Content Warning: This section contains a description of a mass shooting.

Kaur struggled with painful episodes each month at the start of her menstrual cycle for four years. When Sharat’s father found out, he made an appointment for her as he was an expert in prenatal research. She received an endometriosis diagnosis after years of avoidance and shame. This condition went hand in hand with her vaginismus diagnosis, and surgery was recommended.

In addition to her work at Yale, she worked at Auburn Seminary in New York City, where she launched the Groundswell initiative to connect religious leaders with social justice campaigns. This was inspired by her experience watching a church become a central location for reforming the police department. She writes, “Groundswell soon became the largest online multifaith organizing community in the country” (213). This program helped teach faith leaders how to organize and make changes. Her career took off as she served as a political commentator for MSNBC and commuted between Manhattan and New Haven. Her stress levels rose, and her endometriosis worsened.

On August 5, 2012, a Sikh gurdwara was attacked by a shooter in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The shooter and six others were declared dead, and it became the most violent crime committed against the Sikh community in US history.