Ananya BirlaEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

Simi sits down with Ananya Birla , business leader, artist, mental health advocate, and 7th-generation scion of one of India's oldest and most storied family businesses — the Aditya Birla Group . Ananya is building across more industries than most people will touch in a lifetime. At 17, she founded what is now India's second-largest microfinance institution. After dropping out of Oxford to pursue music, she became the first Indian artist to go platinum with an English single. A consummate multi-hyphenate, she joined the family business — the first woman in her lineage — now leading subsidiaries across film, real estate, cosmetics, and AI. Today, Ananya is recognized as one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women in the world, shaping India's relationship with the world. Recorded live at the India Conference at Harvard , this unfiltered conversation covers leadership principles and privilege, music and mental health, and what it means to craft your own legacy when you were born into one. KEY TOPICS: Dropping out of Oxford to pursue music Launching her own ventures and earning credibility in the family business Being the only woman in the boardroom On leadership, privilege, and her vision for the Birla Family legacy Leading Birla Studios, Birla Cosmetics, Birla AI Labs, Birla Real Estates Self-worth, mental health advocacy, and leadership principles ABOUT ANANYA BIRLA: Ananya Birla is the Founder and Chairperson of Svatantra Microfin — India's second-largest and best-performing microfinance institution with a $7 billion portfolio, over 4 million customers, and 24,000 employees across 19 states. The company is heading toward IPO in 2026 — the fastest any Birla has taken a company public in seven generations. The international PE firm Advent invested $400 million alone. In music, Ananya has multiple English-language multi-platinum singles in India, was the first Indian artist featured on an American national Top 40 chart, and has collaborated with AR Rahman and Sean Kingston . She also leads Birla Cosmetics (LOVETC and Contraband), Birla Studios , and Birla AI Labs . Ananya serves on the Aditya Birla Group 's apex strategic body ABMCPL and on the boards of Hindalco, Grasim, and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail. The Birla conglomerate is one of the largest industrial dynasties in India and the largest Indian greenfield investor in the U.S. ($15 billion). South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com . Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram , LinkedIn , TikTok , Facebook , YouTube , and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify .

Ananya Birla, Director of the Aditya Birla Group, shares her insights from Davos 2026 on the global economic landscape and India's growth trajectory. Highlighting the group's massive scale, she notes that the Aditya Birla Group reached a market cap of US$115 billion as of March 2025, spanning 41 countries. Birla emphasizes the 'moral dilemma' of AI, arguing that human capital and emotional intelligence (EQ) are more critical than ever to prevent labor redundancy. Discussing her entrepreneurial ventures, she reveals that Svatantra Microfin has disbursed over ₹65,000 crore since inception, becoming India's second-largest microfinance institution with industry-leading ROA and NPA metrics. In the real estate sector, Birla reports a 92% CAGR for the group's housing business, driven by a post-COVID surge in luxury residential demand. She remains bullish on the 'Made in India' story, citing the success of founder-led brands like Contraband in competing with global labels for the discerning Gen Z consumer.

In this inspiring episode, Ananya Birla opens up to Sania Mirza about the real person behind the surname. From confronting the guilt of privilege and finding purpose in empowering women through microfinance, to navigating mental health struggles, panic attacks, and the pressure of legacy — Ananya’s honesty hits close to home. She talks about switching between her alpha business persona and her vulnerable artistic self, and learning to turn her “weaknesses” into superpowers. Serving It Up With Sania is a relaxed, conversational podcast hosted by global sports icon Sania Mirza, where each episode is a rally between laughter and honesty, as Sania sits down with fellow athletes, influential personalities, and close friends to explore universal themes like resilience, parenthood, identity, and breaking societal norms. It’s spontaneous, candid, and delightfully bold, offering the kind of insights and truths that rarely make it past PR. Serving It Up With Sania is where real stories take center court. Unscripted. Unfiltered. And always engaging. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In April 2023, the Economic Times India Leadership Council hosted Sadhguru in New Delhi for an event. During the event, Singer-Songwriter, Entrepreneur, and Director of Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd. Ananya Birla explored love, life, leadership, artificial intelligence, consciousness, and more in a captivating conversation with Sadhguru. Set the context for a joyful, exuberant day with a short, powerful message from Sadhguru. Explore a range of subjects with Sadhguru, discover how every aspect of life can be a stepping stone, and learn to make the most of the potential that a human being embodies. Conscious Planet: https://www.consciousplanet.org Sadhguru App (Download): https://onelink.to/sadhguru__app Official Sadhguru Website: https://isha.sadhguru.org Sadhguru Exclusive: https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/sadhguru-exclusive Inner Engineering Link: isha.co/ieo-podcast Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 50 of the weekly Mom's Spaghetti Podcast with Keith Cohen's favorite new music from the week, along with special guest Ananya Birla! All songs can be found on the Spotify or Apple Music playlist "To The Top!" (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7uQ7nL4sS1uop0JRYMJXOw ~or~ https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/to-the-top/pl.u-JPAZDVGFDWp6JzY) 2:30 Day Goes By -- Ananya Birla, Sean Kingston 5:32 Livin' The Life -- Ananya Birla 8:53 Hold On -- Ananya Birla 12:14 Circles -- Ananya Birla 16:00 Better -- Ananya Birla 18:56 All Night Long -- Ananya Birla 22:43 BLUE -- Tiësto, Stevie Appleton 24:40 I Luv U -- Sofia Carson, R3HAB 26:06 Good For You -- Two Friends, JUSCOVA 27:38 Salt -- Ava Max 29:43 I Want You -- OMI 31:13 Lonely -- Jay Sean 32:30 No One's Gonna Ever Love U -- Delacey 33:42 Trying My Best -- Anson Seabra 35:15 Sunflower, Vol. 6 -- Harry Styles 37:19 Canyon Moon -- Harry Styles 39:04 Busy -- Filmore 40:33 Just the Way -- Parmalee, Blanco Brown 42:00 I Miss You -- Brandt, Griff Clawson 43:29 In My Bed -- Rotimi, Wale 45:08 NIGHTTIME (Interlude) -- Russ 46:35 Homegirl -- Leven Kali, Smino, Topaz Jones 48:11 7PM -- Alec King 49:31 Gimme Brain -- Travis Barker, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross 50:49 Fire Burning -- Sean Kingston #tbt

Ananya Birla with Hrishi K - Everybodys Lost by Hrishikesh Kannan

After getting a closer look at Ananya Birla’s life as an artist in part one, she now talks to us about her business ventures, new music, mental health and a lot more. People all over the world are not only impacted by her music but also by her social good projects. We also get an insight into the ups and downs of Ananya's journey of catering to a global audience while being an Indian. Catch Ananya Birla’s exclusive interview with Chennai Live.

A performer, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and so much more. She started her journey in 2016 and is the first Indian artiste with an English language single to go platinum in India. Ananya Birla talks about the success of her new song, her family, living in LA and so much more. Discover Ananya, behind the scenes :)

If Music Heals... this season's VACCINE is here! Presenting Ananya Birla's new single- #LetThereBeLove. Her first five songs hit the 150 million mark on streaming platforms, with singles "Meant To Be","Livin the Life", "Hold On", "Circles" and "Better" achieving platinum status.Ananya is the first Indian artist with an English language single to go platinum in India. Check out her latest track and let the LOVE go viral!

Catch Ananya Birla in conversation with RJ Aniket on #100Hours100Stars, the nation's biggest Digital Carnival. The musician has some advice for fellow millennials and talks about her new projects. Donate towards #PMCARES fund by clicking on the link: https://m.p-y.tm/FFM-PMCARES Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices