In a culture that views death only as a biological and morbid end to life, what can we learn from someone who has spent more than 50 years in end-of-life care? What inspiration can we draw from such a luminous life on how to best be of service to our loved ones in their final chapter of life, how to awaken our natural compassion, and on how to reframe our own relationship with death?

Listen to some powerful insights on how death can be our greatest teacher from Roshi Joan Halifax, in an exclusive conversation with Prof. Hitendra Wadhwa, on Intersections Podcast.

Roshi Joan Halifax is a Buddhist teacher, founder and head teacher of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a social activist and author. She is a pioneer in the field of end-of-life care, has lectured on the subject of death and dying at many academic institutions and medical centers around the world, and has received many awards and honors from institutions around the world for her work as a social and environmental activist, and in the end-of-life care field. Roshi Joan has continued to work with dying people and their families, and to teach health care professionals and family caregivers the psycho-social, ethical and spiritual aspects of care of the dying. She is Director of the project, Being With Dying; Founder of the Upaya Prison Project that develops programs on meditation for prisoners; has been involved with the Mind and Life Institute since its inception; and is founder of the Varela International Symposium. Her books include The Fruitful Darkness: A Journey Through Buddhist Practice and Tribal Wisdom, Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Wisdom in the Presence of Death, and Standing at the Edge: Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet.

In this Intersections episode, Roshi Joan reveals:

1. How our attitude towards death can help us find freedom in the present moment, and enable us to live a life true to ourselves

2. Three simple tenets of living that can radically improve our inner and outer perception, and how the world perceives us

3. How to awaken the natural compassion within us, and use our spheres of influence to make it contagious in the world

4. How to best be of service to our loved ones in their final chapter of life

5. And many compelling stories that illustrate our innate capacity for transcendence from our material, mental and physical conditions

What is the true nature of our identity, and how does it shape our thoughts, beliefs and actions? What do we gain from dissolving the boundaries created by our social identities? How can today’s managers, leaders, and changemakers use the language of identity to eliminate negative stereotypes, false beliefs and deep-seated racial biases in their teams, organizations and communities—and also create the potential for more cohesion, collaboration and peak performance?

Listen to some powerful scientific insights and real-life stories on how to harness our shared identities for personal and collective success from Jay Van Bavel, in an exclusive conversation with Prof. Hitendra Wadhwa, on Intersections Podcast.

Jay Van Bavel is an Associate Professor of Psychology & Neural Science at New York University, an affiliate at the Stern School of Business, and Director of the Social Identity & Morality Lab. He is the co-author of The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities for Personal and Collective Success. From neurons to social networks, Jay’s research examines how collective concerns—group identities, moral values, and political beliefs—shape the mind, brain, and behavior. His work addresses issues of group identity, social motivation, cooperation, implicit bias, moral judgment, decision-making, and social media. An award-winning researcher, Jay’s work has been featured in leading platforms including the New York Times, BBC, Scientific American, Wall Street Journal, US Supreme Court and Senate, TEDx, United Nations, European Union, and the World Health Organization.

In this Intersections episode, Jay reveals:

1. The true nature of our identity, how it governs our thoughts, beliefs and actions, and what role our life’s experiences and external forces play in shaping it

2. How to eliminate negative stereotypes, false beliefs and deep-seated racial biases, and create the potential for more cohesion, collaboration and peak performance

3. A compelling story of how ‘identity’ divided an entire town based on the shoes the townsfolk wore [Hint: It involves two of the biggest sportswear brands]

4. Why identity is a double-edged sword that serves to manifest not just our best, but also our worst

5. And a powerful form of identity that can enable us to transcend its limitations, foster inclusivity, and help us express our best in service of humanity

In this Intersections episode, Dr. Hitendra Wadhwa and Dr. Raghu Krishnamoorthy offer critical insights on:

• How we’re moving from a “find it out” world to a “figure it out” world
• What it takes to advance leadership from being business-centered to human-centered
• Moving beyond outer metrics to ground leadership in inner metrics
• How empathy and compassion can drive organizational performance
• Moving from “getting the most out” to “bringing the best out” of employees

In the post-pandemic era, trends such as the “Great Resignation,” hybrid work and employee well-being are creating a paradigm shift in organizational culture. These trends require us to go back to the basics to redefine the model of what it means to be an exceptional leader. The way we lead today needs to evolve to embrace the new future of work, workers and the workplace.

Based on Dr. Wadhwa’s recently published book, Inner Mastery, Outer Impact, we will examine how Inner Mastery could provide the foundation on which leaders can tackle these shifts for their organizations — as they manage people and drive performance, equip their managers with new skills and tools to tackle the accompanying challenges, and help employees operate in an ever-changing landscape of continued disruption.

Raghu Krishnamoorthy is a seasoned global executive with 35+ years of experience in driving business outcomes as a Human Resources professional. He retired from General Electric (GE) as the CHRO in early 2019, after 25 years with the company — doing work that spanned three continents, several multi-billion-dollar lines of business, and exciting corporate leadership roles. At Mentora, Raghu serves as an Executive Director and Senior Faculty, driving pragmatic, application-oriented solutions for Mentora clients in learning and transformational change.

Raghu is often sought out to share his expertise at leading universities and forums including Harvard, MIT, Yale, Columbia, the Economist and the Milken Institute. He has recently taken on the role of Director of the “Chief Learning Officer Executive Doctoral Program” at the University of Pennsylvania. His research has won the best paper award at the Academy of Business Research August conference. He was also named one of the top 50 Asian Americans in the world of business in 2009.

What can we learn from the powerful journey of a healthcare changemaker to bring reform and reinvention to our own professions?

What cultural and systemic flaws exist in America’s healthcare system today? Why are physicians fast burning out, and how is it impacting the lives of patients and their treatment? What key lessons can the culture of medicine draw from business? And how can physicians be empowered to take full control of their own destinies, and serve their patients with greater impact?

Listen to some powerful stories and insights, and actionable ideas from Dr. Robert Pearl in a stimulating conversation with Prof. Hitendra Wadhwa, exclusively on Intersections.

What fundamental differences separate high-performance cultures from the rest? What molds and keeps such groups together, even through the most unfavorable conditions? Where does trust building really start, and how can teams be harmonized and kept fully aligned with their core purpose at every step? Listen to some powerful, actionable ideas from celebrated author Daniel Coyle in a stimulating conversation with Prof. Hitendra Wadhwa, exclusively on Intersections.

What are the most important elements of living a life well lived? What is America’s higher education system getting right, and where does it need reform? How do we become adults who can advance to our full potential and live our best life? And what lessons do these reflections have for how we raise our children? Listen to some thought-provoking ideas from Julie Lythcott-Haims, renowned speaker and bestselling author, in a stimulating conversation with Prof. Hitendra Wadhwa, exclusively on Intersections.

Rebels are an integral part of our society, for they are committed to challenging conventional wisdom and improving on it. Rebellion is a tactful art form that needs to be honed, practiced and mastered before we set out to change the world for the better. How can we effectively communicate with peers and audiences that hold divergent viewpoints, values and beliefs? What are some science-proven techniques to gain early positive momentum in our conversations with adversaries? How do we build mighty alliances even when we are in the minority? And what approaches can we adopt to arrive at fairness and truth in all that we do in life, at work and in leadership? Find out from Todd Kashdan, one of the world’s top experts on the psychology of well-being, psychological strengths, mental agility, and social relationships, in a stimulating conversation with Prof. Hitendra Wadhwa, exclusively on Intersections.

We are made to believe that joy must be earned, that it is to be experienced only in certain conditions, and that it comes from inner strivings. But what if joy were the very basis of our being, and what if there were simple things in our outer environment that we could tap to infuse our everyday moments with joy? Is joy a very personal pursuit, or are there universal principles across humanity for how we can activate joy? How can we transform our institutions, workplaces and public spaces to maximize the joy we experience from being part of them? Find out from Ingrid Fetell Lee, designer, author and leading researcher on the subject of joy, in a stimulating conversation with Prof. Hitendra Wadhwa, exclusively on Intersections.

Listen to Rabbi Jevin Eagle, University Chaplain, and Executive Director at Boston University Hillel, and Former McKinsey Partner, in an inspiring conversation with Prof. Hitendra Wadhwa, exclusively on Intersections. They discuss compelling stories from his life—from boardroom to bimah—and how he integrated his inner and outer callings to eventually fulfill his lifelong desire to serve the Jewish community; how to balance the head and the heart; have a major and a minor in life; embrace the universal and the particular; how leaders can maximize their impact by not just getting others to do their best work, but also to live their best lives; and how to create peak experiences in life’s everyday moments.

Listen to this episode of Intersections with Prof. Hitendra Wadhwa where he discusses the power of storytelling and shows how you can take the raw material of your experiences and turn them into gold - into powerful narratives that win people's hearts and minds in the service of your purpose.