Cultural Representation ft. Surya Garg

Monica Abrams is the Founder of AI Snack Club, a community for women to learn about AI in bite-sized snack pieces. From beginnings in management consulting to political campaigning to running events in Silicon Valley, Monica takes us through her career as a community builder and her own journey to learn about AI. She shares tips and tools that have been her staples, and how building AI Snack Club has helped her bring AI education to a community of over 1,000 women.

On today’s episode, we’re learning about alternative investing and community building with Emma Usich, the co-founder of Girl Math Capital. She talks about her own journey into alternative investing and how she built the curriculum for a community of 400+ women to explore the same.

On this episode, Karan Brar reflects on the role of allyship in his advocacy and personal evolution. Karan is a dynamic actor, director, and trailblazer in Hollywood, celebrated for breaking cultural barriers and expanding representation onscreen. He first captured audiences as 'Chirag' in the 20th Century Studios Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise and most notably as ‘Ravi’ on Disney’s Jessie and Bunk’d - the network’s first-ever Indian series regular character. His film and TV work also includes Pacific Rim: Uprising, Stargirl, The Argument, Youth & Consequences, and Hubie Halloween with Adam Sandler.Most recently, Karan made his off broadway debut in Data at the Lucille Lortel Theater, taking on his first leading role and originating the character of ‘Maneesh.' Offscreen, he serves on the advisory board of The Cameron Boyce Foundation and is a self-proclaimed coffee snob. Karan currently resides in NYC, where he continues to inspire audiences through his diverse creative endeavors and commitment to bold, innovative storytelling.

Our guest this episode is Surya Garg, a New York City–based Indian entrepreneur and the founder of Soara NYC, a sustainable and ethical fashion label redefining modern style through conscious design. Rooted in her heritage, Surya blends timeless South Asian artistry with contemporary silhouettes, championing craftsmanship and responsible production.

Premiere week continues with another conversation from the archives! This episode we're going back to an episode with Celeste Goyena (@celestegoyena) the Founder of Celestial Vintage (@celestialvintage). She talks creating a business model aligned with her values, sustainable styling tips, our Earth to Society clothing swap, and more. Follow E2S: @earthtosociety (IG, TikTok, Substack, Linkedin)Follow Celeste: @celestegoyena (IG) or @celestegoyenaa (TikTok)

Sara Leeds is best known as the creator and host behind Doorman Stories, a short form video series highlighting the doormen and concierges of NYC. On today's episode, we're taking a look back at a conversation from 2024 where Sara explores her goals for the future and shares lessons learned from career transitions, community building, and creative curiosity. Since we first recorded, she's accomplished the majority of the what she set out to do in this episode and in turn left us with a master class in goal setting going into 2026. Follow Sara: @saraanneleeds and @doormanstories on IG &TikTokFollow E2S:@earthtosociety on IG & TikTokearthtosociety.substack.com

In this episode, we're revisiting a conversation with former guest Andini Makosinski. Ann is a creative director, producer, inventor, and speaker recognized for her accomplishments at the intersection of art and science. In this episode, she explores her evolution beyond her identity as an inventor to pursue creative projects in the arts, applying what she has honed as The Inventing Mindset.Follow us for updates: @earthtosociety

We're on a mission to be your new favorite wake up call. Tune in for monthly conversations exploring personal and collective transformation, covering topics from earth to society.Follow us for news and updates:Instagram & TikTok: @earthtosocietySubstack: earthtosociety.substack.comLinkedin: linkedin.com/in/earthtosocietyWork with us: earthtosociety.com

Roya Shariat is the Senior Manager of Social Impact at Glossier. Aside from leading social impact at a global beauty brand, Roya has over 130,000 followers on TikTok and is writing a cookbook honoring her Iranian-American heritage by sharing her mother’s recipes. In this episode, Roya takes us through her career in social impact, her passion for culture, and how she has created new opportunities by shooting her shot. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit earthtosociety.substack.com

Raz Godelnik, author and Professor at Parsons School of Design, is here to discuss pushing beyond 'sustainability-as-usual' to rewrite narratives and create real change in corporate sustainability. His new book, Rethinking Corporate Sustainability in the Era of Climate Crisis — A Strategic Design Approach, is available now! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit earthtosociety.substack.com