The Raz Patel Show

Ep. 49 - Why Every Astronaut Comes Back in Pain | Dr. Jojo Sayson
He applied twice to become a NASA astronaut. Both times, he didn't make it. So instead, he spent the next eleven years studying what happens to the human body he wanted to send into space anyway.
That's Dr. Jojo Sayson.
Long before NASA's Human Research Program brought him on as a consultant, Jojo was a physical therapist who couldn't let go of one question: why does the human spine hold up fine under gravity, and start falling apart within weeks without it? The answer came from watching astronauts. Working alongside NASA researcher Dr. Alan Hargens, Jojo helped uncover how spaceflight causes real, physical changes in the spine and its bones, changes that explain why astronauts come home in pain, and why the rest of us, sitting still for hours a day, might be doing a slower version of the same thing to ourselves.
Off the clock, Jojo has spent decades as a children's advocate and motivational speaker, known for showing up as Superman to remind kids what strength actually looks like, and he's carried that same instinct into Project Michelangelo Foundation and Angel Rising Magazine, where he champions women's stories that don't usually get told.
In this episode, Raz sits down with Jojo to talk about what astronauts' spines reveal about the rest of us, why the back pain so many people quietly accept as "just aging" might be something else entirely, and what it actually takes to build a body, and a life, that holds up.CONNECT WITH DR. JOJO SAYSON : 📸 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1J1Yca... 🌐 Website: http://projectmichelangelo.org/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jojo-sayson-94363335/MORE FROM THE RAZ PATEL SHOW : 🌐 Website: https://razpatel.com/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/razpatel/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razpatelofficial/🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRazPatelShow🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Wso9tn... 🎙️ Podbean: https://razpatelshow.podbean.com/ #BackPain #SpineHealth #NASA #FrozenToFearless #Space #Discovery

What happens when networking becomes something more meaningful—when it becomes community?
In this episode of The Raz Patel Show, Raz Patel sits down with Lisa Ann Adams, founder of the Social Collectives, to explore the power of connection, belonging, and creating spaces where people genuinely feel welcomed.
From building relationships that extend beyond exchanging business cards to creating communities that open doors personally and professionally, Lisa shares what she has learned about bringing people together with intention.
The conversation also comes full circle for Raz, as Lisa’s encouragement and support helped inspire the expansion of the Social Collective concept into the South Asian community.
Together, they explore community building, leadership, authentic networking, belonging, collaboration, and why sometimes one introduction or one conversation can create an unexpected ripple effect.
🎙️ The Raz Patel ShowHosted by Raz Patel

She arrived in America at four years old, without a word of English. Decades later, a diagnosis made her stop being quiet.
“A man goes in for Viagra - it’s covered. I have cancer, and the test that could help save my life isn’t.”
That’s Vesna Cottrell. She isn’t speaking rhetorically. She’s describing her own coverage.
Vesna arrived in America at four years old without speaking English. She grew up navigating assumptions about her name, her heritage, and whether she truly belonged — the quiet daily arithmetic of proving you’re from here.
Decades later, a year of loss and a diagnosis she wasn’t expecting put her in front of a different kind of gatekeeping: a system that decides which tests are worth paying for, and for whom.
She could have accepted that answer. Most people do.
In this conversation, Vesna talks about immigration and identity, motherhood, the year that took more than she thought she could carry, and the specific moment she decided that staying silent was no longer available to her.
IN THIS EPISODE
What it costs to grow up explaining your own name
Why she started asking questions — and what changed when she did
Her case that coverage decisions are not neutral
What she found on the other side of that year
Who gets heard, and who has to get loud
Listen to the end, and answer it for yourself: what defines an American woman?
This episode shares one woman’s personal experience and is not medical advice. Speak with your healthcare provider about your individual screening needs.
#TheRazPatelShow  #WomensHealth  #ImmigrantStory  #Resilience  #Identity  #AmericanWoman
 

We have more access than ever — more profiles, more choices, more swiping — and yet real connection feels harder to find than at any point in history.
So why are we lonelier than we've ever been?
In this episode of The Raz Patel Show, Raz sits down with Sanjay Sharma ("Sanju Mama") and Shailu Maasi, the matchmakers behind Tota-Maina — a personalized matchmaking platform built on intention, family values, and real human connection instead of endless swiping. Together they reveal what a matchmaker sees that no dating profile or algorithm ever can.
They get honest about why dating apps leave so many people exhausted and alone: the fake profiles and scammers, the paralysis of infinite choice, and how we obsess over trivial dealbreakers while missing what actually makes two people compatible.
They talk about healing after heartbreak before you're ready to connect, why real trust moves slower than a swipe, how family background quietly shapes a relationship, and the courage it takes for parents to let their grown children choose their own path.
An honest, unfiltered conversation about modern love, compatibility, and finding a life partner in 2026.
IN THIS EPISODE
Why dating apps feel broken — and what they can't give you
What a matchmaker sees that a profile never shows
Fake profiles, scammers, and the fear ruining dating
Why too much choice makes us lonelier
Healing from heartbreak before you date again
How family background shapes real compatibility
Letting adult children choose their own partner
What it really takes to find "The One"
CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 01:26 More choice, less connection 03:36 Why dating apps stopped working 04:59 What a matchmaker sees that an algorithm can't 10:32 The trivial dealbreakers that cost you love 13:40 Healing before you're ready to connect 17:00 Love languages & accepting a partner 22:24 Why real trust moves slower than a swipe 26:13 Where a matchmaker actually makes the difference 29:15 Why family background matters 33:49 The South Asian family & personal boundaries 39:00 Letting your grown kids live their own lives 42:05 Cultural criteria: language, community & cooking 46:41 Why you need a third party to see what you can't 53:31 Inside the Tota-Maina process 58:19 Confidence & first impressions in dating
ABOUT TOTA-MAINA Tota-Maina is a personalized matchmaking platform built on intention, family values, and real human connection. [ADD: website, Instagram, contact]
READ THE FULL WRITE-UP The written version of this conversation is on my newsletter: https://razpatel.substack.com
WATCH THE VIDEO VERSION https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvgqJmIyhi8
CONNECT WITH RAZ Website: https://razpatel.com Instagram: @razpatelofficial Newsletter: https://razpatel.substack.com The Raz Patel Show
Subscribe to The Raz Patel Show bold conversations on resilience, reinvention and fearless living.
This conversation is a discussion of relationships and personal experience, and is not clinical, therapeutic, or financial advice.

Could You Spot Danger Before It’s Too Late?
Most people think self-defense begins when danger becomes physical. Instructor Tarika Sethi says it starts much earlier—with a boundary being tested, a repeated pattern, an attempt to isolate you, or a feeling you keep explaining away.
At four feet ten inches tall, Instructor Sethi can put someone twice her size on the ground. She is the female instructor behind OSA Martial Arts in Fairfax City and has spent decades helping children, adults, families, and people with disabilities develop confidence, awareness, and practical safety skills.
In this episode of The Raz Patel Show, Raz Patel and Instructor Sethi explore the psychology of personal safety, situational awareness, and self-defense. They discuss how potential threats may identify distracted targets, what your posture communicates, how social media can expose personal information, and why recognizing red flags matters before a situation escalates.
Instructor Sethi is also honest about the limitations of training. Under stress, people can lose fine motor skills and forget techniques they have only practiced once. A one-time workshop may introduce useful concepts, but repetition is what helps the body respond when fear takes over.
Drawing from her background in social work and two decades of experience with at-risk youth and therapeutic recreation, she also discusses bullying, confidence, inclusive instruction, and why martial arts is about far more than fighting.
The conversation ends with a live demonstration of how to escape a wrist grab.
This episode is not about living in fear. It is about developing the knowledge, awareness, and confidence to make safer decisions.
In this episode:
How to recognize early warning signs
Why boundaries and personal space matter
How stress changes the body’s response
Why one-time self-defense classes have limitations
How to evaluate a martial arts instructor
Bullying, confidence, and disability-inclusive training
A practical wrist-grab escape demonstration

Manjit Singh, a Sikh American civil-rights leader and first‑generation immigrant, breaks down how fear, hate crimes, and silence are stripping power from South Asian and immigrant communities in America’s 250th year. From 57,000 anti-South Asian slurs in a single month to Japanese internment, family separation at the border, and crackdowns by ICE/CBP, he connects history, law, and lived experience. He shares how founding the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund and three decades of advocacy taught him that “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” why the Voting Rights Act is being chipped away, how erasing slavery and civil‑rights history harms the next generation, and why the only answer is to get involved, tell your own story, and refuse to live in fear. Perfect for anyone who cares about racism, immigration, South Asians, Sikh identity, youth civic engagement, and the future of American democracy. Chapters- 00:00 - Intro: 250 years of America & FIFA backdrop 01:35 - Manjit’s immigrant story & founding a Sikh American civil-rights org (SALDEF) 02:44 - Mission: protecting constitutional rights for Sikhs, immigrants & all Americans 04:07 - Xenophobia, visible identity & why Sikhs become easy targets after crises 05:12 - Lack of awareness about Sikhism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism in the US 06:18 - 57,000 anti-South Asian slurs in August 2025 & the new spike in hate 07:39 - Crackdowns by ICE/CBP and how policy rhetoric fuels attacks 08:19 - Japanese American internment: the repeating pattern of fear in US history 08:56 - What America was supposed to be: freedom of religion, speech & no state church 09:58 - Civil-rights movement, Voting Rights Act & how protections are being rolled back 12:15 - Teaching real American history vs erasing slavery and lynching from textbooks 14:51 - Colorism, disability and the many layers of discrimination today 18:41 - The South Asian “bubble,” Black Lives Matter & a painful wake‑up call 20:15 - Family separation at the border and choosing humanity over partisan labels 23:33 - Talking to young people: algorithm literacy, lateral reading & finding real facts 26:06 - Why truth is hard, and what it means to actually live your values 28:02 - FIFA, language policing & why Spanish‑speaking athletes being forced into English matters 30:34 - Insecurity, fear of becoming a minority & what equality should really mean 31:29 - Hope in the next generation and kids who see diversity as normal 34:56 - Accents, multilingualism and why speaking many languages is a superpower 36:21 - Manjeet’s vision for the next 250 years: delivering on the Constitution for everyone 38:25 - Climate crisis, AI and why humanity must think as one race, not rival tribes 38:40 - South Asian unity beyond religion, language and region to build real power 39:08 - Why representation in local, state and federal office changes everything 40:31 - Positive change vs negative change and why progress is slow but worth it 41:35 - “Don’t live in fear”: Sikh philosophy on fear and justice in daily life 42:32 - How to get involved: SALDEF leadership programs, law‑enforcement training & Sikh storytelling 44:11 - The quiet joy of giving and why service becomes addictive in the best way 45:37 - Why America is still worth fighting for as a land of immigrants & opportunity 46:36 - Final message to young people, South Asians and all immigrants in America 🎙 Connect with Raz Raz: @razpatelofficial | https://razpatel.com Newsletter: https://razpatel.substack.com #ManjeetSingh #SikhAmerican #SouthAsianVoices #ImmigrantStories #CivicEngagement #StopHate #AntiRacism #AAPI #AmericanDream #Democracy #YouthLeadership #DiversityAndInclusion #HumanRights #RacialJustice #Podcast

What role should Indian-Americans really play in shaping the future of U.S.-India relations? In this episode of The Raz Patel Show, Kapil Sharma - a veteran of U.S.-India relations, government affairs, and diaspora advocacy breaks down why storytelling, economic security, local politics, and community leadership matter more than most people realize. This is a conversation about far more than policy. It is about immigrant identity, assimilation, the rise of the India Caucus, how media narratives shaped perceptions of India, why the Indian-American diaspora must become its own storyteller, and what happens when young people lose faith in jobs, leadership, and the future. Kapil also opens up about what politics gets wrong about economic insecurity, why parents need to rethink success, how well-being and depression have become major public-policy issues, and why the next generation may determine whether the U.S.-India relationship stays strong. In this conversation:
Kapil Sharma’s immigrant upbringing and student activism
The origins of the India Caucus and why it mattered
Why Indian-Americans must control their own narrative
Jobs anxiety, trade careers, and redefining success
Why local politics matters more than most people think
Mental health, caregiving, and well-being as public policy
The future of the Indian-American diaspora and U.S.-India relations
If this conversation resonates, share it with someone thinking deeply about identity, leadership, and the future of the diaspora. Chapters - 00:00 - Intro 02:15 - Kapil’s immigrant roots and identity 05:59 - The India Caucus and community representation 08:39 - Why Indian-Americans must tell their own story 10:34 - India’s rise and the storytelling gap 15:21 - Jobs, trade careers, and redefining success 19:28 - From anger to community-building 21:01 - The next generation and opportunity in America 25:23 - Job anxiety, layoffs, and what kids are absorbing 30:15 - Mental health, failure, and well-being 33:27 - Roundglass, whole-being, and policy 36:19 - Depression as a public policy issue 37:08 - Caregiving, dementia, and emotional strain 44:26 - Economic security and politics 47:17 - Why local politics matters more than you think 49:02 - The future of U.S.-India relations
🎙 Connect with Raz Raz: @razpatelofficial
Newsletter: https://razpatel.substack.com
#KapilSharma #IndianAmericans #USIndiaRelations #IndianDiaspora #PublicPolicy #JobsCrisis #MentalHealth #LocalPolitics #Leadership #RazPatelShow

Imagine walking away from global stardom at the peak of your career to raise a family in suburban Texas. Bollywood icon Meenakshi Seshadri joins us to share her incredible journey of reinvention, from being the heartbeat of Indian cinema to finding her true self in the quiet moments of motherhood and spirituality. This is a story about the courage to begin again and the power of choosing your own path on your own terms.
In this deep and moving conversation, Meenakshi discusses the power of the pivot and why she decided to step back from the limelight for three decades. She opens up about the challenges of moving to Dallas, learning to navigate a new culture, and the importance of being undefinable beyond the labels of actress or ice maiden. We dive into her mastery of four classical dance forms, her memories of working with legends like Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor, and the untold stories behind her powerful performance in the cult classic Damini.
Now, as she embarks on her second innings in the entertainment industry, she offers profound wisdom for any woman looking to start a new chapter regardless of age. From her thoughts on beauty and aging to her spiritual practices, Meenakshi shows us that life is not about holding onto one chapter, but about having the strength to write the next one. Whether you are a fan of her classic films or looking for inspiration to reinvent yourself, this interview provides a rare look at the woman behind the headlines.
Chapters
0:00 Intro and Welcome3:15 From Bollywood to Texas: The Power of the Pivot6:45 Being Undefinable: Moving Beyond Labels10:30 The Evolution of Dance: From Performer to Mentor14:15 Life in Anonymity: Learning and Unlearning18:00 Adjusting to Life in Dallas and Finding Community22:30 Mastering Four Classical Dance Forms26:45 Motherhood and Privacy: Raising Kids Abroad31:00 The Decision to Return to India35:30 Changes in the Entertainment Industry and OTT39:15 Memories of Bollywood Legends: Amitabh, Anil, and Sunny43:00 The Iconic Role of Damini and Behind the Scenes Stories48:30 Defining Success and Finding Spiritual Equilibrium52:15 Advice for Women Reinventing Themselves55:45 Redefining Beauty and Aging Gracefully58:30 Raz Patel Fire Round and Closing Remarks1:00:41 Video End
If you found inspiration in Meenakshi Seshadri's story of courage and growth, please like this video and subscribe for more deep dives into the lives of extraordinary people. Share your favorite Meenakshi movie moment in the comments below!
#bollywood #meenakshiseshadri #damini #reinvention #motherhood

What happens when global fame still isn't enough?
In this episode of The Raz Patel Show, Big Bang Theory actor Kunal Nayyar explains why fame wasn't enough and what he built next – opening up about life after Raj Koothrappali, family, anxiety, identity, and the deeply personal experience that pushed him to create IQ 1to1 and Roll Call for families around the world.
Kunal and Raz go far beyond a typical celebrity interview. They talk about staying present in a chaotic world, caring for parents across continents, navigating dementia and distance, the fragility of life, what documents and memories really mean, and why "success wasn't enough" if it didn't leave the world slightly better than he found it.
In this conversation, Kunal shares:
Life after The Big Bang Theory and how fame did and didn't change him
Why a crisis moment on a plane sparked the idea for IQ 1to1
How families actually live with passports, medical records, wills, and memories scattered everywhere
What dementia, caregiving and distance taught him about time, trust, and daily check-ins
The balance between growth metrics, security, and human sensitivity when you're storing family legacies online
How it feels to be seen as a "Big Bang Theory actor" while trying to earn credibility as a founder
What people really regret at the end of life – and what Kunal wants to be remembered for
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Intro 1:18 – Who Kunal is beyond Raj 2:05 – Why build again after global success on The Big Bang Theory 4:10 – What IQ 1to1 actually does for families (passports, medical files, wills, memories) 7:05 – The plane story that sparked the idea for IQ 1to1 10:20 – From actor to entrepreneur – effort, grace, and trusting the team 13:30 – Wearing multiple hats: acting, producing, building a company, staying human 17:10 – Pandemic, parents in Delhi & the problem with scattered family photos 20:30 – Dementia, Roll Call, and daily "I'm okay" check-ins for loved ones 24:00 – Trust, privacy & why even fire-proof safes aren't enough anymore 27:40 – Growth metrics vs humanity when you're dealing with family legacies 31:10 – Being taken seriously beyond fame – credibility as a founder 34:20 – What people really miss at the end: love, time, conversations not had 37:00 – How Kunal wants to be remembered & what actually matters to him now 39:00 – Final message on purpose, giving more than you take & leaving the world better
▶️ WATCH THE FULL VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxX1XD-pUzg
SUPPORT KUNAL'S VISION Invest in IQ 1to1 on Wefunder (for investors): https://wefunder.com/iq121.inc Learn more about IQ121 & Roll Call: http://iq121.com/
🎙 CONNECT WITH RAZ Instagram: @razpatelofficial Website: https://razpatel.com Newsletter: https://razpatel.substack.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Wso9tnuwVuS09HKr3n86Z
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#KunalNayyar #TheBigBangTheory #RajKoothrappali #RazPatel #TheRazPatelShow #Podcast #Purpose #Family #India #Mindfulness #SelfDiscovery #Anxiety #Entrepreneur #Dementia #Legacy

Most success stories skip the uncomfortable details.
This one doesn't.
Next week on The Raz Patel Show: Janelle Harris.
They tried to silence her voice.
She didn't just reclaim it. She turned it into power. Now she's helping others do the same through Exist Magazine.
This is what happens when you refuse to stay silent.
Subscribe and hit the bell 🔔
This is The Raz Patel Show. Frozen to Fearless.
This is bold. This is real. This is Frozen to Fearless.
#FrozenToFearless #SameerAliKhan #FromKabulToHollywood #Resilience #TheRazPatelShow