Ep. 5 - Shania Bhopia - Egg Frezeing, TED Talks, and Harvard

In this episode of UNBOXED, host Paige Sandher chats with Shania Bhopia, a PhD candidate, researcher, founder, and advocate for women’s health and empowerment. They discuss Shania’s early entrepreneurial beginnings, her multifaceted journey through science and advocacy, and her decision to freeze her eggs at 25. Shania also shares her frameworks for balancing ambition, personal wellness, and purpose — including her work at Harvard and her upcoming TED Talk. This episode is packed with deep insights on fertility planning, burnout, intuition, and doing it all with heart and strategy.

Intro + Toronto Star Feature Paige opens with a warm welcome. Shania shares her excitement about being featured in the Toronto Star, including the playful story behind being photographed with an egg.

02:30 – Childhood & Entrepreneurial Roots Shania reflects on growing up in an immigrant family, her first business at age 6, and creating a sign language choir that still exists today.

04:30 – Building Confidence Through Arts From dance to acting, Shania explains how performing arts shaped her leadership style and communication skills.

06:30 – Academic Path + Mental Health Reset Shania details her transition into health studies, her photography side hustle, and how her sister helped overhaul her life during a mental health struggle in university.

09:45 – What is Global Health? A deep dive into Shania’s work in global health, co-designing chronic disease interventions, especially for newcomer communities in Canada.

12:20 – Managing Success & Expectations Discussion on navigating the pressure of accolades, managing ambition post-success, and finding clarity through mentorship and the concept of “earning years.”

16:55 – Harvard Workshop on Fertility & Career Shania explains her innovative workshop for Harvard Business School that helps women align family planning with professional milestones using a visual life map.

20:50 – Egg Freezing Journey An open and practical breakdown of why Shania froze her eggs, the process, the costs, and how it empowered her to take control of her future.

28:30 – Parenthood, Systems & Support Shania and Paige talk about the kind of life they envision for future children, including creating family systems for balance, financial planning, and lifestyle design.

32:30 – Founder Life & Future Planning Paige reflects on her evolving role at CouchHaus and how business ownership ties into long-term family planning goals.

36:30 – The Power of Privacy in Academia Shania opens up about keeping her online persona separate from her academic world and the stigma around fertility conversations in traditional work environments.

37:55 – TED Talk & Multi-Hyphenate Life Sneak peek into Shania's TED Talk on doing it all — using systems, tools, and intuition — plus what it means to be a multi-hyphenate in today’s world.

39:05 – Burnout & Tools to Prevent It Shania shares her personal burnout story and three tools she uses to stay grounded: the 168-hour audit, monthly “joy days,” and the 7 types of rest.

42:30 – Triathlon Training & PCOS They discuss fitness journeys, the challenges of hormone health, and how switching training styles revealed underlying symptoms of PCOS for Shania.

48:00 – The Wellness Industry & Social Media Shania critiques the commodification of wellness on social platforms and emphasizes the importance of access, education, and upstream health solutions.

53:00 – Deeper Friendships & Stranger Dating She shares her approach to making meaningful connections through “stranger dating” and the importance of genuine conversation.

56:00 – Grandparents, Legacy & Soul Work The conversation turns sentimental as Paige shares a moment with her grandfather, and Shania talks about journaling legacy for future generations.

59:10 – Final Reflections Shania reveals what peopl