Crossroads & Conversations

Season Finale: Lessons, Laughs & Life from Behind the Mic

• Crossroads And Conversations • Season 1 • Episode 9

Share episode

Share Your Feedback & Love

Hey everyone… welcome back to Crossroads and Conversations.
Today’s episode is more than just another recording — it’s the finale of a season that started with a dream and grew into something far more beautiful than we imagined.

When we began, we were just two women with a shared vision, a shaky mic, and a whole lot of heart. What unfolded was a journey of connection, growth, and raw honesty — not just with each other, but with every single one of you listening in.

So in this final episode of the season, we’re pulling back the curtain — to talk about the laughs, the lessons, the chaos, and the courage it took to get here. From tech troubles to soul-deep reflections, from whispered doubts to wild dreams… this one’s a tribute.

To growth.
 To friendship.
 To all of you.

Because life is about the conversations we have at the crossroads—the moments that shape us, connect us, and remind us of our shared humanity.

Our episodes will come out every first Wednesday of the month, we hope you will join us and our tribe.
Connect with us on social media:

  • Instagram: @crossroadsnconversations
  • Facebook: @crossroadsNconversations
  • Youtube: @crossroadsNconversations

"Hey everyone... welcome back to Crossroads and Conversations.

Today’s episode feels extra special — because it’s not just the end of this season... it's the conclusive chapter of this season, to make way for a new season, and a journey that has truly enriched my heart and soul.

When this little idea first came to life, it was just a whisper — a thought filled with excitement, and honestly... a lot of fear too. Would anyone listen? Would I even have the courage to show up, to speak honestly, to share my heart? It was challenging, it was uncomfortable at times... but somewhere between those crossroads and these conversations, something magical happened.

This podcast has been one of the best parts of my year — a space where I discovered more about who I am as a woman, where I grew braver with my voice, and where I learned that vulnerability isn’t weakness... it’s connection.

To every single one of you who tuned in, who shared your thoughts, who sent love and encouragement — thank you. Your support, your messages, your kind ratings on Spotify — they meant more than you know. To my family and friends who listened patiently, who offered feedback, who cheered me on through every stumble and high — thank you for believing in me even on the days when I didn’t.

And a very special thank you to my dear friend and co-host for this season — it’s been such a joy to have you walk beside me on this path, bringing your warmth, laughter, and insight to every conversation.

So here we are... one last episode, one final conversation before a short pause. And I promise, we’re just getting started. Let’s make this one unforgettable.

Komal: Welcome to the final episode of this season of Crossroads and Conversations. We plan to come back in August with some more engaging conversations and maybe bring a newness to the podcast with some amazing changes because getting better each season is the only way to progress. Let's dive in.

You:
 "You know, when we started planning this season, it was really about trying to answer some of those deep questions we’ve always struggled with as women."

Co-host:
 "Yeah... like why does time spent with good friends feel almost like a day at the spa? Why does it heal us in ways we don’t even realize we needed?"

You:
 "Exactly. And for me personally... it was also about facing some hard truths — like why I struggled for so much of my adulthood with self-worth, with setting boundaries. It’s like, you know it’s important, but actually living it is a whole other story."

Komal:
 "Mmm, I get that. And I think so many women relate to that but don’t always have the safe space to talk about it openly."

Geeti:
 "That's really what I wanted to create here — a space to share the wisdom I've gathered over my forty-something years of being a woman, a wife, a professional... hoping that maybe, just maybe, something we say could spark a new thought in someone else who needs it."

Komal:
 "And you did. You really put yourself out there."

Geeti:
 "Yeah... and honestly, that was probably the biggest reason for starting this podcast in the first place. To put myself out there — knowing I would be judged — but learning not to care. To do it because I believed in it. Because I knew in my heart, if nothing else, I would at least learn something about myself."

Komal:
 "And you did. We did. This thought was with you for a while. Geeti, I still remember that when we met in 2022, we were playing a game where a question landed on you to share a secret ambition and you answered that you wanted to have a podcast.

Geeti: OMG you are right. I don;t know why, but I wanted one for sure. 

Komal:  And when you told me you were looking for a co-host in 2024, I just could not resist offering to be one although I had absolutely no idea what I was saying Yes to. 

Geeti: I am so glad you said yes because this would otherwise still be a pipeline dream. Your coming onboard made it a reality for me.

Komal: Geeti, you don’t know this but after I said yes, and I thought about what it meant, I had two thoughts going on.One one hand, I had so many fears…I didn;t know a thing about podcast, I am not someone who thinks clearly… my thoughts are all over the place so aligning them for a podcast was a foreign concept. I am definitely technologically challenged. I was unsure about my english speaking also.

Geeti: Haha yes I know that.

Komal: And I was very conscious about being on screen, showing myself and my face to the world.

Geeti: But Komal you said “yes’ instantly.

Komal: But do you remember I asked you if it was audio or video podcast.

Geeti: True. so one side were all these fears..

Komal: Yes but on the other hand I also had this strong faith that if Geeti is saying I can do it, I will be able to do it. I did not have faith in myself Geeti but I had faith in your faith surprisingly.

Geeti: But that’s the magic of love and female friendships. That’s why we opened our podcast with that episode.

And that’s why I say that this podcast season has taught us so much. We learned so much. About trusting ourselves, about resilience, about connection, about showing up even when it's scary. And now, looking back... it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life."

Komal:
 And it’s only the beginning of all the shifts we’re still going to create — for ourselves and for every person tuning in. We  touched 1000 episode downloads a while ago and we are just 8 episodes old Geeti. I get so tickled that 1000 people actually tuned in and listened to what we had to say.

Geeti: So let's start with the challenges Komal. I didn't know and still don't know anyone who does a podcast so figuring out how and where to get started was the first step. Figuring out equipment we needed, from microphones to softwares to record and edit was all a challenge. 

Komal: Geeti our biggest challenge is and has been the fact that we are in two different geographical locations with a time gap of 11 and a half hours. Finding time together as two busy women so we can sit and decide on episode topics, record the episode, create promo snippets has been a challenge we still struggle with.

Geeti: I know, when I can take time in evenings, you are busy getting your kids ready for school and vice versa. Weekends get busy with social engagements. In these 9 months, we had to manage our podcasting through crazy schedules, vacations with family, sicknesses, life problems and days we were to tired to come and cancelled our session.

Komal: We actually skipped one month because it became impossible to connect.

Geeti: Yes, but every challenge comes with a lesson. We learned to pivot, we prioritized self care that month but we also kept moving forward and showed up again instead of giving up. We started to manage our time better and tried to stay on schedule.

Komal, another major challenge was your net connection. You remember? We recorded on an online platform our first episode and it just would not upload. That’s we decided that we can not do cloud recording with your thakela net and chose audacity so we record locally on our laptops and you then send me your audio files.

Komal: I remember such frustrating times. I didn;t know that my net connection was so poor until we started podcasting. Infact, in effort to makes things better, I switched my net provider 2-3 times and my speed still did not improve. Eventually we found out that the wiring was bad and I ended up changing the entire underground wiring for the net. And thanks to this podcast, I now have two different providers on two floors so that I have options.

Geeti: That was such a happy and momentous day for our podcast. That literally changed so much, we were able to create video promos and have productive sessions in one sitting. Komal, can you guess what was the other major challenge?

Komal: Yes of course, how techno savvy I was…

Geeti: I literally some days felt like pulling my own teeth. I remember when we decided to use local recording software because of your net issues and I was trying to help you set up audacity, I realized that this woman left her tech savvy brains in Delhi when she moved to Patiala because the Komal I knew from delhi was not this challenged in any area lol.

Komal: Geeti, I was not sure if Audacity was recording or not so you asked me, “Komal do you see up and down lines like you see on an ECG machine on the audacity screen while recording, if yes, then it is recording…

Geeti: Yes, because your poor net was not allowing a video call for me to help you walk through it. I had to speak in your medical language…

Remember when I asked you to save the file and share it using google drive? You asked me, where will the drive come from?

Komal: Geeti I still remember I heard you count…1..2…3..4 and I was liek what is she doing.

Geeti: I was counting the dots on the left that lead to the menu so I can tell you to go there and click. So you will see the triangle for the drive…

"And look at me now, Geeti! I can actually handle all this techy stuff by myself—and not just survive, but thrive! Somewhere along the way, I stopped being scared of new apps, gadgets, and all things technology. Because honestly, what’s the worst that can happen? There's always an undo button—unlike life, where you can’t just Ctrl+Z your mistakes! Now, I genuinely enjoy exploring new tools. Plus, I even started recording my podcast sections independently, which saved you from having to hold my hand through every edit!"

Geeti:
 "I know! I’m seriously so proud (and low-key shocked) at how fast you picked everything up. You were so willing to learn, even when it felt like we were two blindfolded people trying to assemble Ikea furniture with no manual. Honestly, there were moments at the beginning when I wondered if we could pull this off. You depended on me to guide you—but truth be told, I was figuring things out just a few seconds ahead of you! I had so many worries about the podcast quality, but eventually, I just told myself—'You know what? Let’s do it scared.'
 Because really, what’s the worst that could happen? Maybe the first few episodes would be a little rough, but we'd learn, we'd tweak, and we’d get better. Komal, my life has genuinely changed ever since I started asking myself that one simple question in tough moments: ‘What’s the worst case scenario?’
 And once I made peace with the answer… the fear kind of lost its power."

Komal: So true Geeti. Infact One of the wildest parts of this podcast journey was straight-up facing my fears—like, seriously staring them in the face and pretending I was cool with it. I used to worry so much about whether my vocabulary was good enough. Like, here I am doing a podcast with someone from the US, and I'm over here Googling “big words to sound smart.” I kept thinking—am I even built for this? Geeti, I started practicing speaking in front of mirror and recording myself to tone down my loud expressions and intonation in the podcast.

Geeti: I can imagine and this US girl also wondered the same…do I sound right, are my pronunciations correct? One day I wondered if I have a weird accent that does not belong to neither India nor US.

But Komal kudos to you, by 3rd episode you got so so good.

Komal: Geeti and it did not end at that. Coz the moment I started feeling a little confident about my speaking, you wanted to do video promos. And the moment I found out we had to record videos, my soul left my body. I had always used social media to watch people do cool stuff, not to be one of those people. So naturally, I started doing this cute little thing where I’d record a video, not even look at it, and just send it to you like, “Good luck!” And when you’d send it back for approval, I’d approve it without watching it—because watching myself talk on camera? Nightmare fuel. And then—then—you said, “Let’s make a video podcast.” My brain short-circuited. Like, wow okay, are we trying to win an Oscar now? But hey, turns out I survived. Barely. But I did.

Geeti: Komal... honestly, I want more. I feel it in my bones. I want more for us, for this podcast, for everything we’ve built with so much love. One day, I see us turning this into a full video podcast, laughing and crying on camera, reaching even more people. I want us to create content that’s fun, but also cuts deep, makes people feel seen. So you, my friend, need to buckle up... and call that wild, fearless part of your soul back. We’re going to need all of it.

And yes, I know it hasn’t been easy. There have been moments that felt impossible — the steep learning curves, the tech issues, the doubts. But tell me honestly... hasn’t it been beautiful too?
 Every time we hear from a woman who says she finally called her childhood best friend after our episode on friendship...
 Every time someone tells us they found the courage to set a boundary with their sister-in-law after hearing our conversation on self-respect...
 Or when a woman proudly says she kept her own money aside for herself for the first time—because we helped her remember she is worth it...

Every single message feels like a tiny miracle, doesn’t it?
 Even if it’s just one life that shifted because of what we put out into the world... that’s enough reason to keep going.
 And you—look at you! You’re like this mini celebrity now in your town. People know your voice, your heart. You’re touching lives without even realizing it.
 It’s not just a podcast, Komal. It’s us—growing, healing, daring... together."


Komal:Whenever I now Go in public, I absolutely live for the attention I get because of our podcast. People talk about it, discuss it, and honestly, I love every second of it. It feels amazing when someone  comes up to me and asks if I did a special course or counseling to get the clarity we share on the episodes or if I could lead group discussions with women. These little moments really mean a lot. I also cherish the small wins—when we hit our first 250 downloads, then 500, and eventually 1,000—it genuinely felt like we’d come such a long way. I used to get this warm, happy feeling just checking how many downloads the first episode got. It was a mix of pride, excitement, and disbelief.

Geeti:Komal, you know... honestly, I thought maybe 10-12 people would listen to us — you know, just family and a few friends out of love and pity. Laughs

But here we are, being heard in 19 countries and 146 cities! I mean — who are these people?! I don’t even know that many humans!
 It’s crazy... but it’s also the best feeling, isn’t it?

I swear, every time I see another new city pop up, I just sit there grinning like an idiot. It makes me want to do more, you know?

Of course, life gets messy. I mean, between two teens, a full-time job, a husband, and a house that seems to have its own demands... it’s a lot. Some days, I’m just barely keeping my head above water.

But even with all that, I want to keep trying. I want to keep pushing myself, even if it’s just inch by inch. Honestly, I’m not sure if you always find success outside the comfort zone, like everyone says...

But I do know — when I step out of it, even just a little, that’s where I find my clarity.

And my courage.

And that’s enough for me right now."

Komal: You’re right — maybe the magic isn’t about being super successful or famous.
 Maybe it’s just about showing up.
 Scared, messy, tired... but still showing up.

And I’m so glad I get to do it with you."



Geeti:
 "You know, Komal... this podcast... it’s been more than just a project for me.
It’s like... it helped me openly acknowledge my thoughts, my beliefs..express who I really am, why I am the way I am... what I actually want for me — and how far I'm willing to go to get it."

Komal: Geeti. Same here.
 Working on the podcast made me slow down and really... look at my own mind, you know?
 In normal life, we’re just running — doing — without really thinking.  But here, I could finally trace my thoughts... Where they came from, why I even thought that way, and whether it was actually me. I started seeing which thoughts felt true to who I am. 
I held onto those.
And the ones that didn’t?
I went back to their roots... and slowly, gently, I started letting them go."

Geeti:
 "It’s funny, isn’t it?  For me... this podcast happened because of years of self-reflection.
But for you... it became the path to it."

Komal:  "Yeah...
 I think a lot of my thoughts just needed... acceptance, Geeti.  So many of the limiting beliefs I carried were just... society’s voice in my head, not mine.
 This whole journey — it helped me see my worth, without needing someone else to confirm it for me.

Before, I used to bend myself, shrink myself, just to fit in...
 just to be accepted.


Geeti: Now?
 

Komal: Now I know — I don’t have to become someone else to be enough."

Geeti:  "Because the people who love us... they love us exactly as we are."

Komal:
 "And for everyone else... no matter what we do — we’ll never be enough. Big, big lesson."

Geeti:
 "You know something?"  I honestly couldn't have asked for a better person to do this with.
All our deep talks, our random debates, and seriously... all the ridiculous laughter, the absolute madness we get into when we sit huddled over that tiny phone screen?  That's been the real bonus for me. Like, beyond everything else... that's the part I didn't even know I needed."

Komal:
 "Same, Geeti.  Honestly, thanks to this podcast, we started meeting way more than we ever used to— and Suddenly it wasn’t just “let’s catch up when we can” — it was like,  "see you again tomorrow, keep the mic ready, I will bring the stories."  And somewhere along the way, our friendship went from ‘ hi hello’ to  ‘if I don’t tell you every single random thing happening in my life today, I will actually explode.
Now it’s like… if I don’t rant to you about the most random stuff— like how my kids annoyed me today or how I overthought a text for 2 hours—I legit can’t sleep.
You’ve basically become my unofficial therapist.  Sorry — no refunds."

Geeti:
 "Who said anything about refunds, huh?
 There’s no such thing as free therapy here!
 I get my payment back when I call you at the weirdest hours,  begging you to talk me down from my perimenopause rage  before I murder someone in the house.
 It's a fair deal."

Geeti:
 "So here we are... at the end of a chapter that neither of us could've written alone. A chapter filled with messy tech troubles, crazy schedules, soul-baring conversations, and a whole lot of laughter — the kind that makes your stomach hurt in the best way."

Komal:
 "And honestly... if this is what facing fears and figuring things out as we go looks like, then I’ll take it. I’ll take every recording glitch, every awkward promo take, every 'is this even good enough?' moment — because it gave us this. This bond, this community, this version of ourselves that's just a little braver, a little wiser, and a lot more alive."

Geeti:
 "And to you listening right now — whether you’ve been here from the very first episode or just stumbled across us somewhere along the way — thank you for sitting with us, growing with us, laughing, crying, and just being part of this beautiful chaos. You made this dream real."

Komal:
 "This isn’t goodbye — it’s just a little 'see you soon.' We’re taking a small break, but we’ll be back in August — with new stories, new lessons, and a few surprises up our sleeves. And trust us, if you thought this season was honest and messy and magical... you haven’t seen anything yet."

Geeti:
 "So until then, keep believing in yourself, keep having those courageous conversations, keep showing up even when it’s hard... and don’t forget to laugh a little — even if it’s just at yourself."

Komal:
 "From two very grateful, very giggly, slightly chaotic friends... thank you for meeting us at the crossroads and staying for the conversations."



People on this episode

Head Shot

GEETI

Host
Head Shot

Kohmal

Co-host