Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma

Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma

By Anuradha VarmaHealth & FitnessMental HealthReligion & SpiritualityEducationSelf-ImprovementSpirituality
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Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma episodes

  • Ep 59: Robin Singh, Peepal Farm: ‘Animals are people too’
    Happiness is a consequence of doing the right thing, says Robin Singh, author of Happiness Happens: Happiness for Those Who Have Everything Else. He returned from a successful tech career in the US with a mission to not have a job dictate his hours and found purpose after a chance encounter at Auroville. This led him to set up Peepal Farm, an animal rescue centre at Dhanotu village, near Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, in 2014.

    He chats about living a life of purpose, in a mud house surrounded by mulberry, guava, apricot and palm trees. For company, he has nearly 50 adopted animal friends that include a blind bull, orphaned cow, a puppy with neurological issues and others. Listen in!

    Follow Peepal Farm Toons on YouTube | Instagram 
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    Follow and share to grow the conversation.

    Timestamps:
    01:05 About the title of his book “Happiness Happens”
    02:56 Coming back to India
    08:16 Living a life of purpose
    11:06 Lifestyle withdrawal
    12:26 Life in the US, working at a job
    13:47 What a day at Peepal Farm looks like
    16:15 Animals at the farm — dogs, cows, sheep, chickens, etc
    20:06 Brewmaster of Peepal Farm’s Kombucha
    22:00 How the organisation is funded
    23:10 Finding twin purpose as a couple
    25:10 On choosing not to have a child
    27:48 The problem with “thinking big”
    29:30 Living a grounded life at the farm
    30:40 Living in a mud house, amidst nature
    34:00 His book as his legacy
    36:00 On finding happiness
    39:40 Visiting and volunteering at Peepal Farm

    Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
    Email: [email protected]

    Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

    Want to be a guest on Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma? Send Anuradha Varma a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1750746513391971e921bbda5
    41 min
  • Ep 58: Mehbs Remtulla, What's neXT 50: Finding purpose after 50
    The longevity strategy is the growth strategy for companies, believes Mehbs Remtulla, the Founder & CEO of What's neXT 50, which is on a mission to empower "builders" or mid-late career individuals and self-described retirees to lead an engaged life full of vigour, intent and purpose.

    Based in Canada, he talks about finding purpose as a “transitioner”, rather than a retiree, finding something that gets one out of bed in the morning and cultivating a growth mindset. He also stresses on the value of cultivating multigenerational teams and friendships. Listen in!

    Timestamps:
    01:00 Losing a sense of purpose after “retiring”
    06:47 The start of What's neXT 50
    09:30 Leveraging experience for the greater good
    15:42 Looking for purpose, how to create enquiry
    21:29 Cultivating a growth mindset, learning from experiences
    23:46 An extra 30 years of productivity
    31:45 The multi-generational advantage
    39:00 The Stanford centre of longevity
    45:00 Goals of What's neXT 50

    Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
    Email: [email protected]

    Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.


    Want to be a guest on Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma? Send Anuradha Varma a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1750746513391971e921bbda5
    54 min
  • Ep 57: ‘Nautch Boy’ Manish Gaekwad: On growing up in a ‘kotha’
    Life outside the kotha is really quite drab, remarks Manish Gaekwad, son of Rekha bai, the subject of his book “The Last Courtesan: Writing My Mother's Memoir”. Here, he chats about its sequel “Nautch Boy: A Memoir of My Life in the Kothas”, giving flashes of a life that sounds straight out of a Bollywood potboiler. 

    The radio, according to the journalist-author-scriptwriter, never stopped playing at the kotha, with strains of Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi songs filling the air. As a child, he recalls learning to move his hips like his legendary mother, with the other tawaifs cheering him on. He was also named Monty after Rishi Kapoor’s character in “Karz”, where his mother saw the name lit up in disco lights as an extra on the film sets in Mumbai. 

    He describes life at an elite boarding school, while spending vacations at Kolkata's infamous Bandook Gully, and living part-time with relatives in the slums, feeling like an outsider everywhere but in the kotha. He also talks about his “illegitimate” father, how he got his surname, and not coming out as queer to his mother in her lifetime.

    Listen in!

    Timestamps:
    02:00 Dispelling myths about “kothas” and how they’re not brothels
    05:16 His mother Rekha bai’s signature acrobatic dance move
    11:44 How moving was dancing for him; music was in his blood
    15:50 The radio never stopped playing in the kotha
    18:00 Tawaifs don’t teach their children to be a girl or a boy
    21:10 His mother didn’t know how to raise a boy
    25:20 The Bandook Gully connection; living in the slums
    31:37 How he got the name “Gaekwad”; when his mother and his father’s wife crossed paths
    38:00 How he introduces himself to people; his “illegitimate” father
    43:30 Mothering his mother through her illness; his relationship with his mother
    46:55 On not coming out as queer to his mother
    49:10 On being surrounded by sex in his adolescent years, “like a warm embrace”
    53:30 On leading a solitary life, how it has shaped him
    01:00:00 Being named Monty after Rishi Kapoor in the movie “Karz”
    01:03:00 Growing up away from Mumbai’s glamour
    01:07:23 Life as an author

    Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
    Email: [email protected]

    Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

    Want to be a guest on Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma? Send Anuradha Varma a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1750746513391971e921bbda5
    1 hr 11 min
  • EP 56: Michael Bach: Creating safe, inclusive workplaces
    Queer, trans or gender fabulous, there should be a safe space for everyone at the workplace, says Canadian Michael Bach, an internationally recognised thought leader in diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility. 

    Here, he talks about his own journey of coming out as queer, and decodes the ever expanding “alphabet soup” of gender and orientation — “LGBTIQCAPGNGFNBA”, while advocating for using language mindfully. He gives recommendations for creating safe spaces, such as companies offering a gender neutral “parental” leave instead of “maternal leave”.

    With nearly 20 years of professional experience, he is also the founder of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) and Pride at Work Canada. He has previously served as the National Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at KPMG Canada, along with being the Deputy Chief Diversity Officer for KPMG International.

    Michael Bach is the author of Alphabet Soup: The Essential Guide to LGBTQ2+ Inclusion at Work and Birds of All Feathers: Doing Diversity and Inclusion Right.

    Listen in!

    Timestamps
    02:00 Talking about the alphabet soup – LGBTIQCAPGNGFNBA
    04:15 LGBTQ2+, Two-Spirit, Gender Fabulous, SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity)
    09:40 His journey of coming out; not a stereotypical masculine child growing up
    13:40 Homophobia remains a reality
    15:55 Creating safe spaces at work though policies
    19:47 Questions companies must ask themselves
    23:27: The Five Fs Continuum for change management, converting “fence-sitters” to “friends” and “family”
    32:15 Witnessing monumental positive change in the past decades
    35:00 Importance of using language mindfully

    Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
    Email: [email protected]

    Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

    Want to be a guest on Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma? Send Anuradha Varma a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1750746513391971e921bbda5
    39 min
  • Ep 55: Shalini Singh: 'Indians don't know how to date'
    One can find their partner in six months if they’re doing it right, assures Shalini Singh, founder of andwemet, building a community for Indian singles over 28 to find serious relationships.

    First, however, Indians must learn how to date and not look for that elusive instant connection or finding that “perfect” partner. Instead, look for shared goals and compatibility, she says. And while marriage may still be the goal for many, those over 40 are open to other forms of commitment, such as live-ins or companionship while living separately. 

    Shalini is also doing it differently from ubiquitous dating apps, as hers has now moved onto building a community over WhatsApp and minus any pics, which is proving to be a gamechanger.

    Listen in!

    Follow andwemet on: YouTube | Threads | X (Twitter) / X (Twitter-Shalini) | Spotify | instagram | Linkedin / LinkedIn (Shalini) | Reddit 

    Timestamps
    00:48 About andwemet and how it began; getting rejected for having a dusky complexion
    05:15 From an app to a WhatsApp community
    08:50 Why andwemet doesn’t ask for photos
    13:52 Building andwemet for adults who have experienced life
    17:20 Internal checks and balances
    20:00 Age is still a factor for some
    21:20 What are people looking for?
    22:30 Indians don’t know how to date
    26:00 Are relationships transactional?
    30:40 Singles aged 28 to 65 on andwemet; goals for 40+ goes beyond marriage
    34:24 Enjoy dating and have fun; six months to find your person
    36:26 Marriage is here to stay
    37:00 Juggling work and relationships
    40:40 Testing compatibility with a shared activity
    42:00 Relationship trend – talking about one’s toxic past; seeking meaningful conversations

    Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
    Email: [email protected]

    Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

    Want to be a guest on Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma? Send Anuradha Varma a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1750746513391971e921bbda5
    48 min
  • EP 54: The Blind Blogger Maxwell Ivey: Why accessibility matters
    Maxwell Ivey, better known as The Blind Blogger, grew up in a large extended family, which managed carnival rides. Now a serial online entrepreneur, he is an American accessibility expert advocating for more inclusion of people with disabilities. Here, the 59-year-old talks about how a small button being relocated on a screen can throw off his screen-reader and send his day into chaos, the importance of “alt text” for images and why companies must make accessibility a priority. The aim, he says, is to go from “accessibility to usability to enjoyability for all abilities”. 

    Maxwell also hosts the podcasts What's Your Excuse and The Accessibility Advantage.

    Follow Maxwell Ivey: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

    Timestamps
    01:15 On being called The Blind Blogger
    05:08 On losing his sight at the age of 12; growing up in a large extended family
    12:30 Resilience is a habit
    13:42 How website design changes affect him
    15:42 No longer a big user of Twitter (now X)
    21:20 Accessibility in design improves the overall user experience
    23:15 Conversations in accessibility with businesses
    28:20 On social platforms such as LinkedIn and Instagram
    33:35 Impact of AI; positive review for JC Penny
    44:34 Determined positivity

    Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
    Email: [email protected]

    Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

    Want to be a guest on Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma? Send Anuradha Varma a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1750746513391971e921bbda5
    54 min
  • Ep 53: Maya Raichoora: Visualisation for mental fitness
    At 27, Maya Raichoora is one of UK’s top mental fitness and visualisation experts and the author of VISUALISE: Think, Feel, Perform Like the Top 1%. When she was younger, a debilitating encounter with ulcerative colitis left her bed-ridden and with zero confidence. The turning point came when a nurse asked her what she would rather do if she wasn’t confined to a hospital bed. Despite finding the question insensitive at first, it set her mind to visualise taking her first steps and start walking, which eventually became a reality. 

    This set her on a path to finding her passion for visualisation and mental fitness. Listen in as Maya decodes terms like limiting beliefs and manifestation, while talking about empowering techniques like The Batman Effect, and why hibernation is as important as hustle.

    Follow Maya on Insta

    Timestamps:
    01:10 The difference between visualisation and manifestation
    04:05 What is mental fitness?
    06:00 Overcoming her health crisis
    11:58 Your brain can’t tell fake from real; training your brain
    16:33 Who is visualisation for? Taking high performers from good to great
    18:30 Emotional agility; controlling our responses to primary emotions
    23:35 Explaining limiting beliefs; the brain on repeat mode
    26:18 Negative visualisation or future proofing
    28:29 Building hope and opening up to possibilities
    31:20 The Batman Effect, creating a bolder character
    34:40 The Seasons Method; importance of hibernation over hustle
    37:57 Keeping a journal of small wins
    39:55 Visualisation for the ‘Top 1 percent’, to be the best you can be

    Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
    Email: [email protected]
    Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.

    Want to be a guest on Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma? Send Anuradha Varma a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1750746513391971e921bbda5
    44 min
  • Ep 52: Leigh Branham: 'The best leaders had bad bosses'
    “I’m on a mission to put pressure on companies to be better places to work,” says Leigh Branham, international bestselling author of four books including The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How to Recognize the Subtle Signs and Act Before It’s Too Late and Re-Engage: How America’s Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times. Here, he talks about how the “burn and churn” philosophy is not helping companies and why they should focus on re-engaging burnt out and disengaged employees. Communication is key, he says, and the best leaders possess empathy.

    The US-based employee retention expert also talks about the generational differences between Gen X, millennials and Gen Z-ers and the need for conversation for smooth intergenerational functioning. Listen in to know the top reasons employees leave and how one can start asking the right questions before joining a new organisation. The latter is also the subject of his latest book Don't Take That Job ‘til You Read This Book: Nine Lenses to Look Before You Leap, coauthored with Mark Hirschfeld.

    Leigh is also a career transition coach and organisational consultant and helps companies better understand the root causes of employee turnover and disengagement. He is the founder and Managing Principal of Keeping the People, a talent management consulting firm.

    Timestamps:
    01:03 Focus on wellbeing at workplaces after the pandemic
    03:58 Toxic workplaces and quiet quitting by Gen Z
    06:30 The reason behind disengagement—burn and churn philosophy
    09:03 The direct manager is the top reason for employees leaving
    11:54 Gaps in leadership and empathy
    16:10 To become an employer of choice, you have to show people you care
    24:05 Difference between baby boomers, Gen X, millennials and Gen Z
    29:33 The perception of Gen Z 
    30:52 The reasons employees leave
    37:00 "Don't take that job till you read this book”--how to assess their new employer
    40:37 What to ask interviewers before you take that next job; use LinkedIn to network with those in target companies

    Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
    Email: [email protected]

    Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.


    Want to be a guest on Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma? Send Anuradha Varma a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1750746513391971e921bbda5
    46 min
  • Ep 51: Neeraj Sagar, WisdomCircle: ‘Don’t retire, find a purpose’
    We’re all living longer, but how do we constructively utilise these extra years? Neeraj Sagar, Founder & CEO of WisdomCircle, which is building a post-retirement work marketplace, talks about creating space for retirees in corporate systems, the value of intergenerational teams, and the “price per unit of wisdom”.

    Currently at over 100,000 registrations, with 2,500 white-collar jobs from nearly 300 companies on his portal, he believes it has barely scratched the surface. The idea for WisdomCircle came to Neeraj during the pandemic after he quit his corporate job as he turned 50. He is now an active part of a thriving community that is creating solutions for the senior segment, where the 60+ population is poised to grow to a staggering 300 million by 2050.

    Organisations, he believes, must tap into the wisdom of an experienced talent pool that wants to give back and can help youngsters grow faster. In return, they need to feel respected and relevant. Companies can also help their retiring workforce ease into becoming mentors from doers, taking on the role of educators or specialists.

    He is also a Global Ambassador for the Stanford Center on Longevity. Listen in!  

    Resources:
    (This is purely for information and not an endorsement)
    Research
    * The Stanford Center on Longevity: The New Map of Life
    * ABCEL (Aditya Birla Centre for Enriching Lives): Designing pathways for collective wellbeing
    * The Gerontechnologist: A media platform that covers agetech globally
    * Human Edge: Longevity health programmes
    * Ashoka New Longevity: Exploring new narratives in ageing
    * Live Ivory: Neuroscience for a sharper brain
    Health & Community
    * Priya Living: Active, purposeful intergenerational living
    * Athulya Senior Care: Assisted living for seniors
    * 25YearsMore: Services for an active retirement
    * GetSetUp: Curated events, activities & travel for older events
    * GenSxtyTribe: Changing the age-old narratives of ageing
    * Khyaal: Club for senior citizens
    * GenWise: Club for senior citizens

    Timestamps:
    02:40 Coming up with the idea during the pandemic
    04:30 Agetech as a concept, building the community
    09:16 Agetech companies solving for senior issues
    12:05 On how WisdomCircle is providing post-career opportunities
    16:15 Fighting existing narrative around ageing in the system
    19:45 Stanford Centre for Longevity; ageism as an idea impacts everyone
    21:50 What are retirees looking for?
    28:30 Use-cases for using seniors to close skill-gaps
    32:50 As you get older, people are more open with referrals
    34:25 Any age ceiling in senior hiring?
    39:44 The importance of intergenerational connectivity
    42:15 People with daughters may age better
    45:25 Is there a retirement age?
    49:50 Entrepreneurship for seniors
    53:36 Easing into retirement

    Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
    Email: [email protected]

    Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.


    Want to be a guest on Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma? Send Anuradha Varma a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1750746513391971e921bbda5
    58 min
  • Ep 50: Shobha Viswanath, Karadi Tales: The soundtrack of Indian childhood
    When Shobha Viswanath returned to India from the US in 1995, she couldn’t find audiobooks for her young daughter, something that her son had enjoyed growing up. That prompted her to start Karadi Tales and its signature audio cassettes that accompanied illustrated books. Children could read along as they listened to the story, encouraging "sight vocabulary" as Shobha calls it and, more importantly, have fun in the process!

    Married into a family of Carnatic classical musicians, Shoba tells us, the family band ‘3 Brothers & a Violin’ provided the score for the books, narrated first by actor Naseeruddin Shah and his theatre troupe, and later Gulzar, Girish Karnad, Saeed Jaffrey, among others. Usha Uthup lent her voice to some very Indian-themed nursery rhymes written by Shobha and set to classical ragas.

    In a journey spanning nearly three decades, Karadi Tales also set up Karadi Path, an education company that teaches English to learners of all ages and backgrounds using an immersion method, inspired by how we pick up our mother-tongue. They also collaborated with P. Sainath, founder-editor of the People's Archive of Rural India, to create chapter books around grim realities faced by children, such as migration and climate crisis, tinged with hope. 

    The goal, however, remains to inspire and empower children and adults with the magic of storytelling and the joy of reading, says Shobha. Listen in!

    Timestamps:
    00:45 The start of Karadi Tales, nearly 30 years ago
    05:09 Naseeruddin Shah as their first narrator for the book
    07:50 Launching the first audio books as the pioneers
    12:00 Moving into picture books
    14:40 Songs that became popular, such as from Monkey King
    15:00 Writing English rhymes for Indian kids, set on classical ragas
    19:45 Recording with Rahul Dravid
    20:50 Challenges of packaging the book and audio together
    21:48 Her experience as a special educator for visually-impaired kids
    25:25 Starting Karadi Path education, to support language labs
    31:36 Drawing stories from rural India, with P. Sainath
    38:44 Reaching a larger audience through schools
    41:58 Message for parents and educators
    45:05 What’s next for Karadi?
    46:00 The financial challenge of recording audio books

    Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
    Email: [email protected]

    Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.


    Want to be a guest on Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma? Send Anuradha Varma a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1750746513391971e921bbda5
    50 min

About Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma

From the publisher's feed

Listen in to conversations that "swish" or shift your perspective! Journalist and Mindset Coach Anuradha Varma interviews a diverse cast of people who share their expertise and experiences on a range…