Welcome to Unglamorous in the City

Welcome to Unglamorous in the City — a podcast about the real stories behind polished lives.

Hosted by former TV journalist Smitha Rao, this show explores ambition, reinvention, relationships, career pressure, identity, modern adulthood, and the moments no one posts about on social media.

In this first episode, Smitha shares the story behind why she launched the podcast, what “Unglamorous” really means, and how life in New York City — and beyond — often looks very different behind the highlight reel.

From career pivots and personal growth to dating, success, vulnerability, and starting over, this podcast is about creating honest conversations around the realities we’re all navigating in real time.

Because sometimes the most unglamorous moments… are where the real story begins.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Hi everyone and welcome to Unglamorous in the City with Smith Aro. I'm your host, and I am so excited for you to be here. Guys, this is surreal. I'm in this fabulous studio in Midtown Manhattan. I have been talking about this. If you know me, I have been talking about doing this podcast for quite some time, and here I am. If you don't know me, welcome. I'm so grateful for you to be here. You're gonna get to know me, and we have quite a journey ahead of us, so buckle up. Um again, I'm Smitha. I live here in Manhattan. I've been here for 15 years and I moved here like a crazy person without a job. I had just left the TV news industry. I was working as a TV reporter in several different markets, and I was in North Carolina most recently at that time, decided to leave, moved here, had zero savings because I was working in TV. And if you know anything about local news at that level, it doesn't pay too much. So I moved here on a whim. And, you know, I had that dream, like so many do, that if you can make it here in New York City, you can make it anywhere. And I have to say, the last 15 years have been very, very unglamorous, but they have been fabulous as well. And so you're gonna come on with me, come with me on this journey. Again, the last 15 years, I've I've really gotten through it because of my network of people. I have such a strong network of people. I have family here, I have friends that I've made. I had friends that I came when I came here, I had friends that I picked up along the way. And so you're gonna meet many of them. I mean, they have such incredible stories. Everyone is just a little bit different. I feel like, you know, that's one of the most beautiful things about New York is that you meet people literally from all walks of life. And so you are gonna meet people who have made it work here in New York. And, you know, obviously we all know it's a very expensive city, and people have just figured it out, you know? People have had their jobs, they grow businesses, they have families, they navigate dating, which is its own thing. You know, they just they do everything to make it work here. And it's, you know, obviously it's not just in New York City, it's really wherever you are in the world. You can make it if, but you know, it takes a lot and it takes a lot of support. And so that's the point of this podcast is introducing you to people that hopefully have stories that resonate with yours, you know. Maybe somebody who is a single mother who has been going through all of the things, you know, because of that, maybe that resonates with you. Maybe you are single in your 40s, you know, navigating that, navigating life. This is for you. And maybe you're just somebody who's curious about how people in New York make it, you know, and we're obviously since we are in this beautiful city, we're gonna also travel throughout the city and go to different places. You're gonna see a little bit of New York, you're gonna see actually all over the world because fun fact, I love to travel. I have already traveled 30,000 miles this year alone, which is as crazy as it sounds as well. Um, a big part of that is because I did go to Australia and New Zealand. If you have not been there, you have to go. It is such a beautiful place. Both of them are such beautiful places. But I am going to take you with me so it's not just a New York City podcast. It is gonna be all over the world. And it's that theme, right? That unglamorous theme, navigating things, you know, things that you didn't necessarily think that you would have to go through at this point in your life. I think for me, I'm just been so fortunate and blessed to have friends and family that have always been there for me, who have always, you know, picked me up when I needed, have always been able to listen when I've navigated all the unglamorous things in my own life. Um, and that's such an important thing. And really to feel seen, to feel heard, that is what I want from this podcast. And, you know, this has been a dream of mine. Like I said, I worked in the TV industry, and so I know I love having a platform where I can help people. This is a passion project for me. And I really hope you enjoy this ride that we're gonna take together. So you know what to expect. I've told you a little bit about me. You're gonna get to know me, don't worry. Um, you know, we're talking about everything too. So, in addition to careers and dating, we're gonna talk about racism, we're gonna talk about fat shaming, we're gonna talk about the things that, you know, maybe you see on Instagram. And then when you really like peel the layers and you see what's behind it, it's not so glamorous. And I'll tell you, there are a lot of times where I've gone on social media and I've seen people posting photos with their children, with their families, and it can feel lonely. It can feel sad no matter where you are. And so we're gonna talk about that. We're gonna talk about what to do in those moments when you feel these things. And you know, I'm not a therapist, I don't have any kind of a background like that, and I don't claim to, but I have experienced a lot of these things, many of these things, um being unemployed in New York. Let me tell you how scary that is. And I know so many people who are navigating that now. Um, you know, I've experienced all of the thrills of dating, let's say, here in New York. And, you know, let's talk about all these things because again, what you see on Instagram isn't always the reality. And I'm gonna leave you with this quote. I think this is something, you know, as I thought about this podcast and what I wanted to do and what I wanted to achieve. I talked to a lot of my friends, I did a lot of research about what's out there. And I think for me, this is a quote that I came up with that I think just really sums up why I'm here. And that is because some of the most unglamorous moments in life are usually where the real story begins. And yes, I did cheat and look at my little cheat sheet. Um, but it really I wanted to make sure I get that right. So I'm gonna say that again. The most unglamorous moments in life are usually where the real story begins. And think about that for a second, you know, no matter what you're navigating right now, whatever you're dealing with that is unglamorous, just remember that you're not alone in it. And there are people, you know, millions of people around the world who are probably dealing with something very similar. And so this is for you. This is for anyone who has had an unglamorous moment in life and just wants to navigate it and know how to do that. So again, I am so grateful if you've made it through this video. Thank you. I will be posting a lot more content. We are just getting started. And again, thank you, thank you, thank you, friends. I am so excited for this journey. My DMs are open, so please do message me if there's a guest you'd like to see, if there's something you'd like for us to talk about, for me to bring in a guest to talk about, please let me know. So, again, thank you, friends. Take care, and I'm so excited to go on this journey with you.