In this episode, Mandy reflects on how openness to new experiences is a defining trait of creatives and neurodivergent individuals. This willingness to explore unfamiliar paths is what drives growth, transformation, and innovation - even when it requires navigating discomfort and uncertainty.

Nisha Chadha then shares her deeply moving story of a life shaped by migration, loss, motherhood, grief, and creativity, all woven together by one constant: her art.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

🔹 Being Open to New Experiences – Mandy discusses how embracing new experiences - however uncomfortable - fuels both personal growth and creative evolution. For neurodivergent minds, this openness often means adapting and reshaping environments that don’t always accommodate them.

🔹 Art as Communication & Comfort – When Nisha moved from colourful Kenya to grey, unfamiliar England as a child refugee, art became her language, lifeline, and coping mechanism. Bullied and misunderstood, she found her power in creativity and colour.

🔹 Dyslexia, Grief & the Role of Creativity – Undiagnosed dyslexia made traditional learning difficult, but art helped Nisha not only survive but thrive. Through visual learning, textiles, and colour, she overcame both learning challenges and profound losses - including the deaths of her parents and husband.

🔹 The Power of Storytelling Through Art – From teaching and designing to large-scale textile installations, Nisha uses her work to reflect on issues like identity, feminism, migration, and racism. Her moving piece Rivers of Bloodreimagines personal and political trauma with beauty and impact.

🔹 Finding Joy Among Grief – Even during moments of intense pain - such as losing her mother and getting married in the same week - Nisha turned to storytelling, knitting, art, and writing to make sense of her emotions and reclaim joy.

🔹 Embracing the Next Chapter at 61 – With her children grown and her husband recently passed, Nisha is entering a new era of life with creativity as her compass. She now brings myth, magic, and whimsical animal characters into her art, drawing inspiration from her travels and heritage.

Memorable Quotes from This Episode:

🗨️ “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch

🗨️ “Colour gives a voice to the voiceless.” – Nisha Chadha

Why You Should Listen:

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who’s ever felt different, displaced, or discouraged by life’s upheavals. Mandy and Nisha’s reflections are a powerful reminder that creativity doesn’t just help us survive—it helps us thrive, heal, and find purpose at every age and stage.

✨ Tune in now to journey through a life lived in full colour with Nisha Chadha.

Episodes were recorded in the authors own homes on various devices.
Podcast produced by "Your Fairy Podmother" of Voice It Podcast Agency
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