The MyndStories Podcast

Tell us what you feel. Message us. What is it to choose to live alone? As an Indian woman? In this episode of the MyndStories Minis, we have the author of 'Table For One: A Solo Living Manual For The Curious Indian Woman,' Sumaa Tekur give us those answers.  Find out why Sumaa wrote this book, the journey she undertook through its writing, and why she considers herself quite rare: "...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. Fame can be a double edged sword. People look up to you and you have a voice to make a difference. On the flip side, you are also opening yourself up to people’s judgements and criticisms.  How do you navigate through these things while staying true to yourself and be vulnerable? We explore this with Samyukta Hornad, who opens up about her life and acting journey...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. The relationships we have with the people close to us are like our anchors. They infuse our life with richness and it’s important that we nurture them. However, it's also important to remember that we have a relationship with ourselves too that sets the foundation for our interactions with others.  Do we know who we truly are? How do we stay in resonance wit...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. TW : This episode mentions suicide. Please find a list of helpline numbers here with the Suicide Prevention Helpline Directory (India). In this new episode of the MyndStories Minis, Smitha Murthy talks to Geetha Balagopal, Senior Program Manager at ASQExcellence.  In 2022, Geetha wrote a moving LinkedIn post , which went viral. That post was about her daughter, P...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. Meditation. Breathwork. Mindfulness. These are spoken about so often, to a point where it has become cliched. But it is cliched for a reason that needs to be unpacked. Why is it spoken of so much? Why does it lead to an enhanced emotional well being? What is the science behind this? We dive deep into all of these questions and understand how powerful mindfulness...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. Ever been in a phase where you’re feeling lonely but don’t really know how to talk about it? Fear of external judgement or the fear of having your experience trivialized can sometimes be crippling. Vulnerability when it comes to loneliness is hard and we need to talk more about it. If you’re looking for a relatable space and an insightful conversation about how l...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. We kickstart Season 2 of The MyndStories Podcast with a bang! In this fresh episode of the MyndStories Minis, Smitha Murthy talks to Shantesh Row, copywriter, and CCO. Shantesh is not your typical writer. Are there typical writers? But we digress. Shantesh has spent over 25 years in ad agencies, crafting copy that creates brands. In this conversation, you may not...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. Entrepreneurship is a journey. It’s inspirational. Glamorous. But it’s also exhausting. Demanding. It’s bittersweet.  Vaibhav Tewari is the Co-Founder and CEO of Portea Medical, one of Asia’s fastest growing in-home healthcare providers. Here, he talks about his personal entrepreneurship journey, the mental pillars he’s leaned on to get him through challenging ti...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. In this episode of the MyndStories Minis, Smitha Murthy talks to Anukrti Upadhyay, writer and author.  Listen as Smitha and Anukrti talk about the process of writing, the meaning of life, the difference a cup of coffee can make, and how hope can often transform our lives. This is a deep insight into an award-winning author’s approach to life, her thoughts, and th...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. In this episode of The MyndStories Podcast, Ankit Narasimhan talks to Karthik Raghavendran, who is the Co-Founder and CEO of a neurotechnology startup called Neurostellar. The episode talks about Neurostellar’s vision of using brain-computer interfaces to track and improve individual well-being and the role of technology in the field of mental health. We discuss:...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. In this episode of the MyndStories Minis, Smitha Murthy talks to a close friend, Teena Gomes, Director, APJ HR Services at VMware.  Listen as Smitha and Teena alternate between bantering and serious conversations about everything from gardening to friendships to managing stress. What’s your takeaway?  Hear Teena’s secrets behind how she nurtures long-term, succes...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. In this episode of The MyndStories Podcast, Ankit Narasimhan talks to Prachi S Vaish, who has had almost 17 years of experience specializing in couples therapy, relationships, and intimacy. We talk about how we can be more self aware in our relationships and how we can build healthy habits to create long-lasting relationships. We discuss How to navigate through t...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. In this episode of The MyndStories Podcast, Ankit Narasimhan talks to Aanya Wadhwani, a queer-affirmative therapist and someone who identifies as a queer individual herself, about her experience as a therapist and the challenges that she’s been through in her own journey. We discuss Defining the term 'queer'. Digging deep into where the rigidity in thin...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. Every now and then, we get emails and stories that touch us. Our founder, Smitha, often receives emails on her personal account. As she admits, she doesn’t always get to reply to all of them. But a chance exchange and a question, “how do I find the beauty in life?” prompted her to think about what really shows up in her life every day.  Here, Smitha talks about s...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. In this episode of the MyndStories Minis, Smitha Murthy talks to Chaithra MJ, a software developer-turned-writer.  This is a wholesome episode filled with wisdom as Chaithra and Smitha have a freewheeling conversation about many life-changing topics, including managing anxiety, the illusion of control, and how to be more accepting. "You look around, people a...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. In this episode, Smitha shares a grounding technique that her therapist first taught her - a technique she was skeptical about but which she increasingly found works. Here, Smitha describes her favorite grounding techniques: 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique The physiological sigh And some more. If you like this episode and want to receive a special newsletter straig...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. Oubaitori is a Japanese word or idiom that conveys the art of never comparing yourself. Too often, scrolling on social media can leave us feeling frustrated and that nagging feeling of never being 'enough.' Enter oubaitori. This one word helped Smitha to stop that spiral and honor herself. The idea is that the four trees that flower in the spring in Jap...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. We are all connected in mysterious ways, and our actions have more far-ranging consequences than you can ever imagine.  In this episode, Smitha shares a deeply personal experience from her own life - how a chance meeting with a German Buddhist in China led to a lifelong belief in hope, faith, and well…light. There are no fancy tips here. But listen in because we...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. In this episode of The MyndStories Minis, Smitha Murthy talks to Sameer Somal, an entrepreneur and founder of Girl Power Talk, about nurturing young leaders, girl empowerment, pursuing the things that bring you happiness, and how to have a purposeful life.  We discuss: The different factors that drive true happiness. How to find the courage to find the things tha...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. What's the first thing you do as soon as you wake up in the morning? Check your messages? Scroll through your emails? We all do. In this episode of The MyndStories Moments, Smitha talks about how to best utilize the first two hours of your workday, which are also the most productive. Regardless of whether you are an early morning person or a night owl the fi...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. What do you do when life can seem a tad overwhelming? Smitha discovered a newsletter from Marc & Angel that popped into her inbox at just the right time. That newsletter offered little things to do when life takes over with its relentless parade.  Those five things are: 1. Give yourself a break. (There's more than just taking the day off, so listen to th...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. "How are you?" "I am busy; how about you?" That seems to be the standard response to a question these days. Why are we filling our lives with so much busyness? In today's world, busy is a badge of honor, one that we wear frequently. But being busy can often be an attempt not to face uncomfortable truths. We strive to be busy so that we do...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. Are you on your healing journey? Just like us, you also may be looking for ways to make that journey a bit easier. In this episode, Smitha shares how her life changed for good…when she focused and prioritized sleep. Sleep?  Yes. Sleep. The most precious vitamin you can think of, apart from the regular ones. Find out in this episode how to get good sleep, why it e...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. We all want to be happy. But the thing is, happiness can be elusive. And many of us don’t even know what it is to be truly happy. We have this impression that to be happy means to have no suffering. But joy and happiness don’t exist in a vacuum. Happiness is knowing that we are all going to face many stressors in life but that we can cope, manage, and find the re...

Tell us what you feel. Message us. In the latest episode of The MyndStories Podcast, we talk to Robert Brace, a personal trainer and a celebrity wellness expert, about how fitness is tied to mental transformation and emotional wellbeing. We discuss: How Robert bounced back from a career threatening back injury. How transforming our body can help in transforming ourselves mentally. Robert’s holisti...