WHO? I’m the embodiment of the American Dream, shaped by three cultures—India, Africa, and the U.S. My father was the first minority brewmaster at Anheuser-Busch, and my mother ran her own business. Growing up in this environment taught me adaptability and sparked my deep curiosity about the world.
WHAT? What I love most is understanding the human condition. Whether in product design, creative direction, or UX - it’s about identifying the problem and exploring diverse solutions. At the heart of it, I enjoy creating something beautiful that resonates with people.
WHEN? I’ve always been creative. From DYI hands-on projects, and cooking, to executing on myriad of entrepreneurial ideas. I realized this during law school when I spent the night before a mock trial designing an outfit from an old sari instead of preparing for the case. That’s when I knew I was in the wrong industry and changed my professional trajectory to design & creative.
WHERE (are you from)? It’s a bit complex. I grew up in both St. Louis and Los Angeles; but spent a lot of time in India. I’ve lived in 7 countries, and have traveled to all 50 U.S. states and 49 countries. A piece of my heart lives anywhere in the world where there’s great food and kind people.
WHY UX? I stumbled into UX while running my own women’s D-Cup & Up swim & activewear brand, Nayali. Despite strong in-store sales, I struggled to grow the e-commerce side. After taking a UX class at UCLA to improve my site, I fell in love with solving digital design problems, which felt like a natural extension of my product design skills, so I continued with the program to obtain my certification. www.nayali.la
HOW do you blend product design, creative direction, and UX? All share the same core process: understanding the challenge, identifying the audience’s needs, creating a solution (whether a product, story, or digital experience), making it beautiful and functional, and ensuring it works. It’s like cooking a great meal - you carefully prepare and combine all the ingredients to make something amazing and unexpected.
MORE? Scuba Diving. I still get nervous and excited every time, and there is still so much to learn.
STAY PRESENT BY? Boxing, Brazilian Jujitsu , or Dancing.
PROUD OF? Turning a 7900 sq foot blank space in Santa Monica, CA into a multi-brand, experiential pop-up shop in less than 5 weeks.
LOVES? Cooking and connecting with people over a table.
Professional Timeline
To learn about my whole professional journey, see the infographic below.
