Today, I'm so excited to welcome Nina Davuluri to the show! She made history as the first South Asian woman to win Miss America, and in this episode, she gets vulnerable about topics that affect all of us almost every day. We dive into beauty standards, body image, media influence, cultural impacts, and why it's important to question norms. Nina has such a warm, unique, and truthful perspective on these complex issues, having experienced them firsthand in the pageant world.

Nina won Miss America back in 2013, and throughout our conversation, she reflects on all the ways she's grown and changed since and how society has evolved. She opens up about how being a beauty pageant winner influenced her self-perception and how she separates beauty trends as self-care versus seeking outside validation. Nina also shares her advice for unlearning harmful beliefs, overcoming societal pressures, and deconstructing generational body image trauma, especially in South Asian households.

Plus, we chat about how Nina has found her calling in storytelling and why sharing our personal stories is a potent tool for encouraging meaningful change and empowering the next generation to challenge the norms.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

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Topics Covered:

• How much perceptions can change over a decade
• Exploring the influence of pageantry on body image and beauty standards
• Why social media has a massive impact on our self-esteem
• Nina’s journey with weight fluctuation and tips for combating negative body comments
• Advice for unlearning harmful generational beliefs, behaviors, and colorism
• The power of storytelling and Nina’s goals for her documentary, COMPLEXion

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