DIDIHOOD ~ Issue 25

Author

The Didihood
February 25, 2024

Happy March! 

We'll be celebrating International Women's Day with meetups in  Vancouver and Toronto! Come hang out with us and meet your fellow Didis! 


Meet the Didi: 

This month we chat with Neha Kohli. Neha is a comedian, actor, writer, producer as well as a Chartered Professional Accountant. She's also the host of Shopify’s NEW MONEY series on YouTube.

 


You wear many hats in the professional world - why an interest in the creative industry?

It was my dream as a kid to be an actress and writer. I grew up watching Bollywood classics like DDLJ and K3G and I wanted to be Shah Rukh Khan. I would create sketches and dances and force my younger two siblings to perform them in front of my parents (100 per cent I’m sibling of the year). But then I grew up (unfortunately) and became an accountant because obviously. Somehow, in the process of becoming an accountant, I found my way back to comedy, acting and writing and, well, here we are. 
 

Tell us more about your work with New Money:

I’m the host of Shopify’s newest Youtube Series called New Money! Each week, we focus on an emerging industry and I tell you how to break in and make money in that industry (while making you laugh, of course). It’s fun and educational and you get to see me! 
 

What was your journey like landing this type of work?

I went to business school and because my parents are both accountants, I became an accountant. I realized I hated it and took improv classes at the Second City for stress relief. I got into their Conservatory Program. You know the part in the movie where the main character gets a makeover or gets bitten by a radioactive spider and everything changes? This was that moment for me. I took a ‘Year of Neha’ in 2017 (with the intention of going back to work in a year). It’s now 2020 and I still haven’t gone back. I started performing comedy around Toronto (I’m part of the improv troupe the Kweendom and the comedy duo She’s All That), acting, writing, teaching (I teach at Centennial College and am starting later this year at York University) and doing taxes for entrepreneurs/artists (I’m the resident Tax Queen at New School of Finance)! I think New Money is such an interesting way for all my worlds to meet - who knew there would be a show that needed a host who is a comedian and also knows about money?

As a South Asian woman, have you faced any barriers working in this industry? If so, how have you handled it?

I mean besides the fact that a lot of roles aren’t created for South Asian women (although thankfully this is changing), the biggest barrier has been myself. Growing up in a world where I didn’t see myself portrayed in the media, I didn’t think a career like mine was even possible. Once I got out of my own way and allowed myself (and others) to recognize how funny, smart and talented I am, it got easier. But, it’s still an ongoing process. And being an actor is tough - you have to put in the reps, be constantly learning and always putting yourself out there.

 

There are still few South Asian women in these spaces and some have become very popular (Mindy, etc.). What is the missing gap here?

This is a tough question, I wish I knew. I know so many South Asian women who are immensely talented - smart, funny, charming, entertaining. Things are slowly changing so I think it’s a matter of time. Watch out, world: we’re coming for you. 
 

Any advice for South Asian women who want to follow a similar career path?

Believe in yourself, baby! It’s so corny and lame but if you don’t believe in yourself, no one will - especially as a South Asian woman. We’re told how to act, what to study, when to marry, which hand to use to eat daal, but never how amazing and powerful we are. You gotta be your own cheerleader. At my house, I’m known as the overconfident and obnoxious one. My phone background is a picture of me, I give myself daily pep talks and I journal daily affirmations to myself. Truly, I think it’s a defence mechanism against the cruelties of this world, but it works (most of the time). You can’t control the world but you can control your reaction to it. If someone doesn’t want you, it’s their loss, you know? 

What we're reading:

 

See you in April! 


— Roohi Sahajpal

Issue 25 
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