health work, including multiple missions in East Timor and work with Doctors Without Borders and the Royal Australian College of Surgeons. He has championed active and vertical birth, water birth, postpartum midwife care and more woman-centred maternity services. He is also involved in research on maternal health, including the presence of microplastics in amniotic fluid. Raw With UmaDo you feel like you’re working harder than everyone around you but still getting overlooked for the opportunities you deserve? Take the free Discover Your 2026 Visibility Stage assessment and find out what’s actually standing between you and being seen.→ https://form.jotform.com/252218729975470 (https://form.jotform.com/252218729975470) Follow RAW with Uma: 📱 Instagram → https://instagram.com/rawwithuma (https://instagram.com/rawwithuma) Follow Uma Thana: 📱 Instagram → https://instagram.com/uma_raw (https://instagram.com/uma_raw) 💻 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana (https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana) Listen on: 🎧 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/id1821559768 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/id1821559768) 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e (https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e) Share this episode with an expectant mother, new parent, or anyone who wants to make more informed choices about pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care. Please subscribe and leave a review. It helps more women find these conversations. #RawWithUma #Pregnancy #Childbirth #MaternalHealth #WomensHealth #ActiveBirth #VerticalBirth #WaterBirth #BirthPlan #Midwifery #PostpartumCare #MaternalMentalHealth #Microplastics #MicroplasticsInPregnancy #AmnioticFluid #PregnancyHealth #Obstetrics #BirthChoices #Motherhood #PrenatalCare

2. 

   5 Sept 2026

   The Brutal New Reality for Mid-Career Professionals

   What happens when AI does not eliminate your job overnight, but quietly starts taking over one task at a time? The real question for many professionals is, “What am I now if AI can do half my work?” In this episode of Raw With Uma, Uma speaks with technology leader and psychology researcher Radha Raman about what AI transformation is doing to workers across Asia. Radha explains why professionals must move from being task executors to AI orchestrators. The conversation explores Radha’s research with 400 professionals across ASEAN and India, including why women experience greater AI-related strain and why Western psychological theories often fail to reflect Asian workplaces.She breaks down the five types of techno-stress and explains why generic reassurance from leaders can sometimes make employees feel worse. Uma and Radha also discuss how companies should measure AI adoption, why token usage is a dangerous KPI, how sales and marketing roles must evolve, and why human judgment becomes more valuable as AI grows more capable. From building trust through low-stakes experimentation to developing self-efficacy and normalizing mid-career upskilling, this episode is a practical guide to staying relevant without losing your identity. IN THIS EPISODE: 00:53 | When AI Takes Half Your Job 03:27 | Why AI Transformation Is Really an Identity Crisis 07:00 | The Problem With Western Psychology in Asian Workplaces 12:08 | Why AI Creates More Strain for Women 13:18 | The Five Types of Techno-Stress 15:16 | Why Generic Leadership Support Can Backfire 20:05 | Stop Measuring AI Adoption by Token Usage 22:37 | How AI Is Changing Sales, Research and Customer Conversations 27:50 | Why Experience No Longer Guarantees Relevance 29:40 | Start With AI Before Your Career Depends on It 32:18 | Are You Overloaded, Insecure or Simply Uncertain? 47:32 | Why Mid-Career Upskilling Should Be a Strength 48:54 | The Skill That Matters Most in the Age of AI 51:57 | You Cannot Avoid This Transformation Radha Raman is a technology leader and psychology researcher studying how mid-career professionals in ASEAN and India are adapting to AI transformation. Drawing on decades of experience navigating major technology shifts, her research brings together AI, organizational leadership, and psychology to understand the human strain behind digital transformation. A leader in building high performance sales teams through effective self-leadership and constant innovation in go-to-market execution. Diversity champion and active coach in creating an inclusive workplace culture as a cornerstone in building an effective workforce. Connect with Radha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radha-p-raman/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/radha-p-raman/) Raw With Uma Do you feel like you’re working harder than everyone around you but still getting overlooked for the opportunities you deserve? Take the free Discover Your 2026 Visibility Stage assessment and find out what’s actually standing between you and being seen.→ https://form.jotform.com/252218729975470 (https://form.jotform.com/252218729975470) Follow RAW with Uma: 📱 Instagram → https://instagram.com/rawwithuma (https://instagram.com/rawwithuma) Follow Uma Thana: 📱 Instagram → https://instagram.com/uma_raw (https://instagram.com/uma_raw) 💻 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana (https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana) Listen on: 🎧 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/id1821559768 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/id1821559768) 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e (https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e) Share this episode with a manager introducing AI into their team, or a mid-career professional wondering how to stay relevant as their work changes. Please subscribe and leave a review. It helps more women find these conversations.

3. 

   22 Aug 2026

   The Brutal Truth About Ageism, Relevance and Surviving The Modern Job Market

   Everyone was taught the same corporate bargain: keep your head down, work hard, build experience, and eventually you will be rewarded. But what happens when decades of hard work no longer guarantee safety? In this episode, Uma sits down with executive career strategist and TEDx speaker Loren Greiff to expose why hard work is not job security, why calling yourself a “seasoned executive” may actually damage your career, and why relevance matters far more in today’s market. Loren explains why social media has become the new CV, how professional invisibility carries an expensive price tag, and why nobody can hire, promote, or advocate for someone they cannot clearly see. This conversation is a practical guide to staying visible, valuable, and employable at every age. From Loren’s 68 TEDx rejections and being fired at 55 to the exact framework she uses to identify your unfair advantage, the episode breaks down how to position yourself around urgent and expensive problems, build an evidence file of your impact, find sponsors before you need them, and create a network that can carry your reputation into rooms you are not in. Loren also shares the powerful reminder at the heart of her work: we do not age out by living longer—we age out by living smaller. IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 | Teaser 01:00 | The Hard Work = Safety Myth 04:27 | Why “Seasoned” Is a Red Flag 05:03 | Relevance Over Tenure 06:33 | Social Is Your New CV 08:51 | The Cost of Invisibility 10:18 | The Mountain Climber Story 15:13 | Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable 17:41 | Embarrassment Is the Cost of Entry 19:04 | 68 Rejections and Spiritual Sandpaper 25:26 | The Unfair Advantage Framework 31:41 | Building Your Evidence File 37:39 | Networking Before You Need It 40:12 | Loren’s Story: Fired at 55 43:45 | Mentors and Inspiration 48:42 | Closing: Don’t Age Out by Living Smaller Loren Greiff | President | Portfoliorocket.com (http://portfoliorocket.com) Loren Greiff is an executive career strategist who helps experienced leaders remain relevant, visible, and competitive in a rapidly changing job market. After being fired at 55, Loren rebuilt her career and transformed her experience into work that helps other professionals position themselves around the problems they are uniquely qualified to solve. Her TEDx journey included 68 rejections before she finally reached the stage—a process she describes as “spiritual sandpaper” that built resilience, humility, and conviction. Now in her sixties, Loren openly challenges the idea that age determines a person’s professional value. Her work focuses on helping executives move beyond outdated titles, generic experience statements, and traditional CVs to communicate their relevance, judgment, impact, and unfair advantage. Through her writing, speaking, coaching, and online presence, she advocates for taking courageous risks, building relationships before they are needed, and refusing to become professionally invisible. Connect with Loren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff) Raw With Uma Do you feel like you're working harder than everyone around you but still getting overlooked for the opportunities you deserve? Take the free Discover Your 2026 Visibility Stage assessment and find out what's actually standing between you and being seen. → https://form.jotform.com/252218729975470 (https://form.jotform.com/252218729975470) Follow RAW with Uma: 📱 On Instagram → https://instagram.com/rawwithuma (https://instagram.com/rawwithuma) 💻 On LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/raw-with-uma/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/raw-with-uma/) Follow Uma Thana : 📱 Follow Uma on Instagram → https://instagram.com/uma_raw (https://instagram.com/uma_raw) 💻 Connect with Uma on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana (https://www.linkedin.com/in/umathana) Listen on: 🎧 Apple Podcast → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/id1821559768 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raw-with-uma/id1821559768) 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e (https://open.spotify.com/show/1R7vwGXeHLcJLsX8HjOX4e)

Who has been a guest on RAW with Uma

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Olivia
• Audrey Tim
• Stephen Morse
• Nicole
• Chef Rishi

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

87,128

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 57 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

83

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

0

Contact RAW with Uma

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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