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What do you do when life forces you to press pause?In this moving episode of Stories Seldom Told, Smita Tharoor speaks with former French teacher Sarbari Sen, whose life has been shaped not only by two primary cancer diagnoses but by an unwavering belief in the joy of living.For more than three decades, Sarbari inspired generations of students with her love of French, literature and learning. Today, while undergoing chemotherapy every two weeks for pancreatic cancer, she lives by a simple philosophy, some days demand that we pause, but whenever we can, we must press play.Together, Smita and Sarbari explore what it means to embrace uncertainty without surrendering to it. They talk about family, friendship, teaching, becoming a grandmother, finding humour in the darkest moments, and why she refuses to "die every day" before death arrives.This is not a conversation about cancer. It is a conversation about resilience, gratitude and choosing to love life, even when life becomes fragile.If you've ever faced uncertainty, loss, illness, or simply wondered how to keep moving forward when life changes course, Sarbari's story offers wisdom, warmth and hope in equal measure.Because sometimes the most courageous thing we can do is simply press play again. Podcast: Stories Seldom Told Host: Smita Tharoor Guest: Sarabari Sen Produced by: Abhishek Bhatnagar Connect with Smita TharoorInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/smitatharoor?igsh=MXRqaXlsaHpiMmk2OA== Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/smitatharoor_storiesseldomtold-podcast-sonaligupta-activity-7463913591788716032-9_2e?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAHUJwoBHR47npoT_WF37rEixlVIGKlB65YConnect with Sarabari Sen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarbari2238/?hl=en Watch more heartwarming conversations here:https://www.youtube.com/@UCOoPdYQWFaJODbhweo_ujsg #storiesseldomtold #podcast #cancer #chemotherapy #livinglife

What does it really mean to understand someone whose mind experiences the world differently? In this episode of Stories Seldom Told, Smita Tharoor speaks with advertising executive and author Debasish Paul, whose greatest education came not in the boardroom, but through raising his autistic son, Noel. Drawing on deeply personal stories from his book I Have Autism and I Like to Play Bad Tennis, Debasish shares the lessons that transformed him as a father. From recognising the importance of emotional safety and structure to understanding why seemingly small moments can leave lifelong impressions. This isn't a conversation about diagnosing autism. It's about learning to see the world through another person's eyes. Honest, compassionate, and practical, it offers valuable insights for parents, educators, employers, and anyone who wants to build more understanding in their relationships. Because sometimes the greatest lesson isn't teaching someone else how to fit into our world—it's learning how to step into theirs. Podcast: Stories Seldom ToldHost: Smita TharoorGuest: Debashis PaulProduced by: Abhishek BhatnagarConnect with Smita TharoorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smitatharoor?igsh=MXRqaXlsaHpiMmk2OA==Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/smitatharoor_storiesseldomtold-podcast-sonaligupta-activity-7463913591788716032-9_2e?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAHUJwoBHR47npoT_WF37rEixlVIGKlB65YConnect with Debashis PaulInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/debashispaul2004?igsh=Nno3ejF0YzFqOGNlWatch more heartwarming conversations here:https://www.youtube.com/@UCOoPdYQWFaJODbhweo_ujsg #StoriesSeldomTold #AutismAcceptance #Neurodiversity #Learning #Parenting #Podcast

What happens when the thing you rely on to cope becomes the thing that almost destroys you? In this episode of Stories Seldom Told, I speak with writer, filmmaker and creative producer Benji Thomas about his journey through addiction, recovery, and rebuilding a life with purpose. From working in London’s nightlife scene as a teenager, to experiencing withdrawal seizures, multiple rock bottoms, and eventually entering rehab in South Africa, Benji shares his story with remarkable honesty and insight. We explore the nature of addiction, the illusion of control, the role of grief and anxiety, and why recovery is about far more than simply giving up alcohol. Benji reflects on surrender, connection, creativity, and the importance of finding something worth living for. Today, three years sober, he channels those hard-won lessons into storytelling, filmmaking, and building communities that help people feel seen. This is a conversation about resilience, vulnerability, second chances, and the extraordinary possibility of starting again. Connect with me on Instagram, Linkedin and watch more inspiring conversations in full on Youtube - @smitatharoor Connect with Benji Thomas on Instagram - @benakt --- --- Stories Seldom Told Host: Smita Tharoor Guest: Benji Thomas Produced by: Abhishek Bhatnagar

At 25, Todd McGuire's life changed forever when he discovered that his partner had taken her own life. Consumed by grief, guilt, and unanswered questions, he spent years trying to outrun the trauma. What followed was a remarkable journey into the dangerous world of undercover policing where Todd adopted a new identity, infiltrated criminal networks, and repeatedly risked his life - all while battling PTSD, addiction, and his own inner demons. In this raw and deeply honest conversation, Todd shares what trauma really looks like, why so many people suffer in silence, and how he eventually found a path toward healing, self-forgiveness, and hope. A powerful story of loss, resilience, and the courage to keep moving forward when life pulls the rug from beneath your feet. Todd is the author of Donny: An Undercover Cop with a Death Wish, a memoir chronicling his extraordinary journey from trauma to healing. Connect with me on Instagram, Linkedin and watch more inspiring conversations in full on Youtube - @smitatharoor Connect with Todd Maguire on Instagram - @todd_author_donny --- --- Stories Seldom Told Host: Smita Tharoor Guest: Todd Maguire Produced by: Abhishek Bhatnagar

In this very touching episode of Stories Seldom Told, I speak to clinical psychotherapist and bestselling author Sonali Gupta about grief — not just as loss of a loved one, but as something far more universal. About the very real topics of loss, healing, and how we learn to carry love after losing loved ones. Together, we discuss how grief transforms over time, the fact that there isn’t one “right” way to deal with grief, the heavy impact of silence and suppressed emotions, and finally, how grief can heal by learning to move forward in love rather than by moving on completely. “We don’t forget people we love. We build our lives around the memories of them.” This episode is honest, tender, funny and full of insight for anyone who has loved, lost, carried silence, or tried to make sense of life’s emotional complexities. Thank you Sonali Gupta for a great conversation If this conversation moved you, do take the time to like, comment, and subscribe for more insightful conversations ahead! Grief evolves. Love remains. Connect with me on Instagram, Linkedin and watch more inspiring conversations in full on Youtube - @smitatharoor Connect with Sonali Gupta on Instagram or Youtube - @mentalhealthwithsonali --- --- Stories Seldom Told Host: Smita Tharoor Guest: Sonali Gupta Produced by: Abhishek Bhatnagar

What do objects remember… that we don’t? In this deeply reflective episode, we sit down with AT Boyle, the mind behind Ex Objects, a project born from loss, memory, and the quiet stories hidden in everyday things. From a preserved wedding cake dove to fragmented paintings shaped by grief, this conversation moves through the spaces we often avoid: loss, distance, and the things left unsaid. More importantly, it explores what comes after, creation, connection, and finding meaning in what remains. We talk about: – How grief can transform into art – The idea of “things we don’t see” in the people we love – Objects as carriers of memory, emotion, and untold stories – Why making something, anything, can help us move forward This isn’t just about loss. It’s about what we choose to hold on to, and what we create from it. 🎧 If you’ve ever attached meaning to something small… this one’s for you.

Neha Kirpal returns for a deeply personal conversation about loss, resilience, and the realities of mental health. In this episode, she speaks openly about her younger brother Arjun — the life he lived, the struggles he carried after years of childhood trauma, and what it meant for her family to lose him to suicide. Neha reflects on the signs families often struggle to recognise, the gaps in mental health care, and the emotional weight caregivers quietly carry. With honesty and vulnerability, she shares what grief can look like — the guilt, the questions, and the long journey of trying to make sense of a loss like this. Along the way, she asks an important question: how can families, communities, and institutions do better when someone is silently struggling? This conversation isn’t about easy answers. It’s about understanding, compassion, and the importance of talking about mental health before it reaches a breaking point. A powerful and deeply human episode about love, loss, and why these conversations matter more than ever.

Neha Kirpal is a social entrepreneur and mental health advocate whose life has been shaped by resilience, caregiving, and the courage to turn pain into purpose. In this episode, she speaks candidly about growing up with a mother living with schizophrenia, navigating childhood trauma, and how those experiences led her to build one of India’s leading mental health platforms. From survival patterns to self-belonging, Neha reflects on what it truly means to move from strength to wholeness. This is a thoughtful, deeply human conversation about caregiving, identity, grief, and the ongoing journey of coming home to yourself. A quietly powerful listen for anyone interested in resilience, mental health, and healing.

Dr. Marc Boaz is an existential psychotherapist, academic, and policy advisor whose work rethinks trauma through a deeply human lens. In this episode, he speaks about his own experiences, the inner work that shaped him, and how meaning-making became central to healing. Marc shares insights from his career across psychotherapy, teaching, authorship, and national policy — especially his work with marginalized communities and the UK Trauma Council. His reflections offer a grounded, compassionate reminder that healing isn’t about “getting over” the past, but learning to live with it in ways that honour who we are. A thoughtful and quietly powerful conversation for anyone interested in resilience, identity, and mental health.

Growing up in Cornwall, surrounded by the music and lyrics of 80s pop, Alan Green always had a deep connection to sounds, music, and storytelling. Sure enough, he took on his path of adulthood, the big-city, structure and stability. Until the unexpected happened. A redundancy notice. A pause. And a question: “What now?” In this episode, Alan shares how that moment of uncertainty became a turning point, leading him to rediscover his voice as a writer and creator. His book, Sound Advice, blends lessons from his life, his love for music, and his belief that the lyrics we live by often shape who we become.

After a successful 20-year career as a journalist and corporate executive, Carole Hopson made a bold decision to step into the cockpit. Today, she is a Boeing 737 Captain with United Airlines, based in Newark, New Jersey, and she's one of the few Black women in the world to hold that position. Carole’s journey wasn’t easy. Having faced an accident, financial sacrifice, the rigor of flight school, and motherhood, she pursued a dream that had waited decades to take flight. Alongside her aviation career, she remains deeply connected to her love of storytelling as the author of A Pair of Wings, a novel inspired by Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to earn a French pilot’s license. Through her work, Carole celebrates courage, legacy, and representation. Her nonprofit project, The Jet Black Foundation, aims to send 100 Black women to flight school by 2035 to create a new generation of pioneers in aviation. This episode is about more than flying; it’s about resilience, purpose, and daring to rewrite your story mid-flight.

Solange Ndip is the founder of Solange Rising Star (SRS), a survivor-led movement born from her own experience of SA trauma and resilience. What began as a deeply personal journey of healing has grown into an organization uniting survivors, witnesses, and allies to transform pain into collective power. “Our voices, once silenced by fear, can become the sound of hope.” Through initiatives like Kacherkatan, inspired by the metamorphosis of a butterfly, Solange and her team empower survivors across Cameroon’s rural and conflict-affected regions through education, advocacy, and creativity. Her story is one of courage, community, and refusing to let silence win.

"So what if it's hard? So what if it takes time? So what if I've stumbled before? I will keep going." Lt. Col. (Dr) Dharamdatt Goel (Retd.) is a Motivational Speaker and Corporate Trainer, with a Doctorate in Psychology, and a Postgraduate Degree in Personnel Management. In 2002, he lost a leg below the knee while on an operation at the Line of Control. However, he was undeterred as he embraced many adventure sports, and made it to the Limca Book of Records as the first Indian to paraglide with an artificial leg. He's also the author of the bestsellers 'When People Doubted My Ability to Walk, I Decided to Fly,' and 'The Magic of So What'.

Megan Davis is a lawyer turned author of two novels, The Messenger and Bay of Thieves. The latter released in 2024 follows two women, Vanessa and Kate, who get dragged into a glamorous but dangerous world of financial crime and corruption spanning London all the way to the south of France. Bay of Thieves was the Sunday Times thriller of the month for July 2024. It's been described as "A timely, gripping, and richly nuanced financial thriller that exposes the Riviera’s seedy underbelly". "I had this idea that fraud and corruption were very complicated concepts, and they needed time to cook up. But at that point, I realized how simple it was and how it was actually the easiest thing to do. It's very easy to bribe someone, to falsify documents and to lie. I didn't do it more out of fear than anything else, because I'm quite cautious. But I could really imagine doing that kind of thing." To stay up to date, follow me on Instagram and X (Twitter) @smitatharoor. Stream and follow us on your favourite podcast platform.

Dr. Satyen Sharma is a consulting psychiatrist who has been working in Punjab and in and around Delhi for 16 years. He was trained at the prestigious Armed Forces Medical College, in Pune, India. Satyen has held leadership positions as Secretary and then President of the Indian Association of Private Psychiatry. His areas of interest are addiction psychiatry and general adult psychiatry. "It would be so common for a family from Punjab to bring in a young, strapping, healthy boy, 20 years of age, who's been using heroin for some time. And they would tell me, 'Doctor, this boy, we want you to remove his heroin habit. And we have given him no work at all.' Now he's free to work out on his addiction, which is so counterintuitive. The first thing I would say is that if he doesn't have any responsibilities or anything to look forward to, what motivation does he have to go off drugs?" To stay up to date, follow me on Instagram and X (Twitter) @smitatharoor. Stream and follow us on your favourite podcast platform.