Unlike a Lady

Aastha Atray is an award-winning journalist who has explored her creative passions as an author, podcaster and singer along the way - and she’s never really stopped finding new ways to create.In the second episode of Season 2, we talk about Aastha’s life journey, her experiences in journalism and whether gender and personal perspective influence the way stories are told. We also talk about her decision not to have children, why it was never something she regretted or felt the need to reconsider, and the freedom that can come with choosing a life that looks different from what is expected of you.From following her curiosity across different creative pursuits to finding new things to be excited about in your 40s, this is a conversation about making space for different versions of yourself, being honest about what you want, and making the most of the life you’ve chosen.Aastha’s work (Books & Podcasts):The L-word: Love, Lust and Everything In-BetweenLove Aaj KalThe L WrdYou Got This with AasthaAastha’s social handle - @aasthaatrayFollow our handle (@unlike_a_lady) for updates on more conversations about women doing things their own way.

Radhika Agrawal always knew she wanted to be an author. But what happens when you know exactly where you want to go, and life takes you through a few detours before you get there?In the first episode of Season 2, we talk about her journey from journalism to a stint in the corporate world, what kept her from writing sooner, and how she found her way to the career she had always wanted. We also talk about her bestselling debut Red Flags and Rishtas, her love for the enemies-to-lovers trope, sticking by the genre with her second novel Not Safe for Work, and the accountability with which she writes the women in her stories to live on their own terms.From romance and bollywood to constantly being out there to get your book seen, this is a candid conversation about ambition, confidence, creativity and finding your way to what you always knew you wanted.Radhika’s books:​Red Flags and Rishtas : A Desi Rom Com | National Bestseller (https://amzn.in/d/0hUgkCB3)​Not Safe for Work | An Office Romance (https://www.amazon.in/dp/9373070010?)Radhika's social handle - @radhika.yellow | Not Safe for Work (her latest book) - @notsafeforworkbookFollow our handle (@unlike_a_lady) for updates on more conversations about women doing things their own way.

Shruti Sharma is a millennial who grew up surrounded by the world of books. She went on to take this passion to start a beautiful initiative for more avid readers like her, who wished they could live near a library full of books. Her passion project, 'Books on the Delhi Metro' (BODM) was established in 2017 and is a mobile library where people find books left anywhere in the premises of the Delhi Metro. They take it, read it & return it back on the metro for someone else to pick. Tune in to the episode as we converse with her all about the journey of starting BODM, why reading tends to be a more common habit among females, her team of 'book fairies' who help BODM to reach to more people and more things in life which she is extremely passionate about. Head to the social handles to connect with her & her initiative. Shruti's personal handles: Instagram - @shrutibookfairysharma | Linkedin - shrutisharma BODM: Instagram - @booksonthedelhimetro | Linkedin - books-on-the-delhi-metro | Sister page - @theearthbookclub Follow our social media handles for updates on future episodes! Instagram - @unlike_a_lady | Linkedin - unlike-a-lady | Twitter - @unlike_a_lady

Chhavi Gupta is an ambitious & inspiring woman who loves to keep diversity in her life - from working in a startup to mentoring people through their MBA & corporate journey. She completed her engineering from IIT Delhi in 2016 & went on to secure 100 percentile in CAT to pursue an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad two years later. A millennial who refuses to let gender stereotypes get in the way of her ambitions, Chhavi brings forward an insightful perspective of how women should let go of society's expectation to live for others before themselves. From navigating her college years in the top IIT & IIM, to sharing her learnings along the way by becoming a mentor - her words will keep you gripped throughout. She even talks about keeping the same focus on her career post marriage, the need for a share of cognitive load between both genders, and why it is perfectly natural for women to be rebellious and strong headed in a patriarchal society like ours. The episode is a beautiful message to women that they do not need to guilt trip themselves for being ambitious. Whether married or not, it is absolutely okay for a woman to consider herself as a priority. Head to Chhavi's social media handles for insightful tips across cracking CAT, corporate fields post MBA, productivity & more - Linkedin - chhavihere (65K+ followers) | Youtube - ChhaviGupta (18K subscribers) | Instagram - @chhavihere, @askchhavi | Quora - Chhavi-Gupta (33K+ followers)| Website - www.chhavihere.com Follow our social media handles for updates on future episodes! Instagram - @unlike_a_lady | Linkedin - unlike-a-lady | Twitter - @unlike_a_lady

Dr. Sonali Ghosh is an Indian Forest Service (IFS) Officer from the batch of 2000-2003, who holds post-graduate degrees in forestry, wildlife science along with a post-graduate diploma in Environmental Law. Born into an Army background, Dr. Sonali travelled frequently and discovered her love for nature from an early age, leading her to eventually join the Civil Services to best contribute towards its conservation. Tune into the conversation for some wonderful stories as told by a woman forest officer - her experiences of working in the remotest areas of the country (specifically the Northeast) and raising her daughter along with the demanding work life in the forests. You will further get to hear her beautiful insights and positive outlook towards life as we talk about the importance of living with nature and about the post-covid world. This episode is a little more two-sided than others as our guest even brought up certain question from her end - answered by me (your host!). Attaching links below with reference to the episode conversation - Contribute to help the family of Ms. Swati Dhumane, Forest Guard who sacrificed her life in line of duty - https://bit.ly/33gxll9 | Support the frontline forest workers at the Thin Green Line Foundation - https://thingreenline.org.au/donate-and-give/  Check out an additional link - 10 Reasons a girl should opt for IFS as a service (https://qr.ae/pG3ZoD) More about Dr. Sonali Ghosh (featured article) - Meet Indian Forest Service Officer Sonali Ghosh Follow our social media handles for updates on future episodes! Instagram - @unlike_a_lady | Linkedin - unlike-a-lady | Twitter - @unlike_a_lady

Richa Khurana Singh (Founder at FreeWheelingLife, which organizes bespoke wellness retreats) is a boss lady who does not shy away from calling out the norms enforced on her, emerging out of each one of them stronger and staying true to herself. After completing her graduation in Economics from the University of Delhi, she started working at the Taj Hotels while pursuing a diploma in Hotel Management. Having worked with most luxury brands in hospitality like Taj and Oberoi, she diverted her career towards travel-based startups & freelancing after becoming a mother of two. Her professional journey does nothing but inspire at every step of the way as she coped with FOMO during her sabbatical from work, left behind the should's in her life and also very candidly spoke about the everyday struggles most working women face as a wife, mother & daughter in-law in our society. This conversation beautifully highlights how her experiences enabled her to discover who she truly is outside of these labels. You can reach out to her on her social handles-  Instagram - @freewheelingrich | Linkedin - richaksingh  FreeWheelingLife's (offering bespoke wellness retreats) handles - Instagram - @freewheelinglife | Facebook - @freewheelinglives | Website - www.freewheelinglife.in  Follow our social media handles for updates on future episodes!  Instagram - @unlike_a_lady | Linkedin - unlike-a-lady | Twitter - @unlike_a_lady

Ms. Shikha Jain is a globally renowned architect who grew up in the city of Jaipur & is now based in Gurugram. As the founding director at DRONAH (Development and Research Organisation for Nature, Arts & Heritage) she has worked on more than 50 conservation & museum projects across the country. An alumna of the reputed SPA Delhi, her experience in cultural heritage ranges from representations at International World Heritage UNESCO Meetings to writing several papers & articles in International journals & conferences.  Tune in as we dive into an extremely enriching conversation - from the minute intricacies of the heritage value attributed to historic sites, to how it is being one of the first few PhD holders in the conservation field, and even personal challenges as a career oriented woman architect. Ms. Shikha rises up to every challenge thrown at her and has beautifully called out the gender norms of society through her journey. The link to the coffee table book edited & recommended by her in the episode is attached below -  Incredible Treasures: UNESCO World Heritage Sites of India (https://amzn.to/32nwu18) You can check out her work through the attached social handles. Linkedin - shikha-jain | Instagram - @shikhajaindronah | DRONAH's Website - www.dronah.org | DRONAH's Twitter Handle - @Dronah2 You may sign up to get access to our exclusive interview with Ms. Shikha Jain where she answers the questions of a current architecture student of her alma mater, SPA Delhi - https://forms.gle/cjWAgBZ15hExXjVL6 Follow our social media handles for updates on future episodes!  Instagram - @unlike_a_lady | Linkedin - unlike-a-lady | Twitter - @unlike_a_lady

Aastha Bhansali & Srishti Bajoria are both young female entrepreneurs who recently completed their under graduation in Psychology. Together, they started Õde Studio as sophomores back in 2019 - from stationery products (desk stationery, diaries, planners & more) to providing branding/designing to newly setup and revamped businesses. In a short span, they have built an impressive community of people who love planning & are now also taking up branding projects at a global level. Tune into the episode where we converse with not one but two gen Z guests about everything related to Õde - how they started, expanding to new verticals and the passion with which they continue to build it together every single day. It is a truly insightful yet empowering talk about taking a leap into the male dominated entrepreneurial world where women still struggle to create a place for themselves.  Head to the website of Õde Studio to check out their products & place your order (don't forget to use the podcast promo code revealed in the conversation for an exclusive discount) - www.odestudio.in Wish to receive the discount code in written for future reference? Fill in this form to receive it in your inbox! (Discount Code - Google Form) Õde Studio Social Handles - Instagram (@odestudio.in) | Facebook (@odestudio.in) | Linkedin - odestudio | Email - [email protected] Follow our social media handles for updates on future episodes! Instagram - @unlike_a_lady | Linkedin - unlike-a-lady | Twitter - @unlike_a_lady

Neha Karode is a classically trained Indian vocalist, composer as well as lyricist who has made a name for herself in the music industry over the past 4 years. From taking admission in Delhi University on account of her singing to discovering her calling as a musician in Mumbai, she has come a long way. Not to forget, versatility reflects in her work as an artist - from releasing originals based on Classical Indian Ragas to performing peppy tracks as playbacks for Netflix movies and a lot more.  Tune into the episode as we converse about music becoming a part of her life, how things work in the industry, her work as a lyricist and even female representation in the area of composing & instrumentals. Whether or not you're a music person, this conversation is surely a wonderful peek into the life of a female artist. Also, stay tuned until the end to catch a glimpse of her beautiful voice as she sings a few lines specially for our podcast listeners! Bandish based originals by Neha Karode on Spotify - Piya Bin (Raga Yaman) | Ja Ja Re Apne Mandirwa (Raga Bhimpalas) | Laage Lagan (Raga Hansdhwani) You can check out Neha Karode's work & follow her on these handles - Youtube | Spotify | Instagram (@nehakarode_music) | Facebook (@nehakarode.music)  Follow our social media handles for updates on future episodes! Instagram - @unlike_a_lady | Linkedin - Unlike a Lady | Facebook - @unlikealady.podcast

Chikirsha Mohanty is a trained Odissi Classical dancer as well as a practicing Lawyer. She is a student of Padmashree Guru Madhavi Mudgal, and has been actively performing at reputed platforms not just across the country but even at an international level, including the Darbar Festival 2019 in London. Tune into this beautiful episode about Chikirsha's journey as a performing artist and a lawyer, where she talks about balancing both her professions & calls out gender bias across different spheres of her life. Her social handles along with some of her recent dance performances have been linked below- Instagram (@chikirsha) | Facebook (@Chikirsha-Mohanty) | Anuvartanam (a series of solo presentations in Odissi) | Oriya Champu (Odissi Abhinaya) Follow our social media handles for updates on future episodes! Instagram - @unlike_a_lady | Linkedin - Unlike a Lady | Twitter - @unlike_a_lady