Boundless Awareness With Pooja Kothari

Pooja Kothari, Esq. begins her social justice origin story with memories of her father, who helped cultivate her abilities to think critically as a child, her early awareness of sexism in gender-segregated cultural spaces, and her later experiences with racism and internalizing shame as a cis, queer, first-generation Indian-American woman of color. Recalling her experiences as a former public defender with the Legal Aid Society Criminal Defense Practice in Brooklyn, NY, Pooja reflects on how she became more courageous and a better advocate thanks to her mentors Michael Letwin and Azalia Torres, and explains how systemic racism shapes courtroom dynamics and even defenders’ assumptions in ways that can make or break client outcomes.She also talks about her relationship with resisting internalized oppression through finding community and “depersonalizing” oppressive messaging, while also resisting internalized patterns of power through developing practices of accountability and self-correction. This journey informs her work as the founder and principal facilitator of Boundless Awareness, where she develops and facilitates anti-oppression and anti-bias curriculum for workplaces and organizations.Pooja’s storytelling reminds listeners that their activism can start today by identifying and challenging their assumptions.Connect with Pooja and Boundless Awareness: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boundlessawareness/ Website: www.BoundlessAwareness.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/BOUNDLESSAWARENESSLLC/🔔 If you haven't already...SUBSCRIBE to Social Justice Origin Stories on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@socialjusticeoriginstories?sub_confirmation=1❤️ SUPPORT THE PROJECTSupport this work by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories💬 SHARE YOUR STORY OR FEEDBACKYour voice helps shape this community and may be featured in a future episode.Email: [email protected] a Voice Note: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com/contact/ or https://www.speakpipe.com/socialjusticeoriginstoriesOr leave a comment below🎧 LISTEN & FOLLOWWebsite: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.comApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991Wherever You Get Your Podcasts: https://pod.link/1771268991Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567841874653Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sjoriginstories.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/social-justice-origin-stories/LinkedIn (Relando): https://www.linkedin.com/in/relandothompkinsjones/LinkTree for more: https://linktr.ee/SocialJusticeOriginStories?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZzPfl3gCm5NY9C_Y-glRzwDu-8BvHfkCJaQlDihfrQxbYWC1dnxgRL2kU_aem_kmgEcokBmDt8WaAtlWQMQQ-----Social Justice Origin Stories is produced, edited, and hosted by Relando Thompkins-Jones.00:00 Boundless Awareness Mindset01:28 Coming Out Expectations04:27 Start Where You Are04:54 Show Intro Mission06:08 Meet Pooja Kothari08:38 From Public Defender to Founder10:08 Activated by Asking Why11:25 Gender Roles at Puja17:06 Grassroots Calling21:41 Identity Shame and Queerness26:06 Resisting Internalized Oppression31:55 Depersonalize and Self Correct39:10 Courtroom Reality Check42:36 Bias In Defense Work44:09 Better Client Interviews46:29 Language Checks And Support48:14 Building Boundless Awareness50:22 High Expectations And Values55:38 Why I Do This Work58:05 Who Gets Inspired01:06:11 Mentors And Courage01:10:41 Start Today And Critique01:15:20 Accountability And Origin Stories01:18:22 Closing Thanks And Call To Action