In Hindi, Sakhi means a cherished friend — the one who shows up with chai when life gets heavy and dances the loudest at your celebrations. That word is the heart of everything we’re building, and it’s the heart of my own story too. I grew up in Nagpur, Maharashtra, and came to the United States in 2007. St. Louis has been home ever since — but home didn’t happen overnight. I know what it’s like to start over in a new country: learning unfamiliar roads and customs, building a career, raising a family, and quietly wondering where my people were. I hold a CPA license and work as Manager of Field Support & Analysis at Ameren, so I live the balancing act so many of us know — the meetings and the school pickups, the deadlines and the festival preparations, the ambition and the homesickness that visits without warning. Somewhere along the way, I realized I wasn’t the only one longing for more — not more acquaintances, but real friendships. Honest conversations. Women who understood both worlds I carry. When I found other women who felt the same, Sakhi STL was born. Through Sakhi, we celebrate our culture, build community, and inspire each other to lead. I dream of a sisterhood where a newcomer to St. Louis never has to feel as alone as many of us once did — where women across generations lift each other up, give back to the city we love, and leave behind a legacy our daughters and granddaughters will inherit. Every woman who walks through our doors carries a story and a strength all her own. Together, those stories become something greater than any of us alone. When I’m not with my Sakhi sisters, you’ll find me with my family, on my yoga mat, planning my next trip, or dreaming up one more excuse to bring people together.