What happens when you stop hiding the parts of yourself the world taught you to soften?

In this episode, I sit down with Indio Skinner to talk about what it truly means to live unapologetically with a disability. After years of downplaying his spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) to avoid being treated differently, Indio made a bold decision: to show up fully and visibly as himself. That choice didn’t limit him, it empowered him.

We explore how embracing disability can deepen relationships, strengthen identity, and redefine confidence.

This conversation goes beyond disability. We talk about the courage to show weaknesses without seeking validation, the quiet power of small daily acts, and why surrounding yourself with diverse perspectives strengthens who you are. We also reflect on helping others as a form of healing, and how true purpose often lives in everyday human connection, not titles or recognition.

This episode is a reminder that confidence is not about perfection.
It’s about ownership.
It’s about presence.
It’s about loving yourself - unapologetically.

If you’ve ever felt pressure to hide parts of yourself to fit in, this conversation is for you. Thank you so much for listening!
-V.

Ever wondered what it’s like to grow up offline, deep in the jungle, at a tiny Indian boarding school? In this episode, I chat with Praneeth Koneru about his nine-year adventure at Rishi Valley School, a place with no Wi-Fi, no phones, and barely any contact with the outside world.

We dive into the unique challenges and joys of boarding school life: building friendships in tight quarters, navigating strict rules, surviving basic dorm living, and discovering independence the hard and sometimes hilarious way. Praneeth shares how the experience shaped his life skills, confidence, and ability to handle conflict, lessons that still help him today.

This conversation is not about criticizing India, but about appreciating its incredible diversity, culture, and traditions. From South Indian cuisine and customs to the way students learn self-discipline and relationships, we explore how cultural context shapes education and identity.

If you’re curious about growing up differently, navigating identity, and learning life lessons in unexpected ways, this episode is for you. You’ll laugh, reflect, and maybe gain a new appreciation for the many ways childhood can happen, even without Wi-Fi.

Hi everyone, there are conversations that challenge you loudly and then there are the ones that quietly rearrange how you think.

This episode belongs to the second kind. Sitting down with Ari, what began as a conversation about monogamy slowly unfolded into something much deeper: a reflection on queerness, intimacy, chosen structures, and the invisible rules we’re taught to follow when it comes to love. Not because they fit us, but because they’re familiar.

We talk about monogamy not as a default, but as a choice. About queerness not as a category, but as a lens. About relationships not as something to label, but something to experience honestly. This episode isn’t here to give answers or define what love should look like. It’s here to sit in the questions, the uncomfortable ones, the tender ones, the ones we don’t always say out loud.

If you’ve ever felt like the traditional relationship narrative didn’t quite fit, or if you’ve found yourself curious about what intimacy could look like beyond expectation, this conversation invites you to listen, slowly, openly, and without needing to decide anything at all. Enjoy listening to this episode and stay tuned for a new episode next week!

A new year, a new semester, and it only felt right to start this season with a familiar voice.

In this episode, I’m joined by our old and well-known friend Abdullah Najjar for a conversation that feels like coming home. We talk about approaching strangers, starting conversations, awkward silences, curiosity, fear, and the courage it takes to say the first hello, whether in a coffee shop, a classroom, or life in general.

This episode is less about having the perfect words and more about showing up as you are. It’s about listening, making mistakes, laughing them off, and realizing that some conversations are meant to last, and some are simply meant to happen.

If this new year has you craving connection, this episode is for you.

Welcome back to The Identity Library.
Let’s start the season by starting the conversation.

Hi everyone, The Identity Library is back, and I’m so excited for the semester ahead!

This episode is a personal New Year check-in. I share a few honest updates about the podcast, reflect on the past year, and talk about why I’ve started approaching New Year’s resolutions differently. Instead of pressure or perfection, I focus on choosing a theme for the year, something that offers direction without rigidity.

We talk about reflection without judgment, realistic intentions, long-term versus short-term thinking, and how growth doesn’t have to be dramatic to be meaningful. This episode is part update, part reflection, and an invitation to slow down, realign, and move into 2026 with clarity and self-trust.

If you’re entering the new year feeling motivated, uncertain, or somewhere in between, this episode is for you.

Thank you for listening and for being part of this journey.

Hey everyone! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Life has been racing, new semester, new routines, and a whole lot of catching up with myself. But I’m finally back behind the mic, and it feels good. This first episode of the semester marks a little creative reset, a reminder that even when life gets chaotic, there’s always rhythm waiting to be found again.

This week, I sat down with Lexi, or as some of you might know her, Allegivnt, a rising electronic music producer who has been building her own sound, brand, and identity one beat at a time. Our conversation unfolds like one of her tracks: layered, unexpected, and full of honesty. We talk about the creative process, fighting perfectionism, and finding freedom through sound. Lexi shares her story of overcoming addiction, channeling her emotions into art, and learning to trust her creative flow again.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain about your next step, this one’s for you. It’s a story about transformation, both in music and in life, and a reminder that even the quiet moments can hold a spark waiting to become something beautiful.

I’m so excited to share this new chapter with you, and there are more episodes, stories, and voices on the way very soon. Stay tuned!

Season One of The Identity Library has officially come to a close, and what a chapter it has been. From graduating at NC State to being accepted into grad school, this season was full of change, challenge, and moments I never expected to carry so deeply. As I head home to Germany for the summer, I’m taking a well-deserved pause, eating way too much feta cheese, sipping sparkling soda in the sun, and feeling genuinely happy for the first time in a while.

But don’t worry, the stories won’t stop here. Season Two will begin in August, filled with new voices, new questions, and the same curiosity that has carried this podcast since Chapter One. If you have a story about identity, cultural heritage, or simply becoming who you are, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you. Also, enjoy my little commencement speech bonus and podcast recap in this episode.

Thank you for listening, for holding space with me, and for reminding me that the most powerful stories often begin in the quietest places. See you in Season Two.

Surprise, we’re still in Season 1, but this one feels different. Call it a summer edition, a bonus chapter, or just a moment that needed to exist before we officially wrap things up.

In this episode, I sit down with my brilliant and quietly powerful friend Cece Harrison, a Nuclear Engineering major at NC State, to talk about what it really means to be a woman in engineering. Not the glossy poster version. The real one, filled with doubt, pressure, purpose, and the occasional moment of joy when you realize you're building something that once felt off-limits.

Cece opens up about almost not choosing engineering at all, the impact of a female mentor, and why representation and outreach matter more than we think. We talk about surviving toxic environments, the myth of the “girlboss,” and the quiet courage it takes to show up exactly as you are in spaces that weren’t designed for you.

This isn’t just about Nuclear Engineering. It’s about rewriting what power looks like, supporting each other when the system pushes us to compete, and realizing that you don’t need to be extraordinary to belong. You just need to be there, and to stay.

Wherever summer finds you, I hope this episode keeps you good company. I’ll be heading home to Germany for a bit, hopefully catching some cooler air, definitely losing my English fluency, returning with a slightly thicker German accent and maybe a few pastry or cheese reviews.

More soon, with another chapter, after the summer break, and ideally from a room with working AC.