How to Live

What does money mean to you? Do you like spending it, saving it or not thinking about it?  We all come at money from different angles. Research shows that our relationship with money not only drives financial decisions but more importantly it drives life decisions What career to pursue? Where to live? Who to marry? In today’s episode we’ll help you explore your relationship with money What shaped...

Thinking of retiring early? How should you think about transitioning from a full on career to retirement? How can retirement life be both fun and stimulating?  In this episode we speak with successful C-suite executive Susie Babani. Susie describes herself as an adventurer at large. Eight years back, she was at the top of the corporate ladder global chief HR for ANZ bank reporting to the global CE...

“Most of us think of belonging as an external place, something outside of ourselves, that if we keep diligently searching, maybe one day we'll find. The reason why many of us don’t feel a sense of belonging in our lives, is because we have not inherited the skills for how to practice belonging.” In this episode we speak with critically acclaimed award winning author Toko-pa Turner. Toko-pa’s...

Do all of us have a dark side? How can we become aware of it? What power can it unleash? We discuss the above questions through the concept of the Shadow in this episode. The word shadow was popularised by renowned psychologist Carl Yung. He believed where there is light, there must be a shadow. Where there is good, there must be evil. We explore the Shadow through real life examples and practical...

How do we tackle imposter syndrome? What is it to be a man in today’s world? We discuss all this and more with Jem Fuller. Jem is a TEDX speaker, published author, a communications expert, an executive coach, who coaches CEOs and business leaders and he also leads retreats around the world. Jem’s led a colourful life. From years of barefoot backpacking around the Indian subcontinent to senior lead...

How do we take our passion and convert it into a career?  We discuss this and more, with world-renowned stand-up comedian, executive coach and published author Papa CJ. Papa CJ has been awarded Asia and India’s best stand-up comedian. He’s performed in over 2000 shows across 25 countries from Broadway in New York to the Sydney Opera House. CJ is an MBA from the University of Oxford and as an execu...

How can we reduce the negative chatter in our mind without mindfulness, meditation or other spiritual practices?  We all live busy lives with multiple activities. Adding another activity like meditation - even if it’s for removing stress - can end up adding more stress. So what simple tools can reduce chatter and seamlessly integrate into our life? In today’s episode we meet Gita who’s struggling...

What are the early signs of loneliness? How do we work through loneliness? What does an authentic human connection look like? How do we move our relationship with parents/family from a place of compulsion to a place of love? We discuss all this and more in our conversation with Simone Heng. Simone is a human connection expert. Her latest book Secret Pandemic: The search for connection in a lonely...

How should we deal with addiction to junk food, cigarettes, alcohol and other bad habits that limit fitness? What role do emotions and vulnerability, especially for men, play in the path to good health?  We discuss this and a lot more with Zach Tucker and Jeremy Grater, founders and hosts of the podcast the Fit Mess, a leading fitness podcast in the US. Back in 2017, they launched the Fit Mess pod...

Many of us enjoy the good things in life - a cool car, the latest bag, or an exotic holiday but sometimes without realising the joy of consumerism gives way to stressful pursuit of more and more. We need to have the latest iphone before others or wear designer clothes to be seen. The more we have, the more unsatisfied we become, and the more we want. It becomes a vicious cycle.  Giving up material...

This is the second part of our conversation with Stephanie Dickson. Steph opens up about her struggles with anxiety and darkness. For background, Steph is a high performing entrepreneur - a pioneer in the space of sustainability and climate change in Asia. She founded Green is the new Black, Asia’s first conscious festival and media platform. She’s a two times TED X speaker, a Prestige 40 under 40...

The best time to start a business, mend a close relationship, apologise for bad behaviour, or forgive ourselves for an irreversible mistake may have been 20 years back. The second best time is now.  Regret is a complex emotion that combines anger, shame, self blame, helplessness, anxiety, remorse and many other negative feelings. Most of us hold regrets for years and decades. They weigh us down. B...

How do we build a healthy relationship with our spouse/partner? What’s the balance between being dependent on our partner vs being fiercely independent, between thinking of our needs vs our partners? How do we have a regular joyful sex life? We address the above questions and more in our conversation with Dr. Oberdan Marianetti. Dr Oberdan is a leading psychologist and clinical sexologist in Singa...

A conversation with Aliza Knox, who built and led  APAC business for 3 of the top tech firms - Google, Twitter and Cloudfare. In 2020 she was named the APAC IT woman of the year. Prior to tech, Aliza worked in Financial Services and Consulting. This included the Boston Consulting Group, Visa, and other notable companies. At BCG, Aliza became the first woman partner in APAC. She has been featured i...

Many of us struggle with saying no. If we say yes we feel resentful, if we say no we feel guilty. Either way we lose. In today's episode we look at why it's difficult to say no, the impact this has on our life and how we can create healthy boundaries. Concepts discussed include complaint, avoidant and controller personality types; guilt and fear; the guilty conscience, boundaries, among...

A conversation with Stephanie Dickson, entrepreneur and leading voice for sustainability on Asia. Steph is a two times TED X speaker, Prestige 40 under 40, Leader of tomorrow by Tatler. She founded Green is the new Black back in 2015, Asia's first conscious festival and media platform.  CNBC describe her as the “sustainability entrepreneur helping Asian businesses combat climate change”  She...

We know that sleep is very important, but think huge changes are needed to enhance sleep.  However, with a few small manageable changes, we can dramatically improve our sleep, without compromising on our lifestyle. In today's episode we look at the basic science of sleep and outline 6 ways to get a better sleep. Through these we can identify the 2-3 tips that work best in our current context....

A conversation with Abhinav Kumar, CMO & CCO of Tata Consultancy Services, the 2nd biggest IT services brand globally overtaking IBM. Abhinav has been instrumental in growing the  TCS brand to $16.8 Bn- having grown 8 times in the past decade.  Abhinav heads marketing for 45 countries across the globe with a gender balanced global team- comprising of folks from 40 nationalities  He’s been feat...

How do we know what we want in life? If we do know, how should we integrate this dream sensibly into our life?  In this episode we meet Nick and Ana - who think about their dreams with two opposing mindsets. Through their stories, we understand the challenges associated with discovering and aligning our aspirations.  We look at a 2 step framework to figure out our innermost dream and integrate it...

If you are new to mindfulness and not sure where to start or how to sustain a practice - this episode is for you.  We look at how mindfulness works in everyday life, simple ways to get started, challenges one might face, early benefits we could see and also address the elephant in the room - does mindfulness suppress ambition? We talk this and much more with Erin Lee, the founder of Mindful Moment...

Are bad traits really bad?  When we get told off for being pessimistic, shy, messy, bossy, or arrogant.   Should we just get rid of these? In today's episode, we'll see how dismissing negative traits can restrict our growth. We will look at techniques to process the negative feelings towards these traits and then harness and reframe them to unlock hidden parts of ourselves and grow in di...

How do we make friends in adulthood - when we move cities or enter a new life stage (parenthood, empty nest etc) or feel stuck and need new energy and excitement? How do these friends differ from childhood friends? Amanda Parker, an entrepreneur and global citizen, and I discuss 6 useful techniques for making friends in adulthood in this episode. Amanda, born in New York, has traveled to over 65 c...

Fighting is a natural part of being human. Fights between couples can be nasty, but often something positive emerges. How can we have a constructive fight with our partner? How can we get a good end outcome, without the nastiness? How can we understand and build a deeper bond with each other during fights? In this podcast episode, written jointly by Sarah and Sharad Lal, we look at common fight pa...

How can we control our minds, handle adversity, set goals, manage expectations, access logic, and protect ourselves by creating an inner citadel? Stoicism, a philosophy that originated in ancient Rome, helps answer the above questions and many more. Stoicism consists of practical principles on how to live a good life. This episode provides a brief introduction of this philosophy. Concepts discusse...

Discussion on thriving in the future of work, the gig economy, why do top performers struggle in becoming great leaders, coaching as a life skill, listening vs giving advice, becoming self-aware, practical ways to build confidence, ways to network authentically, how to ask, uncommon leaders - Satya Nadella, Sheryl Sandberg In conversation with Ruchira Chaudhary - Executive coach, adjunct faculty a...