The Tamil Creator

Nitesh Pillai (@nitesh.pillai) is professional model that was discovered on TikTok (where he has 100K+ followers & over 5 million likes).He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss immigrating from Malaysia to Australia, going from being a victim of bullying to being discovered by IMG Models (an international leader in talent discovery), juggling school and his modelling career, questioning the purpose of education due to his current career path, participating in Paris fashion week, and so much more.Follow Nitesh:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nitesh.pillai/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Nitesh Pillai01:37 - How Nitesh became a model; overcoming bullying05:19 - The different perspectives his brothers provided07:11 - Missing his family in Malaysia and the “next level” food08:28 - Being discovered on TikTok by IMG Models 09:32 - Misconceptions about being a model11:13 - Dealing with last minute requests12:22 - How his parents feel about his modelling career13:52 - Balancing his modelling career and school14:43 - Contemplating not finishing school; don’t tell his dad15:49 - The longevity of a modelling career; 5-10 year shelf life17:22 - Will his degree be useful; his passion for music, writing, and more18:19 - Favourite places he’s been able to travel for work; Paris, Portugal19:27 - Why Nitesh only sees himself living in Australia; a non-stop holiday20:45 - How to adapt an “every day is a holiday” mindset; family22:21 - Would he consider moving back to Malaysia?24:58 - Why his parents moved to Australia; his dad’s incredible story26:15 - What his ideal day to day looks like; stretching, sports, etc.27:39 - How he views money and spends it for his modelling career30:17 - Craziest stuff he’s seen in the world of fashion32:29 - The 1% of models; wanting to create his own lane34:06 - Learning lessons; breaking his jaw35:57 - Advice he would give his 14-year-old self37:39 - How he wants to be remembered by friends and family37:54 - Creator Confessions41:15 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan    Support the show

Angela Asiana (@angelaasiana) is a Swiss-based musician, model & social media star.  She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss her unique way of networking through Instagram, navigating the negative side of social media, gradually winning her parents’ approval, who her dream collaborations would be with including The Weeknd (@theweeknd) & A.R. Rahman (@arrahman), the importance of maintaining mental and physical health as an artist, quitting her job last year to pursue music full-time, the importance of gratitude, and so much more.Follow Angela:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/angelaasiana/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Angela Asiana00:47 - Angela speaks on what led her to a career in arts and culture02:07 - Music being for herself and social media being a fun thing to do04:21 - Discussing another Swiss music star in Priya Ragu04:56 - The negative side of special media; remembering your roots06:08 - Finding yourself in today’s world/digital era08:30 - How Angela’s parents feel about her pursuing this career path13:15 - Her favourite song to date15:08 - Why she enjoys creating music videos17:33 - Being an independent artist but open to working with a label18:56 - Wanting to collaborate with The Weeknd and A. R. Rahman20:26 - How she perceives herself; as an artist and musician22:30 - What her schedule looks like; and the power of Instagram26:15 - How she approaches networking/relationship building28:27 - Deciding to go all-in with her dream; quitting her job33:18 - Her biggest failures/learning lessons 34:56 - The importance of practicing gratitude; her morning routine38:53 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self39:33 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends/family39:57 - Creator Confessions45:22 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan    Support the show

Sujan Selven (@sujanselven) is a serial entrepreneur with his latest venture, Space Group, focused on the telecommunications industry. He is also a founder of social enterprise Upcycled Tech (@upcycled_tech), which provides upcycled tech devices to improve the lives and well-being of those in need, starting with remote villages in Sri Lanka.He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how Jack Ma influenced him to think about positively about problems, how COVID led him to create Upcycled Tech/giving back to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka through this social enterprise, future growth plans for his business Space Group, wanting to be known for taking action instead of just talking, the importance of facing challenges head-on, and so much more.Follow Sujan:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sujanselven/) - Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sujanselven/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sujan Selven00:40 - What led Sujan down an entrepreneurial path02:07 - Being born in Sri Lanka, migrating to Australia04:08 - Admiration for Jack Ma; problems create solutions06:18 - Upcycled Tech; what it is and why he started it10:18 - Transforming Upcycled Tech to a social enterprise13:12 - The Upcycled Tech team; how it came together14:34 - Space Group; what prompted him to start this16:09 - Space Group’s purpose; civil, electrical, and telecom services17:09 - Initially not knowing where Space Group would take him19:19 - How he secures sales (contracts) for Space Group20:49 - How he finds talent; setting others up for success22:38 - Reducing role with Space Group to focus on Upcycled Tech (to help enable connectivity to remote villages in Sri Lanka)25:08 - Learning about the importance of good accounting26:15 - His sources of learning; reading, short courses, etc.27:35 - Balancing personal and professional obligations29:13 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self30:40 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for30:56 - Creator Confessions35:08 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan   Support the show

Aurthi Muthukumaran (@aurthi.pa) is an emergency medicine and orthopaedic surgery physician assistant and high-level tennis player.She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss why she is a big advocate of the physician assistant role as something that young people with an interest in medicine should pursue, how a shoulder injury playing tennis when she was 13 years old had increased her academic focus, having an innate desire to give back to the Tamil community through her work at SHN (@shnfoundation), how physician assistants positively impact the patient experience while helping to remove barriers to healthcare, how she balanced a demanding academic load with her athletic pursuit of being a high-level tennis player and so much more.Follow Aurthi:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aurthi-muthu/) - Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/aurthi.pa/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Aurthi Muthukumaran00:46 - What led her to a career in healthcare; a tennis injury05:02 - Being further inspired by an opponent in her varsity career06:21 - What is physician assistant; a relatively new role09:35 - Difference between a physician and a physician assistant12:23 - The importance of the pandemic for physician assistants13:57 - Canadian universities increasingly offering PA programs14:41 - Being one of less than 1,000 PAs in Canada today15:29 - Resonating with Scarborough Health Network; the Tamil community16:36 - What Aurthi’s day-to-day looks like19:57 - Retracting a patient’s abdomen; becoming desensitized over time21:02 - Winning an ‘Excellence in Leadership’ award; her advocacy efforts22:21 - Balancing academics and athletics from a young age24:34 - Being used to 10-hour days; being grateful for a busy upbringing29:48 - The importance of maintaining physical and mental health as you age31:49 - Extrinsic motivation versus intrinsic motivation; winning habits37:52 - Where she sees herself in the next 3-5 years; personally and professionally40:28 - Her biggest learning lesson; a steep learning curve when switching specialties43:29 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self; no such thing as perfection44:34 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family45:36 - Her dad being an avid chess player; training players who are famous today46:15 - Creator Confessions50:02 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan  Support the show

Karthy Subramaniam (@karthy.subra) is the Founder of LITS Hot Sauce (@litssauce) & Co-Founder of Malaysian street food company BUNGKUS (@bungkus.to) with his mom Siva.He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss advice he wish he got when he first started his business, growing up with entrepreneurs around him, how he came up with the name BUNGKUS, scaling LITS to 36 retailers in just over five years of operations, quitting his full time job to start BUNGKUS with his mom and growing this business a faster rate than LITS because of past learnings, and so much more.Follow Karthy:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksubramaniam/) - Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/karthy.subra/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Karthy Subramaniam01:01 - What sparked Karthy’s entrepreneurial spirit; his mother, brother, and grandma03:50 - Being born in Malaysia and moving to Canada at the age of four05:38 - Starting LITS (Lost in the Sauce) Hot Sauce07:49 - Scaling up his business; researching bigger companies and exploring co-packers09:53 - Forming his team in 2023; his fifth year of operations11:09 - Securing his first sale for LITS; from family and friends to 36 retailers15:37 - How he went about securing retailers; initially being approached16:54 - How he formulated his sauce flavours; competing with bigger brands like Nandos18:34 - Balancing a full time job while building up LITS; sacrificing sleep and social life21:27 - Are his friends and family accepting of his entrepreneurial efforts?23:33 - Quitting his full time job to build another business (BUNGKUS) with his mother26:40 - Why the company is called BUNGKUS and deciding to partner with his mom32:11 - What learnings he’s applied from LITS to BUNGKUS; marketing/social media34:33 - Creating business synergy between LITS and BUNGKUS; a co-branded hot sauce35:20 - Where can people order BUNGKUS?36:42 - Karthy offers his recommendation for the best dishes to order37:57 - Advice he wish he got when he had first started his business39:01 - The learning lessons he’s experienced from failure41:03 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self; don’t overthink41:51 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by his friends and family42:48 - Creator Confessions48:56 - The Bungkus (Wrap Up)Intro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan     Support the show

Sumu Sathi (@sumusathi) is an award winning social advocate, plus size model & actor. She is a Labour Relations Specialist in the Labour Movement and was previously the Chair at CUPE905, representing almost 4,000 public servants. She’s been in the media & community leadership space for almost 20 years. Her community work has been featured in places like Toronto.com, NOW Toronto & the Toronto Star. In 2017, she was chosen to be part of post-war socioeconomic development work in Sri Lanka as a Leadership facilitator. She is the 2023 recipient of the Inclusion Excellence Award from University of Toronto (@uoft). Sumu has acted in two Toronto based films and appears on CityTV as a plus model. She believes in promoting body positivity and advocating for representation for people of colour in arts, fashion and media spaces.She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss being exposed to gang violence while growing up in Scarborough, being named a recipient of the 2023 Inclusive Excellence Award from U of T, spending over $50K of her money to make a film about women in Sri Lanka & the controversy around that, initially not wanting to take up a Chair position for CUPE 905, why she's a big believer of therapy, overcoming eating disorders, how the Tamil community’s perception (judging people based on skin colour and size) is rooted in colonialism, and so much more.Follow Sumu:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumusathi/) - Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sumusathi/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sumu Sathi01:57 - Moving to Canada at 14 and her early passion for art05:50 - Growing up and being exposed to gang violence in Scarborough09:54 - Being the first woman of colour to take a Chair position with CUPE 90514:01 - Change she has made as a labour movement leader and what she’s learned17:40 - The power dynamic involved with sexual violence in the work place19:21 - Acting in an award-winning film; how she got her opportunities24:47 - Being a plus-size model; dropping out of UofT due to hyperthyroidism and more31:47 - Always being compared to the past version of yourself; code switching35:23 - Her yet to be released film, Daughters of Eelam; spending over $50,000 to make it39:55 - Being named a recipient of the 2023 Inclusive Excellence Award41:57 - Working on multiple careers; feeling blessed46:15 - Advice for her 16-year-old self; handling criticism and managing emotions49:35 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family50:50 - Making the best of bad situations; dire situations vs. first-world problems57:01 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan    Support the show

Aravinth Panch (@aravinthpanch) is a social & tech entrepreneur empowering underserved communities in the Global South to tackle local socio-economic and environmental challenges while helping companies to realise their ideas from mind to market. He is currently the co-founder of DreamSpace Academy (@dreamspace.academy).He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how he went from stateless and suicidal to super successful, having a pet crocodile, founding several businesses and investing in various others, being forced to become a child soldier at the age of 14, trying to deport himself from India 6 times before successfully being able to leave, finding purpose in entrepreneurship, viewing DreamSpace Academy as similar to the Xavier Institute from X-Men, and so much more.Follow Aravinth:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aravinthpanch/) - Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/aravinthpanch/)Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Aravinth Panch (Ara)01:10 - What sparked his interest in entrepreneurship/driving social change?08:34 - The story his company, araCreate; engineering, media, and business11:16 - One of his companies (Hybrid 360 Art Tech) doing visual FX for Indian cinema13:33 - Trying to deport himself from India six times; not allowed to live or leave21:18 - Being a part of 20 companies in January 2023; managing his time24:01 - Refusing shares while consulting for 250 companies and declining CEO roles27:04 - The story of DreamSpace Academy38:03 - Success stories from DreamSpace53:45 - Building in Sri Lanka while living in Germany; how he sustains himself55:08 - Reflecting on finding his purpose59:22 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self1:01:36 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for1:02:29 - Creator Confessions1:09:12 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan   Support the show

Janani Shanmuganathan (@janani_shanmuganathan) is a criminal defense lawyer who has appeared frequently at the Ontario Court of Appeal and has argued at the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. She is a Partner at Goddard & Shanmuganathan LLP.She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss participating as co-counsel for a landmark Supreme Court Case (R.v. Nur.), how the cool moments of law that are seen on TV are only 10% of what being a lawyer entails, starting a business with her husband and navigating a work-life balance with it, having taken on clients even if they’re not able to pay (Legal Aid Ontario), why she’d rather make a friend than try to network, her desire to be authentic, regretting rushing through life, and so much more.Follow Janani:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jshanmuganathan/)Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Janani Shanmuganathan00:45 - What sparked her passion for law; an innate love for learning01:58 - Never having second thoughts about her career choice02:45 - Why Janani chose criminal defence; helping the underdog03:35 - Misconceptions about being a lawyer; doubting herself05:36 - Being introverted as a lawyer; the benefits of introversion in general07:55 - The importance of research and organization as a lawyer09:39 - Co-counselling a major case; Janani explains the importance and process12:50 - Starting her own practice; figuring out how to work with her husband15:44 - Building her clientele through referrals16:36 - The benefit of working from home as a mother18:25 - Determining if she wants to take on a new client; and Legal Aid Ontario21:36 - Improving her skills/staying sharp; conferences, online resources, etc.22:32 - Advice she would give young law students; and Ara’s insights25:01 - Not liking the word networking; how she goes about relationship building26:26 - A major learning lesson in Janani’s life; trying to work while pregnant29:10 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self; slow down31:55 - Re-examining your childhood as a parent; This Is Us and our immigrant parents35:38 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family36:06 - Creator Confessions40:32 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan  Support the show

Kavishan Pathmanathan (@__kavishan) is the Co-founder and Director of Basketball Operations at Fort Erie International Academy (@feiambb).He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss hating basketball while growing up because of his brother Deluxshan (@deluxshanp), how he helped start Fort Erie International Academy's basketball program, his relationship with Leonard Miller (@leonard.m11), signing a three year deal with New Balance (@newbalance), the impact of Vince Carter (@mrvincecarter15) and the Raptors (@raptors) winning a championship on the Canadian basketball scene, quitting his full-time insurance job in March, the importance of working for free to achieve your goal, and so much more.Follow Kavishan:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kavishan-pathmanathan-a05a1623b/) - Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/__kavishan/)Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Kavishan Pathmanathan01:01 - Sibling rivalry and rebellious childhood attitude spurred Kav’s passion for basketball02:31 - Kav’s parents initially pushed him and his brother towards music03:02 - Starting Fort Erie International Academy’s basketball program; how it has grown04:04 - Prioritizing academics to compete with other players in the industry05:41 - How Canadian basketball has evolved over the past five years07:34 - The business side of basketball10:25 - Quitting his full-time insurance job to go all in on basketball12:25 - Seeing his students (Leonard Miller) get drafted into the NBA; and future prospects15:51 - The difference in talent between athletes18:02 - Kav’s journey to becoming a coach24:13 - Is there a growing number of South Asians and Tamils in basketball?27:14 - Nav clarifies that he is not a coach; focuses more on recruiting and business30:30 - How he got a sponsorship deal with New Balance; talking with Nike and Adidas32:03 - His pitch for attracting talent to Fort Erie34:27 - Securing a sponsorship deal with ANTA for the first year of the program37:16 - Kav’s view on social media39:21 - How he balances his passion and responsibilities42:16 - Ara butchers another quote42:38 - A major learning lesson in Kav’s life three years ago45:13 - Feeling connected to his Tamil identity but not necessarily the community46:37 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self48:10 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family49:29 - Creator Confessions51:51 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan       Support the show

Jamie Gnanapragasam is Manager of Merchandising Systems at Parkland Corporation, a veteran of the oil & gas industry for 15+ years and a recipient of the 2023 Star Women in Convenience award.She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss spending the past 15 years in the Oil & Gas industry, being a receipient of the "2023 Star Women In Convenience" award, if oil will become obsolete in a more sustainable future, being the only person in her friends circle who stayed in one company for an extended period of time, her passion for giving back, and so much more.Follow Jamie:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-gnanapragasam/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Jamie Gnanapragasam01:17 - Her formative years; wanting to be a doctor but working in oil & gas03:17 - Jamie’s role as a manager of merchandising systems04:16 - The economic systems of gas05:51 - The impact of loyalty programs in her side of the business07:36 - Cheapest way to acquire customers and make partnerships profitable08:51 - Staying put in an era of job-hopping; why she made that choice12:43 - How she improves herself to take on new challenges15:27 - Tips for building relationships; the absence of a human element in networking19:50 - Being a recipient of the ‘2023 Star Women in Convenience’ award22:03 - The subsequent impact of winning on her career and personally23:19 - The Santa Claus Fund; from donating to participating26:07 - The impact her family has had in Jamie’s choices27:57 - Did she disregard anything her parents told her when she was younger?28:33 - Her biggest learning lesson in recent years; stepping out of her comfort zone29:49 - Feeling inherently connected to her Tamil heritage31:02 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self32:40 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends/family33:12 - Creator Confessions40:23 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan      Support the show

Nimal Navarathinam (@nimalnavarathinam) did his Masters of Space & Systems Engineering at York University, but has predominantly worked in Europe or for European-based companies including his most recent role as a Principal Space Systems Engineer at In-Space Missions.He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss his fascination with science from an young age, how networking gave him international exposure to what was happening in the space industry globally, breaking into the space industry during the 2008 financial crisis, focusing his Masters on CubeStats & how they helped him in his career now, the importance of repetition, feeling like a financial crunch is on the horizon, and so much more.Follow Nimal:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nimal-navarathinam/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Nimal Navarathinam01:19 - Nimal and Ara discuss introversion and having quiet confidence03:51 - His early upbringing and its impact on his life now09:21 - The perception of space evolving over time; his career trajectory19:46 - Canada’s space industry is small/niche (robotics, sensors, etc.) but growing23:09 - What being a Principal Space Systems Engineer entails28:03 - Learning by being thrown into the deep end30:45 - Wanting to do more as he learned more33:28 - His expectations for the space industry and his career over the next decade39:15 - Should we advance earth or space; do/how they work hand in hand46:51 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self49:03 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family51:52 - Creator Confessions57:45 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan     Support the show

Abirami Shanmugaratnam (@abiskyhigh) is an elite athlete, personal trainer and entrepreneur (@skyhighperformance_), and a recent Chiropractic grad.She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss having teachers in the family, the myth of work-life balance, being enrolled in tons of extracurricular activities from a young age, how she named her company, creating an opportunity for herself to work with MLSE, meeting Muggsy Bogues (@therealmuggsy) and Gradey Dick (@gradey), gaining respect in her profession, and so much more.Follow Abi:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/abiskyhigh/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Abirami Shanmugaratnam01:16 - How Abirami’s childhood sparked her interest in health and fitness05:30 - Do her siblings share the same love of health and fitness?06:11 - Building the habit of constantly having something to do07:11 - Where the name of her company, SKYHIGH PERFORMANCE, came from08:42 - Does she find it difficult to relate to others?11:56 - How she began working with MLSE13:50 - Meeting players from TFC and the Toronto Raptors14:30 - How Abirami manages her time16:00 - Making sure she continues to play sports even today18:00 - Are misconceptions around strength training lessening?20:54 - Is she ever treated differently for being a female personal trainer?22:55 - How she secures clients; social media, seminars, etc.25:31 - Her experience of learning virtually during the pandemic26:57 - A learning lesson in the past few years; 28:06 - Does she feel connected to the Tamil community in Toronto?29:42 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self30:13 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for31:00 - Creator Confessions35:48 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan    Support the show

Dhaksayan Shanmuganayagam (@dhaksayan.s) is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the Toronto Transit Commission (@takethettc).He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss watching "Law & Order" with his family nurtured his love for the legal industry, using the approach of thinking of yourself as a product to progress in his career, teaching himself how to program and code (developing computer games as a hobby and selling it to his friends), the importance of delivering on time and maintaining a good reputation, being raised in a risk-averse family, the power of continually investing in yourself, and so much more.Follow Dhaksayan:- Instagram (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhaksayan-shanmuganayagam-415b3a1a/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara mispronounces another name while introducing Dhaksayan Shanmuganayagam01:04 - Dhaksayan speaks on how his formative years developed his interest in technology04:49 - Doing three internships with the TTC; why he was drawn to working there07:56 - Dhaksayan’s advice to excel in your career; thinking of yourself as a product11:16 - Does he regret anything; sacrificing time12:22 - His day-to-day responsibilities as a CIO14:14 - How he developed his people management skills; an eye-opening experience16:09 - Using TikTok and other mediums as learning resources17:04 - Driving innovation as a publicly funded organization18:38 - Dhaksayan’s opinion on the future of education and how it will impact hiring21:09 - His favourite projects while working at the TTC for the past 15 years23:03 - Misconceptions his friends/family have about the work he does23:54 - Where he sees himself in the next three years25:45 - His thoughts on ChatGPT and AI in general27:05 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self28:49 - Preparing his son for the future world29:53 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by his friends/family31:01 - Does Dhaksayan feel connected to the tamil community?32:37 - Creator Confessions35:04 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan     Support the show

Mohana Rajakumar (@moha_doha) is an American-Tamil (currently residing in Qatar) novelist, comic, scholar and screenwriter with a PhD in English.She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss moving to Qatar in her 20s, the importance of letting your children try everything (nurturing the generalist in them), how she manages her finances as a creative, leveraging Kickstarter to launch her films, writing nine books in nine years, being a meticulous planner, and so much more.Follow Mohana:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/moha_doha/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Mohana Rajakumar01:21 - Mohana speaks on her formative teenage years06:15 - Her decision to move from Canada to the United States07:13 - Moving to Qatar; impact on her personal and professional life10:58 - Identifying as Indian versus Tamil13:18 - Starting a branch of Georgetown University in Qatar16:48 - Does she take offence to not being referred to as “Dr. Mohana?”18:26 - Her show “Being Brown is my Superpower”23:07 - Having short films screened globally; and what she’s working on now34:25 - Do Mohana’s friends/family support her creative career?39:01 - How she manages her finances as a creative43:17 - What she would tell her 16-year-old self43:51 - The personal legacy she wants to leave behind/be remembered for44:43 - Creator Confessions54:41 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan    Support the show

Jano Jayapalan (@janojjanj) is the co-founder of Reggie’s Rolls (@reggiesrolls), a family-owned caterer that makes deep fried rolls inspired by Sri Lankan & Fusion cuisine, with the goal of making rolls mainstream!He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss starting his company to escape the rat race, providing the perfect mutton to potato ratio, delivering during the COVID-19 pandemic, why bakeries shouldn’t devalue their food, mixing family and business, why being an entrepreneur isn’t as glamorous as it sounds, and so much more.Follow Jano:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/reggiesrolls/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Jano Jayapalan00:58 - Jano speaks on his early childhood and upbringing01:58 - Studying economics at Brock University with a lack of Tamil food03:19 - His mom opening Mississauga’s first Tamil restaurant in the early 90s06:01 - What sparked the idea for Reggie’s Rolls?07:28 - Challenges of the food industry08:35 - His first sale and knowing he was onto something09:25 - Temporarily working with Uber Eats10:46 - The rationale behind pricing Reggie’s Rolls13:19 - Feedback from customers as the price rose15:25 - Understanding that you can’t please everybody16:41 - The revenue split for Reggie’s Rolls and investing in wholesale18:55 - Will frozen rolls be on the menu in the future?19:46 - How people can order, locations, and new prices21:05 - Working with family; how they make it work22:43 - Jano’s long-term plan; going global23:24 - Secret plans in the works23:47 - Jano shares some tips for food-related entrepreneurs26:18 - Investing in real estate and being a father27:50 - The behind-the-scenes struggles of entrepreneurship29:11 - How being an entrepreneur affects Jano’s social life30:31 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self33:51 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for34:18 - Creator Confessions38:26 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan   Support the show

Sindu Sivapalan (@sindusiva) is a real estate investor who made the bold move from the GTA to the East Coast (Moncton) with her husband while she was 8 months pregnant to pursue financial freedom.She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss having a ‘go with the flow’ mindset, what she learned from analyzing portfolios as a financial advisor, the benefits of East Coast living, having a passion for real estate from a young age, the importance of using your equity to work for you while making calculating decisions, and so much more.Follow Sindu:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sindusiva/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sindu Sivapalan02:46 - Relocating to the East Coast of Canada with her husband06:45 - The impact of her childhood; listing her parents home at 15 years old11:05 - How quitting her accounting job led to her obsession with real estate13:15 - Why real estate is a simple math equation14:52 - Her learnings from analyzing portfolios as a financial advisor17:58 - Building a multi-family investment portfolio with her husband21:35 - The Fire Movement; wanting to ‘retire’ early22:47 - What she plans to do with her time upon retiring24:00 - Has Sindu’s success convinced her family/friends to follow her blueprint?26:38 - The benefits of moving from the GTA to the East Coast31:02 - Does she miss Toronto and will she ever come back?32:06 - Her plan for the next five years33:45 - Her biggest learning lesson36:24 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self36:46 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for37:09 - Creator Confessions39:47 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan  Support the show

Mano Kulasingam (@manok4) is currently the Founder & Managing Partner for Flair Ventures, a VC firm focused on investing in early-stage startups with at least 1 immigrant founder. Previously, he was the co-founder and CEO of Digiflare which was acquired 10 years into the business by Accedo.tv.He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the impact of family (father/brother) in his life, the benefit of being a late entrant into a market, studying in Ottawa (a city that was once considered "Silicon Valley North"), succeeding with Digiflare through failure & eventually exiting, starting Flair Ventures to support immigrant founders, having a long-term mindset as an investor, and so much more.Follow Mano:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/manok/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Mano Kulasingam00:59 - How he got into entrepreneurship and tech; his father and brother03:23 - Pop culture’s impact on entrepreneurship, creating Digiflare in 200808:29 - Finding the right co-founder; why it’s like a marriage10:59 - What Digiflare was and why Mano created it12:48 - How much luck is involved in a company’s success?14:04 - Apple Benefiting from Blackberry’s work; Mano benefiting from Netflix15:04 - Why he and his co-founder chose to sell Digiflare17:20 - The M&A process18:04 - Why trying to sell a business is like managing two companies at once20:14 - Minimizing the number of people who knew a deal was being worked on21:39 - Transitioning from employer to employee upon selling Digiflare24:23 - The feeling Mano had when he sold his company26:33 - Launching Flair Ventures; investing in immigrant founders29:21 - Ventures are relationships and networking; investing in 7 of 400 companies32:35 - How Mano allocates his time; fundraising, content marketing, and more34:25 - His 10-15 year plan for Flair Ventures; aiming for 23 companies37:37 - Being tempted to create again; keeping an open mind for the right opportunity38:57 - His biggest failure/learning lesson; the Tamil mentality of showing no emotions42:43 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self43:24 - The personal legacy he wants to leave behind44:07 - Creator Confessions52:50 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan     Support the show

Fiona Kingsley Boyer (@fi_kingsley) is a Development Officer for the Scarborough Health Network Foundation (SHN, @shnfoundation) and cancer survivor.She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss surviving Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer, the survivor spirit of Scarborough and trying to improve its misunderstood reputation, her experience finding out she had cancer while pregnant & going through chemotherapy, being part of a team that's raised more than half of the $100 million dollar goal for the "Love Scarborough" campaign, having a greater appreciation for the value of time, and SO much more.Follow Fiona:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fi_kingsley/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Fiona01:04 - Fiona speaks on her early upbringing and being diagnosed with cancer03:27 - Her role as Development Officer for SHN foundation05:39 - SHN’s campaign: "Love Scarborough"08:03 - The impact of "Love Scarborough" so far10:38 - Being featured on billboards and television14:18 - How she found out she had cancer20:01 - Managing her emotions when she was diagnosed22:20 - Her chemotherapy treatment process; 16 4-hour sessions27:01 - The biggest difference between Fiona pre- and post-cancer28:25 - "My Dharma" by Ahash; how the short documentary came to be30:44 - Explaining her cancer to her daughter32:39 - Fiona’s plans moving forward35:00 - Feeling super connected to the Tamil community; support she receives37:31 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self38:04 - How she wants to be remembered by friends and family39:34 - Creator Confessions47:47 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan    Support the show

Jay Vasantharajah (@jayvasdigital) is the Founder & Managing Partner at Atlasview Equity, which buys multi-million tech-enabled businesses.He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the importance of saving up your first $100K, waiting on the "fat pitch" opportunities as described by Warren Buffet, transitioning from a job at Deloitte to starting his agency where he saw one client IPO for $450 million dollars and another get acquired for $2 billion dollars, Atlasview's playbook after acquiring a company to fuel growth, the importance of “escape velocity” in investing and building trust in business, being inspired by Mark Leonard who founded Constellation Software and much more.Follow Jay:- Twitter (https://twitter.com/jayvas) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Jay Vasantharajah01:29 - How seeing his father build small businesses inspired Jay05:15 - From commerce to accounting/side hustles and his own business11:54 - How he secured customers as a consultant12:47 - The importance of getting to your first $100,00017:46 - Starting small and being consistent versus diving into the deep-end19:37 - Atlastview Equity; what it is, what companies they purchase, etc.23:59 - How many deals Jay had to look at before closing two acquisitions27:36 - Why Jay and his company are lucky buyers34:54 - The time Jay spends on building his business; newsletter & networking39:11 - How Jay sources funds to purchase companies 45:27 - Attracting the energy that you want around you & mitigating risk49:32 - Atlasview’s playbook after acquiring a company; growth plans57:57 - Being inspired by Mark Leonard/Constellation Software & others01:09:25 - Where Jay sees himself in the next 3 years01:12:09 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self01:14:08 - Personal legacy; how Jay wants to be remembered by friends/family01:16:36 - Creator Confessions & Advice for owners who want to sell their business01:28:08 - The Wrap Up Intro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan      Support the show

Ara Ehamparam (@araehamparam) is the podcast host of "The Tamil Creator".  He's an entrepreneur, FIRE believer and admirer of creators.On this momentous 100th episode of #TheTamilCreator, Ara's wife, Claudia (@claudiangele), turns the tables on our usual host to find out more about him. They explore why he started "The Tamil Creator" podcast, special messages from his best friend & guest on EP 44 of the podcast @vas_saranga [founder of @theonlineactor] as well as his favourite (& only sister) Shagana, how he got the nickname "Tamil Nelly", his various entrepreneurial ventures, his unparalleled passion for Google calendar, the value of giving more than you take, his innate desire to embody the message of Nike, and much more - you don't wanna miss this episode!Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Claudia Ehamparam00:39 - Claudia introduces this week’s guest, Ara Ehamparam02:17 - Ara talks about how his early childhood led him to become an entrepreneur04:45 - Being born in Sri Lanka and moving to Canada (Montreal/Scarborough)06:30 - A special message from Ara’s favourite (and only) sister, Shagana07:28 - Why Ara wants to be a guest on "My First Million"08:01 - Why Ara pursued entrepreneurship after obtaining an engineering degree09:51 - Why Ara prioritizes ownership or time; Alfred, Mr. Money Mustache, FIRE, etc.11:47 - Ara breaks down the FIRE movement14:58 - The difficulty of convincing Claudia to jump onboard with FIRE15:43 - Why “Tamil” is in so many of Ara’s ventures; his connection to the community 16:53 - The origin of Ara’s ventures; TamilCulture.com, MyTamilDate.com, "The Tamil Creator" podcast, etc. 20:21 - Meeting Kevin O’Leary along his Continyou Care journey21:11 - How Ara balances his time between work, passion projects, and personal life22:43 - Being unafraid of failure and sticking with his commitments; how he does it24:15 - Valuing execution more than ideas24:34 - Is “dad guilt” a thing and does Ara experience it?25:58 - Ara’s greatest learning lessons in the past 3-5 years27:01 - How Ara goes about “relationship-building” aka networking; give more, take less28:21 - How Ara earned the nickname “Tamil Nelly”31:28 - Advice he would give to his 16-year-old self; Tamil Nelly32:40 - How Ara wants to be remembered by friends and family33:32 - Why he is dedicated to showcasing Tamil talent in society34:33 - Creator Confessions42:57 - Ara’s vision for the future of The Tamil Creator podcast43:40 - Guest of EP44 (aka Ara’s BFFL) calls in one last time45:46 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan      Support the show