The WanderWomen Podcast

Leadership often looks very different from the inside than it does from the outside.From the outside, we see titles, roles, and influence.From the inside, leadership is usually shaped by uncertainty, difficult choices, and moments where we question our own direction.In the latest episode of the WanderWomen Leadership Series, I spoke with Caroline Craven Fourier, Global Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Roche.Caroline has lived and worked across multiple countries including Germany, the UK, Belgium, Switzerland, and Singapore. Her career journey moved from procurement and operations leadership into people and culture leadership. Along the way she experienced firsthand how leadership evolves as both the world and we ourselves change.What struck me most in this conversation was not simply Caroline’s career trajectory, but the clarity with which she reflected on how leadership itself is changing.And what that means for high-skilled immigrant women navigating their careers today.The biggest leadership shift of our timeFor decades, leadership was associated with expertise.The leader was the person who had the answers.The one who knew more than everyone else.But that model is disappearing.As Caroline shared in our conversation, leadership today is less about expertise and more about creating the conditions for collective success.Instead of being the smartest person in the room, leaders increasingly need to:• create psychological safety• bring people along emotionally during change• connect different perspectives• help teams navigate uncertaintyThis shift is happening quickly, especially with the rise of AI and constant organizational change.The reality is that no one has all the answers anymore.And that’s exactly why leadership now requires deeper human skills than ever before.The lesson many leaders learn the hard wayOne of the most powerful reflections Caroline shared was about a belief she had earlier in her career.She believed that if she brought the right data and strong analytical arguments, change would naturally follow.But experience taught her something different.Change rarely happens because of data alone.It happens because people believe in it.As she explained, organizational change is fundamentally human, not analytical.Many transformation initiatives fail not because the strategy is wrong, but because organizations underestimate the human side of change.For leaders today, this insight is crucial.The future of leadership is not about controlling information.It is about building trust.Advice for high-skilled immigrant womenDuring the conversation, we also talked about what this means for women navigating leadership roles across cultures.Caroline shared several pieces of advice that resonate deeply for many high-skilled immigrant women:1. Don’t wait until you feel readyOne of the most common patterns women fall into is waiting until they feel completely prepared before stepping forward.Leadership opportunities rarely come with certainty.Growth almost always begins in discomfort.2. Stay curiousCuriosity is one of the most underrated leadership skills.Asking questions builds understanding and trust.It also creates allies in environments that may initially feel unfamiliar.3. Be willing to reinvent yourselfThe world of work is changing faster than ever.Careers are no longer linear.The most resilient leaders are those who remain open to reinventing themselves when circumstances shift.A powerful leadership frameworkToward the end of our conversation, Caroline shared something beautifully simple that she uses to navigate major decisions.In her phone, she keeps a small note that defines what success means for her.Four principles guide her decisions:• Be healthy• Parent with care• Be financially independent• Be satisfied with my careerWhenever she faces uncertainty or a major choice, she returns to these anchors.The world around her may change.But her definition of success stays constant.For me, this was one of the most powerful reminders from our conversation.In a world that constantly tries to redefine success for us, clarity about our own values becomes our greatest source of stability.A question for youIf you had to write your own four lines defining success, what would they be?Not the version shaped by social expectations.But the one shaped by what truly matters to you.Because leadership does not begin with a title.It begins with knowing what you stand for.Watch full conversation with Caroline Craven Fourier here:About the WanderWomen Leadership SeriesThe WanderWomen Leadership Series features conversations with global women leaders who have navigated careers across borders, cultures, and industries. These conversations explore leadership, identity, resilience, and the real stories behind success.About the hostShivangi Walke is a leadership coach, TEDx speaker, and author of WanderWomen: How High-Skilled Immigrant Women Thrive. She is the founder of Thrive with Mentoring, a global mentoring movement supporting women across more than 40 countries. Get full access to Shivangi Walke at theshivangiwalke.substack.com/subscribe

For many high-skilled immigrant women, leadership doesn’t begin in a boardroom.It begins much earlier.In quieter, lonelier moments.In the decisions we make long before anyone is watching.This episode marks a shift.What was once the WanderWomen Podcast is now the WanderWomen Leadership Series — a space for deeper conversations about identity, power, belonging, and the inner work that leadership actually demands.To open this new chapter, I sat down with Dr. Pariya Kashfi — Iranian-born, Sweden-based, former tech founder turned life and career designer.Her story is not one of overnight reinvention or loud rebellion.It’s about the slow, courageous act of saying no — and learning to live with what that unlocks.When “being good” starts costing you yourselfPariya grew up in Iran in a deeply religious, highly respected family.She was successful early: a strong academic career, social status, security.And yet, in her early twenties, she realised something unsettling.Saying yes — to expectations, to family norms, to prescribed ways of living — meant saying no to herself.Not dramatically.Not all at once.But consistently.That moment is familiar to many high-skilled immigrant women.We don’t leave because we’re unhappy in obvious ways.We leave because something inside us quietly stops fitting.The first leadership decision Pariya ever made wasn’t about work.It was about freedom.At 27, she moved to Sweden alone.No safety net.No guarantee.No certainty that the life she was walking away from could be rebuilt.The guilt that follows courageous choicesOne of the most honest parts of our conversation was about guilt.The guilt of leaving ageing parents behind.The guilt of choosing yourself when women are taught to be caretakers first.The guilt of building a “better” life elsewhere while those you love remain in systems you escaped.Pariya spoke about the moment she nearly cancelled her move — standing in her parents’ home, looking at her mother, wondering:What if she needs me and I’m not there?A friend said something that changed everything for her:If you live a life that drains you, you will have less to give — not more.This isn’t a slogan.It’s a hard truth many of us only learn after years of self-abandonment.A leadership insight many HSWIs need to hearOne of the most valuable ideas Pariya shared was this:Integration often asks us to dissolve.Leadership begins when we refuse to disappear.Many high-skilled immigrant women are told — explicitly or subtly — that success comes from fitting in.Sound less emotional.Be less direct.Tone yourself down.Adapt faster.Pariya tried that.She learned the language.Built the network.Did everything “right”.And still felt unfulfilled.Her breakthrough came when she stopped treating integration as erasure and started treating her identity as an asset.Not Iranian or Swedish.But a bridge between worlds.That shift didn’t just change her personal life.It became her professional superpower.Practical reflections for high-skilled immigrant womenIf you’re navigating your own crossroads, here are a few grounded reflections inspired by this conversation:1. Stop waiting to feel readyConfidence rarely comes first.Action does.Many HSWIs stay stuck waiting for clarity, permission, or certainty. Leadership often requires movement before reassurance.2. Question who you’re trying to pleaseAsk yourself honestly:Whose approval still runs your life?And what is it costing you?Unexamined expectations shape careers more than we realise.3. Belonging does not require shrinkingIf belonging demands you dim your values, your voice, or your energy, it isn’t belonging — it’s compliance.4. Your difference is not a liabilityThe instincts you developed navigating cultures, languages, and systems are leadership skills.Stop treating them as baggage.5. Self-trust is a muscleYou don’t need to see the full path.You need to trust that you’ll handle what comes next — because you always have.Why this conversation matters nowSo many high-skilled immigrant women are exhausted not because they lack ambition, but because they’ve been leading without alignment.This episode isn’t about dramatic exits or radical reinvention.It’s about quieter leadership:The courage to say no.The decision to stop waiting.The refusal to disappear.🎧 Listen to Episode 12 of the WanderWomen Leadership Series with Dr. Pariya Kashfi here:And if you’re craving deeper connection beyond content, spaces where you don’t have to explain yourself, the WanderWomen Circles are exactly that.→ https://thewanderwomen.org/circlesSmall, intentional gatherings for women navigating identity, leadership, and belonging across borders.You’re not alone.And you were never meant to do this quietly.With clarity,Shivangi Get full access to Shivangi Walke at theshivangiwalke.substack.com/subscribe

There’s something powerful about beginnings, especially the ones that come after you’ve paused, reflected, and chosen to return with intention.Today marks the beginning of Season 2 of the WanderWomen Podcast, and I couldn’t have asked for a better guest to start this new chapter with than Gitanjali Ponnappa, consultant, global leader, partner at Implement Consulting Group, and founder of NegotiateHer, an initiative supporting women and people of color in negotiating their careers with confidence.We recorded this conversation just as I was turning 50. It felt symbolic, two women reflecting on reinvention, legacy, and the lightness that comes when you finally stop proving yourself and start defining success on your own terms.Gitanjali’s story spans continents: from India to the US, Singapore, Australia, South Africa, and Switzerland. Her professional trajectory is impressive, but what moved me most was the honesty with which she spoke about unlearning, especially the weight of parental expectations, the addiction to achievement, and the freedom of “earning the right to be playful.”She said something that lingered with me:“It took a tremendous amount of mental weightlifting to rest from the expectations that my parents had of me. Till recently, it mattered whether my father recognized the brand I worked for.”Many of us know that feeling all too well. The pressure to make our families proud, to represent our cultures well, to keep doing more, until one day, we realize we’re allowed to stop.Gitanjali calls her next chapter “Quiet Power.” It’s also the title of her upcoming book, one that explores how women and people of color can negotiate from a place of strength even within systems that hold the power imbalance.Our conversation touched on:* How to redefine ambition without apology.* The invisible weight of cultural conditioning.* What it really means to reinvent yourself in midlife.* The art of holding things lightly.And we ended with the reminder that sits at the heart of WanderWomen:“You are not alone. There’s someone who shares a version of your story. These experiences don’t have to isolate us, they can be the very things that bring us together.”💚 This episode is the perfect doorway into Season 2, a season about expansion, belonging, and the quiet power that comes from knowing who you are.If you’d like to experience the kind of connection we talked about, join me at the first WanderWomen Circle in Zurich, an intimate space where we gather not to network or fix, but simply to listen deeply and remember we’re not alone.👉 Learn more at thewanderwomen.org/circlesHere’s to new seasons, quiet revolutions, and women who keep wandering toward their truth.With love,Shivangi Get full access to Shivangi Walke at theshivangiwalke.substack.com/subscribe

“We're much more powerful than we think.”— Victoria MenschHow do you know if you're on the right path—especially when you've done everything “right” and still feel... off?This week on the WanderWomen Podcast, I sit down with Victoria Mensch, CEO of the Silicon Valley Executive Academy, a woman who’s lived many lives across many geographies. From Moscow to California to Spain to Bali, from psychologist to marketer to entrepreneur, Victoria’s story is a masterclass in bold pivots, reinvention, and internal alignment.But this episode isn’t just about success.It’s about truth.About the quiet discomfort that lingers even after you've checked all the boxes.About the inner critic that whispers, “You made a mistake,” even after following your passion.About the radical permission to pivot—again and again—until your life actually feels like your own.🔁 Reinvention ≠ FailureVictoria reminds us that reinvention isn’t always a product of clarity. Sometimes, it’s born from exhaustion. From hitting a wall. From realizing that doing what you love doesn’t always mean loving what you do.Her story is a powerful reminder that failure is not a flaw in the system—it is the system. That freedom lives on the other side of fear, and that “faith over fear” is more than a mantra. It’s a decision we make every day.🎒 Finding Home (Even in a Hotel Room)There’s a moment in this conversation that stayed with me: Victoria shares that every time she traveled for work, she carried a small plush toy and placed it on her hotel pillow. That was her ritual. That was her anchor.Because home, for many of us, is not a place.It’s a feeling.A familiarity we recreate over and over, wherever we land.💼 Burnout ≠ WeaknessAs someone who’s worked with high-stakes corporate teams, Victoria sees firsthand how burnout sneaks in—not because we’re not capable, but because we forget to center ourselves. In this episode, she shares a free toolkit from her Burnout to Harmony program (linked in the show notes) that gives tangible steps for reclaiming peace, perspective, and purpose.🧭 Steering Through UncertaintyWhat if you’re not lost? What if you’re just in transition?Victoria ends with a truth that hits hard for many of us who’ve crossed borders—geographically or emotionally:“You are always at the steering wheel. The question is: what can you do from here?”It’s a gentle but firm reminder that power doesn’t lie in perfect plans—it lies in present choices.Watch Full Episode📕 Order the WanderWomen book – A love letter to women who dare to dream across borders: https://www.shivangiwalke.com/wanderwomenWith courage,ShivangiThis Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Shivangi Walke at theshivangiwalke.substack.com/subscribe

“I came with a suitcase and a few degrees. But none of those opened doors. What did? My confidence.”What happens when everything you worked for—your titles, your degrees, your reputation—doesn’t travel with you?That’s what Radhika Raizada discovered when she moved from India to Dubai to the UK, armed with a decade of professional experience… and a whole new identity to build from scratch.Like many high-skilled immigrant women, she did “all the right things.”She earned the qualifications. Climbed the corporate ladder. Adapted.Only to find herself in a world where those achievements suddenly didn’t hold the same weight.Sound familiar?You walk into a room where your accent makes you second-guess your own fluency.You submit applications and wonder if your international MBA means less here.You sit quietly in meetings, afraid that being “too much” will cost you the chance to belong.And eventually, you begin to wonder:Maybe I don’t count here.That’s the quiet heartbreak so many high-skilled immigrant women carry.But Radhika did something radical:She stopped waiting for the world to validate her—and started validating herself.🎧 In this episode, Radhika shares:– How she rebuilt her confidence after realizing her qualifications alone wouldn’t open doors– The surprising strength that came from starting over, again and again– Her struggle with asking for help (and why that shifted everything)– The difference between adapting and belonging– How leadership became more authentic once she stopped chasing perfectionAnd this line stayed with me long after we hit stop on the recording:“I’ve learned to show up with what I know and what I don’t know. That’s confidence too.”💬 We don’t talk enough about this:That for many immigrant women, reinvention isn’t a bold leap—it’s a quiet negotiation.Between what to keep and what to let go.Between what still serves you and what doesn’t.Between who you used to be and who you’re becoming.It’s the confidence to be seen.Even when you feel invisible.Especially then.💡 Toolkit:Radhika’s 3 reminders for thriving through reinvention:🪙 Confidence is your true currency.In systems where credentials may be dismissed, confidence is what gets remembered.📣 Ask for help.Not because you’re weak—but because connection builds momentum.🌱 Stop trying to fit.You’re not here to blend in. You’re here to belong. On your own terms.📚 WanderWomen: How High-Skilled Immigrant Women ThriveRadhika’s story is one of many featured in the book—raw, wise, and wildly relatable.If you’ve ever felt like your qualifications vanished at the border, this book will remind you:You never lost your brilliance. The system just wasn’t built to see it.👉 Pre-order here: shivangiwalke.com/wanderwomen🎧 Watch the full episode nowAnd share this with someone who’s in the middle of starting over.You never know how much they need to hear:You’re not behind.You’re just beginning again…with more power than before.With love and fire,Shivangi Get full access to Shivangi Walke at theshivangiwalke.substack.com/subscribe

“Whatever you have here”—she gestures to her heart, to her history—“It doesn’t disappear when you change countries. You bring your suitcase with you. Always.”This episode of WanderWomen shook me.Because Oksana Prokhorova doesn’t tell a polished story. She tells the real one.The one with a burnout so deep that brushing her teeth felt like a triumph.The one where a white-glove immigration experience still couldn’t cushion the cultural rupture.The one where reinvention only began after everything safe and certain came undone.We often romanticize immigration as a new beginning. But Oksana reminds us:✨ You don’t arrive empty-handed.You bring your fears, your family stories, your survival patterns—and sometimes, your pain.In this episode, we talk about:* 💬 Learning to speak the local language and finally choosing to use it* 🔥 Leaving toxic work cultures (even when they’re prestigious)* 🧠 Therapy, trauma, and the invisible “suitcase” many immigrants carry* 💸 Why financial literacy is the quiet superpower every woman needsOne of my favorite moments?When Oksana says: “You can’t out-therapy a toxic workplace. You just have to leave.”That level of clarity and courage can change lives.Toolkit:3 Anchors from Oksana’s Story* Learn the local language even if it scares you. Belonging starts with choosing to belong.* Financial independence is freedom. Learn to manage your money before life forces you to.* Do the inner work. Therapy won’t solve everything, but it can stop you from bringing the same pain into every new chapter.WanderWomen: How High-Skilled Immigrant Women Thrive is now available for orderIf Oksana’s story moved you, the book is filled with dozens more like hers—raw, real, and revolutionary.👉 Order here: shivangiwalke.com/wanderwomenWatch the full episodeLet this be your reminder:Reinvention doesn’t start with readiness.It starts with refusal, refusal to keep carrying pain you didn’t choose.With love,ShivangiThis Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Shivangi Walke at theshivangiwalke.substack.com/subscribe

“We think we need to feel confident before we act. But what if confidence is not a feeling—it’s the act itself?”This week on WanderWomen: The Podcast, I’m joined by the wise and wonderful Mildred Fischli—a Filipina-born Swiss professional who speaks with a gentleness that masks the extraordinary depth of her courage.Mildred doesn’t shout her story. She lives it.In this episode, we talk about:* 💡 Why “feeling ready” is often a myth—and what to do instead* ✨ How gifted feedback helped her realize she was playing too small* 🧳 What it takes to find belonging in a country where you weren’t born* 📿 The image of reinvention as “a pearl necklace,” with each experience becoming a bead on the stringOne of my favorite parts of this conversation is when Mildred gently dismantles the idea that confidence must come before you leap. For her, action is the leap. And each small, deliberate decision adds up to a life she never imagined possible when she first arrived in Switzerland.Whether you're navigating a new chapter, shifting your career path, or still doubting whether you're “ready”—this episode is for you.💡 Toolkit:3 Reflections from Mildred’s Reinvention Journey* Start before you're ready. You will never feel ready. Start anyway.* Ask for feedback from people you trust. It may sting. And it may set you free.* Take one step. Not ten. Not fifty. Just one. Then another. That's all you need to do.📚 Pre-Order WanderWomen: How High-Skilled Immigrant Women ThriveThe book is now available! Stories like Mildred’s—and so many others—fill its pages. This is a book for every woman who’s ever felt out of place while daring to grow into who she’s meant to be.📖 Order now🎧 Listen to the full episode on all major podcast platforms.Or Watch It Here:With love,Shivangi Get full access to Shivangi Walke at theshivangiwalke.substack.com/subscribe

“No one else will pick you up—you have to do it yourself.”— Hülya Kurt, WanderWomen Podcast, Episode 6What does it take to rebuild yourself when life hands you a redundancy slip instead of a roadmap?This week’s guest on the WanderWomen Podcast, Hülya Kurt, knows that journey intimately. She’s moved countries multiple times, reinvented her identity, and built a career that spans from secretarial desks to the boardrooms of global corporations.But her greatest reinvention came when the corporate world let her go—and she chose to create her own.The Journey of ReinventionHülya’s story begins in Germany, where she was the Turkish kid who didn’t quite fit in on the playground—and the girl who found her voice through books.She moved back to Turkey at 18 and felt like a foreigner in her own country. She built a life there, only to uproot again for a corporate job in Switzerland—another reinvention, another beginning.When she was made redundant after decades in the corporate world, she didn’t let the loss define her. She decided to step into her full strength as a career coach, keynote speaker, and founder—helping other professionals discover their calling.Her motto?“Pick yourself up. No one else will do it for you.”Themes We Explore:* What home means when you carry multiple identities* Why self-belief is a muscle that needs daily exercise* The cultural practices (like Turkish cooking and TV shows) that anchor her in moments of change* The micro-moments of inclusion—like making the effort to speak the local language—that build bridges faster than any corporate DEI training* The resilience required to build again, and again, and againThis episode is for you if:* You’ve been told to “stay in your lane”* You’re navigating redundancy or forced reinvention* You’re searching for a sense of belonging in a place that sometimes feels foreign* You’ve ever doubted your worth in a system that doesn’t see all of youReflection Prompts:* When was the last time you picked yourself up—not because you wanted to, but because you had to?* How do you define home today? Is it a place, a feeling, or both?* What small rituals remind you of who you are—no matter where you are?* Whose permission have you been waiting for to reinvent your life?Upcoming Event: GenevaLive Conversation with Hülya Kurt📅 June 26, 2025 | 6:30–8:00 PM CET📍 Swiss School of Business and Management (SSBM Geneva)Geneva Business Center, Avenue des Morgines 12, 1213 GenèveIn collaboration with InKickJoin us for an inspiring evening of conversation, connection, and community as I sit down with Hülya Kurt to dive deeper into her journey of reinvention and resilience. We’ll explore what it means to pick yourself up, especially when no one else will, and how to build a life and career that honors every part of who you are.Whether you’re navigating a career transition, finding your voice in a new culture, or redefining your path on your own terms, this event is for you.Seats are limited, don’t miss this chance to connect with other WanderWomen in Geneva.👉 RSVP: www.shivangiwalke.com/wanderwomen-tour Watch the episodeOrder the Book:If this conversation resonates, WanderWomen: How High-Skilled Immigrant Women Thrive is for you.It’s filled with stories like Hülya’s, stories of women who rose again and again, on their own terms.👉 Order nowYour strength is not in never falling.It’s in knowing how to rise, every time.With love and fierce encouragement,Shivangi Get full access to Shivangi Walke at theshivangiwalke.substack.com/subscribe

You Are More Than Their LabelsMigration, Multitudes & Mental Health — with Tatiana Serikova“Don’t let them frame you.”— advice Tatiana Serikova received from a mentor at McKinsey, and a line she’s carried ever since.Most of us—especially as immigrant women—have been framed.Framed by someone else’s perception.Framed by systems that want us to stay in our lane.Framed by cultures that see only one version of us at a time.But what if your power lives in being too complex to reduce? Too whole to fragment?This week on the WanderWomen Podcast, I sit down with Tatiana Serikova—executive coach, facilitator, and founder of Beehane—for a conversation that is both thoughtful and fiercely liberating.Tatiana’s story spans from a closed Soviet town to a Dutch citizenship ceremony that brought her to tears. She’s lived in six countries, navigated career shifts across finance, consulting, and coaching, and now supports high-performing professionals as they navigate mental health at work.But this isn’t a “pivot” story.This is a story of how we carry multitudes.Of how identity is not a box—it’s a mosaic.Of how mental health and self-worth can be quietly eroded in high-performance cultures—and how we reclaim them.🎧 In this episode, we explore:* What it means to outgrow the labels others give you* How to “unmute” your voice in cultures that reward silence* Why being a third-culture woman is both disorienting and freeing* The loneliness that can come with ambition—and how to ground yourself* Why Tatiana believes self-trust is the most radical form of reinventionOne of my favorite moments is when she reflects on the power of rituals:“Even the way I make tea can help me come home to myself.”💭 This episode is for you if:* You’ve ever questioned where you belong—especially after moving countries* You’ve been praised for being adaptable, but feel like you’ve lost your center* You’re ready to reclaim the full version of yourself—not just the palatable one* You’re building something new but unsure how to anchor your identity in the process🧭 Your Reflection Toolkit:* What labels (from family, colleagues, society) have you outgrown—but still carry?* When was the last time you felt wholly “yourself”—and what were you doing?* What grounding rituals, objects, or practices help you come home to yourself?* What version of you do people see at work? At home? What’s missing between them?Watch the full episode📚 Pre-order WanderWomen: How High-Skilled Immigrant Women ThriveThis isn’t just a podcast—it’s part of a movement.The WanderWomen book is a love letter to every high-skilled immigrant woman who crossed borders, remade herself, and now dares to define success on her own terms.🎉 Launching July 2025.📦 Pre-order now: shivangiwalke.com/wanderwomenYou are more than their labels.You are not too much. You are not too different.You are a whole world.With reverence,Shivangi Get full access to Shivangi Walke at theshivangiwalke.substack.com/subscribe

What does it mean to belong when you’ve crossed every kind of border — cultural, professional, geographic, generational?What does it mean to sit at the table, not just as a token, or an exception, but as a presence that reshapes the table itself?This week on WanderWomen: The Podcast, I speak with Dr. Shefaly Yogendra, a portfolio non-executive director, emerging technology advisor, and one of the most insightful, deeply grounded women I’ve had the privilege to know for over two decades.Shefaly doesn’t raise her voice to be heard — she doesn’t need to.Her clarity cuts through. Her steadiness reverberates.And when she says something, you feel it.💬 Belonging Doesn’t Wait for PermissionOne of the most powerful things Shefaly said in this conversation was this:“If I’m in the room, I belong there. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be there.”There was no arrogance in her tone — just a quiet self-trust that’s been earned over years of showing up in rooms where she was one of the only women. One of the only people of color. One of the few people bringing a different lens.And yet, she never outsourced her sense of belonging to the room itself.Belonging, she reminded me, isn’t something others bestow.It’s something we carry. It’s something we anchor in our core.And if you’re waiting for someone else to tell you that you deserve to be there — you’ll be waiting your whole life.🌿 Grounded in Culture, Sharpened by SystemsShefaly grew up in pre-liberalization India — a world of scarcity, frugality, and what she calls “value extraction.” These weren’t just economic principles — they were cultural. They were familial. They shaped how she sees everything from boardroom budgeting to water conservation.What struck me was this:She didn’t leave her culture behind to succeed in the West.She carried it in with her — not as baggage, but as ballast.And it’s made her more, not less.✨ Boardrooms, Bias & BecomingIn the UK, after years of corporate experience, Shefaly found herself facing a new layer of bias:Questions about her legal status.Assumptions about her age, her family planning, her future.At the time, there were no words for what she was experiencing.Now, we’d call it bias. Xenophobia. Structural erasure.Back then? It was simply what you had to “deal with.”Instead of letting it shrink her, she built her own path — a portfolio career long before the term became fashionable.Today, she advises boards on risk, tech, and strategy — and in doing so, she’s quietly reframing how leadership shows up in rooms where power has historically been held by the same kind of people.She’s not just sitting at the table.She’s redesigning it.💭 Red Lines, Reflection & the Discipline of Knowing YourselfWhen I asked Shefaly what she would say to high-skilled immigrant women navigating disorientation — that foggy space of reinvention and quiet grief — she didn’t offer a quick fix.Instead, she offered this:“Know your core. Know your boundaries.Your purpose lives in your core.Your power lives in your boundaries.Discomfort often comes from betraying either one.”That sentence felt like truth carved into stone.Because how many of us have ignored our core to “fit in”?How often have we overstepped our own boundaries, hoping to be seen?Clarity doesn’t make you harder to work with. It makes you impossible to misplace.And that, to me, is what Shefaly teaches by example.🎧 In this episode, we explore:* What it means to belong without waiting for external approval* How cultural values — not just Western norms — can shape modern leadership* The “drive-by feedback” trap and how to distinguish noise from growth* Gendered double standards in early career moments — like being locked in a girls’ hostel while the boys roamed freely* Why boundaries, reflection, and calm clarity are tools for surviving complexity — not personality traits🧭 This episode is for you if:* You’ve ever been underestimated or tokenized in high-power spaces* You’re navigating reinvention in systems that weren’t built for your identity* You’re searching for ways to lead without losing yourself* You’re ready to move from surviving the room — to reshaping itWatch the full episode now:📬 Subscribe for early access + reflections like this each month.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.📚 And while you’re here...My upcoming book WanderWomen: How High-Skilled Immigrant Women Thrive is a love letter, a truth bomb, and a permission slip for every woman who’s reinvented herself across borders.Pre-order here:👉 https://www.shivangiwalke.com/wanderwomenYou don’t need to be louder.You don’t need to be less.You don’t need to wait.You already belong.Now lead like it.With reverence and fire,Shivangi Get full access to Shivangi Walke at theshivangiwalke.substack.com/subscribe

We’re told to “have it all.”But what if you didn’t have to?What if thriving didn’t mean doing everything—but doing what truly matters, one brave decision at a time?In this week’s episode of WanderWomen: The Podcast, I speak with Bancy Gakuru, a senior HR leader whose career has taken her across Africa, Asia, and Europe—and back again.She shares the real story behind some of her biggest moves:✅ Moving countries solo with her four-year-old✅ Taking the “same role” abroad, instead of pushing for a promotion✅ Leaving her daughter in her partner’s care to focus on career growth (a rare move, especially in her culture)None of it was “conventional.”All of it was deeply intentional.And the advice that anchored it all?“You don’t have to do it all at once. Bite slowly, make it manageable.”🎧 In this episode, we unpack:* Letting go of pressure to upgrade your role and your life at the same time* Hosting as hospitality, and hospitality as cultural power* What belonging feels like when it shows up unexpectedly* Parenting, partnership & leadership on your own terms* And asking for help—then letting people show up for you“There’s a lot of support out there. But we have to ask.”Watch Full EpisodeYou Don’t Have to Do It All: On Balance, Belonging & Big MovesWith Bancy Gakuru✍🏽 Your WanderWomen Reflection:* Where am I still trying to prove I can “do it all”?* What would it look like to scale back—not because I’m failing, but because I’m focused?* What support do I need that I haven’t asked for yet?This episode is a permission slip to do things differently.📚 Pre-order the book that started it all:WanderWomen: How High-Skilled Immigrant Women Thrive is out June 2025👉 shivangiwalke.com/wanderwomenWith love and truth,Shivangi Get full access to Shivangi Walke at theshivangiwalke.substack.com/subscribe

What if the thing that sets you apart is actually the source of your greatest strength?If you’ve ever felt like you don’t quite fit in,If you’ve lived across borders—geographical, cultural, emotional—If you’ve had to explain who you are before being allowed to simply be...This one is for you.In the second episode of WanderWomen: The Podcast, I speak with Hanae Bezad—impact entrepreneur, investor, author of Being Other, and one of the most thoughtful voices I’ve encountered on identity, cultural fluidity, and what it means to truly belong.Born in Morocco, educated in France, rooted in Africa’s tech transformation, Hanae has spent her life at the intersections:🌍 Between cultures🌐 Between disciplines💡 Between systems and imaginationHer journey—from digital strategist in Paris to policymaker in Kigali, to creative curator in Lisbon and investor in Canada—is anything but linear. But it is deeply intentional.What we talk about in this episode:🌀 Reimagining home as a return to self—not a fixed place👣 Living through the “biology” of immigration and the cost of starting over🎤 The quiet power of being witnessed, and how music, creativity, and voice create spaces of belonging📖 Writing Being Other and how storytelling heals us—first internally, then collectively💼 And how to carry your experience without letting it become your baggage“Don’t bring your past into your future.”That line stayed with me long after we hit stop on the recording.If you’ve ever felt like the outsider, listen to this.Not because it’ll tie everything up neatly—belonging isn’t a tidy concept.But because Hanae invites us to sit with the complexity of being different—and to see it as sacred.💬 "Home is a dialogue."💬 "Being other is an invitation to create new language, new meaning, new space."💬 "You can walk with doubt and still move forward."📚 Learn more about Hanae’s work & her book Being Other: https://beehane.org/about/🌀 Feeling called to share your own story? DM me.New episodes of WanderWomen drop every second Friday.We’re just getting started.With love,Shivangi✨ Pre-order my book WanderWomen: How High-Skilled Immigrant Women Thrive – a memoir and movement for women reinventing themselves beyond borders:👉 https://www.shivangiwalke.com/wanderwomen Get full access to Shivangi Walke at theshivangiwalke.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, she shares a powerful insight—one we’ve all felt but rarely admit. Tune in to hear more about her journey and the wisdom she imparts. Get full access to Shivangi Walke at theshivangiwalke.substack.com/subscribe