There are certain questions I’m often asked. To make life easy for both you and I, here they are, as typically asked in the third person along with the answers (click on the question to see the answer):

Where are you from?

Originally, I’m from India. Once I moved to the U.S., I first lived in California, so I feel as if that’s my “American home.”

Probably the same place you did. At school. Though I did have a head start at home.

My first name (I assume that’s the one you’re asking about) is pronounced “Show-nah-lee.” It is Bengali for “the golden one.” I’m named after the late Sonali Dasgupta (the Bengali pronunciation of “S” is “sh”). She was the beautiful Bengali wife of filmmaker Harisadan Dasgupta, who scandalized India in the 1950s by eloping with Roberto Rossellini (still married to Ingrid Bergman at the time).

My stylist, Norma. I will never give you her phone number.

Not any more, I’m down to one 🙁 . But I’m still a crazy dog lady.

Online. I tell the entire story in my TEDx talk. ”You’ve Got Mail”had nothing on us!

By turning it off. Completely. Sometimes a little distance is good for one. I work out, cook, read, hang out with people I like, and dance. Especially dance.

Ohhhh. My head hurts…

Funny you should ask…

It really depends on what it is that needs to be measured. And then it depends on what the client’s budget can rise to (which often is not a lot, unfortunately). When you take one of my workshops, I have a whole session devoted to this.

Yes. After a pretty crazy 2018, I needed to reboot my career (and life). So I applied, and was accepted to, the Harvard Business Analytics Program, from which I will graduate in 2021.

Yes, I actually do get asked these questions on a semi-regular basis (except for the last one, I used to get asked that but not so much recently… but I figured it would give you a laugh).

So I decided I might as well put them out there for the world to see. Have some more? Bring ’em on. And here’s a little something to make you smile, or at least get your feet a-tappin’. Because I love swing dancing.