TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT I'm DOING – Details, episodes & analysis

Abhay is joined by filmmaker Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, whose debut feature  Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic competition.  Sabar Bonda is the first ever Marathi feature film to be presented at the festival.

(0:00 - 2:38 ) Introduction
(2:38) Part 1 - Sundance, patience as a filmmaker, mourning and grieving as a backdrop
(15:02) Part 2 - making films with important themes, one-word descriptors, lessons
(26:32) Conclusion

Like many, my heart and soul go out to those who are struggling as a result of the Los Angeles wildfires.
Please help contribute to the American Red Cross, Mutual Aid LA Network, various Go FundMe efforts, Save the Children, and Baby2Baby. Hoping for a safe, peaceful, and supportive recovery for everyone.

Abhay is joined by Kinsu Kumar and Varsha, two leaders from the Satyarthi Global Movement for Compassion, which is dedicated to globalise compassion to restore justice, peace, equity and sustainability in the world.   Kinsu and Varsha are part of the movement’s Bal Ashram and Bal Mitra initiatives, which exemplify these efforts at the grass roots level in India, addressing child labor, sex trafficking, and child marriage through rehabilitation efforts in urban and rural areas.
(0:00 - 3:40) Introduction
(3:40) Part 1 - stories of entry, stories of trust, helping to manage trauma
(21:32) Part 2 - using compasion as a vehicle, maintaining and sustaining gains, how to promote needed change

Please visit Satyarthimovement.org and satyarthi.org to learn more about their global work.  If you are listening in the US and may be aware of someone who is a victim of humantrafficking, please call 888-373-7888.

Abhay catches up with actor, Adi Roy, lead actor for the Broadway hit musical Aladdin.
They chatted about actor life, Alanis Morissette songs, South Asians in theater, and much more...
(0:00 - 2:20) Introduction
(2:20) Part 1 - pre-show routines, transition from touring to Broadway
(13:47) Part 2 - Jagged Little Pill experiences, auditions and feeling content, resilience as an actor
(24:53) Part 3 - South Asians on Broadway
(34:57) Conclusion

Integrative nutrition expert and Harvard trained molecular biologist Kanchan Koya joins Abhay to chat about the intersection of food, cooking, and health science.  They chatted about how gaining expertise evolved for her, about helping harness and coach instinct, and building trust and credibility through learned lessons. 
(0:00 - 2:39) Introduction
(2:39 - 13:18) Part 1: developing expertise and integrating the culture
(13:18 - 30:41) Part 2: using instinct, eating with your hands, living traditions
(30:41 - 40:40) Part 3: lessons learned, parenting, and building trust
(40:40) Conclusion

Abhay is joined by mountain climber Lhakpa Sherpa, who has climbed Sagarmatha (also known as Mt. Everest) more than any woman in the world. They chatted about her upbringing in Nepal, climbing and facing danger through trust, climbing for women, and climbing with her family!  Learn more about Lhakpa at cloudscapeclimbing.com
(0:00 - 3:20) Introduction
(3:20 - 13:22) Part 1: growing up in Nepal, the gamble of the mountain, solving a puzzle
(13:22 - 25:07) Part 2: summitting and descending Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest), the death zone, missing the mountain
(25:07 - 33:59) Part 3: Trust as a climber, climbing as a family, ongoing lessons from the mountain
(33:59) Conclusion

Abhay is joined by Priya Arora, a queer non-binary South Asian American journalist writing and telling stories related to pop culture, entertainment, California, and everything in between!  They chatted about LA, about South Asian American entertainment, about Bollywood, about the variety of journeys they've taken, and about evoking activism through their presentations.  
(0:00 - 2:38) Introduction
(2:38 - 13:15) Part 1: returning to and rediscovering LA, entertainment culture
(13:15 - 25:06) Part 2: Madhuri Dixit, Bollywood, blending themes
(25:06 - 39:40) Part 3: being a lighthouse, Queering Desi, using their writing voice
(39:40) Conclusion

Abhay is joined by Ryan Agarwal, college basketball athlete at Stanford University.  The 6'6" freshman guard chats about the tournament, being a great teammate with empathy, his identity as an Indian American, and improving his game in making the transition to college as a student and an athlete.  Thankfully for everyone involved, there was minimal Cal-Stanford trash-talking...

(0:00 - 2:12) Introduction
(2:12 - 14:17) Part 1: parity in the tournament, empathy, being a great teammate, role models
(14:17 - 30:50) Part 2: being an Indian-American athlete, labels and unidimensionality
(30:50 - 42:32) Part 3: empowerment in the NIL era, transitioning to college, being a better player and learning
(42:32) Conclusion

Abhay welcomes back Snigdha Sur, founder and CEO of the Juggernaut to the podcast.
They chatted about the surprises learned and the growth of the Juggernaut this year, about Bollywood (of course), and about thinking ahead.
(0:00 - 2:20) Introduction
(2:20 - 22:18) Part 1: surprises in storytelling and diverse angles, advancing the Juggernaut
(22:18 - 35:18) Part 2: labeling ourselves, Bollywood
(35:18 - 49:53) Part 3: the brown-gaze, outlook for the future, and being "good" at something
(49:53) Conclusion

Abhay is joined by growth investment venture capitalist and partner at IVP, Somesh Dash.  They talked about the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, the value of identity, relationship development, empathy, and garnering trust.  There was even a mention of some calculus...

(0:00 - 2:27) Introduction
(2:27 - 16:13) Part 1: Silicon Valley Bank - the story and the outlook
(16:13 - 33:25) Part 2: identity and growth investing in Silicon Valley
(33:25 - 46:50) Part 3: surprises, trust, relationship development
(46:50 - 1:01:27) Part 4: home runs vs singles, empathy, instinct
(1:01:27) Conclusion

Abhay is joined by comedian and writer, Abby Govindan.  They talked about being back home, her comedy heroes, sharing her personal challenges on stage, and her Indian/South Asian American identity.  The conversation organically wandered into discussing AI...or did it?
(0:00 - 2:41) - Introduction
(2:41 - 15:05) - Part 1: being at home, Abby's comedy influences
(15:05 - 30:39) - Part 2: how she's evolved, sharing her struggles on stage
(30:39 - 42:27) - Part 3 : identity and AI, what she leaves for her audiences