RareErth Podcast

Some people don't choose their calling, they get rerouted into it. My guest in this episode is Melanie Ambler, a professional cellist and a Stanford-trained physician whose work lives at the rare intersection of music and medicine. She studied neurobiology at Brown, researched music and dementia on a Fulbright in France, and then, when the pandemic pulled her out of that research life, found a...

Meet Anjali , co-founder and Chief Product Officer at 78Health, a leukemia survivor, a polymath, and someone whose story found me through one of the more unlikely routes: a voice on Air Chat, a mixtape I made from it without asking, and Naval Ravikant somewhere in the middle of it. In this episode, Anjali traces her path from a first-generation immigrant childhood in the Bay Area, through more tha...

Meet Harsha Venkatesh, an investor, engineer, and serial entrepreneur who has lived across three continents and built a life at the intersection of technology and finance. In this opening episode of Season 4, Harsha traces his journey from childhood visits to the Bangalore Stock Exchange with his father, through a decade-long semiconductor career spanning Germany and the US, to becoming one of Ind...

In this inspiring and joy-filled episode, I sit down with my good friend Siphiwe , a software developer from Cape Town, South Africa, whose ability to spread laughter and joy is unlike anyone I've ever met. Siphiwe shares with me his incredible journey of resilience, faith, and connection. We explore his experiences growing up in Soweto during the apartheid era, overcoming significant challeng...

Welcome to a fascinating episode , where we explore the intersection of science, philosophy, and personal growth with a guest who embodies the spirit of interdisciplinary thinking and constant evolution. My guest is Priyata , a systems biologist whose journey spans from the bustling cities of India to the cutting-edge research labs of Germany. Priyata brings a unique blend of Eastern philosophy an...

In this episode, I sit down with Petri Kajander , a fascinating Finnish entrepreneur, author, and self-proclaimed "business artist." Our conversation takes unexpected turns as we explore the intersection of ancient wisdom and cutting-edge technology. Petri shares insights that left me pondering long after our chat ended. Highlights include: The surprising link between Eastern philosophy...

In this episode I have conversation with Keith Harmon , a man whose life journey defies convention. From his early days as an engineer to his thrilling experiences as a competitive skydiver, and his long tenure in the hospitality industry, Keith's story is one of resilience, passion, and a relentless pursuit of meaningful connections. Keith shares the transformative moments that shaped his out...

In this episode I sit down with the multi-talented MICKY , also known as Firebird. From his deep dive into martial arts and Bruce Lee's philosophy to an incredible journey in the music industry, MICKY’s story is one of transformation and relentless pursuit of passion. We touch on Micky's surprising transition from studying music business to performing over 400 shows in a year, which skyroc...

In this episode I chat with Gary Sheng who is a US-based technologist, creator, and civic entrepreneur. We talk about his journey of integrating diverse interests and finding his path. We discuss the power of faith and intuition in decision-making and the transformative potential of pop-up villages like Zuzalu gatherings for fostering collaboration and creativity. Gary shares his philosophy of bei...

Get ready for a fascinating conversation with Arjun Khemani , a remarkable 17-year-old who's the youngest guest ever on my podcast! Arjun's journey is anything but conventional - he dropped out of school to pursue his passions, explored various gigs, and landed a job at AirChat, a platform for authentic voice conversations. In this episode, we dive into Arjun's incredible story, includ...

Join me for an incredibly real chat with Priyanka Raghuvanshi , an artist who's not afraid to be herself. Priyanka opens up about her wild ride, from studying the mind to trying out different jobs before realizing art is her true calling. She drops some serious truth bombs about how important it is to ask questions, even if it makes you look silly. Priyanka believes that's the secret to gr...

Welcome to Season 3 of the RareErth Podcast! I'm kicking things off with a special guest, Ina Lulaj, who courageously left her 9-to-5 life to pursue her writing dreams in Tokyo. Our chance encounter blossomed into a wonderful friendship, and Ina's here to share that journey with us. From Albania to Oxford, Boston, and Miami, Ina's adventures have been vast, but it was in Japan where she truly foun...

In this episode I have an in-depth conversation with Sumit Ramani - Actuary and Co-Founder of ‘ Protect Me Well ’. In a touching homage to his parents during the interview, Sumit shared his unique journey to becoming an expert in the field of finance. We lamented about how financial companies have made financial products too complicated and we laughed as he shared some interesting anecdotes. From...

In this episode of the podcast, I have an in-depth conversation with Aishwarya Ashok , Product Manager at Zoho and Creator of “The Prodcastt”, “The Founder’s Foyer”, “One Good Thing” and “100+NotTech”. The Founder's Foyer is a space where creators, founders, and builders look for all the foundational concepts and support to grow their ideas into products. We discuss a broad-spectrum of topics rang...

Join me in this episode as I chat with Akash Devaraju and Noopur Porwal from Local Ferment Co (LFC), a micro-brewery and kitchen that specialises in all things probiotic and non-alcoholic drinks. We'll take a deep dive into their startup journey and their passion for aesthetics and design, which is evident in their visually appealing website. The LFC team places great importance on creating a bran...

In this episode, I interview Nandini Nair and Soubhik Hazra . Both of them had a background in hospitality industry, but decided to try their hand at the pet food business with their brand, " Hungry Eyes ."Who would have imagined that two people from the hotel industry would end up starting a business for dogs? But that's precisely what they did.  We discussed their experiences as entrepreneu...

In this episode of the podcast, I have an in-depth conversation with Vaibhav Munjal , the co founder of the popular YouTube channel " Chalchitra Talks ."  If you do not know about Chalchitra Talks, it’s a one-stop destination for all your recommendations...movies, books, podcasts, TV shows, poetry, sports and so on! So, in this episode Vaibhav shares the story behind the creation of the chann...

Join me for an enlightening conversation with James Pierce on this brand-new episode of the podcast! James is a philosopher, a writer and an entrepreneur. We delve into James' journey towards spiritual growth and explore themes of mindfulness, self-discovery, and personal development. Along the way, we discuss the human desire for acceptance, love, and validation, the role of the ego, and the impo...

Pranav Radhankrishnan is a Youtube content creator known for his science based educational videos. I had the opportunity to sit down with him and discuss his background, his process for creating content debunking myths, and how it feels to be involved in the debate on scientific topics. Pranav was fascinated by science at a young age. He remembers reading an encyclopedia when he was only six years...

I have a very special guest in this episode: Aamina Azhar . She is one of the youngest people I've ever had on the show; she's a published author and co-author of four books. She is also the founder of Sweet Retreat Cakery . Additionally, she is a very well-known member of Bangalore Student Community and Safe Space Project . All of this while studying Journalism and English Literature in Mount Car...

In this episode I sit down with Kenny DeGiglio , the Director of Education at Pomp's Crypto Academy . I had the pleasure of speaking with Kenny at the Crypto Academy Course earlier this year, and we wanted to share a bit of it with you. Kenny joined us from Pennsylvania and we talked all things Blockchain, Bitcoin, and why everyone should be spending time educating themselves on this revolutionary...

In this episode of the RareErth podcast, I'm speaking with Sitara Srinivasan . She is the founder at Naxxatra Sciences and an independent researcher and educator. Sitara is also the youngest guest we've had on the show so far. As a child, she was curious about topics such as the origins of the cosmos and how life arose on Earth. She had a strong interest in science and philosophy, and at first she...

My guest this episode is Arun Benty , Co-founder and Head of Business Development at Fandefi (a platform to create and sell utility NFTs.) He is also a Co-founder and Director of Business Development at Trellisys and Co-founder and Head of Business Development at Papertrell . Arun, being a contrarian, sought opportunities in college that were not typical for his age group. While starting out, he r...

My guest this episode is Swetha Devaraj , a Vascular Radiologist, a certified Animal-Flow Master Instructor, co-founder of Sweaty Ninjas and a passionate Fitness Coach. She shares how she juggled multiple roles to create a work life that integrates her passion for health and fitness with her medical career. Swetha says no matter what career you choose or switch between, one thing is certain: you'l...

Dr. Siddharth Warrier is a Neurologist with close to a decade experience. He is an MD Medicine with super specialisation DM (Neurology). He also holds his MRCP-UK degree from London. Dr. Siddharth, off duty is an impressive Youtuber. On his channel, he explores science, mental health and human behaviour through the perspective of Neuroscience. He likes to share his enthusiasm and knowledge through...