Find Meaning in Your Work & Life: Host, Author, Founder on Crafting Purpose

Sonali Kolhatkar is an author, journalist, host, activist and artist.

“I am driven by justice,” says Sonali Kolhatkar, author, radio host, nonprofit organization co-director, artist, musician and mother.

““I am driven by #justice,” says @SonaliKolhatkar, author, radio host of @RUWithSonali, nonprofit organization co-director, editor of @yesmagazine, artist, musician and mother. #inspirationalwomen”

“There’s a time and a place for rolling up one’s sleeve and getting the work done,” says the Los Angeles-based host and executive producer of the nationally syndicated radio and TV program, “Rising Up With Sonali” which airs on KPFK and KPFA and also as a TV show on Free Speech TV.

Born in Dubai to Indian parents, Kolhatkar lived in the United Arab Emirates until she was 16, moving to the United States for school.

“Coming to the U.S. was a dream of mine,” she says.

She double majored in physics and astronomy at University of Texas-Austin, graduating in 1996. She earned her masters in astrophysics at University of Hawaii-Manoa, and later moved to Pasadena, with her husband, Jim Ingalls, who was on faculty at California Institute of Technology, where she was also on faculty as an Applications Developer from 1998 to 2002.

““There’s a time and a place for rolling up one’s sleeve and getting the work done,” says @SonaliKolhatkar, a Los Angeles-based host and executive producer of the nationally syndicated radio and TV program @RUWithSonali. #womenleaders”

“I got disillusioned with science, it was fairly patriarchal,” says Kolhatkar who describes her move out of science in a 2014 TEDx Talk, “My Journey From Astrophysics to Radio Host or How I Found Meaning in My Life.”

“It’s changed a lot in the last 20 or so years, as there are now a lot more women, but it is still not perfect,” she says.

“I had a great job at Cal Tech, but that work did not feel meaningful,” says Kolhatkar, founding co-director in 2000 of the Afghan Women’s Mission that supports the work of Afghan women-led feminist organizations and partners with Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, the oldest political/social organization of Afghan women struggling for peace, freedom, democracy and women's rights in Afghanistan since 1977.

Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan earlier this year, the plight of women in Afghanistan has alarmed leaders worldwide and re-energized the awareness work that Afghan Women’s Mission is doing to support women and girls there.

“Since the U.S. withdrawal from #Afghanistan earlier this year, the plight of #women in Afghanistan has alarmed leaders worldwide and re-energized the awareness work that Afghan Women’s Mission is doing to support women and girls there. #womensrights”

“To live a meaningful life is when you wake up with a drive, with purpose and meaning,” says Kolhatkar, a Writing Fellow with Independent Media Institute.

Read more in Take The Lead on careers with meaning

Since COVID has inspired “The Great Resignation,” more women in the workforce are declaring the need to switch jobs and careers, and go for working with purpose and meaning.

“Since COVID has inspired “The Great Resignation,” more women in the workforce are declaring the need to switch jobs and careers, and go for working with purpose and meaning. #careerswitch #greatresignation”

CBS reports, “New LinkedIn data finds that the number of job transitions for women surged in 2021. Job transitions — which can mean any type of job change, from dropping out of the workforce altogether to finding a better-paying job — for women have jumped 54% compared with a year ago, a record. Meanwhile, men's career transitions have increased about 46%, according to data across LinkedIn's network.”

A year and a half into the pandemic, women in the workplace are increasingly assessing their career goals against a number of benchmarks, including job flexibility, salary and whether a workplace has a vaccine mandate. Notably, about 4 in 10 women say they are experiencing burnout, while one-third say their income isn't enough to pay for their family expenses, LinkedIn found in a survey of more than 2,000 workers. 

“A year and a half into the #pandemic, #women in the #workplace are increasingly assessing their career goals against a number of benchmarks, including job flexibility, salary and whether a workplace has a vaccine mandate.”

Other research shows an even larger percentage of working women are looking for a career shift.

Forbes reports, “According to a new survey from the professional women’s network AllBright, women are emerging from these unprecedented times with a career shift on their minds. 1 in 4 are setting up their own business going forward, and over 60% are planning a complete pivot altogether.”

Read more in Take The Lead on 50 Women Can Change The World programs

Nearly two decades ahead of the pandemic, Kolhatkar decided on a career shift of her own.

In 2002, Kolhatkar decided to leave Cal Tech and tried out for a position at KPFK Radio and was hired. Her journalism experience included “writing for a kids’ magazine when I was a pre-teen,” she says. But it was her science background that was her foundation.

“The methods of research helped,” Kolhatkar says.   

In 2005, she and her husband, Ingalls, travelled to Afghanistan and in 2006 published Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords and The Propaganda of Silence.

Her weekly radio show with KPFK transitioned into a TV program in 2015, and she also expanded her journalism into print as a weekly columnist for Truthdig.com, which she continued until 2020. She became the racial justice editor of Yes! Magazine in July 2021.   

Kolhatkar is now producing the TV and radio shows out of her home studio. Her parents also moved in with her recently. Kolhatkar also lives with her husband and two sons, ages 9 and 14.

“It’s not that hard to find the time to prioritize,” says Kolhatkar, who uses her artwork in painting, ceramics, crochet and woodworking as self-care. “My art is my therapy,” she says. “All those creative endeavors help me rejuvenate.”  

“@SonaliKolhatkar uses her artwork in painting, ceramics, crochet and woodworking as #selfcare. “My art is my therapy,” she says. “All those creative endeavors help me rejuvenate.” #productivity #lifeadvice”

Read more in Take The Lead on complicated lives

Clearly not just managing her multi-tasking life, but excelling at it, Kolhatkar offers keen advice for entrepreneurs, leaders and everyone interested in a productive, meaningful life.

“I find I am extremely productive when I have something to look forward to,” she says. “You have to want to do the work.”

“Clearly not just managing her multi-tasking life, but excelling at it, @SonaliKolhatkar offers keen advice for #entrepreneurs, #leaders and everyone interested in a #productive, meaningful life. “I find I am extremely productive when I have something to look forward to,” she says.”

Read more in Take The Lead on loving your work

As someone who wants to “make the world a better place,” Kolhatkar says she is “driven by justice.”

“As someone who wants to “make the world a better place,” @SonaliKolhatkar says she is “driven by #justice.” #activism #womenleaders”

She adds, “I’ve crafted a meaningful life and I hope other people find inspiration in that.”