(May 30, 2024) A published author, ex-product manager, and the founder of The Curious Maverick, Soundarya Balasubramani has just come up with her second book Unshackled. Soundarya Balasubramani’s diverse experiences, from growing up in Chennai to studying at Columbia University, living in cities like New York and San Francisco, and engaging with people from over 20 countries, have shaped her impactful work today. Her book, Unshackled, simplifies the complex US immigration process for high-skilled immigrants. It provides practical guidance and engaging stories on navigating the U.S. immigration system, specifically for high-skilled immigrants seeking visas like the O-1A and EB-2 NIW.
The American Dream
Having lived in New York, Seattle, San Francisco, and briefly in Hawaii she has experienced both corporate life (as a Product Manager at Salesforce) and the founder life (since she quit my job at the end of 2021). She has also lived in four community houses in California in the past four years, which has exposed her to people from 20+ countries, and many more walks of life.
Soundarya Balasubramani
“The exposure I have received since immigrating to the US is invaluable. It made me more confident, fearless, and challenged me to constantly step out of my comfort zone. Most recently, I went on a country-wide book tour for my second book, Unshackled, where I visited four states and eight cities in 21 days. For someone who was terrified of speaking on stage, this tour pushed me to limits I could have only imagined and made me better. While there is a lot to be said about the downfalls of America — including its outdated immigration system, excessive consumerism, expensive healthcare, and more — I am grateful to this country for the exposure it gave me,” she tells Global Indian.
Rewind
Growing up in Pattaravakkam, a suburb about 15 km northwest of Chennai where Balasubramani spent her formative years, her childhood was about all things quiet and quaint. A topper at school and at NIT Trichy, she followed up her early achievements with a course at Columbia University for grad school. “Moving to America changed my life,” she smiles.
Her first taste of the US came even before grad school, when she spent a summer interning at UW Madison at the age of 16 after her sophomore year of high school. That was a window into what life in America could look like — and she absolutely loved it. “So, I came back in 2017 to begin my master’s in management sciences at Columbia University,” she says.
The ‘Write’ Way
When Balasubramani was just 16 she started her blog Curious Maverick and even at that age she always knew that if she ever started something of her own someday, that would be the name of her venture. Circa 2023 and she finally started The Curious Maverick LLC when she decided to venture into writing and entrepreneurship full-time.
She quit her job in late 2021 and spent most of 2022 exploring and researching. “By the end of the year, it was clear to me that my next calling is to write a book for high-skilled immigrants in America, and hopefully create a small and positive dent in that domain. I set up the company as soon as I landed in India and spent most of 2023 publishing the book and building the online Unshackled community for talent visa aspirants,” she says.
Her new book Unshackled is your answer to the question, ‘What would a book on legal immigration in America look like if it was friendly, engaging, and human?’ While immigration would rank as one of the more boring and complex topics one could think about, Balasubramani knew she could make it more fun if she approached it from a storytelling aspect. “Whether we like it or not, we must go through immigration to live and work in America. Sadly, most international students and immigrant workers are not well-educated on this topic and are unaware of many creative and legal options out there, including the O-1A and EB-2 NIW visas.”
Balasubramani and her co-author, Sameer Khedekar wrote Unshackled to demystify a complex system and give people a ‘map of the territory’ when it came to high-skilled immigration. The book is filled with gripping stories, beautiful visuals, and actionable guidance. “This is the book I wish I’d read when I moved here,” says Balasubramani. And the validation came from a reader who told her, ‘Honestly, I wish this book was given to me along with my visa stamp at the U.S. consulate.’ As immigration changed her life for the better, she wrote her first book ‘Admitted’ with the hope to not just promote talent mobility, but also educate students on the journey they were about to embark on so they take better decisions while applying to universities in a foreign country. She self-published the book and has sold 3000-4000+ copies in the past few years.
Valuable Lessons
Quiz her on some lessons that she has learnt till date, she says that it is important to take more risks early on when you don’t have a dependent or family. “Too many people in their mid-20s miss that precious window when they can take risks without impacting too many people. They then look back 10 years later and wish they’d been more courageous early on. Invest in long-term relationships, especially with people who make you better. I only began doing this in the past three years and now I cannot imagine life without my support system. Focus on making money without it becoming your primary focus,” she says. And by building a tight-knit support system she has overcome many challenges as well. And over the last four years her life has changed because of the presence of people.
In 2020, during the pandemic, life felt “empty and lonely,” Balasubramani recalls. She was living in a small room in San Francisco with roommates she barely knew. “My relationship with my parents was stale at best. I didn’t have friends in the city, and there was no one who I could consistently turn to for support. It was a lonely year.” The turning point in this journey happened when she met someone named Rajesh Setty in 2021. He quickly became a third parent, a best friend, and her teacher. “He showed me what one’s life could look like if it was lived with compassion, joy, and generosity. Thanks to him, my relationship improved with everyone around me, and now I can say with certainty that I have people who care about me in my life (and a wonderful family back in India),” she admits.
Soundarya Balasubramani
Looking Ahead
Driven by the fact that she can take something that is deeply personal to her and try to create something out of that struggle/experience to make others’ lives better, Balasubramani has her aim clear and bright. Right now, her focus is on using her free time to meet people and build more connections in her life. She is planning to begin work on her third book later this year. “It is unlike anything I’ve written before as it is a novel based on a true story. I plan to reveal more about it in the coming months. Overall, I want to publish many more books, create communities, and hopefully spend the later part of my life focusing on philanthropy,” she says.
Follow Soundarya Balasubramani on LinkedIn, Instagram and her website
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