Meet Pritika Kharkwal | Youth Advocate for Positive Change in Society

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pritika Kharkwal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pritika, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
To Bring the Change, Be the Change Hello I am Pritika Kharkwal, a high schooler at Lebanon Trail High School at Frisco, TX. My vision is to have a positive social impact in society, and I seek to do that through youth mentoring and mental health advocacy so that youth can get much needed guidance in the society. With my experiences of leadership in a myriad of organizations including Step Up, Art of Living, Peer Health Exchange, MENTOR, Frisco ISD advocacy councils (Legislative Leadership Committee and Superintendent Student Advisory Council) and my 2023 National Excellence in Mentoring Corporate Youth Leadership award, I have been truly discovering and realizing my passion for fueling change in the community through youth voices. So I started brainstorming some avenues that have not already been tried to promote youth advocacy. I searched up some youth podcasts and was surprised to see… there were close to none! That is when I decided I was going to launch a youth led advocacy podcast, so “Talk It Out with Pritika Kharkwal” was born! I first thought of the topic of my podcast which was going to be mentoring and mental health, then I decided this podcast was going to be interview focused, hence came my catchline, “a place to hear the stories, experiences and impact of people who have worked for these causes”. I got to work right away, I reached out to some wonderful, inspiring people who are well known figures in their fields. As of now I have launched my podcasts with Dr Immanual Joseph, a compassion activist, Professor Ellen Langer, “Mother of Mindfulness and Delores Druilet Morton, CEO of Step Up girls empowerment organization. Many more fantastic guests are coming soon with their inspiring stories to share!
So why does “Talk It Out with Pritika Kharkwal” help the greater community and world? We as youth are the next generation and to bring the change, we must be the change. I feel like the power of storytelling will allow diverse people to truly connect with the beliefs of this podcast, which is to advocate for the importance of mentoring and mental health. In fact as of now, with the podcast only being launched a month ago, it is supported by social impact organizations including MENTOR, Palatka Police Athletic League, Mentor Me of Ulster County, National PAL, Art of Living and Step Up. I hope that this podcast continues touching the lives of many, and youth voices can continue being powerful mobilizers and forces of change!
I am also working towards publishing a youth mental health book. This book is going to be from a youth to other youth, including inputs from professors and researchers from reputed institutes such as Harvard University and Rice University.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Hello everyone! I’m Pritika Kharkwal, founder of “Talk It Out with Pritika Kharkwal”, a youth-led podcast on the topics of mentoring and mental health. This podcast has interesting content related to mentoring and mental health and the experiences, stories and impact of people who have worked for these causes. The podcast features CEOs of successful nonprofits, researchers, managers of mentoring organizations and more exciting guests. I feel like the biggest thing that sets this business apart from others is that there are very few youth led podcasts on these topics. A lot of the content out there is very insightful and inspiring, but I feel like there is a much needed call for youth voices in these fields because after all, we are the next generation and we must actively work towards the future we envision. I am most proud of having the support of various social impact driven organizations, including MENTOR, Palatka Police Athletic League, Mentor Me of Ulster County, National PAL, Be A Mentor Inc, Art of Living and Step Up; I am excited for the future of this podcast as it continues to expand. I got to where I am today, business-wise, through commitment, dedication, trust in myself and the support of my family. Being a youth entrepreneur is not the easiest because a lot of the time we lack the logistical planning skills and resources to launch our own business. But I feel like if you are truly invested in something, it works out in the end. For example, at first, I had a hard time finding the right guests to get valuable and relevant inputs for the podcast, but I kept on trying and reaching out to people and my persistence worked! My favorite part about hosting this podcast is that I get to meet so many incredible people who have done so much for the community! The biggest lesson I learned as I launched this podcast is to keep moving forward even if you are afraid of venturing into uncharted waters. I encourage other entrepreneurs, especially youth, to not be afraid to dream big and do something unconventional if that is what achieving your dream calls for! Try to do something that will give back to the community and fuel positive change for future generations.
Talk it Out with Pritika Kharkwal is available on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Podbay free of all costs. I encourage readers to like, share and subscribe to the podcast and keep supporting!
Overall, I really hope that “Talk It Out with Pritika Kharkwal” will leave an impactful mark in this world and we as a society can continue having these conversations surrounding the critical topics of mentoring and mental health.
Check out the podcast here: https://youtu.be/TRhfyHkeSII

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is exciting! I would say if my best friend was visiting the area for a week, Day 1, I would first take her to breakfast at Dunkin Doughnuts and have some chocolate doughnuts with sprinkles on top and some avocado toast. Then after breakfast, I would take her to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden and stay till lunch. At lunch we go to Jason’s Deli and eat their Texacado toast, salad and soup. Day 2 is the Dallas Zoo where we will stay the whole day, and eat lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. Days 3-4 we will go shopping: Day 3, we go to Stonebriar Mall and eat at the food court. Day 4 we go to Galleria Mall, do the fun 4D rides there, eat their delicious macaroons and then eat fries and pizza at Five Guys. Day 5 we go blueberry picking and once we do that we get some Andy’s ice cream (my favorite is Strawberry Shake). Days 6-7 will be relaxing days where we can enjoy the Texas weather with some walks at Russell Creek Park or Frisco Commons Park. If my best friend will be visiting in 2025, I will definitely show her the Frisco Universal Studios that is opening up that year!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Those who make me– me! I dedicate my shoutout to my family. They are always by my side and are my biggest mentors! From a young age they engrained the virtues of hard work, resilience and compassion in my life. My parents always share their inspiring anecdotes and stories with me of how I can further improve myself. They are the ones who have encouraged me to focus on inner-wellbeing from a young age, like through yoga, and they always teach me to be confident and never give up when facing adversity: I used to be very scared of failure and get let down by setbacks, but over time I have learned from my family to toughen up because each setback is a learning opportunity and you only grow if you keep trying!

My sister is my dearest companion and best friend who I spend time with and who I can rely on to listen to me; My uncles, aunts and grandparents always motivate, support and guide me in what I pursue in life.

I have a lot to improve on in life, but I dedicate who I am today entirely to my family for giving me so much time, love and care. Thank you all!!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkitoutwithpritikakharkwal/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pritika-kharkwal-3a7882269/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550362521247

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pritikakharkwal280

Other: Podcast platforms: – Youtube: https://youtu.be/TRhfyHkeSII – Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0x04TEGB99ohrLQAlKIgG7 – Spotify for podcasters: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pritika-kharkwal – Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk-it-out-with-pritika-kharkwal/id1702096922 Follow the podcast on: – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkitoutwithpritikakharkwal/ – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550362521247 – Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/pritika-kharkwal-3a7882269 Other information: – Corporate Youth Leadership award information: https://www.mentoring.org/national-mentoring-summit/excellence-in-mentoring/ – Frisco ISD press release: https://www.friscoisd.org/news/article/2023/02/21/fisd-applause!-applause! – Fox News press release: https://fox59.com/business/press-releases/globenewswire/8735794/mentor-announces-2023-excellence-in-mentoring-honorees/ – My Speech at the National Mentoring Summit for Award: https://youtu.be/kzb221BB57s – Truth Talk with Hollywood Star Julie Bowen (interviewee): https://youtu.be/kxC609b6B1s?t=66 – Video reference of UN International Happiness Day panel session (interviewer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1On-RvDZfFY&ab_channel=SKYYouthPrograms