When Nitin & Pravina Shah, a quintessential Indian couple, set foot on American soil in the late 1970s with just $8 in their pocket, they knew the road ahead would be challenging. Like most immigrants, they struggled to carve out a prosperous life in a foreign land. Their daughters Simi Shah and Mili Shah grew up in Atlanta’s thriving South Asian community, listening to ancestral stories rich in culture and family values and watching the soul-stirring intergenerational narratives of Bollywood director Karan Johar. Somehow, this combination brought the girls closer to their roots amidst the myriad cultures surrounding them. Over time, while Simi’s elder sister pursued law and real estate, Simi, a dual entrepreneur and creator at heart, grew inclined towards the fascinating art of storytelling, using it as a bridge to bring different communities, cultures, and experiences under one roof.

Before discussing Simi’s affinity for storytelling and how she turned it into an award-winning media platform, community, and agency, South Asian Trailblazers – let’s look at her formative years.

In the early 1980s, Simi’s nuclear engineer father pivoted to entrepreneurship when the industry experienced a massive setback. He then ventured into the hotel and hospitality space and did exceedingly well. Her mother juggled between shuttling her sister and her to various extracurricular activities like piano and dance lessons while instilling strong spiritual and ethical values in them. Both taught their daughters that they could do anything. From the beginning, a keen sense of entrepreneurship greatly impacted Simi. She witnessed her parents realize their dream of building a life in America. Their journey motivated her to aspire high, look beyond her comfort zone, and embrace new experiences, gradually transitioning into the individual she is today.

Fast forward to 2019, Simi graduated from the prestigious Harvard University and worked in the finance and private equity field. Though she enjoyed her stint, she transitioned to media shortly before the pandemic struck and found it interesting. About a year later, the first-generation American got an exciting opportunity that significantly broadened her outlook – Simi got recruited by the former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi, to serve as a Chief of Staff for her book launch. Speaking of her experience, she says,

“Indra will always be an incredible influence in my life. I walked away with so many invaluable lessons about work, life, and relationships in working in such a close capacity with her and her force of a team. I admire many things about her – most of all the dedication she brings to everything she takes on and the care that she shows to those around her. I hope I can be half the leader she is some day.”

Image: Simi Shah hosting Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal at the Indian American Impact Summit, DC

In 2020, shortly after leaving finance and before joining Nooyi’s team, Simi established her passion project, South Asian Trailblazers, to spotlight eminent South Asians through engaging content and representation. A firm believer in the idea that people have unique callings, she found her calling in weaving narratives that resonate and inspire. Despite the path being less traveled, it never deterred her from taking a leap of faith. “Many of my contemporaries chose to stick to more structured career trajectories, which I respect immensely. For me, I realized I am a builder and a creator at heart. I always have been. I wanted to build something meaningful and impactful. Something that gets me excited to wake up every single day – because that’s what I grew up seeing in my family.”

The 26-year-old describes South Asian Trailblazers as the product of a strong affinity with her community. The initiative came to life after a solid urge to sustain cultural connections posed a specific challenge. “I looked around and realized – every movie I watch has South Asian names in the credits, every day a new South Asian leader is being named to the Fortune 500 C-Suite.” This observation brewed a desire within her. She thought about learning about how these leaders reached such pinnacles of success? She felt an undeniable sense of meaning is derived from learning the ropes from leaders who mirror your cultural roots. With this singular vision, she created a space to aggregate these stories so that generations of South Asians could learn from them.

Thus, the journey that commenced with a podcast has now grown into a beautiful community and agency quickly. Today, it engages with some of the most successful South Asians across myriad industries such as Actor Kal Penn, Indian Influencer Diipa Büller-Khosla, and HubSpot CEO Yamini Rangan. Beyond digital boundaries, the platform organizes live events, industry dinners and live podcast recordings across the country. Recently, season 7 of South Asian Trailblazers kicked off with couple Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis & Dr. Srishti Gupta Narasimhan, Physician Leader in Health and Education, as guests.  “The real measure of success for me is when we receive a message from a listener or reader or event attendee talking about how much a story resonated with them, or challenged them, or made them feel seen and heard. I’ve been so fortunate to build such profound relationships in building this company. It’s given me an even grander sense of community, and that energy, that momentum is what keeps me motivated to keep building. That’s why we’ve launched our Agency and Expert Network.”

Determined to take her dream project to new heights, Simi has also launched the Trailblazers Agency to forge impactful collaborations between exceptional leaders and visionary organizations — bringing fresh, diverse voices to main stages around the globe. She connects her base of South Asian clients – many of the trailblazers she’s featured on her podcast – to brand partnerships, speaking engagements, and consulting projects. “Our mission has always been about elevating leading South Asians. For me, the Agency and Expert Network is simply taking that mission one step further. We’re turning it into something even more tangible for these leaders. We strive to get them the opportunities and dollars their work merits. And we’re amplifying them beyond the confines of our community, on main stages around the world.”