Alok Vaid-Menon on Art, Identity & the Radical Power of Joy

The Optimist Project with Yara Shahidi

🌈 Artists, Seekers, and Boundary-Breakers—This One’s For You.

This week on The Optimist Project, I’m joined by the brilliant and genre-defying artist, writer, and performer Alok Vaid-Menon, whose work invites us to embrace our full selves with tenderness, complexity, and courage.

In this luminous conversation, Alok redefines what it means to be optimistic—not as blind positivity, but as a sacred practice of embracing the unknown and choosing beauty, again and again.

We explore their early artistic influences (yes, including Avril Lavigne!), the transformative power of imagination, and how humor and honesty become tools for survival. Alok shares what it means to resist hate without becoming hardened, to find joy in the ordinary, and to stay rooted in community and friendship while navigating the spotlight.

✨ From stage fright to soul-deep reflections on authenticity, creativity, and the human condition—Alok reminds us that art isn’t just about performance. It’s about presence.

And in our Giving Flowers segment, they honor the people and practices that have helped them bloom.

How do you find joy in your everyday life? What does resistance look like when it's grounded in love?

📩 We want to hear from you—DM us, send a voice note, or drop us a message and share your light.

📲 @optimistprojectpod // The Optimist Project Podcast

✨ Executive Producer: @yarashahidi // Yara Shahidi

✨ Executive Producer: @chocolatemommyluv // Keri Salter-Shahidi

🎙 Guest: @alokvmenon // Alok Vaid-Menon

📞 Voicemail: [phone]

🎧 Tap in and join the conversation—because optimism is more than a mindset. It’s a movement.