Welcome to Sakura, Sikhi & Strength - a podcast about finding strength in the space between cultures and thriving through life's constant changes. I'm Asees Sethi Anand, your host, and as someone born in Japan, raised in Los Angeles, educated globally and now living in New York City, I understand what it means to navigate life between worlds. This podcast is for anyone building careers, starting families, caring for loved ones, and writing their own definition of success - all while honoring the beautiful complexity of multicultural identity. Whether you're a third-culture kid, second-generation immigrant, or simply someone who feels caught between cultures, this show is your space to feel seen, understood, and empowered. Join me for honest conversations about resilience, growth, and finding your strength in the spaces that make you uniquely you.
New episodes coming weekly. Subscribe now so you don't miss a single story.
Connect with me:
Instagram: @sakurasikhistrength
Email: hello@sakurasikhistrength.com
Episode 13: Season 1 Reflections & Finding the Glimmers
As Season 1 of Sakura, Sikhi & Strength concludes, I'm reflecting on the journey from feeling displaced between cultures to discovering that these "in-between spaces" are actually where I found my greatest strength. This finale episode connects the themes that emerged across 13 conversations about resilience, identity, and authentic living. What I used to see as my biggest challenge - this multicultural identity that sometimes left me feeling like I didn't fit anywhere - became the source...
2 Sept 2025
Episode 12: Beyond the Diagnosis - Playing the Long Game with MS
After 15 years of privacy, I'm sharing something deeply personal - my journey with multiple sclerosis. At 26, five months into marriage everything changed with a diagnosis that would reshape how I understood strength, planning, and what it means to build a life when the rules suddenly shift. Joined by Dr. Stephen Krieger, neurologist at Mount Sinai at the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for MS who has walked this entire journey with me, we explore what it means to build a meaningful life r...
26 Aug 2025
Episode 11: Unlearning the Performance Trap - The Power of Giving Yourself Grace
When was the last time you gave yourself the same compassion you'd give your best friend? In this deeply personal episode, I explore the transformative power of unlearning the performance trap that keeps us believing our worth must be constantly proven and earned. Through vulnerable stories about the moment a doctor told me I needed to "take a break" (and I genuinely didn't understand what he meant), I examine how perfectionism can masquerade as high standards while actually undermining our c...
19 Aug 2025
Episode 10: Climbing Trees and Building Character - Life Lessons from my Nanima
In this deeply personal episode, I sit down with my maternal grandmother, Veena Singh (Nanima), for an intimate conversation spanning 84+ years of wisdom, resilience, and unwavering faith. Born in what was then part of India, Nanima's early years took her from her birthplace to Persia and eventually to 1940s Delhi, where she witnessed incredible social and historical changes while building a life rooted in Sikh values and unconditional love. Wisdom That Transcends Generations: The difference ...
12 Aug 2025
Episode 9 (Part 2): Seeds of Faith - Growing up Sikh and Gurbani Wisdom with Inderpreet Singh
In Part 2 of this enlightening series, technology leader and Sikh scholar Inderpreet Singh shares what Gurbani (Sikh scriptures) actually teaches about building resilience, maintaining optimism, and finding strength through life's inevitable challenges. This episode explores profound spiritual concepts made accessible for modern life, from the daily practice of Chardi Kala (ascending spirits) to understanding how divine remembrance becomes medicine for contemporary ailments. Deep Teachings Ex...
5 Aug 2025
Episode 9: Seeds of Faith - Growing up Sikh and Gurbani Wisdom with Inderpreet Singh (Part 1)
In Part 1 of this two-part series, I speak with Inderpreet Singh, a technology leader and Sikh scholar whose multicultural journey beautifully illustrates how faith evolves across cultures and continents. Born in Delhi but raised across Japan, Canada, and India, Inderpreet's story takes us from being teased as "Triple Bun Samosa" in boarding school to finding his Sikh identity actually strengthened in a Catholic educational environment. This Episode Explores: How childhood challenges build li...
29 Jul 2025
Episode 8: Smart vs Wise - Why Intelligence Isn't Enough
Smart vs Wise: Why Intelligence Isn't Enough We celebrate degrees, test scores, and credentials - but what about wisdom? In this introspective episode, I share vulnerable stories about my real estate career journey to explore the crucial difference between being smart and being wise. Through personal examples, I examine how our obsession with intelligence often overshadows the development of wisdom - the ability to read context, understand nuances, and make decisions aligned with our deeper v...
22 Jul 2025
Episode 7: Growing Up Global - A Third Culture Kid's Perspective with Gia Kiteishvili
What does it look like to grow up as a third culture kid in today's world? In this refreshing conversation, Asees sits down with 11-year-old Gia Kiteishvili, a half-Korean, half-Georgian young student growing up in New York City, to explore identity, belonging, and resilience from a Gen Z perspective. Gia brings a unique viewpoint to our understanding of multicultural identity – from attending Korean school as an international student to describing how her multicultural background helps her "...
15 Jul 2025
Episode 6: Living Fearlessly - Middle School Identity & Resilience with Antoinette Aku Quarshie
What does it mean to navigate identity when your childhood spans continents and cultures? In this profound conversation, Asees sits down with Antoinette Aku Quarshie, Dean of Students at a New York Independent School, who brings over 30 years of experience working with young adolescents during their crucial identity-forming years. Born to a Grenadian mother and Ghanian father, Antoinette was raised between the UK, Grenada, Ghana, and the United States. Her unique third culture background, com...
8 Jul 2025
Episode 5: From Nice to Confident Kindness
Asees explores the transformative difference between being nice and practicing confident kindness, sharing personal stories about cultural conditioning and reclaiming self-worth in relationships; this is a solo episode.
1 Jul 2025
Episode 4: Finding People Like Us - A 20-Year Third Culture Friendship
Asees interviews Annick and Maureen about their 20-year third culture friendship that began in Paris, revealing the power of shared understanding and cross-continental connection.
24 Jun 2025
Episode 3: The Neither Nor World - Exploring Third Culture Kid Identity with Ruth Van Reken
Author Ruth Van Reken discusses Third Culture Kid identity with host Asees, exploring the experience of growing up between cultures and transforming confusion into clarity in this interview.
17 Jun 2025
Episode 2: Anchor Friendships with Fluid Homes - A conversation with Aarti Virani
Host Asees interviews journalist Aarti Virani about the complexities of identity for second-generation and third-culture individuals, exploring the bonds formed through shared cultural experiences and family histories.
10 Jun 2025
Episode 1: From Kobe to Manhattan
Host Asees introduces "Sakura, Sikhi, & Strength," sharing her experiences as a third-culture kid and second-generation immigrant navigating Japanese culture, Sikh faith, and American life.
3 Jun 2025
Sakura, Sikhi & Strength - Trailer
Host Asees Sethi Anand introduces "Sakura, Sikhi, & Strength," a podcast exploring cultural navigation and personal growth amidst life's transitions, offering insights for defining success while honoring heritage; this is a trailer.
Who has been a guest on Sakura, Sikhi & Strength
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Annick
Maureen
Ruth Van Reken
Aarti Virani
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
2,097
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 51 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
62
Social presence
0
YouTube
68
Engagement
32
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Guest appearances
Books guests
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