Join Dr. Kimberly Jackson as she has a leadership chat with Cummins Engineering Manager, Niyati Tamaskar, about diversity, hope, self-advocacy and compassion gaps.

Listen in as Niyati shares her deeply personal story about her battle with breast cancer as a new breastfeeding mom and a young woman of color and how writing about it got her through this difficult time and has allowed her to help others along the way. You don't want to miss her take on the difference between positivity and hope and her advice on how to advocate for yourself and ask for what you need. After listening to this conversation, you will have a much better understanding of empathy and its opposite and will know what not to say to someone who is dealing with a painful situation.

Guest Bio:

Niyati immigrated to the United States from India as a teenager to pursue a degree in electrical and computer engineering. From India to Indiana, Niyati and her husband currently live in Columbus with their two children. In 2018, she was diagnosed with breast cancer while breastfeeding her daughter. While going through the grueling treatment planned for her, Niyati started to journal. The writing was cathartic and she published a memoir of her breast cancer journey called Unafraid: A Survivor’s Quest for Human Connection. This book was featured in Forbes magazine as a book that will help spark human connections. Niyati donates all proceeds to the American Cancer Society.

Niyati took the TED stage in 2020 to talk about the cultural bias and stigma associated with cancer. She then went on to write a second book, Unabashed: Self-Advocacy and the Quest to Foster Empathy which talks about the challenges of being a young cancer survivor.

In the past few years, Niyati has had several media appearances. She was featured in a video for breastcancer.org, recognized as one of 10 women engineers you should know by the Society of Women Engineers, featured in Columbus magazine front page and the Republic newspaper, and did a fireside chat with Estee Lauder Companies for breast cancer awareness which was widely appreciated.

Note, this is not her day job! She has spent 17 years of her engineering career working on engines. Nerd alert...she is an electrical and computer engineer who holds her own at a Fortune 150 company.

Resources:

• Unafraid: A Survivor’s Quest for Human Connection
• Unabashed: Self-Advocacy and the Quest to Foster Empathy

If you would like to find out more about Niyati, head over to these resources:

• Niyati's LinkedIn Profile
• Niyati's Author Profile

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