Portraits of Strength

The Woman Who Said No to the Checklist with Rajyalakshmi Kola

What does it look like to build a thriving company in a male-dominated industry, stay grounded in your identity, and still make time to dance? Rajyalakshmi Kola — co-founder of Sunworks Energy, IIT Madras and Virginia Tech alumna, and a force in India's renewable energy sector — joins Portraits of Strength for a conversation that is equal parts grounding and inspiring. With over 12 years of experience and more than 1,400 megawatts of solar capacity delivered, Rajyalakshmi has built something remarkable — not just professionally, but personally. In this episode, we explore: The woman behind the work. Rajyalakshmi traces her roots to her grandmother — a doctor, Red Cross volunteer, and MLC who was working until the age of 80, back when that was virtually unheard of for a woman. Growing up with that model of strength shaped everything. Navigating a male-dominated path — from day one. The gender ratio didn't start at the boardroom. It started at IIT prep, where women made up less than 10% of her class. Rajyalakshmi shares how she got used to being the only woman in the room long before she co-founded a company — and how that prepared her for the moments that would have rattled someone else. The assumption that almost made her walk away from a client. A prospective client once opened a call by asking which of her partners was her husband. She stayed composed through that half-hour conversation — and then called her partners the moment she hung up. What happened next says everything about her character and her team. Why she came back to India. After graduating from Virginia Tech around 2009–10, Rajyalakshmi tried to find work in the US in her field. When the opportunities didn't materialize, she made a deliberate choice: travel, see the country she'd been living in, and leave with no regrets. Then she went home and built something extraordinary. Leadership lessons from scaling to 100 people. The math and engineering were never the hard part. People management was. From delaying a necessary firing for six months to learning how to build a culture that holds at scale, Rajyalakshmi is honest about what they got wrong and how they course-corrected. The proudest moment she almost dismissed. When four board members from a company — each independently reaching out through their own networks — all came back with the same name: hers. She called it small. We disagree. Dance as a lifeline. Rajyalakshmi has been dancing since she was two and a half years old. Bharatanatyam, contemporary, hip hop, belly dance — she has trained in them all. After a 25-year gap, she picked Bharatanatyam back up during COVID, starting from scratch alongside six-year-olds. She performs regularly with a small troupe in Hyderabad and dances at weddings when asked. No hesitation. CrossFit as the foundation. What started as a way to become a stronger dancer became a non-negotiable daily ritual. She does her own programming, meets her crew every morning on a terrace in Hyderabad, and credits the discipline of movement with pulling her out of the most anxious period of her professional life. Advice for South Asian women caught between expectation and ambition. Stop explaining yourself to people who aren't listening. Find the path of least resistance, move forward, and stop waiting for permission that was never yours to need. Connect with Portraits of Strength 📺 YouTube | 🎙️ Spotify 📸 Instagram: @portraits.of.strength.podcast Portraits of Strength is proudly supported by our Founding Sponsor - Sri Krishna Jewellers.

Determined, Not Stubborn with Dr.Maddy Manchi Nukala

Dr. Madhavi Manchi Nukala (Maddy) — Sociologist, Researcher & Human Ethics Manager What does it mean to stay rooted in who you are when life keeps uprooting you? In this episode, Harry sits down with Dr. Madhavi Manchi Nukala ~ sociologist, researcher, fierce advocate for social justice, and self-described "politely persistent" human being. Born into a Telugu-speaking family that moved across India over generations, Maddy now calls Auckland, New Zealand home, where she serves as Human Ethics Manager at the University of Auckland. This conversation is about the quiet, water-like strength it takes to navigate cultures, challenge expectations, and build a life on your own terms , without ever losing sight of who you are. What we talk about: From childhood memories of Ek Do Teen and a head always buried in a book, to kicking math's ass at 92% just to prove she could, Maddy's story is full of those small rebellions that quietly become a life. She shares what it was like growing up across Bangalore, Chennai, and Mumbai as a kid who could never quite answer "where are you from" — and why she now sees that shapeshifting quality as a superpower. She opens up about the long, lonely road of a PhD at TISS Mumbai, meeting her husband three days before saying yes, shuttling between India and New Zealand for three years to finish her thesis, and what it meant to be the first woman in her family to earn a doctorate. She also takes us inside the world of human research ethics — why AI and indigenous data sovereignty are keeping her up at night, why ethics is the canary in the coal mine, and how you hold empathy and assertiveness side by side when the conversations get hard. And she leaves us with something worth sitting with: strength doesn't have to be loud. Sometimes it looks like water — taking the shape of its container, but quietly eroding everything in its way. Highlights: * Growing up across cities in India and never being able to answer "where are you from" * Choosing sociology over engineering in a Telugu family, and what that fight looked like * Six years, two countries, a new marriage, and one PhD * The advice that got her through: "Come have a cup of chai, every day" * Being the first woman in her family to earn a doctorate * Navigating race, gender, and invisibility as an Indian woman in New Zealand * Why AI and Māori data sovereignty are the biggest challenges in research ethics right now * Clog dancing on Thursdays and why getting out of your head is serious self-care * Imposter syndrome, quiet strength, and calling stubbornness what it really is: determination Books Maddy loves: The Prophet by Khalil Gibran · The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin · Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay Connect with Portraits of Strength: Spotify | YouTube | Instagram @portraits.of.strength.podcast

Work-Life Integration: The Real Secret to Success with Sai Mounika Potti

What does it look like to rise to the director level in one of the most male-dominated industries in the world — while navigating motherhood, imposter syndrome, and life as a woman of color in Utah? In this episode, Harry the Anecdotist sits down with Sai Mounika Potti, Director of Product and Test Engineering at Texas Instruments in Lehi, Utah, for a conversation that is as honest as it is inspiring.Mounika doesn't just talk about success. She talks about the days she wants to quit, the pregnancy comments that stopped her in her tracks, the imposter syndrome she battles every single day, and the mentor who told her something she'll never forget. She also opens up about grief, dance, discipline, and what she believes sisterhood really means.This one hits different. Sai Mounika Potti is a Director of Product and Test Engineering at Texas Instruments in Lehi, Utah — and the first woman of color to hold a director-level role at her organization. Born in India, Mounika grew up across three continents — the US, UK, and India — before completing her bachelor's degree in India and her master's in Singapore, where she began her semiconductor career at Micron. She relocated to Utah in 2016 and has been building ever since.Beyond her corporate role, Mounika is a dancer with a growing social media presence who believes that self-expression and professional ambition are not in conflict — they're complementary. She is also a mother to a young toddler and a vocal advocate for women's leadership and sisterhood in the workplace.📸 Growing up across three continents and what constant movement taught Mounika about resilience and fitting in. How her father — who left a small town in Andhra Pradesh to pursue his IIT Madras degree — became her earliest model of ambition. The stark difference between working in Singapore, where her first manager was a woman, and arriving in Utah to find she was often the only woman in a room of 20. The pregnancy comment a supervisor made that she refused to let slide — and why she says you should never let those "funny" comments pass. Battling imposter syndrome as the first woman and woman of color director — and what a male ally told her that she still carries today. Why she rejects the concept of work-life balance and argues for work-life integration instead. Losing five close friends in a car accident — and how grief taught her to stay present. The maths teacher in Chennai who lit a lamp every evening at 6 PM and quietly taught Mounika the meaning of discipline. What the DISC profile revealed about how motherhood changed her leadership style. Her philosophy that the best leaders know when to fly high and when to fly low. Why she believes sisterhood — not just self-belief — is what women need more of right now.Standout MomentsOn imposter syndrome: "There's a reason you're here and there's a reason that you were chosen." — words from a mentor that Mounika says changed how she shows up every day.On the oxygen mask principle: "You need to wear your oxygen mask first before you can put it on for everyone else." A reminder she returns to whenever the weight of multiple roles becomes overwhelming.On work-life balance: "There is nothing called work-life balance. It is more of how do you make work a part of your life routine."On breaking down: "Every other day or every other week I break down — and that's normal. I think as women we are more emotional, and it's our strength."On sisterhood: "A lot of times we as women don't believe in sisterhood that much. I think we need to build that." Follow Mounika: https://www.instagram.com/mounika.dance

Twice Traumatized - Thrice Empowered

In this deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation, host Harry reconnects with his childhood friend Dr. AJ — a relationship that goes all the way back to their school days at Nasr School in Hyderabad, India. What unfolds is part reunion, part masterclass in resilience, identity, and the power of self-belief. Dr. AJ shares her journey from a vibrant childhood in South India, to immigrating to the US at 14, to surviving two traumatic brain injuries that reshaped the entire trajectory of her life — and ultimately led her to her true calling. Key Topics Childhood & Early Influences Dr. AJ grew up primarily in Hyderabad after being born in the coastal town of Kakinada. Her aunt — just 10 years her senior — was her biggest early influence, shaping her sense of compassion, fairness, and boundaries through both positive experiences and the hardships she witnessed her aunt face as a woman in Indian society. Immigration at 14 Moving to the US after ninth grade, Dr. AJ navigated the cultural transition with her family structure intact at home, which she describes as a "warm blanket" — protective, though occasionally smothering. She adapted quickly, losing her accent within 10 days by immersing herself in the language, crediting Nasr's rigorous multilingual education as a key advantage. Traumatic Brain Injuries — The Turning Points First TBI (college): A concussion that went largely untreated and unrecognized as a brain injury at the time. In its aftermath, she experienced cognitive changes and personality shifts that led doctors to suggest a personality disorder — which ironically sparked her interest in psychology. Second TBI (grad school): Hit by a car just two days after being accepted into her doctoral program, she suffered a severe brain injury including multiple blood clots and a subdural hematoma. With minimal medical support due to student insurance, she rebuilt her cognitive abilities largely on her own — through crossword puzzles, Sudoku, gaming, and sheer determination — going on to pass her doctoral comprehensive exams with nearly a perfect score and defending her PhD on Ugadi (Telugu New Year) in 2012. Why She Calls Her TBI a Blessing Without prescribed PT or OT, Dr. AJ had no one telling her how her recovery "should" look. This removed all external limits and expectations, forcing her to discover what actually worked for her brain — a process she now sees as one of the greatest gifts of her life. On Resilience — And Why She Rejects the Word Dr. AJ offers a thought-provoking challenge to the concept of resilience. For many people — especially those from marginalized communities — bouncing back isn't a choice; it's the only option. Calling that "resilience," she argues, implies there was an alternative. Defining Strength Rather than offering a fixed definition, Dr. AJ describes strength as "whatever you choose to develop in that moment." She rejects the binary of strength versus weakness, arguing that what we call weaknesses are simply skills we haven't chosen to develop — and that most strengths, including mindset and clarity, can be cultivated with investment and intention. On Being Seen and Heard Dr. AJ's advice for anyone who feels invisible or unheard: start by seeing and hearing yourself first. Clarity about what you actually want — to be right, to be acknowledged, or simply to feel seen — is the prerequisite for communicating it to others. "Making the invisible visible" starts from within. Rituals That Keep Her Grounded * Watching Chinese dramas (for their delightful absurdity and underlying human stories) * Gaming (daily — especially puzzle games like Sudoku and Candy Crush when problem-solving) * Art and creative expression "Not doing it was just not an option. It just wasn't an option." "A weakness is something you've just chosen not to develop." Memorable Quotes"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." (Winnie the Pooh )

Authenticity & Belonging with Dr. Chelsea Shields

Episode SummaryIn this powerful episode, Dr. Chelsea Shields shares her journey from growing up in a large Mormon family to becoming an anthropologist who bridges science, strategy, and human behavior. She discusses her dual PhD in biological and cultural anthropology, her groundbreaking work on the placebo effect in West Africa, and her role in the Mormon feminist movement that changed 86 out of 100 policies. Chelsea opens up about the challenges of leaving her culture of origin, navigating two divorces, and finding strength through authenticity.Key Topics & TimestampsGrowing Up Mormon (03:09)The Mormon Feminist Movement (09:11)Influences & Family Values (15:35)Father's practice of compassion and serviceAcademic Journey (18:38)The placebo effect research with Harvard Medical SchoolDual PhD Journey (24:03)Challenges as a Woman in Academia (26:05)Brand Strategy & Human Behavior (30:33)Defining Strength (37:27)Source of Strength: Motherhood (39:43)Resilience Through Hardship (44:52)Misconceptions About Strength (50:33)Advice for Being Seen & Heard (53:44)Daily Practices (01:02:21)Rapid Fire Round (01:05:19) Favorite Books: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas; Bill Bryson's science writingFavorite Song: "Physical" by Olivia Newton-JohnFavorite Quote: "Well-behaved women seldom make history" - Laurel Thatcher UlrichFavorite Movie: The Fugitive, Indiana Jones seriesGreatest Fear: Bears (and statistically, men)Most Courageous Thing: Organizing Mormon feminist activism despite consequencesLife Philosophy: Focus on solving present-day human problems together rather than fighting over unknowable mythologiesKey Quotes"I went into anthropology because I needed cultural therapy.""It's really hard to leave your culture of origin and it takes a lot of strength.""Well-behaved women seldom make history." - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich"My definition of strength is someone who can be completely honest with themselves and show up authentically.""People don't really remember what you say. They remember how you make them feel.""When you live on your own and have that solidity and being able to make choices unencumbered by others, that is necessary to anyone's growth.""Being playful gets you quickest to your most authentic self."Resources MentionedLaurel Thatcher Ulrich [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_Thatcher_Ulrich] - Pulitzer Prize winner, authorTed Kaptchuk [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaptchuk] - Harvard Medical School placebo directorBill Bryson [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Bryson] - Science writerGrande Cosmetics - Brand collaboration exampleConnect with Dr. Chelsea Shields [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drchelseashields/]