Your Real Edge is Being Yourself — Meet Maulik Bhansali

About Maulik Bhansali:Maulik Bhansali is a senior portfolio manager and co-head at Allspring Global Investments. He grew up in New Jersey, started out as an actuary, then got a master’s in quantitative finance at UC Berkeley. For the last couple decades he’s been in the Bay Area managing bond portfolios. Outside of work, he’s raising a kid in a mixed-culture family, figuring out how to keep Gujarati traditions alive.What was most fun about this conversation:The rapid-fire part was great. When I asked what he couldn’t live without that was “stereotypically Indian,” he didn’t hesitate: food. Then he lit up talking about Vik’s Chaat in Berkeley. Also, his soundtrack picks cracked me up. A whole Bollywood movie soundtrack on one side and then “Dancing Queen” by ABBA on the other. That mix totally captures his balance of identities.What I was inspired by:I liked how he talked about investing being more than math. He said numbers matter but judgment and empathy matter just as much. That felt bigger than finance. It applies to life too. The other part that stuck was how he eventually stopped hiding parts of himself. Growing up Indian American in the eighties, then also being gay in a community where that wasn’t easy, he could have kept shrinking. Instead, he figured out how to bring it all together and be proud. That gave him a kind of steady confidence that was really powerful.What many of us Americans can relate with:Embarrassment when friends came over and smelled different food. Wishing you were like everyone else in middle school. Only realizing later how lucky you were to grow up bilingual or to eat the food your parents cooked. Having family expectations around careers but still finding a path you actually love. And as a parent, wanting your kid to accept people even if they do not fully understand them. All of that is super relatable, whether you’re Indian American or not.What I will think more about:His reminder that acceptance is enough. You don’t always have to understand someone completely. You can still choose respect. That feels like the simplest way to cut through so much conflict. I’ll also think more about identity being an advantage. If you grow up between cultures, you naturally notice patterns, empathize faster, and think from more than one angle. That is not just a nice character trait. It actually makes you better at solving problems.How this connects to other conversations:* With Gagan Biyani, the big theme was editing yourself in different spaces and how freeing it is when you stop doing that. Maulik lived that too on multiple fronts.* With Dr. Nirav Pandya, we heard about hiding his Indian side as a kid and then becoming proud of it. Maulik’s story about being embarrassed by Indian candy with friends is almost the same arc, just in a different setting.* With Dr. Neha Gupta, it was about how cultural norms are invisible until you are the one who doesn’t fit them. Maulik connected that to work and parenting, showing how those tiny signals shape judgment and empathy.* With Dr. Rajni Mandal, food was a big symbol of home and comfort. Maulik also came back to food as the tradition that survived and the part he cherishes most now.* With Divya Venn, the theme was identity online and how social media shapes what you hide or show. Maulik’s story was the offline version from the eighties, but the same pressure to conform was there.* With Sy Choudhury, it was about building technology that reflects multiple perspectives. Maulik showed how even in something as rigid as finance, perspective is what makes the difference.* With Prashanthi Raman, we focused on representation and what it means to show up authentically in public life. Maulik’s version of that happens quietly in boardrooms. Both remind us that visibility isn’t just about being seen, it’s about being real.If I had to sum it up, Maulik showed that when you stop cutting out parts of yourself and instead use all of them, you make better choices in work and life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indianamericanstories.substack.com