Brown Queen Diaries
Welcome to the Brown Queen Diaries, a podcast that celebrates the diverse experiences of women of color. Join us as we explore personal stories, cultural heritage, and the challenges and triumphs of navigating life as a brown queen. Each episode features insightful conversations with inspiring guests, touching on topics like identity, empowerment, wellness, and creativity. Whether you're seeking inspiration or connection, our community is here to uplift and empower you. Tune in and embrace your inner queen!
Brown Queen Diaries
Episode 8: Dance, Influence, and Empowerment
Concept & Host: Priyanka Nomula
Designed & Directed: Sandeep Raj
Presented by: Aussie Talkies
Guest: Manisha Dagore
Manisha’s journey from a caring nurse to a vibrant dance influencer encapsulates the blend of passion, resilience, and creativity. Her evolution highlights the power of dance as a transformative form of self-expression and connection, providing insights into overcoming challenges while embracing individuality.
Here are some of the topics we covered:
• Manisha shares her diverse background and early influences in dance
• The impact of COVID-19 influenced her decision to start creating content
• Building a community through dance workshops empowers women
• Navigating the challenges of negative feedback and social media scrutiny
• Overcoming an injury and the emotional journey of recovery
• Advice for aspiring content creators on finding their niche and maintaining consistency
Brown Queen Diaries by Priyanka Nomula
Directed by Sandeep Raj
Presented by Aussie Talkies
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Welcome to the show Manisha.
Speaker 2:How are you? Thanks, priyanka, I am good. Thanks for asking. I'm very excited to be here because I know how long you've been wanting to start your journey for in podcast and yeah, I'm just really excited. I feel blessed to be with you. I'm very thrilled to have you here. Thank you, and we're twinning.
Speaker 1:Yes, Black white. We didn't plan this. How did this happen?
Speaker 2:Yes, Like black white like we didn't plan this. So how did this happen?
Speaker 1:That's cool. So I know you very well and your followers know you very well. So for our audience, let's know about you a little bit. So who is Manisha? Tell us a little bit.
Speaker 2:Look, I'm a little bit of a platter, a little bit of a rainbow. So, you know, you guys know me by, you know, watching my videos on Instagram, scrolling through my videos very colourful, very out there, very confident, is what people say. You know, bolly, sensual, all these taglines. So there's that side to me. And then there's another side to me where I'm actually a part-time nurse as well. So I've been nursing for seven years and you know I go to work in my scrubs. I've got very close connections at work. We're all like sisters and in our scrubs. Very simple and yeah. But if I had to really explain myself, I think I'd say I love to care for people, I'm bubbly, I'm super bubbly and crazy loud and definitely unapologetic, definitely.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. So you're all about dance. I see you everywhere. I know you from a dance workshop. Yeah, we met at a dance school. So why dance? What does it mean to you?
Speaker 2:So why dance? What does it mean to you? My mom says.
Speaker 2:My mother says that you know, when you were in my stomach, in my womb, I swear to God, you did not stop moving like you were dancing from when you were in the womb and, I think, just growing up with the influence of Desi parents, south Asian parents in you know, in a household with you know, watching Kareena Kapoor dancing and Karishma Kapoor and Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan, everything was really filmy. So back in the day my mom picked up that I was a very filmy and dramatic child.
Speaker 1:I needed a lot of attention.
Speaker 2:You still are, I'm still super dramatic. And she had that big old school camera where she'd film me and say Chalo, are you ready for your shot? Shot. And I'd come and I'd start dancing and she was like, okay, so this was like early childhood, like you know, maybe like four, five, six years old, and then you know, I think every child likes to start a hobby young and it's good when parents put their children into something you know where they can use their energy. So that was dancing for me.
Speaker 2:So my mum put me in dance classes. I started with ballet, tap, jazz, and then we moved on to some Bollywood, some belly dancing. We did some classes together, my mother and I. So that was fun. Yeah, that was a good experience. So you know, from there I think I picked up early on that you know, dancing meant a lot to me. It filled a void in my heart that was there and you know, it just really made me a happier person. You know, it was a platform where I could express. So you know, if I was thinking something as a child or a bit lost as a child, I would come back to dancing and say this is where I feel confident, this is where I feel happy, that's your safe spot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's my safe spot and I know I know you know as a mother, you'd understand how important that is as well. So it started there. And then, you know, I kept dancing. Over the years I learned different dance styles. I've learned some katha, some. You know classical Indian forms as well, you know some freestyle and you know lots of stage performances, a lot of you know getting ready to perform and entertain a crowd. And then, yeah, today we're here.
Speaker 1:So today I'm teaching. You've come a long way.
Speaker 2:It's been a journey. It's been a really nice journey, yeah.
Speaker 1:So what was the turning point? When did you think or feel that you have to convert your passion into influencing and dance workshops?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it's been a bit of a journey. You know, I was a nurse working in the COVID ward back in 2020. It was a dark time. The world wasn't a very happy place. Everything was closed. I had to channelize my energy somewhere more positive.
Speaker 2:We needed that break right. So I'd go to work, you know I'd work in that you know, kind of low environment, sad environment, where you know people, the patients were restricted to their rooms. They were not even allowed to leave their rooms, you know. But I had that blessing of going home, you know, spending time at home and then coming back to work. So I did feel that was a really big blessing.
Speaker 2:And then I thought, look, I live alone, I have a dog, small apartment. I need to channelize my energy somewhere better. Why not dance? Yeah, why not the thing that I love the most? Why not do that? Um, one of my nursing friends said, you know, you should start doing tick tocks and stuff. Like I'm on tick tock and da, da. And I was like, okay, cool, um. So then one day I just tried. I was like, look, let's get ready, let's make a tick tock. And honestly, priyanka, I wasn't in love with my body back then and like it's taken a long time to love myself as well. But at that time I would, you know, describe myself as fat and ugly and you know, even when I used to. What are you talking?
Speaker 1:about? What are you talking about?
Speaker 2:Seriously, like when I used to make videos. I used to stand in angles against the wall that you know.
Speaker 1:Either say fat na dikhe like, either say fatna dikhe like, either say achcha dikhe, like I used to feel like this right about myself, but I started posting videos. It was. It was Honestly. I thought you were the most confident person and you you nobody would qualify or tell you that you were even fat or anything.
Speaker 2:Please don't even say that you thought that right, like maybe, maybe, I guess because you knew me on a more personal level, but just how I felt inside about myself, you know, okay, um, but yeah, so I started making TikToks there and you know I'd get a few views and a few comments, a lot of male attention, or you know you're beautiful or you're sexy or whatever. And then, um, I started seeing that it started picking up, the engagement started picking up. I started posting on Instagram as well as TikTok and it was just sort of building a community without even realising that I was doing that. My niche at that time, which still is, it was very Bolly, 90s, like Bollywood, 90s masala fun.
Speaker 1:Loved it.
Speaker 2:So it was a place of like letting go, like letting loose. It's a dark time. I want to have fun and I want to have a. You know, I want to have fun and I and I want to be happy, you know. And then you know, um, I don't know. And then, I think, when I started, reels started coming out on Instagram, so I started posting more on Instagram and there was more of a community there. You know, there was dancers from Sydney, there was dance from across the world that were connecting. It was a very exciting time, yeah, um.
Speaker 2:And then, you know, slowly, slowly, the body that I didn't like the girls loved. They started saying, hey, like, if she can dance in her body, where she looks so comfortable and she's not the stereotypical, you know, size zero, um, you know she's got curves and you know all that, like she can do it, like why can't I? You know. So I got got a lot of love back in the day for the way that I used to express in my body type. So I felt very, you know, happy. Then I was like, okay, so maybe I'm not that girl that I, you know, think I am. Maybe I'm not fat and maybe I'm curvy, maybe I'm beautiful, maybe I can utilize this, you know in my art. And then, yeah, so the videos happened. You know in my art, um, and then, yeah, so the videos happened. You know, the engagement started happening and then, slowly, slowly, there was an impact. There was a crowd, an audience of women coming in more than men. That you know, we love the way you dance, we love the way you express. Do you teach dancing?
Speaker 2:you know, from across the world, especially um, a lot of girls in India, would say you know, do you teach dancing? I got some from across the world, especially a lot of girls in India, would say you know, do you teach dancing? I got some messages around Melbourne like you should start teaching. Why aren't you teaching? And yeah, it took a little bit of a journey but yeah, it's almost been a year now and we've been doing workshops. We've been having so much fun.
Speaker 2:The girls are great, the energy is great and I think when you've realized that something that you're doing is having an impact on someone, that is, having an influence on someone, someone's mindset. They feel happy watching you dance. They want to dance like you, they want to feel confident like you. So we bring that out in the workshops. The girls come, they're a little bit shy, they open up and then they're like superstars by the end of it. They're like I feel so confident, confident. I love my body.
Speaker 1:So you know, it's not just dance, it's about loving yourself and loving your body, it's a very lovely journey to be honest, like yeah, from a content creator, yeah, who's been doing videos and then getting that traction the right audience, yeah. And then to influencing yeah, a lot of dancers actually dance influences across australia probably probably New Zealand they're also watching. And then, yeah, now the workshops. A beautiful journey. I mean, I'm watching, I know you so.
Speaker 2:I love you've been seeing from like back in the day.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, so let's talk about your viral video right Baysharam song. So oh, you know yeah, um, that that was something right. Like there were videos that were getting a lot of views. Obviously you were getting all these audience and your followers were increasing, but base room video was the first one to hit the rocket like hit yeah, a million views.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think now it's a million views. Tell me about it Honestly, priyanka. It was trending. It was one of those songs Bheesharam rang. You know Deepika looks stunning. You have Hrithik Roshan. It's trending. Let's try it. Let's give it a go. I do trending songs because I enjoy them and the choreography was easy, it was quite sensual it, it was quite beautiful, it was attractive to me and I think my niche and my audience, I loved it, yeah, so thank you, so I tried it out and um, you know it was, it was just a home video.
Speaker 2:It was like I live in an apartment, so the pool there, we tried that. And um, I, I don't know I just did the hook step. I had fun doing it, it was a good time, you know, and then I posted it, and then I literally went to sleep. I went to the hook step. I had fun doing it, it was a good time, you know, and then I posted it, and then I literally went to sleep. I went to sleep, I was like I'm so tired, I'm going to sleep, I'm going to post this and, just like usual, I'll wake up in the morning, whatever. But when I woke up in the morning, it hit 100,000 views, whoa. And I was like, overnight, oh shit, what, I'm not going to lie, it was overwhelming. It was weird because my community was small, you know, it was safe, and now it was kind of growing bigger. A lot of females commented on that video like my God, that confidence. I want her confidence. You know, I want that from her.
Speaker 2:And you know, obviously, the guys, you know, oh, you look sexy, you look nice, or you know some good comments, some bad comments and you know all that, but I think, not expecting to have that sort of response, I think it helped because it was trending and you know people were watching that audio already and then, yeah, it was just weird. It was a weird experience. I think I remember calling you and saying like this is really odd.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's just how I felt. And then it took a lift on your profile as well, didn't?
Speaker 2:it, it did, it did. I wasn't actively posting that often then, like I was, you know, I'd post a few food collabs, I'd post you know a few dancing and this, and that I was going through. You know things in my own personal life as well, but I think from Besharam Rang, it picked up, the audience picked up. I think the Instagram algorithm picked up that oh okay, this girl's trending. So then I started doing more videos and then they started trending. Yeah, once you hit sort of one viral video and a few more people know about you, more people know about you and they want to watch your videos and then they share it.
Speaker 1:Sharing is caring so let's talk about your reel making process. So, out of curiosity, how long does it take to create your reel?
Speaker 2:Like forever. It takes a very long time.
Speaker 2:I could never post even after making the reel. Oh my God. Yeah, look, I'll be honest, it takes a while. Okay, I am someone who is a bit of a perfectionist and like when I post something I need to love it, to post it. I. I just can't post something I'm not in love with myself, because I feel like that energy is what I'm putting out there and then that's what they're going to receive as well. So I don't know, let's say there's a trending song and then you want to do it.
Speaker 2:It might take like 10 takes until you're happy with your dance and the way you look and the way your outfit looks and it's good, like. I'm giving you like a rough number. It could take longer, honestly, but yeah, like it depends, okay, so if you're doing, if you're shooting outdoors, it might be freezing, it might be raining, so what are you wearing? You know whoever's filming you like, are they in the right angle? Is that what you like about yourself? Is this the angle you like? Or, if it's a home video, do you need a light or you know what do you need? But, honestly, it takes me forever, it takes me ages. Like kudos to the people who just go make a reel and it's done. Yeah, I wish I didn't do that much overthinking, but I do, and you know that because I want to post quality content.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I think your content yeah of lately is quite good, like the quality and the outcome of it is quite good. It's next level right oh, thanks so obviously it's not just the takes, but I think there's a lot of effort being made in terms of like, what are you wearing and what's? Yeah, because see, people, people scroll.
Speaker 2:You know your viewers are scrolling and they just you know.
Speaker 2:But that person who's made that reel has actually taken a lot of time you know, they might have thought out their costume or like whatever they're wearing, the outfit, I should say, um, you know they make up their hair, what song they're doing, the dance they're doing, you know what choreographer, you know what are they doing, what dance they're doing. And, um, yeah, it it's. It's just, you know, I've got like friends asking me like, okay, how do you make your reels? Like, what do you do? Because they've been to my house and they know I live in a small apartment, so like what, where do you, where do you do these reels? Right, and then I'm like, look, you get a tick, tock light, you get a fan, yeah, and you get a phone and you go for it and it's your world that that frame is your world.
Speaker 2:You have 30 seconds or whatever, to entertain someone. How are you going to do it? You know how are you going to have fun with it as well, and then you're going to look back at it and probably the first 10 views is yourself, because you're like my God is this all right?
Speaker 1:Did I post this?
Speaker 2:Is it fine? Yeah?
Speaker 1:Okay, okay.
Speaker 2:so that's the process roughly, so that's the reel making and then you post it.
Speaker 1:Yes, let's talk about the aftermath, what goes through? Your head like you post the reel yeah, and then obviously you have lots of following yeah, and then there's positive and negatives as well. Yeah, what's the aftermath of it? What goes through your head?
Speaker 2:look honestly like chat, gbt has helped me a lot with my captions.
Speaker 2:Yeah, over time, because you know you make your reel, it's ready to go. But what should I caption this Like? What should I say? What am I trying to communicate to my followers or my audience? You know, is it? Are we just writing, you know, for example, halka Javani song, or are we writing? Oh my God, guys, this took me so long. Are we engaging with them? So, thinking of a caption that is engaging to your audience is what I like to do. I use hashtags which are relatable, which are, you know, targeted, you know, to the, to the people who follow me, and then, you know, you post it. But the caption, you've got the real. You've got the caption, you post it, and then you just wait and watch, yeah, but what?
Speaker 1:happens like. Do you actually be? Would you be curious? Yes, when. When would you call that your reel is successful?
Speaker 2:that's a really good question actually. So in our insights we can check, um, obviously, how many people have seen the video and then how many of your followers have seen it. How many non-followers have seen it? Okay, so your, so any reel will go trending. Many non-followers have seen it? Okay, so your. So any reel will go trending when non-followers have seen it, which means that people around the world who are just scrolling it's come as trending. So your, your reel is going you know somewhere and then it's being shared. Um, when it's just your followers let's say, I don't know, 10 000 people have seen it and it's your followers it might not have been shared that much, so I kind of know that it's trending when non-followers have seen it, if that makes sense.
Speaker 2:It's like a little pie chart on Instagram in the algorithm section.
Speaker 1:I'm learning a lot about Instagram right now. Yeah, it's a bit of a crash course Instagram. Yeah, exactly 101.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 101, 101 from Manisha.
Speaker 1:So it's common for you to see 100K notifications from Instagram.
Speaker 2:I don't have my notifications on Priyanka. There was a time when I used to um, but I don't have them on because I think I'll my phone will blow up like I'll start crying, so, especially at work, like my phone will be, like you know, aside somewhere and I'll check it on my break. You don't get everyone's notifications either, right, because it's there's a lot going on. So you might get you know someone with a blue tick, like you might see a. You know a someone with a blue tick, like you might see a. You know a like or a comment from them, but you know you don't have time, probably, to go through all the notifications. That's why, when people message you, I try to read the request folder as much as I can and try to respond as much as I can, but it can be a little bit tough at times.
Speaker 1:Let's speak about your dance workshops. I've been to your dance workshops. You have you tell me workshops. I've been to your dance workshops, you have you tell me. I don't call myself a dancer, but I came out feeling confident and actually happy, like I didn't realize that I could pull off a dance like that right.
Speaker 2:You so can, so I loved it.
Speaker 1:So tell me about a time when you received a feedback that really touched your heart from your students, obviously.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's been an overwhelming experience, priyanka, honestly. But one lady came up to me after the workshop and she said I've just given birth, my child is two months old, and this is the first time after giving birth that I feel like myself again, I feel like me again, I feel alive again, and that really touched my heart.
Speaker 2:The nurse in me loved that comment because you know a journey of a mother isn't easy and you know a lot of your time is taken away with your child after that. So just to come back to do something you love, which happens to dance, you know, for that lovely, lovely, lovely lady um, she really, really, really, yeah, embraced that feminine energy and that goddess energy in her and you know, and then she probably went home a lot happier. So that that that really touched my heart, like honestly speaking, like anything that's a genuine comment will always touch my heart, like always, like I'm there to hear it.
Speaker 1:Even if it's a really long conversation, I'll be there everything has its ups and downs, while we know a lot of positive feedbacks coming up yeah like we all love it, but there's always negative side to it right so how do you deal with negative comments? Deal with negative comments, Hmm, it takes a lot of strength. I mean yeah you have to be really like a rock hearted or something like that.
Speaker 2:Yes. The simple answer is because I could talk about this all day. But the simple answer is is I believe if you're putting yourself out there on social media, first of all you need to be okay with positive and negative comments coming your way, because an opinion of someone will be there. They will comment. It might be a real profile, might be a fake profile, it might be someone you know that's made a fake profile like who knows, but them commenting on your reels negatively in the sense of maybe using sort of character words like bad character words, or you know she can't dance, or whatever a negative tone.
Speaker 2:I honestly don't read all my comments because there's a lot of them, so it's a bit overwhelming. But if I do stumble across, there might be some that hurt me, you know. There might be some that you know make me think oh, am I doing what I'm meant to be doing? Am I, am I? This is odd, like was there something wrong with this? But then I think about it. I always take it as feedback, like if someone is saying something, take it, take it as it is. You know, is it someone that's a dancer, is it someone that's a creator, or is it someone sitting on the other side of the world with nothing to do with a fake profile. So, first, who is it coming from the comment? Secondly, don't give too much importance to the comment because it's a comment at the end of the day, you know, even Bollywood stars get comments left, right, center.
Speaker 2:They still do what they do and they excel and they're beautiful at what they do, you know. So I don't take it to heart to be honest too much. You know I don't call my friends and be like, oh my god, you know, I got this comment today like I'm a bit carefree, like that and I like that about myself. It comes under the unapologetic Manisha like I am myself. If you like it, that's great, if you don't, that's great. Either way, I'm still going to do what I do because I love doing what I'm doing.
Speaker 2:I also remember my purpose, you know, because at the end of the day, what is my purpose? Why am I doing what I'm doing? I'm doing it because I love it and I love spreading the joy with other people and other dancers. So a comment is what? Comment is nothing. Let it go, move on you know, get on with your day.
Speaker 1:You know, it's just a comment they just who cares, who actually cares? Yeah, that's probably the right mindset.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and if you, are feeling a little bit down from a comment. That's also okay, because you're, you're only human. Let's say it was a really, really targeted comment. You might feel bad, yeah, but then you're not gonna, you know, sit in that puddle. You're going to move on just like you do with other things in life yeah but yeah, for me I'm quite touchwood carefree, that's good, I think that's the way to grow.
Speaker 2:Yeah like, yeah, you've got to be yeah, like you know, even if even if you're going to post something or my friend's going to post something, I know I have friends that say, like, I love dancing and I know I can dance, but I don't think it's as perfect as it needs to be for me to post on a platform where people can comment and I know I can dance, but I don't think it's as perfect as it needs to be for me to post on a platform where people can comment and I say the same thing I said.
Speaker 2:You know, at the end of the day, if you want to post something, you go for it, you know, but just be ready that there will be people commenting and you know you've got to deal with it.
Speaker 1:I think with comments right Like there's out a circle as well someone you know, someone you may know, yeah right. Yeah, it's not the commentary, but there's like back of the mind sort of a. You know, you just have this feeling like, oh, this person might feel like that this might be this person, might you?
Speaker 2:know that that was the.
Speaker 1:I think I have that like in my mind, but you probably are they going to think about me?
Speaker 2:yeah, what would people think about me? What?
Speaker 1:would these guys? Think about me. Did you have that initially? I don't think you have it right now. You don't care about that, but did you have that before?
Speaker 2:I did. I did, I think a lot of it, you know, came to obviously being unhappy with my body and being like what are they going to think of me? What are my friends going to think of me? And like, when I go, when I go as a nurse I'm not this, I am very different what the hell they're going to think of me? They don't even understand Hindi. What are they going to think of me? What am I doing? But, like, I don't know. I think I get this from my mum. It's a little bit of an attitude that you know. Whatever you like, you need to do that because this is your life. You're not living for xyz, you're not living for someone else. You're living for you and your true purpose. And for me, that's dance. For me, that's sharing the joy with everyone, the love, the expression, and it's so much fun.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, yeah, so nursing and dancing, yes. How are you balancing all of that?
Speaker 2:I'm not should I just say I'm not, honestly it's. It's been a tough one, priyanka, you know this because I do talk to you. I used to be a full-time nurse. There was a few things that happened along the way which we can talk about.
Speaker 2:But you know, I thought if I'm going to do full-time nursing, I'm not going to be able to give that much time and energy into dancing, into teaching dance classes or dance workshops or making reels or content creation. So I thought, look, I'm going to talk to my manager. I literally just said, look, I might need to take some, you know, not work full time and work part time. Just be not, as you know, money minded. Let's get onto the other side of things and let's work on passion. If I love something, maybe I can grow in this, maybe I can earn in this, so maybe both things can happen at the same time. So, to balance it, what really helps? Where I work in the hospital, we do longer shifts, so we work for 12, 13 hours a day and we don't have to go in every day. So we might go in two days a week instead of five days a week. Saves a lot of time, a lot of energy, and then, in the time that I have off, I'm planning my content.
Speaker 2:I that I have off, I'm planning my content. I've got a content calendar. When am I posting? What am I posting? How am I posting it? I've also got a manager now who works with me, so she helps me. You know, sort of collaborate with people and what sort of content do we want to see on our page? You know, so she'll reach out to them. Hey, you know, this is what I feel and you know, would you be interested?
Speaker 2:or they reach out and then you do a few and then it just keeps going. The balance of nursing and dancing is very beautiful, because it's two different things. Ok, so as a nurse you know, today I'm 30 years old, so I've been doing it for seven years Nursing is my home. Nursing is my second home. I can almost say like when I walk into that ward I feel in control. When I walk into that ward, I feel in control, I feel I feel so happy and blessed to be in a position to listen to.
Speaker 2:You know patients talk about their lives, their journeys, their struggles, their vulnerabilities. You know, so you really hear into what people have gone through, because you might be in your own world thinking that my life is really hard. It's very tough, everything's hard, but there is someone that has been through this, through that, through that. A lot of my patients are older, so you know their parents are not in this world anymore. They must have gone through God knows what To be in that position to be able to hear those stories, listen to them and then feel connected to them. You know, and they feel connected to you. You know they say Manisha, like you know, thank you for caring for me today.
Speaker 2:I take that home as very rewarding you know, I feel a gift in my heart and I truly feel very blessed by them. I know that they're blessing me. I swear to God they are every day. You know it might be, you might, you might. It might be as simple as showering someone who can't shower themselves, but the fact that you're in that position to help that person is is beautiful, you know, and it's completely opposite to what you see on Instagram. You know, you see this, yeah, fiery dancer who's doing Bolly sensual and whatever Bolly classical and Bolly 90s, and you know she's really dressed up and dramatic.
Speaker 2:And you know I love attention. I'm not, I'm not shy to say that I love not bad attention, I love good attention. I love entertaining, I love performing. You know I'm, I love the camera, the camera loves me and and I'm not gonna shy away from that, so I want to enjoy that side. But I also need to like pay off for things. I also need to have a life. I'm also a young girl growing up, you know, and I'm I also love my job, so I'm gonna do both until I can.
Speaker 1:You're doing very well, by the way like the looks of it in Instagram, I'm not sure what's happening with them behind the scenes. There are days, priyanka, there are days where I literally can't handle it.
Speaker 2:But I I somehow regroup myself, my mind space, I talk to my friends. Yeah, you know I limit my time on scrolling because a lot of time can go on scrolling and when you're scrolling as, you know, Some kind of addiction. It's an addiction. You're just scrolling. You're brushing your teeth, you're scrolling. You might be watching your own reels. You might be watching someone across the world you don't even know, and then you'll share it. And then two hours later, you're still doing that yeah so, like you know, time can be wasted.
Speaker 2:So when you have a calendar, when you have a schedule, when you have, you know, things like self-care practices in place, like I walk a lot, so I like to go for morning walks with my dogs and things like that, I do all that before I get into the social media world. You know, oh, I'm working. For example, it's Monday, I go for a walk in the morning with my dogs and, you know, have my coffee, chill out, that's me time, you know. And then I might say, oh, I need to make some choreo for, like, my workshop in two weeks, so then I'll get that ready. Oh, I've got work tomorrow morning. I'll get my scrubs ready for the next day. Nursing, there's no makeup, there's no glam, it's very simple, it's like two opposite worlds.
Speaker 1:It's easy. It's easy for me Two worlds that are completely opposite.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly and but. But when I was, you know, I think, 15 years old, I was in school and I had a teacher who said to me you'd make a great nurse. And I was like, really Like, why would you say that she goes? You're just very caring. You always ask me how I am.
Speaker 1:You got that side, yeah, you got that natural nurturing.
Speaker 2:I love caring for people, yeah. You know personality, so yeah, and so do you. That's why we connect. I connect with people who are empathetic. I'm, you know, I, I. I don't really connect with people who can't you know, connect. Yeah, I need that connection.
Speaker 1:So your injury, I know it's been challenging. I know you connection. So your injury, I know it's been challenging. I know you. It happened in 2021, just during that time when you, when you started your videos as well, so it was challenging. It put you back a few days, a few months, I'm not sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, completely, but share about it a little bit, yeah um, yeah, so basically, um, not a lot of people know this, but I had an injury. I lifted something heavy it was 2021, I think and after that I just started feeling some neck pain and some back pain. It was just a weird time, right, Didn't think much of it. My friend said you should probably see a physio and I was like, okay, I'll go see a physio. So I went and saw a physio and we did a few MRIs and then she said, look, you've got this condition. It's called a pinched nerve, so it's a disc bulge that comes out of your neck and symptoms like numbness and pain through your arms, loss of sensation, things like that will happen and we'll be working with you together. As she was a physio, so I'll be helping you through this, but I don't know how long the recovery is going to be.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, that that when, when that was told to me, I was told that you know the healing period of a pinched nerve. You know injury is probably four to eight weeks to 12 weeks and I was like, okay, so I told my manager at work look, I might need some time off and I might just need to rest a bit and do some physio and heat therapy and all this, but little did I know that time just kept going by and it just kept getting worse. So it got so bad. Priyanka, like I'm not sure if you know this, but I couldn't feed myself. I couldn't lift a spoon with my right hand. It was too painful. I had to keep my hand like this for almost eight months. I didn't have a sling or anything, but I couldn't dance.
Speaker 2:I wasn't making content. I was off social media for about a year, Um I then couldn't work as a nurse.
Speaker 2:So, eight months of working like, of not working as a nurse, was really hard because it was COVID, so I was living alone, staying at home all day looking at walls, for a good eight months. Okay, time had passed. That must've been hard. I put on a lot of weight during that time. It was really, really hard. I had a few really good supportive friends that kept in touch with me at that time and, with the help of everyone, it got better over time.
Speaker 2:But at that time I thought, well, I was depressed. I'm going to be honest. I was so depressed. I was like what is the point of being alive? Like I can't dance, I can't be a nurse, I can't do anything that I like. So there was a, there was a point, you know, and I've never felt this before there was a point where I still remember it was 2021 December that I actually wanted to die, like I didn't want to be alive anymore. Okay, so I thought you know what this is? It Like I don't really have any purpose in this world. I can't even feed myself, I can't shower myself, I'm not showering. It's been eight days I haven't showered. It's disgusting. I don't feel loved. I don't like.
Speaker 2:I was feeling all these bad feelings, slowly, slowly, I think, as I thought that I thought you know what. There was just this light bulb moment and I thought of my dog. I thought of my little dog and how she would feel if her mum left her, and I just thought I can't do this to myself. I cannot do this to myself. I have to get back up and I have to work hard because with my mindset being so negative, how am I going to live a positive life? How am I going to see the rest of my life? And I'm so blessed to be living this life. You know, I can't just choose to die, yeah, so I got up and literally just worked really hard on myself.
Speaker 2:I started going full-on with physio, full-on with workouts, eating right, eating better, spending more time with friends, going out because it caused a lot of social anxiety with the COVID and just being locked in at all times. It was very anxiety provoking my mum and dad. Thank God they were very supportive at that time, so that was really important. And then, just you know, six months later, I was dancing with. This was odd, but six months later I was dancing with my idol, govinda, at this event and I had manifested that for years before. So like it was such a low moment, priyanka, and then from that to six months later, of just being back into showbiz, being with people, being with entertainment, being in my you know where I feel the best, being in my you know sort of setting.
Speaker 2:I could say you know, I just felt alive again. And then that's the day when I said thank God, I didn't die. Thank God I didn't die, thank God I stayed alive. For this moment, yes, and the strength from that to now. It's still a healing journey. It's still a journey I do get you to time.
Speaker 2:I do get pain time to time and a lot of people have commented that you know, your choreo is very easy, it's very simple, it's very repetitive, but they don't know that I've had an injury. So I'm just doing the best that I can, just like everyone else. I'm doing my best in my life, in this world.
Speaker 1:I think a lot of people love your choreo, like it feels very feminine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like yeah it's different.
Speaker 1:They love it they love it.
Speaker 2:You get the good and the bad. As I've said, you know to you that. You know you get people that love it and and they love it because they're really enjoying they're able to do a dance. I don't want to teach a dance that you're not able to do.
Speaker 2:I want to teach a dance that's nice and flowy and expressive and you know really in there but really out there, but um, but yeah, you'll get, you'll get both worlds. But I think the injury definitely helped me sort of um get stronger yeah, it kind of made you more strong, stronger, less of a people.
Speaker 2:Pleaser, a push for yourself I guess, unapologetic and also you know that energy that you bring to workshops or bring to anywhere, really it helps because you've you've been through something tough and you've been through it. You've come to the other side, which is a nice rainbow.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:So that's what, that's what we are today.
Speaker 1:We're all about rainbows, yeah, Okay. So before we wrap up, I would like to give the budding content creators if somebody wants to be in this influencing field some advice. How does one start?
Speaker 2:How does one start? Yeah, content creation, yeah, okay, a few hot tips that I've learned along the way. I can share them. I'm not an expert or something, but let's say you want to start. Let's say you're a dance influencer and you want to start making an impact, making a difference on your community, on the South Asian community or around the world, globally. You know how do you start? So I think just start very simple. You know, have a good phone, whether that's an iPhone or whatever you have. I think just start very simple. You know, have a good phone, whether that's an iPhone or whatever. You have a good light, you know a nice background.
Speaker 2:Are you asking someone to film for you or are you doing it yourself? Are you editing yourself or someone else you know? So things like thinking about why you're doing what you want to do. So your purpose, and then, secondly, your niche. So who are those people that you want to attract and want to connect to? Are they? Are they just dancers or are they more? You know, influencers, are they lifestyle? You know enthusiasts like who are they?
Speaker 2:You know, once you know your niche, then start posting, start adding those hashtags that relate to dance or lifestyle or whatever you're doing, and then have you know consistency, because this is this is where people fall off. People post a few reels and then have you know consistency, because this is this is where people fall off. People post a few reels and then they get. Either they get bored or overwhelmed or they're like this is too much, because it's a lot of effort, it's a lot of energy that you're putting in there on your phone. You know you're looking at your phone, so just you know, thinking about if I'm going to post on a Monday, maybe I'll post next Monday as well, and then I'll post next Monday, you know, and then I'll keep going and then I might post more. You know I might gain more followers. I might follow more people and then connect with more people, you know.
Speaker 2:So when I started, I had a fan from Kmart. I had a TikTok like that. Someone gifted me a phone and a white wall. So you had a fan, I had a fan. I need my hair to fly, oh.
Speaker 1:OK, flight okay. So one thing about me Priyanka is the dramatic me.
Speaker 2:The filmy Bollywood. Manisha needs needs to feel good before she makes a reel, because I need to be, like, feeling attractive, right you know. So I'll have a shower, I'll get ready, I'll spray myself with perfume, like I'll do all these things before I start my reel you can't smell me from your phone, but I promise you I smell nice.
Speaker 2:And then you know, and then we just keep going. You know, consistency, consistency is a big thing, and you know, and and being versatile, like you know, if you're just going to do the same thing, it is going to get a bit repetitive, um, a bit boring to watch. So if I'm just standing in front of that white wall for all my reels kind of might not be that entertaining, depending on what you're doing. If it's comedy, you might just need that. But if you're going more glamour, more dance, more fashion, more fun, more filming, then change it up, you know, have fun. And then post on your platforms, post on tiktok, post on instagram. Um, once you've made your post, you know, pop it out there on a story, you know you have a whole ritual to do.
Speaker 1:it's's a ritual you have something.
Speaker 2:It's like a journey, the journey of this. That's amazing.
Speaker 1:Lovely tips and I hope it was informative for the viewers and our audience as well. Thank you so much for joining us in this show, Manisha.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thank you, priyanka. It was so, so special being here and so much more special that it's you. Thank you, thank you.
