about.

Hi there! I’m Shivani.

I'm a maker and a mender, a queer disabled brown femme, an eldest immigrant daughter, and an equity and justice consultant. I work to nourish my communities and heal our systems of care, in pursuit of health equity and racial, disability, and reproductive justice.

I'm currently based in New York City, where I live with an overflowing sewing basket, a cherished community garden, and a sourdough starter that’s been alive and fermenting since the late 1800s.

Over my career, I’ve been a health equity expert for the COVID pandemic response, a leader in maternal mortality prevention, an innovation consultant, a crisis counselor for sexual violence survivors, a full-spectrum birth and abortion doula, a trauma-sensitive hatha yoga teacher, a sex educator, and a cognitive neuroscience researcher studying the effects of music education on brain plasticity.

I went out on my own in 2022 after a few months of rest and recovery, a few years of transformation, and a decade of dreaming. I saw a need for equity and justice work that bridges the personal and the political, the embodied and the embroiled, the human and the systemic.

Today, I help BIPOC folks radically care for themselves in the face of ongoing -isms, so we can grow in pleasure, abundance, and joy. I help white people use their privilege to interrupt bias and discrimination, so our environments and our programs become stronger, more sustainable, and more equitable.

My approach to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice work is unapologetically intersectional and deeply rooted in healing and nourishment.

I love the elegant and imperfect chaos of our identities, our glorious riotous revolutionary ancestries. I believe that joy is the most vulnerable emotion, that the antidote to violence is resonant and relational connection, that queer and disabled and bipoc people and survivors have each other — that we have us.

Want to learn more? Check out my archives here and publications or podcast interviews here.

Ready to get started? Send me a consultation request to set up a free 30-minute inquiry call.

talk soon!

Are you looking for a more formal version? Click below for my professional bio.

  • Shivani Mehta Bhatia is a health equity expert and DEI strategist, bringing creativity, care, and collaboration to disability, economic, gender, racial, and reproductive justice. She is the founder and Chief Equity Officer of Tulsi Strategies LLC, where she works to nourish her communities and heal our systems of care.

    Shivani has advised boards of directors, tech startups, small businesses, community organizations, and government agencies on developing and executing equity strategic plans. As an innovation consultant, she spearheaded organizational development and supported clients on large-scale projects across industries, from a $10M public-private partnership to a $1B federal challenge for equitable economic development. Shivani previously led health equity efforts for Colorado’s COVID-19 pandemic response and served as the principal investigator for federally funded maternal mortality prevention efforts. Her work has been nationally recognized for the use of innovative strategies to address the structural and social determinants of health, and she was awarded the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs’ 2020 Emerging MCH Professional Award for Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

    Over her career, Shivani has been a crisis counselor for sexual violence survivors, a full-spectrum birth and abortion doula, a trauma-sensitive hatha yoga teacher, a sex educator, and a cognitive neuroscience researcher studying the effects of music education on brain plasticity. She has designed, implemented, and evaluated public health programs in Boston, Denver, New York City, and Mumbai, India.

    Shivani holds an MPH from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and an AB from Dartmouth College. She loves rose gardens, fragrant cups of chai, and late summer rainstorms.