July 14, 2022 • 19 mins
On the season two finale episode of InspiHER, Kristen is joined with Khushi Bhatt, Season 2 nominated winner. Bhatt is a 16-year-old activist who is passionate about enhancing educational resources for minority students by being a civic leader within the region. The dynamic duo discuss Bhatt’s story behind starting a successful podcast during the pandemic, the process of planning and presenting a TEDx Talk and how she continues to lead and inspire youth by holding national positions in impactful organizations.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
I think it's all about balanced because there are a
lot of things in this world that you can talk about.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
That you can pick and choose.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
But I think it's important to pick your battles wisely,
you know, educate yourself on them, and don't be afraid
to take that first step out because I don't know
where I would have been if we hadn't started that podcast,
or we hadn't had that idea during quarantine. Pick something
that you really like, something that you're super determined towards.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
And just fly with it.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Welcome to the Inspired Podcast presented by HRAM Health. This
is a podcast series for Panthers fans where we highlight
admirable women from across the Carolinas as they share stories
and lessons from their lives and careers. And for our
season two finale, we have someone with one of the
most impressive resumes I've ever seen, just on its own,
(00:51):
and then you add in the fact that she is
only sixteen years old, it makes it even more impressive.
I am so excited to talk to our season finale,
Kushi Butt. You just finished your sophomore year at Olympic Kushi,
and I don't know how you find the time to
do all of the things that I'm about to read off,
but I just think this is so cool. So first
(01:12):
of all, thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 4 (01:13):
Of course is so exciting, and I have to brag
on you a little bit.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
So when we started season two, we asked for submissions
from the community of someone that we should talk to,
and there was no age limit, there were no requirements.
It was just who is inspiring and one of your
teachers nominated you, and you were kind enough to come
into the stadium in your Panther's T shirt no less,
of course to do this, to do this podcast, because
(01:39):
we are just so blown away by all you've accomplished.
So I have to read this if that's okay, if
I brag on you, So your teacher said. Kushi is
a sixteen year old activist within the community, from starting
clubs to shedding light on the gap between education for
black and brown students so directly working with a CMS
Board of Education. She is determined to make a change
and represent margin voices. And I could go on and on.
(02:02):
She wrote several paragraphs with all of your accomplishments starting
your own podcast, which you have interviewed some incredible people, like.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Mindy Kaling, which we are going to talk about.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
You have started clubs, you have championed for issues just
in just in a few years. I mean, you don't
even have your license yet, and it's just it's so incredible.
So I'm so excited to dive in on all of
your accomplishments.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
You too, cann be so much fun.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
This is gonna be great.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Okay, So first things first, I want to ask you
about you know, I got to ask you about Mindy
Kayling and your podcast. Tell me how this started? What
inspired you to start a podcast? What's it all about?
And how did you book some of these big name people.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yeah, so it was COVID.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
We were at home, super tired, didn't have nothing to do,
and kind of just bored and wanted to, you know,
make something out of the quarantine period. And me and
my friend we got together. We were like, we should
maybe go out and explore, maybe think about our conversations,
and eventually we kind of just started recording them m hm.
And it led one page led into another, and eventually
(03:08):
we set up our website, we set up a anchor account,
we started filming, and eventually we got featured on NBC
which was where we kind of.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Catapulted into like a spotlight.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Yeah, and through there we gained connections and were able
to contact Mindy and other people within our community to
come on and talk to us. So Dacy Damsels is
basically oriented towards representing teenage voices and representing people who
maybe don't see people who look like them out on
the big screen or out in the world. So that's
basically what the podcast is all geared towards. And Mindy
(03:41):
Kaling is phenomenal. She's super sweet, super you know, well
accomplished as well, and obviously she's hilarious. So it added
so much more to the podcast and you know, it
made it so much more meaningful to the both of us.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
And how did you guys come up with the idea?
Speaker 3 (03:57):
You know, like you said you wanted to start a
podcast and it has such an incredible message and an
incredible ethos in terms of what you're trying to accomplish
with each episode.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
But why did you.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Feel like that was the right topic and how did
you come to it, like when you started your first episode,
where you like, this is what we want to focus
on or has it evolved over time?
Speaker 1 (04:15):
I think it has evolved because when we start off,
it was just like us recording the normal conversations we
have with each other.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
But then we realize that it's.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Important to, you know, include other points of views, and
include different types of subjects and topics to focus on.
And obviously not all our episodes are super you know,
super deep. Some of them are funny because you know,
it is teenage led and teenage edited and all that stuff.
So it has evolved over time.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
That's incredible and about how often. So tell everybody where
they can listen to it, and tell us about the website.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
I need to know all the details.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Sure, So you can find us at dacydes I Underscore
Damsels on Instagram and we have a and if you
coick click on our profile. You can find us on Spotify,
Apple Podcasts, Pandora basically.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
And you guys have a video component. So we are
Matt and I over here.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
We're only audio only for this podcast, so we might
have to bring you in. So are you guys doing
you're editing yourself? I mean, because not only are you
focusing on all of the issues, you're also doing the
technical part of it, which I have our producer extraordinary
Matt here he handles all of that.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
I would be lost if I had to produce my
own past.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
It's definitely it was definitely a learning process. If you
scroll through our Instagram at our earlier posts, you can
see how, you know, ugly they looked.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
I'm sure they look great. You guys have a different standard.
At sixteen, you have a different standard than thirty three.
I probably would see your first Instagram post and be like,
those are a look.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Great, And now you've surpassed what I could ever do.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
It's it's evolved over time and we've learned about how
to you know, gain more publicity on social media, how
to you know, edit better, not make our audios this choppy.
But yeah, it's been a learning experience, but it's been
super awesome.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Wow. So you talk about doing this podcast during COVID,
which is so incredible because for me, as I told you,
I would just be like, Wow, what's on Netflix? You know?
And I think that's so an amazing that you used
that time to really make a change. And I know
that you're also incredibly involved in your school and with activism.
(06:09):
You have certain issues that you really care about, and
whether it's at school or in the community. You have
really gone out and been a champion for some of
these issues. Can you tell me about what's close to
your heart?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
So I did watch a bunch of TV, and I've
binge watched everything, had lots of marathons during quarantine. But
eventually I realized that the podcast would serve a greater
purpose and it kind of just it was a way
for us to express things that maybe we didn't see
growing up. So I never really saw Indian Americans like
on TV or talking about these issues that were so
(06:41):
close to my heart, and that's kind of what the
podcast sprought it into. We discussed topics, not just focusing
on that point of view, but we talk about, you know,
mental health awareness, which is super big in today's dan age.
We talk about stuff like school shootings and stuff like
how that affects high school students. We also discussed teen
dating violence. My friends are at the JKFFC.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Help us with that.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
They're really they're geared towards focusing on teen dating violence
and reducing the stigma and stuff like that. So I
think the podcast is really it's a great well rounded
mix of bringing in different perspectives of different people. Along
with our own perspectives and kind of just combining them
into one awesome you know, mm hmmm series.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
Okay, so cushy with the podcast.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
What is a moment that really sticks out to you,
whether you learned something or you felt like you've made
an impact, or just just an awesome moment?
Speaker 4 (07:35):
Mandy kayling aside.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
So, after coming on to NBC, I think it was
just it. It did make our podcasts grow exponentially. We
went from around like one hundred and fifty listeners to
twenty five to thirty k and it's just it blew up, basically.
And over that time we had people reaching out to
us from different parts of the world, which really surprised
me because I thought, you know, our listeners were only
(08:00):
like our family and friends. But I realized that people
around the world are getting to listen to us and
we were actually gaining and we were impacting people that
we didn't even know. And that's that was kind of
like my AHA moment, which made it all worth it,
you know, all the late nights of editing, late nights
of posting, and finally I was like, yes, this is
(08:20):
this exactly what we wanted it to be.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
That is so cool, And do you feel is there
an extra pressure that now you're like, oh my gosh,
all these people are listening and I now have a platform,
which is something that you have done such a great
job within your community. But what's it like having a
larger platform now and the responsibility that comes with that.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
I'm sure, yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
It can be scary, you know because sometimes you know,
we don't post as often because we have exam season
or we have other stuff going on, so we don't post,
and then when we do come back and post, our
listeners were like, oh, where'd you guys go for you know,
those couple of weeks. So that's definitely, you know, another
responsibility to add on. But I think having a larger
(08:59):
path platform just makes us able to connect to more
people and you know, spread the word out more so.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
As you said, you just finished your sophomore year at Olympic,
which is so cool, and your your teacher who nominated
you just bragged about all that you do there. So
what are some of the whether it's clubs or issues
extracurriculars that you are really passionate about.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
So apart from being a part of Apart from being
a part apart from taking part in all the amazing
clubs that Olympic has to offer, like FBLA, National Tech
Decca and being able to start those up and get
our school community engaged in them. Last year Olympic actually
had a sexual assought protest going on where I had
(09:45):
the opportunity to act as like Liaison Lison between CMPD
and my school and my peers who wanted to demand
for change. So that was a pretty cool opportunity that
I had over at Olympic, dealing with large crowds talking
to people.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Well, wow, yeah, that's incredible.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
And at the end of it, how how do you
think it went and and what is the impression that
you came away with after being involved in something that
is so important?
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (10:13):
I think that overall our student body was just really
disgruntled before that and it left a bad taste in
their mouth. But afterwards, seeing the attraction we gained from
different from different news agencies and different people, it allowed
us to see that student power really does have a voice,
and you know, stepping out of the conformities that are
(10:33):
set in place, is it really leads to action happening.
Our school administration took it pretty seriously, and so did
the rest of the county, which was really great to see.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
And what advice do you have.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
It's just amazing what you've been able to do with
just things that you're passionate about. And you're on NBC,
your stories are getting picked up on the news. You know,
you're you're moving into this this very large space where
you have thousands and thousands of people who are listening
to what you have to say, and you're choosing just
incredible important topics and I think that's amazing. So, say
there's anyone that's either younger than you or older than you,
(11:08):
and they're like, I care about certain issues and I
would really like to, as you said, find a way
to make sure that people are listening.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
What have you found works really well?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
I think it's all.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
About balance because some I mean, there are a lot
of things in this world that you can talk about
that you can pick and choose, but I think it's
important to pick your battles wisely, you know, educate yourself
on them, and don't be afraid to take that first
step out because I don't know where I would have
been if we hadn't started that podcast, or we hadn't
had that idea during quarantine. But yeah, I mean, just
(11:46):
pick something that you really like, something that you're super
determined towards, and.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Just fly with it.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
That's incredible. I'm learning so much.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
We always joke on this podcast that I use it
to ask people questions that I want to know about
and like take notes and get tips and stuff. And
you are teaching me so much, so I'm incredibly grateful
for that.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Now.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
You also told me, as if what you do isn't
amazing enough, and as this submission highlights all the amazing
things you've done, you also happened to drop into conversation
that you did a.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
TED Talk I did last not last June, I don't know,
but a couple of years ago I did.
Speaker 4 (12:20):
You don't even remember when your Ted Talk is.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
You are so cool. I just want to be you
when I grow up. Gushi, I swear, tell me all
about it.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
It was a.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Whirlwind of experience, to say the least. I was contacted
by the organizer of the Ted Talk. It was in
New Jersey, and I spoke amongst some people who were
super awesome, like one girl works with Carly Klaus, another
one that actually like met the Queen.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
What I know, he has a topic for all of
you to get together.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
It was it was leadership and it was sparking change.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
Yeah, so you should be right there with them. There's
no doubt about it.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
That means a lot. It was it was exciting.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
But you know, obviously nerve wracking is well because it's
it's a big platform. But I ended up talking about,
you know, writing your own story and turning over to
the next page and what actual leadership looks like.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
So what is the process of because I will probably
never get asked to do a TED talk, what is
the process of putting that together?
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Yeah, so it starts off with the initial first draft.
You know, it's super it's the bare bone stuff, and
you send that over. They look over it, they're like, oh,
you shouldn't put this in there, or maybe you should
put this in there. And then you start writing your
actual talk, and then you're signed with a speech coach
and they help you talk it through, they help you
make it sound great. And then since my interview was
(13:39):
actually not my interview, my talk was actually conducted over zoom,
I had to, you know, make sure all my settings
were right, make sure that my video would actually be
approved by Ted.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
To be posted.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
I love they said approved by Ted? Is that what
they call it in the bid? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
I think so.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
It's so cool.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
It took so long for that video to be approved.
It took like I think it took.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
An entire year. Well, I didn't know about that. Now
I have to go.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
I would have watched it beforehand had I known about it.
But I can't wait to go see it and learn
some stuff too.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
That is so cool. I just you are awesome. I really.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
I don't want to embarrass you, but I just think
you are just amazing And it's so cool to me
that your generation, I have nieces and nephews that are
right around the same age as you.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
Of just.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
What you all take on and what you all can accomplish,
and all the different skills that you have, and that
you put them to great use for issues that we
need voices for and that need to be amplified. And
not only just the fact that you are an activist
in our community, but also that you've found a way
(14:43):
to get these messages amplified through your podcast, through reaching
out to TV networks like NBC, or they come to
you because you're so awesome to Ted talks. It is
really incredible to see the platform that you have created
and that your fellow you know, the other sixteen year
olds are all so doing around the country. And I
just from an old lady, I think it's incredible. It's
(15:04):
absolutely incredible.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
I think the power of social media it's just growing, yes,
so much.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Yeah, well, it's incredible that that your generation wants to
harness it for good, right, because I think people in
my generation are sometimes guilty of like selling a product
right on Instagram, where you're like, well, no, we need
to talk about these issues. We need to talk about representation,
we need to talk about sexual assault, violence, like, we
need to talk about things. And I just am so
impressed by you and I cannot wait to see what
(15:30):
you do in like the next five years, in the
next ten years. Like I said when I introduce you,
your resume is so incredible for anyone my age and beyond.
And the fact that you have just done all this
at the age of sixteen is just so cool. So
what when you think about like the next few years,
are there things that you still want to accomplish before
you graduate high school or you like, we'll just see
(15:52):
what happens.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
I mean, I don't like to plan super ahead because
I know that sometimes it can lead to you know,
you know, being fully satisfied with yourself.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Sorry, you're like, Yeah, don't ask me this question on
a mic, because I don't know if it Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
But hopefully, you know, growing the podcast has always been
a dream of mine, and I feel like it's going
pretty well. But trying to post more regularly, trying to
make our socials look a little bit better, has always
been up there for me. Hopefully, you know, I want
to go to a pretty good school for college.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
I think you're gonna be.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Yeah, and then.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Move on to you know, just helping the world and
hopefully working in some sort of some sort of company
where I can you know, be an activist or maybe
working for myself and being able to do stuff that
I love.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
Wow, You're just so incredible. I cannot get over it.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
I have to ask you. I ask everyone this. You
have so much going on. What do you do for fun?
How do you relax?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
I definitely do relax. People think I'm a robot sometimes,
but you're.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
Not a robot. But I don't know how you have
all this energy. That's my thing. It's a lot of
coffee energizer, Bunny, I think of just like all the
things that you've accomplished.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
I again, balance has always been super important for me.
I like to play tennis in my downtime. I obviously,
you know, like to binge on Netflix. Stranger Things came out.
I still haven't caught up, but.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
The same I need to the I'm gonna get on that,
and I'm trying to avoid the spoilers and all of that.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
I know they're everywhere, but that and I also like reading,
you know, chilling out with friends, and then maybe just
doing some self reflecting. I think that's also super important
because life gets pretty busy, especially when you're you know,
doing all these different things. So just taking a moment
to you know, calm yourself down. Self affirmations are pretty
(17:33):
big for me. Every morning, you know, I say a
couple of words to myself in the marriage just so
I can get up and ready to go.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
I have one more question for you, based on something
you just said. We've talked a lot about the influence
that social media has and using it for good, and
your generation has grown up with it in a way
that mine didn't. Necessarily, you talked about balance. How do
you balance the need where Okay, so your podcast is
on social media, your friend are all on social media.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
It's so much away of life.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
But it seems like you also are able to take
time away from social media, away from your phone, to
do things that are very grounding for you. So do
you approach that mindfully or is that just the way
that you've always conducted things.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
I mean, I think that social media in today's day
and age, we can obviously be negative, especially if you
you know, end up on the wrong side of things
or the story is told wrong, and obviously there's a
lot of toxicity and.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Jealousy, you know, out in the world.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
When our podcast was actually first started, we had a
lot of people doubting us, saying that maybe we should
just quit leave it alone. I know, it sucks, but eventually,
you know, it's good to it's good to get all
these people on, get all this publicity, and you know,
actually make a real change, and then you're able to,
you know, look back and reflect and see how you
use social media to your advantage compared to people who
(18:48):
used it to hate on you or to you know,
rain on your parade.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
You are just absolutely incredible. I've learned so much from you.
I cannot wait to watch your ted talk and listen
to your podcast.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
I just you're going to change the world.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
I'm so excited to have gotten to talk to you,
to learn from you, and like I said, I want
to be when I grow up. I've got a long
way to go, because you are just the best. But Kaushi,
I cannot think first of all, your teacher for nominating you,
and I'm so glad that I get to hear more
about your story and amplify it, and just for you
taking the time to come here and do this in
(19:22):
the midst of your busy schedule.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
It's so much fun and so exciting.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
Thank you again, Kushi, of course,
I think it's all about balanced because there are a
lot of things in this world that you can talk about.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
That you can pick and choose.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
But I think it's important to pick your battles wisely,
you know, educate yourself on them, and don't be afraid
to take that first step out because I don't know
where I would have been if we hadn't started that podcast,
or we hadn't had that idea during quarantine. Pick something
that you really like, something that you're super determined towards.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
And just fly with it.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Welcome to the Inspired Podcast presented by HRAM Health. This
is a podcast series for Panthers fans where we highlight
admirable women from across the Carolinas as they share stories
and lessons from their lives and careers. And for our
season two finale, we have someone with one of the
most impressive resumes I've ever seen, just on its own,
(00:51):
and then you add in the fact that she is
only sixteen years old, it makes it even more impressive.
I am so excited to talk to our season finale,
Kushi Butt. You just finished your sophomore year at Olympic Kushi,
and I don't know how you find the time to
do all of the things that I'm about to read off,
but I just think this is so cool. So first
(01:12):
of all, thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 4 (01:13):
Of course is so exciting, and I have to brag
on you a little bit.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
So when we started season two, we asked for submissions
from the community of someone that we should talk to,
and there was no age limit, there were no requirements.
It was just who is inspiring and one of your
teachers nominated you, and you were kind enough to come
into the stadium in your Panther's T shirt no less,
of course to do this, to do this podcast, because
(01:39):
we are just so blown away by all you've accomplished.
So I have to read this if that's okay, if
I brag on you, So your teacher said. Kushi is
a sixteen year old activist within the community, from starting
clubs to shedding light on the gap between education for
black and brown students so directly working with a CMS
Board of Education. She is determined to make a change
and represent margin voices. And I could go on and on.
(02:02):
She wrote several paragraphs with all of your accomplishments starting
your own podcast, which you have interviewed some incredible people, like.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Mindy Kaling, which we are going to talk about.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
You have started clubs, you have championed for issues just
in just in a few years. I mean, you don't
even have your license yet, and it's just it's so incredible.
So I'm so excited to dive in on all of
your accomplishments.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
You too, cann be so much fun.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
This is gonna be great.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Okay, So first things first, I want to ask you
about you know, I got to ask you about Mindy
Kayling and your podcast. Tell me how this started? What
inspired you to start a podcast? What's it all about?
And how did you book some of these big name people.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Yeah, so it was COVID.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
We were at home, super tired, didn't have nothing to do,
and kind of just bored and wanted to, you know,
make something out of the quarantine period. And me and
my friend we got together. We were like, we should
maybe go out and explore, maybe think about our conversations,
and eventually we kind of just started recording them m hm.
And it led one page led into another, and eventually
(03:08):
we set up our website, we set up a anchor account,
we started filming, and eventually we got featured on NBC
which was where we kind of.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Catapulted into like a spotlight.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Yeah, and through there we gained connections and were able
to contact Mindy and other people within our community to
come on and talk to us. So Dacy Damsels is
basically oriented towards representing teenage voices and representing people who
maybe don't see people who look like them out on
the big screen or out in the world. So that's
basically what the podcast is all geared towards. And Mindy
(03:41):
Kaling is phenomenal. She's super sweet, super you know, well
accomplished as well, and obviously she's hilarious. So it added
so much more to the podcast and you know, it
made it so much more meaningful to the both of us.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
And how did you guys come up with the idea?
Speaker 3 (03:57):
You know, like you said you wanted to start a
podcast and it has such an incredible message and an
incredible ethos in terms of what you're trying to accomplish
with each episode.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
But why did you.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Feel like that was the right topic and how did
you come to it, like when you started your first episode,
where you like, this is what we want to focus
on or has it evolved over time?
Speaker 1 (04:15):
I think it has evolved because when we start off,
it was just like us recording the normal conversations we
have with each other.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
But then we realize that it's.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Important to, you know, include other points of views, and
include different types of subjects and topics to focus on.
And obviously not all our episodes are super you know,
super deep. Some of them are funny because you know,
it is teenage led and teenage edited and all that stuff.
So it has evolved over time.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
That's incredible and about how often. So tell everybody where
they can listen to it, and tell us about the website.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
I need to know all the details.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Sure, So you can find us at dacydes I Underscore
Damsels on Instagram and we have a and if you
coick click on our profile. You can find us on Spotify,
Apple Podcasts, Pandora basically.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
And you guys have a video component. So we are
Matt and I over here.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
We're only audio only for this podcast, so we might
have to bring you in. So are you guys doing
you're editing yourself? I mean, because not only are you
focusing on all of the issues, you're also doing the
technical part of it, which I have our producer extraordinary
Matt here he handles all of that.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
I would be lost if I had to produce my
own past.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
It's definitely it was definitely a learning process. If you
scroll through our Instagram at our earlier posts, you can
see how, you know, ugly they looked.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
I'm sure they look great. You guys have a different standard.
At sixteen, you have a different standard than thirty three.
I probably would see your first Instagram post and be like,
those are a look.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Great, And now you've surpassed what I could ever do.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
It's it's evolved over time and we've learned about how
to you know, gain more publicity on social media, how
to you know, edit better, not make our audios this choppy.
But yeah, it's been a learning experience, but it's been
super awesome.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Wow. So you talk about doing this podcast during COVID,
which is so incredible because for me, as I told you,
I would just be like, Wow, what's on Netflix? You know?
And I think that's so an amazing that you used
that time to really make a change. And I know
that you're also incredibly involved in your school and with activism.
(06:09):
You have certain issues that you really care about, and
whether it's at school or in the community. You have
really gone out and been a champion for some of
these issues. Can you tell me about what's close to
your heart?
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
So I did watch a bunch of TV, and I've
binge watched everything, had lots of marathons during quarantine. But
eventually I realized that the podcast would serve a greater
purpose and it kind of just it was a way
for us to express things that maybe we didn't see
growing up. So I never really saw Indian Americans like
on TV or talking about these issues that were so
(06:41):
close to my heart, and that's kind of what the
podcast sprought it into. We discussed topics, not just focusing
on that point of view, but we talk about, you know,
mental health awareness, which is super big in today's dan age.
We talk about stuff like school shootings and stuff like
how that affects high school students. We also discussed teen
dating violence. My friends are at the JKFFC.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Help us with that.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
They're really they're geared towards focusing on teen dating violence
and reducing the stigma and stuff like that. So I
think the podcast is really it's a great well rounded
mix of bringing in different perspectives of different people. Along
with our own perspectives and kind of just combining them
into one awesome you know, mm hmmm series.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
Okay, so cushy with the podcast.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
What is a moment that really sticks out to you,
whether you learned something or you felt like you've made
an impact, or just just an awesome moment?
Speaker 4 (07:35):
Mandy kayling aside.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
So, after coming on to NBC, I think it was
just it. It did make our podcasts grow exponentially. We
went from around like one hundred and fifty listeners to
twenty five to thirty k and it's just it blew up, basically.
And over that time we had people reaching out to
us from different parts of the world, which really surprised
me because I thought, you know, our listeners were only
(08:00):
like our family and friends. But I realized that people
around the world are getting to listen to us and
we were actually gaining and we were impacting people that
we didn't even know. And that's that was kind of
like my AHA moment, which made it all worth it,
you know, all the late nights of editing, late nights
of posting, and finally I was like, yes, this is
(08:20):
this exactly what we wanted it to be.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
That is so cool, And do you feel is there
an extra pressure that now you're like, oh my gosh,
all these people are listening and I now have a platform,
which is something that you have done such a great
job within your community. But what's it like having a
larger platform now and the responsibility that comes with that.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
I'm sure, yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
It can be scary, you know because sometimes you know,
we don't post as often because we have exam season
or we have other stuff going on, so we don't post,
and then when we do come back and post, our
listeners were like, oh, where'd you guys go for you know,
those couple of weeks. So that's definitely, you know, another
responsibility to add on. But I think having a larger
(08:59):
path platform just makes us able to connect to more
people and you know, spread the word out more so.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
As you said, you just finished your sophomore year at Olympic,
which is so cool, and your your teacher who nominated
you just bragged about all that you do there. So
what are some of the whether it's clubs or issues
extracurriculars that you are really passionate about.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
So apart from being a part of Apart from being
a part apart from taking part in all the amazing
clubs that Olympic has to offer, like FBLA, National Tech
Decca and being able to start those up and get
our school community engaged in them. Last year Olympic actually
had a sexual assought protest going on where I had
(09:45):
the opportunity to act as like Liaison Lison between CMPD
and my school and my peers who wanted to demand
for change. So that was a pretty cool opportunity that
I had over at Olympic, dealing with large crowds talking
to people.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Well, wow, yeah, that's incredible.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
And at the end of it, how how do you
think it went and and what is the impression that
you came away with after being involved in something that
is so important?
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (10:13):
I think that overall our student body was just really
disgruntled before that and it left a bad taste in
their mouth. But afterwards, seeing the attraction we gained from
different from different news agencies and different people, it allowed
us to see that student power really does have a voice,
and you know, stepping out of the conformities that are
(10:33):
set in place, is it really leads to action happening.
Our school administration took it pretty seriously, and so did
the rest of the county, which was really great to see.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
And what advice do you have.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
It's just amazing what you've been able to do with
just things that you're passionate about. And you're on NBC,
your stories are getting picked up on the news. You know,
you're you're moving into this this very large space where
you have thousands and thousands of people who are listening
to what you have to say, and you're choosing just
incredible important topics and I think that's amazing. So, say
there's anyone that's either younger than you or older than you,
(11:08):
and they're like, I care about certain issues and I
would really like to, as you said, find a way
to make sure that people are listening.
Speaker 4 (11:19):
What have you found works really well?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
I think it's all.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
About balance because some I mean, there are a lot
of things in this world that you can talk about
that you can pick and choose, but I think it's
important to pick your battles wisely, you know, educate yourself
on them, and don't be afraid to take that first
step out because I don't know where I would have
been if we hadn't started that podcast, or we hadn't
had that idea during quarantine. But yeah, I mean, just
(11:46):
pick something that you really like, something that you're super
determined towards, and.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Just fly with it.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
That's incredible. I'm learning so much.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
We always joke on this podcast that I use it
to ask people questions that I want to know about
and like take notes and get tips and stuff. And
you are teaching me so much, so I'm incredibly grateful
for that.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Now.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
You also told me, as if what you do isn't
amazing enough, and as this submission highlights all the amazing
things you've done, you also happened to drop into conversation
that you did a.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
TED Talk I did last not last June, I don't know,
but a couple of years ago I did.
Speaker 4 (12:20):
You don't even remember when your Ted Talk is.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
You are so cool. I just want to be you
when I grow up. Gushi, I swear, tell me all
about it.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
It was a.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
Whirlwind of experience, to say the least. I was contacted
by the organizer of the Ted Talk. It was in
New Jersey, and I spoke amongst some people who were
super awesome, like one girl works with Carly Klaus, another
one that actually like met the Queen.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
What I know, he has a topic for all of
you to get together.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
It was it was leadership and it was sparking change.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
Yeah, so you should be right there with them. There's
no doubt about it.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
That means a lot. It was it was exciting.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
But you know, obviously nerve wracking is well because it's
it's a big platform. But I ended up talking about,
you know, writing your own story and turning over to
the next page and what actual leadership looks like.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
So what is the process of because I will probably
never get asked to do a TED talk, what is
the process of putting that together?
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Yeah, so it starts off with the initial first draft.
You know, it's super it's the bare bone stuff, and
you send that over. They look over it, they're like, oh,
you shouldn't put this in there, or maybe you should
put this in there. And then you start writing your
actual talk, and then you're signed with a speech coach
and they help you talk it through, they help you
make it sound great. And then since my interview was
(13:39):
actually not my interview, my talk was actually conducted over zoom,
I had to, you know, make sure all my settings
were right, make sure that my video would actually be
approved by Ted.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
To be posted.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
I love they said approved by Ted? Is that what
they call it in the bid? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
I think so.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
It's so cool.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
It took so long for that video to be approved.
It took like I think it took.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
An entire year. Well, I didn't know about that. Now
I have to go.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
I would have watched it beforehand had I known about it.
But I can't wait to go see it and learn
some stuff too.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
That is so cool. I just you are awesome. I really.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
I don't want to embarrass you, but I just think
you are just amazing And it's so cool to me
that your generation, I have nieces and nephews that are
right around the same age as you.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
Of just.
Speaker 3 (14:21):
What you all take on and what you all can accomplish,
and all the different skills that you have, and that
you put them to great use for issues that we
need voices for and that need to be amplified. And
not only just the fact that you are an activist
in our community, but also that you've found a way
(14:43):
to get these messages amplified through your podcast, through reaching
out to TV networks like NBC, or they come to
you because you're so awesome to Ted talks. It is
really incredible to see the platform that you have created
and that your fellow you know, the other sixteen year
olds are all so doing around the country. And I
just from an old lady, I think it's incredible. It's
(15:04):
absolutely incredible.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
I think the power of social media it's just growing, yes,
so much.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Yeah, well, it's incredible that that your generation wants to
harness it for good, right, because I think people in
my generation are sometimes guilty of like selling a product
right on Instagram, where you're like, well, no, we need
to talk about these issues. We need to talk about representation,
we need to talk about sexual assault, violence, like, we
need to talk about things. And I just am so
impressed by you and I cannot wait to see what
(15:30):
you do in like the next five years, in the
next ten years. Like I said when I introduce you,
your resume is so incredible for anyone my age and beyond.
And the fact that you have just done all this
at the age of sixteen is just so cool. So
what when you think about like the next few years,
are there things that you still want to accomplish before
you graduate high school or you like, we'll just see
(15:52):
what happens.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
I mean, I don't like to plan super ahead because
I know that sometimes it can lead to you know,
you know, being fully satisfied with yourself.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Sorry, you're like, Yeah, don't ask me this question on
a mic, because I don't know if it Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
But hopefully, you know, growing the podcast has always been
a dream of mine, and I feel like it's going
pretty well. But trying to post more regularly, trying to
make our socials look a little bit better, has always
been up there for me. Hopefully, you know, I want
to go to a pretty good school for college.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
I think you're gonna be.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Yeah, and then.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Move on to you know, just helping the world and
hopefully working in some sort of some sort of company
where I can you know, be an activist or maybe
working for myself and being able to do stuff that
I love.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
Wow, You're just so incredible. I cannot get over it.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
I have to ask you. I ask everyone this. You
have so much going on. What do you do for fun?
How do you relax?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
I definitely do relax. People think I'm a robot sometimes,
but you're.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
Not a robot. But I don't know how you have
all this energy. That's my thing. It's a lot of
coffee energizer, Bunny, I think of just like all the
things that you've accomplished.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
I again, balance has always been super important for me.
I like to play tennis in my downtime. I obviously,
you know, like to binge on Netflix. Stranger Things came out.
I still haven't caught up, but.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
The same I need to the I'm gonna get on that,
and I'm trying to avoid the spoilers and all of that.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
I know they're everywhere, but that and I also like reading,
you know, chilling out with friends, and then maybe just
doing some self reflecting. I think that's also super important
because life gets pretty busy, especially when you're you know,
doing all these different things. So just taking a moment
to you know, calm yourself down. Self affirmations are pretty
(17:33):
big for me. Every morning, you know, I say a
couple of words to myself in the marriage just so
I can get up and ready to go.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
I have one more question for you, based on something
you just said. We've talked a lot about the influence
that social media has and using it for good, and
your generation has grown up with it in a way
that mine didn't. Necessarily, you talked about balance. How do
you balance the need where Okay, so your podcast is
on social media, your friend are all on social media.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
It's so much away of life.
Speaker 3 (18:02):
But it seems like you also are able to take
time away from social media, away from your phone, to
do things that are very grounding for you. So do
you approach that mindfully or is that just the way
that you've always conducted things.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
I mean, I think that social media in today's day
and age, we can obviously be negative, especially if you
you know, end up on the wrong side of things
or the story is told wrong, and obviously there's a
lot of toxicity and.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Jealousy, you know, out in the world.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
When our podcast was actually first started, we had a
lot of people doubting us, saying that maybe we should
just quit leave it alone. I know, it sucks, but eventually,
you know, it's good to it's good to get all
these people on, get all this publicity, and you know,
actually make a real change, and then you're able to,
you know, look back and reflect and see how you
use social media to your advantage compared to people who
(18:48):
used it to hate on you or to you know,
rain on your parade.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
You are just absolutely incredible. I've learned so much from you.
I cannot wait to watch your ted talk and listen
to your podcast.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
I just you're going to change the world.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
I'm so excited to have gotten to talk to you,
to learn from you, and like I said, I want
to be when I grow up. I've got a long
way to go, because you are just the best. But Kaushi,
I cannot think first of all, your teacher for nominating you,
and I'm so glad that I get to hear more
about your story and amplify it, and just for you
taking the time to come here and do this in
(19:22):
the midst of your busy schedule.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
It's so much fun and so exciting.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
Thank you again, Kushi, of course,
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