Zarna Garg Plus One: Reinvention has No Age Limit

0:00This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human drink champ will be in the building Plus you know we gonna have a lot of guests So you need to join us and we got the black effect marketplace the picture podcast and everything you expect from the black effect podcast festival Tickets are on sale right now. Go get yours at blackeffect.com slash podcast festival. Don't play yourself, okay? You know rolled doll he thought of Willy Wonka in the bfg, but did you know he was a spy?

1:01In the new podcast the secret world of rolled doll I'll tell you that story and much much more What you probably won't believe it either was this before he wrote his stories I must have been Okay, I don't think that's true I'm telling you Listen to the secret world of rolled doll on the iHeart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast Marshmatton is this here and if you're trying to keep up with everything happening on and off the court We've got you covered on the podcast flagrant and funny. You want to start with the first question for the big chin coach of you? Oh, what do you like to do? You're a Spartan, is that what I'm exactly? On flagrant and funny we're giving our unfiltered takes on the biggest moments the conversations everyone's having so whether your bracket is busted Are you just want the latest on the tournament? We got you listen to flagrant and funny with carry champion and jamele heel on the iHeart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast Presented by capital one founding partner of iHeart women's sport 1010 Shopify city hall building could this have happened in city hall somebody tell me that a shocking public murder

2:07This is one of the most dramatic events that really ever happened in New York City politics I screamed get down get down those are shots a tragedy that's now forgotten and a mystery That may have been not have been political that may have been about sex Listen to the workshop murder at city hall on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts My career was on a roll in 2019 and then the world shut down and you know in America everybody was debating Where did the virus come from was it a bat was it a lab? It came from my mother in law's kitchen This woman was gonna do whatever it took to take me down Zarnagar has sold out stages around the world racked up billions of views written a New York Times best selling memoir And launched two comedy specials on prime video at Hulu all by turning her life into one of the funniest shows on the internet Oh no there's a lot of fighting but we save that for the tiktok we don't fight unless we can monitor exit anymore

3:10So unfollow me on Instagram show message my brothers I'm never talking to your sister again Please let her know that I feel that way And she's brought along her daughter Zoya the person who believed in her before she believed in herself Pushing her to step on stage at 44 we were just trying to make a living We were in such financial dire straits when my husband lost his job She did a open mic at the worst stand-up comedy club in the world And there were two or three people in the audience that have bought the five dollar ticket And the people in the audience were just dying they were falling off their chairs Join host Martin Luther King III, Andrea Waters King, Mark Tillberger and Craig Killberger were a hilarious and heartfelt conversation about starting again, defying expectations And what becomes possible when family believes in you first? You can sit and be consumed by the overwhelming nature of being stuck or say to yourself Welcome to my legacy

4:11Today's guest has lived what most people would call an impossible dream From surviving on her own in Mumbai at just 14 years old To becoming one of the most original voices in comedy right now Zarna Gart didn't just break through, she's become a cultural phenomenon Zarna in case you can't tell we are thrilled to have you with us today And as always on this show our extraordinary guests bring along someone who has been meaningful in their journey Zarna, welcome and would you do us the honor of introducing your plus one First of all, thank you so much for having me, what an honor to be in this company and in this mix I have brought with me my apprentice, my friend although she's on a waiting list for the friendship Honestly But my daughter, my oldest child, my daughter, Zoya Gart, who is a recent graduate of Stanford University

5:11In computer science, in case anybody was wondering In classics, if anyone was wondering In classics, because she managed to sneak that in there And her presence is important to me in this podcast because she was the one who helped me get started in comedy As you can imagine, not a single South Asian woman on earth is waking up thinking I hope I become a comic That's not a thing in our culture, like having fun is not a thing in our culture But my all American kids saw it in me before I saw it in me or anybody else did And for that reason, she's now part of my business, she just graduated Stanford, she's running my business now And helping it grow and enter a digital phase Wow Thank you so much for having me Thank you for being with us, we're honored to have you and have this conversation And congratulations on your recent graduation On this show, we like to go all the way back to where it kind of started

6:11Someone asked you about a moment that was both heartbreaking and life-changing You were just 14 years old when your mother tragically died Your father told you that you had two choices Get married by arrangement or leave home Can you take us back to that moment and facing that choice? So this story is extremely, is completely accurate But the truth is that I wasn't heartbroken then because I thought he was getting I didn't believe that he meant that You know, he was also shocked from losing his wife, my mother So when he said all that, I was like, oh, this is a moment, this is gonna pass Like there's no way he means this So it wasn't actually heartbreaking as much as it was like, what am I supposed to do? Because we were both grieving in our own ways You know, I was shocked that my mom, I didn't even know she was that sick

7:14Because they don't tell the kids anything back home They don't actually like, you know how in America we like, who's gonna talk to the kids? That's not a thing in India The kids are kind of in the background, they just hear whatever's in the air So I didn't even know she was as sick as she was And then I heard one day that she's no more So I had my own shock and then he had his own shocks And I didn't leave my house like wanting to take a big stand But at 14, 15, if your parent tells you, do this or else You immediately think, well, I don't have to be here I have so many friends I could be hanging out with And that's kind of how that moment erupted and grew Because I told him, no, I'm not getting married And he's like, if you don't get married, you can't live here I was a parent who wants to be here anyway I have so many friends And it kind of was one of those moments that then never reverse course As time went by, I realized how serious he was

8:15And then the reality of my limited option started setting in over time Immediately after those days Just on that note, because I understand that after that you spent a year homeless And then eventually agreed to marry somebody that your father chose Yeah Who in that process just before the wedding, your visa to the United States came through So take us back to that time and what was your first few months in America like? So I, it was almost two years actually, a year and a half plus of grifting Of what in America is called couch surfing So it wasn't homeless in that traditional way that I was literally out on the streets But I was like trying to lob pieces together with this person can take me in on Monday But if you can take me in on Thursday, then I'm gonna find like a bridge in between You know, my mom had a lot of goodwill with her friends So there were a lot of people concerned for my well-being But they were also very afraid of my dad My dad was a very powerful rich man in that world

9:17So they didn't want to they didn't want to like take the daughter in permanently But they also couldn't just shut the door in my face So it was a lot of push and pull And at some point I gave up I was like I can't you know you wear out The system wears you out like at some point you're exhausted You're like this is not happening So I did go back to my dad and I was like I actually remember saying you win I didn't know what else to say So I was like you win whatever you want to do And he didn't see it as a win just to be clear He was not a mean person, he was not a horrible person In his eyes he was doing what was right for his kid Back where I come from even today a lot of women get married in their teen years This is not an unusual thing Certainly 14, 15 was a little younger than the norm But we were not talking about a world where it's never been done It's been done all the time He was very much like okay now you've come to your senses

10:18But the day I met the guy that he had set me up with And I'm sure is a lovely man today I'm married to a woman my age That's the day I got a telegram saying my visa had been approved Wow Because I had been trying for so long and my sister living in America was trying to help me And trying to figure out like how the paperwork works You know it's like getting a proper visa to come to America is not easy Especially from India, there's so much paperwork involved, so much proof involved Wow When you were hearing and kept come to understand your mom's trials and tribulations, ups and downs How did that change your perspective and your relationship with her? Well she wouldn't tell me anything When you're growing up in America you are told to ask questions Especially about your family's history and your family's background And your mom is shaking her head for those of our listeners who are listening And your mom is shaking her head as you're saying that

11:18Yeah, because you know you want to know where you came from But when I would ask her questions she would say yes no focus on your homework You know like why are you asking me these questions? And over time I became persistent enough that I would get fragments You know I would say oh how did you where were you born? You know oh I was born in India Okay how did you get to America? Oh it's a long story but I lived with you're on And you know I would start to pick up the puzzle pieces And when I was growing up I started to realize hold on These puzzle pieces look very different than a lot of my peers There's something different in this story And it became so obvious when I was kind of a teenager And she was starting to start her own businesses That something was very different about her resilience And the way that she thought about building things It was just way more fearless than anything I'd ever seen in my life So to answer your question I didn't know anything And it took me probably 15 years

12:20And then after the book came out I finally got the whole story with everyone else Wow and let me tell you something as a mom You're going to keep discovering more and more things you don't know Because our daughter like every other she's like oh I didn't know that about you I didn't know so you think you know there's still more to uncover And you can't tell these kids anything Everything traumatizes them, everything gives them anxiety What am I going to tell her? What am I going to tell her that like it was you know my son her little one Was like how do I not know any of this because he read the book His classmates were reading the book And I was like don't read the book because it was not easy But if I tell you that like that's $10,000 of therapy I'll have to pay I have to ask this question You were 22 years old when you posted a personal ad Yeah Some of our listeners may not know what that is But that's like before the dating apps And in the ad I'm going to read exactly what you wrote

13:20Because I think is great Yeah To some I am too short or too plump Too dark or too argumentative But enough about me This is what I need from you Kindly include your most recent tax returns and medical records Now your future husband responded Is this ridiculous ad for real? And that was over 25 years ago and you all are still together What's the biggest mistake you see young people making when they're looking for a partner? There is this idea that you can cast a wide net Meet everybody and then the right one will show up I actually believe the opposite I think cast a very narrow net Look for exactly what you want or you think you want at least Because there's just no point lying about what might or might not work You know the things that you are gravitating towards That makes sense in your world

14:20And also time is so limited I remember I was like graduating law school I didn't feel like at that time I thought oh my god my time is up Because the world I came from 22 was being a spring, it was too late So I think the big mistake people make is trying to be everything to everybody You have to be something to somebody, one person and that's it Now I can read the things I needed from him Because I think It was very specific and I stuck to it And I actually think it helped me Is there a difference? Did you get the tax returns of medical records? No, well he fought it, honestly he was not happy about it Because he came from a modern America And I was like oh whatever you want your modern America This is what I need from you A husband and a partner, somebody who's ambitious but not ruthless Confident but not arrogant and humble but not timid Most of all he is honest

15:2027 years later, too honest but that's a different problem Oh I understand that I am on a mission to build a very successful life And you must be ready to go with me Only contact me if you want to get married No friends Now include your tax returns and medical records So that's the other thing A lot of people in the dating world will be like We should be friends like no there's not an app for friendship Like you know if some guy doesn't want to get married Like why are we and you want to? Let's say that's what you want for yourself Why would you waste time? You know what I mean? So I personally think people should be very specific about what they want And believe and have faith that that's out there And not be scared about it I don't know if the listeners can tell But she was glaring at me really intently As she was giving this entire speech Because she thinks that she should have a pretty large say And who I date and especially who I marry

16:20I should basically have no criteria of my own And should adopt hers as my only criteria So we go back and forth on this a lot Because I actually think you learn a lot about yourself by dating people And I don't think it needs to be so black and white And you need to find your partner to be married too Immediately Your mom is shaking her head Your mom is shaking I have two daughters and I have to be angry with your mom in this one Thank you Mark Thank you How old are your daughters Mark? Oh sorry, thanks for asking I've got 14 going on 28 My goodness That's a fact Oh boy Yesterday we had this lovely conversation about alcohol And whether it's appropriate at the age of 18 to drink alcohol as a quote A quote right of passage So Zarna what do you think about that one If I pick up your advice on it Two of my kids are adults and they are both yogis and it's actually annoying

17:23I used to think don't drink alcohol now I'm like drink a little Because this generation has taken a whole another extreme position But it's like you can never touch this You can never touch that So if they catch me drinking I get reprimanded Just like what I think you'll see Mark when you guys when your kids go to college There is a real non alcohol movement That's very real Like our generation grew up we couldn't wait That's not the case that I find with these kids So you're watching your mom and dad's relationship What are the biggest lessons you've learned about what makes a marriage work What do you want to carry into your relationships? Don't talk to each other They are so intensely loyal to one another And yet I've never seen them hold hands I've never seen them kiss I've never seen them go on a romantic candlelight dinner

18:25I have seen them do what I actually think are the important things Which are figure out how to build a life together So I've been immensely loyal to one another My honest sincere note And we talk about this on our family podcast too It's a very open discussion But during COVID my dad lost his very comfortable finance job And his identity was very tied to his ambition And to his success in this job And at this point my mom's career had just started to take off But was nowhere close to where it is now And I think a lot of people would have taken my dad's You know he really had to redefine what success looked like for him And come out from under you know seeing his entire self-worth tied to this job And for years my mom and him like no matter how hard it got figured out Like how are we going to do this? How are we going to build a life for each for coming out of this

19:25Like he launched his own podcast He launched his own business coming out of this My dad turned into a social media personality I don't think Like I want to explain how phenomenally interesting that is It's so normal for American people to take creative ambition Because we've normalized it and that's a good thing But for my dad who went to IT which is the most renowned Science and math college in the world To go from like a chemical engineer to a finance professional To now a podcast host who is helping people learn about money Like the heroic trajectory of that No one in this community had ever seen that And that was entirely because of my mom's support And just loyalty and in designing together But they've never done any of the They never did any of the fluffy stuff You know like there was none of the like you know And dating culture now it's like Did he comment on my Instagram

20:25Oh my god Your mom is rolling her eyes He's blocked on my page I don't want him to comment Please I don't want to hear whatever he's thinking No way This is true Your producers can check this He unfollowed me What was his reasoning He's like You post too much stuff about all this other stuff I can It's too much activity on my page and he just unfollowed me He only follows Bloomberg He follows all these finance people That's so funny Different that's flexible, fulfilling, and pays well How do you like to get paid to work out? Now you can With ISSA, the global leader in personal fitness certification There's a huge demand for certified personal trainers right now

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22:25What? And he was really good at it You probably won't believe it either Okay, I don't think that's true I'm telling you, because I was a spy Did you know Dahl got cozy with the Roosevelt's? Played poker with Harry Truman And had a long affair with a congresswoman And then he took his talents to Hollywood Where he worked alongside Walt Disney And offered Hitchcock Before writing a hit James Bond film How did this secret agent Wind up as the most successful children's author ever And what darkness from his covert past Seaped into the stories we read as kids The true story is stranger than anything he ever wrote Listen to The Secret World of Roald Dahl On the I Heart Radio app Apple Podcast Wherever you get your podcast

23:33That UCLA is the number one challenger to UConn And that right after that would be Texas S&C is so deep and so thick and just about everything It really is annoying So it's UCLA, Texas, South Carolina, LSU Only ones I could possibly upset UConn On Flagrin and Funny We're giving our unfiltered takes on the biggest moments The conversations everyone's having So whether your bracket is busted Or you just want the latest on the tournament We got you Listen to Flagrin and Funny With Carrie Champion and Jamel Hill on the I Heart Radio app Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast Presented by Capital One, Founding Partner of I Heart Women's Sports Tentay Shops 5, City Hall Building A silver 40 caliber handgun was recovered at the scene From I Heart Podcasts and Best Case Studios This is Worshack, Murder at City Hall How could this have happened at City Hall? Somebody tell me that July 2003 Councilman James E. Davis

24:34Arrives at New York City Hall with a guest Both men are carrying concealed weapons And in less than 30 minutes Both of them will be dead Everybody in the chamber is a doctor A shocking public murder A scream, get down, get down Those are shots, those are shots, get down A charismatic politician You know, he just bent the rules all the time I still have a weapon And I could shoot you And an outsider with a secret He alleged he was a victim of flat-down That may have been not have been political That may have been about sex Listen to Worshack, Murder at City Hall on the I Heart Radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts So yeah, obviously you've not only adore your mom But you've had a huge impact on your career So if I'm not mistaken at the age of 16 You at her birthday

25:34Gave her 146 hand written notes nonetheless Handwritten notes Encouraging her from her friendship group To become a comedian So what did you see in her that nobody else Had articulated clearly until you provided those handwritten notes I saw her funniness and her storytelling skills As something that could make us money You know, she was really a personality From the moment I was born My friends would always want to come to my house Because we obviously had the best food, of course Obviously But on top of that they wanted to get advice from auntie Zerna They wanted to hear what she had to say on every topic On who has a crush on who What the mean teacher is saying You know, she just had this magnetism That was so obvious that especially when I was 16 And she had started several businesses at this point Tomato sauce company, matchmaking business, tutoring And these businesses were not working

26:35Because the products weren't the right fit But what I would notice in all of these businesses that she started Was people would buy whatever she was selling Just because they wanted an extra minute with her And it was just such a nascent idea And for her birthday when I was 16 At this point I had said why don't you try stand up comedy several times Which she would always reply that's not a job Right? You can't get paid to make people laugh And I was like we're in America That's actually like the coolest job in the world I had reached out to several of her friends and family members But I didn't lead the question I just said hey, I'm assembling a gift for mom Just write anything and I'll transcribe it But I knew that everyone was going to comment on her personality Her warmth and the ability that she had to make people feel good about themselves And feel good about the world we were heading into And that's exactly what happened when she started picking out the notes It was like one by one by one every single message

27:37Was like you are the funniest person that I know And then very shortly after she did a open mic At the worst stand up comedy club in the world It won't be named because I don't even think there is a name And there were two or three people in the audience That had bought the five dollar ticket And she was just ranting I remember about me and her mother-in-law and math And how we all need to be doing more math And the people in the audience were just dying They were falling off their chairs I remember the club manager said how long has she been doing this to me And I was like whoa, we have a business year And then everything else from that point onwards I want to be really truthful A lot of people credit me and my brothers But to have taken that nascent idea and turned it into the empire that she has That was entirely from her and her adaptability and resilience I think she's actually a visionary It's so hard for me to have an opinion now Because I think she's so brilliant that I'm like why should I have an opinion

28:38She should just tell me what to do And that's why mom controls the dating decisions Because mom can tell you what to do exactly But it seems like Zoya, the daughter controls the professional No, she does, she's running my whole company now And think about that though like literally Like from our age We were raised like we give the children the advice So the fact that in this instance Your children really, really were the impetus to really give you the professional advice And we see how the story has ended Well it's ongoing, I mean the story about her notes I just want to say this is the reason she didn't get a perfect score on the SAT She was too busy writing She lost 10 points, I was so angry when I found out she was wasting time on these notes But the story is still ongoing, it is unfolding Because she's leading us into a digital world

29:38That's why she's living in San Francisco Because you have to adapt even to that I'm a stand-up comic and you guys are podcasting But we don't know what next year is going to look like What the next iteration of this business is going to look like So she's tasked with taking our company into the next generation And that's what she's doing out there And one note I want to make on adaptability Because I actually think this story is super important And we don't talk about it enough So early on in her career when she was doing open mics She started to actually gain some traction at the clubs This was pretty to pandemic But then as soon as she got her biggest headlining gig Which was at Caroline's on Broadway The clubs closed because the pandemic happened And comedians had no idea what to do I mean this was their life's work to perform in clubs especially at her stage We had had all these recordings of her jokes And my brother, Bridge, who was, you know, he was 14 at the time

30:38And at this point he was addicted to TikTok He was like, I think we should cut these jokes up And upload them on TikTok And at this point in time, that was foreign Because for comedians, the idea was to save all your material So that you could sell, take a sheer shout Comedians would never post their stand-up online Why would you do that? You're giving away the goods for free And my brother was insistent He was like, if we are the first ones to put comedy online Mom might skyrocket and people might just see her As like the funniest comedian ever And so he uploaded her first ever I've never said I love you to my husband joke On TikTok, this was two weeks into the pandemic And I remember he uploaded it And it was like 100,000 views 200,000 views, a million views 10 million views And we kept seeing the number refresh And we were like, is this the lottery? Did we just win something? Like what's going on? Is this a scam? And it wasn't a scam, like the joke was being shared by millions of people around the world

31:41And she was the one who started that movement Now every comedian posts their jokes online But if she had not adapted in that moment That was one of the critical moments in the business I don't even know I would have a job right now If that hadn't worked out And she hadn't made that leap of faith And that came from your brother? Yeah, but it came from my brother And her also being so fearless and seeing If we don't roll the dice We will not move forward We can't do the same thing as everyone else Because we're too late into this game And that's not going to work for us I think we're all dying Have you never told your husband why you love us? No, I would never do that I haven't been 27 years, there's no rush No, no So it's just not something we do I can't even, you know, I was on a TV show Like a news show and they're like Do you want to say it? Do you want to say it? I was like, no, I have no desire, we're good We're really good If she's never said it to me

32:42They offered to call him so I could say it I said if I called him and said it now over the phone He's going to think I'm in a car accident And I'm about to pass That's not shocking, please You're just saving it for a really good time Like it really She said I love you to an Amazon customer service right by the way That's the only person And he found a missing package Like if you ordered a lot You know that's what's up Your mom is talked about The wait list for friendship You're on the list but your brother bridge It's always number one Do you complain a lot? That's not helping you But I'm Zarna when you started comedy Listen, there were no female Indian comedians Doing what you're doing And then you also wear Bindi on stage You joke about mother-in-laws Arrange marriages All the things that Indian women typically don't discuss in public What was the initial reaction from the Indian community

33:45And I'm very curious And also did that change over time My community has been most supportive since day one But they didn't really know what it was We are not a people who go to clubs for fun To drink, to hang out That's not our world It's not a world we are comfortable in I had never stepped foot in a comedy club Until the day I did the open mic I didn't know what this thing was Where people just sit around and tell jokes And pay money for it But also remember, when I tried comedy I had already failed at so many things My community was fed up of announcements from me The matchmaking was such a big I made this big grand I'm a matchmaker And all you kids to me And then it was the most traumatic experience for my community Because I was telling everybody it was too late They needed to lose weight This guy is never going to find anybody Oh my god By the time I got to comedy people Whatever she wants to do, it's great You have our blessings go do it

34:45It started making sense When actually it was not the Indian community But it was all the other Americans Who started coming out And being like oh my god this is so funny Because making mother not jokes It's not a new thing It has existed in culture Just not in our culture So we had a lot of non-Indians Who would come out and be like oh my god The black community often tells me That they have an auntie just like me Who's got a big mouth Absolutely So it's like this was not new to A lot of community The Jewish community is always telling me That like I sound like a Jewish mom So It kind of started turning And then more and more Indian started coming out with the idea That oh we're just going to like sit and have fun On a Saturday night Like I've joked about this with Tina and Amy I opened for Tina for your Amy Polar for two years And I told them I said Indians don't watch Saturday night life

35:45Because we think Saturday night Is for that extra SAT class We would never waste a Saturday night On like having fun But now more and more they come out And they come out and families They bring their own mother in law Oh my god so many people bring their mother in law And they show because they're like Give her a message They want to pay me extra to deliver messages To their like they'll bring their kids And be like tell him not to do history You know But what do we need to know about mother in law is this is really important Oh my god Just give us a quick, quick schooling Mother and I'm telling you My career was on a roll in 2019 I had just sold out A Caroline's on Broadway Which was a big deal And you know in America Everybody was debating Where did the virus come from? Was it a bat? Was it a lab? It came from my mother in law's kitchen This woman was going to do whatever it took to take me down

36:49That is what a mother in law is Right now she's actively I have more than 13,000 amazing reviews for my book The handful of one-star reviews have all come from the same region in India As suspiciously close to where she lives Is it a coincidence? Oh god, I cannot wait until your mother in law Oh, I'm going to be horrible No, it's going to be horrible I'm going to be horrible I can already see it because everybody my kids bring home is no good No, no one's going to You have that you open for Tina Fey and Amy Polar on their tour Now these are two of the most successful iconic women in comedy Getting to watch them perform night after night And seeing how they work up close and personal What's the one thing that you took away Best date with you You can mix business and pleasure I grew up in a generation that said

37:49Don't mix business and pleasure Because the men went to work The women stayed home That's the way I grew up Now I saw these two women best friends who built individually Huge empires themselves But a big reason they've been able to build it is because they have each other Even to lean on through the tough times Sometimes to make that extra call for the other person I really learned the fact they inspired me To have the courage to say to my daughter Turned down every big tech job and come work with me I don't know if I had not seen them up close If I would have had the courage to make that big move for my daughter Do you know what I mean? The power of women in community too And I think women and friends building together is a very real thing And I mean I saw them hang out with all their SNL friends You know backstage And they're all individually building their own things But I think that they are so successful In part because they have each other

38:50And that is the opposite of what I believe most of my life growing up Women, we build webs and men build ladders So we build webs and connections And so yeah, exactly And I really saw it and then it changed how I decided to build my business Yeah So I was speaking about your business So obviously you've helped to build your mom's business Which has been the hardest part about being both her, of course, the daughter of your mother And her business partner We could really use an HR department No, I think actually the hardest part for me has been Learning how to define my own narrative Because so many people see what I'm doing with my mom As the most unusual thing They can't even wrap their heads around the fact that I love working with my mom so much And I learn so much from her every day That it is the best possible thing for me right now

39:50I think I have had the experience where I've gotten minimized Oh, she's a NEPO baby And it's like, whoa We didn't even have anything Until I had a few years ago And so to be honest, that's been a real challenge for me Is like staying the course and knowing that what we're building together Is so important And focusing especially on the exactly the community she's talking about at our shows For six months after I graduated, Stanford, I went on tour And I was at every tour stop learning about who is enjoying our products Like who is bought into our world And the most fascinating thing I learned is so many people who came to that show It was their first ever comedy show And to think that this art form is being introduced To so many people for the very first time that has historically not to be a classist about it That is how people have overcome really, really hard moments Is through laughter together

40:50And then the second, I did study computer science So I did get traditional technology software options that looked really sexy at the time To be honest, really great paychecks In San Francisco, build the future Right? Like it's just really cool But it was November and my mom's memoir She had just finished writing her memoir In order to have a book land successfully There's a very long pre-order process that leads up to that book's publication And that pre-order, if it's handled correctly, is what determines the success of the book Based on the pre-orders, bookstores will stock the book They will put it on all sorts of really amazing lists that help this sell the book in perpetuity My mom was looking to hire somebody for this job And she said, I think you should take this job And I think you should try working with me And I was like, what? You want me to sell a pre-order? What's that? I didn't even know what a pre-order was Like, what is the concept of a pre-order of a book? You're going to sell something that doesn't even exist yet, that's wild, right?

41:51And she was like, no, I think you should take this job and learn how to sell That's a skill that will be part of your life for the rest of your life And so, my senior year of Stanford, I set a goal to sell 10,000 pre-orders of her book I flew all across the country doing pop-ups in every city I think we did four or five live streams every single week We collaborated and designed all sorts of viral moments with famous comedians We used every AI tool in the book There have been several write-ups about that and how we designed that process And instantly, when the book came out in April, it made every single bestseller list instantly And now, authors around the world reach out to me And they're like, so how did you do it for your mom? And the reason I'm mentioning that is especially with family businesses It was incredibly important to see if we actually could work together I just decided to take the job I actually had to really earn the job And there were moments during that pre-order process that I was not doing a good job And I wasn't selling the books and she was like, I'm going to give this job to someone else if you can't figure it out

42:54So it wasn't, you know, it was a build-up process Well, amazing, amazing As Urna, you've said that everywhere you go, daughters from immigrant families reach out to Zoya and tell her Because of what your mom said on stage, I was able to have a conversation with my parents that I couldn't have before So I want to ask you both, what has been the most meaningful message you've received? I mean, I know that when I do private events, and I do very few now, but I do do them weddings and things Often there are elderly Indian people lined up to meet me And sometimes they start crying And they'll tell me they'll be like, we've lived in America 60, 70 years And we've laughed at jokes we don't understand for 60, 70 years And, you know, for the first time, we are laughing at something that feels like our story

43:56And it really changed how I saw myself in the business So, you know, for my people, it's been a big thing for our people Like, Indian people, we don't talk to our kids in that way Like, here in America, there is a lot of like, what do the kids think and how, you know, how are you going to take care of them? In India, they just grow, they kind of just background plans, they're parted and they grow Nobody ever thinks about it, we have a family podcast And the first topic we chose was, what do you know about sex? And we, five of us talked about it I was like, we had never, you know, I started the podcast on a whim I just took, I just booked a studio in New York and I said, let's just go and see what happens My husband was shocked, like if you watched that first episode, he said, I thought we're going to talk about like Diwali or New Year or Christmas or something What is this topic? And I was like, no, let's just find out what the kids know We don't even know what our own kids know

44:56And the fact that people are opening up these discussions, I mean, I've worked in a gay romcom two years ago I'm the mother in that movie, it's an Indian, it's an American production That movie has helped, countless Indian gay kids come out of the closet The fact that these things are all happening because of the work that we are doing We were just trying to make a living, I'm being honest, we were not trying to launch a movement or anything We were in such financial dire straits when my husband lost his job You know, we thought we had savings, but when you don't have income, the savings go so fast You don't realize it, it just, it bleeds like Niagara Falls I remember waking up and like our 401k was down, everything felt like our real estate market crashed around us We couldn't even move All we were trying to do is make an honest living with integrity, but we kind of entered the space

45:59And now we're in a place where all we want to do is serve our audience Because it has been so underserved, like as soon as Zoya came on board I said, Zoya, what's a digital thing you can create to serve our audience And we realized that our audience loves word games They, even in their free time, want to do spelling bees So we launched a word game right away And I got like 10,000 players in like one night I remember we launched it and it was like, everyone was competing to get the A grade on the Zarna Guard word game People were writing in messages like because some of the letters could spell a different word And they had missed a few seconds that they could have gotten if that word had been accepted I was getting angry messages from wives of husbands Who hadn't gotten their correct ranking? And I was like, wow, our community is the best I mean, this is a little bit of a hot take It's a little bit of a hot take, but I think all of you will appreciate it I think that we're too soft on American kids now I think we are

46:59I think that's one of the things that's really not a good thing about I don't know why it's the case My mom has always been extremely hard on me And I'm so grateful that she set such a high standard Like, can you imagine this one in my senior year of college was like sell 10,000 pre-orders Like that isn't absurd People, all these parents are like, how could you just expect your kid to do that for you But it was so obvious, I was like, oh yeah, totally Like, we're going to do that now, okay? That makes sense We're building something real here One episode at a time If you want to be part of it, subscribe It's free, it matters, and we're just getting started Texting privacy policy in terms of conditions posted at TextingTerms.us Texting rolls you for a current amount of detects marketing messages Messenger data is my applyer place, stopped out, visit ISSA online for details Tired of the 9-5 grind, looking for something different that's flexible, fulfilling, and pays well How do you like to get paid to work out? Now you can, with ISSA, the global leader in personal fitness certification There's a huge demand for certified personal trainers right now And once you get ISSA certified, they guarantee you'll get a job

47:59Trainers can make as much as $100 an hour Yes, I said $100 an hour And with ISSA, you can be certified in as little as six weeks You do everything at your own pace and 100% online Pursue your passion in specializations like yoga, nutrition, or strength training Get certified and live your life on your terms Work at a gym, start your own business, or a side hustle Whatever works for you, just don't wait Get your free, personal training evaluation kit today Get certified in as little as six weeks And ISSA guarantees you'll get a job Text train to 32-32-32 Text train to 32-32-32-32 Train to 32-32-32-32 You know Roald Dahl, the writer who thought up Willy Wonka, Matilda, and the BFG But did you know he was also a spy? Was this before he wrote his stories? I must have been Our new podcast series, The Secret World of Roald Dahl, is a wild journey through the hidden chapters of his extraordinary controversial life His job was literally to seduce the wives of powerful Americans What? And he was really good at it

48:59You probably won't believe it either Okay, I don't think that's true I'm telling you, I think I was a spy Did you know Dahl got cozy with the Roosevelt's? Play poker with Harry Truman, and had a long affair with a congresswoman And then he took his talents to Hollywood, where he worked alongside Walt Disney and offered Hitchcock Before writing a hit James Bond film How did this secret agent wind up as the most successful children's author ever? And what darkness from his covert past, seeped into the stories we read as kids? The true story is stranger than anything he ever wrote Listen to The Secret World of Roald Dahl on the I Heart Radio App, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast March Madness is here, and if you're trying to keep up with everything happening on and off the court We've got you covered on the podcast, Blake Grant, and Funny You look at the top four number one seeds What do you think UCLA is gonna do? Break down that for me, my friend I do think UCLA has a really good chance of getting back to the final four Obviously, you kind of is the overwhelming favorite in this tournament, but I be honest I think people are kind of sleeping on Texas

50:02Experts are suggesting that UCLA is the number one challenger to Yukon And that right after that would be Texas S&C is so deep and so thick and just about everything It really is annoying So it's UCLA, Texas, South Carolina, LSU Only ones that could possibly upset Yukon On Flight Grant and Funny, we're giving our unfiltered takes on the biggest moments of the conversations everyone's having So whether your bracket is busted or you just want the latest on the tournament, we got you Listen to Blake Grant and Funny with Carrie Champion and Jamel Hill on the iHeart Radio App Apple Podcast or wherever you picture podcasts Presented by Capital One, Founding Partner of iHeart Quim and Sport A silver 40 caliber handgun was recovered at the scene From iHeart Podcasts and best case studios This is Worshack, Murder at City Hall How could this have happened in City Hall? Somebody tell me that July 2003, Councilman James E. Davis arrives at New York City Hall with a guest

51:08Both men are carrying concealed weapons And in less than 30 minutes, both of them will be dead Everybody in the chamber is a dog A shocking public murder They scream, get down, get down, those are shots, those are shots, get down A charismatic politician You know, he just bent the rules all the time I still have a weapon and I could shoot you And an outsider with a secret He alleged he was evicted of a flat-down That may have been not have been political, that may have been about sex Listen to Worshack, Murder at City Hall on the iHeart Radio App Apple Podcasts or wherever you picture podcasts Worshack, I love the fact that you and your mom have such a loving and very close relationship Oh no, there's a lot of fighting There's a lot of fighting But we save that for the TikTok, we save it

52:08We don't fight unless we can monetize it anymore No, but behind the scenes, if you're getting ready to have a heated discussion Is it like a part of you is like, wait a minute, let's save it This is really good No, no, every part of me It's not a small part, it's a big part It's like, turn that camera on right now I am the mature one in our fights though She'll unshare her by my location with me She'll unfollow me on Instagram She'll message my brothers By the way, I'm never talking to your sister again Please let her know that I feel that way She's wild, this type of fighting style smile And I tell them I'm like, choose a side and publicly announce which side you're on Tell people on Instagram who's side you're on It wasn't until you went to stand for 3000 miles away from your mom That you realize that not every child has the same relationship with their mother

53:08As you do with your mother of course In that case, obviously a lot of kids were making decisions without consulting their mother first So what's some of the best advice that your mom's given you? The best piece of advice my mom gave me was to start working full-time as quickly as possible And treat college as almost this social club opportunity This is also a bit of a hot take But in my senior year, when I was running this pre-order process, I got really bad grades My teachers loved me because I loved school so much I would always be like, can I submit my essay four weeks in advance Or can I take the exam on this day? And I was constantly missing class because I was flying all over the world But she was like, I think that you'll learn more by working full-time And you should treat college as an opportunity to meet amazing people And to create great relationships with your professors and nurture your education But you're not here to get perfect grades You're here to complete your degree

54:08And find out how to graduate and start being useful in the workforce Learning how to be useful now is really hard It used to be that you could be useful by just getting a law degree And then you'd be useful in law or becoming a doctor, then you'd be useful there But now, how do you even be useful and productive? This is a big top of mind question And so she was like, you need to figure this out as soon as possible So I'm glad she pushed me to work full-time sooner rather than later Well, Zoya, I want to talk about the family podcast that you both referenced With your mom, your dad, your two brothers On the show, your mom has talked about the wait list for friendship You're on the list, but your brother Bridge is always number one Yes, what? Now, you are the CEO, right, of her company Yes, ran her best, just told us

55:09You ran her best selling book campaign, you're building an empire with her What would it take to make it to be number one? I will never beat the eldest son There's no chance, he can just sit there and look pretty And that's all he has to do I mean, he's actually the most wonderful human being And I think we all cherish Bridge for his fearlessness And all sorts of qualities that I wish I had in myself But he has been above me on this best friend waiting list Four years, and I don't know what it will take I mean, mom, what will it take? Tell me, I will do it You cannot disclose the terms This is a ever-be-review it, every year it's under review You're getting there, you're getting there You complain a lot That's not helping you Is there a topic started that comes up on the podcast That's the one argument that will never be settled Oh, so many, my husband had a Wall Street job He was dying when he found out that I was advising Zoya

56:13Not to take a corporate job I thought he was going to pass out from the stress Because he's like, what do you mean she's getting the best jobs Why would she not take those jobs And I take a very different position I'm extremely entrepreneurial, even through all my failures I never want to start, I should go and work for somebody else It's just never made sense to me Sarner, you said that you wrote your memoir This American woman for the women who feel stuck For the stay at home moms Who feel like they don't know where to turn For the daughters who feel like where is their road map in life What do you want other women to know about starting over? Particularly if they feel like they've missed their window I really did write the book for those women And a lot of men now have approached me and said they also feel stuck You can start over any time There's never been a better time to start Because social media, the internet has made it possible for even moms

57:17I'm of the generation as the rest of us are Except for Zoe and this group where it's like Remote work was not a thing It was just like my first law job I remember if I wasn't forced on the desk I panicked Like every morning you had to put the suit on And the high heels and run to work And be the first in the door and last out That's all gone and for the better Today you can have a little baby And you can start a business in the other room While the baby is sleeping It's extremely viable Not just ideas in the air anymore This is being done every day by people I mean if God forbid someday my stand-up comedy career was to be affected in some way I foresee myself running an entirely digital business It's very possible today And I wrote this book to give people hope Look at me, there's nothing perfect about me I have an accent I started at 44, 45

58:18I wear a bindi, I wear my beard clothes Everywhere I go But I found that little spot in the world That feels like they're being seen through me And then that became my business And I think that that is true for every single one of us Has something that we represent That we can do, we can be of service to And we can charge money for it I mean you know the clichés, it's never too late But it really is not Because if you win the day you die, you still won I mean there's no end game here There's no flag you're going to cross There's no finish line The finish line is death but that can come whenever You know But things are figure outable That's the point Like with the rare exception, yes Although this one You know now with the airline industry in America I was going to say flying an airplane not figure outable But lately I've had so many delays I started YouTubeing how to fly an airplane That's the same

59:18I'm like somebody is going to figure this out Like I cannot keep getting bumped around like this But nine out of ten things are figure outable And it's like you can sit there and be consumed by the overwhelming nature of being stuck Or say to yourself, I'm going to take that one tiny step The smallest tiny step Every day And then those tiny steps before you know it will compound Like they will They will lead to the next thing and the next thing And like a whole future that might open up for you And my book is written The entire book is written from that perspective I didn't have any desire to share my life story otherwise I don't really, I'm not running for office or anything Like what do I care if anybody knows my story or not But I wrote it from the perspective of this is how I got unstuck in all these various situations And hopefully this helps people who read it

1:00:20So before we wrap I just want to ask you a final question and it's very important Yes So what would happen truly happen if your mother-in-law came to visit It would be so bad First of all, if I had advanced warning which now she tends not to give me much I would plan my own business trip To 25 years my husband, she would visit And he would be away on business a lot Suspiciously whilst he was in America with me Now I would reverse it and be like you know what you have fun with your mother Let me plan some shows Let me go to Bismarck North Dakota I hadn't been there But I think if she came to visit She's actually a very very smart woman If I put the jokes aside, she's a very very smart person She raised two boys in poverty in India And grew them through education and all of it to where they are today

1:01:20I think we have a great camaraderie My mother-in-law and I, before I released my first comedy special It has some hard jokes about her I did take her blessings I would never blindside anybody like that in my life I have too much love for everybody in my life to do that So I think in the end it would be a good thing I think the problems she would have now would be with my kids Because she is very openly biased towards my older son And these American kids they don't just take it Like in India the kids just take it They're like that's grandma Here the kids fight back You know it's like why did you do that Why did you mean and like I would leave her to deal with it with them So Zoya thank you for this joyful, honest and deeply inspiring conversation Zoya your journey proves that it's never too late to take a leap of faith Especially with your own voice And of course to start again And in doing so you're giving daughters of immigrant families all around the world Permission to speak more openly and to dream more freely with their parents

1:02:25Zoya we've loved having you your belief in your mom Seeing her not just as a parent But also as a person whose dreams are worth fighting for has been deeply inspirational to us Together you've shown that legacy is built through courage, laughter and choosing To grow side by side thank you for living your legacy Thank you and thank you so much for having us This is such a wonderful podcast we love it And we're so honored to be a part of it Thank you so much guys Thank you Thank you for joining us New episodes drop every Tuesday Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a moment

1:03:25We got reality with the king with Carlos King And yes drink champs will be in the building Okay Plus you know we gonna have a lot of guests So you need to join us And we got the black effect marketplace The picture podcast and everything you expect from the black effect podcast festival Tickets are on sale right now Go get your that blackeffect.com slash podcast festival Don't play yourself okay Pull up You know role doll he thought of Willy Wonka in the BFG But did you know he was a spy? In the new podcast the secret world of role doll I'll tell you that story and much much more What? You probably won't believe it either Was this before he wrote his stories? I must have been Okay, I don't think that's true I'm telling you Because I was a spy Listen to the secret world of role doll On the iHeart Radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast Marshmatton is this here And if you're trying to keep up with everything happening on and off the court

1:04:25We've got you covered on the podcast Flagrant and funny Do you want to start with the first message from the big chin coach of you? Oh, what do you like to do? You're a Spartan, is that what I'm exactly? On Flagrant and Funny we're giving our unfiltered takes on the biggest moments The conversations everyone's having So whether your bracket is busted Or you just want the latest on the tournament We got you Listen to Flagrant and Funny We carry champion and jamele heel on the iHeart Radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast Presented by capital one, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports 1010 Shopify City Hall Building Could this have happened in city hall? Somebody tell me that A shocking public murder This is one of the most dramatic events that really ever happened in New York City politics I scream, get down, get down, those are shots A tragedy that's now forgotten End of mystery That may have been not have been political, that may have been about sex Listen to Worshack, murder at city hall on the iHeart Radio app

1:05:25Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts This is an iHeart podcast Guaranteed Human