Power Shift

Your body walks into the room long before you say a single word.

For more than 20 years, Lauren Rich has watched women walk into her Pilates studio, and their bodies tell her the story first. She sees the rounded spine, the head pushed forward and the shoulders that have carried a whole day of meetings and screens. She notices who arrives ten minutes late, rushed and barely breathing, and what that says about the rest of their life. Perimenopause, desk hours and years of putting everyone else first all show up in the body, long before they show up anywhere else.

In this episode of Power Shift: Women Redefining Leadership After 40, Lauren joins Sandra Colhando for an honest conversation about listening to your body before it has to shout, and the simple things any woman can start doing today.

Together, they explore:

• What your body says first: How posture, gait and energy reveal what is really going on in your life.
• Where women carry the load: Why so many women in corporate roles hold their tension in the upper back and neck.
• The shoulder reset: Roll your shoulders down and back, then take one full breath from the diaphragm.
• Hot flashes in the boardroom: A four-count breath you can do at the table without anyone noticing.
• Know your numbers: Why your resting heart rate and blood pressure are worth tracking every single day.
• A desk reset nobody will notice: A short seated sequence you can follow along with right now.
• Moving without punishing yourself: How losing a close friend changed the way Lauren trains and teaches.

Sandra leaves us with a simple reminder: leadership starts with the body that carries you into the room.

About Lauren Rich
Lauren Rich has spent more than 20 years in the fitness industry. She runs her own Pilates studio and is a qualified clinical Pilates instructor. She is also a wife and mum to two teenage girls.

Power Shift: Women Redefining Leadership After 40
Season 1: The Inflection Point
Brought to you by TransforMe Learning.

Subscribe for more conversations with women navigating the moments that reshape how they live, work and lead.

• (00:00) - Why leadership starts with the body

Mansi Zaveri was a full-time working mom who felt the world was judging her through a lens she never chose. Then, on a drive from Marine Drive to Worli, she decided what she wanted to build. After a six-month trip to the US with her toddler, she quit her job, and Kidsstoppress was born. 

In this episode of Power Shift: Women Redefining Leadership After 40, Mansi joins Sandra Colhando for a conversation about building something the world hadn’t seen before, raising two daughters alongside it, and what she tells the women and organisations who ask her how it’s done.

Together, they explore:

• The guilt reframe: Why Mansi calls mom guilt a privilege, and the question she asks instead
• Why equilibrium doesn’t exist: Some days it’s 50-50, some days it’s a 100 and a zero, and why that’s okay
• Asking for help: Communicating your boundaries, and finding champions in your husband, your kids and even your in-laws
• What organisations can do: Where employers lose women, and why flexibility only works when it’s clearly communicated
• Overwhelm, one errands day at a time: The half-day she takes every month to clear the little things taking up space in your head
• A comma, not a full stop: Staying visible and building yourself during a career break

One question she leaves us with is deceptively simple: what are you going to let go?

This is a conversation about guilt, boundaries, ambition and the courage to build before the world is ready.

About Mansi Zaveri
Mansi Zaveri is the founder and CEO of Kidsstoppress, India’s largest parenting platform, reaching over 20 million families. She is the author of The Parents I Met (Penguin Random House), host of one of India’s most listened-to parenting podcasts, a certified conscious parenting coach and a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Programme alumna.

Power Shift: Women Redefining Leadership After 40
Season 1: The Inflection Point
Brought to you by TransforMe Learning.

Subscribe for more conversations with women navigating the moments that reshape how they live, work and lead.

• (00:00) - Introduction to PowerShift

In today’s episode, you’re going to hear a story about what it takes to walk away from a life that no longer feels right, rebuild your sense of self, and learn to recognise when someone around you may be struggling.

Sandra Colhando sits down with Simrat Gahlot, an award-winning Learning and Development leader, for one of the most personal conversations on Power Shift.

Simrat opens up about an 18-year marriage, the pressure to keep up appearances, the fear of being judged, and the difficult process of recognising that staying was no longer an option.

She shares the moment she finally decided to choose herself, what helped her move forward, and the people who became part of her support system along the way.

But this conversation goes beyond her own story.

Simrat and Sandra explore why we often hide what we are going through, how easily personal struggles can remain invisible at work, and why someone who looks completely fine may be carrying something very different beneath the surface.

They also talk about boundaries, saying no, asking for help, listening beyond someone’s words, and the importance of having people who genuinely show up for you.

One of the most powerful parts of the conversation is Simrat’s story about an everyday coffee conversation with a colleague that revealed just how much someone can be carrying behind a confident exterior.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• The pressure to maintain a facade when life is falling apart
• Why people can stay in difficult situations longer than they expect
• What finally gave Simrat the courage to choose herself
• The role of boundaries and learning to say no
• Why everyone needs people who believe in them
• How to recognise when someone at work may not be okay
• Why listening means going beyond the words someone says
• How small, everyday conversations can make a much bigger difference than we realise
• The importance of creating spaces where people feel safe asking for help

By the end of this episode, you’ll understand why sometimes the person who looks like they have everything together may be the person who needs someone to simply ask, “Are you okay?”

We’re grateful to Simrat for sharing a deeply personal part of her story with us.

Content note: This episode discusses domestic abuse and depression.

• (00:00) - Welcome to PowerShift

What happens when the life you’ve built no longer works for you?

Dr. Rachna Chhachhi knows what that feels like.

At 35, Rachna was living the kind of life many people spend years working toward. She was leading business development for a Fortune 50 company, travelling, winning major deals and awards, and moving at full speed.

Then her body forced her to stop.

After being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, Rachna went from a high-powered corporate career to being bedridden and living with severe pain.

What followed became the biggest inflection point of her life.

In this episode of Power Shift, Sandra Colhando sits down with Rachna to talk about what happens when your body, your identity and the life you’ve built no longer seem to fit together.

Rachna shares the moment she realised she could not continue living the way she had been, the changes she made to her life, and the journey that eventually took her from corporate leadership to work focused on wellbeing, research and helping others.

But this conversation is about much more than health.

It is about identity, success, exhaustion, expectations and the question many of us eventually have to ask: Who am I when I stop being who everyone expects me to be?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why success can sometimes come at the cost of yourself
• What your body might be trying to tell you when you refuse to slow down
• How a major life disruption can become an opportunity to rethink everything
• Why sleep, slow mornings and consistency can matter more than constantly pushing harder
• What happens when you stop defining yourself by your career and achievements
• Why women over 40 may need to rethink what success and wellbeing look like
• How to question the expectations you have inherited from the people around you
• Why discovering who you are can begin with something as simple as putting pen to paper
• How to move from constantly chasing happiness towards a deeper sense of contentment

And by the end of this conversation, Rachna leaves us with a question worth sitting with:

Are you living as the person you truly are, or as the person the world expects you to be?

Sometimes, an inflection point isn't something you choose.

Sometimes, it is the moment that finally gives you permission to choose yourself.

• (00:00) - Welcome to Power Shift

What if the ceiling someone set for you was never yours to accept?

Tiffanie Mallard knows what it feels like to be told what she can’t become.

As a teenager, a school counselor told her mother that college probably wasn’t going to be possible for Tiffanie. She didn’t have the grades or extracurricular activities to stand out.

Tiffanie decided to prove them wrong.

That moment became one of the earliest inflection points in her life, shaping the way she approached her career, leadership and the limits other people placed on her.

Today, Tiffanie is the Vice President of Human Resources at Carrier HVAC, leading across one of Carrier’s largest and most geographically complex businesses across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

But this conversation isn't just about career success.

In this episode of Power Shift, Sandra Colhando and Tiffanie talk about what happens when you become your own biggest critic, how to build a leadership identity that actually feels like you, and why success doesn't have to mean constantly sacrificing yourself.

Tiffanie opens up about moving across countries, navigating identity, being different in the room, building a life with a partner who supports her ambition, and learning to rest without feeling guilty.

And then there is the idea that sits at the heart of this conversation: your power prototype.

What makes you uniquely you?

What are you naturally good at?

What do people come back to you for?

And how do you build your leadership around those strengths instead of trying to become someone else?

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to stop accepting other people's limits as your own
• Why you can be your own biggest critic
• How to identify the strengths that make you uniquely valuable
• What a “power prototype” is and how to build yours
• Why authenticity can become a source of power
• How to stay true to yourself when you are the person who looks, sounds or leads differently
• Why successful women often struggle to rest without guilt
• How to balance ambition with actually enjoying the journey
• What it takes to build a true partnership when both people have ambitious careers
• Why your 40s can be a time to use your voice more, not shrink it
• How to build a legacy without losing yourself along the way

And by the end of this conversation, you'll be left with three powerful reminders from Tiffanie:

Enjoy the journey.
Know what's most important to you.
Don't lose your voice.

Because your journey is yours.

And the ceiling someone handed you, even if that someone is you, doesn't have to become the limit of your life.

• (00:00) - Welcome to Power Shift

In this episode, you’re going to hear a story about what it takes to walk away from a life that no longer feels right, rebuild your sense of self, and learn to recognise when someone around you may be struggling.

Sandra Colhando sits down with Simrat Gahlot, an award-winning Learning and Development leader, for one of the most personal conversations on Power Shift.

Simrat opens up about an 18-year marriage, the pressure to keep up appearances, the fear of being judged, and the difficult process of recognising that staying was no longer an option.

She shares the moment she finally decided to choose herself, what helped her move forward, and the people who became part of her support system along the way.

But this conversation goes beyond her own story.

Simrat and Sandra explore why we often hide what we are going through, how easily personal struggles can remain invisible at work, and why someone who looks completely fine may be carrying something very different beneath the surface.

They also talk about boundaries, saying no, asking for help, listening beyond someone’s words, and the importance of having people who genuinely show up for you.

One of the most powerful parts of the conversation is Simrat’s story about an everyday coffee conversation with a colleague that revealed just how much someone can be carrying behind a confident exterior.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• The pressure to maintain a facade when life is falling apart
• Why people can stay in difficult situations longer than they expect
• What finally gave Simrat the courage to choose herself
• The role of boundaries and learning to say no
• Why everyone needs people who believe in them
• How to recognise when someone at work may not be okay
• Why listening means going beyond the words someone says
• How small, everyday conversations can make a much bigger difference than we realise
• The importance of creating spaces where people feel safe asking for help

By the end of this episode, you’ll understand why sometimes the person who looks like they have everything together may be the person who needs someone to simply ask, “Are you okay?”

We’re grateful to Simrat for sharing a deeply personal part of her story with us.

Content note: This episode discusses domestic abuse and depression.

• (00:00) - Ambition Without the Rush

What if the person who needs the biggest piece of you is actually you?

In today’s episode, you’re going to hear a conversation about what it means to keep showing up for everyone else while slowly realising that your own energy, boundaries, and wellbeing need attention too.

Sandra Colhando sits down with Bhavna Batra for an honest conversation about ambition, energy, asking for help, and knowing when you need to pause.

Bhavna talks about the difference between being alone and feeling lonely, the pressure to keep giving, and why constantly being there for everyone else can come at a cost.

She shares what she has learnt about energy, why it needs to be replenished, and the importance of recognising when you have reached your limit.

The conversation also gets into something many of us find difficult: asking for help.

Bhavna speaks openly about putting ego aside, accepting that you need support, and understanding that asking for help does not make you any less capable.

They also talk about boundaries and the importance of being able to say, “I’m not in that space right now. I need a timeout.”

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• The difference between loneliness and being alone
• Why constantly giving can leave you running on empty
• Why energy needs to be replenished, not just managed
• The importance of recognising your own limits
• Why asking for help requires vulnerability
• How ego can sometimes stop us from accepting support
• Why saying no can be an act of self-awareness
• The importance of taking a timeout when you need one
• Why you don't have to carry everything on your own
• How to make space for yourself while still showing up for others

By the end of this episode, you may find yourself thinking differently about what it means to be strong.

Sometimes strength is not about continuing to push through.

Sometimes it is knowing when to stop, ask for help, and give yourself the space you need.

We’re grateful to Bhavna for sharing this conversation with such honesty and openness.

Content note: This episode includes conversations around loneliness, emotional wellbeing, asking for help, and personal boundaries.

• (00:00) - Welcome to Power Shift

At 25, they tell you, “You’re worth it.”

At 55, they’ll ask you to worry about your Vitamin D levels.

But the woman you are in your 40s? The fierce leader, perhaps the designated caregiver, perhaps the boss, they warn everyone about—Nobody built anything or any content around this version of you. The one who is running a team, holding up your family and is done answering questions no one would dare ask a man.

There's no playbook for this stage of your career and life.  So we set out to create one with women like you. For women like us. 

Welcome to Power Shift. Coming soon on Youtube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.