Mindful & Driven

Welcome to episode 37 of the Mindful & Driven podcast! It’s all about how to not lose sight of what really matters whilst chasing your dreams.

Episode 37’s guest is Varun Jindal. He’s a co-founder of Bollyshake and a marketer with over a decade of experience in social media marketing. He helped take Bollyshake from 0 to nearly 1,000,000 followers across platforms, making it a global hub for all things South Asian entertainment on the web. Building relationships with content creators across different countries was key to achieving success with a mission to spread desi culture and promote synergy & collaborations.

Varun also worked led social strategy for Doritos at Frito-Lay for a period, even working on a Super Bowl advertisement, driving huge following to the brand’s Twitter. He most recently came in to rehaul Medium’s social presence. After this interview he actually parted ways with Medium, so expect some ground-breaking revelations. 

It was a pleasure to get Varun’s opinions and his outlook on life. One of the things that unite us is our mutual love for dance; his passion originating from his Punjabbawockeez days (Look them up. This university dance troupe is good fun.)

Topics discussed in this episode:
Why it's important to share your thoughts. You can't build a strong brand without being yourself. Why it's important to be your true self online. Why human connection is important at work. You can't succeed if you fake it. How to pursue your values. Why it's important to share your values online. How to build an authentic brand. How to find balance in life. 

I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation! I'd love it if you could subscribe, leave me a review and follow me on social channels.

You can find all my work and socials here:

http://amardeepsparmar.com

Download my free Anti-Burnout Toolkit here:

http://antiburnout.mindfuldriven.com

United for Global Mental Health:

 https://unitedgmh.org/mental-health-support

Find more about Varun: https://www.bollyshake.com/

Follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vkj622/

Follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vkj622/?hl=en

Keynotes:

Authenticity is what really matters (1:45)

Expectations vs reality (7:39)

Connecting with people (12:48)

Talking about priorities, change and consistency (20:03)

The cloud worry and diving into it (32:33)

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Intro Music:
"Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download
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Welcome to episode 36 of the Mindful & Driven podcast! It's all about how to not lose sight of what really matters whilst chasing your dreams.

Episode 36’s guest is Laurie Wang who’s a digital marketing specialist and award-winning social media consultant. She’s helped over 25,000 people as well as having a large and successful client base. She’s been featured in pieces such as Fast Company and Elite Daily and also holds workshops on behalf of the Guardian. Her background is working in marketing for larger organisations and agencies before deciding to strike out on her own and she’s had massive success ever since she’s done that. 

It was lovely to talk to her and you can get her really honest opinions about how she deals with the different struggles she has in her life.

I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation! I'd love it if you could subscribe, leave me a review and follow me on social channels. 

You can find all my work and socials here:

http://amardeepsparmar.com

Download my free Anti-Burnout Toolkit here:

http://antiburnout.mindfuldriven.com

United for Global Mental Health:

 https://unitedgmh.org/mental-health-support

Find more about Laurie: https://lauriewang.com/

Follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriewang/

Follow her on YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl0Na-giucIFjh2I9cqOnmw

Keynotes:

The creative pursuit and connecting the dots  (1:51)

Life is a big adventure (9:26)  

Enjoying life and  being present (15:42)

Maintaining longevity and consistency  (21:31)

Impacting people (27:27)  

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Intro Music:
"Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download
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Welcome to episode 35 of the Mindful & Driven podcast! It's all about how to not lose sight of what really matters whilst chasing your dreams.

Episode 35’s guest is Emma Wilson. She’s known as the turning 30 coach. After suffering a little existential crisis when she was turning 30 herself, what she realized is that there is so much pressure when you come to this age and she wants to help other people who are stuck to live happy lives and being secure in themselves and happy of what they have achieved and who they are. 

Now, as this episode comes out, I’ve just turned 30 myself so I can completely relate to what she’s talking about. I think you’ll find a lot of value in this episode, especially in the notion of "Shoulds" versus "Wants."

I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation! I'd love it if you could subscribe, leave me a review and follow me on social channels. 

Ideas discussed in the episode:
How to define success on your own terms. You don't have to be successful by 30. How to distinguish between the "Shoulds" and "Wants." How to define healthy goals that work for you. Why it's important to seek success inside not outside. How to balance your career and life in your 30s. How to decide what's important in your life when you're 30.

You can find all my work and socials here:

http://amardeepsparmar.com

Download my free Anti-Burnout Toolkit here:

http://antiburnout.mindfuldriven.com

United for Global Mental Health:

 https://unitedgmh.org/mental-health-support

Find more about Emma: https://www.turning30coach.com/

Follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-wilson-47b0b667/

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turning30coach

Keynotes:

Ticking boxes and different paces (1:42)

Struggling herself at 30 (6:59)

It’s OK to want more and realising what’s important to you (10:38)

We’re not all robots (16:13 )

Being authentic (22:09)

Talking about balance and accountability (25:18)

Delegation (28:09)

Giving yourself flexibility and changing your mindset (31:54)

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Intro Music:
"Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download
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Welcome to episode 34 of the Mindful & Driven podcast! It's all about how to not lose sight of what really matters whilst chasing your dreams.

Episode 34’s guest is ​Amy Shearn. She’s an award-winning author of the novels, Unseen City, The Mermaid of Brooklyn and How Far is the Ocean from Here. She’s currently working at Medium where she’s the editor of Human Parts and Creators Hub. She’s the former editor of the fiction publication Joyland and her work has been featured in Poets and Writers, Slate, and the New York Times.

Amy shares some interesting ideas about doing more of what energizes you rather than doing less of the things that drain you.  It's a tiny mindset shift that can often be the right solution to burnout.
I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation! I'd love it if you could subscribe, leave me a review and follow me on social channels.

Here's a summary of the ideas you'll find in this episode:
How to overcome burnout. How to manage your personal energy. The idea of finding something that fills you with energy is one solution to burnout. What's the difference between internal motivation and external motivation. Avoid energy vampires. Don't always stick to your habits and routines. Be more flexible. Be kind to yourself.

You can find all my work and socials here:

http://amardeepsparmar.com

Download my free Anti-Burnout Toolkit here:

http://antiburnout.mindfuldriven.com

United for Global Mental Health:

 https://unitedgmh.org/mental-health-support

Find more about Amy: https://www.amyshearnwrites.com/

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/amyshearn

Follow her on Medium: https://amyshearn.medium.com/

Keynotes:

The formula to success (1:41)

Getting too stressed out (6:37)

On writing novels and enjoying the process (9:53)

Having a great balance (16:05)

Social interaction and working at a company (18:34)

Doing more that energizes you (25:14)

You need to figure out what works for you (28:21)

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Intro Music:
"Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download
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Welcome to episode 33 of the Mindful & Driven podcast! It's all about how to not lose sight of what really matters whilst chasing your dreams.

Episode 33’s guest is ​Ayodeji Awosika. He’s written multiple books including The Destiny Formula and You 2 and has been featured in Business Insider, The Huffington Post, Thrive Global. At the same time, Ayo had collected over 80,000 followers on Medium.

He'd done all this after being a college dropout who, at 24, was broke and had no idea what he was doing with his life.  He took his issues head-on and decided to turn everything around and several years later he started to live the life that he loves on his own terms.

Ayo preaches the importance of being comfortable with being uncomfortable. The idea is to confront your pain and let it become a source of motivation.

I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation! I'd love it if you could subscribe, leave me a review and follow me on social channels. 

You can find all my work and socials here:

http://amardeepsparmar.com

Download my free Anti-Burnout Toolkit here:

http://antiburnout.mindfuldriven.com

United for Global Mental Health:

 https://unitedgmh.org/mental-health-support

Find more about Ayo: http://ayotheauthor.com/

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ayothewriter

Follow him on Medium: https://chef-boyardeji.medium.com/

Keynotes:

Taking off your rose-coloured glasses (2:03)

Turning his life around (4:36)

Ripping that band-aid (8:08)

Mindfulness and self-care (13:23) 

Managing your energy (17:48)

Not working excessively hard  (21:52)

Talking about mentors  (27:16)

Putting your trust in someone (29:16)

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Intro Music:
"Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download
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Welcome to episode 32 of the Mindful & Driven podcast! It's all about how to not lose sight of what really matters whilst chasing your dreams.

Episode 32’s guest is Vaishnavi Reddy. She’s the founder of Unsweetened Beauty. It’s a direct-to-consumer beauty brand that focuses on creating knowledge and helping people to accept their own skin. They want to redefine beauty standards so people can protect themselves from the beauty-related toxicity of social media.

Vaishnavi is an advocate for self-awareness. She believes that once you break down a topic, feeling, or decision, you become able to make the choices that help you improve your lifestyle and find the balance that you seek.  It’s a pleasure to chat with her and I really believe in her mission. 

I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation! I'd love it if you could subscribe, leave me a review and follow me on social channels. 

You can find all my work and socials here:

http://amardeepsparmar.com

Download my free Anti-Burnout Toolkit here:

http://antiburnout.mindfuldriven.com

United for Global Mental Health:

 https://unitedgmh.org/mental-health-support

Find more about Vaishnavi : https://www.unsweetenedbeauty.com

Follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaishnavi-reddy-b6426890

Unsweetened Beauty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unsweetened.beauty

Keynotes:

The question about work-life balance (1:31)

The need to feel fulfilled (5:01)

The burnout (8:16)

Taking the leap and making a difference (11:14)

Focusing on the bigger picture and releasing the pressure (16:50)

Find real balance in your life (20:28)

Finding your passion and getting that financial freedom (22:50)

Challenging yourself (26:19)

Goal setting and evolving (29:47)

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Intro Music:
"Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download
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Welcome to episode 31 of the Mindful & Driven podcast! It's all about how to not lose sight of what really matters whilst chasing your dreams.

Episode 31's guest is Ash Jurberg. He’s currently a writer but previously led a global cultural exchange business which meant he has traveled to over a hundred different countries across the world. He gave up his business because he wanted to have greater control over his own time and share all the lessons he has learned from all of his travels. He has had a busy life and he also founded Australia's first-ever home delivery service way back in 1995. On top of all of this, he likes to do a bit of stand-up comedy on the side.

I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation! I'd love it if you could subscribe, leave me a review and follow me on social channels.
 
Topics discussed in this episode:
How to build a better career. Why it's important to follow your own interests. Why it's important to do work that's meaningful to you. How to build a better career. Why you should follow your curiosity. How to align your career with who you are. How to turn your personal interests into a career. How to be more energized by what you do. How to change your career according to your interests. 

You can find all my work and socials here:

http://amardeepsparmar.com

Download my free Anti-Burnout Toolkit here:

http://antiburnout.mindfuldriven.com

United for Global Mental Health:

 https://unitedgmh.org/mental-health-support

Find more about Ash: http://ashjurberg.com/

Follow her on Medium: https://ashjurberg.medium.com/

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashjurberg

Keynotes:

The push to have a routine (1:33)

Trusting others from a business point of view (7:02q)

Talking about balance and lifestyle (15:37)

Removing temptations (19:59)

Shifting to online interactions (25:01)

Do what makes you happy (28:47)

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Intro Music:
"Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download
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Welcome to episode 30 of the Mindful & Driven podcast! It's all about how to not lose sight of what really matters whilst chasing your dreams.

Episode 30's guest is Zainab Salbi. She fled the war to Iraq when she was just 19 years old and from America, she set up Women for Women International which helped over 500,000 women refugees across the planet. These are people from the Middle East, Bosnia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. She served people who were suffering from the worst of humanity but she also said she found the best of humanity while she was there. Oprah Winfrey named her one of the 25 Women Changing the World. She’s authored multiple books including Between Two Worlds and Freedom is an Inside Job. She’s currently the host of the Redefined Podcast and the Chief Awareness Officer of the Find Center and Co-Founder of Daughters for Earth. 

This is a really special conversation and I hope you enjoy hearing her amazing stories.

Topics discussed in this episode:
How to find deep meaning in life. How active listening makes you grow as a person. Why it's important to challenge your own beliefs. How to be a generous listener. How to be more appreciative of life and others. Why it's important to embrace the beauty in suffering. How to keep yourself inspired when feeling bad. How to keep yourself going despite experiencing horrible circumstances. How to build deep connections. How to be more mindful in everyday life.

I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation! I'd love it if you could subscribe, leave me a review and follow me on social channels. 
I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation! I'd love it if you could subscribe, leave me a review and follow me on social channels. 

You can find all my work and socials here:

http://amardeepsparmar.com

Download my free Anti-Burnout Toolkit here:

http://antiburnout.mindfuldriven.com

United for Global Mental Health:

 https://unitedgmh.org/mental-health-support

Find more about Zainab: www.zainabsalbi.com

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zainabsalbi/

Follow her on Twitter: @ZainabSalbi

Keynotes:

Any and all teachings must be grounded in this idea of being human  (2:00)

Staying strong for the people around her(10:57)

Growing up and working in war yet coming to learn how to live (16:23)

Being both the gardener and the warrior (23:00)

You navigate your personal journey of healing (28:13)

Find what gives you that bliss  (34:47)

I am not only this. (46:30)

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Intro Music:

"Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download

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Welcome to episode 29 of the Mindful & Driven podcast! It's all about how to not lose sight of what really matters whilst chasing your dreams.

Episode 29's guest is Bryan Collins. Episode 29's guest is Bryan Collins. He's a writer and writing coach and the founder of ‘Become a Writer Today’. He originally was a journalist but lost his job during the recession and then bounced around a few different roles where he couldn’t decide what he wanted to do. For a little bit of time, he also plucked chickens during this period. He then worked for Sage for multiple years whilst building his own business up on the side until eventually he quit and took it full-time. He’s written several best-selling books along the way. 

Topics discussed in this episode:
How to approach big dreams one step at a time. How to cut your dreams into tiny actions you can do every day. What it takes to work on your dreams. Why it's important to start small. How to keep yourself focused on achieving your dreams. Why you shouldn't be working all the time. Why rest is important. Why perspective and framing matter. How to sustain productive habits like writing. How to bounce back from challenges.

I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation! I'd love it if you could subscribe, leave me a review and follow me on social channels. 

You can find all my work and socials here:

http://amardeepsparmar.com

Download my free Anti-Burnout Toolkit here:

http://antiburnout.mindfuldriven.com

United for Global Mental Health:

 https://unitedgmh.org/mental-health-support

Find more about Bryan: www.becomeawritertoday.com

Follow him on Medium: https://bryanjcollins.medium.com/

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bryanjcollins

Keynotes:

The power of momentum (1:31)

Family and career life (4:42)

The decision to go down the four-day-week (7:29) 

The biggest change and challenge (13:09)

Travel and work more  (18:03)

Being creative and productive (20:33) 

Your hobby isn’t your business (25:43)

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Intro Music:
"Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download
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Welcome to episode 28 of the Mindful & Driven podcast! It's all about how to not lose sight of what really matters whilst chasing your dreams.

This is a special episode for the end of 2021. Every podcast, I ask all my guests what one small thing that brought them joy is. This is all their answers, I hope it makes you smile :).

I'd love it if you could subscribe, leave me a review and follow me on social channels. 

You can find all my work and socials here:

http://amardeepsparmar.com

Download my free Anti-Burnout Toolkit here:

http://antiburnout.mindfuldriven.com

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Intro Music:
"Himalayas" by Mona Wonderlick — bit.ly/youtube-monawonderlick
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free download: bit.ly/himalayas-download
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