SPECIAL 50th EPISODE: Reflections on 50 Trailblazers

In this very special edition of South Asian Trailblazers, we celebrate our 50th episode. To mark this exciting milestone, we wanted to do something a little bit different.

In the 50 episodes, 50 stories we’ve shared thus far, we’ve met some phenomenal individuals — visionary entrepreneurs, seasoned executives, next gen creatives... all the way from fashion to medicine. These leaders affirmed a lot of the early hypotheses we came in with: that success is rarely linear and that it has no singular definition. That representation matters because it’s hard to be what you can’t see. That our community is not just setting, but breaking precedents.

But in addition to confirming some of these early theories, Founder and Host Simi Shah has also uncovered some unexpected themes as we've gone 50 episodes and 52 trailblazers deep. So in this episode, she journeys back through our most thought-provoking and inspired moments to explore four of these motifs. We’ll talk about the internal and external forces that factor into success; the truth about the trials of leadership; and the non-linear paths and pivots that can be attributed to the fact that passions come in packs. Plus, there's a few of our favorite, awe-inspiring moments.

If you're new here, we hope this episode gives you a chance to get to know what we're all about: diving deep into the journeys of trailblazing South Asians. If you've been along for the ride, we hope our reflections inspire your own. To everyone out there, thank you for reminding us day in and day out why we do what we do. We are so thrilled to celebrate 50 episodes with you all, 50 instances in which we got to share the stories of the South Asian leaders and dreamers lighting the way across the diaspora and beyond. We can't wait to hear what you think!

This episode is brought to you in partnership with, McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App. And of course, for more episodes, visit us at southasiantrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes in your inbox and follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Youtube.