Key topics

• In this episode: Simran describes moving to Australia from India at age nine, settling in the Blue Mountains, and adjusting to a much smaller family network, limited English, and a very different school culture.
• The South Asian lens on health: She explains why standard nutrition advice often misses the realities of Indian cooking, family habits, and cultural attitudes toward food, especially around diabetes and metabolic disease.
• Why she became a dietitian: Simran shares that her father’s diabetes diagnosis and the lack of clear, culturally relevant guidance at home were major reasons she pursued dietetics.
• Food, culture, and misunderstanding: She talks about how traditional “eat more to show health and prosperity” thinking can contribute to metabolic issues, and why education needs to be tailored to community context.
• The diversity of clinical work: Simran says she loves that her current practice covers gestational diabetes, pediatrics, type 1 diabetes, kidney health, fertility planning, and weight management, unlike the narrower focus of her hospital years.
• The hardest part of private practice: She is candid about Medicare, rebate limits, and the challenge of helping clients see the value of proper dietitian support instead of Google-level advice.
• What keeps her going: Simran says persistence matters in private practice, and that being consistent over time helps build trust with GPs and patients.
• Life outside work: She shares her love of baking, cooking with her three kids, running, CrossFit, Hyrox training, and travel.
• Balance as an evolving process: Simran describes work-life balance as something that changes across life stages, not a fixed formula.
• Advice to her younger self: Her main message is simple – stress less, travel more, and stop putting so much pressure on herself.