the unexpected Gurus: Recent Episodes
the unexpected Gurus
gu-ru /ˈɡo͝oro͞o/: an individual who imparts wisdom based on their life experiences.
we’re sharing real, vulnerable, and authentic stories that bring us to the table, that fill each other’s muGs, that remind us of our camaraderie, and that encourage us to find the unexpected Guru in ourselves.
grab a muG. welcome to tuG.
On Episode 8 of the unexpected Gurus, we’re breaking that darn stigma around mental health with our friend, @traciepape! Tune in as we discuss:
💛 Breaking the expectations we set for ourselves
💛 Managing our mental health through times of transitions
💛 How we can ask for support, and how we can be of support to others
💛 Knowing that it’s okay not to be okay
We are so, so proud of this episode, and so glad to have Tracie’s perspective as we navigate what is often times a very complex, messy, and minimized subject.
We know that this has been a challenging year. For any of you who are struggling with mental health issues, we hope that this episode can provide you both with solace in relatability, and some tools that can help you work through what you’re going through.
And to all of you: no matter what you’re struggling with, please know that you are not alone.
With lots of Love.,
Bhavs and Mums
This week, we are joined by Dr. Anna Strasma who is a Nephrology Fellow at Duke University!
She shares her experience of falling in love with medicine, her keen interest in the kidneys and their functionality, as well as her global approach to medicine that stirred during childhood.
Anna sees and serves humanity through her work as a doctor, public health researcher and volunteer.
If you’ve felt restless about your passion or your path, grab your muG and listen in because Anna opens up about working towards what calls to your heart, even if it’s not clear right at the start!
Need something to listen to as you’re making Thanksgiving lunch/dinner? Take a listen to the latest episode of tuG!
On this week’s episode, Bhavna and I wanted to take a minute to do exactly what our podcast is all about: Pause. Connect. Reflect. Repeat.
2020 has been a unique, intense, and very unexpected (did it again, see that?) year. It can be easy to get caught up in all of the negativity — the very real affects of physical distancing; the stress of the election; balancing our normal lives with the abnormality of 2020. It’s been a lot.
Our goal this week was for both of us to take a minute to reframe our circumstances with a muG half-full lens. We asked ourselves these questions:
☕️ What is different today than it was a year ago that I have gratitude for?
☕️ What insights have I gained this year that I can appreciate?
☕️What is an aspect of my personality that I am proud of?
☕️What is something enjoyable that I get to experience every day that I often take for granted?
☕️Who do I want to say thank you to?
Thinking through these questions and coming up with answers was both a fun and humbling experience for both of us. There is a lot to be grateful for.
Also: Both Bhavna and I have many people that we love working the frontlines, including my parents and Bhavna’s awesome husband. We recognize the very real stress of the pandemic. We also 100% recognize the privilege both of us have to be able to work from home and live with or see our families regularly.
To all of you who are doing the hard work right now — as doctors, nurses, grocery store workers, therapists, mailmen, and more — thank you, thank you, THANK you for everything you’re doing to not only keep us safe and healthy, but to keep this world running.
To any of you who are struggling right now because of the pandemic, please know that you are not alone. Don’t ever hesitate to DM us for support. If we aren’t able to help you, we will direct you to someone who can.
And to all of you who continue to tune in and listen each week - thank you. We love getting to create a community with all of you. Thank you for your support!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
biG, biG huGs,
Mums
On Episode 6 of the unexpected Gurus, we’re hanging out with the incredible co-hosts of The Woke Desi, Annika Sharma and Nehal Tenany!
A little history for you guys: Annika and I (Mums) have been BFFs literally from the moment that we met at our mutual workplace three and a half years ago. While our stories on our first conversation differ (evidently I told Annika that I wanted to be a writer like her, but I thought I had just gotten excited over the fact that we shared a mother tongue lol), our bond is irrevocable. We have watched each other grow personally (Annika just got married!) and professionally. As a friend and a fan, it’s been so cool to watch The Woke Desi evolve from a tentative idea to the juggernaut it is now.
Tune in to this week’s episode as we talk to Annika and Nehal about:
🎙the beginnings of the The Woke Desi,
🎙the episodes that made them think,
🎙balancing the podcast with work, life, and self-care,
🎙breaking the Indian stereotype of not following your passions,
and so much more!
Bhavs and I had the best time chatting with these ladies for the reasons listed above and because, as two brand new podcast hosts, it was a pleasure to learn from two ladies who have been through the process and have found incredible success the way Annika and Nehal have! We are so grateful that they were willing to hang out with us for a bit to share laughs, wisdom, and a whole lot more.
grab a muG ☕️welcome to Episode 6 of tuG!
huGs,
Mums
WE'RE BACK!
We were always planning on taking a tuG pause for Election Day, but we certainly didn't expect the week to pan out the way it did. Last week was filled with the unexpected (see what we did there 😏) and we wanted to take a second to break down our thoughts together and share them with all of you.
During this week's tuG Chai Break, we chat about:
🇺🇸the historic nature of the election
🇺🇸voter turnout
🇺🇸the cultural impact of our Vice President-elect
🇺🇸our goal to continuously strive for unity throughout this podcast and beyond
What a week, guys. We hope all of you are hanging in there.
grab a muG ☕️welcome (back) to tuG!
On Episode 5 of the unexpected Gurus, Richard takes us along the journey of his life, starting from the way his father shaped his mentality all the way to the work that he is doing now in Brussels. Tune in as we talk more about:
✨ the lessons that he learned from his father about humility;
✨his work in the advocacy space, and why he can’t leave it;
✨the culture shock that came with moving to the United States;
✨his thoughts on the current political climate and the Black Lives Matter movement.
A caption can’t do justice to everything that Richard shares during this episode, so you’ll just have to tune in!
grab a muG ☕️ welcome to Episode 5 of tuG!
On Episode 4 of the unexpected Gurus, we cover a full range of topics with the Reverend Emily Collette. Here are some of our favorites:
✨Titles, labels, and transitions;
✨Navigating tough discussions when you’re surrounded by people who may think and believe differently from you;
✨Finding camaraderie in differences;
✨Finding hope in redemption;
Plus, we chat about Tennessee and Ohio State football, the love-hate relationships we can have with our hometowns, and the importance of carrying love into every environment we walk into. We are so grateful to Emily for bringing her perspective and her wisdom to the tuG table!
grab a muG ☕️ welcome to Episode 4 of tuG!
On Episode 3 of the unexpected Gurus, we tackle some of life's current political, global, social, and personal challenges with our buddy and self-proclaimed tree enthusiast, Sam Rapaport! Join us as we pick Sam's brain about:
🌳the existential metaphor surrounding his love of nature and trees;
🌳the challenges of navigating your twenties and balancing the commitment to making a difference with fiscal responsibilities;
🌳avoiding burnout in social justice and advocacy;
🌳his current work with Food4Lives, a food bank based in Atlanta, Georgia, and;
🌳finding optimism in our current state of perpetual pessimism.
PLUS, you'll want to tune in to our very special, Sam-Rapaport-modified version of Rapid Fire, where we challenge Sam with some unexpected (see what we did there?) quick questions -- his responses are equally as unexpected!
You'll laugh, you'll think, you'll laugh even more: this is just a feel-good-wisdom-packed conversation with between friends -- and that includes you!
grab a muG ☕️ welcome to Episode 3 of tuG!
Hey tuG listeners! We recorded Episode 3 of tuG the day after the first Presidential Debate. Both of us were feeling a little heavy, not only from watching the debate, but also from observing the current state of our political climate. We wanted to share some thoughts with all of you before we jump into Episode 3 with our buddy, Sam Rapaport, who shared some really great tips on how we can stay positive and motivated during this challenging time in our country.
As always, thanks for listening!
huGs,
Bhavs and Mums
On Episode 2 of the unexpected Gurus, we continue the conversation on female friendships and breaking female stereotypes with a few of our favorite women in our very first edition of The Girls’ Room (an homage to one of our favorite segments from everyone’s favorite Nickelodeon variety show, The Amanda Show!).
Tune in as we talk about:
- The Bechdel Test and how it has opened up our eyes to the influence fiction has had on the way we think about women
- The Bachelor nights and Football nights - why they aren't so different after all
- Creating a space - and an abundance mindset - for women to explore and cherish harmonious, supportive relationships with one another
- Getting out of our heads, shaking off imposter syndrome, and putting ourselves out there
- The coronavirus pandemic helping so us open about emotions, and learning that it’s okay to dig deep and share
- A message to women who many no longer be a part of our lives
grab your muG. welcome to the Girls' Room!
On our very first episode of the unexpected Gurus, we (Bhavna and Mamata) both open up about our initial perceptions of one another and why we think it took ten years too long to set aside our differences and become such good friends. We talk about how women are constantly pitted against one another, both by society and by our own internal perceptions, and why female friendships are so important. Mamata also shares a little more about her mental health journey, and the realizations that she has had that have brought her HERE.
grab your muG. welcome to tuG!
Hey everyone! I’m Mamata. Welcome to the unexpected Gurus!
I had a realization today that, whenever I need to write or am asked to submit a bio, I usually end up detailing all of my career highlights, because that is what I end up defining my worth by. But there is so much more to me (and so much more to all of us!), so I want to share those things with all of you:
📝I’m Mums. I love to write: poetry, essays, Instagram captions, birthday cards, love letters, letters to myself. Words are my way of communicating everything I’m thinking and feeling. I am currently an Editor and Contributor for the Heartfulness Magazine, and support a growing community at abcdyogi, a platform dedicated to connecting South Asian yogis around the world.
☕️I love talking to people. I love hearing other people’s stories, understanding the lessons that they have learned from them, hearing how their moments of pain and joy and love and sadness have led them to exactly where they are now.
💛 I am obsessed with country music, am a proud Hufflepuff, and dance to Hannah Montana songs when I’m having a crappy day.
🧘🏽♀️Above all, I am dedicated to my spirituality. My practice of @heartfulness Meditation is the foundation of my life. It is what grounds and centers me, and allows me to continuously grow internally and externally. I’ve been practicing Heartfulness Meditation for ten years, and I’ve been a Heartfulness trainer for five years.
I have spent many, many years believing that I needed to live life on a very linear, straight and narrow path, only to find that my journey has taken me on many twists and turns, most of which I never expected. There are so many things in my life that I don’t have that I thought I needed in order to be happy. Guess who is being proven wrong each day? :)
It has been the best, BEST experience to get to here. I can’t wait to share more about my journey with all of you, and I can’t wait to know all of you more.
huGs,
Mums
Hi everyone! I’m Bhavna - one half of the unexpected Gurus team!
At my core, I am a creative. Whether through dance, art, calligraphy, words, or yoga, I love to express myself.
I love trying new things to broaden my horizons. Whether that means cracking open a book that’s been catching dust, learning a new language and script, challenging views that I felt I was married to, or approaching life a bit differently after hearing someone’s story, I’m down. Sign me up!
At the beginning of this year, I challenged myself to find a way to apply my energy into something that is helpful and useful for a bigger purpose. I think I’ve found what I was looking for with the Unexpected Gurus podcast.
If you’re listening to me, I bet you’ll hear me reference a few of my favorite things:
👨🏾my husband
🐱my nutty cats
🌵Texas
🌮tacos
🧘🏾♀️ and yoga.
I am thrilled to be partnering with @mamatavenkat to bring you guys the most inspiring and loving stories of growth and change!
Big (socially distant) huGs,
Bhavna
welcome to the unexpected Gurus! We are so excited to get to know all of you guys on this journey! Take a listen to our trailer to learn more about why we (Bhavna and Mamata) decided to start this podcast and what you're going to get out of it each week when you hit the play button.
grab a muG. welcome to tuG.