Dreammakers with Neha Sampat

Host Neha Sampat, CEO of Contentstack, and Prompt Health CEO and Founder Hedieh Safiyari get together over a glass of wine and discuss digital transformation in the health and wellness industry, side hustles, and going after opportunity when it surfaces.

PromptHealth is a directory and social platform for patients and wellness providers that’s changing the way Canadians learn about and engage with their health. 

Neha and Hedieh discuss:

• The gaps in modern healthcare
• Transitioning your side hustle to your main hustle 
• Picking your mentors and founding team
• Founder authenticity and communications

The Dreammakers enjoyed a glass of wine while they talked: La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (Neha’s is 2018, Hedieh’s is 2017). It has aromas of boysenberry, cherry, and sweet tobacco, followed by flavors of raspberry, blackberry, and cherry. Characteristics of nutmeg, vanilla and oak rise on the finish.

Other show notes:

• Over the Rainbow is Hedieh’s wake up song
• The Power of Vulnerability is Hedieh’s book recommendation for her 19-year-old-self. She also recommends The Rich Roll Podcast. 
• Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris is Hedieh’s wine recommendation

Follow Host Neha Sampat on LinkedIn and @nehasf

Follow Guest Hedieh Safiyari on LinkedIn and @HediehSafiyari

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Host Neha Sampat, CEO of Contentstack, and Beyond Barriers co-founders Nikki Barua and Monica Marquez get together over a glass of wine and discuss making the world a more equitable place, women in leadership and building and scaling a business.

Nikki Barua is a serial entrepreneur, bestselling author, and C-Suite advisor who is in the business of “making elephants run” – meaning, she helps organizations use tech to get future ready. Monica Marquez is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion expert who has led DEI initiatives at some of the world’s best companies such as Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Ernst & Young, and Google. Together, they founded Beyond Barriers, a cohort-based coaching platform that helps companies retain talent and advance women in leadership at scale.

Neha, Monica, and Nikki discuss:

• Empowering women to advance their careers
• Building and scaling a business
• Employer retention and “The Great Resignation”
• The importance of writing your dreams down

The Dreammakers enjoyed a glass of wine while they talked: 2018 Château Lalande from the Saint-Julien region in Bordeaux, France. It’s a beautiful ruby red with bold notes of red black berry fruit, spices and a hint of vanilla.

Other show notes:

• Empire State of Mind and Girl on Fire are Monica and Nikki’s wake up songs. They are a professed “Alicia Keys household!”
• Think and Grow Rich is Nikki’s book recommendation for her 19-year-old-self 
• Champagne is Nikki and Monica’s wine recommendation

Follow Host Neha Sampat on LinkedIn and @nehasf

Follow Guests Nikki Barua on LinkedIn and @NikkiBarua and Monica Marquez on LinkedIn and @themmarquez  

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With 12 episodes published, many of them featuring trailblazing entrepreneurs, November's #NationalEntrepreneushipMonth compilation episode revisits past Dreammakers episodes to uncover the best pieces of advice on entrepreneurship Neha’s guests have shared.

Neha identifies universal themes in the entrepreneurial journey and shares her experience and that of her guests to inspire listeners to make their dreams a reality. 

This compilation episode focuses on:

• Finding your purpose
• Taking the leap
• Qualities of successful founders 
• Building inclusive organizations
• Fundraising

Neha enjoyed a glass of wine while celebrating her guests: Château Macquin Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion, in the region of Bordeaux, which is predominantly Merlot. The wine has a garnet color, with ripe red fruits, scents of oak, vanilla, toffee, and toast matched with graceful texture and tannins.

Follow Host Neha Sampat on LinkedIn and @nehasf

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Host Neha Sampat, CEO of Contentstack, and Author and Journalist Gayatri Rangachari Shah get together over a glass of wine and discuss gender roles, the evolution of the media landscape and Indian culture.

Gayatri is co-author of Changemakers: 20 Women Transforming Bollywood Behind the Scenes, a contributing editor for both Vogue India and Architectural Digest India, and she writes a column for one of India's largest English-language newspapers, The Hindu. Gayatri and Neha first met when she interviewed Neha for Vogue India. Now, the tables are turned and Neha is the interviewer.

Neha and Gayatri discuss:

• Bollywood behind-the-scenes
• How stories can be inspirational
• Indian culture
• Taking a leap of faith in your career
• The evolution of the media industry

The Dreammakers enjoyed a glass of wine while they talked: Arros Wine from York Winery in the region of Nashik, India. A blend of Cabernet and Shiraz, it’s a bold, fruity wine with hints of oakiness. York Winery is family-owned and run and Chief Winemaker Kailash Gurnami is India’s youngest winemaker.

Other show notes:

• Sunshine Reggae is Gayatri’s wake up song
• We Should All Be Feminists is Gayatri’s book recommendation for her 19-year-old-self 
• Didyme is Gayatri’s wine recommendation

Follow Host Neha Sampat on LinkedIn and @nehasf

Follow Guest Gayatri Rangachari Shah on LinkedIn and @GayatriShah

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Host Neha Sampat, CEO of Contentstack, and Nat Gross, VP, Head of Brand Strategy, get together over a glass of wine and discuss the evolution of the digital industry, navigating a career, and thinking laterally vs. deep.

EPAM is a digital product and platform engineering company headquartered in Philadelphia. Nat is recognized as one of the most influential digital professionals in the UK. 

Neha and Nat discuss:

• The intersection of technology and creative 
• Using projects, community, and networking to broaden your skills
• How to recognize when to ask for help
• Differences between how men and women navigate their careers

The Dreammakers enjoyed a glass of wine while they talked: Clos de Mireille Blanc de Blanc 2018. Originating from the Bordeaux region, Sémillon, this wine exudes fragrances of ripe and exotic fruit, crowned by a hint of floral broom. On the palate, the tangy freshness and vitality blossom over honey aromas before providing a crisp finish.

Other show notes:

• How Deep Is Your Love is Nat’s wake up song
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Ten Billion are Nat’s book recommendations for her 19-year-old-self. Nat also recommended the podcast Pivot. 
• Veuve Fourny & Fils Premier Cru Brut Rosé Champagne is Nat’s wine recommendation

Follow Host Neha Sampat on LinkedIn and @nehasf

Follow Guest Nat Gross on LinkedIn and @Nat_Gross

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Host Neha Sampat, CEO of Contentstack, and Komal Dadlani, CEO and co-founder of Lab4U, get together and discuss how technology can expand access to education, starting and scaling an international business, and more.

Komal is a biochemist turned social good entrepreneur. She started Lab4U in 2013 to democratize science and change the way it is taught using smartphones. Today Lab4U is active in Latin America and the U.S., helping more than 100,000 students learn about science with Lab4Physics, Lab4Chemistry and Lab4Biology.

Neha and Komal discuss:

• The importance of a quality STEM education
• How companies can help alleviate societal inequality 
• Why scaling an international business is different
• How entrepreneurship is a spiritual journey

The Dreammakers enjoyed Petal Sparkling Water, Rose Blend. 

Other show notes:

• Mantra Meditation is Komal’s wake up song
• The Hard Things About Hard Things is Komal’s book recommendation for her 19-year-old-self
• Smoothies are Komal’s beverage recommendation
• Falooda is the rose-flavored drink from India

Follow Host Neha Sampat on LinkedIn and @nehasf

Follow Guest Komal Dadlani on LinkedIn and @KomalDadlani

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Host Neha Sampat, CEO of Contentstack, and Cindy Padnos, founder and Managing Partner of Illuminate Ventures, get together over a glass of wine and discuss the realities of capital raising and how to increase access to funds for underrepresented populations.

Illuminate Ventures is a seed and early stage venture capital firm that invests exclusively in enterprise/B2B software companies. Cindy has been working with enterprise tech startups for more than 25 years - as a founder/CEO of a VC-backed company, a startup operating executive, and more recently as an investor. She is also the author of 3 research-based, widely-cited white papers addressing gender diversity in the tech sector.

Neha and Cindy discuss:

• How venture capital works
• What investors look for in a startup
• How to make your startup stand out from the rest
• The importance of a strong network
• Why startups fail

The Dreammakers enjoyed a glass of wine while they talked: Jean-Paul Droin Chablis Vaillons Premier Cru 2018. It's a Chablis from northern Burgundy, France. It’s floral and mineral with flavors of citrus, green apple, green olive and toast. It’s medium-bodied with sharp acidity.

Other show notes:

• You Are My Sunshine is Cindy’s wake up song
• 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus is Cindy’s book recommendation for her 19-year-old-self
• Vin Perdu is Cindy’s wine recommendation

Follow Host Neha Sampat on LinkedIn and @nehasf

Follow Guest Cindy Padnos on LinkedIn and @IlluminateVC

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Two female tech founders, host Neha Sampat, CEO of Contentstack, and Breanne Acio, CEO of Sēkr, get together over a glass of wine to discuss entrepreneurship and what it means to be a Dreammaker.

Breanne is an outdoor enthusiast who, along with her wife, decided to pack up and live life on the road in a van together. With Sēkr, Breanne is fulfilling a need in the market - a one-stop resource for travelers to find the best camping spots, read reviews, and connect with other adventurers.

Neha and Breanne discuss:

• The upsides -- and downsides -- of turning your passions into a business
• The limits of sacrifice
• Self actualization
• The challenges of raising capital and how to overcome them

The Dreammakers enjoyed a glass of wine while they talked: Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Bourgogne Rouge Grand Chaillots 2017. It's from Burgundy, France, the birthplace of Pinot Noir. The wine has a fresh bouquet of bright red fruit mixed with light violet scents. It’s light enough to enjoy without food and comes from a 250-year-old winery. The current owner tried his hand at other businesses but the vines pulled him back in 2001 when he was 26-years-old.

Other show notes:

• Sēkr is an app that allows outdoor enthusiasts to plan trips, connect with interesting people and share their experiences.
• Anne-Marie - Then (Acoustic Version) is Breanne’s wake up song
• The 4-Hour Workweek is Breanne’s book recommendation for her 19-year-old-self
• Breanne agreed with Neha’s wine recommendation
  
  

Follow Host Neha Sampat on LinkedIn and @nehasf

Follow Guest Breanne Acio on LinkedIn and @BreanneAcio

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For decades, Neha Sampat, founder and CEO of GenLead/BelongLab, and our host Neha Sampat, CEO of Contentstack, have been mistaken for one another on social media, in news outlets, with conference organizers, and more. This podcast is the first time they met in person. In this episode, they describe these years of mistaken identity as a "gift."

Through GenLead/BelongLab, Neha focuses on building belonging and true inclusion through consulting, training, speaking, and writing. She helps organizations bust bias and individual clients develop job situations and leadership styles that engage their true and best selves. 

Neha and Neha discuss:

• Breaking the mold of leadership to allow people to create new molds
• Owning your value helps you stand out
• The best day to follow your dreams is today...not "someday"
• The jump to entrepreneurship 

The Dreammakers enjoyed a glass of wine while they talked: Argiano Brunello di Montalcino 2016. It's from Tuscany, which is known for making wines from Sangiovese. While that is known for being light, this wine is more complex. The winery was built in the 16th century, and the bottle has great fruit, acidity and a beautiful ruby red color.

Other show notes:

• GenLead/BelongLab - strengthening organizations and individuals through leadership, inclusion, and professional development
• U2's In God's Country is Neha's wake up song
• Untamed by Glennon Doyle is Neha's book recommendation for her 19-year-old-self
• Paix Sur Terre 2018 Days Between is Neha's wine recommendation

Follow Host Neha Sampat on LinkedIn and @nehasf

Follow Guest Neha Sampat on LinkedIn and @nehamsampat

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Heather Combs and Jennifer Ives were set up on a blind friend date 8 years ago and became fast friends who have now twice been colleagues. Today, they work as Chief Commercial Officer and SVP of Global Partnerships at 3Pillar. Through their EmpowerHER initiative, they are on a mission to "pave a path forward" for women leaders in the tech industry.

Heather and Jennifer's four leadership principles are:

• Leading with empathy
• You always have something to give
• Don't compromise on principles
• Show others how its done

The Dreammakers enjoyed a  glass of wine while they talked: Lucien Crochet Croix du Roy Sancerre 2018. It's a beautiful, crisp wine that highlights the terroir and granite of the region. Better yet, there's a wonderful story behind it. Lucien Crochet brought together the estates of his father and father in law so it's a fusion of two different wineries and regions. Lucien was also a pioneer of bottling Sancerres and taking them to Paris.

Other show notes:

• 3Pillar Global - driving business outcomes through product development
• Heather's wake-up song is Justin Timberlake's Can't Stop the feeling; Jennifer's is anything by The Bleachers 
• What Got You Here Won't Get you There is Heather's book recommendation for her 19-year-old-self; Jennifer recommends The Myth of the Nice Girl
• Heather recommends the Schramsberg Brut Rose 2017 to complement the cherry blossoms in full bloom; Jennifer's wine is Domaine Laporte Sancerre Le Rochoy. She could sip it on patios all year long

Follow Neha on LinkedIn and @nehasf

Follow Heather on LinkedIn and @heatherdcombs
Follow Jennifer on LinkedIn and @iamJives

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