The Tamil Creator: Recent Episodes
Ara Ehamparam
"The Tamil Creator" is a podcast started by me (Ara Ehamparam) to celebrate, spotlight and learn about the brilliance among creators in the global Tamil community, with the end product being a conversation that is equal parts educational, inspirational and entertaining.
Nish Ithayakumar is a Vancouver-raised tech entrepreneur currently living in San Francisco, running Ponyrun (formerly Nimbus), an AI-based sales tool that helps automate research for high-quality results at scale, and the company was part of the prestigious Y-Combinator program.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss growing up in Vancouver (including the Grizzlies), playing “way too many video games” growing up, firsthand benefits of the Y-Combinator program for his startup, the Eureka moment that sparked the birth of Ponyrun, how his investors reacted to him pivoting from Nimbus to Ponyrun, leveraging a consulting job to open doors for his tech aspirations, the path to starting his own business (Ponyrun), the pros and cons of San Francisco, the importance of being an active listener, and so much more.
Follow Nish:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nithayakumar/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Nish Ithayakumar
01:08 - Nish speaks on his upbringing; video games and calculating what mattered
03:15 - Not being a fan of food
04:40 - Growing up during the Vancouver Grizzlies era
05:52 - From Vancouver to Toronto to San Francisco; following his passion for tech
06:43 - The challenges of transition from Canada to America for work
08:01 - Working for multiple companies before starting his own (Nimbus)
09:53 - His “Eureka moment”
11:19 - From targeting small customers to bigger ones
13:37 - How his investors reacted to him pivoting from Nimbus to Ponyrun
15:53 - Coming up with the name Ponyrun; focusing on what mattered (customers)
16:39 - Excelling at creating solutions; seeing a gap for automation
18:59 - Are the responses they’ve received positive, negative, or neutral?
21:29 - How CRM fits into his business operations
22:17 - Ponyrun surpassing Nimbus revenue in five months of operations
23:12 - Benefits of being part of the Y Combinator program; fundraising, network, etc.
25:21 - How the easy path dilutes you
26:20 - Being at an inflection point
27:25 - Is too much automation a bad; having to handhold and showcase value
29:09 - Having a product that could help generate more sales for himself
30:40 - His business model; a monthly subscription
31:06 - What are Nish’s future plans for Ponyrun?
31:57 - Does he miss Vancouver and was moving to San Francisco the right decision?
33:15 - The perception of San Francisco
35:47 - Nish’s favourite things about living in San Francisco; views, food, and more
37:10 - Where he sees himself professionally/personally over the next 5-10 years
38:34 - How his family feels about San Francisco; their role in his decision-making
39:16 - The importance of sense of community amidst today’s loneliness epidemic
40:12 - Learning lessons he’s picked up along his journey; active listening as a skill
43:41 - The Tamil community in Vancouver versus San Francisco versus Toronto
45:57 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
49:18 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family
50:01 - Creator Confessions
1:02:15 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Usha Srinivasan has a fascinating career spanning over 30 years - as a scientist, market research consultant, innovation ecosystem builder, entrepreneur, and now also an Angel investor. She is the Founding Director of Brampton Venture Zone ( @bvzbrampton ), a non-equity, purpose-driven incubator operated by TMU and funded by the City of Brampton. Before that, she was VP of Partnerships at Elevate Tech Festival ( @elevatetechca ) and COO of a Food tech startup. Her most significant role in the past 15 years has been with MaRS Discovery District ( @marsdiscoverydistrict ), where she was VP of venture and talent programs. She spent ten years building entrepreneurship programs and supporting the growth of regional innovation centers across the province of Ontario with her team. Her career experiences working in academia, corporations, consulting firms, and startups also included living and working in multiple countries worldwide, including Iran, Dubai, the UK, the US, and Canada. She is dedicated to being a lifelong learner and always has a side hustle - including a French patisserie and a record label business. She believes in a life driven by purpose and unconditional giving.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss her work as Founding Director of Brampton Venture Zone, being born in South India (Chennai) and living internationally, the 10+ years she spent at MaRS Discovery District building entrepreneurship programs, never applying for a job as it was advertised but rather pitching herself to make opportunities, being a lifelong learner and embracing new challenges, being a breast cancer survivor, and so much more.
Follow Usha:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/srinivasanusha/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Usha Srinivasan
02:29 - Usha speaks on the skills/perspective developed by moving every three years
05:33 - How she accidentally ended up in Toronto
09:10 - Will she ever go back to the United States?
10:18 - Working for MaRS as employee #25
15:35 - Why she left MaRS; the importance of relationship-building to secure jobs
17:51 - Managing a full time job and family while starting a bakery (Petit Paris); her experience
23:38 - The importance of making mistakes; encouraging her kids to be lifelong learners
26:40 - How did Usha transition from coaching her kids to becoming their friends
29:08 - The food-tech start-up (House Chef) she worked with prospering before COVID
37:02 - Brampton Venture Zone; what it is and what her role entails
40:34 - Companies that have experience rapid growth/and that she’s excited about
45:50 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
47:22 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family
48:38 - Creator Confessions
56:53 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the Show.
Peter Duraisami ( @peter.duraisami ) is the CEO at The Scott Mission ( @thescottmission ).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss his journey from working in a kitchen to becoming CEO, an innate desire to bring justice to the poor and finding his faith in 1997, not wanting to leave India but feeling compelled by God, seeing unseen levels of poverty during COVID, making the transition from the business world to a life of Ministry, and so much more!
Follow Peter:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-duraisami-785b4b35/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Peter Duraisami
00:52 - Growing up as the youngest of 8 in India; finding his faith
03:50 - Where are his siblings now?
04:59 - Why Peter picked Canada; feeling compelled by God
08:22 - Transitioning from business to a life of Ministry
11:21 - How he got involved with The Scott Mission; Tyndale in 1990
13:05 - His progression at The Scott Mission; kitchen to CEO
15:11 - The Scott Mission’s impact and his role over the years
22:42 - How The Scott Mission has been able to sustain itself
26:27 - Where Peter sees himself in the next 3-5 years
28:44 - How his family has supported him through his career
30:47 - Peter’s connection to his Tamil identity
33:08 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
35:44 - Creator Confessions
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the Show.
Suba Umathevan ( @suba.umathevan ) is the CEO of DROSOS FOUNDATION, a Switzerland-based non-profit committed to unlocking the potential of young people.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the work she's done in the non-profit work for the last 10+ years including at the DROSOS FOUNDATION and Plan International Switzerland, being raised in Switzerland and having Tamil values instilled in her from a young age, how she got her TEDx talk opportunity, wanting to become a Swiss diplomat due to discussions about politics with her dad, personal and professional growth she’s experienced along her career journey, her direct approach being a byproduct of her Germanic upbringing, viewing herself as a “connector", her admiration for Oprah Winfrey, and so much more!
Follow Suba:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/suba009/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Suba Umathevan
01:10 - Suba speaks on her formative years; turning trauma into resilience
02:58 - Why her parents chose to flee to Switzerland
04:59 - Was the world more welcoming to refugees back in the day?
07:47 - The Tamil community being more populated in Toronto versus Switzerland
09:00 - Why Suba pursued a career in the non-profit world
10:51 - The cost of living in Switzerland
12:17 - Plan International; what they do and a key milestone for Suba
15:22 - Transitioning from a Director-level position to a C-Suite role
18:26 - What is the DROSOS foundation; unlocking young people’s potential
23:21 - 15,000 foundations existing in Switzerland; the history behind it
24:26 - Why Suba prioritizes connecting with her team versus coaching them
29:08 - The DROSOS foundation entering its 20th anniversary; new vision
30:45 - Pursuing education in Canada; how the country shaped her
32:33 - What the Tamil community is like in Switzerland
35:04 - Tedx Talk; how the opportunity came to be
36:28 - Several failures during her first year at Brussels
38:43 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
39:24 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for
40:15 - Creator Confessions
46:47 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the Show.
Alex Emmanuel is a UK-born, Canadian Expat living in New York City who went to work his way up at several start-ups (Skillshare, Grailed, etc.) before going all in with some friends to co-found a gaming app called 1v1me (@1v1meapp) that successfully raised a Series A while also being profitable.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss wanting to have gone to culinary school, how engineering was a tool that allowed him to pursue his passion of creating technology, prioritizing education over compensation early on in his career, growing his business 77% MoM (Month over Month) over the first 13 months of operations ($14,000 in sales for the first month to over $3 million in a recent month), why he opted to raise money vs bootstrapping, and so much more.
Follow Alex:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-emmanuel/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Alexander Emmanuel
01:28 - Alex speaks on growing up in Ottawa; moving to bigger cities like NY
02:37 - The impact of his parents working for Nortel/in the tech scene
03:48 - Growing up in a tight-knit family; cousins are like siblings
04:19 - Getting laid off and moving to New York within a span of two weeks
06:14 - How the first iPhone sparked Alex’s passion for engineering
09:14 - Carleton having an underrated engineering school
10:50 - Could he have achieved the same success in Toronto that he’s seen in NY?
13:44 - Staying at multiple companies for long periods before starting his own venture
16:30 - The moment he decided to start his own company
23:37 - How his company’s staking model works
24:11 - Biggest factors that have contributed to his company’s success
27:54 - The game titles he works with (Madden, NBA 2K, Call of Duty)
29:16 - Not needing licensing due to fair use laws
30:51 - Why Alex opts for raising money over bootstrapping
34:09 - His learning habits operating a 24/7 business; doing
36:11 - How he handles having to be switched on all the time; being intentional
38:39 - Learning lessons during the course of his career; why timing is everything
41:36 - The Tamil community in New York; and food spots
43:59 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self; from lazy to disciplined
45:09 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family
46:03 - Creator Confessions
52:19 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the Show.
Cheyanne Ratnam (@rising.phoenix7 ) is the Co-founder & CEO of the Ontario Children's Advancement Coalition. She is passionate about equity, developing inclusive and accessible anti-racist spaces and processes, and social innovation. As a social entrepreneur she has dedicated much of her life/expertise in child welfare, homelessness, and equity issues. She is passionate about youth homelessness, child welfare, SDoH, childhood sexual abuse, GBV/IPV, youth development, mobilization and ethical engagement, equity, anti-racism, & human rights issues. Her life experiences spanning various identities and histories sparked much of her life's work and recognition for her work.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how she’s impressively overcome several unfortunate life circumstances to come out on the other side (including being homeless, dealing with violence, and healing from generational trauma), why peace is expensive, Canada measuring wellness from an economic perspective versus New Zealand’s benchmark, being a target of human trafficking, why family is chosen, and so much more.
Follow Cheyanne:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheyanneratnam/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/rising.phoenix7/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Cheyanne Ratnam
01:49 - Cheyanne speaks on how her past led to her current life trajectory
09:12 - Healing is a lifelong journey; her experience with it
12:01 - Addressing the prison pipeline; prevention versus intervention
20:23 - The long-term cost saving effect of mitigating homelessness
22:53 - Affordable housing for the homeless/those who can’t afford a home
25:38 - Cheyanne speaks on being a target of human trafficking
30:37 - Starting the Ontario Children’s Advancement Coalition
40:35 - Why pure intention is not enough for actual change
46:12 - Her strategy behind being socially innovative and sustaining her life
50:04 - Cheyanne speaks on being in survival mode since the age of 8
52:58 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
54:53 - Her definition of family; it being chosen
59:21 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for
1:00:53 - Creator Confessions
1:22:27 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the Show.
Nitesh Pillai (@nitesh.pillai) is professional model that was discovered on TikTok (where he has 100K+ followers & over 5 million likes).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss immigrating from Malaysia to Australia, going from being a victim of bullying to being discovered by IMG Models (an international leader in talent discovery), juggling school and his modelling career, questioning the purpose of education due to his current career path, participating in Paris fashion week, and so much more.
Follow Nitesh:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nitesh.pillai/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Nitesh Pillai
01:37 - How Nitesh became a model; overcoming bullying
05:19 - The different perspectives his brothers provided
07:11 - Missing his family in Malaysia and the “next level” food
08:28 - Being discovered on TikTok by IMG Models
09:32 - Misconceptions about being a model
11:13 - Dealing with last minute requests
12:22 - How his parents feel about his modelling career
13:52 - Balancing his modelling career and school
14:43 - Contemplating not finishing school; don’t tell his dad
15:49 - The longevity of a modelling career; 5-10 year shelf life
17:22 - Will his degree be useful; his passion for music, writing, and more
18:19 - Favourite places he’s been able to travel for work; Paris, Portugal
19:27 - Why Nitesh only sees himself living in Australia; a non-stop holiday
20:45 - How to adapt an “every day is a holiday” mindset; family
22:21 - Would he consider moving back to Malaysia?
24:58 - Why his parents moved to Australia; his dad’s incredible story
26:15 - What his ideal day to day looks like; stretching, sports, etc.
27:39 - How he views money and spends it for his modelling career
30:17 - Craziest stuff he’s seen in the world of fashion
32:29 - The 1% of models; wanting to create his own lane
34:06 - Learning lessons; breaking his jaw
35:57 - Advice he would give his 14-year-old self
37:39 - How he wants to be remembered by friends and family
37:54 - Creator Confessions
41:15 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Angela Asiana (@angelaasiana) is a Swiss-based musician, model & social media star.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss her unique way of networking through Instagram, navigating the negative side of social media, gradually winning her parents’ approval, who her dream collaborations would be with including The Weeknd (@theweeknd) & A.R. Rahman (@arrahman), the importance of maintaining mental and physical health as an artist, quitting her job last year to pursue music full-time, the importance of gratitude, and so much more.
Follow Angela:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/angelaasiana/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Angela Asiana
00:47 - Angela speaks on what led her to a career in arts and culture
02:07 - Music being for herself and social media being a fun thing to do
04:21 - Discussing another Swiss music star in Priya Ragu
04:56 - The negative side of special media; remembering your roots
06:08 - Finding yourself in today’s world/digital era
08:30 - How Angela’s parents feel about her pursuing this career path
13:15 - Her favourite song to date
15:08 - Why she enjoys creating music videos
17:33 - Being an independent artist but open to working with a label
18:56 - Wanting to collaborate with The Weeknd and A. R. Rahman
20:26 - How she perceives herself; as an artist and musician
22:30 - What her schedule looks like; and the power of Instagram
26:15 - How she approaches networking/relationship building
28:27 - Deciding to go all-in with her dream; quitting her job
33:18 - Her biggest failures/learning lessons
34:56 - The importance of practicing gratitude; her morning routine
38:53 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
39:33 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends/family
39:57 - Creator Confessions
45:22 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Sujan Selven (@sujanselven) is a serial entrepreneur with his latest venture, Space Group, focused on the telecommunications industry. He is also a founder of social enterprise Upcycled Tech (@upcycled_tech), which provides upcycled tech devices to improve the lives and well-being of those in need, starting with remote villages in Sri Lanka.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how Jack Ma influenced him to think about positively about problems, how COVID led him to create Upcycled Tech/giving back to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka through this social enterprise, future growth plans for his business Space Group, wanting to be known for taking action instead of just talking, the importance of facing challenges head-on, and so much more.
Follow Sujan:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sujanselven/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sujanselven/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sujan Selven
00:40 - What led Sujan down an entrepreneurial path
02:07 - Being born in Sri Lanka, migrating to Australia
04:08 - Admiration for Jack Ma; problems create solutions
06:18 - Upcycled Tech; what it is and why he started it
10:18 - Transforming Upcycled Tech to a social enterprise
13:12 - The Upcycled Tech team; how it came together
14:34 - Space Group; what prompted him to start this
16:09 - Space Group’s purpose; civil, electrical, and telecom services
17:09 - Initially not knowing where Space Group would take him
19:19 - How he secures sales (contracts) for Space Group
20:49 - How he finds talent; setting others up for success
22:38 - Reducing role with Space Group to focus on Upcycled Tech (to help enable connectivity to remote villages in Sri Lanka)
25:08 - Learning about the importance of good accounting
26:15 - His sources of learning; reading, short courses, etc.
27:35 - Balancing personal and professional obligations
29:13 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
30:40 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for
30:56 - Creator Confessions
35:08 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Aurthi Muthukumaran (@aurthi.pa) is an emergency medicine and orthopaedic surgery physician assistant and high-level tennis player.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss why she is a big advocate of the physician assistant role as something that young people with an interest in medicine should pursue, how a shoulder injury playing tennis when she was 13 years old had increased her academic focus, having an innate desire to give back to the Tamil community through her work at SHN (@shnfoundation), how physician assistants positively impact the patient experience while helping to remove barriers to healthcare, how she balanced a demanding academic load with her athletic pursuit of being a high-level tennis player and so much more.
Follow Aurthi:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aurthi-muthu/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/aurthi.pa/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Aurthi Muthukumaran
00:46 - What led her to a career in healthcare; a tennis injury
05:02 - Being further inspired by an opponent in her varsity career
06:21 - What is physician assistant; a relatively new role
09:35 - Difference between a physician and a physician assistant
12:23 - The importance of the pandemic for physician assistants
13:57 - Canadian universities increasingly offering PA programs
14:41 - Being one of less than 1,000 PAs in Canada today
15:29 - Resonating with Scarborough Health Network; the Tamil community
16:36 - What Aurthi’s day-to-day looks like
19:57 - Retracting a patient’s abdomen; becoming desensitized over time
21:02 - Winning an ‘Excellence in Leadership’ award; her advocacy efforts
22:21 - Balancing academics and athletics from a young age
24:34 - Being used to 10-hour days; being grateful for a busy upbringing
29:48 - The importance of maintaining physical and mental health as you age
31:49 - Extrinsic motivation versus intrinsic motivation; winning habits
37:52 - Where she sees herself in the next 3-5 years; personally and professionally
40:28 - Her biggest learning lesson; a steep learning curve when switching specialties
43:29 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self; no such thing as perfection
44:34 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family
45:36 - Her dad being an avid chess player; training players who are famous today
46:15 - Creator Confessions
50:02 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Karthy Subramaniam (@karthy.subra) is the Founder of LITS Hot Sauce (@litssauce) & Co-Founder of Malaysian street food company BUNGKUS (@bungkus.to) with his mom Siva.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss advice he wish he got when he first started his business, growing up with entrepreneurs around him, how he came up with the name BUNGKUS, scaling LITS to 36 retailers in just over five years of operations, quitting his full time job to start BUNGKUS with his mom and growing this business a faster rate than LITS because of past learnings, and so much more.
Follow Karthy:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksubramaniam/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/karthy.subra/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Karthy Subramaniam
01:01 - What sparked Karthy’s entrepreneurial spirit; his mother, brother, and grandma
03:50 - Being born in Malaysia and moving to Canada at the age of four
05:38 - Starting LITS (Lost in the Sauce) Hot Sauce
07:49 - Scaling up his business; researching bigger companies and exploring co-packers
09:53 - Forming his team in 2023; his fifth year of operations
11:09 - Securing his first sale for LITS; from family and friends to 36 retailers
15:37 - How he went about securing retailers; initially being approached
16:54 - How he formulated his sauce flavours; competing with bigger brands like Nandos
18:34 - Balancing a full time job while building up LITS; sacrificing sleep and social life
21:27 - Are his friends and family accepting of his entrepreneurial efforts?
23:33 - Quitting his full time job to build another business (BUNGKUS) with his mother
26:40 - Why the company is called BUNGKUS and deciding to partner with his mom
32:11 - What learnings he’s applied from LITS to BUNGKUS; marketing/social media
34:33 - Creating business synergy between LITS and BUNGKUS; a co-branded hot sauce
35:20 - Where can people order BUNGKUS?
36:42 - Karthy offers his recommendation for the best dishes to order
37:57 - Advice he wish he got when he had first started his business
39:01 - The learning lessons he’s experienced from failure
41:03 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self; don’t overthink
41:51 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by his friends and family
42:48 - Creator Confessions
48:56 - The Bungkus (Wrap Up)
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Sumu Sathi (@sumusathi) is an award winning social advocate, plus size model & actor. She is a Labour Relations Specialist in the Labour Movement and was previously the Chair at CUPE905, representing almost 4,000 public servants. She’s been in the media & community leadership space for almost 20 years. Her community work has been featured in places like Toronto.com, NOW Toronto & the Toronto Star. In 2017, she was chosen to be part of post-war socioeconomic development work in Sri Lanka as a Leadership facilitator. She is the 2023 recipient of the Inclusion Excellence Award from University of Toronto (@uoft). Sumu has acted in two Toronto based films and appears on CityTV as a plus model. She believes in promoting body positivity and advocating for representation for people of colour in arts, fashion and media spaces.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss being exposed to gang violence while growing up in Scarborough, being named a recipient of the 2023 Inclusive Excellence Award from U of T, spending over $50K of her money to make a film about women in Sri Lanka & the controversy around that, initially not wanting to take up a Chair position for CUPE 905, why she's a big believer of therapy, overcoming eating disorders, how the Tamil community’s perception (judging people based on skin colour and size) is rooted in colonialism, and so much more.
Follow Sumu:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumusathi/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sumusathi/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sumu Sathi
01:57 - Moving to Canada at 14 and her early passion for art
05:50 - Growing up and being exposed to gang violence in Scarborough
09:54 - Being the first woman of colour to take a Chair position with CUPE 905
14:01 - Change she has made as a labour movement leader and what she’s learned
17:40 - The power dynamic involved with sexual violence in the work place
19:21 - Acting in an award-winning film; how she got her opportunities
24:47 - Being a plus-size model; dropping out of UofT due to hyperthyroidism and more
31:47 - Always being compared to the past version of yourself; code switching
35:23 - Her yet to be released film, Daughters of Eelam; spending over $50,000 to make it
39:55 - Being named a recipient of the 2023 Inclusive Excellence Award
41:57 - Working on multiple careers; feeling blessed
46:15 - Advice for her 16-year-old self; handling criticism and managing emotions
49:35 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family
50:50 - Making the best of bad situations; dire situations vs. first-world problems
57:01 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Aravinth Panch (@aravinthpanch) is a social & tech entrepreneur empowering underserved communities in the Global South to tackle local socio-economic and environmental challenges while helping companies to realise their ideas from mind to market. He is currently the co-founder of DreamSpace Academy (@dreamspace.academy).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how he went from stateless and suicidal to super successful, having a pet crocodile, founding several businesses and investing in various others, being forced to become a child soldier at the age of 14, trying to deport himself from India 6 times before successfully being able to leave, finding purpose in entrepreneurship, viewing DreamSpace Academy as similar to the Xavier Institute from X-Men, and so much more.
Follow Aravinth:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aravinthpanch/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/aravinthpanch/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Aravinth Panch (Ara)
01:10 - What sparked his interest in entrepreneurship/driving social change?
08:34 - The story his company, araCreate; engineering, media, and business
11:16 - One of his companies (Hybrid 360 Art Tech) doing visual FX for Indian cinema
13:33 - Trying to deport himself from India six times; not allowed to live or leave
21:18 - Being a part of 20 companies in January 2023; managing his time
24:01 - Refusing shares while consulting for 250 companies and declining CEO roles
27:04 - The story of DreamSpace Academy
38:03 - Success stories from DreamSpace
53:45 - Building in Sri Lanka while living in Germany; how he sustains himself
55:08 - Reflecting on finding his purpose
59:22 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
1:01:36 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for
1:02:29 - Creator Confessions
1:09:12 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Janani Shanmuganathan (@janani_shanmuganathan) is a criminal defense lawyer who has appeared frequently at the Ontario Court of Appeal and has argued at the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. She is a Partner at Goddard & Shanmuganathan LLP.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss participating as co-counsel for a landmark Supreme Court Case (R.v. Nur.), how the cool moments of law that are seen on TV are only 10% of what being a lawyer entails, starting a business with her husband and navigating a work-life balance with it, having taken on clients even if they’re not able to pay (Legal Aid Ontario), why she’d rather make a friend than try to network, her desire to be authentic, regretting rushing through life, and so much more.
Follow Janani:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jshanmuganathan/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Janani Shanmuganathan
00:45 - What sparked her passion for law; an innate love for learning
01:58 - Never having second thoughts about her career choice
02:45 - Why Janani chose criminal defence; helping the underdog
03:35 - Misconceptions about being a lawyer; doubting herself
05:36 - Being introverted as a lawyer; the benefits of introversion in general
07:55 - The importance of research and organization as a lawyer
09:39 - Co-counselling a major case; Janani explains the importance and process
12:50 - Starting her own practice; figuring out how to work with her husband
15:44 - Building her clientele through referrals
16:36 - The benefit of working from home as a mother
18:25 - Determining if she wants to take on a new client; and Legal Aid Ontario
21:36 - Improving her skills/staying sharp; conferences, online resources, etc.
22:32 - Advice she would give young law students; and Ara’s insights
25:01 - Not liking the word networking; how she goes about relationship building
26:26 - A major learning lesson in Janani’s life; trying to work while pregnant
29:10 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self; slow down
31:55 - Re-examining your childhood as a parent; This Is Us and our immigrant parents
35:38 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family
36:06 - Creator Confessions
40:32 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Kavishan Pathmanathan (@__kavishan) is the Co-founder and Director of Basketball Operations at Fort Erie International Academy (@feiambb).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss hating basketball while growing up because of his brother Deluxshan (@deluxshanp), how he helped start Fort Erie International Academy's basketball program, his relationship with Leonard Miller (@leonard.m11), signing a three year deal with New Balance (@newbalance), the impact of Vince Carter (@mrvincecarter15) and the Raptors (@raptors) winning a championship on the Canadian basketball scene, quitting his full-time insurance job in March, the importance of working for free to achieve your goal, and so much more.
Follow Kavishan:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kavishan-pathmanathan-a05a1623b/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/__kavishan/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Kavishan Pathmanathan
01:01 - Sibling rivalry and rebellious childhood attitude spurred Kav’s passion for basketball
02:31 - Kav’s parents initially pushed him and his brother towards music
03:02 - Starting Fort Erie International Academy’s basketball program; how it has grown
04:04 - Prioritizing academics to compete with other players in the industry
05:41 - How Canadian basketball has evolved over the past five years
07:34 - The business side of basketball
10:25 - Quitting his full-time insurance job to go all in on basketball
12:25 - Seeing his students (Leonard Miller) get drafted into the NBA; and future prospects
15:51 - The difference in talent between athletes
18:02 - Kav’s journey to becoming a coach
24:13 - Is there a growing number of South Asians and Tamils in basketball?
27:14 - Nav clarifies that he is not a coach; focuses more on recruiting and business
30:30 - How he got a sponsorship deal with New Balance; talking with Nike and Adidas
32:03 - His pitch for attracting talent to Fort Erie
34:27 - Securing a sponsorship deal with ANTA for the first year of the program
37:16 - Kav’s view on social media
39:21 - How he balances his passion and responsibilities
42:16 - Ara butchers another quote
42:38 - A major learning lesson in Kav’s life three years ago
45:13 - Feeling connected to his Tamil identity but not necessarily the community
46:37 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
48:10 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family
49:29 - Creator Confessions
51:51 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Jamie Gnanapragasam is Manager of Merchandising Systems at Parkland Corporation, a veteran of the oil & gas industry for 15+ years and a recipient of the 2023 Star Women in Convenience award.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss spending the past 15 years in the Oil & Gas industry, being a receipient of the "2023 Star Women In Convenience" award, if oil will become obsolete in a more sustainable future, being the only person in her friends circle who stayed in one company for an extended period of time, her passion for giving back, and so much more.
Follow Jamie:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-gnanapragasam/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Jamie Gnanapragasam
01:17 - Her formative years; wanting to be a doctor but working in oil & gas
03:17 - Jamie’s role as a manager of merchandising systems
04:16 - The economic systems of gas
05:51 - The impact of loyalty programs in her side of the business
07:36 - Cheapest way to acquire customers and make partnerships profitable
08:51 - Staying put in an era of job-hopping; why she made that choice
12:43 - How she improves herself to take on new challenges
15:27 - Tips for building relationships; the absence of a human element in networking
19:50 - Being a recipient of the ‘2023 Star Women in Convenience’ award
22:03 - The subsequent impact of winning on her career and personally
23:19 - The Santa Claus Fund; from donating to participating
26:07 - The impact her family has had in Jamie’s choices
27:57 - Did she disregard anything her parents told her when she was younger?
28:33 - Her biggest learning lesson in recent years; stepping out of her comfort zone
29:49 - Feeling inherently connected to her Tamil heritage
31:02 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
32:40 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends/family
33:12 - Creator Confessions
40:23 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Nimal Navarathinam (@nimalnavarathinam) did his Masters of Space & Systems Engineering at York University, but has predominantly worked in Europe or for European-based companies including his most recent role as a Principal Space Systems Engineer at In-Space Missions.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss his fascination with science from an young age, how networking gave him international exposure to what was happening in the space industry globally, breaking into the space industry during the 2008 financial crisis, focusing his Masters on CubeStats & how they helped him in his career now, the importance of repetition, feeling like a financial crunch is on the horizon, and so much more.
Follow Nimal:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nimal-navarathinam/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Nimal Navarathinam
01:19 - Nimal and Ara discuss introversion and having quiet confidence
03:51 - His early upbringing and its impact on his life now
09:21 - The perception of space evolving over time; his career trajectory
19:46 - Canada’s space industry is small/niche (robotics, sensors, etc.) but growing
23:09 - What being a Principal Space Systems Engineer entails
28:03 - Learning by being thrown into the deep end
30:45 - Wanting to do more as he learned more
33:28 - His expectations for the space industry and his career over the next decade
39:15 - Should we advance earth or space; do/how they work hand in hand
46:51 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
49:03 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family
51:52 - Creator Confessions
57:45 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Abirami Shanmugaratnam (@abiskyhigh) is an elite athlete, personal trainer and entrepreneur (@skyhighperformance_), and a recent Chiropractic grad.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss having teachers in the family, the myth of work-life balance, being enrolled in tons of extracurricular activities from a young age, how she named her company, creating an opportunity for herself to work with MLSE, meeting Muggsy Bogues (@therealmuggsy) and Gradey Dick (@gradey), gaining respect in her profession, and so much more.
Follow Abi:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/abiskyhigh/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Abirami Shanmugaratnam
01:16 - How Abirami’s childhood sparked her interest in health and fitness
05:30 - Do her siblings share the same love of health and fitness?
06:11 - Building the habit of constantly having something to do
07:11 - Where the name of her company, SKYHIGH PERFORMANCE, came from
08:42 - Does she find it difficult to relate to others?
11:56 - How she began working with MLSE
13:50 - Meeting players from TFC and the Toronto Raptors
14:30 - How Abirami manages her time
16:00 - Making sure she continues to play sports even today
18:00 - Are misconceptions around strength training lessening?
20:54 - Is she ever treated differently for being a female personal trainer?
22:55 - How she secures clients; social media, seminars, etc.
25:31 - Her experience of learning virtually during the pandemic
26:57 - A learning lesson in the past few years;
28:06 - Does she feel connected to the Tamil community in Toronto?
29:42 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
30:13 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for
31:00 - Creator Confessions
35:48 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Dhaksayan Shanmuganayagam (@dhaksayan.s) is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the Toronto Transit Commission (@takethettc).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss watching "Law & Order" with his family nurtured his love for the legal industry, using the approach of thinking of yourself as a product to progress in his career, teaching himself how to program and code (developing computer games as a hobby and selling it to his friends), the importance of delivering on time and maintaining a good reputation, being raised in a risk-averse family, the power of continually investing in yourself, and so much more.
Follow Dhaksayan:
- Instagram (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhaksayan-shanmuganayagam-415b3a1a/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara mispronounces another name while introducing Dhaksayan Shanmuganayagam
01:04 - Dhaksayan speaks on how his formative years developed his interest in technology
04:49 - Doing three internships with the TTC; why he was drawn to working there
07:56 - Dhaksayan’s advice to excel in your career; thinking of yourself as a product
11:16 - Does he regret anything; sacrificing time
12:22 - His day-to-day responsibilities as a CIO
14:14 - How he developed his people management skills; an eye-opening experience
16:09 - Using TikTok and other mediums as learning resources
17:04 - Driving innovation as a publicly funded organization
18:38 - Dhaksayan’s opinion on the future of education and how it will impact hiring
21:09 - His favourite projects while working at the TTC for the past 15 years
23:03 - Misconceptions his friends/family have about the work he does
23:54 - Where he sees himself in the next three years
25:45 - His thoughts on ChatGPT and AI in general
27:05 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
28:49 - Preparing his son for the future world
29:53 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by his friends/family
31:01 - Does Dhaksayan feel connected to the tamil community?
32:37 - Creator Confessions
35:04 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Mohana Rajakumar (@moha_doha) is an American-Tamil (currently residing in Qatar) novelist, comic, scholar and screenwriter with a PhD in English.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss moving to Qatar in her 20s, the importance of letting your children try everything (nurturing the generalist in them), how she manages her finances as a creative, leveraging Kickstarter to launch her films, writing nine books in nine years, being a meticulous planner, and so much more.
Follow Mohana:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/moha_doha/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Mohana Rajakumar
01:21 - Mohana speaks on her formative teenage years
06:15 - Her decision to move from Canada to the United States
07:13 - Moving to Qatar; impact on her personal and professional life
10:58 - Identifying as Indian versus Tamil
13:18 - Starting a branch of Georgetown University in Qatar
16:48 - Does she take offence to not being referred to as “Dr. Mohana?”
18:26 - Her show “Being Brown is my Superpower”
23:07 - Having short films screened globally; and what she’s working on now
34:25 - Do Mohana’s friends/family support her creative career?
39:01 - How she manages her finances as a creative
43:17 - What she would tell her 16-year-old self
43:51 - The personal legacy she wants to leave behind/be remembered for
44:43 - Creator Confessions
54:41 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Support the show
Jano Jayapalan (@janojjanj) is the co-founder of Reggie’s Rolls (@reggiesrolls), a family-owned caterer that makes deep fried rolls inspired by Sri Lankan & Fusion cuisine, with the goal of making rolls mainstream!
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss starting his company to escape the rat race, providing the perfect mutton to potato ratio, delivering during the COVID-19 pandemic, why bakeries shouldn’t devalue their food, mixing family and business, why being an entrepreneur isn’t as glamorous as it sounds, and so much more.
Follow Jano:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/reggiesrolls/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Jano Jayapalan
00:58 - Jano speaks on his early childhood and upbringing
01:58 - Studying economics at Brock University with a lack of Tamil food
03:19 - His mom opening Mississauga’s first Tamil restaurant in the early 90s
06:01 - What sparked the idea for Reggie’s Rolls?
07:28 - Challenges of the food industry
08:35 - His first sale and knowing he was onto something
09:25 - Temporarily working with Uber Eats
10:46 - The rationale behind pricing Reggie’s Rolls
13:19 - Feedback from customers as the price rose
15:25 - Understanding that you can’t please everybody
16:41 - The revenue split for Reggie’s Rolls and investing in wholesale
18:55 - Will frozen rolls be on the menu in the future?
19:46 - How people can order, locations, and new prices
21:05 - Working with family; how they make it work
22:43 - Jano’s long-term plan; going global
23:24 - Secret plans in the works
23:47 - Jano shares some tips for food-related entrepreneurs
26:18 - Investing in real estate and being a father
27:50 - The behind-the-scenes struggles of entrepreneurship
29:11 - How being an entrepreneur affects Jano’s social life
30:31 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
33:51 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for
34:18 - Creator Confessions
38:26 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Sindu Sivapalan (@sindusiva) is a real estate investor who made the bold move from the GTA to the East Coast (Moncton) with her husband while she was 8 months pregnant to pursue financial freedom.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss having a ‘go with the flow’ mindset, what she learned from analyzing portfolios as a financial advisor, the benefits of East Coast living, having a passion for real estate from a young age, the importance of using your equity to work for you while making calculating decisions, and so much more.
Follow Sindu:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sindusiva/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sindu Sivapalan
02:46 - Relocating to the East Coast of Canada with her husband
06:45 - The impact of her childhood; listing her parents home at 15 years old
11:05 - How quitting her accounting job led to her obsession with real estate
13:15 - Why real estate is a simple math equation
14:52 - Her learnings from analyzing portfolios as a financial advisor
17:58 - Building a multi-family investment portfolio with her husband
21:35 - The Fire Movement; wanting to ‘retire’ early
22:47 - What she plans to do with her time upon retiring
24:00 - Has Sindu’s success convinced her family/friends to follow her blueprint?
26:38 - The benefits of moving from the GTA to the East Coast
31:02 - Does she miss Toronto and will she ever come back?
32:06 - Her plan for the next five years
33:45 - Her biggest learning lesson
36:24 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
36:46 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for
37:09 - Creator Confessions
39:47 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Mano Kulasingam (@manok4) is currently the Founder & Managing Partner for Flair Ventures, a VC firm focused on investing in early-stage startups with at least 1 immigrant founder. Previously, he was the co-founder and CEO of Digiflare which was acquired 10 years into the business by Accedo.tv.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the impact of family (father/brother) in his life, the benefit of being a late entrant into a market, studying in Ottawa (a city that was once considered "Silicon Valley North"), succeeding with Digiflare through failure & eventually exiting, starting Flair Ventures to support immigrant founders, having a long-term mindset as an investor, and so much more.
Follow Mano:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/manok/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Mano Kulasingam
00:59 - How he got into entrepreneurship and tech; his father and brother
03:23 - Pop culture’s impact on entrepreneurship, creating Digiflare in 2008
08:29 - Finding the right co-founder; why it’s like a marriage
10:59 - What Digiflare was and why Mano created it
12:48 - How much luck is involved in a company’s success?
14:04 - Apple Benefiting from Blackberry’s work; Mano benefiting from Netflix
15:04 - Why he and his co-founder chose to sell Digiflare
17:20 - The M&A process
18:04 - Why trying to sell a business is like managing two companies at once
20:14 - Minimizing the number of people who knew a deal was being worked on
21:39 - Transitioning from employer to employee upon selling Digiflare
24:23 - The feeling Mano had when he sold his company
26:33 - Launching Flair Ventures; investing in immigrant founders
29:21 - Ventures are relationships and networking; investing in 7 of 400 companies
32:35 - How Mano allocates his time; fundraising, content marketing, and more
34:25 - His 10-15 year plan for Flair Ventures; aiming for 23 companies
37:37 - Being tempted to create again; keeping an open mind for the right opportunity
38:57 - His biggest failure/learning lesson; the Tamil mentality of showing no emotions
42:43 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
43:24 - The personal legacy he wants to leave behind
44:07 - Creator Confessions
52:50 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Fiona Kingsley Boyer (@fi_kingsley) is a Development Officer for the Scarborough Health Network Foundation (SHN, @shnfoundation) and cancer survivor.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss surviving Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer, the survivor spirit of Scarborough and trying to improve its misunderstood reputation, her experience finding out she had cancer while pregnant & going through chemotherapy, being part of a team that's raised more than half of the $100 million dollar goal for the "Love Scarborough" campaign, having a greater appreciation for the value of time, and SO much more.
Follow Fiona:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fi_kingsley/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Fiona
01:04 - Fiona speaks on her early upbringing and being diagnosed with cancer
03:27 - Her role as Development Officer for SHN foundation
05:39 - SHN’s campaign: "Love Scarborough"
08:03 - The impact of "Love Scarborough" so far
10:38 - Being featured on billboards and television
14:18 - How she found out she had cancer
20:01 - Managing her emotions when she was diagnosed
22:20 - Her chemotherapy treatment process; 16 4-hour sessions
27:01 - The biggest difference between Fiona pre- and post-cancer
28:25 - "My Dharma" by Ahash; how the short documentary came to be
30:44 - Explaining her cancer to her daughter
32:39 - Fiona’s plans moving forward
35:00 - Feeling super connected to the Tamil community; support she receives
37:31 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
38:04 - How she wants to be remembered by friends and family
39:34 - Creator Confessions
47:47 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Jay Vasantharajah (@jayvasdigital) is the Founder & Managing Partner at Atlasview Equity, which buys multi-million tech-enabled businesses.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the importance of saving up your first $100K, waiting on the "fat pitch" opportunities as described by Warren Buffet, transitioning from a job at Deloitte to starting his agency where he saw one client IPO for $450 million dollars and another get acquired for $2 billion dollars, Atlasview's playbook after acquiring a company to fuel growth, the importance of “escape velocity” in investing and building trust in business, being inspired by Mark Leonard who founded Constellation Software and much more.
Follow Jay:
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/jayvas)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Jay Vasantharajah
01:29 - How seeing his father build small businesses inspired Jay
05:15 - From commerce to accounting/side hustles and his own business
11:54 - How he secured customers as a consultant
12:47 - The importance of getting to your first $100,000
17:46 - Starting small and being consistent versus diving into the deep-end
19:37 - Atlastview Equity; what it is, what companies they purchase, etc.
23:59 - How many deals Jay had to look at before closing two acquisitions
27:36 - Why Jay and his company are lucky buyers
34:54 - The time Jay spends on building his business; newsletter & networking
39:11 - How Jay sources funds to purchase companies
45:27 - Attracting the energy that you want around you & mitigating risk
49:32 - Atlasview’s playbook after acquiring a company; growth plans
57:57 - Being inspired by Mark Leonard/Constellation Software & others
01:09:25 - Where Jay sees himself in the next 3 years
01:12:09 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
01:14:08 - Personal legacy; how Jay wants to be remembered by friends/family
01:16:36 - Creator Confessions & Advice for owners who want to sell their business
01:28:08 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Ara Ehamparam (@araehamparam) is the podcast host of "The Tamil Creator". He's an entrepreneur, FIRE believer and admirer of creators.
On this momentous 100th episode of #TheTamilCreator, Ara's wife, Claudia (@claudiangele), turns the tables on our usual host to find out more about him. They explore why he started "The Tamil Creator" podcast, special messages from his best friend & guest on EP 44 of the podcast @vas_saranga [founder of @theonlineactor] as well as his favourite (& only sister) Shagana, how he got the nickname "Tamil Nelly", his various entrepreneurial ventures, his unparalleled passion for Google calendar, the value of giving more than you take, his innate desire to embody the message of Nike, and much more - you don't wanna miss this episode!
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Claudia Ehamparam
00:39 - Claudia introduces this week’s guest, Ara Ehamparam
02:17 - Ara talks about how his early childhood led him to become an entrepreneur
04:45 - Being born in Sri Lanka and moving to Canada (Montreal/Scarborough)
06:30 - A special message from Ara’s favourite (and only) sister, Shagana
07:28 - Why Ara wants to be a guest on "My First Million"
08:01 - Why Ara pursued entrepreneurship after obtaining an engineering degree
09:51 - Why Ara prioritizes ownership or time; Alfred, Mr. Money Mustache, FIRE, etc.
11:47 - Ara breaks down the FIRE movement
14:58 - The difficulty of convincing Claudia to jump onboard with FIRE
15:43 - Why “Tamil” is in so many of Ara’s ventures; his connection to the community
16:53 - The origin of Ara’s ventures; TamilCulture.com, MyTamilDate.com, "The Tamil Creator" podcast, etc.
20:21 - Meeting Kevin O’Leary along his Continyou Care journey
21:11 - How Ara balances his time between work, passion projects, and personal life
22:43 - Being unafraid of failure and sticking with his commitments; how he does it
24:15 - Valuing execution more than ideas
24:34 - Is “dad guilt” a thing and does Ara experience it?
25:58 - Ara’s greatest learning lessons in the past 3-5 years
27:01 - How Ara goes about “relationship-building” aka networking; give more, take less
28:21 - How Ara earned the nickname “Tamil Nelly”
31:28 - Advice he would give to his 16-year-old self; Tamil Nelly
32:40 - How Ara wants to be remembered by friends and family
33:32 - Why he is dedicated to showcasing Tamil talent in society
34:33 - Creator Confessions
42:57 - Ara’s vision for the future of The Tamil Creator podcast
43:40 - Guest of EP44 (aka Ara’s BFFL) calls in one last time
45:46 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Shaminy Waran (@sham.waran) is the entrepreneur behind the Sham Waran Luxury Hair Collection.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the impact of growing up as an introverted middle child, how she deals with "mom guilt", helping customers who have severe health conditions like alopecia, not wanting to jeopardize friendship for the sake of business, not being a big risk taker but risking $30,000 to give her business a chance to grow, being a people pleaser when she was young, and much more.
Follow Shaminy:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sham.waran/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Shaminy Waran
01:45 - Did Shaminy’s childhood spark her entrepreneurial fire?
04:10 - Being introverted as a child
05:32 - Listening versus being loud; its impact on securing sales?
07:53 - How Shaminy entered the world of makeup and hair
10:30 - Doing makeup and hair less after launching her luxury brand
11:51 - What led her to launch Sham Waran Luxury Hair Collection
15:55 - What her business model looks like
17:23 - Find a vendor to source grade 10A hair (the highest quality)
19:34 - The growing demand for her rental program
20:49 - The connection between hair and confidence
24:32 - Does she have any business partners?
26:19 - Dealing with ‘mom-guilt’ and how she copes; slowing down
30:48 - Maintaining friendships with her busy schedule
32:30 - Starting her business during COVID-19; having a physical studio
34:39 - How Shaminy went about building her team
37:39 - What success looks like to her three years from now
38:34 - Plans to expand her rental program to all ethnicities/hair textures
39:31 - Doing custom and pre-orders
41:53 - One of her biggest learning lessons in the past few years
44:07 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self; follow your gut
46:04 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for
47:06 - Creator Confessions
51:42 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Ahilan Arulanantham is a Lawyer, Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law (@uclalawschool). He has successfully litigated a number of cases involving immigrants’ rights, particularly the rights of people facing deportation from the US. He has been Senior Counsel and Director of Advocacy/Legal Director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU, @aclu_nationwide) of Southern California and was the recipient of a 2016 MacArthur Fellow (a "Genius Grant").
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss winning a MacArthur Fellow Grant (@macfound) for $625,000 for a five-year period, the importance of immigrants in Canada and the US, working on the FBI vs. Fazaga case at the Supreme Court, defending the rights of immigrants including unrepresented children, dealing with Tamil food cravings while growing up in California, and much more.
Follow Ahilan:
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/ahilan_toolong)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Ahilan Arulanantham
01:34 - His upbringing; what spared his passion for law and human rights
03:57 - Dealing with Tamil food cravings while growing up in USA; Hopper Hut
07:50 - Winning and donating 25-30% of his $625,00 MacArthur Fellow Grant
13:59 - What is Temporary Protected Status and why Trump tried to end it
20:19 - Ahilan explains and why Obama introduced it during his administration
24:02 - What ICE is, why it was created, and how it affects immigrant rights
28:30 - The importance of immigrants in Canada and the US
30:18 - Dysfunctional prison systems; Ahilan’s secondary inspection story
35:49 - Arguing at the Supreme Court for the FBI vs. Fazaga case
40:00 - Working in the field and as a professor; being recruited by UCLA
41:58 - Mentorship and how Ahilan built his network
45:16 - A learning lesson he’s experienced; defending unrepresented children
49:12 - Where he sees himself in the next 3-5 years
49:19 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
50:38 - The personal legacy he wants to leave behind
51:37 - Creator Confessions
54:32 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Shanghavy Karunakaran (@saangavii) is a Senior Consultant at IBM and Career Coach.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss living in a women’s shelter and visiting food banks, growing up introverted and learning to be extroverted, the value of networking in landing her current job today, reviewing resumes as a side hustle to help others grow in their careers, and SO much more.
Follow Shanghavy:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/saangavii/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Shanghavy Karunakaran
01:44 - Shanghavy speaks on the impact of her early upbringing
05:28 - Being grateful for the trials she endured during her childhood
06:54 - Changing environments helped her adapt quickly but made her timid
09:00 - What she’s learned from her experience at IBM thus far
11:32 - What consulting is, what it has taught her, and navigating judgement
15:29 - Her life-changing experience at Ryerson; a slow progression
18:04 - Viewing life as a “science experiment” and the company she keeps
22:08 - Her side hustle; helping job seekers take the next step in their career
26:18 - Would she turn her side hustle into a full-time gig?
27:56 - How people have found out about Shanghavy’s side hustle
28:36 - How Shanghavy builds her network/relationships
32:08 - How to find a mentor
35:51 - Her biggest learning lesson in the last few years
37:36 - Feeling connected to and proud to her Tamil identity; how she defines it
39:18 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self; journaling
41:54 - The personal legacy she wants to leave behind and be remembered for
42:31 - Creator Confessions
47:16 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Shiyam Thavandiran (@shiyamalen) is a data scientist & International Chess Master, who took a 1-yaer sabbatical from work to pursue the Chess Grandmaster title.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss taking a year off work to pursue his chess ambitions, hanging out with one of the greatest chess players of all time in Magnus Carlsen, the importance of reflecting and being open to other perspectives, travelling to different parts of the world to participate in chess tournaments, the level of preparation required for chess tournaments, and so much more.
Follow Shiyam:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/shiyamalen/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Shiyam Thavandiran
01:21 - Shiyam speaks on his formative years and how he got into chess
03:33 - Why he built a stable career before branching out to pursue chess
05:56 - Difference between an International Master and a Grand Master; FIDE
07:18 - Will he pursue becoming a Grand Master?
08:44 - Going on sabbatical to pursue a career in chess
10:35 - How he financially planned for his sabbatical
11:12 - Some of his most notable moments along this chess journey
13:33 - Beating a Grand Master
15:18 - Being in the top 0.1% of all chess players in the world
16:03 - How his family reacted to his decision to pause work and pursue chess
17:16 - Returning back to the workforce; the importance of reflecting
19:36 - How Shiyam prepares for chess tournaments
23:12 - How, and how much, professional chess players get paid
24:53 - Having mentors, and mentoring other players
26:12 - The Queen’s Gambit and other factors that have revived chess
27:16 - Cheating scandals in chess
30:36 - Shiyam’s chess handle ‘Houdinovic’
32:19 - A learning lesson from his chess journey; not being open to other perspectives
33:54 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
35:04 - How he wants to be remembered by friends and family
36:01 - Creator Confessions
43:33 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Thinesa Sri (@tininthehouse) is a professional volleyball player and fashion model who currently lives in LA, but is originally from Toronto.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss inheriting her parents’ athletic genes, volleyball being the only sport in the world with equal pay for both genders, being labelled as culturally ambiguous and how it benefits her modelling career, chasing a spot in the 2024 Olympics, and so much more.
Follow Thinesa:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tininthehouse/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Thinesa Sri
01:07 - Growing up in Scarborough
02:10 - How she got into volleyball; lying to her parents
05:58 - Thinesa’s height and its impact on her playing volleyball
07:39 - Transitioning from basketball to volleyball
08:55 - Representing Canada along with her brother
09:48 - Thinesa’s friendship with Ara’s siblings
10:27 - Her path to playing pro volleyball
13:18 - Picking her partners for pro beach volleyball
14:47 - The only sport in the world where male/female pay is equal
16:30 - Her most memorable sports moments thus far
17:12 - Other ways of accruing income as a pro volleyball player
18:50 - What her training and nutrition regimens looks like
21:18 - How she cultivates a winning mindset; mental health
22:53 - How she became a model; moving to LA
25:31 - Will she move back to Toronto?
26:23 - Aiming to represent Canada in the 2024 Olympics
26:59 - Her ideal mix between volleyball and modelling
28:16 - How she diversifies her income; millions
29:36 - Did she doubt herself upon leaving Toronto to go play pro volleyball?
32:07 - What success looks like to Thinesa in the next three years
33:02 - Her biggest learning lesson;
35:14 - Being the number one recruit out of Canada when she was graduating
36:27 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
38:48 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for
40:01 - Creator Confessions
42:34 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Gandeephan Ganeshalingam is the VP of Technical Operations at WestJet and former CIO of GE Canada.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how leaving Toronto catalyzed his career trajectory, the importance of not delegating parenting responsibilities to others, “growing up” in the University of Lagos and Waterloo University, the changing landscape of education and work, what traits he looks for in new employees, and so much more.
Follow Gandeephan:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gandeephan-ganeshalingam-986496197/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Gandeephan Ganeshalingam
00:54 - His parents raised three 'successful' kids; what’s the secret?
02:57 - Were Gandeephan or his brothers ever annoyed at their parents?
04:52 - How his dad balanced teaching and things outside of learning
05:49 - Why he felt engineering wasn’t enough; entering business
08:58 - Has the value of an MBA diminished, and why?
10:45 - Being in a position of leadership; what he looks for when hiring people
13:40 - How the future of work will evolve
16:59 - How to incentivize employees amidst the remote/hybrid revolution
19:11 - Preparing himself to move and work abroad after graduation
22:20 - Being Chief Innovation Officer at General Electric; his experience
26:30 - Dealing with shared IP at GE
28:02 - What led Gandeephan to leave GE for WestJet
30:24 - Gandeephan’s role and opinion on the future of travel
33:12 - The thought leaders he looks up to and why
37:59 - A learning lesson from the last few years; appreciating talent
42:28 - The impact of networking on Gandeephan’s career trajectory
44:05 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
47:12 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for
48:29 - Creator Confessions
50:41 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Geetha Moorthy (@geethamoorthysaaac) is the Founder & Executive Director of SAAAC Autism Centre (@thesaaac) in Toronto, which she has been working on for 14+ years with the help of many enthusiastic and loyal volunteers.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss her passion for dance and choreography, winning the Gerry Bloomfield Award, coming to Canada and wanting to give back to the community, going from humble beginnings in her living room to running multiple centre locations, raising over $25,000 at SAAAC’s first gala in 2010, serving 350+ families in 2020, and so much more.
Follow Geetha:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/geetha-moorthy/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Geetha Moorthy
00:47 - Geetha speaks on how her upbringing
02:07 - Having to flee Sri Lanka within a few days of getting married
04:17 - What led her to create SAAAC; 1985 to now
08:02 - Not knowing what Autism was; giving back to the community
11:50 - A doctor got in touch with Geetha; no word in Tamil for Autism
13:13 - How Geetha got the ball rolling with SAAAC
15:13 - The need for something like SAAAC in places like the US and UK
17:54 - How SAAAC was funded in its early stages
22:28 - Her secret to getting volunteers and keeping them committed
24:28 - Geetha’s entrepreneurial spirit; balancing work, family, and more
26:55 - Dealing with doubt and naysayers along her journey
29:38 - Receiving the Gerry Bloomfield’s Award
32:02 - Her biggest learning lesson in the last 3-5 years
35:37 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
35:48 - The personal legacy she wants to leave behind
36:04 - Creator Confessions
39:36 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Charles Bosco (@charlesbosco) is an award-winning music producer & serial entrepreneur with a passion for Web3.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how he manages his schedule given his many projects, the why behind one of his latest initiatives the "Millionaire Monkey Club" NFT collection (@millionairemonkeyclub), buying real estate because of his Ethereum investments, how young people should prepare for future success, why communities are difficult to build and so much more!
Follow Charles:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/charlesbosco/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Charles Bosco
01:10 - How his upbringing led to an entrepreneurial career
07:25 - Charles’ connection to Nelson and his role in creating Singify
12:17 - Selling Singify and what the platform has become today
13:06 - Transitioning from Music to Gogodoc; the impact of COVID amidst this
14:17 - The business model of Gogodoc; the market gap that was filled
16:38 - The criticism that Gogodoc’s business model received
17:59 - The status of Gogodoc today
18:38 - The post-pandemic return to normality in the UK
20:11 - Charles’ newest project; Millionaire Monkey Club NFT
24:36 - The difficulty of building and sustaining a community
25:59 - Infinite possibles around the realm of NFTs; the growth of Web3
28:14 - The challenges of DAO; the importance of educating
31:49 - How to explain NFTs to your mom
34:49 - Millionaire Monkey Club challenges; scammers and more
36:18 - How Charles plans out his week with so many different endeavours
37:37 - How he gets paid and what he invests in
39:24 - Buying Ethereum at a $35 price point and purchasing property with it
42:35 - Lesser known cryptocurrencies with long-term potential
44:55 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
46:15 - The next generation of Tamil parents should let kids play video games
48:09 - What success looks like to Charles in the next 3-4 years
49:51 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends/family
50:43 - Advice he would give young people today to prepare for success
52:38 - Creator Confessions
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Hamsha Pathmanathan (@hamsha.p) is currently a Habitat Biologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada while previously working as a Wildlife Biologist in the Northwest Territories.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss her natural inclination towards animals (vs people), an interesting story involving her saving mongoose babies in Nigeria, why and how she ended up in the Northwest Territories, being the only Tamil in her city and living amongst a population of just 1,200 people, why she would never explore the Amazon by herself and so much more.
Follow Hamsha:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamshapathmanathan/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Hamsha Pathmanathan
01:54 - Hamsha speaks on her upbringing and always knowing her calling
06:55 - Wild adventures in Nigeria; saving mongooses, collecting snakes, and more
18:27 - How she transitioned from Nigeria to the Northwest Territories in 2019
24:08 - Having only one shopping centre near her, and meeting an indigenous elder
27:49 - Where she sees herself in 3-5 years; moving to BC & returning to Africa
29:43 - Why she’ll never step near the Amazon by herself; undiscovered species
33:06 - The importance of food security and adequate technology to support it
38:51 - How to make people care more about eco-friendly efforts
44:43 - Hamsha’s hobbies outside of work; knitting, reading, and more
46:05 - What she’s insecure about; talking to people
57:51 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends/family
59:29 - Being an avid reader of psychology-related content
01:02:40 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
01:06:43 - Creator Confessions
01:09:00 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Sai Tirulokan (@saitiru) is a very successful real estate agent & broker at RE/MAX Metropolis Realty, who's been in the real estate game for almost a decade starting at a very young age.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how his dad pointed at a sign to kickstart his real estate career, YouTube helping him break through the industry, how selling necklaces and credit cards helped improve his sales skills, buying @6ixbuzztv's first ever NFT, and so much more.
Follow Sai:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/saitiru/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sai Tirulokan
01:46 - Sai sheds a little light on his upbringing
03:04 - How he got into the real estate game; his dad pointing at a sign
05:15 - Securing his first real estate deals; a $7 million dollar transaction
06:38 - Staying incentivized to finish school
08:37 - How Sai learned sales; selling necklaces and credit cards
12:05 - His strategy for selling credit cards; getting to know them and adding value
13:43 - Why sales is a great first job for anyone; becoming a stronger person
14:46 - Common misconceptions about real estate and what makes you stand out
17:00 - Sai speaks on the state of the Toronto real estate market
19:28 - What you should invest in
21:20 - The concept of getting rich slowly
23:28 - Buying 6ixBuzz TV’s first ever NFT
27:52 - The long-term appeal of NFTs for artists and investors; collectibles, crypto, etc.
32:56 - Still seeing himself as a “nobody” and what he wants to do in the next few years
34:26 - His hobbies outside of work; socializing, trying new foods, learning, etc.
35:09 - Sai’s ideal Saturday; work, playing COD,
35:57 - What is he insecure about?
36:30 - His favourite source of learning; working smart, not hard
38:20 - A recent belief/behaviour/habit that has changed his life
40:07 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends/family
41:30 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
42:46 - Who Sai admires in the global Tamil community and non-Tamil community
46:27 - Creator Confessions
51:30 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Anoshinie Muhundarajah (@anoshinie) is a professional Choreographer & Dancer who's shared with the stage with Lilly Singh (lilly, World Tour) and Simu Liu (@simuliu, 2022 Junos).
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss her experience with Canada’s Got Talent, getting her parents to buy in on her dream, going on a world tour as a feature dancer with Lily Singh, being a dancer on Disney’s Sneakerella, sharing the stage with Simu Liu at the 2022 Junos, her passion for giving back and being able to combine this with her love for dance, and so much more.
Follow Anoshinie:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/anoshinie/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Anoshinie Muhundarajah speaks on how she became a dance teacher
00:38 - Will Ara struggle to pronounce the name of this week’s guest?
02:33 - How Anoshinie developed a passion for this medium of storytelling
05:08 - Taboo subjects in the Tamil community that she talks about through her art; suicide
06:53 - How Anoshinie gained confidence through dance
08:58 - Shooting her videos in public versus on a stage; how does it feel?
10:34 - How Anoshinie has secures opportunities; networking, putting her work out there, etc.
12:33 - Going on tour with Lily Singh and dancing on the Disney film entitled Sneakerella
15:06 - Her experience with Canada’s Got Talent; breaking stereotypical boundaries
18:16 - Sharing the stage with Simu Liu at the 2022 Juno Awards
20:33 - How Anoshinie found a Manager/Agent; Choreographer’s Ball
22:07 - The ups and downs of life; how she deals with rejection
23:37 - Anoshinie’s parents supporting her dancing dreams
25:29 - How Anoshinie sustains herself as an artist
28:35 - Having to go through some level of pain and sacrifice to succeed
30:29 - Learning to say “no” and how it impacts relationships/friendships
33:12 - Who are Anoshinie’s dream collaborations? (Prabu Deva and more)
35:16 - Volunteering at orphanages and development centres in Sri Lanka
37:01 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self; caring less about what people think
38:58 - Social media as a tool; and the issue with it
39:45 - The personal legacy she wants to have and be remembered for
40:27 - Creator Confessions
44:02 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Shyam Srinivasan (@shyam990) is a professional poker player who's won millions of dollars playing both online and in tournaments all over the world.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss foregoing a career in criminal law to play poker professionally and how his parents reacted to this decision, the different countries he’s gotten to play in, running into celebrity poker players throughout the years, why cash games involve more skill than tournaments, misconceptions about poker and much more.
Follow Shyam:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/shyam990/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Shyam
00:52 - His life before poker; studying to be a criminal lawyer
01:19 - How his parents reacted to him pursuing a poker career
01:53 - The moment Shyam knew a poker career “was in the cards”
02:19 - The benefit of online poker versus traditional poker
03:01 - His day-to-day schedule as a professional poker player
03:31 - Growing up competitive
04:24 - His favourite places to play poker; Australia, Macau, etc.
05:01 - Running into other Tamil professional poker players
05:34 - Being bankrolled to mitigate the risk versus using his own funds
06:24 - Getting recognized in public
06:50 - His poker friends and running into big name players
07:37 - How he manages his money without having a stable income
08:50 - When will he walk away from poker? What will he do?
09:11 - Misconceptions about poker
09:41 - Advice for people who want to play professional poker
10:17 - Why cash games revolve more skill than tournaments
11:10 - Does Shyam remember his best fold or best call?
11:31 - His biggest failure/learning lesson?
11:53 - Where he seems himself in the next 3-5 years
12:08 - What his friend circle looks like
12:29 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
12:45 - How he would describe his poker style
13:12 - Biggest differences of playing online versus in-person
13:18 - Creator Confessions
23:07 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Abarna Raj is the Co-Founder & CEO of Australian-based Palmera (@palmeraprojects). The organization is named after a tree which grows in Sri Lanka and is fundamental to the existence of the communities it's located in because every part of it is used from the bark, the timber, the leaves and the fruit. Palmera is a social startup looking to help change the way that the world tackles poverty by ensuring that the poor having a living income (with a focus on Sri Lanka).
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss being in Sri Lanka during the 2004 tsunami, why she left being a full-time lawyer to found a non-profit and how her ideology of work subsequently changed, the impact & thinking behind Palmera’s HANDMADE cookbook, how to address the resource challenge for non-profits and much more.
Follow Abarna:
- Instagram (https://www.linkedin.com/in/abarna-raj-34976761/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Abarna Raj
01:48 - How her childhood led her to starting a non-profit
04:44 - Being in Sri Lanka during the 2004 tsunami
07:15 - How the 2004 tsunami impacted her decision to found Palmera
08:38 - Raising tens of thousands of dollars for Palmera
10:23 - Balancing her job as a lawyer and the early development of Palmera
12:16 - Leaving a job with strong income to work full-time for a non-profit
14:05 - The HANDMADE cookbook
16:24 - Is there a non-profit that Abarna wants Palmera’s structure to emulate?
20:12 - Is there a declining participation of developmental efforts?
26:11 - The long-term effects of the war
28:38 - How Abarna remains hopeful
30:11 - The lack of talent in the non-profit space when compared to tech, finance, etc.
33:25 - Incentivizing volunteers; Benevity and more
38:33 - Resources and sustainability being key challenges for non-profit organizations
42:04 - Tax receipts and Palmera’s Australian accreditation
44:35 - How long will Abarna stay in the non-profit space?
46:43 - Was she questioned by friends/family for her decision to enter the non-profit space?
48:34 - The programming side of Palmera
52:13 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self; the personal legacy she wants to have
54:05 - Creator Confessions
59:24 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Ganesh Thava (@anesh.thava) is a Tamil-Canadian Director, Writer & Actor. He's had roles in movies "Spin" and "Cyber Underground" while writing & directing his own short film "The Orchard & The Tree" (premiered at @reelasian).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss being pro-therapy, having rejection rituals, his movie screened at international film festivals, dealing with pushback when he told his parents he wanted to apply for theatre school, how having a business background has helped with his creative career, and so much more.
Follow Ganesh:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ganesh.thava/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Ganesh Thava
02:37 - Ganesh speaks on his upbringing; growing up in an environment of love and comfort
04:36 - Being a shy kid/rule-follower; feeling like he was living for other people
08:17 - His recollection of Sri Lanka; feeling more free there than in Canada (mental health)
10:44 - How Ara heard about Ganesh; his movie ‘Spin’
12:42 - Almost landing a role but not being able to ultimately get it; rejection rituals
16:13 - Using therapy to improve physical/mental well-being, and the power of social media
18:23 - ‘The Orchid & The Tree’ and how it was received by viewers
24:16 - How he had his movie screened at various film festivals; the application process
25:25 - The entrepreneurial element of filmmaking; shifting between being a director & actor
29:04 - How his family/friends reacted to his decision to immerse himself in the world of film
37:29 - His perception of money; how he goes about making it, saving it, and more
42:56 - The impact that the Toronto-Tamil community has had on Ganesh
48:28 - What he would tell his 16-year-old self & the personal legacy he wants to have
52:02 - Creator Confessions
57:54 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Keerthana Rang (@keerthanarang) is the Corporate Communications Lead at @Uber in Canada.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss transitioning from politics to tech, growing up in the Tamil co-op in Parkdale, how governments & private companies interact to drive innovation forward, her involvement in developing the new @tamilcommunitycentre in Scarborough, if school actually matters in the grand scheme of things, and much more.
Follow Keerthana:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/keerthanarang/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Keerthana Rang
00:57 - Keerthana speaks on her upbringing in the GTA
03:42 - How she got involved in politics; the impact of living in a co-op
06:02 - Taking freedom for granted; the boom of Tamil people in politics
06:39 - Wanting to be a teacher with a house in the suburbs; grade 11 changed things
10:23 - Working for the sister company of Google, Sidewalk Labs
14:11 - Moving to Radical Ventures: an organization investing in AI to solve real-world problems
16:58 - Will the role of governments change as technological innovation continues
20:10 - The importance of storytelling and communicating your story; Uber
25:04 - What Keerthana’s day-to-day looks like at Uber
26:37 - Uber communications staff in Canada versus America
27:25 - Being involved in the development of the new Tamil community centre in Scarborough
31:00 - When will the community be live and available for people to start making use of it?
32:43 - Being a part of the Empire Club: a speaking platform tackling daily issues
34:12 - Balancing work and sleep; waking up at 5AM and sleeping at 10PM
34:45 - The role of education in hiring in the future; is student debt worth it?
40:47 - Her biggest learning lesson on her path to success
43:10 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
44:55 - The personal legacy she wants to be remember for by friends and family
46:46 - How Keerthana wants to be remembered by her daughter
48:23 - Creator Confessions
1:00:09 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Piraveen Sivalingam (@piraveens) is an entrepreneur who owns & runs a Boston Pizza Franchise with his brother in Markham (Canada).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how he got into the franchising game, doing business with family, missing out on fun with friends/family when he was younger because of the responsibilities that came with being a business owner, the future of franchise businesses, the challenge of finding good staff post-pandemic, not paying himself for the first couple years of running the business, and so much more.
Follow Piraveen:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/piraveens/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Franchising and how Ara found this week’s guest
01:22 - Ara introduces Piraveen Sivalingam
01:56 - How Piraveen became a franchisee; his family’s involvement with restaurants
04:39 - The challenges of him and his brother being young entrants into the franchisee world
06:53 - Doing business with family; what Piraveen would do different if he started again
08:14 - Why his dad became a franchisee; what else Piraveen wants to be a franchisee for
12:52 - Will franchise businesses like A&W and McDonald’s continue to thrive?
14:29 - The challenge of finding good staff post-pandemic
16:40 - What does Piraveen’s day to day look like now, versus when he first started?
18:53 - Being a young franchisee while all his friends were partying
20:34 - The sacrifices of pursuing entrepreneurship
23:13 - Where Piraveen see himself in 10 years; expanding
25:35 - The process of buying a Boston Pizza
27:32 - Piraveen’s relationship with money; side hustles, real estate, and more
29:08 - His connection to the Tamil community
30:50 - Piraveen’s biggest failures/learning lessons over the last 3-5 years
32:02 - The first 100K being the hardest to make; setting aside a failure/learning budget
35:55 - His strategy for driving sales at Boston Pizza
37:29 - What he would tell his 16-year-old self
39:05 - How he wants to be remembered by his friends and family
39:57 - Creator Confessions
51:29 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Vanessa Raquel Raponi (@vanessaraquelraponi) is a Senior Product Development Engineer at Spin Master (@spinmaster) and Founder of EngiQueers Canada (@engiqueerscanada).
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss being a poor brown kid in a wealthy part of Toronto (Leaside), being queer, surviving childhood abuse, getting the opportunity to be the Willy Wonka of product development, her grandfather’s orphanage in Sri Lanka and the impact he had on her, and so much more.
Follow Vanessa:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vanessaraquelraponi/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Vanessa Raquel Raponi
01:12 - Being Tamil/Italian, growing up in Leaside, experiencing abuse, and becoming an engineer
04:48 - Being silent about her struggles from the age of 9 until the age of 20
06:08 - Growing up in Toronto, Tamil community not being emphasized much
08:51 - Opening up to her family about what happened to her; how they reacted
11:18 - Her grandfather, Paul; his story and the impact it had on Vanessa
16:32 - Studying at McMaster, working for Spin Master,
20:22 - Difficulty managing volatility, the intense workload at Spin Master; thriving in chaos
21:38 - Her day-to-day as a product developer; leading the sustainability committee
23:49 - Why she started EngiQueers, how she picked the name, and pansexual vs. bisexual
31:23 - How she funded for EnqiQueers and split responsibilities with the Co-Founder, Dao
33:49 - The revolutionary impact of EngiQueers on the culture of engineering
35:45 - Being queer in the Tamil community; coming out to her family
38:00 - Where he confidence comes from; a survival tactic
40:01 - Was there anything Vanessa thinks could’ve changed her willingness to speak up earlier; going to therapy in second year of University
43:25 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
45:36 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for
46:28 - Creator Confessions
48:30 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Sundar Viswanathan (@sundarvmusic) is an award-winning (including a 2022 Juno) Canadian jazz musician.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how being subjected to racism led him to a career in music, how his dad got him a second opportunity for music education after he failed an audition, going from getting paid in wings to winning a JUNO (@thejunoawards), similarities between being a musician and entrepreneur, the importance of The Canada Council for the Arts (@canada.council) spreading Canadian music around the world, his biggest regret (Creator Confessions), and so much more.
Follow Sundar:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sundarvmusic/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sundar Viswanathan
01:25 - Convincing his parents that music was a viable career path
05:03 - Growing up in Sudbury with few South Asians; racism, being bullied in high school
08:38 - His popular brother, Sudbury being less racist, and Sundar’s perspective on this
10:28 - Confronting one of his bullies, and his bully having no recollection of it
11:44 - Embracing challenges and changing the narrative
12:45 - Being optimistic and naive; the time Sundar wanted to ask a girl out on a date
14:26 - Getting rejected from Laurier; his Dad getting him a second opportunity
18:35 - No expectations of winning a JUNO; critical mass leading to this award
21:19 - Similarities between musicianship and entrepreneurship; the work never stops
23:26 - Where Sundar draws inspiration from; different types of music
27:26 - His first music gig; getting paid in chicken wings
29:07 - Playing in a ceremonial guard band in Ottawa; marching on Parliament Hill
30:34 - How people book Sundar for a performance; networking
34:02 - Mostly not being able to cover his costs; teaching music to compensate
36:44 - The Canada Council for the Arts spreading Canadian music around the world
38:53 - Travelling to Japan, South Africa, and more; what he prefers the most
41:05 - Has his connection to Canada faded as a result of touring from a young age?
43:24 - How Sundar maintains his passion with music, despite doing it for 30+ years
47:00 - Never being satisfied with success; Sundar's supportive
49:00 - Does Sundar identify more as Indian or Tamil; Aziz Ansari’s ‘Master of None’
51:14 - Advice he would give his younger self, and how he wants to be remembered
52:27 - Creator Confessions
57:38 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Anusha Srijeyanathan (@anusha_srij) is the Executive Vice President of Client Success at Benevity (@benevity). She was previously part of Eloqua (which was acquired by Oracle).
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss making the most of your circumstances, why she went from finishing her last day at Oracle in Toronto on a Friday and starting hew new job at Benevity on a Monday in Calgary, key differences between start-ups like Eloqua versus larger corporations like Oracle, how a vision board changed her life, how Nike contributed to Benevity’s growth early on, the benefit of exposing children to technology at a young age, and so much more.
Follow Anusha:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/anushasrijeyanathan/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Anusha Srijeyanathan
02:14 - Growing up between Sri Lanka and Nigeria before moving to Canada in the mid-80s
05:32 - How your environment and certain experiences shape you
14:00 - Being employee #17 at Eloqua where she was Director of Vertical Solutions; being driven by curiosity
18:21 - Eloqua getting bought out by Oracle; the biggest differences Anusha saw in both companies
20:46 - How her opportunity with Benevity came along; the impact of vision boards
25:51 - Eloqua versus Benevity do; early marketing tech versus powering the biggest and most iconic brands
28:23 - How a recruiter convinced her to join Benevity
32:31 - Moving to Calgary on a whim and why Anusha didn’t take a break in between; building resiliency
34:26 - Benevity being structured as a B Corp
36:35 - How Benevity acquired its first group of customers; Nike
39:43 - How Benevity makes revenue; subscription fees and more
41:22 - Studying one thing but having a completely different career trajectory; Anusha’s view on education
44:30 - What Anusha looks for when she hires new employees; picking between talent and the best-fit
48:40 - Will Anusha build her own company in the future?
50:52 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
52:29 - Biggest learning lesson in the last 3-5 years
54:36 - The personal legacy Anusha wants to be remembered for by her friends and family
55:53 - Creator Confessions
1:00:10 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Gokul Natesan (@gokuln_) is a professional basketball player who grew up in California.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss getting his basketball chops from his dad who played in India, the process of becoming a professional basketball player (the good and the bad), hooping with NBA star Jordan Poole, the Raptors vs. Warriors championship series, South Asian representation in the NBA, the importance of keeping a long-term view in mind, and so much more.
Follow Gokul:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/gokuln_/)
Timestamps:
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Gokul Natesan
01:06 - Gokul’s childhood; Starting basketball 5 years old, getting a scholarship, his parents being supportive
06:58 - Growing up as a Golden State Warriors fan, his family being enthusiasts as well, the Raptors parade
08:42 - How Gokul became a professional basketball player; how he found his opportunities
10:11 - Playing in Australia, Ukraine, Finland, and Uruguay - his favourite experience? How does he pick a league?
12:20 - Acclimating to different team cultures and hierarchies to stand out individually and fit in as well
13:49 - How to build team camaraderie and chemistry
14:55 - The downside of being a professional athlete; isolation
16:27 - Travelling to games and how taxing it is
17:49 - Playing shooting guard, hooping with Jordan Poole, and what Gokul wants to get better at
19:34 - The different types of basketball trainers Gokul works with; nutrition, strength, etc.
20:13 - The lack of South Asian representation in the NBA & WNBA; will this change?
21:23 - Advice for the younger generation of hoopers
24:17 - What his friend circle looks like; does everyone understand his journey?
25:49 - The Tamil community in the Bay Area
26:59 - Will Gokul join the Ontario Tamil Basketball Association / Ontario Tamil Basketball League?
29:14 - His biggest learning lesson; how it translates from the basketball court to real life
30:54 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
31:57 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by his friends and family
32:35 - Creator Confessions
41:20 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Sarah Sukumaran (@sarahsuku) is a former Nike Product Director who is now the CEO & Founder of Lilith NYC (@lilith.nyc), a female-centric sneaker brand looking to disrupt the hypermasculine multi-billion dollar sneaker market.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss working for Nike before starting her own company, the future of manufacturing (ie. 3-D printing, etc.), seeing a a gap in female footwear and using her house down payment funds to kickstart the business, her first product being inspired by a bird that is almost extinct in the Philippines, missing out on the chance to decode the human genome, and so much more.
Follow Sarah:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahsukumaran/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Sarah’s return from Portugal, recovery from COVID, and New York post-pandemic
02:15 - Being obsessed with books, science, and basketball shoes from a young age
04:32 - Her career path was never linear; MedTech, consulting, marketing, and more
06:15 - The impact of education in Sarah’s career; the importance of time management
08:04 - Will she ever pursue her love of science? Tamil dads and dictionaries
09:43 - Having a strict dad, not getting to enjoy summer a kid, how she feels about it now
11:51 - Leaving a tech career to work for Nike as Director of Product; what she learned
16:01 - Nike waving her 18-month non-compete clause; operating with regret for 5 years
18:01 - Financially planning for leaving Nike to pursue entrepreneurship full-time
19:41 - The “entrepreneurial itch”; social commentary on her decision to start a business
21:06 - How Sarah came up with Lilith NYC, and building something she could sell
24:10 - Creating Lilith NYC’s first pair of shoes; starting with factories in China
27:21 - Leaving China due to geopolitics, COVID, etc.
28:49 - The future of manufacturing, current supply chain issues, and 3D printing
30:41 - Rolling out a pre-order model in January of 2021 without even having a sample ready
32:36 - Her marketing strategy to promote Lilith NYC; initially only having 300 followers
35:19 - Expanding from selling sneakers to also selling clothing (hoodies, beanies, etc.)
36:22 - Fundraising with plans to accelerate her business’ growth
40:59 - Her ultimate brand vision for Lilith NYC; will it become a media company?
42:33 - How Sarah found out about Founder Collective; what has been the impact?
45:13 - Advice for her fellow female Tamil entrepreneurs
45:30 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
46:17 - The personal legacy that Sarah wants to be remembered for by friends and family
46:38 - Creator Confessions
51:22 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Jey Balachandran (@jeybalachandran) is the Chief Technology Officer at Doximity, after joining 10+ years ago as Employee #7.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss Doximity’s adoption of remote work prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, their hangouts at the U of T library, the value of University degrees in the future, being headhunted and moving to the US as a result, differences between Toronto and San Francisco with everything ranging from technology to food, splurging on a Dyson hair dryer, his go-to food spot in the Bay Area (Mission Burrito), and so much more.
Follow Jey:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeybalachandran/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Jey Balachandran
01:26 - Jey speaks on being born in Sri Lanka, growing up in Canada, and living in America for the last decade plus
03:46 - Being the 7th hire at Doximity and the company now having 800+ employees; Jey compares now versus then
06:10 - What Doximity is; how it enables connection with other physicians and streamlines workflows
07:46 - Was Jey’s degree useful in getting him to where he is today?
10:13 - What he looks for when making a hire
11:39 - How his skillset has evolved since joining Doximity; how he transitioned from a developer to more of a leader
13:16 - How his expectations of being CTO have matched up with reality; learning to embrace chaos on a daily basis
14:39 - How Doximity competes with other companies amidst the tech world’s skill shortage with people constantly switching jobs to maximize earning potential
17:48 - Why Jey has stayed with the same company for 11 years; an unusual trend in the tech world nowadays
19:46 - What drove his decision to leave Canada for United States
23:49 - San Francisco’s homogeneous evolution
25:05 - Things in Toronto that Jey wishes he could have in the Bay Area
25:39 - Jey’s recalls the process of Doximity became a publicly traded company and how his life changed
30:20 - Does Jey have plans to seek out entrepreneurial ventures in the short- or long-term future?
31:34 - Family not being in favour of his decision to move to San Francisco
33:45 - The biggest learning lesson Jey has experienced in the last 3-5 years; what he learned
34:45 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self if he could jump in a time machine
35:28 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by his friends and family
36:09 - Creator Confessions
44:05 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Jallaja Pararajasingham (@letsjalsa) is a dancer, choreographer & founder of Let's Jalsa Dance Academy. She is also the Manager of Volunteer Resources at the SAAAC Autism Centre (@thesaaac).
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss her work/passion as a choreographer & dancer, her parents owning the Bread Master Bakery in Malvern Mall (Ara was a frequent visitor when he was younger), combining her love of dancing & giving back through her work at SAAAC, going to Sri Lanka in 2019 to help children with special needs, and so much more.
Follow Jallaja:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jallaja-pararajasingham-097475162/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/letsjalsa/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Jallaja Pararajasingham
00:56 - Jallaja speaks on her family upbringing and how it sparked her passion for dancing
02:03 - Known as a rebel in a tight-knit family and her parents’ personality when they retired
05:27 - How she’s using her passion for dancing to keep it in her life by teaching others
09:10 - What SAAAC is, Jallaja’s involvement, and how she sees the company growing
11:57 - The taboo of autism being overcome in the Tamil community
12:49 - SAAAC being a creative outlet; Jallaja telling stories through dance and a fundraiser
16:55 - How friends and family have both criticized and supported her
20:05 - Why Jallaja is driven by dance and SAAAC
21:37 - What Jallaja is insecure about
22:48 - The personal legacy she wants to leave behind for friends and family
23:37 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
24:37 - Being asked to play basketball in grade 8; only starting sports 5 years ago
25:33 - Her favourite source of information consumption
26:39 - Who Jallaja admires in the global Tamil and non-Tamil community
27:21 - Her relationship with money
28:22 - Her biggest purchase that she has no regret about; home decor
29:42 - Advice she has for fellow aspiring Tamil creators
30:42 - Creator Confessions
37:24 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Naren Balakrishnan (@naren.bala) is a Partner at Grant Thornton LLP.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss his past life being an engineer at IBM, the $3 billion-plus tax credits that are given out in Canada every year through tax credits, his relationship with money including how he invests, why companies need to consider & take advantage of the SRED program, and more!
Follow Naren:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/narenbalakrishnan/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/naren.bala/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Naren Balakrishnan
01:00 - Naren’s upbringing, family life, and path to becoming a software engineer
03:24 - What he liked, and didn’t like, as a software engineer; a passion for problem-solving
05:32 - Making the switch to work in a technology-based role
08:22 - Government Canada’s SRED (Scientific Research and Experimental Development) program
10:46 - Naren explains how Grant Thornton adds value to its customers
15:37 - The types of companies that eligible to apply for SRED
17:31 - How Naren would enhance the SRED program if he had a say in policy
20:38 - The amount of money Canadian companies spend on R&D what are they spending it on?
24:36 - How Naren’s friends/family reacted to his career change
27:12 - His biggest learning lesson in the last 3-5 years; how to deal with people
29:54 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by his friends and family
32:06 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
33:32 - Naren’s relationship with money; saving and investments
34:52 - His favourite ways to consume new information; podcasts, articles, etc.
37:50 - Investments being poured into enhancing space
39:09 - How COVID-19 impacted Naren; physical activity and seizing the moment
41:51 - Creator Confessions
50:00 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Apinayah Arul (@apin.yah.ai) is co-founder of Varman's Smile Foundation (@vsmilefoundation) which was started in her late brother’s memory with a mission of raising awareness around mental health and suicide prevention.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss moving from Toronto to Vancouver for a fresh start which included 5 days of drivng with her family, how Varman’s Smile Foundation was created, common misconceptions about mental health in the Tamil community, how Tamil movies glorify suicide by correlating it with romance, raising $30,000 to fund her organization, how fantasy books help her creative process, and so much more.
Follow Apinayah:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/apinayah-arul/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/apin.yah.ai/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Apinayah Arul
01:11 - Her family upbringing; frequent moves and supportive parents
03:26 - Api’s father being a welder and the family taking pride in it
05:25 - Why she started the Varmin’s Smile Foundation; losing her younger brother to suicide
08:17 - Common misconceptions about mental health, especially in the Tamil community
10:24 - People in the Tamil community speaking up about their own losses, after Api’s brother passed
13:27 - Tamil movies glorifying suicide
14:31 - How she sees Varmin’s Smile Foundation growing; balancing this with her full-time job
16:21 - Using GoFundMe to raise $30,000 in less than a month; using these funds still
17:23 - How her work as a content creator helps with the growth of Varmin’s Smile Foundation
18:52 - Moving to Vancouver for a fresh start; driving for 5 days with her family
21:11 - Easier COVID-19 restrictions in British Columbia; Api working from the office
21:49 - Her career in 3-5 years; wanting to grow from a graphic designer into a digital storyteller
22:48 - How Api has fun; her Etsy shop journaling business, painting, family time, and cooking
23:25 - What she is insecure about; impostor syndrome
24:03 - What she would tell her 15-year-old self
24:50 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by her friends and family
25:16 - Api’s favourite methods for consuming new information; being an avid reader
26:25 - Improving her life by being more aware of her emotions and triggers
27:26 - Who she admires in the global and non-global Tamil communities
29:43 - Api’s relationship with money; how she views it and invests
31:55 - A purchase she splurged on but doesn’t regret; any food and a pair of Air Jordan sneakers
33:51 - Advice she has for fellow aspiring Tamil creators
34:37 - Creator Confessions
38:11 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Sibi Selvanathan (@superstarsibi) is a Product Manager by profession who was able to knock off a bucket list item for himself by writing & publishing an Amazon Top 5 Epic Fantasy Book in 18 months during the panademic (@author_skselva).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss why he didn't to write a fantasy genre novel, how he leveraged free time to sharpen his writing skills, being inspired by his sister who wrote ‘Amutha Learns’ (@amuthalearns), being a morning person and trying to make the most of every minute, investing in Gamestop and Bitcoin, wanting to be a professional hockey or soccer player while growing up, Harry Potter books having a massive influence on him, and so much more.
Follow Sibi:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/author_skselva/)
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sibiselvanathan/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sibi Selvanathan
01:13 - Sibi speaks on his childhood passion for storytelling (last minute “and now I have a book on Amazon)
04:50 - His sister being a guest on EP1 of #TheTamilCreator and a part of the group that wrote ‘Amutha Learns’
06:26 - Why Sibi chose to write a fantasy genre novel
08:32 - The marketing strategy he used to promote his book entitled ‘The Demon Returns - Legend of Ilemuria’
10:31 - How his book has sold internationally and interactions he’s had with fans of the novel
11:53 - Sibi took 1.5 years to ideate and write a best selling fantasy book
12:52 - Having a full-time tech job while pursuing his passion for storytelling; how he balances both
14:50 - The power of compounding time and consistent effort; how social media interactions kept him accountable
17:01 - Wattpad; Sibi’s reluctance to use ‘the YouTube of publishing’ and the founder’s story
19:46 - Advice he has for aspiring authors of all ages; specifically for those wanting to write a novel
21:46 - Leaving a stable job to work at a start-up; what Sibi learned from making this decision
24:29 - His relationship with money; the importance of saving and controlling your emotions when investing
30:47 - Having a big circle and keeping positive influences in his life who supported him in his pursuit of authorship
32:41 - Friendships surviving the test of time; his relationships staying solid despite not seeing friends as often as before
34:00 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self if he could jump in a time machine; take your time
36:43 - The personal legacy Sibi wants to be remembered for by friends and family
37:14 - Creator Confessions
39:28 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Tia Bhuva (@tiabhuva) is the CEO & Founder of successful e-commerce company TiaBhuva.com (@tiabhuvadotcom) and creator of the trademarked "Saree Silhouette" (ie. yoga pants for sarees).
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how she came up with the idea for her flagship product the "Saree Silhouette", her data-drive obsession resulting in 800K+ Instagram followers & almost 100 million YouTube views, having a high risk pregnancy, being transparent about her side hustle even while she was working at Walmart, thinking her pursuit of entrepreneurship would fail during COVID-19, employing family members, being specific about who she eventually sells her company to and her plan once she gets to that point, and so much more.
Follow Tia:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tiabhuva/)
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tia-bhuva-mba-26323520/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Tia speaks on how her business fared during the pandemic and starting the company to spend more time with her kids
01:53 - Tia Bhuva’s service offerings, how the business started, and how it has evolved over time
04:13 - Taking every picture for the company website from an outdated phone until March 2020, quitting her full-time job to pursue her business
07:31 - Previously working for Walmart as a Food Buyer, leveraging the power of social media to build her own brand
17:02 - A guest from EP #55 (Manjula Selvarajah) is who featured Tia on CBC
18:36 - The importance of strong first hires, how Tia decides if someone will be with the company long-term, and her son makes a special appearance
27:00 - Having 300K+ subscribers and nearly 100 million views on her YouTube channel; not knowing what she was doing when starting her socials
32:51 - Being more accountable when starting a business with more life experience and having the ability to deal with ‘haters’
39:17 - How Tia simultaneously managed her side hustle and full-time corporate job before pulling the trigger to solely walk the path of entrepreneurship
48:17 - Will Tia sell Tia Bhuva in the next decade? And her plan to get into consulting once she achieves an exit
53:30 - Tia speaks on Naval Ravikant and how his interviews have impacted her
55:20 - Did Tia always know she would be an entrepreneur?
58:43 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old and 26-year-old self, if she could jump in a time machine
1:02:07 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by her friends and family
1:04:24 - Creator Confessions
1:14:22 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Bhi Bhiman (@bhibhiman) is an American singer-songwriter who grew in St. Louis and now lives in LA. He's been called "One of America's Best Kept Secrets".
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss his latest album "I'll Sleep When I'm Famous" as a tribute to his late nephew, the guitar being his first love at age 7, his album being a socio-political response to Donald Trump’s election and the American landscape, doing a parody of Whiplash with Keegan-Michael Key (@Keegan-Michael Key) and struggling to keep up, Twitter being a ‘bad neighbourhood’ that Bhi doesn’t enjoy visiting, getting to go on tour with one of his heroes (lead vocalist and guitarist Chris Cornell [@chriscornellofficial] of Soundgarden), and so much more.
Follow Bhi:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bhibhiman/)
Timestamps
00:19 - You interrupt and eavesdrop on a conversation between Ara and this week’s guest, Bhi Bhiman
01:57 - Bhi catches you up to speed on what he and Ara were discussing; growing up listening to Ray Charles, Nina Simone, etc.
02:51 - Growing up in St. Louis, suppressing his culture to fit in, and having ‘rebellious’ tastes in music and entertainment
07:08 - Feeling like a career in entertainment was unreachable, the Sri Lankan expectation for children to be ‘excellent’
12:25 - What Bhi’s schedule and regimen to stay on top of his game entails, and the purity of children
17:19 - His last album ‘Peace of Mind’ being released as a podcast with weekly songs; how it was received by fans
22:05 - Content being consumed differently in the streaming era and Bhi’s interview with Keegan-Michael Key
26:12 - How the movie Whiplash depicts the price of greatness
27:50 - Living with LA and how often Bhi interacts with celebrities, and why he moved there
29:43 - Writing new album ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Famous’ as commentary on current times and tribute to his late nephew
33:36 - The South Asian tendency to not talk about our feelings and newer generations trying to shed this thought process
36:19 - Leaders of technology companies not letting their own children use their platforms; people trying to break away from tech
37:16 - Bhi’s goals for the next 5 years and the type of influence/imprint he hopes to have once he’s gone; planning to take Ara’s job
39:56 - His dream collaboration; an electronic dance band from France called ‘Justice’
41:06 - Why writing a scripted podcast album release was one of the hardest things Bhi has done
43:33 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by the public and his family
45:07 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self if he could jump in a time machine
47:53 - Creator Confessions
52:28 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Tanya Selvaratnam (@tanyaauthor) is an Emmy-nominated producer, writer, abuse survivor and social justice champion.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss reading at the age of 2, her last book Assume Nothing and the impact she hopes it has along with her upcoming book Leaf Me Alone, her first film getting into the Sundance Film Festival and the opportunities that came out of this, having a photographic memory, her creative writing process, being a survivor of abuse, and so much more.
Follow Prakash:
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/tanyaauthor)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tanyaauthor/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Tanya Selvaratnam
00:50 - Growing up in California; her early passion for reading
02:31 - Tanya speaks on being a storyteller and teases her current novel
04:22 - The trajectory that a women’s conference in China in 1995 led Tanya on
06:38 - Deepa Mehta’s Anatomy of Violence
07:56 - Being recruited to work for the Pop Culture Collaborative
08:52 - Her experience growing up with Tamils; discrimination stories (colourism)
12:54 - What it means to be a Producer; how Tanya secures big opportunities
15:20 - Initially wanting to be a Diplomat or Academic; Sundance
17:20 - How Tanya overcame knowledge gaps and her views on success versus luck
19:22 - Tanya’s creative writing process, being an avid notetaker, and how she wrote two books
23:19 - What her book Assume Nothing is about, what she hopes the impact of it is
25:09 - Stories she’s heard, and the importance of talking about abuse
27:20 - Why Tanya doesn’t read the news, and if there’s any value in forgiving an abuser
29:38 - Spending very little time on social media
31:13 - Training herself to be a good extrovert
31:49 - Having her book optioned by ABC and Disney, how much creative input she has
33:00 - Tanya wants to write 3 more books in the next 5 years
34:03 - Her most painful experience and what she’s learned from it
35:29 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self and the legacy she wants to leave behind
36:16 - Creator Confessions
38:28 - Tanya gives a shout out to a Tamil creator
44:32 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Prakash Chandran (@prakawesome) is a podcast host, serial entrepreneur and currently the co-founder of Xano, the fastest no code backend development platform. If his last name sounds familiar, he is the brother of Sashee Chandran (@sasheechandran), founder of @myteadrop and guest on Episode #9 of the "The Tamil Creator" podcast. Our second brother-sister combo that's appeared on the podcast!
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss helping his mom with her solopreneur business at a young age, going through 6 rounds of interviews to get into Google and working closely with the Sundar Pichai, being treated like a celebrity at airports in the early 2000s because of his Google bag, living with his parents to save money when he started Xano, how the mistakes of Zabinet have led to his current success, being spiritual and purposeful, and so much more.
Follow Prakash:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakawesome/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Prakash Chandran
01:56 - Growing up in Malibu as an interracial child, being introduced to side hustles at a young age
03:37 - How Prakash’s parents raised him and his sister; self-reliance and learning to make money
06:25 - The lack of financial literacy in school systems, how being financially literate gets you ahead in life
07:34 - Enjoying the journey and understanding that there are no shortcuts in life
08:33 - Being at Google for 8 years; how he got the job
11:06 - How Google made it easy for him to stay, despite his entrepreneurial ambitions
13:32 - Moving to the South of France before pursuing full-time entrepreneurship; his journey
15:59 - Started Zabinet, how it was like an MBA, and then selling the business
19:50 - Moving back to LA, starting Xano, now running it remotely
21:00 - LA and Silicon Valley; then versus now
22:28 - The story of Xano
27:10 - Prakash’s thoughts on bootstrapping versus fundraising
30:22 - Different models to building a sustainable company in today’s day and age
31:44 - What success looks like to Prakash and Xano over the next 3-5 years
33:32 - Will the nature of education change as no-code platforms become more prevalent?
36:32 - A life changing lesson that Prakash has experienced over the last couple years
39:18 - Balancing the demand of being both a Founder and a Father
41:06 - The importance of being present in the moment
42:05 - Prakash’s relationship with money; real estate, crypto, and angel investing
47:19 - His relationship with the Tamil community
49:30 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
50:52 - How he wants to be remembered by friends and family
52:06 - Creator Confessions
55:22 - The Wrap Up
56:06 - Prakash turns the tables and begins interview Ara
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Apiramy Jeyarajah is the Head of UK Wholesale at Aviva Investors.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to chat about topics like working hard to get herself into a leadership role in the finance industry where people that look like her are rare, a growing trend towards digital platforms & robo-advisors, to moving from Sri Lanka to London at the age of 2, her dad instilling a belief in her that she was no less than anyone else, the notion that money is no longer the main motivator for employees, wanting to create an environment where everyone feels like they belong, pushing the ladder down to allow the next person to come up, and so much more.
Follow Apiramy:
- Instagram (https://www.linkedin.com/in/apiramy-jeyarajah-1218821b/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Apiramy
00:55 - Apiramy speaks on her upbringing and being driven by curiosity
02:09 - What sports did/does she play?
02:44 - What led Apiramy to a career in education and then finance
04:30 - How her perception of the finance industry has changed over the years
06:28 - Apiramy’s colleagues would describe her by saying…
07:03 - Moving from HSBC to Aviva Investors
08:21 - What her role as Head of UK Wholesale at Aviva entails
11:55 - A growing trend towards digital platforms, robo-advisors, and more
16:02 - The new work culture; how COVID-19 changed her hiring process
19:21 - One of the most interesting job package requests she has been asked for
21:52 - Her role as Diversity Project Ambassador and why its important to her
23:27 - Being in a position of influence and trying to use it for good
25:39 - Does Apiramy see a lot of other Tamil faces in leadership positions?
26:54 - Where she sees herself in the next 3 to 5 years
28:13 - Apiramy’s thoughts on cryptocurrencies
30:35 - What she has invested in, and her general investing strategy
33:09 - Her biggest learning lesson in the last few years; needing a work-life balance
34:48 - The impact of the UK-Tamil community on Apiramy’s personal and professional life
35:57 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
37:07 - How she wants to be remembered by friends and family
37:36 - Creator Confessions
40:31 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Tharshan Rajendiram (@tharshanr) is writer, director, standup comedian and actor, along with being the co-creator behind the famous "Basement Reels" YouTube channel (@basementreels, 80,000+ subscribers).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how he he met his co-creator behind the "Basement Reels" YouTube channel, the desire to belong after immigrating here from Sri Lanka, Basement Reels growing to more than 80K subscribers, making a demo tape during the pandemic, how fans inspire him to keep making content, not getting bogged down by failure, and so much more.
Follow Tharshan:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tharshanr/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Tharshan Raj
01:05 - From Sri Lanka to Canada, studying at Ryerson, going viral on Basement Reels
09:35 - The observational comedy of Basement Reels and its relatability
12:46 - Tharshan’s lifelong passion for acting
13:18 - Working with an agent, securing auditions, and being busy while doing what he loves
14:55 - Balancing a full-time job while driving his creative career forward
16:39 - How skills from his full-time job have helped with Basement Reels
17:38 - Feedback and reactions to the videos Tharshan has made
21:04 - What the future looks like for Basement Reels and Tharshan
21:51 - How Basement Reels in funded; YouTube revenue and business partners
22:58 - Ara calls dibs on Tharshan’s first NFT
28:46 - Tharshan’s biggest learnings in the last few years
31:57 - Gradual progression and the importance of incrementally improving
33:40 - How Tharshan wants to be remembered by friends and family
34:34 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self; be a little bit more disciplined
35:27 - Learning to appreciate time changed Tharshan’s life for the better
36:43 - Podcasts ,being inspired by things around us, and getting out of your comfort zone
42:20 - Creator Confessions
46:02 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Rathika Sitsabaiesan (@rathikasitsabaiesan) is a former politician (Canada's First Tamil Member of Parliament) and currently a professor at Centennial College (@centennialcollege).
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss growing up in a single income household, watching her parents help other Tamil immigrants get on their feet in Canada, introducing Tamil Heritage Month with the late Jack Layton’s full support, the impact of a Tamil being elected as an MP, taking 8 months off in 2015 due to extreme burnout, how somebody in the Vietnamese community encouraged her to become a teacher; her ensuing passion for education, working in a hospital for 5 years before realizing she didn’t want to be a doctor and so much more.
Follow Rathika:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rathikasitsabaiesan/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Rathika Sitsabaiesan
01:27 - Rathika speaks on her family upbringing and how it led her to a career in politics, and then education
09:41 - Growing up at a faster pace as the child of an immigrant
11:04 - How shifting from University of Toronto to Carleton led her into politics
14:08 - The moment Rathika was officially elected and her immediate reaction
17:00 - What it was like working with Jack Layton
23:08 - Rathika reflects on her career in politics and assesses her performance
29:19 - Why she didn’t resume her politics career; Jack Layton’s passing
35:50 - What she would have done differently as an MP and when she considering running as an independent
40:21 - Is Rathika done with politics?
41:06 - Being involved in post secondary education and advocacy for the past 15 years
44:17 - How Rathika sees the education space evolving amidst the pandemic recovery
52:25 - What she would tell her 16-year-old self; her parents not understanding mental illness but still being supportive
58:08 - How she wants to be remembered by her friends and family
1:01:26 - How her political career is still useful in her everyday life today
1:02:11 - Creator Confessions
1:10:40 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Dunstan Peter is a serial entrepreneur who is the founder of several companies including Trinity Tech, Tnext Communication & Trinity Star Development. He was an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist in 2019.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the power of education, building up the sales momentum for his multi-million dollar business with no sales reps initially except himself, having a desire to give from a young age, working to change homelessness, killing snakes in his childhood and the PTSD he experiences now because of it, loving himself and having zero regrets or insecurities, and so much more.
Follow Dunstan:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dunstan-peter-besc-emba-3938a732/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Dunstan Peter
01:47 - Dunstan speaks on his childhood, living through the SL war, and using education to escape poverty
04:13 - Looking at everything as a positive and understanding life doesn’t go the way you want it to
06:26 - Having only one meal a day, for six months, as a child
08:00 - How he came up with the idea of Trinity Tech
15:02 - Being hired by Ford to grow a multi-million dollar business
16:27 - Scaling from 0 to 85 clients in the first 2 years; where did he find a quality team for this?
18:31 - The business’s revenue structure; service contracts with his first being $300,000 over 3 weeks
21:35 - His business ventures outside of Trinity Tech; Tnext Communication with 5k employees and plans to scale to 10k
25:35 - Trinity Star Foundation; why he started it and the impact its made thus far
35:46 - The high percentage of success stories as it relates to Tamil immigrant entrepreneurs
42:59 - Balancing family, health, his business; Dunstan slept at the Ford plant for 6 months
48:05 - His view of money; how he invests, saves, and more
50:57 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
51:35 - Waking up at 5AM and having a strong morning and night time routine
54:17 - How Dunstan wants to be remembered by friends and family
54:52 - Creator Confessions
1:00:07 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Rubi Balasingam (@rubi_balasingam) is an Australian-based actress and screenwriter, includes roles in TV Series "Jack Irish" and "Improv Sessions".
Rubi joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss starting out her career while doing comedic theatre, the importance of a side hustle as an actor, learning Kung Fu & ballet to improve her odds in acting, discussing being an extrovert vs introvert, if she would ever consider moving to North America for her acting career, the experience with dealing with different agents, Mortal Kombat being filmed in Australia, and much more.
Follow Rubi:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/rubi_balasingam/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Rubi Balasingam
01:03 - Rubi speaks on a ’typical immigrant’ upbringing; unable to watch the Simpsons but violent Tamil movies were okay
03:49 - Her journey to becoming an actress/writer (Ara interrupts to rave about Kim’s Convenience)
06:43 - Not telling her parents about acting, working her way up with agents, landing her first TV show
11:59 - Lack of transparency around actors talking about how difficult it was for them to make it
13:30 - How Rubi deals with ‘repeated rejection’ as it relates to auditions
15:41 - Using martial arts, ballet, and hanging out with her ‘normal 9-5 friends’ as a coping mechanism
17:30 - The importance of perspective and not playing the victim
18:31 - Australia not being known for acting; is Rubi considering a move elsewhere?
21:56 - Rubi’s thoughts on Australia and its Tamil community
24:16 - Living in a immigrant heavy area where Tamil food (and Mutton Rolls) is easily accessible
27:13 - Is pursuing a career in the creative arts being normalized in the Tamil community? Rubi thinks yes
32:04 - How Rubi ‘fills income gaps’ when she’s not acting - her degree and side hustles
35:02 - Rubi’s relationship with money, and how she views it versus how her parents view it
37:21 - Her financial goals as it relates to saving and investing; why she stays in the immediate long-term
39:21 - Not wanting to live a life that isn’t 110% what she wants it to be
40:21 - Rubi is insecure about…
47:10 - Her interests outside of work; socializing, martial arts, ballet, food, dog walking, libraries, and more
48:38 - Is Rubi extroverted or introverted?
50:07 - How she wants to be remembered by friends and family
50:48 - The way in which Rubi’s friendships have changed/evolved
52:14 - What makes a good friend?
53:32 - Transitioning into ‘grown up Rubi’
55:32 - Who she admires from the global Tamil and non-Tamil community
1:02:15 - Creator Confessions
1:05:32 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Rajan Bala (@im.provising) enjoys being a tech builder - he was a co-founder at retail tech startup Hiku.
Rajan joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to how Carleton University (@carleton_u) is underrated when it comes to engineering talent, how the idea for Hiku was formed along with how they got the idea off the ground, missing out a big exit with Walmart, starting a charity to help transfer knowledge from the Tamil diaspora back to Sri Lanka, financial independence and more.
Follow Rajan:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajanbala/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Rajan Bala
01:25 - Rajan speaks on how he got into building
03:49 - Being 1 of 5 kids and all of them having stereotypical Sri Lankan careers
04:33 - Is Carleton University underrated when it comes to engineering programs?
07:48 - Working for BlackBerry before coming up with Hiku; the idea, the name, using kickstarter
12:17 - What Rajan envisioned for Hiku’s revenue model; was it a one-time free, ongoing subscription, etc.?
15:30 - Why Hiku didn’t charge end users during the data collection process
17:34 - What was the plan to monetize data?
19:40 - How Hiku built relationships with big retails and/or big consumer brands
24:01 - Rajan’s mindset as Hiku began taking off
31:31 - Why Hiku didn’t go down the path of ‘leasing hardware to consumers’
34:33 - Integrating with Walmart and receiving $2.5M in funding, almost being purchase by Google, and more
44:03 - Rajan has no regrets about not getting a ‘lavish exit’ - what he’s learned
45:55 - What the future holds for Rajan; Amazon being an incredible place to learn
52:42 - Rajan’s interests outside of work; travelling, hiking/walking and simultaneously listening to podcasts
53:55 - Co-founding a charity
58:36 - What he’s insecure about; becoming complacent
1:00:12 - The power of consistency; how it has improved Rajan’s life
1:00:56 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family
1:01:50 - Rajan’s view of financial independence for others, and his own view of money
1:04:20 - Who he admires from the global Tamil and non-Tamil community
1:06:35 - Creator Confessions
1:11:33 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Milli Thangarajah (@thiso_makeup) is a published international makeup artist.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the kindest thing somebody did for her, balancing a full-time finance job with being a makeup artist as a side hustle, wanting to be an actress & what's stopping her today from pursuing it, how COVID taught her to slow down, why she's terrified of snakes, doing your research BEFORE you network, Ara reminding her of Jay Shetty (@jayshetty), and so much more.
Follow Milli:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thiso_makeup/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Milli Thangarajah
01:00 - Her upbringing; growing up in SL during the war, moving to Canada at 9, and SO MUCH MORE
09:47 - If Milli had a time machine, would she still go back to school? Why she’s terrified of snakes
15:43 - Always wanting to be an actress and what’s stopping her today from pursuing it
17:33 - Balancing her full-time finance job and being a makeup artist
21:08 - Has she considered quitting her full-time job to be a makeup artist full-time?
22:24 - Why do people struggling to be present; lifestyle creep, the FIRE movement, fear of judgement
25:26 - How to make money in the makeup game
27:36 - Does Milli have plans to take a step back from 16-17 hour work days?
28:53 - What she says to people who say the Tamil makeup artist market is oversaturated
31:10 - Milli’s thoughts around leveraging social media for marketing and networking
37:49 - An insecurity that Milli has
38:35 - Is she introverted or extroverted? Milli compares Ara to Jay Shetty
42:03 - Her interests outside of work
44:16 - Muhammad Ali’s quote about service to others strongly resonates with Milli; starting a volunteer program
46:36 - The kindest thing someones done for Milli
48:37 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family
49:13 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
50:04 - Books and podcasts she recommends to listeners
52:12 - Who Milli admires in the global Tamil and non-Tamil community
54:28 - Creator Confessions
1:00:02 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Vinnin is a 17 year-old Malyali/Tamil-Canadian hip hop artist from Scarborough.
He joins Ara (as the youngest guest to date) on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how he got booed the first time he got on stage, being influenced by Canadian artists (Drake [@champagnepapi], The Weeknd [@theweeknd] & Nav [@Nav]), being featured on the @NBA 2K21 Next Gen Soundtrack and how he made sure he wasn’t take advantage of (from a financial/legal perspective), using criticism to improve yourself, feeling mentally stronger than anyone else, wanting to motivate people, and much more.
Follow Vinnin:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vinninwinnin/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Vinnin
01:40 - How his upbringing led him to his music career
04:27 - Being booed the first time he got on stage
06:12 - How he came up with his stage name, Vinnin
08:31 - Playing competitive basketball in high school
09:23 - How he got featured on the NBA 2K21 Next Gen Soundtrack
18:58 - Vinnin is getting paid at 17! Do his parents have a traditional stance on this?
20:58 - Being streamed internationally, featured on the Toronto Star, and turning hate to motivation
25:44 - Collaborating with Yanchan on “See Me Now” and who else he wants to collaborate with
29:15 - Will he drop out of school?
31:15 - Growing up in the social media generation; how he promotes himself/creates opportunities
34:57 - Who Vinnin admires in the global Tamil community
36:40 - Advice he would give his 12-year-old self
38:08 - How Vinnin wants to be remembered by friends and family
40:22 - Creator Confessions
45:40 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Priscilla Sreedharan (@priscillasree) is a content producer and passionate storyteller who was an Associate Producer of Dragon’s Den (@cbcdragon) during its ascent. She later went on to do some interesting roles at both Cineplex (@cineplexmovies) & TD (@td_canada).
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss her time working with Dragon’s Den, wanting to be Peter Mansbridge when she was growing up, being a ‘serial hobbyist’, food sustainability, her thoughts on the lack of transparency around the topic of money, living frugally and being intentional with her purchases, how she CRUSHED $30K of debt in 6 months with her partner, and much more.
Follow Priscilla:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscilla-sreedharan-68487412/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Priscilla Sreedharan
01:05 - Priscilla speaks on her upbringing and family background
02:22 - Moving from High Park to Rexdale during COVID
03:50 - Initially meeting at church, Priscilla invited Ara to a day of auditions at Dragon’s Den
05:50 - How she came across the opportunity to be an Associate Producer for Dragon’s Den
09:18 - Her criteria for picking entrepreneurs to be featured on the show
10:01 - Did she have any say in terms of selecting the ‘Dragons’ and interacting with them?
10:41 - Priscilla’s favourite Dragon was…
11:29 - How she felt working with such an iconic show in Canada, and seeing its impact
13:17 - What are the growth opportunities for an Associate Producer? Quitting with no plan
15:10 - Would she return to CBC to work on Kim’s Convenience?
15:52 - How she ended up with Cineplex
18:15 - Something she learned at Cineplex that she didn’t learn at CBC
20:35 - How Priscilla sees the movie experience rebounding after COVID
22:19 - Leaving creative roles in the TV/film industry for a ‘corporate’ experience at TD Bank
28:02 - Were Priscilla’s parents always supportive of her career choices?
31:38 - Her interests outside of work; knitting, cooking, gardening, and more
32:34 - The Sri Lankan immigrant dream: children becoming third generation farmers?
34:27 - Where Priscilla sees herself in the next 3-5 years
35:22 - How she views money/investments; crushing $30,000 of debt in 6 months
37:35 - How did she save 40% of her earnings; Priscilla providers her tips/tricks
38:58 - Ara talks about the FIRE movement and some of his own financial habits
42:41 - The impact that the Toronto-Tamil community has had on Priscilla
45:39 - How she wants friends and family to describe her
47:33 - People she admires from the global Tamil and non-Tamil communities
51:45 - Advice she would give to fellow aspiring Tamil creators
53:47 - Creator Confessions
59:34 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Ravi Srinivasan was raised in a half-Filipino, half-Tamil household in Sarnia before moving to Toronto where is he now the Interntional Programmer (Canada) for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, @tiff_net). He's also the International Programmer for the Hot Docs Caandian International Documentary Festival (@hotdocs_) and the Founder/Executive Director of the South Western International Film Festival (SWIFF, @swiffca).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how he got his first job in the film industry with cold calling, his lifelong interest in public speaking from a young age, having no idea what TIFF was growing up, meeting M.I.A. (@miamatangi), not paying himself for the first few years of starting his own film festival (SWIFF), wanting to be the GM of the Toronto Raptors (@raptors), and much more.
Follow Ravi:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravsrinivas/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Ravi Srinivasan
01:24 - Upbringing in Sarnia and his family being one of two non-white families
05:01 - How Ravi broke into the film industry
08:58 - Cold emailing and cold calling is a lost art
09:57 - How Ravi got an opportunity with TIFF and the importance of film festivals
15:36 - His strategy to pass the TIFF assessment
17:14 - Ravi’s day-to-day as a programmer for TIFF
19:50 - The film he discovered in this role that he is most proud of
23:15 - Advice for filmmakers who want to be a part of TIFF
25:55 - How TIFF became one of the most important film festivals in North America
29:08 - Ravi’s role as a programmer at Hot Docs
31:51 - Having a Q&A discussion with M.I.A.
33:36 - The power of film and media in controlling the narrative
35:00 - Legal implications around making a documentary
36:20 - Being the Founder & Executive Director of SWIFF
41:45 - What the future of film festivals looks like moving forward
43:48 - How friends/family reacted to Ravi making a professional living around film
46:33 - Ravi’s relationship with money and his financial advice for aspiring creatives
50:39 - Advice for his 16-year-old self: ‘Don’t drop out of Calculus’
52:00 - The legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family
53:50 - Why Ravi doesn’t feel close to his Tamil roots
57:36 - How Ara and Ravi initially connected
58:26 - Creator Confessions
1:10:34 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Genevive Savundranayagam (@genevivesav) is a serial entrepreneur, brand builder and the Co-Founder of Mahara Mindfulness (@maharamindfulness) which created the buzzworthy "The Human Being Journal".
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the spark behind "The Human Being Journal", side hustles, a fear of not living up to her full potential, quitting her job right before the pandemic to take the entrepreneurial leap, prioritizing friendship/family over business, the peace she experienced in New Zealand and much more.
Follow Genevive:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/genevivesav/)
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevivesav/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Genevive Savundranayagam
01:08 - Genevive speaks on growing up, her professional experience, and more
03:19 - What made her go down an entrepreneurial route?
06:57 - Navigating business partnerships with friends
10:17 - Initially opting not to sign a shareholder agreement
12:32 - Mahara Mindfulness - the idea, the name, and more
16:00 - What is ’The Human Being Journal’ ?
20:10 - Why there won’t be a digital version, or course, for The Human Being Journal
23:42 - The buzz around The Human Being Journal and how it got into Indigo
27:11 - Funding Mahara Mindfulness; bootstrapping vs. fundraising
28:43 - Deciding which investors they wanted to work with
30:13 - Where she sees the company in 5 years; US/global expansion, giving back, and more
32:14 - Have friends/family questioned her choices along the journey?
33:49 - How Genevive wants to be remembered by friends and family
35:27 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
36:40 - Genevive’s life would be a ‘disaster’ without a calendar
39:12 - Her favourite sources of learning, and everything happening for a reason
42:13 - The positive impact that morning workouts have had on Genevive’s life
43:50 - Who Genevive admires in the global Tamil community and non-Tamil community
46:42 - Creator Confessions
53:19 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Suresh Sriskandarajah (@suresh.sriskandarajah) is a technology and business lawyer at Suresh Law Professional Corporation (@suresh.law).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss learning a sense of responsibility from a very young age, how being a long distance runner helped develop his strong work ethic, why he has four degrees (BASc, BA, MBA, JD), other full-time roles he has including be the COO at CSI & Executive Director at Mosaic Lab, why education will stay relevant but the process for acquiring degrees will likely change, not having a television, doing public speaking to overcome his insecurities around it, only investing money he can afford to lose, and much more.
Follow Suresh:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/suresh.sriskandarajah/)
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/suresh-sriskandarajah/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Suresh Sri
02:06 - Being born in SL during the civil war, moving to CA and working at 11 to support his mother
06:30 - Being a finalists for the Canadian National Junior Olympics 3000M
07:24 - Do the hardships of Sri Lankan immigrants result in their children pursuing entrepreneurship?
09:51 - Why the heck did Suresh do four degrees?
10:35 - Starting a law firm before working for someone else first
13:41 - How he chose the specific niche that he wanted to be known for
15:29 - Balancing his own firm, other full-time roles and his family without getting burnt out
18:38 - Will he continue working at this frenetic pace for the foreseeable future?
20:32 - How working at companies where the leaders looked like Suresh impacted him
22:42 - Doing M&A Suresh’s most interesting acquisition opportunity
26:52 - Being optimistic about legal tech, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
29:35 - Suresh built a legal 360; what happened to the product?
30:39 - Will education and degrees have the same value that they used to have?
32:58 - His interests outside of work; spending time with his kids
35:00 - An insecurity Suresh has; from his langue/accent to achieving his goals “on time”
37:37 - How he feels about money; day trading, crypto, and more
39:53 - His favourite sources of knowledge consumption; books, documentaries, podcasts, people
41:13 - The positive impact that “focusing on the present moment” had on Suresh
45:06 - The personal legacy he wants to leave behind; being remembered by friends and family for…
45:52 - Who Suresh admires in the global Tamil and non-Tamil community
49:12 - Advice he has for other aspiring Tamil creators
50:07 - Creator Confessions
52:47 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Amritha Shakti (@amritha.shakti) is a Chennai-born, Australian-raised song writer who describes herself as a hippie with an MBA.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss why she decided to get her MBA even though she is so passionate about music, the notion that money is love, having depression in her late teens, her admiration for Abdul Kalam, her strong sense of purpose which involves working in the development field in India, using flow state and more.
Follow Amritha Shakti:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amritha.shakti/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Amritha Shakti
01:16 - Born in Chennai, Raised in Australia; feeling like she wasn’t accepted in either world
02:54 - Why she sounds more North American than Australian
03:45 - Is she a musician or a storyteller? Amritha’s creative outlets
05:10 - Why did Amritha pursue an MBA if she was so passionate about music?
06:40 - Balancing her music career and work as a strategist for a social enterprise
07:58 - Flow state, being present while you’re working, setting deadlines, and more
11:46 - An artist who Amritha would love to collaborate with; Jhené Aiko
12:35 - Spirituality and religion
14:35 - Why she grew up feeling like she didn’t belong
16:42 - Deliberately making her friend circle in Australia “very South-Asian”
17:34 - What direction did her support system push her towards?
20:27 - How her circle of friends changed, diminished, and evolved over time
22:58 - Not learning to prioritize happiness as a child of immigrants and differentiating joy and happiness
25:46 - Independent names in the music industry that excite Amritha
26:33 - Her interests outside of work and what she does for fun; her favourite places to travel
30:03 - An insecurity she has, and where she sees herself in the next 3-5 years
31:55 - The legacy she wants to leave behind; being remembered by friends and family for…
32:32 - Amritha’s opinion on money (investments, FIRE, and more)
38:41 - Ara speaks about his business, Continyou Care
40:02 - What is Amritha’s source(s) of consuming information?
42:16 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
43:01 - How Amritha knew she was depressed and what her parents’ thoughts were on it
45:08 - Who she admires in the global Tamil community and non-Tamil community
47:33 - Creator Confessions
50:56 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Mayuran Yogarajah (@myren.y) is the Head of IX Labs and Distinguished Engineer at Index Exchange (@indexexchange), where he joined almost 20 years ago as Employee #2 (he was 1 hour late to the interview), seeing it grow massively in that time frame.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss being 1 hour late for his interview (when Google Maps was not around), transitioning from SVP Engineering to spearheading investments as Head of IX Labs, not finishing his degree at the University of Toronto, working in the same company now for nearly two decades, learning to slow down and be present, trying to be charitable in his day-to-day life, growing up as a fan of Mike Tyson’s boxing career and now his personal life, having bouts of impostor syndrome, and so much more.
Follow Mayuran:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayuran-yogarajah/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Mayuran Yogarajah
01:07 - Mayuran’s upbringing in Mississauga, learning English, his first job, and more
07:10 - What is a distinguished engineer? How Mayuran received that title
08:00 - What his experience was like seeing Index Exchange grow before his eyes
10:36 - Staying in the same company for 18 years; his belief in the company and leadership
13:35 - Index Exchange; the stock exchange for ads
16:17 - Why they decided to build everything in-house and locally host versus being cloud-based
17:21 - Challenges he’s seen in his role, and strategic plays he has in mind while moving forward
20:49 - Where he wants to see Index Labs in 3-5 years; focusing on depth versus breadth
23:21 - Sacrificing his personal life for professional success
24:48 - Mayuran’s biggest learning lessons; things he would change
26:27 - The impact of his friends and family on his journey
29:53 - Family dynamics with his siblings and parents
32:13 - The personal legacy Mayuran wants to be remembered for by his friends and family
33:42 - Mayuran’s favourite books, podcasts, and other methods of learning
34:36 - His appreciation for ‘Hotboxing with Mike Tyson’ and Mike Tyson himself
37:15 - How not looking at the phone in the morning and before sleeping has improved his life
39:02 - Mayuran’s relationship with money; how he views it, spends it, and invests (real estate)
41:03 - What prompts Mayuran to save money; minimizing regret
42:46 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
44:44 - Creator Confessions
58:31 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Manjula Selvarajah (@manjaselva) and Kirthana Sasitharan (@kirthanasasitharan) are this week’s guests on #TheTamilCreator. Manjula is a Toronto-based journalist, a guest host on CBC Ontario’s shows, and co-founder of Tamil Women Rising (@tamilwomenrising). Kirthana is a CBC news reporter and associate producer. They are both co-creators of the "Boldly Asian" series on @CBC.
They join Ara to discuss their friendship, receiving feedback as a creator, their award-winning "Boldly Asian" series, Tamil women helping push other Tamil women’s careers forward, learning to embrace rejection, and much more.
Follow Manjula:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/manjaselva/)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/manjaselva)
Follow Kirthana:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kirthanasasitharan/)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/kirthanasasitha)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guests, Manjula and Kirthana
01:50 - Kirthana speaks on her upbringing, family, and path to becoming a journalist
06:54 - How an electronics class in Nigeria, and Manjula’s dad, changed her life
09:57 - Manjula’s past fertility issues, and how she became a journalist
15:40 - How Kirthana and Manjula met, and the professional journey they’ve been on together
30:09 - Receiving feedback as a creator, the award they won together for creating the Boldly Asian
34:17 - What a pitching process, and a good pitch, consists of
42:29 - What the future of the Boldly Asian series looks like
43:48 - How they view social media, tech sabbaths, the future of creators
55:28 - Their view on good journalists leaving big companies to “do their own thing”
1:04:53 - Advice they would give their 16-year-old selves
1:07:48 - The personal legacies they each want to leave behind
1:15:57 - Creator Confessions
1:28:31 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Chief Nishan Duraiappah (@chiefnishprp) is Peel Region’s Police Chief and the first police chief of South Asian descent in Ontario’s history (as well as the first police chief of Tamil descent in North America).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss moving from Sri Lanka to Toronto at a young age, how he bamboozled his parents to avoid being a doctor, lawyer or engineer, the value of relationships, the 2009 Tamil protest on the Gardiner Expressway, why young people shouldn’t let youth or failure detract them, and much more.
Follow Nishan:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/chiefnishprp/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Chief Nish
01:31 - A teacher introduced Chief Nish to a placement program at the local police station when he was 15
07:27 - What are the steps to becoming a police officer in today’s day and age?
10:18 - Are more Tamils joining the police work force?
13:20 - Starting his career off as an investigative undercover, some of the experiences he’s had
16:47 - 2009 Tamil protest on the Gardiner Expressway
18:31 - What his role as Chief of Peel entails and how he got the opportunity
23:15 - How has he reshaped his skillset overtime, why he emphasizes relationships
25:41 - Chief Nish’s engagement in media relations
28:36 - The incorporation of technology and innovation into the police force
32:58 - Advice Chief Nish would give someone looking to be a police officer
37:24 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
39:37 - How he’s raising his kids in comparison to how he was raised
43:41 - How Chief Nish wants to be remembered by friends and family
44:26 - Creator Confessions
46:58 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Chantal Sathi (@chantalsathi) is the Founder of CornerstoneAI (@cornerstone.ai) and the youngest female of colour to ever be on Oxford University’s (@oxford_uni) Alumni Board; she is currently pursuing her doctorate in innovation in science and technology at Arizona State.
Chantal joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the importance of self-discovery, being anti-religious but having a strong faith, why she wakes up at 4:45AM every morning, unplugging from technology every Saturday, her love for boxing, the power of being kind, and so much more - this is not an episode to be missed.
Follow Chantal:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chantal-sathi/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Chantal Sathi
02:23 - Being born and raised in Scarborough, her parents fleeing Sri Lanka during the war
04:04 - Studying Theology at UofT; learning to abide in love and walk with peace
06:09 - From Scarborough to Oxford; advice for people leaving home to study abroad
09:34 - What does the future of University education and prestige look like?
12:21 - Chantal’s passion for sport; having stints at the Pan American Games and Commonwealth Games
14:57 - Why she built CornerstoneAI; what sparked the idea and how she came up with the name
17:08 - How Chantal went about building the team (networking and bootstrapping)
20:27 - What the company does, revenue model and current clients (process for securing business)
24:40 - A day in life of Chantal; waking up at 4:45AM, journaling and more
28:41 - The book 24/6 encouraged Chantal to take a Tech Shabbat (unplugging from technology once a week)
31:13 - Trademarking her company name and algorithm
33:55 - What success looks like to Chantal on a personal and professional level in the next 3-5 years
34:38 - Her biggest learning lesson over the last 3 years; moving CornerstoneAI from Toronto to Florida
36:42 - Moving her company to America because of the potential for greater opportunities
37:48 - The secret behind Chantal’s rapid success - praying for others and an emphasis on being kind
40:05 - What criticism or support has Chantal received from friends and family?
41:48 - The impact of the Tamil communities in Toronto and America on Chantal
48:04 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
48:56 - How Chantal wants to be remembered by friends and family
50:35 - What is the reason for the decline in Christianity and rise in Atheism?
52:59 - Creator Confessions
1:00:22 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Himalesh Kumar (@himaleshk) who is a LA-based tech entrepreneur, was the CEO & Founder of Tapdn before he ended up selling his company to Berkshire Hathaway (via CORT).
He joins Ara on this week’s episode to discuss growing up with a learning disability (dyslexia) and viewing it as a “superpower,” the time he met Warren Buffet, why he started Tapdn and the ten-year journey he took before securing an exit, the importance faith has played in his life, and why you shouldn’t take no for an answer as an entrepreneur!
Follow Himalesh:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/himalesh-kumar-17bb573/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Himalesh Kumar
01:44 - Growing up in both India and Sri Lanka before immigrating to LA
02:44 - Being dyslexic and finding a way to not it hinder his learning process, teaching himself engineering
10:25 - How to get around the word “no” as an entrepreneur
14:11 - Himalesh started Tapdn as a mobile payment company
17:13 - Tapdn’s revenue model
19:03 - How Himalesh got connected with Cort (a part of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway)
24:13 - Securing an exit
28:48 - First thing he did after selling Tapdn; buying four Ferraris?
32:14 - The impact of Himalesh’s faith during his ten-year journey towards securing an exit
38:39 - Hobbies outside of work
40:36 - What is Himalesh insecure about?
43:06 - How Himalesh views money; angel investing, crypto
47:28 - Podcasts he’s currently listening to
50:24 - Advice for other aspiring Tamil creators listening
52:17 - Creator Confessions
59:04 - The Wrap Up
1:00:37 - Bonus Audio: The time Himalesh met Warren Buffet!
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Samanta Krishnapillai is helping to drive social change as the Founder, Executive Director and Editor-In-Chief of On Canada Project (@oncanadaproject).
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss taking a break to work on her mental health, her goal of driving social change through conversation with On Canada Project, code-switching, ending silos so we can “stop letting sh*t divide us,” being followed by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds) on Twitter, how silence is violence as it pertains to critical issues, and much more.
Follow Samanta:
- Instagram (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-krish/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Samanta Krishnapillai
01:39 - Samanta speaks on struggling to understand her culture/heritage growing up
07:28 - The On Canada Project; the name, why is started and what it is
15:07 - Her future plans for the On Canada Project; intentions and purpose
17:27 - On Canada Project team and funding strategy
24:48 - The importance of keeping low overhead costs in order to take risks
26:54 - Getting verified on Instagram
28:18 - Being a hardcore planner but taking life one day at a time
29:45 - Where Samanta sees herself and the On Canada Project in the coming years
35:39 - Racism being “subtle” in Canada, people being neutral and afraid to take a stance
43:55 - Was Samanta questioned or criticized by her support system while striving towards her goals/
46:07 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family
49:12 - What she would tell her 16-year-old self
50:20 - Creator Confessions
55:44 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Thad Jayaseelan (@thaddeus.10) has been the go-to barber for the likes of celebrities like Drake (@champagnepapi), Big Sean (@bigsean) & J Balvin (@jbalvin). He's also the "Teacher of Teachers" for L'Oreal (@lorealpro_education_canada) in Canada along with launching his company Gradient (@gradient____), which got sales from Day 1 of launching.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss what it was like living with Drake for 2 weeks while he cut his hair, why he started his company Gradient, the importance of a strong work ethic, why he enjoys travelling alone, how he blocked out the naysayers, and so much more.
Follow Thad:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thaddeus.10/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Thad Jayaseelan
01:08 - Thad’s upbringing in Montreal and his new business “Gradient”
03:49 - Why he’s stepping out of the spotlight and working more behind-the-scenes
05:41 - Teaching abroad in Europe
08:13 - Securing an opportunity with L’Oreal
09:50 - Why he enjoys travelling (alone)
11:55 - Saving and investing from a young age
14:25 - Mentors who have made a difference in Thad’s life
19:16 - How he got to cut Drake’s hair (and living with him for two weeks)
22:47 - How his perception of celebrities have changed by being a barber for them
25:41 - Why he started Gradient, the company’s trajectory after 5 months
30:31 - How the company works, marketing strategy (social media and word-of-mouth)
32:44 - How the Tamil community reacted to Thad’s ambitions at the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey versus now
37:32 - Where he sees himself in 5 years
38:37 - Advice Thad would give his 16-year-old self
39:47 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for (by friends and family)
41:16 - Who Thad looks up to in the global Tamil and non-Tamil community
45:42 - Kyrie Irving makes a quick appearance on the podcast
46:12 - Creator Confessions
50:54 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Kowshika Thanam aka Kow (@dj.kow) is a Toronto-based DJ who represents RLE Sound Crew (@rlesoundcrew).
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the impact that other Tamil DJs had on her including the late DJ Brown Soul & DJ Divsa (@djdivsa), solely relying on Instagram and word-of-mouth as her marketing tools, being a proud feminist and aspiring to trail-blaze a path for other Tamil women, her firm belief that everything happens for a reason, and much more.
Follow DJ Kow:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/dj.kow/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, DJ Kow
00:44 - Stage name origins, where she spins, her love for music
01:54 - Ara and Kow met through ultimate frisbee, pathway to becoming a DJ
06:12 - Balancing being a full-time DJ and her full-time job at Home Depot
07:48 - How she secures DJ gigs
11:10 - Were friends/family supportive of Kow’s career as a DJ?
16:53 - When will Kow solely focus on her Deejaying career?
19:23 - Deejays that Kow looks up to
23:16 - How Kow wants to be remembered by friends and family
26:53 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
29:05 - How learning to accept life as it plays out has helped Kow
30:22 - Preferring podcasts over books as a source of knowledge
31:42 - People Kow admires in the Tamil and non-Tamil community
38:09 - Advice for fellow aspiring Tamil creators
40:28 - Creator Confessions
42:58 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Gobinthiran Kulendran (@gobinthiran) is the Co-Founder & CEO of Huex (@huex.io) based in Sri Lanka. Despite having to change schools 9 times, moving homes 21 times and losing everything except for one bag during the height of the war, found a way to learn about technology through a computer (that was purchased because his mother and aunt pawned their jewelry) left at his aunt's house (hours away), that he was only able to use on weekends because power wasn't available at his home. His went on to do freelance jobs for locals until he got his first international project in Aug 2019 (paid $1500) that he finished in 5 days with almost no sleep. He's gone on to raise money from investors all over the world to grow the business and has 40+ clients across 4 continents.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the impact of Yarl IT Hub (@yarlithub) on his business, his success encouraging his parents to let his sister start her own business, business opportunities he sees in Sri Lanka, his ambition to create $1 billion in revenue between companies he helps start to do his part in uplifting Northern Sri Lanka economically, and more.
Follow Gobinthiran:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gobinthiran/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/gobinthiran/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Gobinthiran Kulendran
01:49 - From a fascination with computers to the inception of Huex
06:59 - The support of the start-up community from places like Yarl IT Hub in Sri Lanka
10:46 - The current status of Huex
12:19 - The impact of COVID on Gobinthiran’s business
13:50 - Challenges he faced getting Huex off the ground
15:24 - The current status of COVID in Sri Lanka
16:08 - Business opportunities in Sri Lanka
19:26 - Using personal funds for his business ventures
20:43 - What drives Gobinthiran?
24:20 - Where he sees himself in the next 3-5 years
25:22 - Gobinthiran’s interests outside of work; travelling and farming
27:23 - What he’s insecure about
27:36 - Gobinthiran’s perception of money
29:21 - Educating himself via YouTube and Netflix
30:19 - The impact of the Sri Lankan Tamil community on Gobinthiran
32:44 - The personal legacy he wants to leave behind
33:09 - Who Gobinthiran admires in the Tamil and non-Tamil community
34:10 - Advice he would give fellow aspiring Tamil creators
35:43 - Creator Confessions
38:03 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Mathusha Senthil (@thushaa) is the CEO & Founder of sex toy company Thaen Pot (@thaenpot) and media platform Thaen X.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how her goal of removing shame from the topic of sex, positive/negative feedback that Thaen Pot has received, how her day job ties into her business, her poor relationship with money until her mid-20s and much more.
Follow Mathusha:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathushasenthil/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thushaa/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Thusha Senthil
00:58 - Thusha speaks on her upbringing
02:25 - Why Thaen Pot was started, picking the name, financing strategy
07:42 - Trying to remove shame from sex and related conversations
10:42 - Thusha is unbothered by competitors, future plans for the company
13:23 - Positive feedback that Thaen Pot has received
15:06 - Negative feedback that Thaen Pot received
16:39 - How have Thusha’s friends and family reacted?
18:16 - What Thusha does her day job and how it ties into Thaen Pot
20:02 - The legacy Thusha wants to leave behind
21:36 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
22:19 - Having a bad relationship with money until her mid-20s
25:11 - Thusha and Ara take a moment to appreciate Scarborough
27:39 - How learning to relax and maintain self-belief has improved Thusha’s life
28:43 - Her favourite ways to consume content
29:56 - Who does Thusha admire in the world?
34:27 - Advice Thusha has for other aspiring Tamil creators
37:38 - Creator Confessions
42:19 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Ruban Kanapathippillai (@rubanmusings) is a entrepreneur, angel investor, charter member at TiE Silicon Valley and author of the "Accidental Entrepreneur" series.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how he's seen The Bay Area change in the many years he's lived there, why he decided to become an angel investor, building a company from 5 founders to 200 employees in about 2 years, having his first company acquired by Intel, how a heart attack was a wake up call to prioritize mental health and much more.
Follow Ruban:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruban-kanapathippillai-064413/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Ruban Kanapathippillai
01:23 - Ruban talks about his upbringing in Sri Lanka, how he met his wife
05:22 - The Bay Area; then vs. now (corporations, real estate, etc.)
11:57 - The impact of digitalization and COVID (on Silicon Valley)
16:09 - How prevalent is the Tamil community like in San Francisco?
21:06 - Having his first company acquired by Intel
29:44 - Owning multiple Google patents and the process behind acquiring one
32:34 - How Intel caught wind of Ruban’s company
38:02 - Relatives initially questioning his decision to quit his job before seeing his success
38:34 - What makes Ruban tick; fear of failure
40:08 - Retiring at 35 and being a stay-at-home dad
43:03 - Creating Virident Systems and having it acquired
45:20 - Feeling like he still hadn’t proved himself after multiple exits
48:09 - Why Ruban decided to become an angel investor
53:10 - Ruban speaks on some of the companies he has invested in - and what they do
57:35 - Interests outside of work; cricket, mentoring, cooking, family time and ballroom dancing
1:00:35 - Maintaining relationships while balancing other priorities like family and health
1:03:16 - Purchases that Ruban has made but doesn’t regret
1:05:28 - What Ruban wants to be remembered for; humility and honesty
1:09:26 - Creator Confessions
1:17:09 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Sharon Bala (@sharon.bala) is is a Canadian writer and the award-winning, bestselling author of "The Boat People". This book is inspired by a real incident and is about a group of Tamil refugees who survive the perilous ocean voyage to reach Canada only to face the threat of deportation and accusations of terrorism in their new land.
Sharon joins Ara on this week’s episode of The Tamil Creator to discuss why she almost never pursued writer as a career, how writers make money, the "why" behind writing The Boat People, her experience living in St. John’s (Newfoundland) and much more!
Follow Sharon:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sharon.bala/)
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbala/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sharon Bala
01:28 - Not believing she could pursue a writing career, the writing class that rejuvenated her passion
04:31 - Sharon’s experience living in St. John’s, Newfoundland
07:35 - How psychology and PR helped Sharon become a full-time writer
09:32 - Why did Sharon want to become a writer, how she developed the story
14:37 - Dealing with expectations as an author
17:58 - Does Sharon feel additional pressure as a result of her first project being a success?
20:30 - If you’re reading this, call Sharon’s agent
23:18 - How to make a living by being a writer; advances, royalties, etc.
26:00 - Aspiration of working in a writer’s room
27:36 - Macro changes in the writing industry and how it affects Sharon
28:46 - Sharon’s view on social media
32:34 - How friends and family view Sharon’s writing journey
36:13 - What drives Sharon’s writing ambitions
37:51 - What’s Sharon insecure about?
38:45 - Hobbies outside of work
40:03 - Sharon’s dream day (if money wasn’t an issue)
40:50 - The personal legacy Sharon wants to leave behind
41:23 - Advice for 16-year-old Sharon; journaling
43:04 - Books / podcasts that Sharon recommends, and the notion of history not being factually accurate
47:08 - Sharon’s puppy
48:03 - Who Sharon admires in the global Tamil community and non-Tamil community
51:31 - Creator Confessions
58:18 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Vas Saranga (@vas_saranga) is an actor and entrepreneur (founder @theonlineactor) who has made appearances in productions such as The Handmaid's Tale, Orphan Black, Little Italy, The Beaverton, Flashpoint and American Pie (to name a few). He's also Ara’s best friend of over 20 years and one of the best storytellers you'll meet.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode to discuss how he stays motivated even when he misses out on potentially life-changing roles, dropping out of university without telling his parents, hustling Ara's younger brother out of a $200 guitar for $10 and how he got Ara suspended once in high school along with a bunch of other incredible and hilarious stories.
Follow Vas:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/vas_saranga/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Vas Saranga
03:19 - Vas speaks on his pursuit of being an actor in a South Asian household
06:29 - Dropping out (and not telling his parents), taking acting classes and creating YouTube content
09:49 - Finding inspiration from the career trajectories of actors like Riz Ahmed and Wentworth Miller
13:24 - How Vas stays motivated even when he misses out on potentially life-changing roles
17:25 - Where did Vas’ passion for acting come from?
20:54 - Ara will ‘brainwash’ his kids by making them watch films; how films can entertain and inform
24:21 - How acting opportunities have evolved for Vas over the last 15 years
26:02 - Will shows starring minorities (ex: Kim’s Convenience) continue breaking out?
29:40 - Post-COVID, does the road to success as an actor still go through Hollywood?
32:15 - Vas’ Training Studio, ‘The Online Actor’
37:34 - Biggest learning lesson in the last 3-5 years
41:32 - Why Vas does ‘absolutely less than nothing’ when he isn’t working
43:57 - Ara got suspended from school after Vas taught him how to workout
48:08 - One of Vas’ biggest insecurities is...
49:07 - Wanting to be remembered for…
51:12 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
52:15 - The Toronto-Tamil community’s impact on Vas - both professionally and personally
56:50 - Vas improved his life by…
57:49 - His favourite podcast, Box Angeles
58:55 - Admiration for Mindy Kaling and Denzel Washington
1:00:54 - Creator Confessions
1:10:37 - Having a shoe stolen and then hustling Ara’s younger brother
1:15:02 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Roveena (@roveenamusic) is a multi-award winning Canadian recording artist with over 1 million digital streams and 12+ million views on YouTube collaborations. Her music has received great reviews from media outlets like CBC Radio (@cbcradio) and Glow Magazine. In 2018, she co-wrote the hit song "Fearless" which was featured during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Her musical breakthrough happened after she relucantly posted a video of herself singing "At Last" on YouTube which caught the eyes of CityTV's (@city_tv) producers and landed a guest spot to perform on the show. The planned one minute segment turned into 8 minutes, which helped spark Roveena's career.
She joins Ara on this week’s episode of The Tamil Creator to discuss losing her father shortly after deciding to pursue music full-time, having her song “Fearless” spotlighted in the Winter Olympics, her admiration for Celine Dion (@celinedion), how music makes a lasting impact even once an artist has passed away, and much more.
Follow Roveena:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/roveenamusic/)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/RoveenaMusic)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Roveena
01:21 - Being forced into guitar lessons, naturally having an instinct for music, falling into singing by accident
03:54 - Pushing your kids into pursuing something they may not necessarily want
06:08 - Dealing with losing her confidence and initially choosing the corporate world over her creative passions
12:13 - How fear dictated Roveena’s decision to stay in her corporate job for so long before she chose to chase her dreams
13:41 - Having her song “Fearless” used in the Winter Olympics
18:07 - Rovenna’s love-hate relationship with social media, and using it as a vehicle to promote yourself and your work
19:44 - Her most interesting collaboration opportunities as a result of social media
20:51 - Her dream collaboration; Celine Dion
24:29 - Talent in the South Asian community that Roveena is high on
29:32 - Following your instincts and learning to say “no”
31:32 - How can people make money in the music world; touring, writing your own material and owning 100% of your masters
39:05 - Roveena’s biggest learning lessons in the music industry
42:20 - Turning people who shun you into people who support you
46:26 - Why fuels Roveena’s ambition; her dream to hold a Grammy
47:55 - The longstanding impact of creative arts even once an artist leaves this Earth
49:43 - What Roveena is insecure about; hating being on camera
51:45 - Hobbies and interests outside of work; running with her Portugese Water Dog, weightlifting
55:35 - Advice for her 16-year-old self
56:25 - Who Roveena admires in the global Tamil community and non-Tamil community
1:06:51 - Rovend performs a snippet of “Fearless”
1:08:25 - Creator Confessions
1:14:21 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Kartik Bala is the Co-founder and CEO of SnapSmile (@snapsmile), a tech app that utilizes Artificial Intelligence to monitor your oral health from health while acting as your personal AI dental coach. He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss his early entrepreneurial hustles, receiving CAD $25,000 in funding for his company through Next AI - A NEXT Canada Program (@next_canada), why he tries to take more risks now (spoiler: because we don’t live forever), and much more.
Follow Kartik:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kartikbalasundaram/)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/karti_bal)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Kartik Bala
02:59 - Kartik’s first hustles; drop shipping phone cases and clothing customization
05:33 - How did the entrepreneurial bug bite Kartik?
07:24 - How his parents feel about him leaving behind ‘more secure’ opportunities
09:00 - Kartik shows love to Ryerson University and its offerings
11:57 - SnapSmile’s admittance into Next AI - A NEXT Canada Program
13:42 - Why Kartik started SnapSmile
16:53 - Income generation strategy (at-home monitoring
20:05 - Who are SnapSmile’s competitors?
22:02 - Kartik’s vision for the company in the next 3-5 years
23:38 - How SnapSmile secured funding (bootstrapping vs. fundraising)
25:53 - The background of SnapSmile’s three co-founders
28:14 - SnapSmile’s biggest challenges and how they overcame them
30:05 - How Kartik balances the demands of a start-up and his personal interests
31:29 - How COVID affected Kartik from a professional and personal standpoint
32:47 - Books/podcasts that Kartik has learned from during the pandemic
35:04 - Kartik’s epiphany; realizing we don’t live forever
36:15 - The legacy Kartik wants to leave behind - how he wants friends/family to remember him
37:40 - How has the Toronto-Tamil community affected Kartik on a personal and professional level
39:11 - Who inspires Kartik?
41:52 - Advice Kartik has for other aspiring Tamil creators
48:06 - Would You Rather
52:46 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Dr. Saskia Sivanathan is a neuroscientist turned data scientist and is currently the Chief Research & KTE Officer at the Alzheimer Society of Canada who has also done stints at Alberta Health Services and the World Health Organization. She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss her upbringing in Saudi Arabia, working at the World Health Organization in Switzerland, how and why she got involved with work revolving around aging and dementia, voluntarily living in a senior home for two weeks (as a resident) and much more.
Follow Saskia:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-saskia-sivananthan-011a492/)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/saskiasiva)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Dr. Saskia Sivananthan
00:56 - Dr. Saskia speaks on the impact of growing up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
05:15 - Opting for an academic career path as a result of her love for learning, before changing her mind
08:50 - Being forced into playing the piano and then falling in love with it
11:47 - Living in Senior Homes for two weeks (just to see what it was like)
17:15 - How surplus demand for healthcare affects the quality of healthcare provided
21:16 - Working at Alberta Health Services
25:40 - Working at the World Health Organization in Switzerland
30:00 - Returning to Canada to take up her current role
33:09 - What Dr. Saskia’s job scope entails
35:20 - Information around dementia that the public needs to be more aware of
38:12 - How Dr. Saskia began doing work around dementia; meeting Vince
46:26 - Biggest learning lessons over the last five years
51:56 - What Dr. Saskia would tell her 16-year-old self
53:28 - The personal legacy she wants to leave behind
55:01 - Creator Confessions
59:44 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
After being forced to leave war-torn Sri Lanka and immigrating to Canada, Roy Ratnavel (@roy_ratnavel) started as a mail clerk at CI Global Asset Management and over the span of 30 years, has made the leap to Executive Vice-President at CI Financial as well as the Head of Distribution for CI Global Asset Management. He joins Ara on this week’s episode of The Tamil Creator to discuss his upcoming book, the importance of hard work and (calculated) risk-taking, people’s inability to amicably disagree in today’s social media era, climbing Machu Picchu and much more.
Follow Roy:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/roy-ratnavel-7a352a174/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Roy Ratnavel
01:44 - Vadamarachchi Operation (Operation Liberation)
06:30 - Losing his father days after landing in Canada, working three jobs at once
10:14 - Traits which are in short supply in this day and age - but are required for success
14:44 - Roy’s career trajectory from mail clerk to meeting Bill Holland to becoming Executive VP at CI Financial
21:54 - Roy’s view on networking and how you should approach going about it
26:42 - What you should know if you’re trying to get into a career in finance (or any career at all)
30:50 - The next chapter in Roy’s life; his book on war, work and the political climate
35:20 - People’s inability to amicably disagree in today’s social media era
41:58 - Being pigeonholed, based on who someone once knew you to be
52:34 - Interests outside of work; mountain climbing, writing and raising his son
55:04 - Having a chip on each shoulder to fight his insecurity
57:36 - Roy’s perception of money, and his investing strategy
01:01:51 - Creator Confessions
01:04:00 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Luxy Thuraisingam is the Head of Global Partner Marketing at @Cisco; she is a scientist, storyteller and leader who has worked with the likes of @TELUS, BMO and @Rogers, in addition to previously being a marketing professor at York University in Toronto. Luxy joins Ara on this episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss female representation in the corporate world, three tricks Luxy uses to overcome challenges, her newfound appreciation for enjoying the moment - and so much more.
Follow Luxy:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/luxy-thuraisingam/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Luxy Thuraisingam
01:20 - Luxy speaks on her upbringing
02:56 - Pursuing a career in dentistry before transitioning to marketing
07:10 - The value of an MBA in today’s job market
09:47 - How Luxy’s experience led to her current role at Cisco
14:09 - The nuisance of working sales roles and the subsequent benefit
14:55 - Intentionally taking a junior role at Telus to learn and expand her career potential
19:22 - Luxy vs. the proverbial glass ceiling
21:57 - How Luxy overcomes challenges (criticism, building a strong circle of influence and resisting balance)
24:44 - Are you the sum of the 5 people closest to you?
27:32 - What a day in Luxy’s life looks like as the Head of Global Partner Marketing at Cisco
30:46 - The importance of content in today’s corporate landscape
32:46 - What percentage of Luxy’s role at Cisco is management vs. hands on
34:06 - How to become a better leader
35:27 - Luxy’s biggest learning lessons over the past few years (learning to slow down)
36:56 - Advice Luxy would give her 16-year-old self
37:24 - New habits that have improved Luxy’s life as a result of the pandemic
39:03 - Creator Confessions
43:14 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Sathish Bala (@sats.b) is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in tech; he has sold over 50M+ and had three tech exits to date. He's current the CEO of edtech startup Schoolio (@schooliolearning) & founder of desiFEST (@desifestmusic), the largest South Asian music festival in North America.
Sathish joins Ara on this week’s episode of The Tamil Creator to discuss getting beat for getting Cs on his report card at the age of 10, investing in cryptocurrency, parenting in the Tamil community, dealing with the fear of death after getting cancer, and much more.
Follow Sathish:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sats.b/)
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sathishbala/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sathish Bala
01:11 - Born in India and then moving to Singapore and then Scarborough, having no choice but the path of entrepreneurship
04:22 - His father being the only person he has never forgiven in his life
06:49 - Why immigrant men have strained relationships with their dads, and how we can change that moving forward
14:06 - Studying computer science at Ryerson and his journey towards starting BlueBand Digital
20:22 - How the acquisition of BlueBand Digital came to be; Sathish realized he had cancer and a benign tumour in his kidneys
23:35 - Being in a mixed marriage (Sathish being Muslim and his wife being Hindu), having 28,000 people at the first year of DESIFEST and averaging 150,000 people per day in 2013
27:51 - Plans to broaden the festival outside of Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal
30:32 - Paying $1200 / month for his daughter’s tuition and starting Schoolio Learning Inc. to provide affordable education
41:39 - Is teaching kids math, science, etc. better than catering to their curiosity?
45:36 - Will Sathish continue bootstrapping for Schoolio?
47:34 - Sathish’s vision for himself in the next 3-5 years, both personally and professionally
52:12 - The personal legacy Sathish wants to leave behind; how he wants to be remembered by friends / family
54:02 - Sathish’s thought process when he discovered he had cancer
56:38 - How Sathish views money (saving / investment strategy), having a VPN company that was bringing in USD$120,000 / month
58:59 - Why Sathish gave up the VPN company, selling a tonne of money making bowties
1:01:31 - Cryptocurrency; investing in BTC and ETH
1:02:31 - Lifelong learning; books / podcast Sathish recommends
1:04:43 - Advice Sathish has for fellow aspiring Tamil creators
1:07:21 - Creator Confessions
1:08:49 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Krish O’Mara Vignarajah is a Marshall Scholar, former policy director to Michelle Obama and an immigration advocate serving as President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (@lirsorg). If her last name sounds familiar, it's because her brother Thiru Vignarajah was interviewed in EP 16! (make sure to check out that episode)
She joins Ara on the latest episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss growing up in #Baltimore, the lessons learned in losing an election, working with Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) and the lifelong learning benefit of such an opportunity, having a bout with breast cancer, and much more.
Follow Krish:
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/KrishVignarajah)
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/krish-o-mara-vignarajah-34382683/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Krish O’Mara Vignarajah
01:44 - Krish speaks on the impact of her parents’ support
05:09 - What it was like growing up in Baltimore
08:04 - Krish’s decision to pursue political science at Yale
10:42 - Will Ivy League Schools maintain their brand recognition?
16:14 - How did Krish become the policy director to former First Lady, Michelle Obama
21:46 - Securing a role as the President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
24:31 - Handling the ISIS crisis
27:11 - What surprised Krish about the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, after joining it
29:42 - Losing an election, and the learning lesson it created
33:17 - Breastfeeding on camera as part of her campaign
36:39 - The personal legacy Krish wants to leave behind
38:18 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
39:26 - Lifelong learning, podcasts / books Krish values
41:41 - Creator Confessions
48:53 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Stefan (@stefanthurairatnam) was working for a leading financial institution for 5 years when some life altering events gave him a different perspective on life. It allowed him the chance to re-evaluate and reflect on his life; he was given a second chance. He was given an opportunity to become an ambassador for Luxury World Traveler (@luxuryworldtraveler) and he decided to quit his 9-5 corporate job and book a one-way flight to wherever his finger landed on a spun globe. He turned his passion into his lifestyle. Through his learnings and experiences, he has successfully started his own marketing and social media consulting company, LuxVision Media Group (@luxvisionmediagroup) as well as licensed travel company @Destinationandleisure.
He joins Ara on this week’s episode of The Tamil Creator to discuss quitting his job and ‘retiring’ at the age of 28, getting FREE hotel stays at places where people like Britney Spears (@britneyspears) and Michael Jordan have been at, how he built a following of more than 145,000+ followers, why he has ZERO insecurities, and so much more - this is an episode that is not to be missed!
Follow Stefan:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/stefanthurairatnam/)
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanthurairatnam/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Stefan Thurairatnam
04:34 - Stefan’s beard serving as a great conversation starter
07:26 - How Stefan built his brand as a content creator
10:42 - Initially collaborating without the intent of making money but rather to touch on his passion
14:26 - Using his media kit as a digital resume; selling his template to others and seeing it breed success
16:18 - Figuring out a formula to reach out to high-end brands
18:31 - Staying at hotels costing CAD$130,000 for FREE and having a half a million dollar trip in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the Maldives FULLY EXPENSED for his 30th birthday
20:05 - The difference in experience between wide-ranging hotel prices
21:22 - Building a following of over 100,000 followers on social media; quality versus quantity?
24:41 - Selling preset lighting filters
26:02 - Stefan’s favourite country (Maldives) to travel to and projects (Heineken) he’s worked on
27:15 - How has COVID impacted Stefan’s travel (both personal and business); revamping his brand to now having 32 million impressions per month
32:03 - The future of travel; will a crazy boom occur once COVID finally passes
38:25 - His parents questioning his objective initially; partnering with Sri Lankan airlines to gift his parents taking his parents two anniversary trips
42:05 - Stefan’s vision for the next 3-5 years
43:26 - How does Stefan want to be remembered by friends and family
45:09 - Stefan’s biggest insecurity?
46:35 - Advice for 16-year-old Stefan
48:30 - How has the Tamil community impacted Stefan - not at all; hate comments, threats, and negative energy
54:55 - Advice Stefan has for fellow aspiring Tamil creators
58:10 - Creator Confessions
1:02:47 - The Wrap Up - why TamilCulture was started
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Sumi Shan (@sumishan1) is a connector, former politico and co-founder/Chief Strategy Officer at agritech start-up Dunya Habitats (@dunyahabitats), which was originally started to help minimize food scarcity issues in Indigenous and refugee communities. In her professional career, Sumi has managed award-winning communication and advocacy campaigns across corporate, government, and non-profit sectors over the last 17+ years. She joins Ara on this week’s episode of The Tamil Creator to discuss topics including her experience as a female Tamil in tech, managing egos while operating a business with family, how she went about building her extensive network and talking about the topic of food scarcity & farmers having become an afterthought in the world we live in.
Follow Sumi:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sumishan1/)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/sumishan1)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sumi Shan
03:28 - Running for the Ontario Liberal Candidate Race for Scarborough Rouge Park
07:53 - How do you reconcile the role of government versus companies
11:42 - Dunya Habits; what it is and what it does
18:42 - How the data Dunya Habits provides is beneficial to farmers
22:55 - Food scarcity and farmers having become an afterthought
28:49 - Self-funding Dunya Habits and overcoming various barriers
34:14 - Initially garnering international interest before deciding to set up shop locally
38:32 - Doing business with family; managing work frustration and trying to ensure it doesn’t crossover into personal life
41:15 - Being a Tamil female in tech
44:13 - How Sumi went about building her network
48:35 - Where Sumi sees herself and Dunya Habits in the next 3-5 years
50:01 - What Sumi is insecure about; fear of failure and fear of success
52:08 - Hobbies and interests outside of work; family time, travelling
53:21 - The personal legacy Sumi hopes to leave behind
54:16 - Creator Confessions
57:29 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Robert Rajeswaran (@robertrajeswaran) is a serial entrepreneur who was born in Sri Lanka, raised in London and now based out of Singapore where he co-founded Boxaroo (@boxaroo.co). He joins Ara on this week’s episode of The Tamil Creator to discuss his intricate journey which included fleeing the civil war in Sri Lanka with his pregnant mother to get to the UK, dealing with culture shock & needing to learn English to assimilate into Wembley, moving to Singapore which lead to him co-founding Boxaroo, shedding commonly adopted Sri Lankan norms to improve his life and a lot more before jumping into another round of Creator Confessions.
Follow Robert:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/robertrajeswaran/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Robert Rajeswaran
01:40 - Fleeing the civil war with his pregnant mother to get to the UK
09:40 - Dealing with culture shock, developing confidence, and needing to learn English to assimilate into Wembley
13:02 - Baby hustles; burning CDs, setting up computers / dial-up connections, doing translation work, Airbnb, and more
17:57 - Shifting from London to Singapore for work purposes and to be closer to home
22:30 - Winning a start-up competition, co-founding Boxaroo (selling swag as a service) - the podcast gets interrupted by a bird
26:00 - The bird departs
28:12 - Boxaroo’s products and business model
32:50 - How Robert goes about closing big deals; breaking down target audiences, sorting them in ‘buckets’ and more
37:01 - Bootstrapping Boxaroo with plans to raise funding in the future
40:18 - Robert’s vision for Boxaroo in the next 2-3 years
41:38 - What Robert’s day-to-day schedule looks like
42:43 - Having a good work-life balance,
43:44 - How Singapore handled COVID; it’s impact on Robert from a personal and professional standpoint
46:57 - The future of office work; Robert forces a hybrid model
48:10 - How Robert continues lifelong learning; books and podcasts
51:18 - Shifting away from the Sri Lankan mindset of being “tough and hard” and learning to develop communication skills to improve his life
53:16 - The impact of the Tamil community in London / Singapore on Robert
55:42 - The personal legacy Robert wants to leave behind; how he wants to be remembered by friends / family
56:36 - Who Robert admires in the global Tamil community and non-Tamil community
58:27 - Advice Robert has for fellow aspiring Tamil creators
1:00:16 - Creator Confessions
1:03:09 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Ashanti Omkar (@ashantiomkar) is one of the OGs in the media space (based out of the UK), specifically in the South Asian / Tamil domain; her impressive list of accolades includes being a film critic, @BBC broadcaster, film festival creator, voiceover artist, features writer and public speaker. She joins Ara on this week’s episode of The Tamil Creator to discuss minimizing financial overhead to enjoy what you really want in life, interviewing individuals like M.I.A. (@miamatangi) and Idris Elba (@idriselba), connecting with Priya Ragu (@priyaraguofficial & previous podcast guest on TTC) when Myspace was a thing, how Tamils have always naturally had an entrepreneurial drive within them, and much more.
Follow Ashanti:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ashantiomkar/)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/AshantiOmkar)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Ashanti Omkar
01:35 - Ashanti speaks on her passion for film, immigrating to England, discovering her strengths and weaknesses early on
12:09 - Working in tech and how she built her name / brand on the simultaneously
14:59 - Does Ashanti attribute her success to growing up in the UK?
19:34 - How people’s perception of the creative arts is evolving
27:09 - Minimizing financial overhead to enjoy what you really want in life, Ashanti’s view on money and investments
32:49 - Ashanti’s entrepreneurial mindset, her mom opening a nursery in Nigeria
41:38 - Her view on social media, connecting with Priya Ragu back when Myspace was a thing
44:51 - Just “do you”
46:57 - Ashanti’s interests outside of work; being a foodie, shopping, going on walks, and more
49:15 - Ashanti’s biggest insecurity; her chin
49:48 - What fuels her ambition and drive; film, music, and food
53:55 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
57:12 - The legacy Ashanti wants to leave behind
59:33 - Creator Confessions
1:08:24 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Amarnath Amarasingam is an Assistant Professor at Queen’s University. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, an Associate Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, and an Associate Fellow at the Global Network on Extremism and Technology. His research interests are in radicalization, terrorism, diaspora politics, post-war reconstruction, and the sociology of religion. He is the author of "Pain, Pride, and Politics: Sri Lankan Tamil Activism in Canada" (2015), and the co-editor of "Sri Lanka: The Struggle for Peace in the Aftermath of War" (2016). He has also written several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, has presented papers at over 100 national and international conferences, and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Politico, The Atlantic, and Foreign Affairs. He joins Ara on this week’s episode of The Tamil Creator to discuss who his top 5 rappers of all time are, receiving death threats as a result of his journalistic profession, the increasing divide between people & their governments and why you should stay out of the comment section on all social platforms.
Follow Amarnath:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thatamarguy/)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/AmarAmarasingam)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Amarnath Amarasingam
02:01 - Being born during the Sri Lankan war and immigrating to Toronto shortly after
03:07 - Amarnath’s love for hip-hop; breakdancing, battle rap
08:38 - What’s more appealing: a short but legendary run, or long but relatively average one
10:40 - The violence that Scarborough fostered while Amarnath was growing up
15:15 - Getting verified on Twitter, and receiving death threats
19:07 - The lost art of people being able to disagree with one another
23:30 - How COVID contributed to political polarization
27:06 - The increasing divide between the people and the government
30:32 - How does Amarnath describe what he does to people
36:23 - Monetization in the academia world
38:21 - What is the impact of Twitter on journalistic credibility?
45:15 - Amarnath’s favourite books and podcasts
47:00 - How does one go about securing a book deal? (advances, agents, and more)
50:54 - Personal legacy: how does Amarnath want to be remembered?
52:43 - Amarnath’s biggest insecurity: being insignificant
53:38 - Inspirations from the Global Tamil community and non-Tamil community
56:49 - Advice Amarnath would give to fellow aspiring Tamil creators
1:00:40 - Creator Confessions
1:03:02 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Luksimi Sivaneswaralingam (@luksimimusic) is an award-winning Kollywood singer and elementary school teacher from Toronto. She joins Ara on this week’s episode of The Tamil Creator to discuss how Jayam Ravi (@jayamravi_official) reaching out to her on Instagram helped her music career build traction, being verified on Instagram, why she’s made it a habit to disconnect from technology more frequently, what its like balancing her music career with her teaching profession, and a lot more.
Follow Luksimi:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/luksimimusic/)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/luksimimusic)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Luksimi Siva
03:59 - Being invited to Chennai by Jayam Ravi
05:38 - The aftermath of everything; family’s reaction, growing fanbase, getting verified on Instagram
10:54 - Balancing her music career and teaching profession
13:31 - Luksimi’s projects; how she gets them, what she’s working on
15:50 - How she makes a living off of what she does
16:46 - Her experience travelling the world to perform
18:15 - Luksimi’s creative process; how she finds inspiration
21:47 - Are Luksimi’s friends creative like her?
23:56 - Luksimi’s biggest wins and failures in the last 3-5 years
27:26 - Where she sees herself in the next 3-5 years
28:19 - Hobbies outside of work; nature, netflix, and more
30:21 - The personal legacy Luksimi wants to have
31:25 - What advice she would give her younger self
32:40 - Her favourite source of knowledge
33:39 - How being able to disconnect from technology has changed Luksimi’s life
35:45 - How the Tamil community in Toronto has supported her journey
37:18 - Who is Luksimi inspired by?
41:33 - Advice she has for fellow aspiring Tamil creators
42:43 - Creator Confessions
46:07 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Suresh Doss is a household name and an OG in terms of the food scene in Toronto. He's about to launch a food section for a national newspaper, has a segment called “CBC Food Guide” in CBC Radio’s Metro Morning and he has helped pioneer the street food movement in Ontario for close to 20 years. He joins Ara on this week’s episode to discuss why he left the financial security of his IT job to pursue his passion, how the opportunity for the "CBC Food Guide" came about, how you can develop your voice and why picking a niche is underrated, the best food spots in the city, and many other appetizing (pun intended) topics.
Follow Suresh:
- Website (http://www.sureshdoss.com/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/suresh/)
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Suresh Doss
03:21 - How Suresh’s upbringing lead to his passion for food; experience in Nigeria and Toronto
06:57 - Suresh’s view on food growing up versus now; not wanting to return to Sri Lanka, entering a cooking competition, the concept of takeout food
14:53 - Suresh’s favourite Tamil spots in the Toronto; Scarborough’s incredible food scene, mutton curry pizza, and more
26:47 - Working in IT before Suresh made the switch to his current career
38:04 - How Suresh’s family and friends reacted to his decision to dive head first into content creation
40:47 - CBC Food Guide, dealing with rejection and struggling to find opportunities, leveraging the power of Twitter
46:03 - How Suresh gets compensated for his work
47:52 - The leverage Suresh holds during his negotiations now versus when he first started
49:13 - The power of the internet for content creators; developing your voice, suresh’s future plans for the stories he wants to tell
54:57 - Suresh is working on his memoir, focusing on the trauma he dealt with growing up and the journey he’s been on since
56:52 - How COVID impacted the industry and what the future holds
1:06:59 - Personal legacy; how Suresh wants to be remembered by his friends / family
1:08:19 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
1:10:05 - Advice Suresh has for fellow creators
1:11:24 - Creator Confessions
1:26:58 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Indira Samarasekera is the former president of the University of Alberta and a current board member of several large market cap companies in Canada. Indira joins Ara on this week’s episode to discuss co-authoring a book called Nerve , growing up in Jaffna, the future of education, what resources she uses to continuously learn, and the benefits she has experienced as a result of rediscovering her Christian faith - in addition to so much more!
Timestamps
00:53 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Indira Samarasekera
05:21 - Indira’s experience as a woman in engineering
08:23 - The older Sri Lankan generation’s expertise with staying in touch with old friends
09:49 - If it weren’t for the war, could Sri Lanka have become the Silicon Valley of the East?
13:30 - How Indira secured her role on the Board of Directors for multiple companies
19:26 - How much of a time commitment is involved with such a role, and what responsibilities are involved
22:15 - How Indira determined what University would be the best fit for her to work with
25:02 - The most difficult challenge Indira had to endure and how she overcame it
29:03 - What does the future of education look like?
36:48 - Collaborating with Martha Piper to write Nerve, and the intent behind publishing this book
41:42 - The legacy Indira wants to be known for by her friends and family
46:56 - Indira’s view on money; perception, investing strategy, and more
50:07 - Indira is insecure about not feeling good enough
51:07 - What does Indira read?
52:56 - How Indira’s faith has improved her quality of life
55:23 - Who is Indira inspired by - in the Tamil community, and in the global community
58:32 - Advice Indira would give to other aspiring Tamil creators
1:00:04 - Creator Confessions
1:03:56 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Ari Sooriya is a man of many talents; he is a technologist at the University of Guelph Humber, and in the Tamil community he’s more famously known for being the host of TamilCulture.com's "TC on the Street" show. He joins Ara on the latest episode of The Tamil Creator podcast to discuss relationships, his views on the 9-5 lifestyle, the question Ara is notorious for asking when he meets someone for the first time, how the book ‘Freakonomics’ shaped the way Ari thinks today, being ashamed of eating Tamil food back in the day, and much more.
Follow Ari - https://www.instagram.com/heythereari/
Timestamps:
00:53 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Ari - the modern renaissance Tamil man
03:35 - Ara and Ari discuss friendships and what makes a successful relationship
08:15 - Ari opens up about his upbringing, and family life; his mom having Parkinson’s disease, his Dad’s outgoing personality, and more
13:00 - How Ari has navigated the COVID pandemic
14:22 - Ari speaks on his profession as a technologist specialist, as well his freelance endeavours, thoughts on the 9-5 lifestyle
18:16 - The ultimate job that Ari is looking to secure in the next 3-5 years
20:56 - Who pays on the first date?
22:06 - Some of the most important lessons Ari has learned; avoiding complacency, being consistent, and more
26:42 - Receiving support from your loved ones when it comes to pursuing your passions
31:53 - Most impactful books/podcast Ari has come across; freakonomics
34:46 - What beliefs/behaviours/habits have help improve Ari’s life for the better; planning for success
36:12 - How does Ari want to be remembered by friends and family?
37:47 - Ari introduced Ara’s wife to Bubble Tea
38:45 - The impact of the Toronto Tamil community on Ari
42:30 - Ari’s inspirations from the Tamil community
45:44 - Advice Ari has for other aspiring Tamil creators
47:56 - Would You Rather
57:02 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Shyamla Eswaran & Ragavi Ragavan from Bindi Bosses joins Ara on the latest episode of the Tamil Creator. Bindi Bosses is a progressive South Asian performing arts company that seamlessly blends Traditional Indian Classical and Folk dances with influences from South Asian Cinema and Street dances from around the world. We discuss a variety of topics including how they answer the question "Where are you from?", their views on social media, using their platform to spark discussions around significant issues, the importance of embracing your heritage, and much more!
Follow Bindi Bosses - https://www.instagram.com/bindibosses/
Timestamps
00:53 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Bindi Bosses
06:13 - Tamil diaspora communities
09:24 - How Bindi Bosses responds to the age old question, “Where are you from?”
13:44 - Where did the name Bindi Bosses come from?
20:54 - Being frowned upon if you pursue a career in the creative arts
27:13 - Getting the chance to speak at TEDxSydney
29:59 - Using their platform to open up meaningful dialogue
33:46 - Having differing stances on social media; procrastination, social skills, and more
42:39 - Where Bindi Bosses sees themselves in the next 3-5 years
46:58 - Bindi Bosses’ biggest insecurities
52:56 - Hobbies outside of work
57:43 - Most impactful books/podcasts they enjoy
1:02:19 - Personal legacy they want to leave behind
1:09:29 - Advice they would give to fellow aspiring Tamil creators
1:13:57 - Embracing your cultural heritage
1:18:21 - Creator Confessions
1:40:42 - The Wrap up
1:43:40 - Blooper
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Rick Selvarajah is a professional UK-based MMA fighter turned entrepreneur. He joins Ara to discuss how he went from wanting to lose weight to falling in love with MMA and now owning an academy (Revival MMA and Fitness). They also discuss the worst injury Rick every sustained, how fatherhood changed him, the most money he’s ever made from a fight, the notion that time is the most important commodity, and much more!
Follow Rick - https://www.instagram.com/selvarajahmma/
Timestamps:00:53 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Rick Selvarajah
02:22 - How Rick entered the world of MMA, how someone being a professional fighter
06:36 - Rick’s first professional fight
07:48 - The worst injury he ever sustained
10:00 - How Rick balances training, work (his academy Revival MMA and Fitness), and other obligations (i.e., family)
11:22 - When will Rick retire?
13:42 - Rick talks about his son, why the last time he fought was over 3 years ago
16:44 - How Rick makes money as a professional fighter
18:06 - The most Rick has ever made for a fight
21:08 - What motivates Rick to work in this profession
24:25 - When/why Rick started Revival MMA and Fitness, how its progressing
26:47 - How he finds students to train at his academy
28:36 - Insecure about setting a bad example for his son
30:11 - Hobbies outside of work and training; family interaction, thrill seeking, etc.
32:06 - Rick’s relationship with money, his investing strategy, why time is the most valuable commodity
39:06 - The last book Rick read (Analects of Confucius), his favourite podcast (JRE), why he admires Jordan Peterson
41:40 - Using YouTube for learning; building a cabinet during quarantine
43:44 - Where Rick sees himself in 3-5 years
44:30 - The impact that the UK Tamil community has had on Rick
46:14 - Rick’s admiration for his grandfather, and the coaches and people he trains with at his gym
48:47 - Advice Rick would give to other fellow Tamil creators
51:21 - Would You Rather
53:35 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Jenushika Jeyakumaran is a recent grad and the co-founder of tech start-up Aleri, which makes trial preparation easier for lawyers. They initially bootstrapped the company and then got additional funding with a $30K grant from the Accelerator Centre (part of the Jumpstart program), with having a goal of raising more money to accelerate their traction.
She joins Ara to discuss various topics including how she started her own company without getting experience in a start-up, why she refuses to sacrifice her sleep and well-being, her admiration for Gary Vee, and why you need to learn how to tune other people out if their opinions don’t align with your vision.
Follow Jenushika - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-j/
Timestamps
00:53 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Jenushika Jeyakumaran
01:36 - Jenushika speaks on her journey in founding Aleri and pursuing it as a full-time endeavour
05:33 - How side hustles and GaryVee opened Jenushika’s eyes
07:27 - Money being a unit of time, tuning out people’s opinions if they don’t understand your vision
09:59 - Aleri’s value proposition, how Jenushika went about securing clients; cold calling, confidence, and more
18:31 - Jenushika’s strategy for retaining customers
20:37 - Aleri’s competitors?
21:46 - How the Aleri team was formed
23:10 - Will Aleri continue bootstrapping or begin fundraising moving forward
25:56 - Jenushika’s expectations for Aleri for the next 3-5 years
26:26 - What motivates Jenushika?
28:53 - Why Jenushika felt like she was failing during the pandemic and how she pulled herself out of that slump
31:24 - How Jenushika avoids burnout; her dog, going for a walk, socializing, and self-care
33:18 - Ara and Jenushika dive deep on the topic of sleep
35:28 - Jenushika’s hobbies; food-stops in Toronto, outdoor activities, continuous learning, and family time
36:55 - Ara and Jenushika discuss the importance of spending time with family, especially post-quarantine
39:33 - Jenushika opens up about her insecurities
40:33 - What kind of people do Jenushika and Ara surround themselves with?
43:11 - Is Jenushika an introvert or extrovert?
47:40 - The impact that the Tamil community has had on Jenushika
49:40 - Being inspired by Mindy Kaling, GaryVee, and Darren Hardy
51:58 - Piece of advice Jenushika has for her fellow Tamil creators
55:07 - Creator Confessions
1:06:35 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Nelson Sivalingam is an award-winning serial entrepreneur who has created successes from high growth technology businesses to Sri Lankan street food restaurant groups. He's currently the CEO & Co-Founder of HowNow, one of the fast-growing technology companies transforming the way organizations approach learning across the world with clients including tech unicorns like GymShark and Checkout.com.
He joins Ara to shed light on how his filmmaking and entrepreneurial careers intertwine with one another, why he doesn’t engage in small talk, how his friends calling him “Born Awkward” led him to actually buying that web domain, why you shouldn’t be afraid to seize the opportunity and so much more.
Follow Nelson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/
Timestamps
00:53 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Nelson Sivalingam
01:47 - Nelson admits to using Ara’s siblings to get to Ara, speaks on his upbringing in Barking
03:58 - Why and How Nelson started One Minute London; trying to fund his filmmaking career
07:59 - How Nelson’s award-winning film “The Rajini Effect” came to be; reaching international audiences
13:54 - Japan’s love for South-Asian cinema, Rajinikanth’s cultural impact
17:04 - Nelson’s kothu business in South London, Ara’s experience making kothu in his Dad’s store as a kid
27:23 - Founding HowNow (formerly known as Wonderush) to encourage continuous learning
33:12 - Bootstrapping vs. fundraising money for your business
39:49 - The misconceptions of - and the art/science behind - sales; learning about sales through poker
44:46 - Angel investing and Nelson’s plan to eventually return to filmmaking
47:49 - Nelson’s hobbies outside of work; friends, conversation, food, films, reading, writing
48:27 - Nelson’s being insecure about whether or not he’s learning fast enough
49:27 - Why Nelson doesn’t like small talk, wanting to be known for adding value
53:50 - Books that impacted Nelson; Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously, Steve Jobs’ biography
1:01:52 - Tamil community in the UK
1:06:49 - Advice Nelson would give to fellow aspiring Tamil Creators
1:10:13 - Creator Confessions
1:13:55 - The Wrap Up
Intro Music
Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan
Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan
Maya Bastian is a Tamil-Canadian filmmaker, writer and artist. From 2008, she spent several years travelling the world as an investigative video journalist, documenting areas of conflict and post-conflict, which has culminated in an ongoing exploration of trauma as it relates to community and culture. As a director, she has won awards and exhibited her short films internationally, which run the gamut from narrative to documentary, to experimental animation, including recently having her film "TIGRESS" accepted into the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. She joins Ara to discuss getting shingles from working a job that she hated, dealing with the consistent fear of losing her job and all her money, pursuing her passion for almost 20 years before being able to make a full-time living from it, and much more.
Follow Maya - https://twitter.com/mayabasti
Timestamps:
00:54 - Introducing Maya Bastian; volunteering in Sri Lanka
02:34 - Starting out as an actor 20 years ago
03:25 - The judgement actors face; transitioning from acting to filmmaking
05:20 - Maya’s upbringing, her rebellious nature growing up
09:52 - Brown parents’ need for external validation before giving props to their kids
11:31 - Has the Tamil community progressed in how they view creative careers?
14:39 - Why Maya has taken it upon herself to create diaspora-related films
21:03 - Passing on trauma through generations
22:56 - Maya’s time as an investigative journalist; Cambodia, Palestine
27:41 - How Maya managed/manages her finances as an artist
33:05 - How Maya secures film projects to work on
38:44 - The power of intention, learning to deal with and accept rejection
41:48 - What is Maya insecure about?
42:47 - Maya’s plans for the next 3-5 years
43:50 - Maya’s hobbies; singing, playing the ukulele, hiking, dancing, board games with her daughter
45:14 - The legacy Maya wants to leave behind
45:50 - Advice Maya would give her 16-year-old self and her daughter
46:50 - The impact of the Tamil community on Maya
48:16 - People Maya admires, stealing a Maya Angelou book in high school
50:11 - Advice Maya has for other Tamil creators
53:25 - Creator Confessions
57:59 - The Wrap Up
Sathish Muneeswaran is a personal trainer at Fit Squad in Toronto. He joins Ara to discuss how hardship breeds success, the importance of sleep, why he prefers J. Cole over Drake (despite being from Canada himself), and they also spend some time reminiscing on their glory days playing in the TTBA (Toronto Tamil Basketball Association).
Follow Sathish - https://www.instagram.com/sathish_fitsquad/
Timestamps:
00:54 - Introducing Sathish Muneeswaran
04:11 - How Sathish got into the fitness industry
12:20 - The impact of COVID on Sathish personally and professionally
15:32 - Common mistakes people make when beginning to train
20:42 - How Sathish’s parents felt about his career choice
23:05 - Where Sathish sees himself in the next 3-5 years
25:10 - Can a tougher upbringing lead to greater success?
27:45 - Has Sathish experienced lifestyle creep?
29:22 - The Renegades podcast with Barack Obama and Range by Dave Epstein
31:53 - How increased sleep changed Sathish’s life
34:03 - How Sathish wants to be remembered by his friends and family
35:10 - The impact of the Toronto Tamil community on Sathish’s life
38:46 - Admiration for Kamala Harris, J. Cole, and his co-workers
40:21 - Advice for fellow Tamil creators
41:33 - Creator Confessions
45:24 - The Wrap Up
Shayna Mehta (one half of @brownsplashsisters) is a recent graduate of Brown University (Class of 2019) where she majored in Biology and played four years of NCAA Div 1 Basketball while winning Ivy League Rookie Of the Year. She joins Ara to discuss her decision to choose medical school over a professional basketball career, balancing athletics + academics, using basketball as a vehicle for change in India through @crossoverbasketball, her love for @stephencurry30 / @warriors, and much more!
Follow Shayna - https://www.instagram.com/shaynamehta_/
Timestamps
00:54 - Introducing Shayna Mehta
02:03 - Shayna’s upbringing; Tamil roots, love for basketball and the Warriors
06:32 - Balancing athletics and academics, winning Ivy League Rookie of the Year
09:58 - Choosing between the WNBA and med school
12:46 - Using basketball as a vehicle of change through “Crossover India”
16:33 - Where Shayna sees herself in the next 3-5 years
17:57 - Shayna’s dream job
19:22 - What motivates Shayna?
21:42 - Love for travel; favourite places she’s been and where she wants to go
23:30 - Shayna’s insecurities
24:29 - Shayna’s reaction to being admitted to medical school
25:00 - The personal legacy Shayna wants to leave behind
25:52 - Advice Shayna would give her 16-year-old self
27:41 - The White Tiger
29:22 - A habit that changed Shayna’s life
30:27 - Admiration for Mindy Kaling and Stephen Curry
34:07 - Advice Shayna has for other Tamil creators
34:38 - Creator Confessions
39:10 - The Wrap Up
Anand Venkateswaran, better known as Twobadour, is one half of the duo who purchased the world's most expensive NFT at $69 million - Beeple's "Everydays—The First 5000 Days". He joins Ara on the latest episode to discuss the world of cryptocurrency, teaming up with Nas Daily to create a content fellowship around crypotocurrency, why the Metaverse will become more important in the future (& why people are buying virtual land) and the importance of maintaining an abundant mindset.
Follow Twobadour - https://twitter.com/twobadour
Timestamps
00:54 - Introducing Twobadour
02:18 - Twobadour’s upbringing, journalism career, cryptocurrency and NFTs
05:52 - Serendipity and success
09:47 - Spending $69,000,000 on an NFT, how Metapurse was born
14:26 - Teaming up with Nas Daily to create a cryptocurrency fellowship
16:40 - Why is Twobadour so bullish on NFTs?
21:19 - What is the Metaverse, why are people buying virtual land
25:23 - The governance of the Metaverse
30:15 - What is a DAO & how can young people create a future for themselves
33:07 - What Twobadour would do if he could go back to the age of 16 with the knowledge he has now
34:28 - Dealing with mainstream fame
36:18 - How Twobadour structures his day, where he sees himself in 3-5 years
38:16 - Having an abundant mindset
40:38 - Big projects coming up
41:55 - Does Twobadour have investments outside of cryptocurrency and NFTs?
43:03 - Hobbies outside of work?
43:51 - What’s Twobadour insecure about?
44:43 - The personal legacy Twobadour wants to leave behind
45:41 - Books that have been life changing for Twobadour
47:07 - New belief/behaviour/habit that has changed his life
47:39 - Twobadour’s advice to fellow Tamil creators
48:04 - Twobadour’s inspirations
48:45 - Creator Confessions
51:06 - The Wrap Up
Priya Ragu is a Swiss-Tamil artist making uplifting R&B that explores her independence while remaining true to her Tamil heritage. Her overnight success took years to develop and her career has exploded in the last few years with her being featured in Rolling Stone India, BBC Asian Network and Vogue. Priya is also being named as an artist to keep an eye on in 2021. She joins Ara to discuss being compared to M.I.A & being inspired by her, working alongside her brother, turning 30 & realizing there had to be more to life, quitting her full-time job and telling her parents she was going on a 6-month business trip when she was actually moving to New York to pursue her musical aspirations, and more!
Follow Priya - https://www.instagram.com/priyaraguofficial/
Timestamps
00:54 - Introducing Priya Ragu
03:13 - Giving herself 6 months to make it in the music industry
05:59 - Why she chose to chase her dream in New York
07:43 - Growing up in a musical family
11:41 - Working alongside her brother
13:40 - Wrestling with her music ambitions and parents’ expectations
18:33 - Telling her parents she was on a “business trip” when she quit her job to chase her dream
19:18 - The making of Priya’s hit “Good Love 2.0”
22:40 - How Priya viewed her strict upbringing growing up versus now
24:10 - Reconnecting with her Tamil roots in Toronto
26:45 - Did it matter where she grew up, how much luck is involved in success?
29:29 - Being compared to M.I.A. and wanting to collaborate with her
30:47 - The independent Tamil music scene
32:38 - What Priya does when she’s not making music
34:03 - Insecurities, and overcoming them
36:30 - The time Priya blacked out during her TEDTalk
38:10 - What would Priya tell her 16-year-old self
38:29 - The personal legacy Priya wants to leave behind
39:29 - Being inspired by Snoh Alegra and M.I.A.
41:43 - Advice Priya has for other Tamil creators
43:14 - Creator Confessions
47:27 - The wrap up
Thusy Suntharam is a Montreal-based filmmaker and the founder of T-Factory Entertainment. He joins Ara to discuss his film “Love at First Swipe” (which has over 150,000+ YouTube views), creating stories for the Tamil Diaspora, balancing a full-time job while working on passion projects, the power of taking small but consistent steps, the impact of Rajinikanth on Tamil cinema, and much more.
Follow Thusy - https://www.instagram.com/thusyse/
Timestamps
00:54 - Introducing Thusy Suntharam
02:05 - How social media connected Thusy & Ara
04:55 - Music videos launched Thusy's directorial experience
06:56 - The inception of T-Factory Entertainment
08:09 - Balancing a full-time job with his passion of filmmaking
10:34 - The power of consistency and taking small steps
12:49 - Why showing up is the victory
14:24 - The importance of having a team
16:58 - How "Love At First Sight" came to be
19:35 - The Montreal Tamil community’s support for Thusy’s first in-theatre premiere
22:30 - Normalizing conversations about previously taboo subjects through film
25:05 - Why Thusy spent money and paid vacation to work on a film project
27:08 - The power of investing in yourself
28:35 - Learning is free if you just put in the effort
31:25 - Responsibilities of immigrant children
33:21 - Impact of COVID on Thusy from a creative perspective
36:36 - Failure that Thusy learned from
40:06 - Thusy's future plans
42:31 - Wanting to tell the stories of the Tamil disapora
44:45 - Better human means better storyteller
46:46 - The impact of Rajinikanth
50:41 - Work on delaying gratification
52:22 - Would you Rather?
55:40 - The Wrap Up
Kumutha Ramanathan is an award-winning journalist and budding entrepreneur who has called Toronto, New York and London home over the last decade. She joins the podcast to discuss Ara’s Nelly impersonation in high school earning him the "Tamil Nelly" nickname, moving to places like London & New York to advance her journalism career, the disservice that first generation Tamil parents do to their kids by emphasizing shame, men wearing tights, and much more!
Follow Kumutha - https://twitter.com/kumutharam
Timestamps
01:11 - Introducing Kumutha Ramanathan
04:34 - What sparked Kumutha’s interest in journalism, stories from her career pursuit
20:05 - What is the worst thing that could happen?
24:01 - How Kumutha built her network in London
30:05 - Making an appearance on ‘The Social’
32:35 - Stop caring about what other people think about you
36:03 - Entrepreneurship, Brown Skin Essentials
41:55 - Balancing career and family
50:23 - Kumutha’s sources of knowledge
53:22 - The legacy Kumutha wants to leave behind
57:49 - Inspirations from the Tamil community
59:16 - Non-Tamil inspirations
1:04:58 - Advice for other Tamil creators
1:06:57 - Creator Confessions
1:13:10 - The Wrap Up
Thiruvendran “Thiru” Vignarajah is a Candidate For Mayor of Baltimore while being a lawyer who is currently a litigation partner at the law firm DLA Piper in Baltimore, Maryland. Thiru joins Ara on the latest episode of The Tamil Creator to discuss immigrating to the States at the age of three, his passion for Baltimore, how working in politics helped him learn to accept the fact he can’t please everyone, his strategy for staying grounded, and much more.
Follow Thiru - https://twitter.com/thiru4baltimore
Timestamps
01:11 - Introducing Thiru Vignarajah
02:17 - Having parents who were teachers, wanting to become a law professor
08:43 - Why Thiru chose to attend Yale and Harvard
11:24 - The perception vs. reality of Baltimore
18:35 - How can Baltimore prosper?
26:04 - Why Thiru still drives a Camry
29:26 - Why Thiru doesn’t drink alcohol or eat meat
31:51 - Valuable lessons Thiru has learned along the way
37:10 - What Thiru would tell his 16-year-old self
39:37 - What is the Tamil community like in Baltimore?
41:57 - Talking is Thiru’s favourite method of learning
44:08 - Thiru’s Tamil inspirations
49:31 - Why Thiru looks up to Thurgood Marshall
53:17 - Creator Confessions
57:55 - The wrap up
Thiviyaa Sehasothy, aka Art By Thiviyaa, is a Toronto artist and painter whose specialty is creating magic on canvas with custom & original work for clients. She joins Ara to discuss various topics including her first sale, how exhibitions built her confidence, the simultaneous balance between being an artist and a small business owner, and the personal legacy she wants to leave behind.
Connect with Thiviyaa - https://www.instagram.com/artbythiviyaa/
Timestamps:
01:06 - Introducing Thiviyaa Sehasothy aka Art By Thiviyaa
04:05 - Thiviyaa credits her brother for her success
07:41 - Ara’s brother impersonates him in public
09:15 - How Art By Thiviyaa came to be
14:15 - How exhibitions built Thiviyaa’s confidence
19:03 - Thiviyaa’s first sale
23:30 - How Thiviyaa balances being an artist and a small business owner
26:36 - The difference between an original piece and a print
29:59 - Thiviyaa’s most popular art pieces
31:40 - The concept of doing something once and being paid for it repeatedly
34:20 - NFTs
40:58 - Thiviyaa’s biggest insecurity
46:59 - Where Thiviyaa sees herself in the next 3-5 years
50:35 - How Thiviyaa views money, the importance of valuing your work
58:55 - The personal legacy Thiviyaa wants to leave behind
59:52 - Advice Thiviyaa would give to other Tamil creators
1:02:02 - Creator Confessions
1:07:35 - The wrap up
Yanchan is a Scarborough-raised producer who blends hip-hop with Carnatic music. He joins Ara for what could be considered the Scarborough episode, to discuss how he fell in love with music and achieved his childhood dreams of performing on tour, his recently released Scarborough Beat Tape, how to make money off of music, why he doesn’t turn down opportunities anymore, and a lot more!
Connect with Yanchan - https://www.instagram.com/yanchanproduced/
Timestamps:
01:06 - Introducing Yanchan
03:37 - Studying economics at Laurier, family’s view on his career ambitions
07:08 - The Scarborough Beat Tape, nostalgia for the city
14:13 - Achieving his childhood dream of performing on tour
18:22 - Shan Vincent de Paul and the track “best friend”
20:39 - The Tamil music scene, artists who Yanchan wants to collaborate with
21:56 - Being inspired by another music producers, and wanting to give back in a similar way
23:14 - How does Yanchan make money (Spotify, selling beats, artist development)
28:11 - COVID-inspired business ideas
30:14 - Why Yanchan takes every shot he gets
32:28 - Networking as an introvert, wanting to connect the Indian and American markets
34:56 - Yanchan’s admiration for Drake, and wanting to mimic his career
36:26 - Financial freedom
38:14 - How has the Tamil community impacted Yanchan
39:14 - Beliefs and behaviours which have improved Yanchan’s life
42:03 - How Yanchan decompresses from work, prioritization of family/friends
43:29 - Yanchan’s advice for other creators
44:06 - Creator Confessions
46:16 - The wrap up
Tanya Yoganathan is a mother of two, and the creator of Her Sun & Stars Co. She joins Ara to discuss how she started a business during the start of the pandemic and was able to quit her full-time job because of it. They also discuss Maitreyi Ramakrishnan shouting out Tanya’s company, impostor syndrome, and the importance of financial literacy before jumping into the new segment Creator Confessions.
Connect with Tanya - https://www.instagram.com/tanya.yoganathan/
Visit Her Sun And Stars Co. - https://www.instagram.com/hersunandstars.co/
Timestamps:
01:06 - Tanya starts the podcast
01:53 - Ara starts the podcast
03:17 - How Tanya and Ara met, and can Ara speak Tamil?
06:17 - Introducing Tanya Yoganathan, being Instagram famous, how Her Sun & Stars came to be
20:05 - Starting and successfully growing her business (during the pandemic) while working a full-time job
28:13 - Previously work as an advisor in analytics, struggling to celebrate milestones
32:47 - Getting her first celebrity shoutout from Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
37:26 - Why Ara started the podcast
40:17 - Tanya’s first sale, quality vs. time
51:24 - Balancing insecurities and confidence, impostor syndrome
56:37 - Starting a business with kids
59:53 - Viewing money as a tool, the importance of financial literacy
1:00:07 - The FIRE movement
1:08:49 - Personal legacy, Nick Offerman, Ernest Hemmingway, and S.P. Balasubrahmanyam
1:11:51 - The lost art of being able to disagree with someone
1:13:20 - The importance of starting
1:15:57 - Creator Confessions (Tanya’s favourite Tamil creators, when she wants to retire, and more)
1:30:13 - The wrap up
Dayalan Mahesan is the owner of Joseph Property Group, which specializes in property development, management and sales in the UK. He joins Ara to discuss growing up in an entrepreneurial environment, how he raised money with his wife for the Sri Lanka Easter bombing victims, having Burrito Boyz delivered by plane, why ketchup was created, being of a big fan of the Liverpool Football Club, and much more.
Connecting with Dayalan - https://www.instagram.com/lifeofdayalan/ Timestamps:00:15 - Introducing Dayalan Mahesan
02:26 - How Ara and Dayalan were both influenced by entrepreneurial fathers
05:22 - Connecting with the Tamil community in London before Facebook
07:27 - Who is DJ Biznus?
08:56 - COVID’s impact on Dayalan’s life and London
10:48 - Fusing Sri Lankan / Caribbean food to raise money for Easter bombing victims
12:31 - Supporting his wife’s entrepreneurial efforts
14:07 - Passion for property, working with the South Asian forum
16:13 - Wanting to mentor people and help the underprivileged
18:52 - Previously being very shy, developing public speaking skills and reading more
20:06 - Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
23:10 - Ara confesses to bribing Dayalan
23:54 - The time Ara delivered Burrito Boyz from Canada to Dayalan in England
24:47 - How a funeral in 2017 changed Dayalan’s perspective
26:24 - Wanting to be remembered in same light as his late father
28:50 - The impact of the London-Tamil community on Dayalan
30:52 - Who inspires Dayalan? Why was ketchup created?
35:07 - The importance of surrounding yourself with likeminded people
37:11 - Speed round
Jyothee Murali, better known as JYXDI, is a 25 year old Tamil self-taught artist from Toronto who has found massive success on Instagram over the last half-decade. She joins Ara to discuss what it was like dropping out of university to chase her childhood passion for art, being handpicked by Michael B. Jordan to collaborate with Coach, creating art for Noah “OVO40” Shebib, and how her work has turned family skepticism to family support.
**To support the work we do to tell creator stories around the world, become a VIP fan - CLICK HERE*!***
Connecting with JYXDI - https://www.instagram.com/jyxdi/
Timestamps:
00:15 - Introducing Jyothee Muraliaka JYXDI
01:06 - How death note sparked her interest in anime
03:17 - Dropping out of school to pursue her passion and dealing with the pressure of south asian parents
04:33 - Being handpicked by Michael B. Jordan to collaborate with Coach
05:50 - Thoughts on NFTs and decision to release two pieces recently
07:18 - How her work has turned family skepticism to family support
09:01 - Using social media to create exposure, how she came up with the moniker JYXDI, and how anime has helped grow her brand
11:15 - Playing in chess tournaments growing up, and her love for hiking and Bali
12:31 - The types of people she surrounds herself with, being an introvert during COVID
14:05 - Plans to move out of Canada and to build an art school
15:23 - Teaching Tamil seniors how to paint
16:41 - Favourite books/podcasts
17:51 - Practicing discipline and meditation
18:56 - Growing up in Sri Lanka during the genocide, still visiting frequently
20:49 - The impact of the Toronto-Tamil community, being contacted to teach art 1-on-1
22:24 - Oil paintings being her favourite art-type to produce
22:56 - OVO40 (Drake’s Producer) and La Mar C. Taylor (Creative Director for The Weeknd) reaching out for art pieces
24:09 - Wanting to be known for taking a leap of faith and going against the grain
24:34 - From selling paintings at $100 a piece to now sometimes getting $10,000 per piece
26:36 - Being inspired by A.R. Rahman, OVO40
28:21 - Advice she would give to young aspiring artists
29:56 - Speed Round
Vijay Sappani is a Tamil cannabis entrepreneur and investor who co-founded a billion-dollar company called TerrAscend. He joins Ara to speak about biryani, biryani, and more biryani. They also cover topics such as why he entered the medical cannabis industry, the process of taking a company public and receiving a billion dollar evaluation, and if money can buy happiness.
**To support the work we do to tell creator stories around the world, become a VIP fan - CLICK HERE*!***
Connect with Vijay - https://www.instagram.com/elacapital/
Timestamps:
00:15 - Introducing Vijay Sappani
01:53 - Nuanced opinions in the Tamil community
05:17 - Vijay’s obsession with biryani, and where to find the best kind
08:16 - Why Vijay entered the medical cannabis industry
12:20 - The biggest challenges Vijay faced upon starting his business
14:13 - Skepticism that Vijay faced early on, and important mentors
17:19 - Taking TerrAscend public and receiving a billion dollar evaluation
22:47 - The importance of knowing when it’s time to step aside
24:51 - Can money buy happiness? Has money changed Vijay?
28:52 - Ela Capital
30:45 - Companies that Vijay has invested in
35:12 - Money being a taboo subject in the Tamil community
39:10 - Vijay’s daughter having a rare genetic disorder, starting a foundation in her name
43:34 - How Vijay balances work and life
46:28 - Wanting to be remembered as “Mr. Troublemaker”
47:44 - Growing into his Tamil identity, and funding projects in Sri Lanka with his wife
53:08 - Ara asks for one piece of advice for Tamil creators; Vijay gives way more
57:31 - Would you rather speed round
Sashee Chandran is the Founder & CEO of California based company, Tea Drops. After initially starting the brand as a passion project and side gig, she has raised $3.5 million and garnered mainstream attention from the likes of Chrissy Teigen and Tory Burch. She joins Ara to discuss growing up on a tea estate and learning to sell from a young age, how one tweet changed her entire life, and the power of both learning to let go and celery juice.
**To support the work we do to tell creator stories around the world, become a VIP fan - CLICK HERE*!***
Connect with Sashee - https://www.instagram.com/sasheechandran/
Follow Tea Drops - https://www.instagram.com/myteadrop/
Timestamps:
00:15 - Introducing Sashee Chandran
01:23 - Growing up on a tea estate with entrepreneurial parents
04:35 - Learning to sell from a young age
05:24 - Starting Tea Drops while working a full-time job at eBay in Silicon Valley
06:46 - How Sashee knew it was time to quit her job and go all-in on Tea Drops
10:57 - The process of patenting Tea Drops
13:39 - The impact of being tweeted about by Chrissy Teigen
15:58 - Transitioning from bootstrapping to raising funds
18:31 - Maintaining open to feedback while having conviction in what you’re building
22:48 - Raising $3.5 million to date and embarking on a $5 million series A round
24:39 - Receiving support from her family, friends, and mentors
27:18 - Meeting people she would have never expected
28:06 - Following her father’s “Horizon Theory”
30:05 - Expanding beyond tea to incorporate and emphasize self-care
34:59 - Wanting to separate work from her personal life, and investing in other founders
41:20 - What Sashee would be doing if Tea Drops wasn’t a thing
46:24 - Why Sashee moved into a 250-sqft home and got rid of 75% of her belongings
49:47 - Sashee’s view on social media
51:40 - Sashee’s interests outside of work (spending time with family and travelling)
54:04 - How the book “Untethered Soul” by Michael Singer helped Sashee learn to let go
56:12 - The power of celery juice
57:20 - Wanting to make other people feel like they are the priority
58:40 - The influence of Tamil culture on Sashee
01:00:17 - Admiration for Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
01:01:37 - Sashee’s advice to other Tamil creators
01:02:38 - Would You Rather
Dr. Ranjith Mahen is a health educator, chiropractor, and weight loss and clinic coach. He joins Ara to discuss being $190,000 in debt, opening his first practice with $10,000, the importance of mastering your energy, and overcoming self-doubt to pursue what you want.
**To support the work we do to tell creator stories around the world, become a VIP fan - CLICK HERE*!***
Ep8 Timestamps
00:15 - Introducing Dr. Ranjith Mahen
01:36 - Ranjith recalls how he met Ara, contemplating dropping out of school after his mother’s sudden passing
04:13 - What does a chiropractor do and why should someone go to a chiropractor
11:39 - Being $190,000 in debt with student loans
13:13 - Ranjith speaks on how Ara’s dad was a mentor to him and how a solid network helped him start his first practice with $10,000
17:48 - Struggling with self-doubt and overcoming it
19:26 - How to find a balance between work and life, and the importance of getting your energy right
21:30 - Ranjith speaks on the health transformation he underwent during COVID, and how this is the first generation of children who won’t outlive their parents
25:44 - Purchasing his first commercial real estate property for the business, where Ranjith sees himself in the next 3-5 years
28:32 - Books and stories that inspire Ranjith
30:57 - His mom’s passing has inspired him to help others, and recapping an example of how when you give more is given to you
32:54 - Being Tamil a major part of Ranjith’s identity
34:29 - Being inspired by Tony Robbins and A. R. Rahman
36:25 - Putting aside fear to build certainty
38:26 - What Would You Choose
42:35 - The Wrap Up
Connect with Dr. Ranjith via Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/doctormahen/
Jananie Baskaran is a photographer, artist, and founder of the non-profit organization Palm Roots. She joins Ara to discuss how she raised $60,000 through sponsorships, what it was like being one of the first female photographers in the Tamil community, and how The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari completely shifted her perspective, before Ara runs her through another speed round of Would You Rather.
Ep7 Timestamps
00:15 - Introducing Jananie Baskaran
01:47 - How her visit to Jaffna lead to the creation of her non-profit Palm Roots
03:53 - Raising $60,000 and the sponsors that helped make it happen
04:49 - How transparency lead to the evolution of Palm Roots
06:18 - Jananie’s plans for Palm Roots going forward
07:23 - The negative perception of Jaffna (Jananie’s ambition to display the positive), and the entrepreneurial energy of the Tamil community
09:19 - Jananie’s writing work, and speaking on the feeling of being a social outcast
16:34 - Being one of first female photographers in the Tamil community and how the scene has changed since, in addition to how COVID has affected photographers
19:29 - The importance of art in the world despite the negative perception that surrounds it as a career choice
22:08 - Medical field by day, photography and creative arts by night
23:52 - The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari completely changed Jananie’s perspective
25:52 - How self-reflection has helped Jananie overcome the famous Tamil phrase “what will other people think”
29:20 - Where Jananie sees herself in the next 3-5 years
29:55 - Wanting to be remembered for living life on her own terms and embodying kindness
31:45 - The legacy Ara wants to leave behind
32:32 - Finding identity in being Tamil
35:59 - Jananie’s admiration for Tamil immigrants and Princess Diana
39:29 - Advice Jananie would give to other aspiring Tamil creators
41:33 - Would You Rather
46:40 - Wrap Up
Connect with her:
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jaybasky/
- Palm Roots - https://www.instagram.com/palmroots_/
Vozhi is a Tamil-American Seattle-based real estate entrepreneur, rapper, and community activist. He joins Ara to discuss how he got the opportunity to rap in Kollywood film Vellai Pookal, how Arnold Schwarzenegger inspired him to get into real estate, getting the governor of Washington to officially make March 9th Tamil Heritage Day, and why the victim mentality is counterproductive to you achieving your goals.
Follow Vozhi:
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vozhi/
Timestamps
00:15 - Introducing Arivozhi Adiaman aka Vozhi
02:51 - Following the traditional corporate path before having an epiphany
05:10 - Transitioning towards working in real estate, making music, and engaging in community service
08:51 - Why people are fearful of owning real estate, why they shouldn’t be, and how technology is bridging the knowledge gap
14:52 - Where Vozhi’s name came from, and how hip hop has helped him express himself without worrying about insecurities
20:39 - Getting to rap in Kollywood film Vellai Pookal after only six months of putting his work out for public consumption
23:35 - This golden age of the creator era, treating social media as a tool to track progress and connect with your audience
25:41 - The importance of consistency and not getting caught up in the metrics that society sets
33:33 - Taking advantage of every opportunity, how the victim mentality is counterproductive to achieving your goals
36:46 - How Vozhi manages to balance real estate, music, and community activism
39:51 - Resources Vozhi uses to build his knowledge, and how Arnold Schwarzenegger inspired Vozhi to get into real estate
43:59 - How Vozhi wants to be remembered, and what he’s doing to hopefully achieve that
45:16 - Appreciating his parents for immigrating to America without Google Maps and other people he finds inspiration from
48:01 - Talking about the Tamil community
51:01 - Getting approval from the Governor of Washington to officially make March 9th Tamil Heritage Day
51:51 - Advice Vozhi gives to other aspiring Tamil creators, forgetting about other peoples’ opinions
53:46 - Would You Rather
1:00:24 - The Wrap Up
Kausalya Vimal aka Kacy joins Ara to discuss mental health, manifestation, and why Aunty Kamala’s opinion doesn’t matter, before diving into another round of “Would You Choose/Rather.” For the first time ever, this episode of #TheTamilCreator also includes a bit of bonus audio, so make sure you stick around until the end.
EP5 Timestamps
00:15 - Introducing Kausalya Vimal (aka Kacy)
02:11 - Kacy’s mental health podcast
03:35 - Launching the podcast shortly after her sister’s cancer diagnosis and a work incident
06:38 - The false glamour of social media and how people have received her podcast
08:30 - Why conversations around mental health are only becoming normalized now
11:55 - Hosting a radio show with the aspiration of bridging generations together, how it's different from her podcast
16:07 - Belief in manifestation, and end goal of having a TV show on national television
17:50 - How Kacy’s full-time job as a mental health counsellor and hosting a podcast/radio show feed into each other
19:00 - How growing up around youth violence and “groups” drew her towards a career in mental health
22:31 - Kacy’s love for dance, how she wants to tie it into her brand going forward
25:14 - The perception of a career in the creative arts, specifically in the Tamil community
27:45 - Kacy’s PSA to follow your dream and work hard
28:36 - Representation matters (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Lilly Singh)
31:10 - Finding inspiration from motivational speaker Trent Shelton, other Tamil podcasts, and Social Change Activist Amanda Seales
35:43 - Numbers driving people’s decision to perceive something/someone as important
37:44 - Waking up early and affirmations have changed Kacy’s life
41:08 - Wanting to be remembered for taking the time to listen to others
41:57 - Kacy’s admiration for her mom and Will Smith
45:31 - Ara recalls a story of rebellion from his childhood
47:02 - Kacey delivers another PSA encouraging other creators to ignore the numbers and instead create out of passion
49:20 - The negative effect social media is having on kids
51:01 - Would You Rather
100:38 - Wrap up
103:25 - Bonus audio
Showkace
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showk.ace/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeJ_SH75_iOpug4y0EcDykQ
Micro-business investor Chen Vasanthakumar joins Ara to drop some knowledge on the best places to find and buy a micro-business, and how to assess if it will be profitable. Some of the other topics they discuss include Chen’s passion for travel and learning about other cultures, being in Barcelona at the height of the pandemic, ambitiously working towards the goal of having his family and friends possibly thinking he has a few screws loose, and his newfound love for Teslas.
EP4 Timestamps
00:15 - Introducing Chen Vasanthakumar
02:45 - How Chen’s corporate finance background, and a friend from middle school, spurred his interest in buying businesses
09:49 - Buying his first business for $0, running it for less than a year, and profiting $60K
12:47 - Taking some time off to travel, network, and evaluate Southeast Asia
14:09 - Finding a needle in the haystack business on Flippa
17:40 - The impact of COVID and the lesson Chen learned about mitigating risk
19:52 - Chen’s next move after buying a travel based business at the height of the pandemic and remote work visas
24:00 - The difference between behere (https://gobehere.com) and Airbnb
25:54 - The best place to find and buy businesses
31:32 - Doing the de-risking yourself to make more money
34:35 - Where Chen sees himself in the next 3-5 years
35:56 - Wanting to be remembered by friends and family for going against the grain
37:11 - Chen’s favourite book (Shoe Dog)
39:33 - Embracing a marathon mindset
41:47 - Chen’s connection to the Tamil community on a personal and professional level
45:36 - Chen pays respect to Shiv (co-founder of TamilCulture)
47:09 - Tim Ferris almost made Chen quit his job, Nipsey Hussle being the only rapper who rapped openly about entrepreneurship
50:11 - Would You Rather
55:40 - Wrap up
Ara chats with the founder and managing director of Viewfinder Film Consulting, Dilani Rabindran, about her passion for global cinema, starting a short film fund in her late father's name to help independent filmmakers, the South Asian stigma of having a career in the creative arts, who she finds inspiration from in the entertainment space, and much more.
Timestamps:
00:15 - Introducing Dilani Rabindran
01:40 - Working for TIFF and the doors it opened
03:16 - Starting Viewfinder Film Consulting to help filmmakers
08:45 - COVID's impact on film festivals and transitioning VFC to a production company
10:30 - What film product entails, production in India vs. Canada
12:12 - Starting a short film fund in her late father’s name
14:08 - Dilani’s writing journey with the likes of Behindwoods, the Juggernaut, & TC
17:53 - The misconceptions of someone living in the West when they perceive Chennai
23:47 - Is the stigma of having a career in the field of creative arts changing? How Dilani’s parents reacted to her pursuing her creative passions
26:30 - How Dilani mitigates risk by working with Cineplex
28:23 - Dilani’s favourite book(s), her newly launched podcast called The Attitude to help promote South Asian women and their endeavours
31:17 - Beliefs and behaviours which have helped Dilani grow, specifically the importance of delegating
34:05 - The impact of being a part of the Tamil, Canadian, and Chennai communities
36:07 - Finding inspiration from individuals in the entertainment space, both in the Tamil community and globally
39:09 - The legacy Dilani wants to be remembered for
40:15 - Would You Choose speed round
45:03 - Where you can find Dilani, other projects she’s working on, Kim’s convenience
47:18 - Outro
Read more of Dilani's content on TamilCulture.com including her time spent in Chennai!
- https://tamilculture.com/user/dilani-rabindran
Dilani Rabindran
- Twitter/Instagram: @dilani_r
- Website: https://www.dilanirabindran.com/
Viewfinder Film Consulting
- Twitter/Instagram: @viewfinderfc
- Website: https://www.viewfinderfc.com/
The Attitude Podcast
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theattitude.pod/
Krish Rabindran (Dilani's brother)
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/h.wr.d/
Mayu Thava is a Toronto-Tamil real estate investor who has managed to secure 41 units in a a few years! He joins Ara on episode 2 of The Tamil Creator to discuss his investing journey, using social media to level up, educating others about real estate through his RISE platform, the FIRE movement, the Tamil community, and much more.
00:14 - How Ara met Mayu
01:16 - Who Mayu is and how he got into real estate investing
03:53 - What Mayu’s family felt about him entering the real estate investment market
06:26 - Mayu’s wife’s reaction to his real estate investment strategy
09:33 - How mayu uses social media in favour of his investing
11:59 - Craziest ROI off of a social media post
14:07 - Where Mayu sees himself in the next 3-5 years
16:02 - Biggest failure, lessons learned, and advice to someone who wants to get into the real estate game
19:29 - Mayu’s RISE platform
22:28 - The FIRE movement
31:14 - The idea of working a safe corporate job
33:12 - The Tamil community’s support, affinity for property, and taboo mindset when it comes to discussing money
35:54 - The taboo of talking about money in the Tamil community
37:18 - Trying to find out what you want to be
38:10 - Favourite book that’s had a bag impact
40:32 - Process of turning an idea into action
42:33 - What would you choose?
46:22 - Wrap up
Mayu was also on TamilCulture.com with a few others discussing growing your side hustle!
- https://tamilculture.com/these-tamil-entrepreneurs-share-how-they-grew-their-side-hustles
Follow Mayu Thava on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mayu.thava/.
Follow RISE Network - https://www.instagram.com/risenetworkevent/.
To learn more about FIRE, here are a few popular accounts:
- "1500 Days To Freedom" - https://www.1500days.com/.
- "Mr. Money Mustache" - https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/.
- "Our Rich Journey" - https://www.instagram.com/richjourney/.
Ara chats with the 3 women behind Amutha Learns - Manju, Sharannya & Supanki to learn more about how they smashed their $25K goal (actually raised $40K) on Kickstarter to help launch the Tamil version of “Dora The Explorer”.
*If you're interested in pre-ordering "Amutha Learns" or getting more information, please visit their website.***