From NYC Grit top Hoosier Hospitality

Behind The Filter Podcast

This week on Behind The Filter, we take a deep, personal dive with a dynamic entrepreneur whose life story reads like a global adventure. Get ready to peel back the layers as we explore the incredible journey that led our guest—the co-founder of the Fortville wellness space, PRANA IV Hydration and Wellness Clinic Payal—from her humble beginnings as a daughter of immigrants to a thriving business owner in the heart of the Midwest.

Born in India, Raised in NYC:

Born in India, Payal was left with her grandmother while her parents immigrated to New York City to secure a footing, after a few years she finally joined them in the bustling borough of Queens. 

Growing up immersed in the urban energy of Manhattan, and Brooklyn, life was fast paced, teaching her grit and self-reliance. As she recalls, New York was "glittery" and "beautiful," full of unforgettable moments like eating pizza in her engineer father's construction trailer and driving around Times Square at Christmas just to see the lights.

Payal spent her entire life in New York until age 27, when a fateful career move by her husband—a medical doctor—changed everything.

They ended up in Terre Haute, Indiana, thanks to the competitive and unpredictable medical residency matching algorithm. While the move was initially intended to be temporary, the contrast between the stress of New York life and the genuine kindness of the Midwest quickly took root.

After nearly a decade away from the East Coast, the hospitality and reduced stress of the Midwest—combined with the convenience of Indianapolis’s airport for family visits—cemented their decision to make the area their permanent home.

The decision to settle in the quaint town of Fortville was driven by the search for that authentic, close-knit community feeling. Rejecting the fast-paced vibe of more suburban areas like Fishers or Carmel, they found a sense of belonging on Fortville's Main Street.

A Story of Grit and Survival: The Guillain-Barré Diagnosis

In the most powerful segment of the interview, Payal shares a deeply personal medical emergency that occurred when she was 12 years old.

While visiting India, she developed a rare autoimmune condition called Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) after receiving a flu vaccine. GBS causes paralysis by attacking the nervous system.

The progression of her symptoms was terrifyingly fast starting as a tingling in her toes and rapidly moving up her body. Within hours, she found she couldn't move her legs, collapsing upon trying to get off a motorbike.

Against all odds, she was taken to a small, local clinic in India where a neurologist, who only visited once a month, happened to be there that day. This doctor quickly diagnosed GBS and administered immunoglobulins to halt the paralysis. If the paralysis had reached her lungs, she would have died.

Her incredible story of survival and the life-changing perspective she gained from that experience adds a profound layer of meaning to the wellness and community she now champions at PRANA.

Watch or listen to the full episode below!

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~J