Episode Description
In this episode, I am speaking with Vaishali Gauba, who moved from India to the US to study journalism, worked her way to CBS News and the Stephen Colbert Show, then watched her plans change. She moved back to India, became an on-air journalist at an international news channel, and five years later landed in Toronto to do a master's and start over again.
While at a networking event, someone asked her how she liked running her PR business, and Vaishali's response was that she mostly loved it. To which the person responded, "most things in life."
That phrase has become a frame through which Vaishali views almost everything. She mostly belongs in Canada. She mostly belongs in India. She mostly lives in the in-between space.
I think it's a great way to pushback against a subtle heuristic that hangs over a lot of immigrant experience content. One that I am guilty of too. The pressure to fully belong somewhere, to either fully integrate into Canada or fully reclaim my old home.
Vaishali thinks neither is required, and you don't have to succumb to the pressure to find ways to belong.
Vaishali and I chat about:
What she'd say to a version of herself on day one in Canada
Why the act of immigrating is an achievement
The mental and emotional cost of running a business alone in a new country
Why the advice to give yourself more credit is hard to take when you need it most
How five years back in India changed her relationship with Indian culture
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Dozie's Notes
A few things that struck me as I listened through this week's conversation:
When couples immigrate, the partner who moves second often carries an invisible weight. They walk into a place where their partner already has friends, a job, a routine. Their identity has to get rebuilt while everyone around them is already living theirs. Navigating a new country as the second partner has its own asymmetry, and it can be jarring.
Belonging is often treated as a milestone in most immigrant stories. You arrive, you adapt, you belong. What probably matters more is creating a community where you are, and liking where you live, even if part of you is still dreaming of somewhere else. Cultural adaptation is a daily condition.
Official Links
✅ Connect with Vaishali Gauba on LinkedIn
✅ Book a free introductory PR session