{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Ep 2 \u2013 Karina Aggarwal: Brand strategist, scuba diver, and cancer survivor","description":"Welcome back to Cheers with Nat \u2013 the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks. Before we get started with Episode 2, I wanted to share an exciting update about last week\u2019s guest, Georgia Kelly.  In true Cheers with Nat fashion, Georgia has also just moved beyond beer! Last week, on the very day her episode was released, she started a new role as a sales rep for Disaronno. Please do take a moment to pop onto LinkedIn and congratulate her, as that\u2019s what this show is all about \u2013 cheering on women in drinks. What a start! And we\u2019ve got another incredible guest up next.  In today\u2019s episode, you\u2019re going to hear from Karina Aggarwal, better known on Instagram as GiggleWater411. Considering one of the things Karina loves most about her work is that no two days look alike, we start by digging into her job as a brand strategist and consultant and what it actually entails. We then go all the way back, discussing her childhood interest in Egyptology (and the surprising parallel with her work today), how she created her current role, the hobbies that keep her grounded outside of work, and more. Just before we get into the episode, I wanted to share a little content warning that we  also talk about Karina\u2019s recent battle with cancer, which she\u2019s been very open about on her social media. If you have a loved one living with cancer, like I do, I know these conversations can be tough to hear, but Karina\u2019s story is a really inspiring one. She lets us in on why she chose to share her battle so publicly, the positive impact she\u2019s had on others by doing so, and the life lessons she\u2019s learned from this experience. --- What stuck with me from this conversation: On imposter syndrome: \u201cFor me one of the things that has always helped is to know that I\u2019ve done as much as I could from a preparation point of view\u2026 The confidence then comes to say, if there\u2019s something that I don\u2019t know, it\u2019s really ok for me to say, \u2018Oh wait, that\u2019s an interesting question. Let me try to find out about that. I\u2019m not sure.\u2019 It doesn\u2019t diminish everything else that I know.\u201d On her role as a brand strategist: \u201cIt may eventually be about selling the product, but you want to establish what the brand is, you want to know who the right audience is to speak to, and how do you speak to the audience.\u201d On social media: "The idea is not to say this is the best whiskey or the best beer, it\u2019s always to say this for this reason is why I like to drink it or why it\u2019s on my bar." On her journey with cancer: Why she shared it publicly: \u201cI just realised that I wanted people to hear from me. Like, I wanted them to know where I was at at that point in my head. That it wasn\u2019t a sob story. Yes it was a huge thing and I was sort of getting used to it. But that I was ok.\u201d The impact on others: \u201cThe other thing that became really important through the journey is that, again, when I first put it out there, I encouraged women to go and get tested. I said it\u2019s not something that we are told and I don\u2019t know why that is\u2026 and a lot of women write to me and said, \u2018We went. We took our best friends, we took our sisters, we took our mothers. We had been putting it off for a while.\u2019 But it was almost like, if it happened to you, it can happen to us." The impact on herself: \u201cI\u2019ve never been a patient person. I wouldn\u2019t say I am one now. But it did teach me a little bit to, you know, pick my battles a little better. Slow things down a little bit. Not need to be everywhere all at once.\u201d On scuba diving: \u201cI struggle with getting my mind to shut down\u2026 but being in the ocean and diving and just looking at stuff and thinking about how the symbiosis is between these things and how it functions, that really calms me. It stops my mind from wondering.\u201d  Links & things: Indian indigenous spirits Six Brothers Mahura More on mahura and feni Karina\u2019s favourite comeptitions to judge Concours Mondial de Bruxelles Brussels Beer Challenge The legend that is RBG Book reccs \u2013 The Broken Earth Triology   Recording info: November 2025 in Bangalore, India Apologies for the background noise, we were recording in a meeting room in our hotel in India (we were both in Bangalore for the Brews & Spirits Expo) and we had a bit of company on a few occasions! --- Subscribe | Follow on Instagram | Email ","author_name":"Cheers with Nat","author_url":"https:\/\/cheerswithnat.substack.com\/","html":"