We were lucky to catch up with Sandalina Sattar recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sandalina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I’m the talk show host for Spotlight with Sandalina. The show presents a vulnerable deep dive into the journeys of South Asian / Muslim creators in NYC, through the course of a one-hour, one-on-one conversation.

There is an entire generation of South Asians residing in first-world countries, born to immigrant parents who took a leap of faith by leaving their homeland. For the first time in South Asian history, there is an entire generation of young adults grappling with the contradictory nuances of Eastern and Western cultural ideologies. There is an emerging ecosystem of South Asians questioning generations-old thought processes, and carving a path for themselves deviating from tradition. And the best part is that they’re successful in doing so, as they’re collectively starting to get traction in mainstream media. Their individual stories are worth documenting, and I’m so proud to be one of the storytellers uncovering this phenomenon for audiences.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Sandalina Sattar, a Muslim-American talk show host, event host, and full-time finance professional based in NYC. My journey to the present has been anything but straightforward, and even now, I’m still figuring things out. It’s easy to look at others and assume they’ve reached a state of self-actualization, but the truth is, no one really knows what the ultimate destination is. And that’s the beauty of it all!

I was born and raised in Cupertino, California, in the Bay Area. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I never questioned the traditional path to a corporate career. Growing up in a community focused on academia and ambition was a privilege, but schools didn’t teach us that there’s more to life than GPAs and earning potential.

Education was always a top priority for me, even though the path to achieving my academic goals had its twists and turns. I chose to attend community college—specifically Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California—to give myself a second chance at getting into my dream universities as a transfer student while avoiding hefty tuition fees. Taking this “less conventional” route paid off in the long run. In 2022, I graduated from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business with a BS in Business Administration and moved to NYC to start my career on Wall Street as an Investment Banking Analyst.

Little did I know, my worldview was about to be completely transformed in both the best and most challenging ways. During the first year and a half in New York, two significant things happened simultaneously: 1) I was struggling with the demanding and exhausting finance job, feeling trapped by long hours and health issues, and 2) I was inspired by the stories of South Asian creators who had taken non-traditional career paths. Seeing people who looked like me taking risks and pursuing their passions for the chance of fulfillment motivated me to do the same.

Though it meant questioning my very existence and personal definition of success, I eventually left my Investment Banking job. I also started my talk show, Spotlight with Sandalina, from my studio apartment, interviewing the very individuals whose stories had broadened my perspective. The icing on the cake was joining the finance team at a Beauty company with a much healthier work-life balance, allowing me to pursue my passions in my free time while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Though my platform is in its early stages, I’ve found that targeting a niche audience that aligns with your personal identity is the best way to start. You can connect most effectively with an audience when you see yourself among them, feeling as though you’d be just as happy sitting in their seats.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

People sharing the impact the show has had on them personally, and the introspection it’s brought about in their own daily lives is absolutely the most rewarding part of building out the show. It’s what fuels me to keep going on the difficult days.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/spotlightwithsandalina
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spotlightwithsandalina
• Youtube: https://www.instagram.com/spotlightwithsandalina

Image Credits

RGBTV Photography, K Magazine, @mishmediaplus, @photosbyavani