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 PROJECT Support this work by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/SocialJusticeOriginStories 💬 SHARE YOUR STORY OR FEEDBACK Your voice helps shape this community and may be featured in a future episode. Email: [email protected] Leave a Voice Note: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com/contact/ or https://www.speakpipe.com/socialjusticeoriginstories Or leave a comment below 🎧 LISTEN & FOLLOW Website: https://socialjusticeoriginstories.com Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-justice-origin-stories/id1771268991 Wherever You Get Your Podcasts: https://pod.link/1771268991 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialjusticeoriginstories/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567841874653 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sjoriginstories.bsky.social LinkedIn: 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 Mindset 01:28 Coming Out Expectations 04:27 Start Where You Are 04:54 Show Intro Mission 06:08 Meet Pooja Kothari 08:38 From Public Defender to Founder 10:08 Activated by Asking Why 11:25 Gender Roles at Puja 17:06 Grassroots Calling 21:41 Identity Shame and Queerness 26:06 Resisting Internalized Oppression 31:55 Depersonalize and Self Correct 39:10 Courtroom Reality Check 42:36 Bias In Defense Work 44:09 Better Client Interviews 46:29 Language Checks And Support 48:14 Building Boundless Awareness 50:22 High Expectations And Values 55:38 Why I Do This Work 58:05 Who Gets Inspired 01:06:11 Mentors And Courage 01:10:41 Start Today And Critique 01:15:20 Accountability And Origin Stories 01:18:22 Closing Thanks And Call To Action