In Conversation with Ashwin

In Conversation with Ashwin

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In Conversation with Ashwin episodes

  • S2 Ep6: Krishna, Courage & the Game of Life ft. Rohini Manohar

    In this episode, I sit down with Rohini Manohar to ask her some of the questions that have been on my mind. About Yoga, Krishna, trust, surrender, meditation and this thing we call, life. We talk about self-doubt, the importance of community (satsang), meditation as a practice of staying with discomfort, and why surrender doesn’t mean avoiding difficult choices. We also explore the tension between kindness and people-pleasing. And Rohini shares a simple place to begin a daily practice: ten conscious breaths before reaching for your phone every morning. Her knack for story-telling and child like joy is so contagious that even a few minutes with Roh (how she is fondly known) will set you up for an excellent day.

    Rohini Manohar is a Chennai-based yoga teacher, storyteller and founder of Chennai Yoga Studio. Through classes, retreats and workshops, she brings traditional yogic teachings into everyday life, combining philosophy with breathwork and mindful practice. Her storytelling makes space for reflection, connection and a more personal relationship with spiritual learning. 

     Timestamps -

    00:56 From life in Australia to a new path in yoga
    02:47 What is yoga, beyond the physical practice?
    06:16 The Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras
    07:29 Karma yoga: doing your best without clinging to results
    09:36 Bhakti yoga: love, devotion and faith
    10:49 Who is Krishna?
    11:59 Human potential and remembering the good
    14:15 Self-doubt, community and asking for support
    16:42 Surrender and meditation as the gym of the mind
    18:21 Trust, letting go and opening to possibility
    19:14 Understanding scripture, ritual and lived wisdom
    23:43 Why a daily practice matters
    24:55 Begin with ten breaths before your phone
    26:15 Life as a game—and remembering your role
    27:05 Meditation, presence and courage
    27:35 Kindness, authenticity and people-pleasing
    32:20 Surrender doesn’t remove the need for hard choices
    33:31 Closing thoughts

    Chennai Yoga Studio website - https://chennaiyogastudio.com/
    Rohini's Instagram - Instagram

    34 min
  • S2 Ep5: Voice and choice ft. Jananie SV

    Jananie shares her journey from being the reluctant "family showpiece" singer to recording tracks that echo through theater speakers. Growing up in Chennai's vibrant music scene, she discovered her voice through college radio hunts and formal Carnatic training. Now balancing life as a copywriter at Ogilvy in Bangalore (India) with her passion for playback singing, Jananie opens up about recording for films, collaborating with artists like Sid Sriram on the hit track "Kannil Mazhai," and the magic of performing live. She leaves us with powerful advice: know what you don't want, find magic in the mundane, and always get your basics right.

    2 songs -
    1. Kannil Mazhai - https://youtu.be/t60uDwyxzWQ?si=fidJ-uLuxWlpeP7k
    2. Ennil Nee - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_-c2X31jus&list=RDV_-c2X31jus&start_radio=1

    Some of her voiceovers - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VTaZzx_AQZHs3zvqYRApdLVHJR6QwCNI?usp=drive_link

    Timestamps:
    2.00 - Early childhood
    3.30 - How the passion for singing developed
    7.00 - Job at Ogilvy
    9.00 - Chennai's influence on  the singing
    11.15 - Songs that have made it to the theaters
    12.30 - Internship and love for Satyam
    14.00 - 3 singing career highlights
    20.00 - Voiceovers
    23.15 - Tips for aspiring singers
    26.00  - Favorite 5 singers

    31 min
  • S2 Ep4: The Friendship Episode ft. Rudra Vishweshwar
    On Season 2 episode 4 of In Conversation with Ashwin, I chat with Rudra about a topic very close to both our hearts, Friendship. Rudra is my first and best friend and we met 27 years ago in a queue to our school admissions line up, not knowing that we'd be tied to the hip for years to come.  There's so many things I admire about Rudra, but most of all his generosity and attentiveness to his friends. And his compulsive need to spread smiles everyday even if it means cracking the lamest dad joke three times in a row because he didn't get the timing right the first 2 times. Please enjoy this 45 min long conversation that I did not want, to end. 

    Childhood and Family Influence on Friendship: Rudra shared with Ashwin how his upbringing in a joint family in Chennai, especially his mother's kindness and selflessness, shaped his approach to friendship and hospitality, leading to a home that was always open to friends and fostering deep connections from an early age.

    Evolution and Meaning of Friendship: Rudra and Ashwin explored how the meaning of friendship has evolved for Rudra over time, from seeking validation as a 'top friend' to embracing unconditional support, measuring life through relationships, and recognizing the importance of honest communication and growth.

    Work, Boundaries, and Vulnerability in Friendship: Rudra explained to Ashwin that while friendship itself is not 'work,' it requires ongoing effort, including setting healthy boundaries and fostering vulnerability, which he learned through personal experiences and therapy, leading to more sustainable and supportive relationships.

    Checking In and Communicating Needs in Friendship: Rudra discussed with Ashwin the importance of checking in on friends, adapting frequency and mode of communication to individual needs, and openly sharing both good and difficult experiences to foster trust and mutual support within friendships.

    Book and Quote Recommendations: Rudra answered Ashwin's closing questions by recommending the Harry Potter series for its lessons on relationships and emotional growth, and shared his personal motto for a billboard: 'Spread a smile a day,' reflecting his ethos of making others feel special.

    Timestamps:

    2.50 - Rudra's house and how friendship became a way of life
    7.00 - Understanding family
    11.00 - What friendship means
    17.00 - Is friendship work?
    20 - Vulnerability
    20.45 - Sleepovers and vulnerability
    24.30 - Boundaries
    33.10 - What does checking in on friendship look like?
    41 - One book that Rudra would gift
    44 - Quote
    46 min
  • S2 Ep3: Water you thinking ft. Abishek Narayan
    On this episode, I have Abishek Narayan who is currently working as a researcher at Eawag, the Swiss Water Institute in Zurich. Abishek has PhD in Environmental Engineering from ETH Zurich and a Masters from Oxford in Water Science, Policy and Management. After checking privilege at the door and discussing his early upbringing in the modest city of Chennai, Abishek talks to us about his tryst with the Adyar river and the restoration efforts he was engaged in through the Clean Adyar Initiative and Resilient Cities project funded by the Rockerfeller Foundation. Taking his learnings from studying and working at Delft and Ethiopia, Abishek learnt that the solution to a social and political problem cannot be solved by engineering alone. He further learned water planning and the nuances surrounding it in policy and engineering at Oxford and ETH, Zurich. From the 20th minute, Abishek talks about what happens to the water when you flush it down your WC and how that water gets cleaned (or is supposed to) in treatment plants. He talks about how his team helped influence and incentivize a commercial microcosm of Bangalore to treat waste water and speaks about the fundamental problem when it comes to waste water management. He leaves us with some actionable advice to pay our dues when it comes to being responsible with water. And as is custom, we end with his favorite quote ("You can't do everything that the world needs but everything you can do, the world needs") and his favorite book (Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall ). In the first 10 mins of the episode, we also discuss the Indian education system and his introspective 5 day (first) bike trip along the Rhine river. I know Abhishek from my debating days in school cultural fests back in 2010 and we recently reconnected with he was visiting to attend and speak at the World Water Conference in Toronto earlier this year. We bonded over some vegan sliders after a walk and sit around Trinity Bellwoods park :)  This episode is anything but dry ;)

    Books mentioned - Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
    44 min
  • S2 Ep2: Second life (feat. Suhail Shersad)
    The episode is titled 'second life' because that is how lucky and grateful Suhail felt after he gained consciousness from having suffered a gruesome New York subway accident that left his left leg amputated. On the show, we discuss Suhail's early childhood, his obsession with reading and ball along with his love for public policy. A large part of the episode dives into his mental and physical response to the accident and how he is recovering from it, one day at a time. He discusses the support system and mindset that have been crucial to his recovery. Suhail is kind, light hearted, funny and extremely inspiring while responding to my questions. Listen for a dose and a half of inspiration and optimism. The episode ends with him mentioning a book he would gift, 'Lotus in a Sea of Fire'  and a quote that he would write on a wall for the world to see. 

    Suhail now works in risk management at Citibank in New York after having graduated with an Economics and International Affairs degree from the Fletcher School prior to a 4 year stint with the World bank.
    34 min
  • S2 Ep1: Creative endeavor and clinical execution ft. With Love Madras (Ashna Lulla and Vignesh Sivakumar)
    My guests on the show are Ashna Lulla, writer of the book 'With Love Madras', and Vignesh Sivakumar, the photographer, and visual storyteller.

    One of them is my wife and I was a proud beaming husband after recording the episode :) She absolutely crushed it with this book and so did Vignesh. 

    With Love, Madras is a book that takes you on a stunning visual journey through homes across the city that embody the Madras way of life. Their Instagram bio reads - 'Explore Madras, One Home at a time.'

    The episode talks about the book - how the idea came into existence; the multiple ups and downs in the journey; their favorite part of the journey; lessons learned, and pitfalls to avoid while publishing a book. They also, on being forced, tell us which home is their favorite and share some golden nuggets for first-time authors ;)

    Ashna is an architect by the badge and designer by the heart. You can see a blend of both in her writing. She also is now a contributing writer to the design magazine, Architectural Digest, India. Here are some of her exquisite posts for the magazine. Prior to this, she worked at architecture and design studios, Collective Project, Mancini Design and Khosla Associates among others. 

    Vignesh is also an architect and happens to be a genius behind the lens. Humble and clinical with his pictures, Vignesh has an old soul and brings a unique perspective through his camera and the way he views the world.. He has his own website (Chasing Pixels) where you can see his work - Architecture Photographer | Chasing Pixels | Chennai

    You can contact Vignesh and Ashna on With Love Madras' Instagram (and go follow for some visually breathtaking content) -https://www.instagram.com/withlovemadras

    Most importantly, you can order the book (anywhere in India) on With Love Madras (www.withlovemadras.com). 

    Timestamps are below if you want to skip to any specific question.

    I had a blast recording this. 

    Please enjoy. :) 

    Timestamps: 

    00.01 - Intro - Music + Intro (Ashwin)
    2.10 - Tell me about your early childhood and how that has influenced you and the person you have become 
    2.15 - Vignesh 

    6.15 - Origin of the idea
    6.18 - Ashna 

    9.00 - What do you mean by giving Chennai a seat on the table
    9.04 - Vignesh 

    9.50 - How long did it take you to write the entire book?
    9.53 - Ashna 
    13.00 - Vignesh 
     
    15.15 - Hardest part of the book?
    15.30 - Vignesh 
    16.04 - Ashna 
    19.21- Vignesh  
     
    20.50 - Favourite part of the book journey
    20.02 - Ashna
    23.30- Vignesh 
     
    24.27 - Process of interviewing and shooting a home
    27.40 - Vignesh  
    27.30 - Ashna 
    30.47 - Vignesh 
     
    31.37 - Favorite home
    31.44 - Ashna 
    35.50 - Vignesh 
     
    36.00 - Advice to someone who for a first-time book writer
    36.17 - Ashna
     37.17  - Vignesh 

    ___________________________________

    Show notes:
    1. Madras 
    2. Architectural Digest  
    3. Elle Décor 
    4. People mentioned: Renuka Vasan (Editor); Indira Reddy (Ashna's friend)

      5. 39 min
    5. S1 Ep16: Episode 16- Marketing and Entrepreneurship at Blue Flag Project (feat. Nimmi Roche)
      Nimmi Roche is the founder of Blue Flag Project - an all-purpose sustainable men's shoewear that I cannot wait to buy. Each pair of Blue Flags is made of ~8 upcycled plastic water bottles.

      On the episode, we discuss Nimmi's early childhood and how that has influenced her choices. We chat about her MBA at Harvard (and why Harvard MBA students shy away from revealing the name of their institution). We discuss Nimmi's corporate experience, her plunge into entrepreneurship and lots of detail about Blue Flag Project - the 4Ps, the 3Cs and everything marketing related. We end the show with some authentic and mildly philosophical advice from Nimmi about hard work and results. 

      Nimmi worked at Goldman Sachs as an Associate in Hedge Fund Consulting. She graduated with an MBA from Harvard post which she worked in Amex and Adpatly before she finally decided to go all-in with Blue Flag Project- a product that replaces fast fashion and forces customers to change the environment- one step at a time.

      Show notes-
      Blue Flag shoes explained in 2 minutes-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzvd3_Qhpz0&t=8s
      Blue Flag website-https://blueflagproject.com/
      Nimmi's LinkedIn-https://www.linkedin.com/in/nimmi-roche-035b7513/
      Washington Post Article-https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/climate-solutions/israeli-startup-ubq-turning-trash-into-plastic-products/
      35 min
    6. S1 Ep16: Episode 16- Marketing and Entrepreneurship at Blue Flag Project (feat. Nimmi Roche)
      On Episode 16, we discuss Nimmi's early childhood and how that influenced her choices, early on. We discuss her MBA experience at Harvard (and why everybody from Harvard resists mentioning the name of their institution) and the cool corporate jobs that she held at Goldman Sachs and American Express. Finally, we dive into what trigerred the inception of Blue Flag Project-an all-purpose sustainable men's shoewear.

      About Nimmi Roche- 

      Nimmi worked as an Associate in Hedge Fund Consulting at Goldman Sachs for 5 years before she decided to pursue her MBA at Harvard. Upon graduating, she worked at American Express in the payments division and at Adaptly as a product manager. She finally decided to go solo with her entrepreneurial venture- Blue Flag Project

      Blue Flag Project in  2minutes-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzvd3_Qhpz0&t=7s
      Blue Flag Project website- https://blueflagproject.com/
      Washington Post Article about the Israeli startup(UBQ) capitalizing on the plastic use case-https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/climate-solutions/israeli-startup-ubq-turning-trash-into-plastic-products/
      Nimmi's LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/nimmi-roche-035b7513/
      35 min
    7. S1 Ep15: Episode 15- Recording of The Reading Workshop - Why read, audiobooks, reading hacks, habit forming and much more
      YouTube Link to audiovisual - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMe_oUUfIkg&t=1544s

      FYI- I would say it's better to watch and listen via the Youtube link. However, if you are on the move, this recording should do a good job as well! The visual helps drive the point home but the audio, independently, does not do a bad job either. Best to listen in with headphones :)

      About the episode-

      A recording of The Reading Workshop I hosted with author, Krishna Trilok on 3rd Feb, 2019. We had a good turnout and a very good discussion.

      The workshop was for people who care about reading but are struggling to incorporate it in their daily routine.
      At the workshop, we discussed why we read, busted some myths about reading, committed to build it as a habit and shared actionable advice to make reading convenient. We discussed audio books, how we should pick our next books, answered common questions and spoke about varying genres.

      My previous podcast with author, Krishna Trilok- Episode 9
      1 hr 18 min
    8. S1 Ep14: Episode 14- A class on Podcasting- Creation, distribution, consumption and monetization (feat. Rahul Nair)
      On the show we discuss Rahul’s early childhood and his motivation behind starting Storiyoh. How he moved from being an employee in London’s financial district to a full-time entrepreneur. From the 15th minute on, we talk about podcasting- Rahul’s love for BBC world services and how it inspired him to start Storiyoh. We talk about the business model of podcasting by breaking it into 3 topics- distribution, consumption and monetization. We talk about the typical going rates of ads on podcasts, the disparities in listenership across different geographies. I was surprised to learn that  China is the biggest podcasting market in the world with it generating revenues of 7B$ in 2016. Chinese who have a reputation for being frugal are more than willing to pay for good content. We discuss advantages of free v/s paid content and how podcasters shouldn’t shy away from pricing their episodes. We talk podcasting for the mass v/s niche. We discuss the ad model versus paid model and pros and cons of each of these. We answer the question – Is good content good enough for a podcast’s success? Rahul compares podcasting and its marketing to a book/movie launch and draws relevant parallels. Finally, we get Rahul’s 2 cents on being a perpetual learner and doing deep work. With that, I leave you to listen to my wide ranging conversation with Rahul Nair, founder and CEO of Storiyoh. Please enjoy. 


      Show notes-
      Storiyoh- https://www.storiyoh.com/

      You can reach Rahul on- 
      Email- [email protected]
      Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100021699556849

      About Rahul-
      Rahul has over 13 years of experience across domains including financial services, entrepreneurship, consulting, and has experience working in the education sector in India. He started his career as a private-client and institutional stockbroker in London, selling IPOs to London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM), subsequently co-founding a business in the niche real-estate asset class of student and staff housing. He then founded and managed his own coffee retail and hospitality business for two years before advancing his professional experience with EY, Dubai and Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Dubai in accounting and IPO advisory services respectively, working across sectors including healthcare, hospitality, real-estate, construction and trading.
      Rahul did his schooling in Mumbai, Shanghai, Coimbatore and Dubai before moving to the University of Liverpool from where he graduated with a BA (Hons) in Economics and International Development. He also holds an MSc in Organisational Behaviour from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). During his stockbroking days, he was an Associate of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments (CISI), and, most recently, was also an education sector chair at the Learning Innovations Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

      1 hr

    About In Conversation with Ashwin

    From the publisher's feed

    Conversations with ordinary people around me doing extraordinary things. Through the episodes, I like to inspire and be inspired. But mostly, I like asking questions.