From building a weekend project into one of the largest positive content platforms in Asia (200 M subscribers), to creating sustainable solutions for living a better life, ‘better’ is the keyword for Dhimant Parekh - cofounder of The Better India (https://www.thebetterindia.com). If your soul simply craves for good news to start your day, Dhimant & The Better India team are constantly striving to bring you stories about all that’s working around our wonderful country. Learn more about what keeps this impact entrepreneur motivated, his Ikigai and more in this absolutely unmissable episode.

It was truly fun to speak to Gargi who found her calling in wine almost 8.5 years ago, and has been curating and hosting wine tasting experiences under her company Magic Cellars, one of the foremost wine communities in the country. 

A WSET -Level 3 qualified sommelier, TEDx Speaker and Curator of Wine Experiences both offline & virtual, Gargi has also designed a 12 episode video series called Wine 101 : Basics & Beyond - which covers everything wine lovers would need to know to start exploring this fascinating world of wines.Her Instagram handle @magiccellars has easy-to-access wine content which helps wine lovers and newbies equally explore & learn about this fascinating beverage. If you too agree that there should be No pretence, No snobbery around this wonderful elixir, then this episode is just for you.. and just in case you still haven't figured out your Ikigai, then you gotta tune in anyways. Happy listening!!

I thoroughly enjoyed recording this  episode with Ritu David - the current founder of 3 tech companies who believes in solving real world problems using a mix of data, design, tech and behavioural sciences. Her passion lies in creating tech that reduces inequalities and also in facilitating ethical and inclusive automated decision making. She talks about finding herself and finding a purpose in facilitating tech that actually gets used. I found it refreshing that she did not use a single word of tech jargon, considering how deeply enthused she's about the world of AI!! We seriously need more Ritus in the world of tech and also more folks to listen to this episode to know what I mean :)

This episode has been particularly interesting to record as Shashank is a person I have been inspired by for a while now,  ever since I discovered that there could be a post-meal healthy dessert as well. Clearly, there are no 'zero-calorie' promises, yet you know you aren't consuming processed sugar under other names. Shashank Mehta was over a 100 kgs when he started his fitness journey 15 years ago. In the decade that followed, he taught himself fitness, lost 40kgs, ran several marathons, and helped many friends and colleagues get onto the fitness bandwagon. He has self-experimented with every fitness-fad and quick-fix out there, and now runs a 100 percent clean food brand called The Whole Truth that makes super clean Protein Bars, Energy Bars & Muesli. Go check them out at thewholetruthfoods.com and make sure you enjoy more than just this episode. Cheers to health!

Hope you are doing well! 
These are tough and unprecedented times for all of us for sure. And in my pursuit to keep the spark of joy alive in mine and each of your lives, I bring to you the 10th episode of this Podcast - where you will get to know Anupa Shah, a Mumbai girl who moved to Boston for her MBA, lived there for over a decade,  and then moved back to India. Her return carryall included  loads of memories and a great camera too, as she planned to travel a lot. But as great stories go, Anupa's Ikigai managed to find her soon after.  She's now a sought after international award winning Wedding & Lifestyle Photographer, and currently making the best of what life has on offer to keep her Ikigai alive!

It may not be everyday that a Harvard educated professional chooses to become an entrepreneur and manages to create a first hand difference in the lives of those who missed the bus in terms of formal education. Meet Vikram Sharma, engineer and Harvard MBA who currently runs “Wify - a tech platform which helps blue collar workers to gain skills and employment, while serving home improvement companies such as IKEA, Hettich, Livspace, Homelane. 

Prior to founding WIFY, Vikram has been the co-founder of Carcrew (acquired by the TVS Group), CEO of BP Ergo and Husco Hydraulics India, and also worked as a consultant with McKinsey and Company. 

Born in a tiny village in Himachal Pradesh, Vikram now lives in Mumbai with his family after having spent a decade living and working in over a dozen countries earlier.

Seema  Mohapatra was happily heading the South Asian operations of BBC Advertising for BBC Worldwide when, post 25 plus years of work experience - she decided to follow her heart and choose the path less travelled, and forayed into her passion for cinema. After completing a short course in Film Making from the New York Film Academy, she worked as an AD with Amol Gupte, dabbled in some more marketing work related to films, and  also played an active role in reviving the Mumbai Film festival . From being a member of the Board of Directors of BBC Worldwide India Private Limited and trustee of the BBC World Service Trust in India, Seema went on to becoming a co-founder of a production company Ten Years Younger Productions and has already produced 3 critically acclaimed feature films for Zee 5.

Enjoy listening to her exciting journey as she gives us an insight into her reason for jumping out of bed everyday and how she got there eventually.

Meet Saleh Afimiwalla - an Engineer at heart, who was and continues to be a self-proclaimed hacker, has worked mostly in Financial Services in various roles including Investment Banking, Structured Lending and Fund Management, and is now deeply engaged with non-medical Elder Care under TAARE Ventures (www.taaresocial.com). Saleh realised over time that  he wanted to use his creativity and curiosity more to give back to those who really needed help. Hear his story of finding his IKIGAI and get inspired to follow yours.

In February - the month of Love, lets meet Amit Dahiya & Pooja Rajpal, a couple in love - with each other and fitness, enough to make it their Ikigai. How does a couple maintain a balance between being partners in life and in business? Get to know all this and more in this episode specially made for couples who believe in the same passion.

From someone who thrives on her passion and uses it to energize herself and everything around, Ashwini Narayan has converted her Sari-love into a successful career as a Sari stylist and drape artist. Her focus on making the Sari hip has been so cool and astounding, that even men are now tagging themselves to her hashtags with joy. It was truly an enriching experience hearing from her on how one can get on their Ikigai journey through the willingness to try something new and continue on with passion and persistence. Post listening to the episode, I bet you will go look her up @winnynarayan on Instagram. Enjoy!