Hitha Palepu

Hitha Palepu (she/her) is a woman of multitudes—a feminist, a lifelong politics enthusiast, a daughter of immigrants, and a mother raising feminist sons. These multitudes spill into her multi-hypenatted career as an entrepreneur, investor, writer, and speaker.
We’re Speaking provides inspirational lessons about life, work, and overcoming adversity—drawn from Kamala Harris’s norm-shattering ascent to Vice President of the United States. Guaranteed to leave you feeling empowered to follow in Harris’s footsteps!
Buy the Book.

Vice President Kamala Harris has been a longtime hero and mentor-from-afar of mine, ever since she was attorney general of California. How she spoke, negotiated, advanced her career, and even dressed are things I’ve studied from her and adopted for myself in various ways over the course of my career. When I was approached by Little, Brown Spark to see if I’d be interested in writing an advice book inspired by Harris, it felt like fate—my little worn book of Kamala-isms was the foundation of this book and it was an honor to write it.

My writing space looks out on our balcony, and my desk is usually covered in piles of books, papers, multiple mugs and tumblers (one for water, one for tea), and Haribo gummy bears (my writing fuel).
 

My bed! I have an amber reading light that I use even when I’m reading on my Kindle, and I love to read for an hour every night before I fall asleep.

We moved a lot when I was a kid, and I spent most summers of my childhood in India visiting my family. Writing kept me company through every move, long flight, and monsoon days where I would be cooped up inside. It may sound trite, but writing isn’t just what I do. It’s a big part of my identity and helps me stay connected to the person I’ve always been.

I’m very partial to my channa saag recipe, which is not exactly traditional (I blend my chickpeas and spinach together) but it IS delicious! You can find the recipe here, and I recommend adding some fresh or fried dill!