I love nothing more than hearing people’s stories. To me everyone has an interesting story to tell, and I genuinely want to hear it. On that note, let me share mine with you.
I grew up in upstate NY with my parents and older sister, and while we loved living in a safe and sheltered suburb, travel was always a huge part of our lives. My parents felt it was very important to show us other cities and countries, different people’s cultures and how they lived. Thus, it was no surprise when my parents moved us to Shanghai China for two years in high school while my father started one of the first joint ventures for Xerox. Traveling all over Asia and immersing myself in those cultures had a big impact on my life and shaped me into who I am today—someone with a fierce openness and acceptance of people from all walks of life.
After graduating from college with a degree in information systems and marketing, I worked in both Chicago and LA doing business development for large media companies such as MTV Networks and Comcast Networks. Working in LA for MTV Networks is where I caught the reporting bug, which led to reporting for digital networks and international television networks doing red carpet and sit-down interviews ranging from the likes of CNN Medical Editor Dr. Sanjay Gupta to McG, director of “Terminator: Salvation.”
In LA, I met my amazing husband, a native Texan who brought me to the great city of Dallas. Four years and two beautiful daughters later, I’ve settled in nicely to our life here, although I still have my days where I miss the West Coast.
Locally, I was a former Fresh Face of Fashion benefiting the Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas, was co-chair of Hollywood Domino Dallas raising funds for the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, and have recently started a nonprofit entitled Mahila with four other women in Dallas. It’s an organization dedicated to empowering women domestically and abroad.
On the home front, having our girls seventeen months apart has simultaneously been the most wonderful and challenging experience of my life. After being such a dedicated career woman, it’s been a unique and remarkable experience to be a stay-at-home mom, only taking on video and marketing projects here and there. I would never give up the time I’ve had with my children for the world. Watching them grow up and being privy to those everyday moments with them has been one of the greatest gifts. Now that our youngest is a year old, I’m ready to get back out there and restart my career. I’ve always been on a quest to improve myself and grow as a person, but having the girls has brought that to the forefront even more. Above all else, I want to be a role model to my daughters, to show them they can accomplish anything, and to empower them to make strong and thoughtful decisions in their lives.
I’m passionate about women sharing their stories and their knowledge with each other. I know I couldn’t make it without the friendships and wisdom of all of the incredible women in my life. My mother and my older sister are two of the strongest women I know and I don’t feel whole without our daily conversations.
According to conversations with my friends, I’m also the go-to person for advice on a variety of topics. I don’t know if it’s because they know I always want to help, or because they know I like to do my research. I will not recommend anything I haven’t tried myself or conducted research on. Sometimes that’s crippling when you spend forty-five minutes trying to find the best bath toy or the best exfoliator for sensitive skin, but it makes me feel far more credible in my recommendations. I love helping women find quick answers to those things they don’t have time to do research on themselves, some of my favorite categories being beauty and skincare, parenting, wellness, and personal growth. I’m not just their source of advice but their accountability partner as well.
I’m so thrilled to be sharing my advice on Model Behaviors and joining the MB team as one of the newest Behaviorists. I’m in a constant state of growth and evolution to be better, not only for myself, but for all those around me as well. I hope you’ll join me on this journey and share your stories with me.
Priya