https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/swishing-mindsets-with-anuradha-varma--5924344
Anuradha is a journalist with nearly three decades of experience, having worked for media houses such as The Indian Express, The Times of India, and The Pioneer. She is also an internationally certified Mindset Coach with expertise in Mindfulness, EFT and NLP.

Follow her on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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

]]>enSelf-ImprovementAnuradha Varmahttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/e6cff78c0f55940064decf2829f91fab.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/swishing-mindsets-with-anuradha-varma--5924344Thu, 24 Sep 2026 07:41:50 +0000Anuradha VarmaAnuradha Varmaanu.varma@gmail.comListen 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 of themes, across spirituality, inclusivity,...
Anuradha is a journalist with nearly three decades of experience, having worked for media houses such as The Indian Express, The Times of India, and The Pioneer. She is also an internationally certified Mindset Coach with expertise in Mindfulness, EFT and NLP.

Follow her on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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

]]>false0f680950-9951-5d25-9345-a9613ca92c8depisodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-79-kim-griffith-angelic-interpreter-energy-flows-where-attention-goes--75327315What if the answers you keep searching for are already inside you? In this episode of Swishing Mindsets, Anuradha Varma speaks with Kim Griffith, an American author and angel communicator who interprets for Deborah, a collective of 76 angels named after the biblical prophetess, judge and warrior.

Kim shares how a blunt conversation with her husband, who told her their marriage worked for him only 30% of the time, set her on a path away from complaint and cynicism and towards a life she now calls a joy. She explains why Deborah refuses to play fortune teller, why every choice (and "mistake") has a purpose, and how to tell a genuine sign from wishful thinking.

There are practical tools too: quieting the monkey mind she calls "Karen", the I Am meditation, and the simple instruction to just ask. The conversation closes with a channelled message from Deborah and a live, unscripted experiment in which Anu tries to feel "the love of heaven" herself. Listeners are invited to try it along with her.

Follow Kim: Website | Book your angel conversation 

Timestamps
00:43 What an angel communicator, or interpreter, does
02:22 Why "Deborah": the prophetess, judge and warrior of Judges 4–5
05:06 Feeling their energy, the "knock on the back of the head", and handing over a bad day
06:15 A collective of 76, and whether they are guardian angels
07:44 Divine spirit, energy, and telling your own inner voice apart from Deborah's
09:35 What people come to Kim for, and why an open mind matters
11:17 The leader who learned she isn't responsible for her team's feelings
13:09 How this differs from life coaching
14:53 Kim's story: faith, doubt, and a marriage at 30%
18:16 Deciding to stop complaining, from Bob Proctor to Esther Hicks
20:10 "We are not a fortune teller": why the power stays with you
22:47 Energy flows where attention goes
25:34 The answer is already inside you, and there are no mistakes
27:49 Learning to trust your intuition
29:21 Quieting "Karen", the monkey mind, and the I Am meditation
33:30 Feathers, numbers and 11:11: how to read signs
37:02 When you're troubled, where to start: just ask
39:35 How to ask: there is no wrong way
40:32 "Why does this keep happening to me?"
43:21 Generalisations, gratitude, and the coach who asked, "Do your legs work?"
46:26 Angel communicator vs medium, and feeling her late father's presence
48:50 Deborah speaks: a channelled message
54:33 A live experiment: Anu tries connecting with Deborah

For more, email swishingmindsets@gmail.com 
Disclaimer: Views 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/75327315Thu, 24 Sep 2026 07:26:43 +0000Anuradha VarmaWhat if the answers you keep searching for are already inside you? In this episode of Swishing Mindsets, Anuradha Varma speaks with https://kimgriffith.org/, an American author and angel communicator who interprets for Deborah, a collective of 76...What if the answers you keep searching for are already inside you? In this episode of Swishing Mindsets, Anuradha Varma speaks with Kim Griffith, an American author and angel communicator who interprets for Deborah, a collective of 76 angels named after the biblical prophetess, judge and warrior.

Kim shares how a blunt conversation with her husband, who told her their marriage worked for him only 30% of the time, set her on a path away from complaint and cynicism and towards a life she now calls a joy. She explains why Deborah refuses to play fortune teller, why every choice (and "mistake") has a purpose, and how to tell a genuine sign from wishful thinking.

There are practical tools too: quieting the monkey mind she calls "Karen", the I Am meditation, and the simple instruction to just ask. The conversation closes with a channelled message from Deborah and a live, unscripted experiment in which Anu tries to feel "the love of heaven" herself. Listeners are invited to try it along with her.

Follow Kim: Website | Book your angel conversation 

Timestamps
00:43 What an angel communicator, or interpreter, does
02:22 Why "Deborah": the prophetess, judge and warrior of Judges 4–5
05:06 Feeling their energy, the "knock on the back of the head", and handing over a bad day
06:15 A collective of 76, and whether they are guardian angels
07:44 Divine spirit, energy, and telling your own inner voice apart from Deborah's
09:35 What people come to Kim for, and why an open mind matters
11:17 The leader who learned she isn't responsible for her team's feelings
13:09 How this differs from life coaching
14:53 Kim's story: faith, doubt, and a marriage at 30%
18:16 Deciding to stop complaining, from Bob Proctor to Esther Hicks
20:10 "We are not a fortune teller": why the power stays with you
22:47 Energy flows where attention goes
25:34 The answer is already inside you, and there are no mistakes
27:49 Learning to trust your intuition
29:21 Quieting "Karen", the monkey mind, and the I Am meditation
33:30 Feathers, numbers and 11:11: how to read signs
37:02 When you're troubled, where to start: just ask
39:35 How to ask: there is no wrong way
40:32 "Why does this keep happening to me?"
43:21 Generalisations, gratitude, and the coach who asked, "Do your legs work?"
46:26 Angel communicator vs medium, and feeling her late father's presence
48:50 Deborah speaks: a channelled message
54:33 A live experiment: Anu tries connecting with Deborah

For more, email swishingmindsets@gmail.com 
Disclaimer: Views 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]]>3788angelcommunicator,angels,deborah,divineguidance,innerknowing,intuition,kimgriffith,lawofattraction,meditation,mindset,monkeymind,podcast,powerofchoice,spirituality,swishingmindsets,youarenotalonefalse79fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-78-from-led-zeppelin-tribute-bands-to-shamanic-healing-clementine-moss-zepperella--74753871Clementine Moss, founder and drummer of Zepperella, an all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band formed in 2005, is also a solo musician, author, and spiritual counsellor trained in depth hypnosis, applied shamanism, and energy medicine. 

Clementine traces her path from a frustrated 27-year-old writer and bartender in New York City who picked up drumsticks on a whim, to becoming a devoted student of John Bonham's feel and timing, to founding Zepperella with guitarist Gretchen Menn.

She reflects candidly on life on the road — the "sex, drugs, rock and roll" of touring in a van in her twenties versus the more disciplined, sober professionalism of touring today — and on what it meant, as a woman in heavy rock, to claim her own power and be heard.

The conversation moves into her parallel spiritual path: an early Vipassana retreat, years of shamanic study across cultures, and her current work in depth hypnosis — a modality blending Western psychology, Buddhist philosophy, and shamanic practice that she credits with quieting her own harsh inner critic. Listen in!Timestamps

• 00:00 – Introduction: Clementine Moss, drummer, author, spiritual counselor
• 00:49 – Taking up drums at 27 — leaving writing behind for a creative, collaborative outlet
• 02:32 – Why drums specifically clicked, and her childhood connection to rhythm
• 04:01 – The spiritual and communal dimension of drumming
• 05:04 – Losing herself in the "flow state" behind the kit
• 07:09 – Drums as a "beauty accessory" — letting go of self-judgment on stage
• 08:02 – "If you have a problem, play the drums" — drumming as a clarity tool
• 09:29 – Creativity surfacing during meditation and a 10-day silent retreat
• 11:25 – Why Led Zeppelin — John Bonham's feel, timing, and emotional influence
• 14:52 – How Zepperella came together, and where the name came from
• 16:39 – Life in a band: van tours, 320 shows a year, and the myth vs. reality of rock life
• 19:48 – Coming into her own power as a woman in heavy rock
• 22:25 – Family support and touring life then vs. now
• 24:07 – Pre-show rituals and superstitions around her drum kit
• 25:29 – Her spiritual journey: early Vipassana experience and ongoing practice
• 28:07 – Studying cross-cultural shamanic traditions and universal belief systems
• 33:40 – Shamanic cosmology: upper, middle, and lower worlds
• 36:09 – Depth hypnosis explained — blending psychology, Buddhism, and shamanism
• 38:19 – How depth hypnosis helped quiet her own critical inner voice
• 40:43 – The "Path of Service" course — recognizing self-depletion in caregiving
• 43:26 – How she's evolved: trading ambition for enthusiasm
• 45:54 – Where to find her music — new solo album and Zepperella's fifth album

For more, email swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Views 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74753871Sun, 30 Aug 2026 10:29:01 +0000Anuradha VarmaClementine Moss, founder and drummer of Zepperella, an all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band formed in 2005, is also a solo musician, author, and spiritual counsellor trained in depth hypnosis, applied shamanism, and energy medicine.  Clementine...Clementine Moss, founder and drummer of Zepperella, an all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band formed in 2005, is also a solo musician, author, and spiritual counsellor trained in depth hypnosis, applied shamanism, and energy medicine. 

Clementine traces her path from a frustrated 27-year-old writer and bartender in New York City who picked up drumsticks on a whim, to becoming a devoted student of John Bonham's feel and timing, to founding Zepperella with guitarist Gretchen Menn.

She reflects candidly on life on the road — the "sex, drugs, rock and roll" of touring in a van in her twenties versus the more disciplined, sober professionalism of touring today — and on what it meant, as a woman in heavy rock, to claim her own power and be heard.

The conversation moves into her parallel spiritual path: an early Vipassana retreat, years of shamanic study across cultures, and her current work in depth hypnosis — a modality blending Western psychology, Buddhist philosophy, and shamanic practice that she credits with quieting her own harsh inner critic. Listen in!Timestamps

• 00:00 – Introduction: Clementine Moss, drummer, author, spiritual counselor
• 00:49 – Taking up drums at 27 — leaving writing behind for a creative, collaborative outlet
• 02:32 – Why drums specifically clicked, and her childhood connection to rhythm
• 04:01 – The spiritual and communal dimension of drumming
• 05:04 – Losing herself in the "flow state" behind the kit
• 07:09 – Drums as a "beauty accessory" — letting go of self-judgment on stage
• 08:02 – "If you have a problem, play the drums" — drumming as a clarity tool
• 09:29 – Creativity surfacing during meditation and a 10-day silent retreat
• 11:25 – Why Led Zeppelin — John Bonham's feel, timing, and emotional influence
• 14:52 – How Zepperella came together, and where the name came from
• 16:39 – Life in a band: van tours, 320 shows a year, and the myth vs. reality of rock life
• 19:48 – Coming into her own power as a woman in heavy rock
• 22:25 – Family support and touring life then vs. now
• 24:07 – Pre-show rituals and superstitions around her drum kit
• 25:29 – Her spiritual journey: early Vipassana experience and ongoing practice
• 28:07 – Studying cross-cultural shamanic traditions and universal belief systems
• 33:40 – Shamanic cosmology: upper, middle, and lower worlds
• 36:09 – Depth hypnosis explained — blending psychology, Buddhism, and shamanism
• 38:19 – How depth hypnosis helped quiet her own critical inner voice
• 40:43 – The "Path of Service" course — recognizing self-depletion in caregiving
• 43:26 – How she's evolved: trading ambition for enthusiasm
• 45:54 – Where to find her music — new solo album and Zepperella's fifth album

For more, email swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Views 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]]>2790clemthegreat,depthhypnosis,drumlife,empowerment,flowstate,healing,innervoice,johnbonham,ledzeppelin,meditation,mindfulness,podcast,rockandroll,shamanism,spiritualjourney,swishingmindsets,vipassana,womeninrock,womenwhorock,zepperellafalse78fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-77-cathy-nesbitt-the-worm-advocate-who-turned-garbage-into-gold--74753825Listen in to a conversation on worms, waste, and wellbeing with Cathy Nesbitt, a worm advocate, environmental innovator, sprout grower, and laughter yoga teacher from just north of Toronto, Canada. Cathy traces her unlikely path into vermicomposting — from reluctantly worm-sitting for a friend in 1993, to a "light bulb" moment reading that a pound of worms can convert a ton of organic waste a year. 

She explains how indoor composting with worms (especially red wigglers) works, why it beats other composting methods for apartment dwellers, and busts myths around smell, rats, and "ew, worms in the house." The conversation moves through her school workshops reaching over 100,000 students, a moving trip to Guatemala helping women turn coffee-plantation and dump-site waste into livelihoods, her 23-year daily sprouting habit (and why raw sprouts pack more digestive enzymes than cooked food), and finally her pivot toward laughter yoga.

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Introduction: Kathleen Nesbitt, worm advocate from Canada
• 00:37 – Why worms? Toronto's 2002 landfill crisis and garbage exports to the US
• 03:01 – Origin story: reluctantly worm-sitting for a friend in 1993
• 07:30 – The "light bulb" moment: a pound of worms, a ton of waste
• 09:03 – Quitting her job to take a business-plan course and start a worm business
• 10:13 – 2002 garbage strike and the road trip that launched her in the press
• 12:20 – Tabling at events — and the awkward reactions from parents and kids
• 13:37 – Pivoting to school workshops (100,000+ students over 23 years)
• 15:56 – The teacher-friend's classroom worm bin story
• 18:51 – Worms' role in nature, reproduction, and soil immunity
• 21:02 – Do worms have personalities? Observing worm behavior
• 23:14 – Worm biology: five hearts, hermaphrodites, mating and cocoons
• 24:15 – Filming worms up close — the poop video kids love
• 26:40 – Why worms over other composting methods; the rats-in-the-co-op story
• 28:38 – How many worms you actually need (it's about lifestyle, not headcount)
• 31:01 – Types of composting worms: red wiggler, European/African night crawler, perionyx
• 32:13 – Worm jewelry, coconut coir from India, and peat moss vs. coir
• 36:57 – The Guatemala "worm trip" story — from a tweet to a fundraiser
• 41:06 – Inside Guatemala: coffee-waste composting and women's micro-businesses
• 44:39 – Sprouting: 23 years of daily mung beans and the enzyme story
• 50:01 – How laughter yoga entered her life, one day after nearly quitting
• 52:30 – What is laughter yoga? Dr. Madan Kataria's mission for world peace
• 54:01 – How laughter helped her stop taking rejection personally
• 55:44 – Closing message: her free Tuesday laughter club and a hopeful note

For more, email swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Views 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74753825Sun, 30 Aug 2026 09:58:01 +0000Anuradha VarmaListen in to a conversation on worms, waste, and wellbeing with https://www.cathyscomposters.com/, a worm advocate, environmental innovator, sprout grower, and laughter yoga teacher from just north of Toronto, Canada. Cathy traces her unlikely path...Listen in to a conversation on worms, waste, and wellbeing with Cathy Nesbitt, a worm advocate, environmental innovator, sprout grower, and laughter yoga teacher from just north of Toronto, Canada. Cathy traces her unlikely path into vermicomposting — from reluctantly worm-sitting for a friend in 1993, to a "light bulb" moment reading that a pound of worms can convert a ton of organic waste a year. 

She explains how indoor composting with worms (especially red wigglers) works, why it beats other composting methods for apartment dwellers, and busts myths around smell, rats, and "ew, worms in the house." The conversation moves through her school workshops reaching over 100,000 students, a moving trip to Guatemala helping women turn coffee-plantation and dump-site waste into livelihoods, her 23-year daily sprouting habit (and why raw sprouts pack more digestive enzymes than cooked food), and finally her pivot toward laughter yoga.

Timestamps

• 00:00 – Introduction: Kathleen Nesbitt, worm advocate from Canada
• 00:37 – Why worms? Toronto's 2002 landfill crisis and garbage exports to the US
• 03:01 – Origin story: reluctantly worm-sitting for a friend in 1993
• 07:30 – The "light bulb" moment: a pound of worms, a ton of waste
• 09:03 – Quitting her job to take a business-plan course and start a worm business
• 10:13 – 2002 garbage strike and the road trip that launched her in the press
• 12:20 – Tabling at events — and the awkward reactions from parents and kids
• 13:37 – Pivoting to school workshops (100,000+ students over 23 years)
• 15:56 – The teacher-friend's classroom worm bin story
• 18:51 – Worms' role in nature, reproduction, and soil immunity
• 21:02 – Do worms have personalities? Observing worm behavior
• 23:14 – Worm biology: five hearts, hermaphrodites, mating and cocoons
• 24:15 – Filming worms up close — the poop video kids love
• 26:40 – Why worms over other composting methods; the rats-in-the-co-op story
• 28:38 – How many worms you actually need (it's about lifestyle, not headcount)
• 31:01 – Types of composting worms: red wiggler, European/African night crawler, perionyx
• 32:13 – Worm jewelry, coconut coir from India, and peat moss vs. coir
• 36:57 – The Guatemala "worm trip" story — from a tweet to a fundraiser
• 41:06 – Inside Guatemala: coffee-waste composting and women's micro-businesses
• 44:39 – Sprouting: 23 years of daily mung beans and the enzyme story
• 50:01 – How laughter yoga entered her life, one day after nearly quitting
• 52:30 – What is laughter yoga? Dr. Madan Kataria's mission for world peace
• 54:01 – How laughter helped her stop taking rejection personally
• 55:44 – Closing message: her free Tuesday laughter club and a hopeful note

For more, email swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Views 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]]>3536climateaction,composting,ecoinnovation,foodwaste,guatemala,guthealth,indiacanada,laughteryoga,resilience,sproutingseeds,sustainableliving,swishingmindsets,vermicomposting,wellnesspodcast,womenentrepreneurs,worldpeace,wormadvocate,zerowastefalse77fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-76-nancy-orlen-weber-inside-the-mind-of-a-psychic-detective--73110443When Nancy Orlen Weber was 10 years old, she stood outside her school waiting for a limo to take her to the UN. Except that she got the date wrong – she was 30 years too early. “I was in a trance,” recalls the "Psychic Detective", who has spent over 40 years working alongside American law enforcement. A former registered nurse turned medical intuitive, animal communicator, and author, she has helped crack cold cases, missing persons investigations, including one of New Jersey's most notorious serial killer cases. 

In this episode of Swishing Mindsets, the author of The Life of a Psychic Detective, and Soul Detective: How to Solve the Inner Mystery of You takes us behind her intuitive process and her deeply personal journey that shaped her ability to trust what "just comes to her." She opens up about talking to victims and animals on the other side, why she believes we're all "wireless", and shares a simple exercise anyone can try to find a lost object. Listen in!

Follow Nancy: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction — Meet Nancy Orlen Weber, the "Psychic Detective"
05:47 How it started: nursing, intuition, and becoming a medical intuitive
11:25 Early cases — the karate instructor, the buried dogs, and the shotgun warning
16:40 The serial killer case — pieces, patterns, and an overlooked prosecutor
27:19 Childhood shyness and shock at her own abilities
28:51 Overcoming abuse and reclaiming personal power
31:03 Gratitude, perspective, and the mindset that keeps her grounded
32:19 Views on death, the other side, and her lifelong "teacher"
34:00 Talking to animals and connecting with loved ones who've passed
36:41 Synchronicity — "there are no real coincidences"
37:06 How psychics experience time differently
42:00 Learning to control the gift — belly breathing and retraining the mind
44:38 A simple exercise to help you find lost objects using intuition
51:06 Where to find Nancy's courses, workshops, and website

To get in touch, email swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Views 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73110443Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:11:52 +0000Anuradha VarmaWhen Nancy Orlen Weber was 10 years old, she stood outside her school waiting for a limo to take her to the UN. Except that she got the date wrong – she was 30 years too early. “I was in a trance,” recalls the "Psychic Detective", who has spent over...When Nancy Orlen Weber was 10 years old, she stood outside her school waiting for a limo to take her to the UN. Except that she got the date wrong – she was 30 years too early. “I was in a trance,” recalls the "Psychic Detective", who has spent over 40 years working alongside American law enforcement. A former registered nurse turned medical intuitive, animal communicator, and author, she has helped crack cold cases, missing persons investigations, including one of New Jersey's most notorious serial killer cases. 

In this episode of Swishing Mindsets, the author of The Life of a Psychic Detective, and Soul Detective: How to Solve the Inner Mystery of You takes us behind her intuitive process and her deeply personal journey that shaped her ability to trust what "just comes to her." She opens up about talking to victims and animals on the other side, why she believes we're all "wireless", and shares a simple exercise anyone can try to find a lost object. Listen in!

Follow Nancy: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction — Meet Nancy Orlen Weber, the "Psychic Detective"
05:47 How it started: nursing, intuition, and becoming a medical intuitive
11:25 Early cases — the karate instructor, the buried dogs, and the shotgun warning
16:40 The serial killer case — pieces, patterns, and an overlooked prosecutor
27:19 Childhood shyness and shock at her own abilities
28:51 Overcoming abuse and reclaiming personal power
31:03 Gratitude, perspective, and the mindset that keeps her grounded
32:19 Views on death, the other side, and her lifelong "teacher"
34:00 Talking to animals and connecting with loved ones who've passed
36:41 Synchronicity — "there are no real coincidences"
37:06 How psychics experience time differently
42:00 Learning to control the gift — belly breathing and retraining the mind
44:38 A simple exercise to help you find lost objects using intuition
51:06 Where to find Nancy's courses, workshops, and website

To get in touch, email swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Views 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]]>3221intuitivehealing,spiritualitypodcast,truecrimepodcastfalse76fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-75-jason-lange-embodiment-coach-why-all-men-need-a-men-s-group--72650748In this episode, Jason Lange — a US-based men's embodiment coach, group facilitator, and evolutionary guide — talks about why so many men live "from the neck up," disconnected from their bodies and emotions.

Sharing his own breakthrough moment in a men's group that changed the course of his life and work, Jason unpacks the cultural conditioning behind the "man box" that teaches young boys that vulnerability is weakness, and how this shows up later as rumination, burnout, strained relationships, and even health crises. He explains how a men's group actually looks like in practice, why loneliness persists even among men with friends, the "provider trap", and his couples' programme designed to help partners reconnect. Listen in!

Follow Jason: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website | Book a Call 

Timestamps:
00:25 – What is an "evolutionary guide" and "embodiment coaching"?
03:37 – The "man box": cultural conditioning and the rules of masculinity
04:22 – Research on what marks "boy to man" vs. "girl to woman"
06:34 – Schooling, boys' energy, and the "ADHD" mislabeling
08:14 – Adolescence, locker-room culture, and hiding vulnerability
08:53 – Workplace culture and the cost of overwork on men's health
09:42 – "Emotional robot": how disembodiment shows up in relationships
10:21 – Reaching outward (alcohol, porn, overwork) to regulate inner states
11:44 – Cross-cultural parallel: changing norms in India around boys/emotions
12:43 – What disembodiment actually feels/looks like
13:38 – Rumination, anxiety, and the toll of living "in the head"
14:43 – Emotions as physical sensations; the cost of not feeling
24:34 – Jason's personal story: therapy, men's group, and his breakthrough
26:04 – Working with men on past trauma and physical/emotional abuse
28:36 – Healthy sexuality, shame, and childhood conditioning
29:09 – The "snuffed candle" — boys' curiosity shut down young
30:03 – Power of group work: normalization and accelerated healing
31:44 – How a men's group actually works (structure, format)
32:14 – Why men join: pain, loneliness, and "triangulated" friendships
33:58 – Story: feeling lonely even surrounded by friends
34:08 – Teaching men to share what's "under the surface"
36:15 – Suicide statistics and the cost of emotional suppression
36:33 – Group accountability — calling out avoidance with compassion
41:50 – The circle format and its power (vs. side-by-side bonding)
43:19 – Men's groups aren't just heavy — celebrating wins too
43:47 – Couples work and "12 Epic Dates" program
45:34 – The "provider trap" and neglecting the marriage
46:31 – Empty-nest wake-up calls: "I haven't loved you for 10 years"
47:05 – What 12 Epic Dates offers couples
47:53 – Toolkit for stopping rumination: getting into the body
49:45 – Father energy, the "facing out" research, and resilience
50:53 – Online vs. in-person groups

To get in touch, email swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Views 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/72650748Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:02:16 +0000Anuradha VarmaIn this episode, Jason Lange — a US-based men's embodiment coach, group facilitator, and evolutionary guide — talks about why so many men live "from the neck up," disconnected from their bodies and emotions. Sharing his own breakthrough moment in a...In this episode, Jason Lange — a US-based men's embodiment coach, group facilitator, and evolutionary guide — talks about why so many men live "from the neck up," disconnected from their bodies and emotions.

Sharing his own breakthrough moment in a men's group that changed the course of his life and work, Jason unpacks the cultural conditioning behind the "man box" that teaches young boys that vulnerability is weakness, and how this shows up later as rumination, burnout, strained relationships, and even health crises. He explains how a men's group actually looks like in practice, why loneliness persists even among men with friends, the "provider trap", and his couples' programme designed to help partners reconnect. Listen in!

Follow Jason: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website | Book a Call 

Timestamps:
00:25 – What is an "evolutionary guide" and "embodiment coaching"?
03:37 – The "man box": cultural conditioning and the rules of masculinity
04:22 – Research on what marks "boy to man" vs. "girl to woman"
06:34 – Schooling, boys' energy, and the "ADHD" mislabeling
08:14 – Adolescence, locker-room culture, and hiding vulnerability
08:53 – Workplace culture and the cost of overwork on men's health
09:42 – "Emotional robot": how disembodiment shows up in relationships
10:21 – Reaching outward (alcohol, porn, overwork) to regulate inner states
11:44 – Cross-cultural parallel: changing norms in India around boys/emotions
12:43 – What disembodiment actually feels/looks like
13:38 – Rumination, anxiety, and the toll of living "in the head"
14:43 – Emotions as physical sensations; the cost of not feeling
24:34 – Jason's personal story: therapy, men's group, and his breakthrough
26:04 – Working with men on past trauma and physical/emotional abuse
28:36 – Healthy sexuality, shame, and childhood conditioning
29:09 – The "snuffed candle" — boys' curiosity shut down young
30:03 – Power of group work: normalization and accelerated healing
31:44 – How a men's group actually works (structure, format)
32:14 – Why men join: pain, loneliness, and "triangulated" friendships
33:58 – Story: feeling lonely even surrounded by friends
34:08 – Teaching men to share what's "under the surface"
36:15 – Suicide statistics and the cost of emotional suppression
36:33 – Group accountability — calling out avoidance with compassion
41:50 – The circle format and its power (vs. side-by-side bonding)
43:19 – Men's groups aren't just heavy — celebrating wins too
43:47 – Couples work and "12 Epic Dates" program
45:34 – The "provider trap" and neglecting the marriage
46:31 – Empty-nest wake-up calls: "I haven't loved you for 10 years"
47:05 – What 12 Epic Dates offers couples
47:53 – Toolkit for stopping rumination: getting into the body
49:45 – Father energy, the "facing out" research, and resilience
50:53 – Online vs. in-person groups

To get in touch, email swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Views are personal. Listener discretion is advised.


Want to be a guest on Swishing Mindsets with Anuradha Varma? Send Anuradha Varma a...]]>3092masculinity,menscoachfalse75fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-74-upasana-sarraju-author-the-strange-science-of-ig-nobel-prizes--72617564In this episode, Upasana Sarraju, author of The Ig Nobel Prizes and The Science That Refuses to Behave (Penguin Random House India) talks about research that "makes you laugh, then makes you think". From zebra-striped cows (which reduced insect bites) to the science of crumpled bedsheets, a galloping horse encoded into bacterial DNA, Upasana takes us through the strangest, funniest, and most unexpectedly profound corners of science. 

She talks about her five-year correspondence with Ig Nobel Prize founder Marc Abrahams, the Indian scientists who've won the prize (including Dr. Chittaranjan Andrade, a psychiatrist who studies nose-picking and mountaineers in his spare time), and why the silliest-sounding questions often lead to the most meaningful discoveries.

Follow Upasana: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

Timestamps:
00:58 – What prompted the book; discovering the Ig Nobel Prizes
02:55 – Mark Abrahams: five years of interviews, the founding of the Ig Nobel Prize/Improbable Research podcast
05:22 – The book cover: the zebra-striped cow study (Ig Nobel 2025) and insect-deterring stripes
08:01 – Tangent: do mosquitoes prefer certain blood types/sweat?
08:39 – Other Ig Nobel studies on the cover (banana peel, pizza slice)
09:02 – Why woodpeckers don't get headaches
11:32 – What the Ig Nobel limelight does for scientists' careers
12:28 – Encoding a galloping-horse movie into E. coli DNA using CRISPR
21:25 – Riffing on "movie piracy via bacteria"
23:12 – On book structure: each chapter as its own potential book
24:33 – Chittaranjan Andrade: mountaineering, magic, music, NIMHANS
33:38 – L. Mahadevan and the physics of folds, wrinkles, and crumpled bedsheets
35:49 – Knots, tangled earbuds, and the physics of hair
37:34 – Reflecting on minds like Mahadevan's
38:21 – "On a Lazy Sunday Morning" chapter — everyday science (soggy cereal, coffee spills, banana peels)
39:50 – What didn't make it into the book — cut personal stories (e.g., Dr. Manjula Reddy)
43:03 – Material held back for a future book (cats/animals)
43:29 – The footnotes — Easter eggs and tangents
45:00 – Household dust, shed skin, and dust mites living in our eyebrows
47:27 – Closing thoughts, future plans 

To get in touch, email swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Views 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/72617564Sun, 21 Jun 2026 07:37:20 +0000Anuradha VarmaIn this episode, Upasana Sarraju, author of https://www.amazon.in/Unruly-Prizes-Science-Refuses-Behave-ebook/dp/B0GP5Q8DC1 (Penguin Random House India) talks about research that "makes you laugh, then makes you think". From zebra-striped cows (which...In this episode, Upasana Sarraju, author of The Ig Nobel Prizes and The Science That Refuses to Behave (Penguin Random House India) talks about research that "makes you laugh, then makes you think". From zebra-striped cows (which reduced insect bites) to the science of crumpled bedsheets, a galloping horse encoded into bacterial DNA, Upasana takes us through the strangest, funniest, and most unexpectedly profound corners of science. 

She talks about her five-year correspondence with Ig Nobel Prize founder Marc Abrahams, the Indian scientists who've won the prize (including Dr. Chittaranjan Andrade, a psychiatrist who studies nose-picking and mountaineers in his spare time), and why the silliest-sounding questions often lead to the most meaningful discoveries.

Follow Upasana: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

Timestamps:
00:58 – What prompted the book; discovering the Ig Nobel Prizes
02:55 – Mark Abrahams: five years of interviews, the founding of the Ig Nobel Prize/Improbable Research podcast
05:22 – The book cover: the zebra-striped cow study (Ig Nobel 2025) and insect-deterring stripes
08:01 – Tangent: do mosquitoes prefer certain blood types/sweat?
08:39 – Other Ig Nobel studies on the cover (banana peel, pizza slice)
09:02 – Why woodpeckers don't get headaches
11:32 – What the Ig Nobel limelight does for scientists' careers
12:28 – Encoding a galloping-horse movie into E. coli DNA using CRISPR
21:25 – Riffing on "movie piracy via bacteria"
23:12 – On book structure: each chapter as its own potential book
24:33 – Chittaranjan Andrade: mountaineering, magic, music, NIMHANS
33:38 – L. Mahadevan and the physics of folds, wrinkles, and crumpled bedsheets
35:49 – Knots, tangled earbuds, and the physics of hair
37:34 – Reflecting on minds like Mahadevan's
38:21 – "On a Lazy Sunday Morning" chapter — everyday science (soggy cereal, coffee spills, banana peels)
39:50 – What didn't make it into the book — cut personal stories (e.g., Dr. Manjula Reddy)
43:03 – Material held back for a future book (cats/animals)
43:29 – The footnotes — Easter eggs and tangents
45:00 – Household dust, shed skin, and dust mites living in our eyebrows
47:27 – Closing thoughts, future plans 

To get in touch, email swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Views 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]]>2959evrydayscience,ignobelprizes,strangesciencefalse74fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-73-regina-linke-the-oxherd-boy-big-ideas-for-little-kids--72112111“Where does my reflection go when I walk away from the mirror?” This question from her toddler put Regina Linke, a Taiwanese American author and illustrator, on the journey of creating her children’s book The Oxherd Boy which started as a webcomic on Instagram. It was followed up by Big Enough and now Little Helper, which combine the East Asian philosophy of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism with Chinese brush painting.

She talks about putting down big messages for little kids in simple language, reconnecting with her Taiwanese roots, and how her spiritual practice has helped her find resilience and calm as she goes through the journey of bringing her adoptive daughter home from Taiwan. Listen in! 

Follow Regina on: Instagram | Website | The Oxherd Boy

Timestamps:
01:21 Moving to Taiwan as an adult and discovering her roots
06:16 Creating opportunities for conversations with kids through The Oxherd Boy
11:30 Explaining Confucianism, Tao and Buddhism
17:23 How moving from corporate America to discovering herself in Taiwan
20:31 How spirituality has helped her deal with her adoption journey
24:30 Learning the ancient art of gongbi painting
32:48 On The Little Helper book
36:45 What she enjoyed working on
41:15 Who the book is for

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramEmail: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/72112111Fri, 22 May 2026 09:51:38 +0000Anuradha Varma“Where does my reflection go when I walk away from the mirror?” This question from her toddler put Regina Linke, a Taiwanese American author and illustrator, on the journey of creating her children’s book The Oxherd Boy which started as a webcomic on...“Where does my reflection go when I walk away from the mirror?” This question from her toddler put Regina Linke, a Taiwanese American author and illustrator, on the journey of creating her children’s book The Oxherd Boy which started as a webcomic on Instagram. It was followed up by Big Enough and now Little Helper, which combine the East Asian philosophy of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism with Chinese brush painting.

She talks about putting down big messages for little kids in simple language, reconnecting with her Taiwanese roots, and how her spiritual practice has helped her find resilience and calm as she goes through the journey of bringing her adoptive daughter home from Taiwan. Listen in! 

Follow Regina on: Instagram | Website | The Oxherd Boy

Timestamps:
01:21 Moving to Taiwan as an adult and discovering her roots
06:16 Creating opportunities for conversations with kids through The Oxherd Boy
11:30 Explaining Confucianism, Tao and Buddhism
17:23 How moving from corporate America to discovering herself in Taiwan
20:31 How spirituality has helped her deal with her adoption journey
24:30 Learning the ancient art of gongbi painting
32:48 On The Little Helper book
36:45 What she enjoyed working on
41:15 Who the book is for

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramEmail: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>2601buddhism,childrensbook,spiritualityforkids,taosimfalse73fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-72-botox-me-too-migration-guruprasad-kaginele-narayan-shankaran-on-kaayaa--70321426“Are all beautiful people happy? Are all happy people beautiful?” is something that Guruprasad Kaginele addresses in his book Kaaya, a satirical comment on beauty and identity through the story of a US plastic surgeon caught in the Me Too movement, inspired by a real life incident. It has been translated from Kannada to English by Narayan Shankaran. 

Here, they both discuss getting the cultural beats right during the process of translation, such as deciding on the phrase “boob job”. Guruprasad, a doctor based in the US for the last three decades, confesses to Kannada still being his language of “emoting”, while English remains of transactional value, and often erupting in “Aiyyo” to the bafflement of his American colleagues. They also touch upon issues of migration and enhancement culture, with walk-in botox clinics and lunch-hour collagen injections.

Guruprasad is a prominent voice in contemporary Kannada literature. His novel Hijab received the 2017 Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award. Narayan Shankaran, a management professional, who enjoys writing and translating between Kannada and English, has earlier also translated a collection of short stories by Guruprasad, published as The Preferred Pronoun and Other Stories.

Listen in!

Related episode: Ep 39: Chandan Pandey & Sayari Debnath: Stories of desolation & translation

Timestamps
01:40 How the collaboration happened
03:53 Writing Kaayaa, his process
06:14 Narayan on the book
10:33 Guru on themes of sexuality in Kannada literature
13:55 Thinking and writing in Kannada
18:24 Reacting with an “Aiyyo” instinctively in the US
20:06 Narayan’s process of translation; reading out the excerpt
28:06 Translating “boob job” from Kannada
30:17 Inspiration for the story of Kaaya; the God complex of a plastic surgeon
34:42 Commenting on the enhancement culture
36:18 Guru on creating his women characters; cosmetic demands on beauty
40:00 The migrant experience
44:50 Narayan on the characters in Kaayaa

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/70321426Fri, 27 Feb 2026 08:05:10 +0000Anuradha Varma“Are all beautiful people happy? Are all happy people beautiful?” is something that Guruprasad Kaginele addresses in his book https://www.amazon.in/Kaayaa-Powerful-Contemporary-Satirical-Thought-Provoking/dp/014347491X, a satirical comment on beauty...“Are all beautiful people happy? Are all happy people beautiful?” is something that Guruprasad Kaginele addresses in his book Kaaya, a satirical comment on beauty and identity through the story of a US plastic surgeon caught in the Me Too movement, inspired by a real life incident. It has been translated from Kannada to English by Narayan Shankaran. 

Here, they both discuss getting the cultural beats right during the process of translation, such as deciding on the phrase “boob job”. Guruprasad, a doctor based in the US for the last three decades, confesses to Kannada still being his language of “emoting”, while English remains of transactional value, and often erupting in “Aiyyo” to the bafflement of his American colleagues. They also touch upon issues of migration and enhancement culture, with walk-in botox clinics and lunch-hour collagen injections.

Guruprasad is a prominent voice in contemporary Kannada literature. His novel Hijab received the 2017 Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award. Narayan Shankaran, a management professional, who enjoys writing and translating between Kannada and English, has earlier also translated a collection of short stories by Guruprasad, published as The Preferred Pronoun and Other Stories.

Listen in!

Related episode: Ep 39: Chandan Pandey & Sayari Debnath: Stories of desolation & translation

Timestamps
01:40 How the collaboration happened
03:53 Writing Kaayaa, his process
06:14 Narayan on the book
10:33 Guru on themes of sexuality in Kannada literature
13:55 Thinking and writing in Kannada
18:24 Reacting with an “Aiyyo” instinctively in the US
20:06 Narayan’s process of translation; reading out the excerpt
28:06 Translating “boob job” from Kannada
30:17 Inspiration for the story of Kaaya; the God complex of a plastic surgeon
34:42 Commenting on the enhancement culture
36:18 Guru on creating his women characters; cosmetic demands on beauty
40:00 The migrant experience
44:50 Narayan on the characters in Kaayaa

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>2842authortalk,bookinterview,guruprasadkaginale,indianauthors,indianliterature,kaaya,kannadaliterature,literaryfiction,literarypodcast,mustreadfalse72fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-71-namratha-stanley-from-an-abusive-marriage-to-a-wine-brand-in-france--70076082Namratha Stanley, the debut author of Vineyard Melody, moved to France in 2017 after an abusive marriage in India, to pursue a Wine MBA in Bordeaux. She now runs her wine brand Solicantus—sold in five countries, including India. 

A single mom, she talks about the struggle to escape her abusive marriage as “being stuck in a web”, regaining confidence, taking things one step at a time to finally set up her wine brand and reunite with her daughter in France. Wine is a culture, says the entrepreneur, who believes in meeting life with an open spirit.

She lets us in on the charm of living in France, the French penchant for prioritising intellectual and artistic enjoyment and, yes, their annoying but charming habit of complaining!

Listen in!  

Follow Namratha on: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website
Buy her book: Amazon

Timestamps
01:30 Going to France on a chance, to escape her marriage
05:20 What made her finally leave her marriage
10:30 Women are redefining womanhood
11:23 Identifying as the “victim”
14:10 Life right now, managing her wine brand
16:25 Her wine offerings
20:30 Getting the right magical blend for her wine
22:34 Availability in Mumbai and Bengaluru
23:45 Wine trends in India
25:07 One percent of Indians know their wines; growing audience
26:20 Pairing wine with Indian food
27:54 Wine as an investment — SWAG (silver, wine, art and gold)
33:09 Survival instinct led to becoming an entrepreneur
36:40 Busting French cliches
40:10 About her book ‘Vineyard Melody’

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/70076082Mon, 16 Feb 2026 06:55:35 +0000Anuradha VarmaNamratha Stanley, the debut author of Vineyard Melody, moved to France in 2017 after an abusive marriage in India, to pursue a Wine MBA in Bordeaux. She now runs her wine brand Solicantus—sold in five countries, including India.  A single mom, she...Namratha Stanley, the debut author of Vineyard Melody, moved to France in 2017 after an abusive marriage in India, to pursue a Wine MBA in Bordeaux. She now runs her wine brand Solicantus—sold in five countries, including India. 

A single mom, she talks about the struggle to escape her abusive marriage as “being stuck in a web”, regaining confidence, taking things one step at a time to finally set up her wine brand and reunite with her daughter in France. Wine is a culture, says the entrepreneur, who believes in meeting life with an open spirit.

She lets us in on the charm of living in France, the French penchant for prioritising intellectual and artistic enjoyment and, yes, their annoying but charming habit of complaining!

Listen in!  

Follow Namratha on: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website
Buy her book: Amazon

Timestamps
01:30 Going to France on a chance, to escape her marriage
05:20 What made her finally leave her marriage
10:30 Women are redefining womanhood
11:23 Identifying as the “victim”
14:10 Life right now, managing her wine brand
16:25 Her wine offerings
20:30 Getting the right magical blend for her wine
22:34 Availability in Mumbai and Bengaluru
23:45 Wine trends in India
25:07 One percent of Indians know their wines; growing audience
26:20 Pairing wine with Indian food
27:54 Wine as an investment — SWAG (silver, wine, art and gold)
33:09 Survival instinct led to becoming an entrepreneur
36:40 Busting French cliches
40:10 About her book ‘Vineyard Melody’

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>2572frenchlife,singlemom,survivor,winemaker,womeninwinefalse71fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-70-single-papa-aditya-tiwari-adoption-down-syndrome-and-an-everest-dream--69402489“It’s the child who gives birth to the parent,” says Aditya Tiwari, who adopted his son Avnish, now almost 11, as a single father at the age of 28 in 2016, after a long legal battle. Today, Avnish, who was born with a hole in his heart and has Down Syndrome, has trekked to the Everest Base Camp at the age of seven, and is the youngest National awardee. 

Here, while Aditya talks about the practicalities of bringing up a special child and meeting developmental milestones with support from experts, the joy of watching his child thrive is unmissable. 

Listen in as the Indore-based software professional discusses his hopes and dreams for Avnish, and the inherent bias that favours women as parental figures!

Follow Aditya Tiwari on: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Related episode: Ep 66: Arun Dohle, Adoptee Rights Council: How he met his mother

Timestamps:
02:04 Preparing for the Everest Base Camp
06:52 Creating support systems for his special child Avnish
09:35 Likes playing drums, explore nature, etc
11:30 Importance of spending quality time with a child
13:50 Meeting milestones and therapies
18:40 Accepting a Down Syndrome child, don’t look for a miracle
21:19 Living in the present
23:06 Guardianship; concerns about securing Avnish’s future
28:20 Creating support systems as a single parent
30:20 Questions raised on adoption initially; adoption gives one choice
32:10 Meeting Avnish as a baby in the orphanage and the legal battle to adopt
34:56 Single men face a bias as adoptive parents
37:27 Mindset barrier when it comes to fathers over mothers
39:19 Avnish’s health challenges
41:40 Challenges of claiming medical insurance
45:17 Honing Avnish’s skills with help from experts

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/69402489Mon, 12 Jan 2026 16:07:51 +0000Anuradha Varma“It’s the child who gives birth to the parent,” says Aditya Tiwari, who adopted his son Avnish, now almost 11, as a single father at the age of 28 in 2016, after a long legal battle. Today, Avnish, who was born with a hole in his heart and has Down...“It’s the child who gives birth to the parent,” says Aditya Tiwari, who adopted his son Avnish, now almost 11, as a single father at the age of 28 in 2016, after a long legal battle. Today, Avnish, who was born with a hole in his heart and has Down Syndrome, has trekked to the Everest Base Camp at the age of seven, and is the youngest National awardee. 

Here, while Aditya talks about the practicalities of bringing up a special child and meeting developmental milestones with support from experts, the joy of watching his child thrive is unmissable. 

Listen in as the Indore-based software professional discusses his hopes and dreams for Avnish, and the inherent bias that favours women as parental figures!

Follow Aditya Tiwari on: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Related episode: Ep 66: Arun Dohle, Adoptee Rights Council: How he met his mother

Timestamps:
02:04 Preparing for the Everest Base Camp
06:52 Creating support systems for his special child Avnish
09:35 Likes playing drums, explore nature, etc
11:30 Importance of spending quality time with a child
13:50 Meeting milestones and therapies
18:40 Accepting a Down Syndrome child, don’t look for a miracle
21:19 Living in the present
23:06 Guardianship; concerns about securing Avnish’s future
28:20 Creating support systems as a single parent
30:20 Questions raised on adoption initially; adoption gives one choice
32:10 Meeting Avnish as a baby in the orphanage and the legal battle to adopt
34:56 Single men face a bias as adoptive parents
37:27 Mindset barrier when it comes to fathers over mothers
39:19 Avnish’s health challenges
41:40 Challenges of claiming medical insurance
45:17 Honing Avnish’s skills with help from experts

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>2927adoptionstory,downsyndrome,parenting,singlepapa,singleparentfalse70fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-69-sita-bhaskar-author-immigration-home-and-the-world-of-r-k-narayan--69350596Rukmini Aunty and the R.K. Narayan Fan Club started as a writing experiment, but soon took on a life of its own, with a cast of delightful characters, some of them inspired by the legendary author’s own works. Sita Bhaskar, who divides her time between Madison, US and Mysore, India, where the novel is set, creates an accidental crusader as her fictional protagonist Rukmini Aunty sets out to save the crumbling R.K. Narayan House (now a museum) from demolition.

In this chat, Sita talks with humour about Indian immigrants in the US, some now in their fourth generation, keeping alive their connection to India, and being inspired by Natalie Jenner’s book The Jane Austen Society alongside RK Narayan’s own novels for her own. 

Listen in!

Follow Sita Bhaskar on Instagram | Website

Timestamps:
01:30 Growing up in India and moving to the US
05:00 Coming into writer
07:00 Avoiding Indian stereotypes
10:08 Creating a cast of characters for the book
13:35 Entertaining visitors from India
18:07 Conceiving the plot for the book; reading The Jane Austen Society
23:41 Favourite characters
28:00 NRIs maintaining connections back home
32:54 Research for her book
35:23 Visiting RK Narayan’s house, now a museum

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/69350596Thu, 08 Jan 2026 08:37:49 +0000Anuradha Varmahttps://www.amazon.in/Rukmini-Aunty-Narayan-Fan-Club/dp/0143478451 started as a writing experiment, but soon took on a life of its own, with a cast of delightful characters, some of them inspired by the legendary author’s own works. Sita Bhaskar, who...Rukmini Aunty and the R.K. Narayan Fan Club started as a writing experiment, but soon took on a life of its own, with a cast of delightful characters, some of them inspired by the legendary author’s own works. Sita Bhaskar, who divides her time between Madison, US and Mysore, India, where the novel is set, creates an accidental crusader as her fictional protagonist Rukmini Aunty sets out to save the crumbling R.K. Narayan House (now a museum) from demolition.

In this chat, Sita talks with humour about Indian immigrants in the US, some now in their fourth generation, keeping alive their connection to India, and being inspired by Natalie Jenner’s book The Jane Austen Society alongside RK Narayan’s own novels for her own. 

Listen in!

Follow Sita Bhaskar on Instagram | Website

Timestamps:
01:30 Growing up in India and moving to the US
05:00 Coming into writer
07:00 Avoiding Indian stereotypes
10:08 Creating a cast of characters for the book
13:35 Entertaining visitors from India
18:07 Conceiving the plot for the book; reading The Jane Austen Society
23:41 Favourite characters
28:00 NRIs maintaining connections back home
32:54 Research for her book
35:23 Visiting RK Narayan’s house, now a museum

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>2287rknarayan,rknarayanmysorefalse69fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-68-gayathri-narayanan-myndtree-how-to-develop-the-compassion-muscle--69191899There are no external fixes, says Gayathri Narayanan, who is a firm believer in doing the tough inner work. The founder of Myndtree, who stepped away from a career in tech, talks about developing the compassion muscle through mindfulness, and non-violent parenting (42:42), which is all about using conflict as an opportunity to deepen connection. 

A Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, Gayathri’s contemplative path is shaped by immersion in the Advaita (non-dualistic) traditions of Hindu philosophy, and in Theravada, Zen, and Tibetan lineages of Buddhism. She has trained as a nonviolent parenting educator through Echo Parenting & Education in Los Angeles and certified as a mindfulness meditation teacher with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.

Listen in!

Follow Gayathri: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website | X

Timestamps:
01:28 Stumbling upon non-violent communication & parenting
07:10 Meeting her guru at the age of 11, discovering Advaita philosophy, Buddhism, etc
16:50 What compassion in action looks like; “karuna” and “anukampa”
21:28 Developing compassion is stretching your muscles of love
25:56 How to practice compassion27:49 Everyone has a secret history; explaining non-violent communication (NVC)
32:57 What is wisdom?
36:10 The story about a monk and a master from Pema Chodron; no external fixes
39:30 Learning to stay, rather than give in to the flight or fight response
42:42 How non-violent communication works – “OFNR” / “OFNEETS”
50:20 How NVC works with adults, making a request rather than a demand – “OFNR”

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/69191899Wed, 24 Dec 2025 06:40:42 +0000Anuradha VarmaThere are no external fixes, says https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayathrinarayanan/, who is a firm believer in doing the tough inner work. The founder of Myndtree, who stepped away from a career in tech, talks about developing the compassion muscle...There are no external fixes, says Gayathri Narayanan, who is a firm believer in doing the tough inner work. The founder of Myndtree, who stepped away from a career in tech, talks about developing the compassion muscle through mindfulness, and non-violent parenting (42:42), which is all about using conflict as an opportunity to deepen connection. 

A Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, Gayathri’s contemplative path is shaped by immersion in the Advaita (non-dualistic) traditions of Hindu philosophy, and in Theravada, Zen, and Tibetan lineages of Buddhism. She has trained as a nonviolent parenting educator through Echo Parenting & Education in Los Angeles and certified as a mindfulness meditation teacher with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.

Listen in!

Follow Gayathri: LinkedIn | Instagram | Website | X

Timestamps:
01:28 Stumbling upon non-violent communication & parenting
07:10 Meeting her guru at the age of 11, discovering Advaita philosophy, Buddhism, etc
16:50 What compassion in action looks like; “karuna” and “anukampa”
21:28 Developing compassion is stretching your muscles of love
25:56 How to practice compassion27:49 Everyone has a secret history; explaining non-violent communication (NVC)
32:57 What is wisdom?
36:10 The story about a monk and a master from Pema Chodron; no external fixes
39:30 Learning to stay, rather than give in to the flight or fight response
42:42 How non-violent communication works – “OFNR” / “OFNEETS”
50:20 How NVC works with adults, making a request rather than a demand – “OFNR”

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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

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]]>3351compassion,mindfulness,nonviolentcommunication,nonviolentparenting,parentingfalse68fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-67-dr-corinne-auman-ageing-expert-keenagers-are-on-an-adventure--69092637“Keenagers” or senior teenagers in their second innings are falling into adventures and passions they may have left behind as they pursued careers, says Dr Corinne Auman, an American gerontologist and care manager who is on a mission to change the conversation around ageing. Her book "Keenagers: Telling a New Story about Aging" emphasises that the years between 55 and 80 are an extended middle adulthood, not a decline. 

Listen in as she talks about reframing retirement, changing family structures and more!

Follow Corinne on LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

Timestamps:
01:10 Increased longevity, adding more years to the middle
03:24 Calling the book “Keenagers”, highly developed, a keen interest in something
06:45 Preparing to transition into the next innings
09:47 No two Keenagers are the same; how to be a “keenager”
13:00 Development theories miss the extended middle years
15:50 The 70+ generation taking on caregiving responsibilities
18:54 The agenda for gerontologists, psychologists
22:50 Changing family structures – pyramid vs beenpole; many generations alive at the same time
26:48 Caregiving is an inevitable part of life
30:21 The role of care managers
32:42 How she got interested in gerontology
35:10 Reframing retirement as an adventure

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/69092637Wed, 17 Dec 2025 09:44:36 +0000Anuradha Varma“Keenagers” or senior teenagers in their second innings are falling into adventures and passions they may have left behind as they pursued careers, says Dr Corinne Auman, an American gerontologist and care manager who is on a mission to change the...“Keenagers” or senior teenagers in their second innings are falling into adventures and passions they may have left behind as they pursued careers, says Dr Corinne Auman, an American gerontologist and care manager who is on a mission to change the conversation around ageing. Her book "Keenagers: Telling a New Story about Aging" emphasises that the years between 55 and 80 are an extended middle adulthood, not a decline. 

Listen in as she talks about reframing retirement, changing family structures and more!

Follow Corinne on LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

Timestamps:
01:10 Increased longevity, adding more years to the middle
03:24 Calling the book “Keenagers”, highly developed, a keen interest in something
06:45 Preparing to transition into the next innings
09:47 No two Keenagers are the same; how to be a “keenager”
13:00 Development theories miss the extended middle years
15:50 The 70+ generation taking on caregiving responsibilities
18:54 The agenda for gerontologists, psychologists
22:50 Changing family structures – pyramid vs beenpole; many generations alive at the same time
26:48 Caregiving is an inevitable part of life
30:21 The role of care managers
32:42 How she got interested in gerontology
35:10 Reframing retirement as an adventure

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>2359ageing,keenagers,seniorsfalse67fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-66-arun-dohle-adoptee-rights-council-how-he-met-his-mother--69003918“When a family member goes missing, you can’t just go on,” remarks Arun Dohle, who met his birth mother after a search of 17 years, when asked about the urge to look for his biological roots. 
 
Despite a reunion, it remains a tragic story at heart, says Dohle, who is the Founder-Director of Against Child Trafficking (ACT), a globally recognised non profit that works to prevent child trafficking for intercountry adoption, and Adoptee Rights Council (ARC), which helps other Indian adoptees trace their roots. 

Born in India in 1973 and adopted as an infant by a German couple, he started his search in India for his roots in 1993, finally being reunited with his mother in 2010, after a landmark Supreme Court case granted him access to the records. 

Here, he talks about how adoption can mask global child trafficking, his efforts in uncovering the facade of “saving children” at the highest levels along with whistleblower Roelie Post, and the conflict between privacy rights of the birth mother and an adoptee’s right to know. He also mentions the need for supporting single pregnant women institutionally as many, he says, are forced to give up the baby for adoption without consent.

Listen in!

Related episode: Ep 70: ‘Single Papa’ Aditya Tiwari: Adoption, Down Syndrome, and an Everest Base Camp dream

Timestamps:
01:17 Helping Natasha track her birth parents through Adoptee Rights Council
05:24 Often no informed consent of mothers during adoption; crime against humanity
10:30 Constitutional support for adoptees
15:06 A wall of secrecy for adoptee records
20:40 Adoption as “modern slavery”, losing their identity
23:50 Growing up brown in a white household
28:55 Being invited home by his birth mom and her husband
33:00 An urge to find his genetic roots
37:48 The mothers’ point of view
40:30 The EU experience; uncovering the facade of “saving children” internationally
01:00:00 The manifesto of Adoptee Rights Council (ARC) & Against Child Trafficking (ACT)
01:07:29 Tracing the fathers
01:09:35 Meeting extended family; not able to communicate in his mother's language

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/69003918Fri, 12 Dec 2025 08:49:50 +0000Anuradha Varma“When a family member goes missing, you can’t just go on,” remarks https://www.linkedin.com/in/arun-dohle-249810/, who met his birth mother after a search of 17 years, when asked about the urge to look for his biological roots.    Despite a reunion,...“When a family member goes missing, you can’t just go on,” remarks Arun Dohle, who met his birth mother after a search of 17 years, when asked about the urge to look for his biological roots. 
 
Despite a reunion, it remains a tragic story at heart, says Dohle, who is the Founder-Director of Against Child Trafficking (ACT), a globally recognised non profit that works to prevent child trafficking for intercountry adoption, and Adoptee Rights Council (ARC), which helps other Indian adoptees trace their roots. 

Born in India in 1973 and adopted as an infant by a German couple, he started his search in India for his roots in 1993, finally being reunited with his mother in 2010, after a landmark Supreme Court case granted him access to the records. 

Here, he talks about how adoption can mask global child trafficking, his efforts in uncovering the facade of “saving children” at the highest levels along with whistleblower Roelie Post, and the conflict between privacy rights of the birth mother and an adoptee’s right to know. He also mentions the need for supporting single pregnant women institutionally as many, he says, are forced to give up the baby for adoption without consent.

Listen in!

Related episode: Ep 70: ‘Single Papa’ Aditya Tiwari: Adoption, Down Syndrome, and an Everest Base Camp dream

Timestamps:
01:17 Helping Natasha track her birth parents through Adoptee Rights Council
05:24 Often no informed consent of mothers during adoption; crime against humanity
10:30 Constitutional support for adoptees
15:06 A wall of secrecy for adoptee records
20:40 Adoption as “modern slavery”, losing their identity
23:50 Growing up brown in a white household
28:55 Being invited home by his birth mom and her husband
33:00 An urge to find his genetic roots
37:48 The mothers’ point of view
40:30 The EU experience; uncovering the facade of “saving children” internationally
01:00:00 The manifesto of Adoptee Rights Council (ARC) & Against Child Trafficking (ACT)
01:07:29 Tracing the fathers
01:09:35 Meeting extended family; not able to communicate in his mother's language

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>4327adoption,adoptionrights,birthmother,childtraffickingfalse66fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-65-rajiv-antao-aa-to-pernoctated-scrabble-is-a-sport-of-words-numbers--68931502Aa, ja, alength, viewy…these are all valid Scrabble words, says Rajiv Antao, Executive Member, Scrabble Association of India and consistently among the top 100 players in India. He talks about his vision to push the game as a professional sport, while increasing memberships across the country through clubs and tournaments. 

Scrabble, he believes, scores over chess as it’s a game of not just logic but numbers and vocabulary as well, something that should make Indian parents happy! He also talks about his famous game with world champion Nigel Richards, from New Zealand, in 2024 and the winning word “pernoctated” played by the latter. Listen in!

Timestamps:
01:13 How active is Scrabble in India?
04:51 Sponsors; 2019 world championship held in Goa
07:10 Spreading the word around Scrabble in schools
09:20 Scrabble rules; his tournament with world champion Nigel Richards
16:20 Words from his game with Richards—alength, aa, awa, viewy, etc
21:00 The game is growing gradually
24:12 Best letters in Scrabble
28:00 Scrabble not recognised as a sport in India
30:35 Is Scrabble popular with youngsters?
37:25 Scrabble champions from India

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/68931502Sun, 07 Dec 2025 18:47:44 +0000Anuradha VarmaAa, ja, alength, viewy…these are all valid Scrabble words, says Rajiv Antao, Executive Member, https://indianscrabble.com/ and consistently among the top 100 players in India. He talks about his vision to push the game as a professional sport, while...Aa, ja, alength, viewy…these are all valid Scrabble words, says Rajiv Antao, Executive Member, Scrabble Association of India and consistently among the top 100 players in India. He talks about his vision to push the game as a professional sport, while increasing memberships across the country through clubs and tournaments. 

Scrabble, he believes, scores over chess as it’s a game of not just logic but numbers and vocabulary as well, something that should make Indian parents happy! He also talks about his famous game with world champion Nigel Richards, from New Zealand, in 2024 and the winning word “pernoctated” played by the latter. Listen in!

Timestamps:
01:13 How active is Scrabble in India?
04:51 Sponsors; 2019 world championship held in Goa
07:10 Spreading the word around Scrabble in schools
09:20 Scrabble rules; his tournament with world champion Nigel Richards
16:20 Words from his game with Richards—alength, aa, awa, viewy, etc
21:00 The game is growing gradually
24:12 Best letters in Scrabble
28:00 Scrabble not recognised as a sport in India
30:35 Is Scrabble popular with youngsters?
37:25 Scrabble champions from India

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>2522nigelrichards,scrabble,scrabbleinindia,scrabblewordsfalse65fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-64-susmit-pratik-ketlee-tea-can-be-100-years-old--68693275Just like wine and whisky, aged tea is a concept that has been around for years, especially in China, known as “pu-erh” teas that can be over a hundred-years-old. In India, Susmit Pratik, founder of Ketlee, decided to experiment with the variety through tea-growers in Manipur in 2018. 

As tea ages, the Ranchi-based entrepreneur tells us, it loses its astringency and bitterness as sweeter, more fruity notes take over. Listen in as he talks about what goes into the process of ageing tea, how to serve it, whether you can age it at home, and his vision to offer tea from the remotest corners from India, tapping Ladakh, Nagaland, Tripura and beyond.

Ultimately, he says, sipping tea is all about experiencing joy, in whatever form one decides to have it! 

Follow Susmit on LinkedIn | Instagram | Website
To buy: Aged tea from Ketlee

Timestamps:
01:08 Aged or pu-erh tea
04:26 Tea trees as tall as mango trees in Manipur
05:36 Working with tea since 2015
07:02 Starting with aged tea
09:30 Factors that influence tea flavour
11:28 Falap tea from Arunachal Pradesh and Assam
13:25 Aged tea availability15:00 Producers making aged tea
16:00 Tea cakes or pearls, brewed in a gaiwan; pricing
17:55 Quite an experience19:00 Preserving tea at home
20:00 Does regular tea have an expiry date?
23:20 Tea trends overall
25:03 Flavoured teas
26:30 Orthodox (loose leaf black tea) vs CTC (crush, tear, curl for milk tea)
27:38 Tea drinking more popular
28:14 Providing wholesale tea for retailers
29:10 Vision for Kettle; tea industry outlook
31:33 Promoting the joy of tea drinking 

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/68693275Sun, 30 Nov 2025 16:43:16 +0000Anuradha VarmaJust like wine and whisky, aged tea is a concept that has been around for years, especially in China, known as “pu-erh” teas that can be over a hundred-years-old. In India, Susmit Pratik, founder of http://ketlee.in, decided to experiment with the...Just like wine and whisky, aged tea is a concept that has been around for years, especially in China, known as “pu-erh” teas that can be over a hundred-years-old. In India, Susmit Pratik, founder of Ketlee, decided to experiment with the variety through tea-growers in Manipur in 2018. 

As tea ages, the Ranchi-based entrepreneur tells us, it loses its astringency and bitterness as sweeter, more fruity notes take over. Listen in as he talks about what goes into the process of ageing tea, how to serve it, whether you can age it at home, and his vision to offer tea from the remotest corners from India, tapping Ladakh, Nagaland, Tripura and beyond.

Ultimately, he says, sipping tea is all about experiencing joy, in whatever form one decides to have it! 

Follow Susmit on LinkedIn | Instagram | Website
To buy: Aged tea from Ketlee

Timestamps:
01:08 Aged or pu-erh tea
04:26 Tea trees as tall as mango trees in Manipur
05:36 Working with tea since 2015
07:02 Starting with aged tea
09:30 Factors that influence tea flavour
11:28 Falap tea from Arunachal Pradesh and Assam
13:25 Aged tea availability15:00 Producers making aged tea
16:00 Tea cakes or pearls, brewed in a gaiwan; pricing
17:55 Quite an experience19:00 Preserving tea at home
20:00 Does regular tea have an expiry date?
23:20 Tea trends overall
25:03 Flavoured teas
26:30 Orthodox (loose leaf black tea) vs CTC (crush, tear, curl for milk tea)
27:38 Tea drinking more popular
28:14 Providing wholesale tea for retailers
29:10 Vision for Kettle; tea industry outlook
31:33 Promoting the joy of tea drinking 

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>1967agedtea,indiantea,teadrinkingfalse64fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-63-june-edward-psychic-medium-spirits-guardian-angels-and-the-afterlife--68694432A psychic medium is like a radio between this world and the next, explains June Edward, an American medium and relationship expert. She talks about a friendly woman (a spirit) keeping her company as she did the dishes as a child, having bread thrown at her by a ghost because she wouldn’t entertain him during “non-working hours”, solving missing persons cases, and the hierarchy of the spirit world.

She also talks about her near death experience (NDE), the five profound lessons we are meant to learn in this life, and scripting our life plan before we arrive here. Listen in!

June’s books: All's Fair in Love & Karma – 5 Steps to Relationship Mastery | A Night On The Other Side – Insights and Conversations from Heaven | Dancing With the Universe: The Making of a Medium Thriving not just Surviving through Dysfunction

Follow June on LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Website

Timestamps:
01:25 What is a medium?
06:50 Initially not able to turn off psychic abilities
09:16 Being disturbed by a ghost during “non-working hours”
12:36 How do you discern if it’s real?
14:30 Spirit encounters in hospital with her father; missing persons
20:15 Choosing our life plan
24:00 Difference between “I think” and “I know”
27:39 Her near death experience (NDE) at 27
32:11 The hierarchy of spirits – guardian angels, angels, etc
34:24 What are guardian angels vs angels and ascended masters?
39:10 Soul groups that travels across lifetimes; karmic relationships
41:32 Twin flames are rare; soulmates
44:30 The five lessons we have to learn – self-worth, trust & communication, unconditional love, balance, patience
52:55 Learning how to ask the universe for what you want
54:53 Her Relationship Mastery Program

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/68694432Sat, 22 Nov 2025 16:26:08 +0000Anuradha VarmaA psychic medium is like a radio between this world and the next, explains https://www.instagram.com/juneedwardmassmedium/, an American medium and relationship expert. She talks about a friendly woman (a spirit) keeping her company as she did the...A psychic medium is like a radio between this world and the next, explains June Edward, an American medium and relationship expert. She talks about a friendly woman (a spirit) keeping her company as she did the dishes as a child, having bread thrown at her by a ghost because she wouldn’t entertain him during “non-working hours”, solving missing persons cases, and the hierarchy of the spirit world.

She also talks about her near death experience (NDE), the five profound lessons we are meant to learn in this life, and scripting our life plan before we arrive here. Listen in!

June’s books: All's Fair in Love & Karma – 5 Steps to Relationship Mastery | A Night On The Other Side – Insights and Conversations from Heaven | Dancing With the Universe: The Making of a Medium Thriving not just Surviving through Dysfunction

Follow June on LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Website

Timestamps:
01:25 What is a medium?
06:50 Initially not able to turn off psychic abilities
09:16 Being disturbed by a ghost during “non-working hours”
12:36 How do you discern if it’s real?
14:30 Spirit encounters in hospital with her father; missing persons
20:15 Choosing our life plan
24:00 Difference between “I think” and “I know”
27:39 Her near death experience (NDE) at 27
32:11 The hierarchy of spirits – guardian angels, angels, etc
34:24 What are guardian angels vs angels and ascended masters?
39:10 Soul groups that travels across lifetimes; karmic relationships
41:32 Twin flames are rare; soulmates
44:30 The five lessons we have to learn – self-worth, trust & communication, unconditional love, balance, patience
52:55 Learning how to ask the universe for what you want
54:53 Her Relationship Mastery Program

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>3551afterlife,nde,neardeathexperience,paranormal,psychicmedium,spiritworldfalse63fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-62-anil-gupta-the-love-doctor-how-to-be-your-best-version--68458244Indian-origin, US-based Anil Gupta, internationally known as The Love Doctor, shares his Happiness Formula to take relationships to the next level and increase one’s vibrational energy. 

The author of Immediate Happiness talks about hitting rock bottom, being plagued with suicidal thoughts, and finding inspiration once again to continue to help others be the best version of themselves. He also shares a Daily Clearance exercise for families to deepen their connection. 

Through his work, he has helped singles, couples and families across 18 countries overcome their struggles and live richer lives filled with love. He has coached celebrities including Mike Tyson. His upcoming self-paced online programme will help people ask the right questions to find their dream partner. 

Listen in!

Follow Anil Gupta: Instagram | Website | | YouTube | Book a Call 

Timestamps:
02:15 Easier to accept friends as they are than family
04:40 Lines of demarcation; choose the big stuff
06:34 Why push for more
08:40 The formula for happiness – G3
13:57 The Daily Clearance exercise
18:45 How to make your partner a No. 1 priority
20:06 The biggest mistake in relationships, 3 filters to apply 
23:17 Anil’s Smart Select System, a self-paced program to find a partner
24:00 Inspiration vs motivation
25:15 Bouncing back from rock bottom; applying the Happiness Formula
28:10 The sentence that changed his life 
28:43 The impact of forgiveness and letting go
30:20 Growing up as a “coconut”, brown Indian boy in white London
33:00 A message about self-love

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/68458244Mon, 17 Nov 2025 01:30:08 +0000Anuradha VarmaIndian-origin, US-based http://linkedin.com/in/anilgupta-lovedoctor, internationally known as The Love Doctor, shares his Happiness Formula to take relationships to the next level and increase one’s vibrational energy.  The author...Indian-origin, US-based Anil Gupta, internationally known as The Love Doctor, shares his Happiness Formula to take relationships to the next level and increase one’s vibrational energy. 

The author of Immediate Happiness talks about hitting rock bottom, being plagued with suicidal thoughts, and finding inspiration once again to continue to help others be the best version of themselves. He also shares a Daily Clearance exercise for families to deepen their connection. 

Through his work, he has helped singles, couples and families across 18 countries overcome their struggles and live richer lives filled with love. He has coached celebrities including Mike Tyson. His upcoming self-paced online programme will help people ask the right questions to find their dream partner. 

Listen in!

Follow Anil Gupta: Instagram | Website | | YouTube | Book a Call 

Timestamps:
02:15 Easier to accept friends as they are than family
04:40 Lines of demarcation; choose the big stuff
06:34 Why push for more
08:40 The formula for happiness – G3
13:57 The Daily Clearance exercise
18:45 How to make your partner a No. 1 priority
20:06 The biggest mistake in relationships, 3 filters to apply 
23:17 Anil’s Smart Select System, a self-paced program to find a partner
24:00 Inspiration vs motivation
25:15 Bouncing back from rock bottom; applying the Happiness Formula
28:10 The sentence that changed his life 
28:43 The impact of forgiveness and letting go
30:20 Growing up as a “coconut”, brown Indian boy in white London
33:00 A message about self-love

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>2049happinessformula,lovedoctor,motivationpodcast,personalgrowth,relationshipgoals,selfawareness,transformyourlifefalse62fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-61-stan-lai-playwright-can-creativity-be-taught--68446166A major contemporary Asian playwright, Stan Lai has over 40 plays to his credit, including the eight hour-long A Dream Like a Dream, for which the plot came to him in a flash at Bodh Gaya. His book Creativitry, on teaching creativity, has sold one million copies in the Chinese language, and has now been published in English.

Born in the US and raised in Taiwan, with a career spanning the Chinese diaspora, Lai says he dreams in Chinese as well as in English. He is also an award-winning filmmaker and long-time educator with a PhD from Berkeley. 

Here, he talks about his career of over four decades as a writer and director, his celebrated plays that explore themes of displacement and vulnerability, many of which are staged at his 700-seater Theatre Above in Shanghai. Among them is ‘Ago’, a five-and-a-half hour-long play on the quest for a mythical Buddhist “pure land”, based partly in Sikkim, and inspired by the Tibetan struggle.

He also talks about how creativity can be taught, and the importance of asking the right questions to lead us to wisdom, and what it truly means to be wise.

Timestamps:
01:10 On his book ‘Creativitry’
02:16 His career spanning Taiwan, China and the US
13:20 Sparking creativity in his students; getting an epiphany at Bodh Gaya, India
17:30 Teaching wisdom; what is wisdom?
21:15 His ‘Map of Creativity’; wisdom in Buddhist philosophy
29:14 His perspective as a bicultural ‘outsider-insider’
30:55 His visits to India, starting in the late 80s
34:50 On his plays, writing about themes of displacement
37:36 His plays in English, including ‘Ago’
39:52 About the eight-hour long play ‘A Dream Like a Dream’
47:00 Can creativity be taught?
50:50 The motivation to be creative
55:45 Creativity exercises
59:50 Theatre teaches teamwork
1:01:00 Getting into theatre by accident

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/68446166Mon, 10 Nov 2025 14:00:13 +0000Anuradha VarmaA major contemporary Asian playwright, Stan Lai has over 40 plays to his credit, including the eight hour-long A Dream Like a Dream, for which the plot came to him in a flash at Bodh Gaya. His...A major contemporary Asian playwright, Stan Lai has over 40 plays to his credit, including the eight hour-long A Dream Like a Dream, for which the plot came to him in a flash at Bodh Gaya. His book Creativitry, on teaching creativity, has sold one million copies in the Chinese language, and has now been published in English.

Born in the US and raised in Taiwan, with a career spanning the Chinese diaspora, Lai says he dreams in Chinese as well as in English. He is also an award-winning filmmaker and long-time educator with a PhD from Berkeley. 

Here, he talks about his career of over four decades as a writer and director, his celebrated plays that explore themes of displacement and vulnerability, many of which are staged at his 700-seater Theatre Above in Shanghai. Among them is ‘Ago’, a five-and-a-half hour-long play on the quest for a mythical Buddhist “pure land”, based partly in Sikkim, and inspired by the Tibetan struggle.

He also talks about how creativity can be taught, and the importance of asking the right questions to lead us to wisdom, and what it truly means to be wise.

Timestamps:
01:10 On his book ‘Creativitry’
02:16 His career spanning Taiwan, China and the US
13:20 Sparking creativity in his students; getting an epiphany at Bodh Gaya, India
17:30 Teaching wisdom; what is wisdom?
21:15 His ‘Map of Creativity’; wisdom in Buddhist philosophy
29:14 His perspective as a bicultural ‘outsider-insider’
30:55 His visits to India, starting in the late 80s
34:50 On his plays, writing about themes of displacement
37:36 His plays in English, including ‘Ago’
39:52 About the eight-hour long play ‘A Dream Like a Dream’
47:00 Can creativity be taught?
50:50 The motivation to be creative
55:45 Creativity exercises
59:50 Theatre teaches teamwork
1:01:00 Getting into theatre by accident

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>3838buddhism,creativity,theatre,wisdomfalse61fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-60-russell-van-brocklen-the-dyslexia-professor-writing-is-the-key-to-reading--68412437At 21, Russell Van Brocklen struggled with learning, at a reading ability of a six-year-old. However, an epiphany during a college class helped him work through his challenges and develop a system that has helped several others. The American believes that dyslexia is not a reading problem, but merely a symptom. A dyslexia researcher, whose initial project was New York State Senate‑funded, he believes the key to increase reading speed lies in writing and building vocabulary, while focusing on the child’s specific interests. 

Listen in as he shares his own experiences and tips for parents to flip the script for their children.

Check out his website | Instagram 

Timestamps:
01:20 His journey with dyslexia, being diagnosed with the reading and writing skill of a six-year-old at 21
04:35 Solving his reading and writing challenges
08:23 His model for kids in general as well as those with ADHD and dyslexia
12:15 How to learn something from the general to the specific
23:05 How to use context to simplify learning; Romeo and Juliet
33:00 Using universal themes as a hook
40:53 Fixing his issues; getting the epiphany
45:00 A case study of his dyslexic student who aced her reading assignments
48:47 Getting a child to read

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com
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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/68412437Tue, 04 Nov 2025 12:52:46 +0000Anuradha VarmaAt 21, https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-van-brocklen-2007ab87/ struggled with learning, at a reading ability of a six-year-old. However, an epiphany during a college class helped him work through his challenges and develop a system that has helped...At 21, Russell Van Brocklen struggled with learning, at a reading ability of a six-year-old. However, an epiphany during a college class helped him work through his challenges and develop a system that has helped several others. The American believes that dyslexia is not a reading problem, but merely a symptom. A dyslexia researcher, whose initial project was New York State Senate‑funded, he believes the key to increase reading speed lies in writing and building vocabulary, while focusing on the child’s specific interests. 

Listen in as he shares his own experiences and tips for parents to flip the script for their children.

Check out his website | Instagram 

Timestamps:
01:20 His journey with dyslexia, being diagnosed with the reading and writing skill of a six-year-old at 21
04:35 Solving his reading and writing challenges
08:23 His model for kids in general as well as those with ADHD and dyslexia
12:15 How to learn something from the general to the specific
23:05 How to use context to simplify learning; Romeo and Juliet
33:00 Using universal themes as a hook
40:53 Fixing his issues; getting the epiphany
45:00 A case study of his dyslexic student who aced her reading assignments
48:47 Getting a child to read

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com
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]]>3461dyslexia,learningdisability,teachingtoolsfalse60fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-59-robin-singh-peepal-farm-animals-are-people-too--68228610Happiness 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 
Check out Peepal Farm merchandise

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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/68228610Tue, 21 Oct 2025 16:04:11 +0000Anuradha VarmaHappiness is a consequence of doing the right thing, says https://www.linkedin.com/in/locaterobin/, author of https://www.amazon.in/Happiness-Happens-Everything-Purpose-Driven-Simplicity/dp/0143474073. He returned from a successful tech career in the...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 
Check out Peepal Farm merchandise

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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>2404animalrescue,doglovers,farmlife,peepalfarm,robinsingh,sustainablelivingfalse59fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-58-mehbs-remtulla-what-s-next-50-finding-purpose-after-50--68178963The 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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/68178963Fri, 17 Oct 2025 14:16:29 +0000Anuradha VarmaThe longevity strategy is the growth strategy for companies, believes https://www.linkedin.com/in/gearshifting/overlay/about-this-profile/, the Founder & CEO of https://whatsnext50.com/about/, which is on a mission to empower "builders" or...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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>3226findingpurpose,growthmindset,longevityfalse58fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-57-nautch-boy-manish-gaekwad-on-growing-up-in-a-kotha--67583859Life 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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/67583859Mon, 01 Sep 2025 19:15:45 +0000Anuradha VarmaLife outside the kotha is really quite drab, remarks https://www.linkedin.com/in/manish-gaekwad-2ab2141/, son of Rekha bai, the subject of his book “https://www.amazon.in/Last-Courtesan-Writing-Mothers-Memoir/dp/9356993122”. Here, he chats about its...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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>4215gender,lifeinakotha,tawaifculturefalse57fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-56-michael-bach-creating-safe-inclusive-workplaces--67532304Queer, 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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/67532304Wed, 27 Aug 2025 16:52:01 +0000Anuradha VarmaQueer, trans or gender fabulous, there should be a safe space for everyone at the workplace, says Canadian https://www.michaelbach.com/, an internationally recognised thought leader in diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility.  Here, he talks...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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>2303genderneutral,inclusivity,lgbt,safeworkplacesfalse56fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-55-shalini-singh-indians-don-t-know-how-to-date--67332296Shalini 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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/67332296Mon, 11 Aug 2025 15:41:05 +0000Anuradha VarmaOne can find their partner in six months if they’re doing it right, assures https://www.linkedin.com/in/theshalinisingh/, founder of https://andwemet.com/, building a community for Indian singles over 28 to find serious relationships. First, however,...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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>2843dating,indianmatchmaker,matchmakingfalse55fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-54-the-blind-blogger-maxwell-ivey-why-accessibility-matters--66924882Maxwell 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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/66924882Thu, 10 Jul 2025 11:01:10 +0000Anuradha VarmaMaxwell 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....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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>3237accessibility,blindblogger,disability,inclusionfalse54fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-53-maya-raichoora-visualisation-for-mental-fitness--66848376At 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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com
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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/66848376Thu, 03 Jul 2025 10:27:39 +0000Anuradha VarmaAt 27, https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-raichoora/ is one of UK’s top mental fitness and visualisation experts and the author of https://www.amazon.in/Visualise-Think-Feel-Perform-Like/dp/1846048524. When she was younger, a debilitating encounter with...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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com
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]]>2629goals,manifestation,mentalfitness,visualisationfalse53fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-52-leigh-branham-the-best-leaders-had-bad-bosses--66631553“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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/66631553Thu, 19 Jun 2025 17:24:54 +0000Anuradha Varma“I’m on a mission to put pressure on companies to be better places to work,” says https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigh-branham-7aa323/, international bestselling author of four books including...“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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>2742employeeretention,leighbranham,reasonsemployeesleavefalse52fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-51-neeraj-sagar-wisdomcircle-don-t-retire-find-a-purpose--66380139We’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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/66380139Tue, 03 Jun 2025 11:05:45 +0000Anuradha VarmaWe’re all living longer, but how do we constructively utilise these extra years? https://www.linkedin.com/in/neerajsagar/r, Founder & CEO of https://wisdomcircle.com/, which is building a post-retirement work marketplace, talks about creating...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...]]>3464agetech,neerajsagar,seniorjobs,wisdomcirclefalse51fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-50-shobha-viswanath-karadi-tales-the-soundtrack-of-indian-childhood--66190260When 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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/66190260Wed, 21 May 2025 19:36:32 +0000Anuradha VarmaWhen http://www.linkedin.com/in/shobhavish/ 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 http://www.karaditales.com/ and its...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: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>2946audiobooks,childrensbooks,karaditales,picturebooks,shobhaviswanathfalse50fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-49-leadership-coach-dr-marcia-reynolds-reflective-inquiry-neuroplasticity--65965790From being in jail at barely 20-years-old, facing prison time on a drug charge and feeling, “My whole life, one stupid mess after another,” international leadership coach Dr Marcia Reynolds has come a long way. Nearly 50 years later, she counts among the top voices in coaching.

Here, she talks about the power of reflective inquiry and how it forces one to look deep within and take hard life decisions. She also debunks the “crazy belief” that the coach must ask only open-ended, not closed questions. A coach or thinking partner, she says, gives people the courage to step into the decision they know they want to take. She also warns one against the “shoulds”—”Ask yourself, who made that rule?”

Based in the US, Dr. Marcia Reynolds, Master Certified Coach and president of Covisioning LLC, is a pioneer in the coaching profession and was the 5th global president of the International Coaching Federation and inducted into their Circle of Distinction for her many years of service to the global coaching community. She is recognised by Global Gurus as one of the top five coaches in the world. 

She has provided coaching and training in 47 countries, to thousands of coaches and leaders online, is on faculty for coaching schools in the US, Asia, and Eastern Europe. She holds a doctorate in organisational psychology, besides two master’s degrees in learning psychology and communications. 

Listen in!

Dr. Marcia Reynolds’ books include:

• Coach the Person, Not the Problem: A Guide to Using Reflective Inquiry
• Outsmart Your Brain: How to Master Your Mind When Emotions Take the Wheel 
• Unexpected Angels: A Six Month Journey Into Light
• Wander Woman: How High-Achieving Women Find Contentment and Direction
• Breakthrough Coaching: Creating Lightbulb Moments in Your Coaching Conversations 
• The Discomfort Zone: How Leaders Turn Difficult Conversations Into Breakthroughs 

Timestamps:
01:40 Starting 50 years ago, from jail to leadership coaching
09:00 Walked through a dark tunnel to learn lessons
10:20 From a corporate career to becoming a founding member of the ICF
15:00 What is coaching? Becoming a thinking partner for clients
20:42 Reflective statements combined with enquiry
26:03 An outcome is not an action; finding purpose for a client
29:43 Reflective enquiry taps into the middle brain and long-term memories
31:50 Open-ended vs closed questions, forming connections
37:42 Common threads in client issues
41:25 Giving space to feel the emotion

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/65965790Wed, 07 May 2025 08:27:01 +0000Anuradha VarmaFrom being in jail at barely 20-years-old, facing prison time on a drug charge and feeling, “My whole life, one stupid mess after another,” international leadership coach https://www.linkedin.com/in/marciareynolds/ has come a long way. Nearly 50 years...From being in jail at barely 20-years-old, facing prison time on a drug charge and feeling, “My whole life, one stupid mess after another,” international leadership coach Dr Marcia Reynolds has come a long way. Nearly 50 years later, she counts among the top voices in coaching.

Here, she talks about the power of reflective inquiry and how it forces one to look deep within and take hard life decisions. She also debunks the “crazy belief” that the coach must ask only open-ended, not closed questions. A coach or thinking partner, she says, gives people the courage to step into the decision they know they want to take. She also warns one against the “shoulds”—”Ask yourself, who made that rule?”

Based in the US, Dr. Marcia Reynolds, Master Certified Coach and president of Covisioning LLC, is a pioneer in the coaching profession and was the 5th global president of the International Coaching Federation and inducted into their Circle of Distinction for her many years of service to the global coaching community. She is recognised by Global Gurus as one of the top five coaches in the world. 

She has provided coaching and training in 47 countries, to thousands of coaches and leaders online, is on faculty for coaching schools in the US, Asia, and Eastern Europe. She holds a doctorate in organisational psychology, besides two master’s degrees in learning psychology and communications. 

Listen in!

Dr. Marcia Reynolds’ books include:

• Coach the Person, Not the Problem: A Guide to Using Reflective Inquiry
• Outsmart Your Brain: How to Master Your Mind When Emotions Take the Wheel 
• Unexpected Angels: A Six Month Journey Into Light
• Wander Woman: How High-Achieving Women Find Contentment and Direction
• Breakthrough Coaching: Creating Lightbulb Moments in Your Coaching Conversations 
• The Discomfort Zone: How Leaders Turn Difficult Conversations Into Breakthroughs 

Timestamps:
01:40 Starting 50 years ago, from jail to leadership coaching
09:00 Walked through a dark tunnel to learn lessons
10:20 From a corporate career to becoming a founding member of the ICF
15:00 What is coaching? Becoming a thinking partner for clients
20:42 Reflective statements combined with enquiry
26:03 An outcome is not an action; finding purpose for a client
29:43 Reflective enquiry taps into the middle brain and long-term memories
31:50 Open-ended vs closed questions, forming connections
37:42 Common threads in client issues
41:25 Giving space to feel the emotion

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | 2656icfcorecompetencies,leadershipcoaching,marciareynoldsfalse49fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-48-polyamorist-arundhati-ghosh-all-love-is-messy-beautiful--65647513For Arundhati Ghosh, polyamory means “the desire, the ability and the practice of loving more than one person simultaneously, with or without sexual intimacy, and with the consent of all.” A practising polyamorist, cultural practitioner and social activist, the 53-year-old is the author of All Our Loves: Journeys with Polyamory in India, published by Aleph.

In her earlier years, she felt her feelings resonated with Ghalib’s couplet, Hazaron khwahishen aisi ki har khwahish pe dam nikle; Bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle.” Here, she talks about how polyamory is not shallow, but a deep exploration of love, her dislike of the overarching concept of “one true love”, dealing with jealousy and the idea of commitment.

In this candid talk, Arundhati talks about exploring relationships minus the “relationship escalator” or conventional stops of marriage and dating, living a life that is “more honest and truthful to myself and others”. She quotes late author John Berger: "Never again shall a single story be told as though it were the only one." Listen in!

Timestamps:
01:00 What is polyamory and how is it different from a “situationship”?
08:30 One true love and the monogamy as a majoritarian trend
16:36 The relationship escalator…what’s next?
20:40 On her experience of monogamy
22:25 Her journey with polyamory
27:27 Polyamory historically in cultures
28:47 Navigating social openness as a polyamorist
33:53 Being a solo polyamorist and living with loneliness
35:45 Nesting partners and dealing with jealousy
45:11 What commitment means in polyamory
50:47 Managing multiple relationships; setting boundaries
56:00 The Indian legal system and polyamory
01:00:05 Red flags in polyamory; gaslighting
01:06:20 Who is it for?
01:09:10 Why polyamory works for her


Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/65647513Mon, 21 Apr 2025 06:34:04 +0000Anuradha VarmaFor https://www.instagram.com/aru.connect_/?hl=en, polyamory means “the desire, the ability and the practice of loving more than one person simultaneously, with or without sexual intimacy, and with the consent of all.” A practising polyamorist,...For Arundhati Ghosh, polyamory means “the desire, the ability and the practice of loving more than one person simultaneously, with or without sexual intimacy, and with the consent of all.” A practising polyamorist, cultural practitioner and social activist, the 53-year-old is the author of All Our Loves: Journeys with Polyamory in India, published by Aleph.

In her earlier years, she felt her feelings resonated with Ghalib’s couplet, Hazaron khwahishen aisi ki har khwahish pe dam nikle; Bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle.” Here, she talks about how polyamory is not shallow, but a deep exploration of love, her dislike of the overarching concept of “one true love”, dealing with jealousy and the idea of commitment.

In this candid talk, Arundhati talks about exploring relationships minus the “relationship escalator” or conventional stops of marriage and dating, living a life that is “more honest and truthful to myself and others”. She quotes late author John Berger: "Never again shall a single story be told as though it were the only one." Listen in!

Timestamps:
01:00 What is polyamory and how is it different from a “situationship”?
08:30 One true love and the monogamy as a majoritarian trend
16:36 The relationship escalator…what’s next?
20:40 On her experience of monogamy
22:25 Her journey with polyamory
27:27 Polyamory historically in cultures
28:47 Navigating social openness as a polyamorist
33:53 Being a solo polyamorist and living with loneliness
35:45 Nesting partners and dealing with jealousy
45:11 What commitment means in polyamory
50:47 Managing multiple relationships; setting boundaries
56:00 The Indian legal system and polyamory
01:00:05 Red flags in polyamory; gaslighting
01:06:20 Who is it for?
01:09:10 Why polyamory works for her


Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>4324arundhatighosh,manyloves,polyamory,polyamorybook,polyamoryinindiafalse48fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-47-sabita-radhakrishna-82-mismatched-blouses-networking--65429338At 82, Sabita Radhakrishna, founder chairperson of Udhavi, provides a networking platform to elderly people, with retro karaoke evenings, social visits at home, and more. She talks about facing loss, the importance of family, the joys of reconnecting with old friends, and pushing forward at all times. 

Sabita has several firsts to her credit, such as starting Chennai’s first boutique where she introduced the then “daring” trend of wearing mismatched blouses with saris, in the early Eighties. Her saris, with unique prints, were modelled by Hema Malini in women’s magazines of the time, she tells us. Her “Rekha blouses” with printed motifs on a high back were also a hit!

She shares some delightful reminiscences of impromptu picnics in the old days and male classmates pinning paper tails on her as a prank in school. A food columnist, broadcaster and active member of the Crafts Council of India, she has six cookbooks to her credit, including Paachakam on Kerala cuisine and Annapurni, containing heritage recipes from Tamil Nadu. Her next one is called Amma’s Kitchen. Listen in!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Sabita on Instagram | Facebook

Timestamps: 
01:34 What is Udhavi? Loneliness, the empty nest syndrome and living alone
09:10 Annual get-together & retro karaoke courtesy patron Nina Reddy of Savera Hotels
14:38 Why assisted living for seniors is practical
17:53 Studying in a co-educational school with boys, who pinned tails on them
20:44 How she and her husband remained connected to classmates
23:57 Idyllic weekends in the old days, dancing and going on picnics
28:00 Introducing mismatched blouses in her boutique, helping weavers during the pandemic
31:44 On her passion for cooking and her six cookbooks
37:48 Mismatched sari blouses were considered “daring”, in the early Eighties
43:10 On social media48:05 Advice for seniors who feel isolated

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/65429338Tue, 08 Apr 2025 08:25:44 +0000Anuradha VarmaAt 82, http://sabitaradhakrishna.net/, founder chairperson of https://udhavi.net/about/, provides a networking platform to elderly people, with retro karaoke evenings, social visits at home, and more. She talks about facing loss, the importance of...At 82, Sabita Radhakrishna, founder chairperson of Udhavi, provides a networking platform to elderly people, with retro karaoke evenings, social visits at home, and more. She talks about facing loss, the importance of family, the joys of reconnecting with old friends, and pushing forward at all times. 

Sabita has several firsts to her credit, such as starting Chennai’s first boutique where she introduced the then “daring” trend of wearing mismatched blouses with saris, in the early Eighties. Her saris, with unique prints, were modelled by Hema Malini in women’s magazines of the time, she tells us. Her “Rekha blouses” with printed motifs on a high back were also a hit!

She shares some delightful reminiscences of impromptu picnics in the old days and male classmates pinning paper tails on her as a prank in school. A food columnist, broadcaster and active member of the Crafts Council of India, she has six cookbooks to her credit, including Paachakam on Kerala cuisine and Annapurni, containing heritage recipes from Tamil Nadu. Her next one is called Amma’s Kitchen. Listen in!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Sabita on Instagram | Facebook

Timestamps: 
01:34 What is Udhavi? Loneliness, the empty nest syndrome and living alone
09:10 Annual get-together & retro karaoke courtesy patron Nina Reddy of Savera Hotels
14:38 Why assisted living for seniors is practical
17:53 Studying in a co-educational school with boys, who pinned tails on them
20:44 How she and her husband remained connected to classmates
23:57 Idyllic weekends in the old days, dancing and going on picnics
28:00 Introducing mismatched blouses in her boutique, helping weavers during the pandemic
31:44 On her passion for cooking and her six cookbooks
37:48 Mismatched sari blouses were considered “daring”, in the early Eighties
43:10 On social media48:05 Advice for seniors who feel isolated

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>3081heritagerecipes,networkingforseniors,seniorcitizensfalse47fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-46-ps-srikumar-why-india-s-seniors-can-t-be-ignored--64960799From travel to tourism, real estate and beyond, the silver economy is seeing a boom, says PS Srikumar, a senior care expert and the founder of Care Finder. Besides grappling with issues such as loneliness, senior citizens are a fun, vibrant community and want to live the good life, with products and services already recognising and catering to this demand.

Srikumar has helped over 9,000 families navigate the complexities of elder care, creating personalised solutions that enhance their quality of life. He mentions trends in senior living – assisted living and managed residences, innovative home solutions, etc. He also talks about curating unique gifting solutions such as an emotional grandmother using technology to reconnect with her grandson. Listen in!

Resources:
(These are purely informational and do not signify an endorsement.)

Elderline: National helpline for senior citizens: 14567

Senior care providers: 
* Athulya Senior Care
* KITES

Senior travel:
* Kare Voyage
* Silver Wings from Senior World
* Alaska Tours
* Bliss by Club Mahindra

Online communities:
* Sukoon Unlimited
* Silver Talkies

Services: 
* Goodfellows: Providing companionship for “grandpals”
* Wisdom Circle: Post-retirement jobs
* Udhavi: Networking for the elderly

Timestamps:
00:56: How his mother’s illness led him into senior care
06:32 The senior sector is booming like the IT industry
09:22 Seniors enjoy the good life
12:03 What seniors want; forming connections
15:25 Senior living comes in many forms
20:54 What are needs they approach him for
24:24 Seniors enjoy travelling
26:00 Senior-proofing your home
31:50 Pet therapy for seniors
32:36 Swivel seats for cars
34:06 Customised classes for ironing, Google Maps, making salads, etc
38:12 How a grandmother reconnected with her grandson through tech
45:24 Today’s seniors want to express themselves
48:35 When to enter a senior living community–buy or rent?
49:43 Seniors and loneliness, building intergenerational connections
01:02:13 Buy a car from your doorstep and other possibilities

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/64960799Tue, 18 Mar 2025 20:46:17 +0000Anuradha VarmaFrom travel to tourism, real estate and beyond, the silver economy is seeing a boom, says https://www.linkedin.com/in/srikumar-sampathkumaran/, a senior care expert and the founder of https://www.carefinder.in/. Besides grappling with issues such as...From travel to tourism, real estate and beyond, the silver economy is seeing a boom, says PS Srikumar, a senior care expert and the founder of Care Finder. Besides grappling with issues such as loneliness, senior citizens are a fun, vibrant community and want to live the good life, with products and services already recognising and catering to this demand.

Srikumar has helped over 9,000 families navigate the complexities of elder care, creating personalised solutions that enhance their quality of life. He mentions trends in senior living – assisted living and managed residences, innovative home solutions, etc. He also talks about curating unique gifting solutions such as an emotional grandmother using technology to reconnect with her grandson. Listen in!

Resources:
(These are purely informational and do not signify an endorsement.)

Elderline: National helpline for senior citizens: 14567

Senior care providers: 
* Athulya Senior Care
* KITES

Senior travel:
* Kare Voyage
* Silver Wings from Senior World
* Alaska Tours
* Bliss by Club Mahindra

Online communities:
* Sukoon Unlimited
* Silver Talkies

Services: 
* Goodfellows: Providing companionship for “grandpals”
* Wisdom Circle: Post-retirement jobs
* Udhavi: Networking for the elderly

Timestamps:
00:56: How his mother’s illness led him into senior care
06:32 The senior sector is booming like the IT industry
09:22 Seniors enjoy the good life
12:03 What seniors want; forming connections
15:25 Senior living comes in many forms
20:54 What are needs they approach him for
24:24 Seniors enjoy travelling
26:00 Senior-proofing your home
31:50 Pet therapy for seniors
32:36 Swivel seats for cars
34:06 Customised classes for ironing, Google Maps, making salads, etc
38:12 How a grandmother reconnected with her grandson through tech
45:24 Today’s seniors want to express themselves
48:35 When to enter a senior living community–buy or rent?
49:43 Seniors and loneliness, building intergenerational connections
01:02:13 Buy a car from your doorstep and other possibilities

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | 4491seniorcare,seniorcitizenlivingfacilities,silvereconomyfalse46fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-45-rhythm-malhotra-what-is-heart-activation-cacao-ceremony--64742707Most of us lead lives where we feel stuck, not allowing ourselves to feel our emotions fully. Business and embodiment coach Rhythm Malhotra talks about the transformative Heart Activation Cacao Ceremony, which brings together ceremonial-grade cacao, breathwork, and sound therapy for an emotional catharsis.

Cacao, which contains theobromine that increases blood flow to the heart, gently enhances mental clarity, presence and emotional agency, according to Rhythm. She talks about the role of conscious circular breathwork in preventive care to release trauma that is stored in our bodies.

Rhythm is part of FindYourFit’s Wellness Carnival 2025 being held at Gurugram’s DLF Cyber Hub on March 8th and 9th, 2025.

Listen in!

Cacao recipes, courtesy Rhythm Malhotra 
(Check with your doctor if you are on BP or anti-anxiety medication)

Want to try making your own cacao at home? Whether you prefer it hot or cold, here’s asimple way to prepare it with intention:

Warm Heart-Opening Cacao
A cosy, grounding drink for reflection and relaxation.
Ingredients:
● 1 cup warm water or plant-based milk (almond, oat, or coconut work well)
● 1.5 tbsp ceremonial-grade cacao (finely chopped or in paste form)
● 1 tsp maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar (optional)
● A pinch of cinnamon or cayenne (for extra warmth and activation)
● A dash of sea salt (enhances flavor and grounding)

Method:
1. Heat the water or milk until warm but not boiling.
2. Add the cacao and stir continuously with a spoon or whisk until fully melted.
3. Stir in the sweetener, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Pour into a cup, take a deep breath, and set an intention before sipping.

Refreshing Iced Cacao Elixir
A cooling, energising version for warmer days.
Ingredients:
● 1 cup cold water or plant-based milk
● 1.5 tbsp ceremonial-grade cacao
● 1 tsp maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar (optional)
● ½ tsp vanilla extract (for a smooth, aromatic flavor)
● A pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg● Ice cubes

Method:
1. Blend the cacao with cold water or milk until smooth. (You can also shake it in a jar if you don’t have a blender.)
2. Add the sweetener, vanilla, and cinnamon, then mix well.
3. Pour over ice cubes and enjoy mindfully.

Pro Tip: Sip slowly, breathe deeply, and notice how your body feels as you drink.Make it a ritual.

Timestamps
00:44 How Rhythm found alternate healing during Covid, post-MBA
07:49 Conscious breathwork and circular breathing to bring out stored trauma
12:46 Essential to do circular breathing with a practitioner
17:12 How the sessions work
21:19 What is heart activation?
26:39 Cacao as plant medicine
32:18 Sound as part of the therapy
33:47 Experiences during the Heart Activation Cacao Ceremony
35:30 Daily ritual for charity: 10 deep breaths
38:06 Who can have cacao and who cannot? How to consume cacao

Follow and share to grow the conversation.
Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/64742707Fri, 07 Mar 2025 06:05:06 +0000Anuradha VarmaMost of us lead lives where we feel stuck, not allowing ourselves to feel our emotions fully. Business and embodiment coach https://www.instagram.com/breathjourneys_/ talks about the transformative Heart Activation Cacao Ceremony, which brings...Most of us lead lives where we feel stuck, not allowing ourselves to feel our emotions fully. Business and embodiment coach Rhythm Malhotra talks about the transformative Heart Activation Cacao Ceremony, which brings together ceremonial-grade cacao, breathwork, and sound therapy for an emotional catharsis.

Cacao, which contains theobromine that increases blood flow to the heart, gently enhances mental clarity, presence and emotional agency, according to Rhythm. She talks about the role of conscious circular breathwork in preventive care to release trauma that is stored in our bodies.

Rhythm is part of FindYourFit’s Wellness Carnival 2025 being held at Gurugram’s DLF Cyber Hub on March 8th and 9th, 2025.

Listen in!

Cacao recipes, courtesy Rhythm Malhotra 
(Check with your doctor if you are on BP or anti-anxiety medication)

Want to try making your own cacao at home? Whether you prefer it hot or cold, here’s asimple way to prepare it with intention:

Warm Heart-Opening Cacao
A cosy, grounding drink for reflection and relaxation.
Ingredients:
● 1 cup warm water or plant-based milk (almond, oat, or coconut work well)
● 1.5 tbsp ceremonial-grade cacao (finely chopped or in paste form)
● 1 tsp maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar (optional)
● A pinch of cinnamon or cayenne (for extra warmth and activation)
● A dash of sea salt (enhances flavor and grounding)

Method:
1. Heat the water or milk until warm but not boiling.
2. Add the cacao and stir continuously with a spoon or whisk until fully melted.
3. Stir in the sweetener, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Pour into a cup, take a deep breath, and set an intention before sipping.

Refreshing Iced Cacao Elixir
A cooling, energising version for warmer days.
Ingredients:
● 1 cup cold water or plant-based milk
● 1.5 tbsp ceremonial-grade cacao
● 1 tsp maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar (optional)
● ½ tsp vanilla extract (for a smooth, aromatic flavor)
● A pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg● Ice cubes

Method:
1. Blend the cacao with cold water or milk until smooth. (You can also shake it in a jar if you don’t have a blender.)
2. Add the sweetener, vanilla, and cinnamon, then mix well.
3. Pour over ice cubes and enjoy mindfully.

Pro Tip: Sip slowly, breathe deeply, and notice how your body feels as you drink.Make it a ritual.

Timestamps
00:44 How Rhythm found alternate healing during Covid, post-MBA
07:49 Conscious breathwork and circular breathing to bring out stored trauma
12:46 Essential to do circular breathing with a practitioner
17:12 How the sessions work
21:19 What is heart activation?
26:39 Cacao as plant medicine
32:18 Sound as part of the therapy
33:47 Experiences during the Heart Activation Cacao Ceremony
35:30 Daily ritual for charity: 10 deep breaths
38:06 Who can have cacao and who cannot? How to consume cacao

Follow and share to grow the conversation.
Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | 2536cacao,ceremonialgradecacao,consciousbreathwork,heartactivationcacaoceremony,plantmedicinefalse45fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-44-sopan-joshi-the-mango-is-all-that-is-india--64428333Sopan Joshi, in his book Mangifera Indica: A Biography of the Mango, which took eight years to write and research, accomplishes a historic, cultural, religious and  economic exploration of India’s favourite fruit.

Did you know that India is home to over 1,000 varieties of mangoes, besides the much loved Alphonso, Kesar and Dashehri? And whenever a major battle took place, such as the Battle of Plassey, it was usually near a mango grove, which was ubiquitous in ancient India. Once a place for social joy, “free therapy”, and the food of the poor, we now depend on store-bought mangoes, he points out. 

He links the mango to colonial history, Jesuit priests—the “Google search engines of their time”—who brought modern grafting techniques of the 16th century to India, and the Mughals’ fascination for the fruit. He also ties the mango and other fruits with our deepest cravings, associating it with alcohol and sugar addiction, which begins with mother’s milk.

Listen in!

Timestamps
01:38 How the book happened
06:20 On the three parts of the book; seed-grown vs grafted mangoes
08:13 The culture of the mango grove or “amrai”
10:30 All empires and kings were invested in the mango
14:00 In earlier India, you were never very far from a mango grove
20:00 Akbar onwards, Mughal emperors were obsessed with mangoes
23:00 An obsession with the mango flower; the Kamadeva connection
31:50 Modern grafting techniques began in Goa with the Jesuit priests
35:36 The end of mango groves started with zamindari in the late 18th century
40:50 The “Habitat Selection” theory and why green belts are essential
42:25 The mango’s association with alcohol
46:04 How our ability to see red is rewarded by the colour of fruits
49:00 Whether the mango originated in India
54:46 Over a thousand varieties of the mango in India
58:20 Mango diplomacy down the ages, starting with Buddhism and the Mauryan empire
01:00:45 His relationship with the mango; memories of his uncle

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/64428333Tue, 18 Feb 2025 04:41:06 +0000Anuradha Varmahttp://www.instagram.com/sopan_joshi/, in his book https://www.amazon.in/Mangifera-indica-Biography-Sopan-Joshi/dp/9395853778, which took eight years to write and research, accomplishes a historic, cultural, religious and  economic exploration of...Sopan Joshi, in his book Mangifera Indica: A Biography of the Mango, which took eight years to write and research, accomplishes a historic, cultural, religious and  economic exploration of India’s favourite fruit.

Did you know that India is home to over 1,000 varieties of mangoes, besides the much loved Alphonso, Kesar and Dashehri? And whenever a major battle took place, such as the Battle of Plassey, it was usually near a mango grove, which was ubiquitous in ancient India. Once a place for social joy, “free therapy”, and the food of the poor, we now depend on store-bought mangoes, he points out. 

He links the mango to colonial history, Jesuit priests—the “Google search engines of their time”—who brought modern grafting techniques of the 16th century to India, and the Mughals’ fascination for the fruit. He also ties the mango and other fruits with our deepest cravings, associating it with alcohol and sugar addiction, which begins with mother’s milk.

Listen in!

Timestamps
01:38 How the book happened
06:20 On the three parts of the book; seed-grown vs grafted mangoes
08:13 The culture of the mango grove or “amrai”
10:30 All empires and kings were invested in the mango
14:00 In earlier India, you were never very far from a mango grove
20:00 Akbar onwards, Mughal emperors were obsessed with mangoes
23:00 An obsession with the mango flower; the Kamadeva connection
31:50 Modern grafting techniques began in Goa with the Jesuit priests
35:36 The end of mango groves started with zamindari in the late 18th century
40:50 The “Habitat Selection” theory and why green belts are essential
42:25 The mango’s association with alcohol
46:04 How our ability to see red is rewarded by the colour of fruits
49:00 Whether the mango originated in India
54:46 Over a thousand varieties of the mango in India
58:20 Mango diplomacy down the ages, starting with Buddhism and the Mauryan empire
01:00:45 His relationship with the mango; memories of his uncle

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Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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]]>3787historyofmango,mango,mangokingoffruits,sopanjoshifalse44fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-43-k-hari-kumar-writing-horror-takes-a-piece-of-you--64006223When K. Hari Kumar was young, an oracle or soothsayer in Kerala prophesied that his work would revolve around the “undead”. Now, known fittingly as “Horror Kumar”, he talks about his latest novel Dakini, published by HarperCollins India, born out of personal tragedy and drawing on news reports of witch-hunting. 

He touches upon his affinity for an all-pervading mother goddess, creating strong women characters as opposed to the “damsel-in-distress” Western trope. Through his story, he also explores deeper questions around the existence of a God and the concept of “Shoonyata” or a “profound, eternal void”. He also mentions his passion for keeping traditional folklore alive, sprinkling mythological references throughout his book, and his love for “rain” to keep a narrative going.

And the Dakini, he says, will be back, as part of his "horror universe" or even as a film. Listen in!

Book recommendations: 
* Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levine
* The Shining by Stephen King
* Markandeya Purana
* Devi Bhagavatam by Ramesh Menon

About the book “Dakini”:
While investigating a spate of unexplained deaths in a remote village, Mumbai-based journalist Mamta learns of the dakini: a bloodthirsty entity that haunts the surrounding forests, leaving mutilated corpses in her wake. As the villagers’ terror grows, so does their dangerous suspicion of women. With lives on the line, including her own, Mamta is dragged into a race against time-all whilst trying to escape her traumatic past, which threatens to turn her own mind against her. 

About the author:
Gurgaon-based K. Hari Kumar is an author of eight books, including the bestseller Daiva: Discovering the Extraordinary World of Spirit Worship and the popular horror anthology India’s Most Haunted. His narratives are rooted in Indian folklore and mythology. He is also an international award nominated photographer and screenwriter.

Timestamps
02:20 The conception of Dakini; coming across news of witch-hunting
07:05 On the feminist energy of the book, his affinity for goddess Durga
14:30 Growing up on stories of yakshas, dakinis, brahma rakshasas, etc
20:35 Mythological symbolism in the book; Dakini as a yogini in Tibetan mythology
22:48 On his non-fiction Daiva; oral tradition of storytelling
27:00 “Surprising” rituals encountered during research for Daiva
39:44 His personal view of the rational vs supernatural
46:15 Interpretation of God
49:50 Using horror tropes; why he loves rain
55:10 How he started writing horror; the oracle’s prophecy
1:00:26 Book recommendations
1:06:44 The future of Dakini – mytho-fiction and film spinoff

Follow and share to grow the conversation.Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/64006223Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:38:59 +0000Anuradha VarmaWhen http://www.instagram.com/theharikumar/?hl=e was young, an oracle or soothsayer in Kerala prophesied that his work would revolve around the “undead”. Now, known fittingly as “Horror Kumar”, he talks about his latest novel...When K. Hari Kumar was young, an oracle or soothsayer in Kerala prophesied that his work would revolve around the “undead”. Now, known fittingly as “Horror Kumar”, he talks about his latest novel Dakini, published by HarperCollins India, born out of personal tragedy and drawing on news reports of witch-hunting. 

He touches upon his affinity for an all-pervading mother goddess, creating strong women characters as opposed to the “damsel-in-distress” Western trope. Through his story, he also explores deeper questions around the existence of a God and the concept of “Shoonyata” or a “profound, eternal void”. He also mentions his passion for keeping traditional folklore alive, sprinkling mythological references throughout his book, and his love for “rain” to keep a narrative going.

And the Dakini, he says, will be back, as part of his "horror universe" or even as a film. Listen in!

Book recommendations: 
* Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levine
* The Shining by Stephen King
* Markandeya Purana
* Devi Bhagavatam by Ramesh Menon

About the book “Dakini”:
While investigating a spate of unexplained deaths in a remote village, Mumbai-based journalist Mamta learns of the dakini: a bloodthirsty entity that haunts the surrounding forests, leaving mutilated corpses in her wake. As the villagers’ terror grows, so does their dangerous suspicion of women. With lives on the line, including her own, Mamta is dragged into a race against time-all whilst trying to escape her traumatic past, which threatens to turn her own mind against her. 

About the author:
Gurgaon-based K. Hari Kumar is an author of eight books, including the bestseller Daiva: Discovering the Extraordinary World of Spirit Worship and the popular horror anthology India’s Most Haunted. His narratives are rooted in Indian folklore and mythology. He is also an international award nominated photographer and screenwriter.

Timestamps
02:20 The conception of Dakini; coming across news of witch-hunting
07:05 On the feminist energy of the book, his affinity for goddess Durga
14:30 Growing up on stories of yakshas, dakinis, brahma rakshasas, etc
20:35 Mythological symbolism in the book; Dakini as a yogini in Tibetan mythology
22:48 On his non-fiction Daiva; oral tradition of storytelling
27:00 “Surprising” rituals encountered during research for Daiva
39:44 His personal view of the rational vs supernatural
46:15 Interpretation of God
49:50 Using horror tropes; why he loves rain
55:10 How he started writing horror; the oracle’s prophecy
1:00:26 Book recommendations4212harikumar,horrorfiction,mythologyfalse43fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-42-bhavana-nissima-what-is-mental-space-psychology--63671882Everything that exists in the physical universe is located in space. “We carry a village in our heads. All our people, our senses and feelings are literally directed and mapped out in the space around us,” says Bhavana Nissima, a Hyderabad-based mental spece psychologist. 

Or to put loosely, we live in a 3D world, inside our heads and outside of it. Mental Space Psychology “works with our individual constructs to overcome obstacles, stop limiting beliefs and achieve goals.” 

In this episode, Bhavana talks about using space as a therapeutic tool, playing with language, frames, feelings and through other cognitive methods. Whether it’s a bad boss or a tough relationship, there are tools to create a shift towards feeling hopeful once again.  She generously demonstrates how to prepare ourselves for difficult conversations using the “Negotiation Panorama” technique. 

Bhavana, who calls herself the "Lightweaver", has a PhD in Communication from University of New Mexico, USA and is the pioneer of Mental Space Psychology in India and Founder Director of Mental Space Academy India. 

To get in touch, email her at thelightweaver1@gmail.com or visit www.thelightweavers.in
To know more, visit: Mental Space Academy India
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@mentalspaceacademyindia4404 

Timestamps:
01:25: Understanding spatial cognition
07:42: An exercise: Think of a problem, feel the feelings and its location
15:55: Mental space psychology is anchored around presence
18:22: Anxiety is about anticipation; work stress
27:46: Language complements spatial movement
30:06: The background of Mental Space Psychology; Alfred Korzybski’s book Science & Sanity; spatial medicine
40:22: Picking a physical location for a session; clean language coaching
44:19: Lucas Derks’ “social panorama”; feeling “lost”
50:12: Negotiation panorama; asking for a salary increase or feeling less or power-less in a partnership
56:00: An exercise: Negotiation panorama, preparing for a difficult conversation, creating a level playing field
01:06:14 How to get in touch with Bhavana

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Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/63671882Mon, 13 Jan 2025 07:21:09 +0000Anuradha VarmaEverything that exists in the physical universe is located in space. “We carry a village in our heads. All our people, our senses and feelings are literally directed and mapped out in the space around us,” says Bhavana Nissima, a Hyderabad-based...Everything that exists in the physical universe is located in space. “We carry a village in our heads. All our people, our senses and feelings are literally directed and mapped out in the space around us,” says Bhavana Nissima, a Hyderabad-based mental spece psychologist. 

Or to put loosely, we live in a 3D world, inside our heads and outside of it. Mental Space Psychology “works with our individual constructs to overcome obstacles, stop limiting beliefs and achieve goals.” 

In this episode, Bhavana talks about using space as a therapeutic tool, playing with language, frames, feelings and through other cognitive methods. Whether it’s a bad boss or a tough relationship, there are tools to create a shift towards feeling hopeful once again.  She generously demonstrates how to prepare ourselves for difficult conversations using the “Negotiation Panorama” technique. 

Bhavana, who calls herself the "Lightweaver", has a PhD in Communication from University of New Mexico, USA and is the pioneer of Mental Space Psychology in India and Founder Director of Mental Space Academy India. 

To get in touch, email her at thelightweaver1@gmail.com or visit www.thelightweavers.in
To know more, visit: Mental Space Academy India
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@mentalspaceacademyindia4404 

Timestamps:
01:25: Understanding spatial cognition
07:42: An exercise: Think of a problem, feel the feelings and its location
15:55: Mental space psychology is anchored around presence
18:22: Anxiety is about anticipation; work stress
27:46: Language complements spatial movement
30:06: The background of Mental Space Psychology; Alfred Korzybski’s book Science & Sanity; spatial medicine
40:22: Picking a physical location for a session; clean language coaching
44:19: Lucas Derks’ “social panorama”; feeling “lost”
50:12: Negotiation panorama; asking for a salary increase or feeling less or power-less in a partnership
56:00: An exercise: Negotiation panorama, preparing for a difficult conversation, creating a level playing field
01:06:14 How to get in touch with Bhavana

Follow and share to grow the conversation.
Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>4083anxiety,mentalspacepsychology,workplacestressfalse42fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-41-moms-gopika-kapoor-moneisha-gandhi-on-buddy-up-a-friendship-app-for-people-with-disabilities--62783430When Mumbai-based Gopika Kapoor and Moneisha Gandhi, moms of Vir Kapoor and Mihaan Dhall, witnessed how life-changing friendship proved to be for their neurodivergent young sons, they decided to launch Buddy Up – A Friendship App for People with Disabilities & their Caregivers. While Vir, who is on the autism spectrum, is quiet, Mihaan, who has Down Syndrome, loves to talk non-stop, the two clicked and now “buddy up” for concerts, sleepovers, board games and dance parties. Listen in as Gopika and Moneisha talk about their app and how friendship is the best therapy.

While Gopika is a neurodiversity consultant and an author, who also wrote the book Beyond the Blue: Love, Life & Autism on her parenting experience, Moneisha formerly ran an embroidery export company and volunteers at the Ummeed Parent Resource Centre. Both are advocates of diversity and inclusion.

Download the app on Google Play
Download on the Mac App Store
Follow Buddy Up on Instagram
Follow Buddy Up on YouTube
Follow Buddy Up on Facebook

Timestamps
00:54 Gopika’s introduction and meeting Moneisha
05:08 Moneisha’s introduction, finding friends for Mihaan
15:13 An uncomplicated friendship
16:16 Navigating siblings
21:17 About Buddy Up
24:50 Support for newly diagnosed parents of neurodivergent kids
26:00 Gopika’s book and five stages of grief after diagnosis
29:30 Spreading the word about Buddy Up
32:40 Learnings from neurodivergent focus groups
37:00 How the Buddy Up app works
43:00 How parents can make social connections
46:15 Moneisha on meeting the parent of an older Down Syndrome child
48:00 Stimming and what it means
56:25 Moneisha’s son’s experience in an inclusive school

Follow and share to grow the conversation.
Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/62783430Mon, 18 Nov 2024 04:06:54 +0000Anuradha VarmaWhen Mumbai-based https://www.linkedin.com/in/gopika-kapoor-61395981/ andhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/moneisha-gandhi-0388442b5/, moms of Vir Kapoor and Mihaan Dhall, witnessed how life-changing friendship proved to be for their neurodivergent young...When Mumbai-based Gopika Kapoor and Moneisha Gandhi, moms of Vir Kapoor and Mihaan Dhall, witnessed how life-changing friendship proved to be for their neurodivergent young sons, they decided to launch Buddy Up – A Friendship App for People with Disabilities & their Caregivers. While Vir, who is on the autism spectrum, is quiet, Mihaan, who has Down Syndrome, loves to talk non-stop, the two clicked and now “buddy up” for concerts, sleepovers, board games and dance parties. Listen in as Gopika and Moneisha talk about their app and how friendship is the best therapy.

While Gopika is a neurodiversity consultant and an author, who also wrote the book Beyond the Blue: Love, Life & Autism on her parenting experience, Moneisha formerly ran an embroidery export company and volunteers at the Ummeed Parent Resource Centre. Both are advocates of diversity and inclusion.

Download the app on Google Play
Download on the Mac App Store
Follow Buddy Up on Instagram
Follow Buddy Up on YouTube
Follow Buddy Up on Facebook

Timestamps
00:54 Gopika’s introduction and meeting Moneisha
05:08 Moneisha’s introduction, finding friends for Mihaan
15:13 An uncomplicated friendship
16:16 Navigating siblings
21:17 About Buddy Up
24:50 Support for newly diagnosed parents of neurodivergent kids
26:00 Gopika’s book and five stages of grief after diagnosis
29:30 Spreading the word about Buddy Up
32:40 Learnings from neurodivergent focus groups
37:00 How the Buddy Up app works
43:00 How parents can make social connections
46:15 Moneisha on meeting the parent of an older Down Syndrome child
48:00 Stimming and what it means
56:25 Moneisha’s son’s experience in an inclusive school

Follow and share to grow the conversation.
Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>3481buddyup,inclusivity,neurodivergentkids,specialkidsfalse41fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-40-shashank-mani-mp-jagriti-yatra-building-india-through-enterprise--62621482(Audio mostly in Hindi)
Wanderlust or the spirit of “ghumakkadi” bit Shashank Mani, a Lok Sabha MP, as a teen and turned into a lifelong passion, with him founding the Jagriti Yatra, a multi-city train journey across “middle India” with over 500 youth on board, transcending regional barriers. He is also the founder of the Jagriti Enterprise Centre Purvanchal, at Barpar in Deoria, UP, which acts as an incubation centre for startup ideas. 

Here, he talks about the 15-day Jagriti Yatra, the “world’s largest entrepreneurial train journey” covering 8000 km, running since 2008 and impacting over 7500+ youth so far. A non-profit initiative, it focuses on Tier 2 and Tier 3 districts, building India through enterprise. Talking about the non-profit initiative, he questions the ‘soft bigotry of low expectations’ that middle India suffers from and reiterates the region's innate ability to pull itself up from the bottom, challenging the “top down” approach. Listen in!

Shashank Mani, who belongs to Deoria, completed his BTech from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and MBA (Hons) from IMD Lausanne. He comes from an international and consulting background and is the author of “India –A Journey through a Healing Civilisation” and the more recent “Middle Of Diamond India: National Renaissance through Participation and Enterprise”.

Timestamps:
01:45 Shashank Mani on the origin of Jagriti Yatra
05:20 What is middle India? The soft bigotry of “low expectations”
11:00 Middle India cannot be defined by GDP alone; the role of family, faith and community
16:35 The inception of the yatra and choosing to travel by train; the spirit of “ghumakkadi”
21:19 The “time lifeline” familiarisation activity on the train
23:44 The rituals of the Jagriti Yatra; communal meals, observing silence, etc
26:54 The route of the yatra
28:10 The cohorts, facilitators and role models
30:00 India and the spirit of enterprise; the example of Purvanchal
33:55 The application process for Jagriti Yatra; educational qualifications not a marker
37:30 What motivates him41:00 Who is the Yatra for?
42:20 The Udyam centre at Deoria

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/62621482Tue, 05 Nov 2024 12:18:16 +0000Anuradha Varma(Audio mostly in Hindi) Wanderlust or the spirit of “ghumakkadi” bit https://www.linkedin.com/in/shashankmanijagriti/, a Lok Sabha MP, as a teen and turned into a lifelong passion, with him founding the https://www.jagritiyatra.com/, a multi-city...(Audio mostly in Hindi)
Wanderlust or the spirit of “ghumakkadi” bit Shashank Mani, a Lok Sabha MP, as a teen and turned into a lifelong passion, with him founding the Jagriti Yatra, a multi-city train journey across “middle India” with over 500 youth on board, transcending regional barriers. He is also the founder of the Jagriti Enterprise Centre Purvanchal, at Barpar in Deoria, UP, which acts as an incubation centre for startup ideas. 

Here, he talks about the 15-day Jagriti Yatra, the “world’s largest entrepreneurial train journey” covering 8000 km, running since 2008 and impacting over 7500+ youth so far. A non-profit initiative, it focuses on Tier 2 and Tier 3 districts, building India through enterprise. Talking about the non-profit initiative, he questions the ‘soft bigotry of low expectations’ that middle India suffers from and reiterates the region's innate ability to pull itself up from the bottom, challenging the “top down” approach. Listen in!

Shashank Mani, who belongs to Deoria, completed his BTech from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and MBA (Hons) from IMD Lausanne. He comes from an international and consulting background and is the author of “India –A Journey through a Healing Civilisation” and the more recent “Middle Of Diamond India: National Renaissance through Participation and Enterprise”.

Timestamps:
01:45 Shashank Mani on the origin of Jagriti Yatra
05:20 What is middle India? The soft bigotry of “low expectations”
11:00 Middle India cannot be defined by GDP alone; the role of family, faith and community
16:35 The inception of the yatra and choosing to travel by train; the spirit of “ghumakkadi”
21:19 The “time lifeline” familiarisation activity on the train
23:44 The rituals of the Jagriti Yatra; communal meals, observing silence, etc
26:54 The route of the yatra
28:10 The cohorts, facilitators and role models
30:00 India and the spirit of enterprise; the example of Purvanchal
33:55 The application process for Jagriti Yatra; educational qualifications not a marker
37:30 What motivates him41:00 Who is the Yatra for?
42:20 The Udyam centre at Deoria

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>2610jagritiyatra,middleindia,shashankmani,startupculturefalse40fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-39-chandan-pandey-sayari-debnath-stories-of-desolation-translation--62470880(Audio in Hindi & English)
In this interview, Chandan Pandey, the award-winning author of the The Keeper of Desolation, published by HarperCollins India, and translator Sayari Debnath, talk about the “surreal yet gritty, violent yet poetic” stories that form the book and the importance of translating from regional languages. 

He recalls breaking down, sitting in a boat in Varanasi, after writing the haunting short story “Forgetting”, an exploration of inner family dynamics where one member is forgotten by the rest of the household. Meanwhile, “The Decision” was born of a desire to weave a story around his fascination for the name Mausam, given to the protagonist. Pandey, based in Bengaluru, whose stories are set in the heart of small town India, finds himself immensely rooted in memories of his hometown Deoria as he grows older. Listen in!

Chandan Pandey is the author of four short-story collections and two novels in Hindi. He has been honoured with the Bharatiya Jnanpith’s Navlekhan Award, the Vanmali Yuva Katha Samman, the Shabd Chhaap Samman, and is a recipient of the Krishna Baldev Vaid Fellowship. The translation of his acclaimed debut novel, Vaidhanik Galp, was published in English as Legal Fiction in 2021."

Sayari Debnath translates from Hindi and Bengali into English. She is a culture journalist at Scroll where she writes about books, literary trends and art.

Timestamps
01:18 Staying away from happy endings
04:40 Sayari on translating Chandan’s stories
07:36 On the story “Forgetting”
16:45 Sayari’s favourite story ‘The Mathematics of Life’
18:53 The Keeper of Desolation on a lady who loses her ring; Chandan on why there are no more “professional” thieves
22:17 His connection to Deoria, his hometown; stories from small towns
28:32 Are Hindi writers more connected to the grassroots?
33:00 Translating from regional languages and the difference in tones
37:15 The connection to the past and role of memories
43:40 The book is a selection of his stories from 4 volumes
45:13 Finding time and the motivation to write
48:45 Sayari on the fun of translation, and the challenges
59:00 Chandan’s writing influences; his love for reading
01:02:40 The scope for translation as a career in India
01:11:56 Urdu writer Sayyed Mohammad Ashraf’s “Aakhri Sawariya”

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/62470880Wed, 23 Oct 2024 09:34:09 +0000Anuradha Varma(Audio in Hindi & English) In this interview, Chandan Pandey, the award-winning author of the https://www.amazon.in/Keeper-Desolation-Stories-Chandan-Pandey/dp/9356998582, published by HarperCollins India, and translator Sayari Debnath, talk about...(Audio in Hindi & English)
In this interview, Chandan Pandey, the award-winning author of the The Keeper of Desolation, published by HarperCollins India, and translator Sayari Debnath, talk about the “surreal yet gritty, violent yet poetic” stories that form the book and the importance of translating from regional languages. 

He recalls breaking down, sitting in a boat in Varanasi, after writing the haunting short story “Forgetting”, an exploration of inner family dynamics where one member is forgotten by the rest of the household. Meanwhile, “The Decision” was born of a desire to weave a story around his fascination for the name Mausam, given to the protagonist. Pandey, based in Bengaluru, whose stories are set in the heart of small town India, finds himself immensely rooted in memories of his hometown Deoria as he grows older. Listen in!

Chandan Pandey is the author of four short-story collections and two novels in Hindi. He has been honoured with the Bharatiya Jnanpith’s Navlekhan Award, the Vanmali Yuva Katha Samman, the Shabd Chhaap Samman, and is a recipient of the Krishna Baldev Vaid Fellowship. The translation of his acclaimed debut novel, Vaidhanik Galp, was published in English as Legal Fiction in 2021."

Sayari Debnath translates from Hindi and Bengali into English. She is a culture journalist at Scroll where she writes about books, literary trends and art.

Timestamps
01:18 Staying away from happy endings
04:40 Sayari on translating Chandan’s stories
07:36 On the story “Forgetting”
16:45 Sayari’s favourite story ‘The Mathematics of Life’
18:53 The Keeper of Desolation on a lady who loses her ring; Chandan on why there are no more “professional” thieves
22:17 His connection to Deoria, his hometown; stories from small towns
28:32 Are Hindi writers more connected to the grassroots?
33:00 Translating from regional languages and the difference in tones
37:15 The connection to the past and role of memories
43:40 The book is a selection of his stories from 4 volumes
45:13 Finding time and the motivation to write
48:45 Sayari on the fun of translation, and the challenges
59:00 Chandan’s writing influences; his love for reading
01:02:40 The scope for translation as a career in India
01:11:56 Urdu writer Sayyed Mohammad Ashraf’s “Aakhri Sawariya”

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>4599fiction,literarytranslation,shortstories,thekeeperofdesolationfalse39fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-38-dr-erika-rosenberg-buddhist-tonglen-meditation-compassion-in-action--62369047The Buddhist Tonglen meditation, a “warrior training” that reinforces altruistic resolve, allows us to take in the suffering of others, witness pain and stay without fleeing, building courage, opening us up to be of service. While it makes us kinder and more compassionate, it also makes us strong, says Dr. Erika Rosenberg, a US-based psychological scientist, who integrates traditional Buddhist practices with key concepts and techniques from Western Psychology. The Tonglen meditation practice (at 40:00) gives you something you can turn to in situations where you feel there’s nothing else you can do.

Dr. Erika Rosenberg is a Founding Faculty at the Compassion Institute, a non-profit devoted to promoting compassion education worldwide. She co-authored the Compassion Cultivation Training program with Thupten Jinpa and others in 2009 at Stanford University. She is part of the faculty at The Nyingma Institute in Berkeley. She is also a world-renowned expert in facial expression, who trains and consults on facial measurement using the Facial Action Coding System .

References:

• Online Compassion Cultivation Training with Erika Rosenberg October 2024
• How to Practise Tonglen Meditation by Pema Chödrön 
• Pema Chödrön’s essay “Transforming the heart of suffering”
• Roshi Joan Halifax - Strong Back, Soft Front

Timestamps:
01:23 Erika’s journey into meditation and Tonglen, discovering Buddhism
10:00 The Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT)
11:55 How Tonglen is transformational
15:23 The four stages of Tonglen; cultivating active compassion
19:00 The neuroscience of helping; a mental rehearsal
21:37 Does Tonglen make a difference to the other person or recipient?
26:44 Two lived personal examples of Tonglen
33:36 Pema Chodron and “Tonglen as you go”
40:00 A preliminary Tonglen meditation practice
45:23 Learning acceptance; acknowledging what is present
48:25 Tonglen intensive workshop by Erika
51:00 “Lojong” slogans
53:39 Skills to deal with mind wandering
54:50 Meta cognitive awareness; mindfulness of mind
57:17 Her expertise in facial expression and emotion (Facial Action Coding System – FACS)

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Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/62369047Tue, 15 Oct 2024 05:15:19 +0000Anuradha VarmaThe Buddhist Tonglen meditation, a “warrior training” that reinforces altruistic resolve, allows us to take in the suffering of others, witness pain and stay without fleeing, building courage, opening us up to be of service. While it makes us kinder...The Buddhist Tonglen meditation, a “warrior training” that reinforces altruistic resolve, allows us to take in the suffering of others, witness pain and stay without fleeing, building courage, opening us up to be of service. While it makes us kinder and more compassionate, it also makes us strong, says Dr. Erika Rosenberg, a US-based psychological scientist, who integrates traditional Buddhist practices with key concepts and techniques from Western Psychology. The Tonglen meditation practice (at 40:00) gives you something you can turn to in situations where you feel there’s nothing else you can do.

Dr. Erika Rosenberg is a Founding Faculty at the Compassion Institute, a non-profit devoted to promoting compassion education worldwide. She co-authored the Compassion Cultivation Training program with Thupten Jinpa and others in 2009 at Stanford University. She is part of the faculty at The Nyingma Institute in Berkeley. She is also a world-renowned expert in facial expression, who trains and consults on facial measurement using the Facial Action Coding System .

References:

• Online Compassion Cultivation Training with Erika Rosenberg October 2024
• How to Practise Tonglen Meditation by Pema Chödrön 
• Pema Chödrön’s essay “Transforming the heart of suffering”
• Roshi Joan Halifax - Strong Back, Soft Front

Timestamps:
01:23 Erika’s journey into meditation and Tonglen, discovering Buddhism
10:00 The Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT)
11:55 How Tonglen is transformational
15:23 The four stages of Tonglen; cultivating active compassion
19:00 The neuroscience of helping; a mental rehearsal
21:37 Does Tonglen make a difference to the other person or recipient?
26:44 Two lived personal examples of Tonglen
33:36 Pema Chodron and “Tonglen as you go”
40:00 A preliminary Tonglen meditation practice
45:23 Learning acceptance; acknowledging what is present
48:25 Tonglen intensive workshop by Erika
51:00 “Lojong” slogans
53:39 Skills to deal with mind wandering
54:50 Meta cognitive awareness; mindfulness of mind
57:17 Her expertise in facial expression and emotion (Facial Action Coding System – FACS)

Follow and share to grow the conversation.
Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are personal. Listener discretion is advised.3667buddhism,cultivatingcompassion,meditation,tonglenfalse38fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-37-fernando-hettiyadura-used-responsibly-magic-mushrooms-can-be-more-powerful-than-meditation--62095031“The one who needs to be loved is the one in the mirror. And if we can love ourselves so deeply, we can love even a stranger and see their suffering,” says Thailand-based Fernando Hettiyadura, a Multidisciplinary Therapist and ICF-designated Master Certified Coach, who leads unique interventions derived from integrative neuroscience, Vipassana and psychedelic plant medicine. He has also launched the world’s first-ever Professional Coaching Qualification for Psychedelic Integration, accredited to the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

A part of the LGBTQI+ community, Fernando faced bullying as a child, along with other adversities. His first encounter with psilocybin or magic mushrooms, he recalls, left him feeling lightheaded and with a sense of abundance, realising for the first time how it felt to be mentally healthy.

He also quotes modern breakthroughs in psychedelic research led by esteemed institutions such as Johns Hopkins and Imperial College London, on the healing and mind-enhancing capabilities of Plant Psychedelic Medicine. While mentioning the beneficial effects in alleviating depression and anxiety, he cautions that the session should be conducted in a controlled setting, following strict safety protocols, after consulting with a medical expert and with the correctly prescribed dosage, in keeping with the laws of the specific country or region. Certain drugs, such as antidepressants, may also interfere with the process, therefore, expert guidance is essential.

Fernando is also the founder of Ignite Global, Evolving Temple, Awaken Mind Guide and the Global Center for Reflective Practices & Consciousness – a group of organisations dedicated for healing and mind development. Currently, he is pursuing a postgraduate degree in Counseling Psychology and conducts research, focusing on “Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy Integrated Coaching in Treating Childhood Trauma”.

His message? “Let’s be open-minded; every powerful resource has positive and negative impact, it’s important we pay attention and recognise the possibilities.”

Timestamps:
01:15 Talking about psilocybin or magic mushrooms as part of Fernando’s life coaching practice
07:25 How Fernando discovered the “power” of magic mushrooms16:00 Understanding our default mode network and sense of identity
24:25 Does the experience help you discover who you are?
31:10 Comparing the effect of psilocybin to meditation; experiencing altered states of consciousness
45:00 Dosing and micro-dosing
56:26 Fernando as a “wounded healer”, healing from the adversities of his early life
01:02:54 Overcoming adversity in his early life; facing bullying and assault as part of the LGBTQI+ community
01:05:45 His first encounter with plant medicine, waking up with a feeling of abundance
01:10:00 Fungi as the most powerful ecosystem on earth

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/62095031Tue, 24 Sep 2024 20:12:39 +0000Anuradha Varma“The one who needs to be loved is the one in the mirror. And if we can love ourselves so deeply, we can love even a stranger and see their suffering,” says Thailand-based https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernando-hettiyadura-mcc/, a Multidisciplinary...“The one who needs to be loved is the one in the mirror. And if we can love ourselves so deeply, we can love even a stranger and see their suffering,” says Thailand-based Fernando Hettiyadura, a Multidisciplinary Therapist and ICF-designated Master Certified Coach, who leads unique interventions derived from integrative neuroscience, Vipassana and psychedelic plant medicine. He has also launched the world’s first-ever Professional Coaching Qualification for Psychedelic Integration, accredited to the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

A part of the LGBTQI+ community, Fernando faced bullying as a child, along with other adversities. His first encounter with psilocybin or magic mushrooms, he recalls, left him feeling lightheaded and with a sense of abundance, realising for the first time how it felt to be mentally healthy.

He also quotes modern breakthroughs in psychedelic research led by esteemed institutions such as Johns Hopkins and Imperial College London, on the healing and mind-enhancing capabilities of Plant Psychedelic Medicine. While mentioning the beneficial effects in alleviating depression and anxiety, he cautions that the session should be conducted in a controlled setting, following strict safety protocols, after consulting with a medical expert and with the correctly prescribed dosage, in keeping with the laws of the specific country or region. Certain drugs, such as antidepressants, may also interfere with the process, therefore, expert guidance is essential.

Fernando is also the founder of Ignite Global, Evolving Temple, Awaken Mind Guide and the Global Center for Reflective Practices & Consciousness – a group of organisations dedicated for healing and mind development. Currently, he is pursuing a postgraduate degree in Counseling Psychology and conducts research, focusing on “Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy Integrated Coaching in Treating Childhood Trauma”.

His message? “Let’s be open-minded; every powerful resource has positive and negative impact, it’s important we pay attention and recognise the possibilities.”

Timestamps:
01:15 Talking about psilocybin or magic mushrooms as part of Fernando’s life coaching practice
07:25 How Fernando discovered the “power” of magic mushrooms16:00 Understanding our default mode network and sense of identity
24:25 Does the experience help you discover who you are?
31:10 Comparing the effect of psilocybin to meditation; experiencing altered states of consciousness
45:00 Dosing and micro-dosing
56:26 Fernando as a “wounded healer”, healing from the adversities of his early life
01:02:54 Overcoming adversity in his early life; facing bullying and assault as part of the LGBTQI+ community
01:05:45 His first encounter with plant medicine, waking up with a feeling of abundance
01:10:00 Fungi as the most powerful ecosystem on earth

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on 37fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-36-prof-tracy-coleman-krishna-stands-for-women-empowerment--61010175As we celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna on Janmashtami, we should also honour him as a god who models positive masculinity, says Tracy Coleman, Professor, Department of Religion at Colorado College, US, She says, “Bold, strong, outspoken or aggressive, women are not a threat to him. He loves them as they are. In the Gita Govinda, he even submits to Radha.” Krishna, she believes, can be potentially socially transformative in empowering women by shifting the male gaze, despite being seen as a divine, all-powerful hyper masculine figure.

In her research spanning early texts such as the Harivamsa, Bhagavata Purana and the poet Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda, Tracy explores Krishna in various shades, including his playful divinity and the “viraha-bhakti” or the longing of separation he inspires, which is akin to becoming one with the universal divine.

A scholar of Hinduism and its traditions of bhakti (or devotion), especially Krishna-bhakti in the Sanskrit epics and purāṇas, her teaching and research addresses issues of women, men, and gender in religion and society. Tracy has also been the Editor in Chief of Oxford Bibliographies--Hinduism since 2016. 

Timestamps
01:00 What drew Tracy to studying Sanskrit and the Hindu “bhakti” tradition; being intrigued by poet Jayadeva's Gita Govinda
05:00 “Kama” (desire) vs “prem” (selfless love): What the early Sanskrit texts say in relation to Krisna, Radha and the gopis
09:50 Krishna as the “Yogeshwara” of Bhagavata Purana vs the sensuous lover of Gita Govinda
13:14 ‘Yoga in action’: Krishna’s “karma yoga” vs Buddha’s renunciation
20:00 The Bhagavad Gita places everyday actions in a larger context, as part of a greater cosmic plan
25:00 Krishna’s childhood, his relationship with both his mothers; the supreme god conceived as a human in the early texts
31:15 Krishna as a symbol of women’s empowerment; loves women just as they are
46:50 Play is an essential part of his divinity, signifying divine freedom and inspiring “bhakti”
52:46 “Viraha bhakti” as devotion during separation, embodied by Radha and the gopis
58:14 There is no Krishna bhakti without suffering
01:05:28 Happy Janmashtami!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/61010175Wed, 21 Aug 2024 01:30:01 +0000Anuradha VarmaAs we celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna on Janmashtami, we should also honour him as a god who models positive masculinity, says https://www.coloradocollege.edu/basics/contact/directory/people/coleman_tracy_d.html, Professor, Department of Religion...As we celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna on Janmashtami, we should also honour him as a god who models positive masculinity, says Tracy Coleman, Professor, Department of Religion at Colorado College, US, She says, “Bold, strong, outspoken or aggressive, women are not a threat to him. He loves them as they are. In the Gita Govinda, he even submits to Radha.” Krishna, she believes, can be potentially socially transformative in empowering women by shifting the male gaze, despite being seen as a divine, all-powerful hyper masculine figure.

In her research spanning early texts such as the Harivamsa, Bhagavata Purana and the poet Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda, Tracy explores Krishna in various shades, including his playful divinity and the “viraha-bhakti” or the longing of separation he inspires, which is akin to becoming one with the universal divine.

A scholar of Hinduism and its traditions of bhakti (or devotion), especially Krishna-bhakti in the Sanskrit epics and purāṇas, her teaching and research addresses issues of women, men, and gender in religion and society. Tracy has also been the Editor in Chief of Oxford Bibliographies--Hinduism since 2016. 

Timestamps
01:00 What drew Tracy to studying Sanskrit and the Hindu “bhakti” tradition; being intrigued by poet Jayadeva's Gita Govinda
05:00 “Kama” (desire) vs “prem” (selfless love): What the early Sanskrit texts say in relation to Krisna, Radha and the gopis
09:50 Krishna as the “Yogeshwara” of Bhagavata Purana vs the sensuous lover of Gita Govinda
13:14 ‘Yoga in action’: Krishna’s “karma yoga” vs Buddha’s renunciation
20:00 The Bhagavad Gita places everyday actions in a larger context, as part of a greater cosmic plan
25:00 Krishna’s childhood, his relationship with both his mothers; the supreme god conceived as a human in the early texts
31:15 Krishna as a symbol of women’s empowerment; loves women just as they are
46:50 Play is an essential part of his divinity, signifying divine freedom and inspiring “bhakti”
52:46 “Viraha bhakti” as devotion during separation, embodied by Radha and the gopis
58:14 There is no Krishna bhakti without suffering
01:05:28 Happy Janmashtami!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>3964gitagovinda,janmashtami,krishnabhakti,krishnagopis,radhakrishna,tracycolemanfalse36fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-35-sachin-chitambaran-on-suicide-prevention-just-listen-don-t-try-to-fix-the-problem--60964629(Trigger warning: Mention of depression, suicide and suicidal ideation)
What makes India the suicide capital of the world? Did you know that a majority of suicide attempts are made by women, among which housewives figure in large numbers? Mumbai-based Sachin Chitambaran, who started as a volunteer on suicide prevention helplines over a decade ago and now works full-time in the field, talks to us about the importance of mental health, how suicidal ideation works as well as why we need to learn how to listen better and be ready to accept help from others.

The founder of the Connect Hut, Sachin is a passionate mental health advocate with over 13 years of dedicated experience in the field of suicide prevention. Sachin is also Assistant Director of Training and Development at Samaritans Mumbai, a 30-year-old suicide prevention helpline and President of Befrienders India, where he oversees a network of 14 suicide helplines operating nationwide. He also runs his unique Dot Listening workshops. 

Timestamps:
00:50 Introduction to Sachin and Connect Hut
07:00 Offering affordable therapy, with free preliminary sessions
09:00 Why it’s important to pick the right therapist
11:40 How Indians listen; good at reading non-verbal cues and intuitive listening
19:38 His “Dot Listening” programme
34:30 Working on the suicide prevention helpline  
38:00 Not playing God; “We suffer with our callers”
43:00 India as the suicide capital
52:00 We’re not taught to focus on ourselves; setting boundaries
59:00 Women and mental health; higher suicide attempts by women; endometritis as a trigger in the girl child
01:08:24 Pressure on housewives
01:14:00 Need to build human connection
01:16:52 How suicidal ideation works

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/60964629Fri, 09 Aug 2024 05:58:01 +0000Anuradha Varma(Trigger warning: Mention of depression, suicide and suicidal ideation) What makes India https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/india-sees-highest-suicides-in-the-world-12-4-per-1-00-000-national-data-6082407 of the world? Did you know that a majority of...(Trigger warning: Mention of depression, suicide and suicidal ideation)
What makes India the suicide capital of the world? Did you know that a majority of suicide attempts are made by women, among which housewives figure in large numbers? Mumbai-based Sachin Chitambaran, who started as a volunteer on suicide prevention helplines over a decade ago and now works full-time in the field, talks to us about the importance of mental health, how suicidal ideation works as well as why we need to learn how to listen better and be ready to accept help from others.

The founder of the Connect Hut, Sachin is a passionate mental health advocate with over 13 years of dedicated experience in the field of suicide prevention. Sachin is also Assistant Director of Training and Development at Samaritans Mumbai, a 30-year-old suicide prevention helpline and President of Befrienders India, where he oversees a network of 14 suicide helplines operating nationwide. He also runs his unique Dot Listening workshops. 

Timestamps:
00:50 Introduction to Sachin and Connect Hut
07:00 Offering affordable therapy, with free preliminary sessions
09:00 Why it’s important to pick the right therapist
11:40 How Indians listen; good at reading non-verbal cues and intuitive listening
19:38 His “Dot Listening” programme
34:30 Working on the suicide prevention helpline  
38:00 Not playing God; “We suffer with our callers”
43:00 India as the suicide capital
52:00 We’re not taught to focus on ourselves; setting boundaries
59:00 Women and mental health; higher suicide attempts by women; endometritis as a trigger in the girl child
01:08:24 Pressure on housewives
01:14:00 Need to build human connection
01:16:52 How suicidal ideation works

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>5440howtolisten,mentalhealth,sachinchitambaran,suicidepreventionfalse35fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-34-mital-salia-game-therapist-and-unschooling-mom--60458210In this episode, Mital Salia, game therapist and founder of Khel Khel Mein talks about how she prescribes games to teach life skills and for mental wellbeing. A counselling psychologist and educator, she started by curating game nights at home, which were a huge hit. Certain games, whether solo or multiplayer, teach dexterity, stimulate brain function and raise EQ, she informs. 

Playing also releases feel good hormones dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, while reducing cortisol, the stress hormone. Games, like physical sports, also teach children to deal with failure gracefully and bounce back for the next round, says Mital. 

The Mumbai-based therapist talks about travelling through India, particularly villages in south India, coming across ancient games etched on temple floors. In one Madurai household, she discovered the mathematical game Pallanguzhi (an Indian version of Mancala) being played by generations of women. 

Mital also pulled her son, now 21, out of school at the age of 14 as it was not giving him any real life skills. She talks about sending him to live on a Bengaluru farm to explore his interest in reptiles, besides pursuing scuba diving and snowboarding.

Mital is the author of Game Your Mind - All about Game Therapy: Reshape Your Skills and Emotions; Become a Better Version of Yourself by Playing Games as well as Practical Handbook on Brain Fitness: Ways to Reverse The Age of The Brain. 

Here are some of her all-time favourite games:
Find it First or Spot It, Top That, Dr Eureka, Marble Solitaire, the Hide and Seek series, Traffic Hour or Rush Hour, Brainvita, Nine Men Morris, Splendour, Seven Wonders, Wingspan, Century: Spice Road and Coup. She recommends neuroscience-based online portals such as Lumosity, Brain HQ and Einstein Riddle.

Listen in!

Timestamps:
00:40 What is a game therapist?
03:25 From counselling psychologist to education and game therapy
07:43 Organising game nights at home
13:15 Getting to know people’s social and emotional intelligence through games
16:00 Happy hormones released through playing games
18:53 Games for families
22:50 Impact of game therapy workshops
27:00 Board games for strategizing, warfare, entrepreneurship
30:30 Pallanghuzhi, the mathematical game from the villages of Tamil Nadu
33:39 Travelling through south India to research ancient games
38:47 Pros and cons of video games
42:35 Decision to unschool her son
50:52 Message for adults and kids on board games

Follow and share to grow the conversation.
Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/60458210Wed, 26 Jun 2024 05:00:38 +0000Anuradha VarmaIn this episode, https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitalsalia/, game therapist and founder of https://www.instagram.com/khel_khel_mein/ talks about how she prescribes games to teach life skills and for mental wellbeing. A counselling psychologist and...In this episode, Mital Salia, game therapist and founder of Khel Khel Mein talks about how she prescribes games to teach life skills and for mental wellbeing. A counselling psychologist and educator, she started by curating game nights at home, which were a huge hit. Certain games, whether solo or multiplayer, teach dexterity, stimulate brain function and raise EQ, she informs. 

Playing also releases feel good hormones dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, while reducing cortisol, the stress hormone. Games, like physical sports, also teach children to deal with failure gracefully and bounce back for the next round, says Mital. 

The Mumbai-based therapist talks about travelling through India, particularly villages in south India, coming across ancient games etched on temple floors. In one Madurai household, she discovered the mathematical game Pallanguzhi (an Indian version of Mancala) being played by generations of women. 

Mital also pulled her son, now 21, out of school at the age of 14 as it was not giving him any real life skills. She talks about sending him to live on a Bengaluru farm to explore his interest in reptiles, besides pursuing scuba diving and snowboarding.

Mital is the author of Game Your Mind - All about Game Therapy: Reshape Your Skills and Emotions; Become a Better Version of Yourself by Playing Games as well as Practical Handbook on Brain Fitness: Ways to Reverse The Age of The Brain. 

Here are some of her all-time favourite games:
Find it First or Spot It, Top That, Dr Eureka, Marble Solitaire, the Hide and Seek series, Traffic Hour or Rush Hour, Brainvita, Nine Men Morris, Splendour, Seven Wonders, Wingspan, Century: Spice Road and Coup. She recommends neuroscience-based online portals such as Lumosity, Brain HQ and Einstein Riddle.

Listen in!

Timestamps:
00:40 What is a game therapist?
03:25 From counselling psychologist to education and game therapy
07:43 Organising game nights at home
13:15 Getting to know people’s social and emotional intelligence through games
16:00 Happy hormones released through playing games
18:53 Games for families
22:50 Impact of game therapy workshops
27:00 Board games for strategizing, warfare, entrepreneurship
30:30 Pallanghuzhi, the mathematical game from the villages of Tamil Nadu
33:39 Travelling through south India to research ancient games
38:47 Pros and cons of video games
42:35 Decision to unschool her son
50:52 Message for adults and kids on board games

Follow and share to grow the conversation.
Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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,...]]>3179boardgames,gametherapy,indianboardgames,mentalhealthfalse34fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-33-nidhu-b-kapoor-how-to-manifest-money--60253366We make money everyday and not just at our jobs, according to Nidhu B Kapoor. And we can create more of it using the power of her “WORDS” (World of Retrograde Decrees Switchsentences), she assures. While the results, Nidhu promises, are instantaneous, attracting money has a lot to do with who we are. In this chat, she urges us to question our relationship and belief system regarding money. And yes, she also gives some powerful “switch sentences”, such as “What If”, to unleash the power of positive manifestation. Her decrees, says the WORD doctor, can be adapted to life issues, health problems or even to repair a geyser. It’s no wonder that actor Vidya Balan has her on a speed dial. 

Listen in as Nidhu generously shows us how we can, well, attract money into our lives using her decrees!

Time-stamps:
02:00 Making the shift
09:26 Speed as her USP; the two types of people who show up for a money workshop
18:10 Light medicine and Nidhu’s decrees
21:30 Safety is paramount in manifesting money
25:00 Work doesn’t always mean a job
31:20 Our associations with money
36:00 If a Rs 5 crore cheque arrives, what will you do?
42:50 The making of money is very different from getting it
45:25 Two-word medicine to attract money: “What if…”
53:50 The mind thinks in words; releasing blockages
1:01:16 The four-word medicine: “You can leave now”
01:08:10 The Vidya Balan association; what W.O.R.D Medicine means
01:13:30 How it works with Nidhu
01:15:50 Adapting decrees to life issues

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/60253366Tue, 11 Jun 2024 01:30:04 +0000Anuradha VarmaWe make money everyday and not just at our jobs, according to https://www.instagram.com/nbkspeedster/ And we can create more of it using the power of her “https://themysticlotus.com/home/healer_profile/9/Nidhu-B-Kapoor/The-Decrees” (World of...We make money everyday and not just at our jobs, according to Nidhu B Kapoor. And we can create more of it using the power of her “WORDS” (World of Retrograde Decrees Switchsentences), she assures. While the results, Nidhu promises, are instantaneous, attracting money has a lot to do with who we are. In this chat, she urges us to question our relationship and belief system regarding money. And yes, she also gives some powerful “switch sentences”, such as “What If”, to unleash the power of positive manifestation. Her decrees, says the WORD doctor, can be adapted to life issues, health problems or even to repair a geyser. It’s no wonder that actor Vidya Balan has her on a speed dial. 

Listen in as Nidhu generously shows us how we can, well, attract money into our lives using her decrees!

Time-stamps:
02:00 Making the shift
09:26 Speed as her USP; the two types of people who show up for a money workshop
18:10 Light medicine and Nidhu’s decrees
21:30 Safety is paramount in manifesting money
25:00 Work doesn’t always mean a job
31:20 Our associations with money
36:00 If a Rs 5 crore cheque arrives, what will you do?
42:50 The making of money is very different from getting it
45:25 Two-word medicine to attract money: “What if…”
53:50 The mind thinks in words; releasing blockages
1:01:16 The four-word medicine: “You can leave now”
01:08:10 The Vidya Balan association; what W.O.R.D Medicine means
01:13:30 How it works with Nidhu
01:15:50 Adapting decrees to life issues

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>4955howtoattractmoney,manifestation,nidhubkapoor,switchwordsfalse33fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-32-jerry-pinto-murder-in-mahim-mumbai-is-like-an-open-air-casino--60218748“Mumbai is like a large open-air casino and we are all putting our stakes on something,” says author Jerry Pinto, whose 2018 novel Murder in Mahim has been made into a series, playing on Jio Cinema.

The action begins when a gay sex worker is found dead, his stomach ripped open, in a toilet at a Mumbai railway station. The plot thickens as good friends Peter Fernandes (played by Ashutosh Rana in the series), a retired journalist and Shiva Jende ((played by Vijay Raaz), a cop piece the clues together even as the body count keeps rising. It also leads Peter into uncharted territory, navigating “gay Mumbai” and coming to terms with the fact that his son may be queer. In some delightful cameos, we have Leslie, a flamboyant and ageing gay man and Unit, a young upwardly mobile sex worker.

The book, he says, was born out of anger when the Supreme Court reversed the Delhi High Court ruling decriminalising gay sex in 2016. However, on September 6, 2018, the apex court partially struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, decriminalising same-sex relations between consenting adults.

Listen in as Pinto talks about how we exist on the spectrum of possibilities and whether we can look forward to more peter-Jende thrillers!

Chapters:
01:03 The book was born out of anger, before homosexual sex was decriminalised
04:00 Eating what he wrote as a child
05:17 Characters Peter Fernandes and Shiva Jende first appeared in the Mumbai Noir anthology; the author as an observer
09:10 “Would you welcome having an LGBTQI child?”
14:50 When a Dalit friend came home for dinner
21:30 The visual thrill of the human body
23:06 His own discovery of “gay Mumbai”: Research is other people
25:35 Many layers to gay sexuality
28:50 Mumbai is like a large open-air casino; physical vs abstract intelligence
34:10 “We are a parade of possibilities”
37:30 Jerry as “Jotin Perry”; writing an honest cop
41:50 More Peter-Jende mysteries?

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/60218748Thu, 30 May 2024 10:24:58 +0000Anuradha Varma“Mumbai is like a large open-air casino and we are all putting our stakes on something,” says author https://www.instagram.com/mahimkajerry/, whose 2018 novel https://www.amazon.in/Murder-Mahim-Jerry-Pinto/dp/9388326091 has been made into a series,...“Mumbai is like a large open-air casino and we are all putting our stakes on something,” says author Jerry Pinto, whose 2018 novel Murder in Mahim has been made into a series, playing on Jio Cinema.

The action begins when a gay sex worker is found dead, his stomach ripped open, in a toilet at a Mumbai railway station. The plot thickens as good friends Peter Fernandes (played by Ashutosh Rana in the series), a retired journalist and Shiva Jende ((played by Vijay Raaz), a cop piece the clues together even as the body count keeps rising. It also leads Peter into uncharted territory, navigating “gay Mumbai” and coming to terms with the fact that his son may be queer. In some delightful cameos, we have Leslie, a flamboyant and ageing gay man and Unit, a young upwardly mobile sex worker.

The book, he says, was born out of anger when the Supreme Court reversed the Delhi High Court ruling decriminalising gay sex in 2016. However, on September 6, 2018, the apex court partially struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, decriminalising same-sex relations between consenting adults.

Listen in as Pinto talks about how we exist on the spectrum of possibilities and whether we can look forward to more peter-Jende thrillers!

Chapters:
01:03 The book was born out of anger, before homosexual sex was decriminalised
04:00 Eating what he wrote as a child
05:17 Characters Peter Fernandes and Shiva Jende first appeared in the Mumbai Noir anthology; the author as an observer
09:10 “Would you welcome having an LGBTQI child?”
14:50 When a Dalit friend came home for dinner
21:30 The visual thrill of the human body
23:06 His own discovery of “gay Mumbai”: Research is other people
25:35 Many layers to gay sexuality
28:50 Mumbai is like a large open-air casino; physical vs abstract intelligence
34:10 “We are a parade of possibilities”
37:30 Jerry as “Jotin Perry”; writing an honest cop
41:50 More Peter-Jende mysteries?

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>2669jerrypinto,jiocinema,murderinmahim,murdermysteryfalse32fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-31-women-s-motorbike-coach-meghna-khanna-i-like-the-wind-in-my-hair--60110223Meghna Khanna, a Bengaluru-based women’s motorcycle coach, is a Limca Book of Records holder for being the first Indian woman motorcyclist to reach Khardung La, the highest motorable pass in the world. You can have the biggest car in the world, but nothing beats the feeling of the wind in your hair when you ride a bike, she says. “When you ride a motorcycle, you know why a dog sticks their head out of the car,” she remarks. 

For her 10-year-old daughter, it’s a surprise when she sees her father park the bike, “Oh, he knows how to ride too?” Begging her dad to teach her to start a scooter when she was barely a teen, Meghna’s story of the first bike she fell in love with — and later owned — is serendipitous with meeting her husband.

While she goes with the flow, running Levitate, a craft store for 18 years, a preloved store for fashion finds and starting the “Bindi Project”, her passion lies in riding her 1994 Royal Enfield Bullet through dirt roads and forest trails. Listen in!

Chapters:
01:00 Her love for bikes started at age 12
06:20 Her first bike – the Enfield 1994 Bullet — and meeting her husband
10:00 No fear when biking; driving as a new mom
13:20 The Khardung La journey, navigating hairpin bends
23:35 Motorcycling is a solo journey
29:20 Helping hand from bikers
34:10 Coaching across age groups
37:25 Driving responsibly; her dad’s advice
39:20 Stories of women riders
44:38 Wearing many hats
47:10 Moving from Mumbai and starting Levitate in Bangalore
53:43 How preloved works
57:15 Empowering women

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/60110223Tue, 21 May 2024 09:56:31 +0000Anuradha Varmahttps://www.instagram.com/travelrani/, a Bengaluru-based women’s motorcycle coach, is a Limca Book of Records holder for being the first Indian woman motorcyclist to reach Khardung La, the highest motorable pass in the world. You can have the biggest...Meghna Khanna, a Bengaluru-based women’s motorcycle coach, is a Limca Book of Records holder for being the first Indian woman motorcyclist to reach Khardung La, the highest motorable pass in the world. You can have the biggest car in the world, but nothing beats the feeling of the wind in your hair when you ride a bike, she says. “When you ride a motorcycle, you know why a dog sticks their head out of the car,” she remarks. 

For her 10-year-old daughter, it’s a surprise when she sees her father park the bike, “Oh, he knows how to ride too?” Begging her dad to teach her to start a scooter when she was barely a teen, Meghna’s story of the first bike she fell in love with — and later owned — is serendipitous with meeting her husband.

While she goes with the flow, running Levitate, a craft store for 18 years, a preloved store for fashion finds and starting the “Bindi Project”, her passion lies in riding her 1994 Royal Enfield Bullet through dirt roads and forest trails. Listen in!

Chapters:
01:00 Her love for bikes started at age 12
06:20 Her first bike – the Enfield 1994 Bullet — and meeting her husband
10:00 No fear when biking; driving as a new mom
13:20 The Khardung La journey, navigating hairpin bends
23:35 Motorcycling is a solo journey
29:20 Helping hand from bikers
34:10 Coaching across age groups
37:25 Driving responsibly; her dad’s advice
39:20 Stories of women riders
44:38 Wearing many hats
47:10 Moving from Mumbai and starting Levitate in Bangalore
53:43 How preloved works
57:15 Empowering women

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>3618meghnakhanna,mombiker,motorcyclecoach,womanbikerfalse31fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-30-mindful-leader-nitesh-batra-the-mind-is-clear-knowing--59609766Living with a negative thought is like chasing a rodent in the house, according to Nitesh Batra, Mindfulness teacher and Certified Compassion Cultivation Trainer (CCT). He is founder of The Mindful Initiative and also runs the Ashtanga Yoga Program in Bengaluru. 
Mindfulness, he explains, is focussing on the task at hand, cherishing what you are doing and practising non-judgement. “When you are washing the dishes, wash the dishes,” he remarks. The mind, he says, is clear and knowing. If you sit in stillness, it’ll become calm and you can look through it. 

For leaders, he recommends practising to be calm in the eye of the storm to give out the right energy. He also talks about practising compassion on the go, “Be kinder, more loving, more compassionate and it will reflect in the world around you; something subtle shifts in our mind and life is a lot more joyous.”

He emphasises, “We need to put in the effort; without it, nothing will happen.” Simply start by sitting still for a minute in a day, setting a gentle intention.

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
01:00 Guided meditation
05:40 Explaining the concept of mindfulness
11:10 Accepting negative emotions in mindfulness – good stress vs bad stress
26:58 The Bhagavad Gita and the power of Om
29:02 We need to put in the effort
32:34: The neuroscience of mindfulness; prefrontal cortex vs the fear centre
36:30 Response vs reaction
38:40 Does mindfulness make us live in denial of problems?
44:45 On his mindfulness for effective leadership workshop with Prof Dinesh Kumar at IIM Bangalore
52:14 Compassion cultivation training and the Stanford course; how compassion works
58:16 Compassion vs empathy
01:04:54 Lojong teachings and the Tibetan Tonglen practice
01:10:35 We are lost in “maya”, we forget there is something beyond ourselves

Reading references:
* The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh
* Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn
* Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras by Swami Vivekananda
* Start Where Your Are: How to Accept Yourself and Others by Pema Chodron
* The Great Path of Awakening: The Classic Guide to Lojong, a Tibetan Buddhist Practice for Cultivating the Heart of Compassion by Jamgon Kongtrul, translated by Ken McLeod
* Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chögyam Trungpa (wrongly credited in the audio)

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/59609766Tue, 23 Apr 2024 05:39:32 +0000Anuradha VarmaLiving with a negative thought is like chasing a rodent in the house, according to https://www.linkedin.com/in/niteshbatra/, Mindfulness teacher and Certified Compassion Cultivation Trainer (CCT). He is founder of https://themindfulinitiative.com/ and...Living with a negative thought is like chasing a rodent in the house, according to Nitesh Batra, Mindfulness teacher and Certified Compassion Cultivation Trainer (CCT). He is founder of The Mindful Initiative and also runs the Ashtanga Yoga Program in Bengaluru. 
Mindfulness, he explains, is focussing on the task at hand, cherishing what you are doing and practising non-judgement. “When you are washing the dishes, wash the dishes,” he remarks. The mind, he says, is clear and knowing. If you sit in stillness, it’ll become calm and you can look through it. 

For leaders, he recommends practising to be calm in the eye of the storm to give out the right energy. He also talks about practising compassion on the go, “Be kinder, more loving, more compassionate and it will reflect in the world around you; something subtle shifts in our mind and life is a lot more joyous.”

He emphasises, “We need to put in the effort; without it, nothing will happen.” Simply start by sitting still for a minute in a day, setting a gentle intention.

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
01:00 Guided meditation
05:40 Explaining the concept of mindfulness
11:10 Accepting negative emotions in mindfulness – good stress vs bad stress
26:58 The Bhagavad Gita and the power of Om
29:02 We need to put in the effort
32:34: The neuroscience of mindfulness; prefrontal cortex vs the fear centre
36:30 Response vs reaction
38:40 Does mindfulness make us live in denial of problems?
44:45 On his mindfulness for effective leadership workshop with Prof Dinesh Kumar at IIM Bangalore
52:14 Compassion cultivation training and the Stanford course; how compassion works
58:16 Compassion vs empathy
01:04:54 Lojong teachings and the Tibetan Tonglen practice
01:10:35 We are lost in “maya”, we forget there is something beyond ourselves

Reading references:
* The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh
* Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn
* Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras by Swami Vivekananda
* Start Where Your Are: How to Accept Yourself and Others by Pema Chodron
* The Great Path of Awakening: The Classic Guide to Lojong, a Tibetan Buddhist Practice for Cultivating the Heart of Compassion by Jamgon Kongtrul, translated by Ken McLeod
* Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chögyam Trungpa (wrongly credited in the audio)

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | 4411cultivatingcompassion,lojong,meditation,mindfulness,mindfulnessforleaders,niteshbatra,tonglenfalse30fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-29-games2win-ceo-alok-kejriwal-startups-must-ask-why--59415339In this episode and a virtual masterclass on the entrepreneurial mindset, Games2Win co-founder and CEO Alok Kejriwal talks about his latest book “Getting Dressed and Parking Cars: The Magical Story of Building a Gaming Company”, published by Penguin Random House India. Alok describes himself as a hands-on serial entrepreneur and someone who loves to help entrepreneurs, especially through his immensely popular #DhandeKiBaat. His last two books were “Why I Stopped Wearing My Socks and “The Cave: An Internet Entrepreneur’s Spiritual Journey”.

He talks about growing up in south Mumbai apartments, surrounded by entrepreneurs and “just wanting to do business”. “Nobody was an employee; people seemed to be creating things out of magic. Somebody was selling cloth, someone else rubber…I remember thinking, ‘Why can’t I do something?’” He adds, “I am a student of life. Business is a great sport, dhande mein mazaa aata hai – money is a byproduct, to be in the flow is more important.”

An Art of Living teacher, he talks about the value of accepting the inevitability of the present moment and moving on from setbacks, although he confesses that it can get tough. For would-be entrepreneurs, he recommends zeroing in on a skill, such as “engagement” that is his strong suit, which he channelled into gaming. Not a gaming enthusiast personally, he narrates how practising his own car games helped him navigate the tricky and unique challenges of navigating US roads.

Success, for him, has gone beyond money, which he compares to a “scorecard”. It’s all about achieving happiness and equilibrium, describing the accumulation of assets such as private jets and luxury cars as just “toys”. “With great money comes great responsibility,” he remarks. And no, the serial entrepreneur, whose previous startup Mobile2win was acquired by The Walt Disney Company, does not own a private jet! Listen in! 

Chapters:
01:35 What success means to him; Maslow’s hierarchy
05:28 His relationship with money – the more you can accumulate, the more you can give
08:40 Mega weddings vs frugal displays – just posturing
12:43 Is it easy to make money?
14:25 The importance of profit for a business; the role of venture capitalists
16:54 Opportunistic realism vs pessimism, conservatism and surrealism
18:27 “Neti, neti” and asking “why”; go deeper to go further
23:36 Staying true to himself; the idea of “getting dressed and parking cars”
25:47 Facing lows and betrayals; ownership vs operating a business
28:47 What keeps him going; entrepreneurs never retire
32:08 Bouncing back from setbacks; how meditation helps
35:20 Entrepreneurial mindset is wired to nothing working out
36:28 Where the work ethic comes from
38:00 Choosing a business: Skill vs passion
43:28 His parking games helping in real life situations
45:22 Why an Indian entrepreneur is catering to the US
47:27 On his meditation practice, becoming an Art of Living teacher
52:00 His love for teaching people
56:25 On the ‘knowledge industry’; wealth is a dated asset

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/59415339Tue, 16 Apr 2024 02:30:03 +0000Anuradha VarmaIn this episode and a virtual masterclass on the entrepreneurial mindset, Games2Win co-founder and CEO https://www.linkedin.com/in/alokkejriwal/ talks about his latest book “https://www.amazon.in/Getting-Dressed-Parking-Cars-Building/dp/0143459171”,...In this episode and a virtual masterclass on the entrepreneurial mindset, Games2Win co-founder and CEO Alok Kejriwal talks about his latest book “Getting Dressed and Parking Cars: The Magical Story of Building a Gaming Company”, published by Penguin Random House India. Alok describes himself as a hands-on serial entrepreneur and someone who loves to help entrepreneurs, especially through his immensely popular #DhandeKiBaat. His last two books were “Why I Stopped Wearing My Socks and “The Cave: An Internet Entrepreneur’s Spiritual Journey”.

He talks about growing up in south Mumbai apartments, surrounded by entrepreneurs and “just wanting to do business”. “Nobody was an employee; people seemed to be creating things out of magic. Somebody was selling cloth, someone else rubber…I remember thinking, ‘Why can’t I do something?’” He adds, “I am a student of life. Business is a great sport, dhande mein mazaa aata hai – money is a byproduct, to be in the flow is more important.”

An Art of Living teacher, he talks about the value of accepting the inevitability of the present moment and moving on from setbacks, although he confesses that it can get tough. For would-be entrepreneurs, he recommends zeroing in on a skill, such as “engagement” that is his strong suit, which he channelled into gaming. Not a gaming enthusiast personally, he narrates how practising his own car games helped him navigate the tricky and unique challenges of navigating US roads.

Success, for him, has gone beyond money, which he compares to a “scorecard”. It’s all about achieving happiness and equilibrium, describing the accumulation of assets such as private jets and luxury cars as just “toys”. “With great money comes great responsibility,” he remarks. And no, the serial entrepreneur, whose previous startup Mobile2win was acquired by The Walt Disney Company, does not own a private jet! Listen in! 

Chapters:
01:35 What success means to him; Maslow’s hierarchy
05:28 His relationship with money – the more you can accumulate, the more you can give
08:40 Mega weddings vs frugal displays – just posturing
12:43 Is it easy to make money?
14:25 The importance of profit for a business; the role of venture capitalists
16:54 Opportunistic realism vs pessimism, conservatism and surrealism
18:27 “Neti, neti” and asking “why”; go deeper to go further
23:36 Staying true to himself; the idea of “getting dressed and parking cars”
25:47 Facing lows and betrayals; ownership vs operating a business
28:47 What keeps him going; entrepreneurs never retire
32:08 Bouncing back from setbacks; how meditation helps
35:20 Entrepreneurial mindset is wired to nothing working out
36:28 Where the work ethic comes from
38:00 Choosing a business: Skill vs passion
43:28 His parking games helping in real life situations
45:22 Why an Indian entrepreneur is catering to the US
47:27 On his meditation practice, becoming an Art of Living teacher
52:00 His love for teaching people
56:25 On the ‘knowledge industry’; wealth is a dated asset

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on...]]>3478alokkejriwal,dhandekibaat,entrepreneurmindset,games2win,gettingdressedandparkingcars,mindfulness,mobilegamesfalse29fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-28-aparna-sanyal-twisted-tales-of-love-torture--59339947
TRIGGER WARNING: The interview contains mentions of mental illness, anxiety, clinical depression and suicide.

In this episode, Aparna Sanyal talks about her new book Instruments of Torture, a collection of short stories published by HarperCollins India and how she has always been drawn to the “dark side”. She talks candidly about battling depression and anxiety, despite growing up as a seemingly happy, “jolly’ child. She shares a delightful anecdote about her friendship with an old man on the street, who kept a monkey for company. Her signature style, she remarks, is telling stories with a twist, exploring the character’s innermost demons.

Aparna lets us in on her creative process, where she often draws from characters in real life and then lets them reach their natural conclusion. Each story seeks inspiration from a medieval instrument of torture, going deep into the dark recesses of the mind. While the execution and resolution may be chilling, there is immense beauty and even love that creeps into the otherwise unsettling narratives. 

The full-time mom and writer has dabbled in diverse fields, including animation. Instruments of Torture is Aparna’s first foray into fiction. She debuted with Circus Folk and Village Freaks in 2018, a book of witty, narrative poems that explores the absurd and the bizarre. She holds an MA from Kings College, London and is a recipient of the 14th Beullah Rose Poetry Prize by Smartish Pace. and was shortlisted for the 2018 Third Coast Fiction Prize. She has been awarded a place in the Hongkong Proverse Poetry Prize Anthology, 2020. 

Find her work at www.aparnasanyal.in 

Some of Aparna’s poems:
The Penn Review: My Husband Eats a Crocodile at the Bangkok Night Market
Visitant: Midnight in My Garden
Autumn Sky Poetry Daily: You, My Love
Poetry breakfast: The Well 

Chapters:
02:20 Aparna’s vision for the book; fictionalised accounts of people she knows
04:24 Putting herself in a story; talking about her anxiety disorder, mental health
13:17 Need for mental health awareness
15:00 On social anxiety and how you feel
17:25 The story of the shallow beauty queen
20:00 Human trajectories of characters; love is at the core of the book
22:14 Excerpt from the book; drawing inspiration from agonising instruments of torture
25:20 How the stories came together
27:46 On her book of poems “Circus Folk and Village Freaks”
31:40 On her background; full-time parent and writer
35:30 Where the “dark side” and twisted humour comes from
39:20 A “strange friendship” — the “baba” and his monkey
43:14 Regular folk and the anguish within; family stories
46:00 Her next book – paranormal, feminist fiction

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/59339947Mon, 08 Apr 2024 11:21:41 +0000Anuradha VarmaTRIGGER WARNING: The interview contains mentions of mental illness, anxiety, clinical depression and suicide. In this episode, https://www.instagram.com/aparnasanyalwrites/ talks about her new book...
TRIGGER WARNING: The interview contains mentions of mental illness, anxiety, clinical depression and suicide.

In this episode, Aparna Sanyal talks about her new book Instruments of Torture, a collection of short stories published by HarperCollins India and how she has always been drawn to the “dark side”. She talks candidly about battling depression and anxiety, despite growing up as a seemingly happy, “jolly’ child. She shares a delightful anecdote about her friendship with an old man on the street, who kept a monkey for company. Her signature style, she remarks, is telling stories with a twist, exploring the character’s innermost demons.

Aparna lets us in on her creative process, where she often draws from characters in real life and then lets them reach their natural conclusion. Each story seeks inspiration from a medieval instrument of torture, going deep into the dark recesses of the mind. While the execution and resolution may be chilling, there is immense beauty and even love that creeps into the otherwise unsettling narratives. 

The full-time mom and writer has dabbled in diverse fields, including animation. Instruments of Torture is Aparna’s first foray into fiction. She debuted with Circus Folk and Village Freaks in 2018, a book of witty, narrative poems that explores the absurd and the bizarre. She holds an MA from Kings College, London and is a recipient of the 14th Beullah Rose Poetry Prize by Smartish Pace. and was shortlisted for the 2018 Third Coast Fiction Prize. She has been awarded a place in the Hongkong Proverse Poetry Prize Anthology, 2020. 

Find her work at www.aparnasanyal.in 

Some of Aparna’s poems:
The Penn Review: My Husband Eats a Crocodile at the Bangkok Night Market
Visitant: Midnight in My Garden
Autumn Sky Poetry Daily: You, My Love
Poetry breakfast: The Well 

Chapters:
02:20 Aparna’s vision for the book; fictionalised accounts of people she knows
04:24 Putting herself in a story; talking about her anxiety disorder, mental health
13:17 Need for mental health awareness
15:00 On social anxiety and how you feel
17:25 The story of the shallow beauty queen
20:00 Human trajectories of characters; love is at the core of the book
22:14 Excerpt from the book; drawing inspiration from agonising instruments of torture
25:20 How the stories came together
27:46 On her book of poems “Circus Folk and Village Freaks”
31:40 On her background; full-time parent and writer
35:30 Where the “dark side” and twisted humour comes from
39:20 A “strange friendship” — the “baba” and his monkey
43:14 Regular folk and the anguish within; family stories
46:00 Her next book – paranormal, feminist fiction

Follow...]]>2916anxiety,instrumentsoftorture,mentalillness,psychologicaltales,shortstories,twistedtalesfalse28fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-27-disability-activist-nidhi-goyal-reclaiming-fairytales--59244269“I’m blind, but so is love…get over it!” This is how disability activist and stand-up comic Nidhi Ashok Goyal disarms her audience during her performances. In this episode, the Founder-Executive Director of award-winning non-profit organisation Rising Flame talks about their anthology And They Lived…Ever After: Disabled Women Retell Fairy Tales, published by HarperCollins India and shifting mindsets around disability.

The idea was sparked during the pandemic, with the heartwarming stories talking about an anxious Ugly Duckling, a deaf Snow White who finds her tribe, a wheelchair-bound Rapunzel, among others. In the magical world of fairytales, where there was no space for disability, the project helps them “reclaim their power and agency”.

With her trademark humour and candour, Nidhi, who started losing her eyesight at the age of 15, makes a strong statement about living on her terms and not trying to prove a point to the world. She manages her house, travels for work and enjoys networking as meeting people gives her a rush. However, inaccessibility issues remind her of her disability, such as navigating touchscreens in the elevators of her housing society.

She also relates annoying but hilarious instances of picking up the wrong blind person during a cab ride or “inspiring” people simply by the act of walking into a room. She mentions the importance of having a strong support system in her family and the community, with her father teaching her to take responsibility for her actions as “there are no discounts for being a woman or being disabled.”

You can follow her work @saysnidhigoyal.

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
01:48 How she may not have sight, but still has “perfect vision”; on her disability
04:50 On her spiritual guru; deciding to start Rising Flame
06:50 Moving away from the “Why me?” question, drawing strength from family and community
11:00 Her parents being advised to get her married before she turned blind; fighting stigma
13:13 Rising Flame disability study during the pandemic
15:43 Mirroring her story in her book in the chapter “It’s Still Your Choice”
17:15 “Inspiring” others with just a “hello”
20:04 Turning to comedy because of “annoying and hilarious” situations
23:56 On enjoying dressing up; being independent
29:30 Panel discussion at the Purple Fest; disabled persons feeling the need to prove themselves
31:30 What a supportive environment looks like
34:34 On the role blindness plays in her day-to-day life; lack of accessibility and finding hacks
38:48 Apps and softwares, such as screen readers and “Be My Eyes”, that help the visually challenged
42:30 Rapunzel in a wheelchair
47:00 On the story around Cinderella’s “sister”, raising a larger gender question
48:05 Bollywood humour targeting disabilities
50:10 Stories from the book; an anxious Ugly Duckling, a deaf Snow White
52:56 Why a book around fairytales; how the writing project took shape
57:27 The intended audience for the book
59:00 The message of “Ask before you help”; picking up the wrong “blind person with a white cane”
1:03:30 Plans for Rising Flame and the book “And They lived…Ever After”

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/59244269Mon, 01 Apr 2024 07:42:20 +0000Anuradha Varma“I’m blind, but so is love…get over it!” This is how disability activist and stand-up comic https://www.instagram.com/saysnidhigoyal/ disarms her audience during her performances. In this episode, the Founder-Executive Director of award-winning...“I’m blind, but so is love…get over it!” This is how disability activist and stand-up comic Nidhi Ashok Goyal disarms her audience during her performances. In this episode, the Founder-Executive Director of award-winning non-profit organisation Rising Flame talks about their anthology And They Lived…Ever After: Disabled Women Retell Fairy Tales, published by HarperCollins India and shifting mindsets around disability.

The idea was sparked during the pandemic, with the heartwarming stories talking about an anxious Ugly Duckling, a deaf Snow White who finds her tribe, a wheelchair-bound Rapunzel, among others. In the magical world of fairytales, where there was no space for disability, the project helps them “reclaim their power and agency”.

With her trademark humour and candour, Nidhi, who started losing her eyesight at the age of 15, makes a strong statement about living on her terms and not trying to prove a point to the world. She manages her house, travels for work and enjoys networking as meeting people gives her a rush. However, inaccessibility issues remind her of her disability, such as navigating touchscreens in the elevators of her housing society.

She also relates annoying but hilarious instances of picking up the wrong blind person during a cab ride or “inspiring” people simply by the act of walking into a room. She mentions the importance of having a strong support system in her family and the community, with her father teaching her to take responsibility for her actions as “there are no discounts for being a woman or being disabled.”

You can follow her work @saysnidhigoyal.

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
01:48 How she may not have sight, but still has “perfect vision”; on her disability
04:50 On her spiritual guru; deciding to start Rising Flame
06:50 Moving away from the “Why me?” question, drawing strength from family and community
11:00 Her parents being advised to get her married before she turned blind; fighting stigma
13:13 Rising Flame disability study during the pandemic
15:43 Mirroring her story in her book in the chapter “It’s Still Your Choice”
17:15 “Inspiring” others with just a “hello”
20:04 Turning to comedy because of “annoying and hilarious” situations
23:56 On enjoying dressing up; being independent
29:30 Panel discussion at the Purple Fest; disabled persons feeling the need to prove themselves
31:30 What a supportive environment looks like
34:34 On the role blindness plays in her day-to-day life; lack of accessibility and finding hacks
38:48 Apps and softwares, such as screen readers and “Be My Eyes”, that help the visually challenged
42:30 Rapunzel in a wheelchair
47:00 On the story around Cinderella’s “sister”, raising a larger gender question
48:05 Bollywood humour targeting disabilities
50:10 Stories from the book; an anxious Ugly Duckling, a deaf Snow White
52:56 Why a book around fairytales; how the writing project took shape
57:27 The intended audience for the book
59:00 The message of “Ask before you help”; picking up the wrong “blind person with a white cane”
1:03:30 Plans for Rising Flame and the book “And They lived…Ever After”

Follow Anuradha on 3962disabilityactivist,diversityandinclusion,livingwithblindness,nidhigoyal,retellingfairytales,risingflamefalse27fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-26-arundhuti-dasgupta-desire-love-radha-on-holi--59152885Arundhuti Dasgupta, journalist and co-founder of The Mythology Project returns on the podcast to talk of the mystique of Radha, Krishna’s favourite gopi and consort on the occasion of Holi.

Radha humanises Krishna, making him approachable and acceptable to everyone. Their playful companionship transcended gender roles as they dissolved into each other. Desire in ancient India, she says, was not distinct from love.

A married woman by all accounts, the relationship between Radha and Krishna has been immortalised by 12th century poet Jayadev’s erotic poem Gita Govinda. An unlikely goddess, as Arundhuti points out, her love for Krishna is unconditional and has inspired many folk tales, poetry, dance and even qawwali.

Radha’s spiritual yearning for Krishna also shows that gods are not exempt from the pain of love, including Lord Ram whose heart ached for Sita. Listen in!

Arundhuti Dasgupta co-hosts the podcast Epics of the World with Utkarsh Patel. She also runs online and offline classes on myth and folklore. She is the author of The Weretiger: Stories of the Supernatural and Spooked: Stories of the Supernatural.

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

References:
Ep 10: Arundhuti Dasgupta on Many Sitas – ‘Feminist’ Ramayanas
Finding Radha: The Quest for Love, by Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal
Watch: Geet Govindam dance by students of Banaras Hindu University
Watch: Qawwali 'Kanhaiya, Yaad Hai Kuchh Bhi Hamaari' by Farid Ayaz & Abu Muhammed

Chapters:
01:00 Radha doesn’t fit into a mould, appeals across caste and class
05:36 A Radha story from Bengal
08:15 Gender fluidity in Radha-Krishna relationship
10:19 Acceptance of Radha as a goddess
14:25 Poetry around Radha
16:30 Desire interlinked with love in Jayadev’s Gita Govinda
19:56 When Radha gets jealous of Ganga
22:50 The idea of Radha as an older, married woman is liberating; an unconditional love
24:50 Chaitanya sings of Radha-Krishna; the Baul singers
27:00 The spiritual yearning for Krishna; gods are not exempt from the pain of love, including Lord Ram
29:00 Prof. Tracy Coleman compares Radha and Sita; Isis, a complex Greek goddess
32:19 The appearance of Radha in text post-Mahabharata and probable origin in an oral tradition
34:18 Krishna was humanised by his relationship with Radha
38:00 Love and desire in ancient India; patriarchy seeping into mythology
42:10 Radha qawwali in popular culture; allows men to be free
43:57 What Radha stands for as an independent spirit

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/59152885Sun, 24 Mar 2024 10:26:20 +0000Anuradha Varmahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/arundhuti-dasgupta-singhal-2683031/, journalist and co-founder of https://themythologyproject.com/ returns on the podcast to talk of the mystique of Radha, Krishna’s favourite gopi and consort on the occasion of Holi....Arundhuti Dasgupta, journalist and co-founder of The Mythology Project returns on the podcast to talk of the mystique of Radha, Krishna’s favourite gopi and consort on the occasion of Holi.

Radha humanises Krishna, making him approachable and acceptable to everyone. Their playful companionship transcended gender roles as they dissolved into each other. Desire in ancient India, she says, was not distinct from love.

A married woman by all accounts, the relationship between Radha and Krishna has been immortalised by 12th century poet Jayadev’s erotic poem Gita Govinda. An unlikely goddess, as Arundhuti points out, her love for Krishna is unconditional and has inspired many folk tales, poetry, dance and even qawwali.

Radha’s spiritual yearning for Krishna also shows that gods are not exempt from the pain of love, including Lord Ram whose heart ached for Sita. Listen in!

Arundhuti Dasgupta co-hosts the podcast Epics of the World with Utkarsh Patel. She also runs online and offline classes on myth and folklore. She is the author of The Weretiger: Stories of the Supernatural and Spooked: Stories of the Supernatural.

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

References:
Ep 10: Arundhuti Dasgupta on Many Sitas – ‘Feminist’ Ramayanas
Finding Radha: The Quest for Love, by Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal
Watch: Geet Govindam dance by students of Banaras Hindu University
Watch: Qawwali 'Kanhaiya, Yaad Hai Kuchh Bhi Hamaari' by Farid Ayaz & Abu Muhammed

Chapters:
01:00 Radha doesn’t fit into a mould, appeals across caste and class
05:36 A Radha story from Bengal
08:15 Gender fluidity in Radha-Krishna relationship
10:19 Acceptance of Radha as a goddess
14:25 Poetry around Radha
16:30 Desire interlinked with love in Jayadev’s Gita Govinda
19:56 When Radha gets jealous of Ganga
22:50 The idea of Radha as an older, married woman is liberating; an unconditional love
24:50 Chaitanya sings of Radha-Krishna; the Baul singers
27:00 The spiritual yearning for Krishna; gods are not exempt from the pain of love, including Lord Ram
29:00 Prof. Tracy Coleman compares Radha and Sita; Isis, a complex Greek goddess
32:19 The appearance of Radha in text post-Mahabharata and probable origin in an oral tradition
34:18 Krishna was humanised by his relationship with Radha
38:00 Love and desire in ancient India; patriarchy seeping into mythology
42:10 Radha qawwali in popular culture; allows men to be free
43:57 What Radha stands for as an...]]>2795gitagovinda,holi,holiandvrindavan,indianmythology,radhakrishna,radhasongsfalse26fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-25-anand-neelakantan-win-at-life-the-asura-way--59109534In a freewheeling chat, Anand Neelakantan, who is out with his new book The Asura Way: The Contrarian Path to Success, talks about how our ancient heritage taught us to believe in action and not just look inward for solutions. He busts the myths of the so-called six enemies of the mind — anger, passion, greed, infatuation, pride and competitive spirit.

The author is clear — those who seek moksha and contentment can go to the Himalayas and contemplate. This is the Kali Yuga and we need the Asura Way to succeed at life. He talks about discovering his “Asura qualities” after “being humble and submissive made me miserable”, leading him to re-read and re-interpret the epics. The Puranas, according to Neelakantan, are “the most powerful materialistic literature available in the world”. He mentions ancient rationalists, such as Charvaka, who believed in the dictum “eat, drink, and make merry now, for tomorrow you may die.” The philosopher also had a term for those who forgo life’s pleasures in hopes of a better afterlife — he called them idiots, according to Neelakantan. 

Whether it’s The Gita, the Panchatantra, Hitopadesha or the Mahabharata, they all ultimately preached the Asura Way. Listen in! 

For corporate and individual training —  online and offline, send an email to mail@asura.co.in

(Check out Ep 11: Anand Neelakantan on Ravana as Sita’s daughter)

About Anand Neelakantan:
A bestselling author, columnist, screenwriter, television personality, cartoonist and motivational speaker, he is renowned for his contributions to mythological fiction and has authored 15 books in English and one in Malayalam. He debuted with Asura: Tale of the Vanquished in 2012 and his other bestsellers include the Ajaya series; Vanara: The Legend of Baali, Sugreeva and Tara; the Baahubali Trilogy; The Extremely Most Naughty Asura Tales for Kids; Valmiki’s Women; Nala Damayanti; The Tale of the Naughty Flying Mountains; Many Ramayanas, Many Lessons (in the audio format); Mahi: The Elephant Who Flew Over the Blue Mountains and Pen Ramayanam (in Malayalam).

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
01:18 India being wrongly branded as merely spiritual and not materialist
05:35 Stories from the Puranas
08:40 The challenge with positive thinking
10:40 Materialism, agnosticism is also our heritage - Charvaka, Ajivikas and Lokayata
13:35 No commandments in Hinduism; The Gita also offers choice
15:13 Premchand’s Godaan
16:11 Ancient philosophers questioning the concept of heaven and rituals
19:10 Caste system, tolerance and rationality; Europe takes the lead
22:14 Enlightened self-interest is key, even in The Gita
26:00 The Gita gained prominence during the British era; impractical for general folk
29:00 Mahabharata is a great demonstration of The Asura Way
31:50 The hilarious story of Narada and Tumburu, the celestial singer
34:32 On Swami Chinmayananda storytelling
36:00 Being drawn to Ravana over Harishchandra in childhood
41:40 Anger is a good thing, such as Gandhi, Shivaji and Chanakya
43:35 How the Bhakti era changed the definition from action to praying for results
45:45 Krishna preaches The Asura Way as Arjuna and Pandavas follow
47:20 Re-reading Panchatantra and Hitopadesha; all about winning in life
49:25 The ego war between Vishwamitra and Vashishta
50:37 Going beyond words to get the right message from mythological figures, who dealt with ego, lust and anger
55:45 Tips on corporate scenarios from The Asura Way
1:00:30 Manifestation; be audacious

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/59109534Wed, 20 Mar 2024 07:33:08 +0000Anuradha VarmaIn a freewheeling chat, https://www.facebook.com/itsanandneel/, who is out with his new book https://www.amazon.in/Asura-Way-Contrarian-Path-Success/dp/8119153758, talks about how our ancient heritage taught us to believe in action and not just look...In a freewheeling chat, Anand Neelakantan, who is out with his new book The Asura Way: The Contrarian Path to Success, talks about how our ancient heritage taught us to believe in action and not just look inward for solutions. He busts the myths of the so-called six enemies of the mind — anger, passion, greed, infatuation, pride and competitive spirit.

The author is clear — those who seek moksha and contentment can go to the Himalayas and contemplate. This is the Kali Yuga and we need the Asura Way to succeed at life. He talks about discovering his “Asura qualities” after “being humble and submissive made me miserable”, leading him to re-read and re-interpret the epics. The Puranas, according to Neelakantan, are “the most powerful materialistic literature available in the world”. He mentions ancient rationalists, such as Charvaka, who believed in the dictum “eat, drink, and make merry now, for tomorrow you may die.” The philosopher also had a term for those who forgo life’s pleasures in hopes of a better afterlife — he called them idiots, according to Neelakantan. 

Whether it’s The Gita, the Panchatantra, Hitopadesha or the Mahabharata, they all ultimately preached the Asura Way. Listen in! 

For corporate and individual training —  online and offline, send an email to mail@asura.co.in

(Check out Ep 11: Anand Neelakantan on Ravana as Sita’s daughter)

About Anand Neelakantan:
A bestselling author, columnist, screenwriter, television personality, cartoonist and motivational speaker, he is renowned for his contributions to mythological fiction and has authored 15 books in English and one in Malayalam. He debuted with Asura: Tale of the Vanquished in 2012 and his other bestsellers include the Ajaya series; Vanara: The Legend of Baali, Sugreeva and Tara; the Baahubali Trilogy; The Extremely Most Naughty Asura Tales for Kids; Valmiki’s Women; Nala Damayanti; The Tale of the Naughty Flying Mountains; Many Ramayanas, Many Lessons (in the audio format); Mahi: The Elephant Who Flew Over the Blue Mountains and Pen Ramayanam (in Malayalam).

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
01:18 India being wrongly branded as merely spiritual and not materialist
05:35 Stories from the Puranas
08:40 The challenge with positive thinking
10:40 Materialism, agnosticism is also our heritage - Charvaka, Ajivikas and Lokayata
13:35 No commandments in Hinduism; The Gita also offers choice
15:13 Premchand’s Godaan
16:11 Ancient philosophers questioning the concept of heaven and rituals
19:10 Caste system, tolerance and rationality; Europe takes the lead
22:14 Enlightened self-interest is key, even in The Gita
26:00 The Gita gained prominence during the British era; impractical for general folk
29:00 Mahabharata is a great demonstration of The Asura Way
31:50 The hilarious story of Narada and Tumburu, the celestial singer
34:32 On Swami Chinmayananda storytelling
36:00 Being drawn to Ravana over Harishchandra in childhood
41:40 Anger is a good thing, such as Gandhi, Shivaji and Chanakya
43:35 How the Bhakti era changed the definition from action to praying for results
45:45 Krishna preaches The Asura Way as Arjuna and Pandavas follow
47:20 Re-reading Panchatantra and Hitopadesha; all about winning in life
49:25 The ego war...]]>3815anandneelakantan,corporatesuccess,manifestation,puranas,theasurawayfalse25fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-24-dr-wallace-j-nichols-how-to-get-our-blue-mind-on--59000274Listen in to Dr Wallace J Nichols, marine biologist and author of Blue Mind - The Surprising Science that Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected and Better at What You Do.

Blue Mind, explains Dr Nichols, is a simple phrase for something that is familiar, intuitive and about our emotional connection with water or nature. Science, he says, is finally catching up with its therapeutic benefits. While the Red Mind is the new normal, where we live at a frenetic pace, competing to accomplish our to-do lists and stay caffeinated; the Grey Mind is the burnt out state where our body and mind languish. Life is all about moving between the red and blue states, staying calm yet productive. He mentions current research in the field and what makes life on the blue marble unique! 

People and organisations are waking up to the benefits and “prescribing” Blue Mind, which means proximity to a river, a pool or anywhere in nature, or simply hearing recordings virtually. Taking a mindful shower or sitting near a fountain can be an instant pick-me-up for someone feeling low. However, next time you take a Blue Mind break, he recommends you take along a friend who may be feeling stuck in their Grey Mind!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
01:28 Blue Mind, Red Mind and Grey Mind
02:20 The frenetic red mind and burnt out grey mind
03:36 Water as the source of Blue Mind, extending to nature.
05:30 The womb is our first ocean.
08:08 You can practise Blue Mind anywhere.
10:20 Mindfulness and Blue Mind; a space for calm and creativity
15:38 Float therapy; Dr. Justin Feinstein’s research
21:25 Water and our nervous system
24:36 Growing awareness over the decades; ‘blue health’ research
27:00 The “bluescription” or prescribing “blue mind”
31:32 Our disconnect from nature
34:12 Teaching kids about blue mind
41:20 The blue marble; the ‘opera’ effect of viewing Earth from space
48:40 Dr Nichols’ audacious goal for Blue Mind

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/59000274Mon, 11 Mar 2024 10:11:50 +0000Anuradha VarmaListen in to https://www.linkedin.com/in/wallacejnichols/, marine biologist and author of https://www.amazon.in/BLUE-MIND-Wallace-J-Nichols/dp/0316252115 - The Surprising Science that Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier,...Listen in to Dr Wallace J Nichols, marine biologist and author of Blue Mind - The Surprising Science that Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected and Better at What You Do.

Blue Mind, explains Dr Nichols, is a simple phrase for something that is familiar, intuitive and about our emotional connection with water or nature. Science, he says, is finally catching up with its therapeutic benefits. While the Red Mind is the new normal, where we live at a frenetic pace, competing to accomplish our to-do lists and stay caffeinated; the Grey Mind is the burnt out state where our body and mind languish. Life is all about moving between the red and blue states, staying calm yet productive. He mentions current research in the field and what makes life on the blue marble unique! 

People and organisations are waking up to the benefits and “prescribing” Blue Mind, which means proximity to a river, a pool or anywhere in nature, or simply hearing recordings virtually. Taking a mindful shower or sitting near a fountain can be an instant pick-me-up for someone feeling low. However, next time you take a Blue Mind break, he recommends you take along a friend who may be feeling stuck in their Grey Mind!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
01:28 Blue Mind, Red Mind and Grey Mind
02:20 The frenetic red mind and burnt out grey mind
03:36 Water as the source of Blue Mind, extending to nature.
05:30 The womb is our first ocean.
08:08 You can practise Blue Mind anywhere.
10:20 Mindfulness and Blue Mind; a space for calm and creativity
15:38 Float therapy; Dr. Justin Feinstein’s research
21:25 Water and our nervous system
24:36 Growing awareness over the decades; ‘blue health’ research
27:00 The “bluescription” or prescribing “blue mind”
31:32 Our disconnect from nature
34:12 Teaching kids about blue mind
41:20 The blue marble; the ‘opera’ effect of viewing Earth from space
48:40 Dr Nichols’ audacious goal for Blue Mind

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>3229bluemind,bluemindmovement,bluemindtheory,greymind,lifeonthebluemarble,mindfulness,redmind,waterastherapyfalse24fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-23-leap-day-lady-raenell-dawn-turning-16-at-64--58747881In this special podcast with ‘Leap Day Lady’ Raenell Dawn, we connect on our common birthday — February 29. Based in Oregon, USA, Raenell, who turns 16 in leap years, started the The Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies in 1988, doing it how it was done then, through newspaper ads. The group has since metamorphosed into a lively Facebook group with many members coming across fellow “leapers” for the first time ever through the platform.

In this enlightening chat, she talks about petitioning calendar companies — in vain — to highlight Leap Day on the date, the joys and frustrations of being born on the unique birthdate (the odds are 1 in 1461) and stories of leaplings (such as twins born around midnight, with one’s birth date landing on the leap day!). She also recalls consoling a 12-year-old who said, “I hate my birthday; it’s the stupidest ever”.

She shares some fun trivia, for instance, a lady born in 1896 didn’t turn "one" till 1904, at the age of eight, as 1900 was not a leap year (not divisible by 4); a Sri Lankan professor has O’Leap as his middle name and, yes, Superman is a Leap Day Baby! Incidentally, the band Rookie Card has invited ‘leapers’ to send snippets of them lip-syncing to their 2004 Leap Day classic 2/29 for a new video!

Remarks Raenell, “I love being the Leap Day Lady and helping people understand and celebrate their ‘leapness’. It’ll be really cool for everybody to recognise it as an extra day for them too.” Listen to the ‘leaptastic’ episode!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
00:40 Turning 13 (the host) and sweet 16 (Raenell)
03:04 On starting The Honor Society for Leap Year Day Babies in 1988
06:00 Righting some wrongs, such as incorrect birth certificates
09:57 Why Feb 29 is the most important date on the calendar
11:36 Being teased in school; being the big sister with no birthday
15:50 ‘Leap Year Day’ is an extra day for everyone
22:05 Frogs, bunnies and other animals for Leap Year Day
24:00 Questions that come in
27:40 Celebrate on Feb 28 or March 1?
31:18 Making it to a Leap Day birth
34:17 Leap Year capital of the world — Anthony, Texas in New Mexico
37:36 The Victorian era; postcards from 1896 to 1916 related to leap year
39:49 Relatives born on leap day; couples, grandparents, twins, etc
42:47 Leap year music
45:25 A Bahamas cruise and Guinness records
49:50 Questions we get on our birthday
51:32 Is Superman a Leap Day Baby?
54:12 Leap year maths is complicated
56:19 Raenell’s birthday plans
1:01:15 Fun is serious business; unique leap names

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/58747881Mon, 26 Feb 2024 07:10:28 +0000Anuradha VarmaIn this special podcast with ‘Leap Day Lady’ Raenell Dawn, we connect on our common birthday — February 29. Based in Oregon, USA, Raenell, who turns 16 in leap years, started the https://www.leapyearday.com/honor-society-of-leap-year-day-babi in 1988,...In this special podcast with ‘Leap Day Lady’ Raenell Dawn, we connect on our common birthday — February 29. Based in Oregon, USA, Raenell, who turns 16 in leap years, started the The Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies in 1988, doing it how it was done then, through newspaper ads. The group has since metamorphosed into a lively Facebook group with many members coming across fellow “leapers” for the first time ever through the platform.

In this enlightening chat, she talks about petitioning calendar companies — in vain — to highlight Leap Day on the date, the joys and frustrations of being born on the unique birthdate (the odds are 1 in 1461) and stories of leaplings (such as twins born around midnight, with one’s birth date landing on the leap day!). She also recalls consoling a 12-year-old who said, “I hate my birthday; it’s the stupidest ever”.

She shares some fun trivia, for instance, a lady born in 1896 didn’t turn "one" till 1904, at the age of eight, as 1900 was not a leap year (not divisible by 4); a Sri Lankan professor has O’Leap as his middle name and, yes, Superman is a Leap Day Baby! Incidentally, the band Rookie Card has invited ‘leapers’ to send snippets of them lip-syncing to their 2004 Leap Day classic 2/29 for a new video!

Remarks Raenell, “I love being the Leap Day Lady and helping people understand and celebrate their ‘leapness’. It’ll be really cool for everybody to recognise it as an extra day for them too.” Listen to the ‘leaptastic’ episode!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
00:40 Turning 13 (the host) and sweet 16 (Raenell)
03:04 On starting The Honor Society for Leap Year Day Babies in 1988
06:00 Righting some wrongs, such as incorrect birth certificates
09:57 Why Feb 29 is the most important date on the calendar
11:36 Being teased in school; being the big sister with no birthday
15:50 ‘Leap Year Day’ is an extra day for everyone
22:05 Frogs, bunnies and other animals for Leap Year Day
24:00 Questions that come in
27:40 Celebrate on Feb 28 or March 1?
31:18 Making it to a Leap Day birth
34:17 Leap Year capital of the world — Anthony, Texas in New Mexico
37:36 The Victorian era; postcards from 1896 to 1916 related to leap year
39:49 Relatives born on leap day; couples, grandparents, twins, etc
42:47 Leap year music
45:25 A Bahamas cruise and Guinness records
49:50 Questions we get on our birthday
51:32 Is Superman a Leap Day Baby?
54:12 Leap year maths is complicated
56:19 Raenell’s birthday plans
1:01:15 Fun is serious business; unique leap names

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

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



Want to be a...]]>3824honorsocietyofleapyearbabies,leapdaylady,leapyearbirthday,raenelldawnfalse23fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-22-niranjan-kaushik-how-to-kick-smoking-with-ninja--58733184Niranjan Kaushik, who went from puffing 35 cigarettes a day to zero, likes to call himself a non-smoker rather than an ex-smoker. His book Kick Smoking with Ninja takes those trying to kick or “overcome” the habit through a journey to rewiring the brain. In this candid chat, he talks about how the brain of an addict works, strategising during flights, car rides or dining out (even, heartbreakingly, his father’s funeral), to get the next smoke of the day.

His epiphany to kick the addiction came during demonetisation, when he stocked up on Rs 16,000 worth of cigarettes, prompting him to question his choices. It’s been seven years and Niranjan has stuck to his mantra of “NOPE” — “Not One Puff Ever”.

Niranjan has a career spanning over two decades in entertainment, media and communication. Listen in!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters
01:10 On the book and Niranjan’s program to kick smoking
02:40 Not an ex-smoker but a non-smoker
04:20 Trying his first cigarette at 11
06:00 Beginning to smell and taste again
07:58 What led to writing the program
10:40 Getting an epiphany during demonetisation
15:20 The journey to kicking the smoking habit
17:30 Giving up smoking is like giving up a relationship
20:30 Don’t be tempted to try a puff after quitting
23:26 How the brain works to strategise as a smoker
30:10 Rewiring the brain; the power of kicking the habit
32:00 How smoking actually adds stress
35:55 ‘Enjoying’ the withdrawal phase mindfully
40:00 Asking “How badly do you want to stop smoking?”
41:30 Exiting the autopilot mode
46:15 Picking up arguments to stage a walkout to get a puff
50:45 Escaping for a smoke during his father’s funeral
55:20 A smoker friend who dreads her child’s birthday party
58:36 On the pandemic and isolation being a trigger for smoking
1:03:45 What he would’ve lost if he hadn’t overcome smoking
1:06:10 Message to youngsters on staying away from nicotine

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com


Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/58733184Tue, 20 Feb 2024 02:30:02 +0000Anuradha Varmahttps://www.instagram.com/niranjankaushik72/, who went from puffing 35 cigarettes a day to zero, likes to call himself a non-smoker rather than an ex-smoker. His book https://www.amazon.in/Kick-Smoking-Ninja-Niranjan-Kaushik/dp/8119264304 takes those...Niranjan Kaushik, who went from puffing 35 cigarettes a day to zero, likes to call himself a non-smoker rather than an ex-smoker. His book Kick Smoking with Ninja takes those trying to kick or “overcome” the habit through a journey to rewiring the brain. In this candid chat, he talks about how the brain of an addict works, strategising during flights, car rides or dining out (even, heartbreakingly, his father’s funeral), to get the next smoke of the day.

His epiphany to kick the addiction came during demonetisation, when he stocked up on Rs 16,000 worth of cigarettes, prompting him to question his choices. It’s been seven years and Niranjan has stuck to his mantra of “NOPE” — “Not One Puff Ever”.

Niranjan has a career spanning over two decades in entertainment, media and communication. Listen in!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters
01:10 On the book and Niranjan’s program to kick smoking
02:40 Not an ex-smoker but a non-smoker
04:20 Trying his first cigarette at 11
06:00 Beginning to smell and taste again
07:58 What led to writing the program
10:40 Getting an epiphany during demonetisation
15:20 The journey to kicking the smoking habit
17:30 Giving up smoking is like giving up a relationship
20:30 Don’t be tempted to try a puff after quitting
23:26 How the brain works to strategise as a smoker
30:10 Rewiring the brain; the power of kicking the habit
32:00 How smoking actually adds stress
35:55 ‘Enjoying’ the withdrawal phase mindfully
40:00 Asking “How badly do you want to stop smoking?”
41:30 Exiting the autopilot mode
46:15 Picking up arguments to stage a walkout to get a puff
50:45 Escaping for a smoke during his father’s funeral
55:20 A smoker friend who dreads her child’s birthday party
58:36 On the pandemic and isolation being a trigger for smoking
1:03:45 What he would’ve lost if he hadn’t overcome smoking
1:06:10 Message to youngsters on staying away from nicotine

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com


Disclaimer: The 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]]>4242addictionrecovery,brainrewiring,kicksmokingwithninja,mindfulness,niranjankaushik,quitsmoking,selfhelpfalse22fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-21-romance-novelist-ruchita-misra-true-love-is-like-coming-home--58671453A self-confessed die hard romantic, London-based Ruchita Misra’s latest novel Her One True Love, published by Harper Collins India, took her five years to write. The plot is complicated, with both protagonists in committed relationships when they meet — Ekadashi is married and has a son and Fredrick, a handsome billionaire, is dating a celebrity. It doesn’t shy away from the hard questions, as Ekadashi’s mother (who chose duty over love some decades ago), stands by her daughter as she navigates a toxic marriage and constant put-downs by her partner, while feeling a ‘cosmic, electric pull’ towards Fredrick.


For Ruchita, who loves classic romances featuring the iconic Mr Darcy and Rhett Butler, her novels are all about “realistic escapism”, creating a world that is gentle and tender. Her advice on love — one may meet the right person at the wrong time, but life is short, so don’t let go of the chance at finding true love. For those in toxic relationships, it’s time to walk the dark path to freedom and create space for a healthy partnership.

“Love,” she says, “is complicated and doesn't happen overnight; love is peaceful and healing.” True love is about coming home. Listen in!


Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
01:05 Ruchita on writing romance novels
03:32 Her One True Love’s modern day issues in the backdrop of gentle, old world romance
07:34 Toxic marriages; the voice in your head becoming your critic
09:00 Reactions to the book, playing agony aunt to readers
15:30 Being non-judgmental and constructing complex characters
17:23 Is it kinder to let go of a relationship for “true love”?
19:47 Duty vs love
21:30 Finding love in one’s 60s in the book
23:00 Red flags don’t just disappear after marriage
25:30 When Ruchita’s friend wished to abandon her wedding
28:20 Discovering the characters as she writes
32:00 No “sex” in her books, “respecting her characters' privacy”
36:18 Love takes time, the emptiness of serial dating
38:43 Developing Fredrick’s character; the meet-cute moments
40:44 Whether that one true love exists
47:30 Her next book ‘The Girl and the Ghost’
48:00 Balancing motherhood, her day job and writing
49:00 Being genuinely interested in people’s stories
50:40 It’s important to invest in choosing the right partner
52:52 Message for Valentine’s Day; love is calming

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/58671453Tue, 13 Feb 2024 11:39:06 +0000Anuradha VarmaA self-confessed die hard romantic, London-based Ruchita Misra’s latest novel https://www.amazon.in/Her-One-True-Love-Novel/dp/9356996113, published by Harper Collins India, took her five years to write. The plot is complicated, with both protagonists...A self-confessed die hard romantic, London-based Ruchita Misra’s latest novel Her One True Love, published by Harper Collins India, took her five years to write. The plot is complicated, with both protagonists in committed relationships when they meet — Ekadashi is married and has a son and Fredrick, a handsome billionaire, is dating a celebrity. It doesn’t shy away from the hard questions, as Ekadashi’s mother (who chose duty over love some decades ago), stands by her daughter as she navigates a toxic marriage and constant put-downs by her partner, while feeling a ‘cosmic, electric pull’ towards Fredrick.


For Ruchita, who loves classic romances featuring the iconic Mr Darcy and Rhett Butler, her novels are all about “realistic escapism”, creating a world that is gentle and tender. Her advice on love — one may meet the right person at the wrong time, but life is short, so don’t let go of the chance at finding true love. For those in toxic relationships, it’s time to walk the dark path to freedom and create space for a healthy partnership.

“Love,” she says, “is complicated and doesn't happen overnight; love is peaceful and healing.” True love is about coming home. Listen in!


Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
01:05 Ruchita on writing romance novels
03:32 Her One True Love’s modern day issues in the backdrop of gentle, old world romance
07:34 Toxic marriages; the voice in your head becoming your critic
09:00 Reactions to the book, playing agony aunt to readers
15:30 Being non-judgmental and constructing complex characters
17:23 Is it kinder to let go of a relationship for “true love”?
19:47 Duty vs love
21:30 Finding love in one’s 60s in the book
23:00 Red flags don’t just disappear after marriage
25:30 When Ruchita’s friend wished to abandon her wedding
28:20 Discovering the characters as she writes
32:00 No “sex” in her books, “respecting her characters' privacy”
36:18 Love takes time, the emptiness of serial dating
38:43 Developing Fredrick’s character; the meet-cute moments
40:44 Whether that one true love exists
47:30 Her next book ‘The Girl and the Ghost’
48:00 Balancing motherhood, her day job and writing
49:00 Being genuinely interested in people’s stories
50:40 It’s important to invest in choosing the right partner
52:52 Message for Valentine’s Day; love is calming

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>3349heronetruelove,lovevsduty,romancenovel,ruchitamisra,truelove,valentinesdayfalse21fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-20-noel-parent-writing-for-kids-auroville-cellular-yoga--58498204Noel Parent’s latest children's book Legend of the Flute Player was recently published by Harper Collins India. Originally from the US, Noel has lived in the international township of Auroville for the last 16 years, working as a landscaper and gardener. He is also doing research in the areas of Cellular Consciousness and Peace.

In this episode, he speaks about his deep connection to the spiritual philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, navigating the microcosm that is Auroville and shedding old identities to make way for the new. He also talks about the fascinating field of cellular yoga, which effects change beyond the spiritual and material level.


Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters
00:50 On his children’s book Legend of the Flute Player, a magical fable about seeking within 04:00 Book event at Auroville, interacting with nature through music
08:20 Stories for younger readers, waiting to be released into the world
12:10 The inspiration behind ‘Yarsoslava's Flowers’, spiritual significance of flowers at Auroville
14:40 From growing up in Indiana, US to living in Auroville
17:30 Encountering the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother
20:00 The calling to come to Auroville, Pondicherry
22:46 Life at Auroville, a microcosm of the world
26:02 Working at the gardens in Auroville
30:00 Navigating challenges at Auroville
38:00 His personal spiritual journey
41:25 His personal philosophy of “there’s always more to come”, giving up what’s not serving him
49:00 Cellular consciousness – yoga of the cells
1:00:55 How to become aware at the cellular level; the lady who “heard” her cells
1:06:45 Importance of being close to nature for kids

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/58498204Tue, 30 Jan 2024 09:55:51 +0000Anuradha Varmahttps://www.instagram.com/storyyoga/?hl=en latest children's book https://www.amazon.in/Legend-Flute-Player-Noel-Parent/dp/9356999236/was recently published by Harper Collins India. Originally from the US, Noel has lived in the international township...Noel Parent’s latest children's book Legend of the Flute Player was recently published by Harper Collins India. Originally from the US, Noel has lived in the international township of Auroville for the last 16 years, working as a landscaper and gardener. He is also doing research in the areas of Cellular Consciousness and Peace.

In this episode, he speaks about his deep connection to the spiritual philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, navigating the microcosm that is Auroville and shedding old identities to make way for the new. He also talks about the fascinating field of cellular yoga, which effects change beyond the spiritual and material level.


Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters
00:50 On his children’s book Legend of the Flute Player, a magical fable about seeking within 04:00 Book event at Auroville, interacting with nature through music
08:20 Stories for younger readers, waiting to be released into the world
12:10 The inspiration behind ‘Yarsoslava's Flowers’, spiritual significance of flowers at Auroville
14:40 From growing up in Indiana, US to living in Auroville
17:30 Encountering the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother
20:00 The calling to come to Auroville, Pondicherry
22:46 Life at Auroville, a microcosm of the world
26:02 Working at the gardens in Auroville
30:00 Navigating challenges at Auroville
38:00 His personal spiritual journey
41:25 His personal philosophy of “there’s always more to come”, giving up what’s not serving him
49:00 Cellular consciousness – yoga of the cells
1:00:55 How to become aware at the cellular level; the lady who “heard” her cells
1:06:45 Importance of being close to nature for kids

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>4281auroville,cellularyoga,childrensbooks,noelparent,sriaurobindo,yogafalse20fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-19-minakshi-dewan-the-final-farewell-across-india-s-faiths--58095079Last rites can be wonderfully life-affirming as they guide a family through the ultimate sendoff and bring a community together. A lot of common themes run across India’s various belief systems, explains Minakshi Dewan, author of The Final Farewell, Understanding the Last Rites and Rituals of India’s Major Faiths, published by HarperCollins.

Listen in as she talks about her experience of visiting Haridwar where the family ‘tirth purohit’ showed her records from 1941, handwritten by her great-grandfather. She mentions a conversation with an outspoken Parsi priest who offered cremation services over sky burials to his community and was dragged to court for it. Women, she notes, are stepping up increasingly to perform last rites defying patriarchal norms. In future, she also sees the trend of funeral agencies picking up, as seen in the West.

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters
00:35 Starting on the book after performing her father’s last rites
03:32 Hierarchies of Hindu priests – maha brahmins, tirth purohits, etc
05:40 In Haridwar, meeting the tirth purohit who maintains the family’s ‘death registers’
10:35 Parsi priest Framroze Mirza, offering transition from sky burials to cremations
14:35 Beliefs around deaths across faiths determine code of life
17:24 Death as a celebration in Sikhism
18:40 Rituals provide a platform to grieve
19:40 Experience at Baba Kina Ram’s ashram in Varanasi; the Aghori belief in non-duality
21:55 Challenge to performing rituals during the pandemic
23:20 The trend of women performing last rites for a parent
28:10 Funeral directors and agencies of the future

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/58095079Tue, 09 Jan 2024 07:09:04 +0000Anuradha VarmaLast rites can be wonderfully life-affirming as they guide a family through the ultimate sendoff and bring a community together. A lot of common themes run across India’s various belief systems, explains Minakshi Dewan, author of...Last rites can be wonderfully life-affirming as they guide a family through the ultimate sendoff and bring a community together. A lot of common themes run across India’s various belief systems, explains Minakshi Dewan, author of The Final Farewell, Understanding the Last Rites and Rituals of India’s Major Faiths, published by HarperCollins.

Listen in as she talks about her experience of visiting Haridwar where the family ‘tirth purohit’ showed her records from 1941, handwritten by her great-grandfather. She mentions a conversation with an outspoken Parsi priest who offered cremation services over sky burials to his community and was dragged to court for it. Women, she notes, are stepping up increasingly to perform last rites defying patriarchal norms. In future, she also sees the trend of funeral agencies picking up, as seen in the West.

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters
00:35 Starting on the book after performing her father’s last rites
03:32 Hierarchies of Hindu priests – maha brahmins, tirth purohits, etc
05:40 In Haridwar, meeting the tirth purohit who maintains the family’s ‘death registers’
10:35 Parsi priest Framroze Mirza, offering transition from sky burials to cremations
14:35 Beliefs around deaths across faiths determine code of life
17:24 Death as a celebration in Sikhism
18:40 Rituals provide a platform to grieve
19:40 Experience at Baba Kina Ram’s ashram in Varanasi; the Aghori belief in non-duality
21:55 Challenge to performing rituals during the pandemic
23:20 The trend of women performing last rites for a parent
28:10 Funeral directors and agencies of the future

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>2160deathrituals,funeralhomes,lastrites,thefinalfarewell,womenandlastritesfalse19fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-18-olivia-fraser-finding-the-sacred-in-meditative-art--58102676Artist Olivia Fraser crash-landed in India in 1989, still in her 20s, following her then boyfriend and now husband, the celebrated author William Dalrymple, losing her luggage on her maiden trip with only her kinsman James Bailey Fraser’s Company School artworks for company. She began by painting scenes on the streets of the Capital, till she found her calling in Rajasthani miniatures, which she made all her own.

As an artist, you’re a little bit like a chemist, remarks Olivia, as she describes moving Harry Potter-like through Jaipur’s alleys scouring for pigments and gemstones in their rawest form — grinding malachite, her ‘top favourite” indigo, gold leaf which “she loves”, and agate which gives a burnished quality to her work. Through her decades in India, she has dug deep into the Puranas and the yoga tradition, in particular the Gheranda Samhita, infusing her work with a meditative quality.

She lets us in on the inner workings of her artistic mind, which sometimes starts whirring as she sits on her thinking chairs, one each in her London and Delhi homes. She compares her dual existence to “stepping into a wardrobe” to enter another world, like “Lucy” in the Narnia books. She also talks about the influence of her great-aunt Eileen Agar, a Surrealist who moved in the same circles as greats such as Dali and Picasso.


* Click here for Oliva Fraser’s website
* Check out her exhibiton The Journey Within at Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York
* To view Olivia’s works at the Grosvenor Gallery, click here

Follow and share to grow the conversation!

Chapters:
00:33 What an artist’s day looks like; her “thinking chair”
05:06 Preparing the handmade paper
05:52 Sourcing materials from Jaipur
08:52 On her love for gold leaf used in a sacred context in a miniature painting
10:40 keeping busy in India and London
11:54 On her “thinking chair”
12:58 The artist as a chemist; how light affects the artwork
14:25 Crash-landing in India aged 20 in 1989; her forbear James Bailey Fraser’s Company School collection
19:28 Capturing scenes from the streets of Delhi in her initial paintings
20:25 Deciding to learn traditional miniature painting; an exciting apprenticeship
23:20 Finding a Pichwai painters’ studio in Delhi; discovering sacred art
26:26 “Western gaze” vs “internal perception”; looking inwards to paint a banana tree
31:14 Diving into the yogic tradition, discovering its visual side
36:22 Reading an excerpt from the Gheranda Samhita, 18th century Sanskrit manual of yoga
38:10 Painting the lotus, which opens and contracts with the breath
39:00 Becoming a beekeeper to explore the idea of Bhramari & the bee in traditional imagery
43:44 Finding the vocabulary of yoga in her art
45:00 Living in India & UK, a comfort with Indian clothes
47:15 Indian artists she follows
48:15 Influence of her great-aunt Eileen Agar, a Surrealist who knew Dali & Picasso
55:43 Attracted to artists who travelled the world
58:00 Current projects

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/58102676Tue, 02 Jan 2024 06:58:36 +0000Anuradha VarmaArtist https://www.instagram.com/oliviafraserart/ crash-landed in India in 1989, still in her 20s, following her then boyfriend and now husband, the celebrated author William Dalrymple, losing her luggage on her maiden trip with only her kinsman James...Artist Olivia Fraser crash-landed in India in 1989, still in her 20s, following her then boyfriend and now husband, the celebrated author William Dalrymple, losing her luggage on her maiden trip with only her kinsman James Bailey Fraser’s Company School artworks for company. She began by painting scenes on the streets of the Capital, till she found her calling in Rajasthani miniatures, which she made all her own.

As an artist, you’re a little bit like a chemist, remarks Olivia, as she describes moving Harry Potter-like through Jaipur’s alleys scouring for pigments and gemstones in their rawest form — grinding malachite, her ‘top favourite” indigo, gold leaf which “she loves”, and agate which gives a burnished quality to her work. Through her decades in India, she has dug deep into the Puranas and the yoga tradition, in particular the Gheranda Samhita, infusing her work with a meditative quality.

She lets us in on the inner workings of her artistic mind, which sometimes starts whirring as she sits on her thinking chairs, one each in her London and Delhi homes. She compares her dual existence to “stepping into a wardrobe” to enter another world, like “Lucy” in the Narnia books. She also talks about the influence of her great-aunt Eileen Agar, a Surrealist who moved in the same circles as greats such as Dali and Picasso.


* Click here for Oliva Fraser’s website
* Check out her exhibiton The Journey Within at Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York
* To view Olivia’s works at the Grosvenor Gallery, click here

Follow and share to grow the conversation!

Chapters:
00:33 What an artist’s day looks like; her “thinking chair”
05:06 Preparing the handmade paper
05:52 Sourcing materials from Jaipur
08:52 On her love for gold leaf used in a sacred context in a miniature painting
10:40 keeping busy in India and London
11:54 On her “thinking chair”
12:58 The artist as a chemist; how light affects the artwork
14:25 Crash-landing in India aged 20 in 1989; her forbear James Bailey Fraser’s Company School collection
19:28 Capturing scenes from the streets of Delhi in her initial paintings
20:25 Deciding to learn traditional miniature painting; an exciting apprenticeship
23:20 Finding a Pichwai painters’ studio in Delhi; discovering sacred art
26:26 “Western gaze” vs “internal perception”; looking inwards to paint a banana tree
31:14 Diving into the yogic tradition, discovering its visual side
36:22 Reading an excerpt from the Gheranda Samhita, 18th century Sanskrit manual of yoga
38:10 Painting the lotus, which opens and contracts with the breath
39:00 Becoming a beekeeper to explore the idea of Bhramari & the bee in traditional imagery
43:44 Finding the vocabulary of yoga in her art
45:00 Living in India & UK, a comfort with Indian clothes
47:15 Indian artists she follows
48:15 Influence of her great-aunt Eileen Agar, a Surrealist who knew Dali & Picasso
55:43 Attracted to artists who travelled the world
58:00 Current projects

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn |3543gherandasamhita,oliviafraser,oliviafraserartistfalse18fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-17-life-coach-ajith-anirudhan-how-to-set-goals-this-new-year--58083219Nothing changes unless you do, says Ajith Anirudhan, Bengaluru-based ICF-accredited wellness and personal empowerment coach. He recommends taking small steps towards one’s goal, so that the body registers a win each time, gradually becoming more embracing towards change. Ultimately, even in failure, you’re better than when you first started. The art of manifestation, he believes, is about mindfully giving yourself that nudge, saying “You’ve got this!” As for New Year resolutions, make a resolve to start today, he says!

Follow and share to grow the conversation!

Click here for Ajith’s Ted Talk.
Read Ajith’s articles here and here.

Chapters
01:05 The importance of living life at one’s own pace
03:29 Setting small, achievable goals
07:28 Winners seek help; helping people on their transformation journey
14:38 How not to gaslight yourself and others
16:53 Power of manifestation and positive thinking
21:30 Positive affirmation: “I am enough”
24:50 Wellness and habit coaching; making the mental shift to commit
34:15 New year resolutions; start today
38:15 Invest in people, stay connected socially
44:20 How to be less reactive
47:10 The power of writing; changing goalposts
50:42 Dealing with toxic situations
52:18 Embracing one’s destiny
54:50 Ajith’s own journey, recovering from a heart attack

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/58083219Wed, 27 Dec 2023 04:28:49 +0000Anuradha VarmaNothing changes unless you do, says https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajithanirudhan/, Bengaluru-based ICF-accredited wellness and personal empowerment coach. He recommends taking small steps towards one’s goal, so that the body registers a win each time,...Nothing changes unless you do, says Ajith Anirudhan, Bengaluru-based ICF-accredited wellness and personal empowerment coach. He recommends taking small steps towards one’s goal, so that the body registers a win each time, gradually becoming more embracing towards change. Ultimately, even in failure, you’re better than when you first started. The art of manifestation, he believes, is about mindfully giving yourself that nudge, saying “You’ve got this!” As for New Year resolutions, make a resolve to start today, he says!

Follow and share to grow the conversation!

Click here for Ajith’s Ted Talk.
Read Ajith’s articles here and here.

Chapters
01:05 The importance of living life at one’s own pace
03:29 Setting small, achievable goals
07:28 Winners seek help; helping people on their transformation journey
14:38 How not to gaslight yourself and others
16:53 Power of manifestation and positive thinking
21:30 Positive affirmation: “I am enough”
24:50 Wellness and habit coaching; making the mental shift to commit
34:15 New year resolutions; start today
38:15 Invest in people, stay connected socially
44:20 How to be less reactive
47:10 The power of writing; changing goalposts
50:42 Dealing with toxic situations
52:18 Embracing one’s destiny
54:50 Ajith’s own journey, recovering from a heart attack

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>3895habitcoach,lifegoals,newyear2024,newyeargoals,newyearresolutionsfalse17fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-16-jonas-olsson-christmas-carols-with-the-bangalore-men--58054512It’s a merry Christmas with Jonas Olsson, originally from Sweden, who has been a resident of Bengaluru for over a decade and is founder of the all-male choir The Bangalore Men and the all-female Cappella Bangalore. He also heads the vocal department at The Bangalore School of Music. All this besides working at his corporate day job as Head of India Tech Hub at Volvo Cars.

Olsson talks about the strong tradition of choir singing in Sweden and why we must grow the culture beyond Christmas to the rest of the year. He emphasises the need for right musical training so that singers can amplify their voices in the absence of the ubiquitous microphone. The Christmas repertoire of his choir spans the 1300s to the 1960s, with a mix of popular and unusual songs, such as ‘Corpus Christi’ by Norwegian composer Trond Kverno and ‘Tomorrow Shall be My Dancing Day’ by John Gardner. In the past, the choir has performed compositions of Western classical greats including Schubert and Beethoven, besides Gustav Holst's Hymns from the Rig Veda. Finally, listen in as Olsson sings 'Deck the Halls'!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
01:00 Singing in choirs as a child in Sweden, moving to Bengaluru
02:12 Strong choir singing tradition in Sweden
03:18 Starting The Bangalore Men choir in 2016
08:00 A sacred tradition, from the church to beyond
11:38 Performing Gustav Holst’s choral hymns from the Rig Veda
16:40 The Bangalore Men’s varied repertoire; balancing schedules with day jobs
21:11 Christmas concerts with a mix of popular and unusual music
23:30 What makes a choir vs a band?
24:35 Microphones amplifying singers’ voices in absence of vocal technique
30:00 Why crash courses in singing don’t work
31:40 What music means to him
36:00 Christmas repertoire, from 1300s to 1960s
43:21 Jonas sings ‘Deck the Halls’

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/58054512Tue, 19 Dec 2023 05:30:46 +0000Anuradha VarmaIt’s a merry Christmas with https://www.linkedin.com/in/s99jonte/, originally from Sweden, who has been a resident of Bengaluru for over a decade and is founder of the all-male choir https://open.spotify.com/album/7Fs2oJ7P7L682BGC9osE5e and the...It’s a merry Christmas with Jonas Olsson, originally from Sweden, who has been a resident of Bengaluru for over a decade and is founder of the all-male choir The Bangalore Men and the all-female Cappella Bangalore. He also heads the vocal department at The Bangalore School of Music. All this besides working at his corporate day job as Head of India Tech Hub at Volvo Cars.

Olsson talks about the strong tradition of choir singing in Sweden and why we must grow the culture beyond Christmas to the rest of the year. He emphasises the need for right musical training so that singers can amplify their voices in the absence of the ubiquitous microphone. The Christmas repertoire of his choir spans the 1300s to the 1960s, with a mix of popular and unusual songs, such as ‘Corpus Christi’ by Norwegian composer Trond Kverno and ‘Tomorrow Shall be My Dancing Day’ by John Gardner. In the past, the choir has performed compositions of Western classical greats including Schubert and Beethoven, besides Gustav Holst's Hymns from the Rig Veda. Finally, listen in as Olsson sings 'Deck the Halls'!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
01:00 Singing in choirs as a child in Sweden, moving to Bengaluru
02:12 Strong choir singing tradition in Sweden
03:18 Starting The Bangalore Men choir in 2016
08:00 A sacred tradition, from the church to beyond
11:38 Performing Gustav Holst’s choral hymns from the Rig Veda
16:40 The Bangalore Men’s varied repertoire; balancing schedules with day jobs
21:11 Christmas concerts with a mix of popular and unusual music
23:30 What makes a choir vs a band?
24:35 Microphones amplifying singers’ voices in absence of vocal technique
30:00 Why crash courses in singing don’t work
31:40 What music means to him
36:00 Christmas repertoire, from 1300s to 1960s
43:21 Jonas sings ‘Deck the Halls’

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The 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]]>2629capellabangalore,choirsinging,christmascarols,christmaschoir,jonasolsson,thebangaloremenfalse16fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-15-shweta-singh-kirti-sushant-singh-rajput-s-sister-on-pain--57949426“Earlier, we were separated, now he has become me, there is no division,” says Shweta Singh Kirti of her brother, the actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who passed away allegedly by suicide in 2020 at the age of 34 in the public eye. California-based Shweta, who has written the book ‘Pain: A Portal to Enlightenment’, published by Penguin Ebury Press as a part of her “universal responsibility” to those grappling with grief, believes that while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

This was, however, not her first brush with death, which she encountered on the passing of her older sister as a child and her mother, when Shweta was still a student. In this chat, she talks about her being a spiritual seeker since the age of eight, deepening her practices through the works of Ramana Maharshi and regular solitary retreats to deal with the physical manifestation of grief. She also talks about how being the fifth daughter in a family craving a boy, though much-loved, led to her immense yearning and unconditional love for God. Her message for Sushant’s fans? A simple heartfelt thanks.

Shweta runs Damara Kids, an endeavour focused on teaching mindfulness and meditation to children. Listen in!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
00:40 Starting with a chant
01:53 Memories of Sushant, the curiosity and purity he stood for
05:30 Remembering “Bobby di”, a first encounter with grief
08:00 On losing her mom; a vision of ‘Ma Kali’
10:00 Opening up to a non-material world; deeping her spiritual practices
15:20 A premonition about Sushant’s death; getting the tragic news
18:30 Dealing with the public grief
21:20 Taking solitary retreats; writing her book as “universal responsibility”
28:12 How grief feels physically
29:53 Experience of Vipassana and solitary retreats at Land of Calm Abiding at Ragged Point
34:15 Stay in the awareness of ‘You are not this identity’; loss is like losing a limb
35:50 Seeing guided visions to “heal ancestral trauma”
41:00 Treating yourself with loving kindness
41:50 Attachment vs detachment; experiencing pure ecstasy of awareness
45:00 Explaining awareness sans name, form and function
51:00 Beng born the fifth girl child, craving unconditional love
57:34 Spiritual experience at Dakshineshwar Temple
59:30 What God means for her
01:01:50 Importance of a spiritual guru; a closeness to Lord Krishna
01:04:00 Rainbow body of Tibetan Buddhism
01:08:08 Conscious parenting and taking to her kids about Sushant’s death
01:10:50 Finding closure after her brother’s death
01:12:45 “Bhai has not gone anywhere, he’s living in me”
01:14:35 A thank you for Sushant’s fans

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/57949426Fri, 08 Dec 2023 10:03:17 +0000Anuradha Varma“Earlier, we were separated, now he has become me, there is no division,” says https://www.instagram.com/shwetasinghkirti/?hl=en of her brother, the actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who passed away allegedly by suicide in 2020 at the age of 34 in the...“Earlier, we were separated, now he has become me, there is no division,” says Shweta Singh Kirti of her brother, the actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who passed away allegedly by suicide in 2020 at the age of 34 in the public eye. California-based Shweta, who has written the book ‘Pain: A Portal to Enlightenment’, published by Penguin Ebury Press as a part of her “universal responsibility” to those grappling with grief, believes that while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

This was, however, not her first brush with death, which she encountered on the passing of her older sister as a child and her mother, when Shweta was still a student. In this chat, she talks about her being a spiritual seeker since the age of eight, deepening her practices through the works of Ramana Maharshi and regular solitary retreats to deal with the physical manifestation of grief. She also talks about how being the fifth daughter in a family craving a boy, though much-loved, led to her immense yearning and unconditional love for God. Her message for Sushant’s fans? A simple heartfelt thanks.

Shweta runs Damara Kids, an endeavour focused on teaching mindfulness and meditation to children. Listen in!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
00:40 Starting with a chant
01:53 Memories of Sushant, the curiosity and purity he stood for
05:30 Remembering “Bobby di”, a first encounter with grief
08:00 On losing her mom; a vision of ‘Ma Kali’
10:00 Opening up to a non-material world; deeping her spiritual practices
15:20 A premonition about Sushant’s death; getting the tragic news
18:30 Dealing with the public grief
21:20 Taking solitary retreats; writing her book as “universal responsibility”
28:12 How grief feels physically
29:53 Experience of Vipassana and solitary retreats at Land of Calm Abiding at Ragged Point
34:15 Stay in the awareness of ‘You are not this identity’; loss is like losing a limb
35:50 Seeing guided visions to “heal ancestral trauma”
41:00 Treating yourself with loving kindness
41:50 Attachment vs detachment; experiencing pure ecstasy of awareness
45:00 Explaining awareness sans name, form and function
51:00 Beng born the fifth girl child, craving unconditional love
57:34 Spiritual experience at Dakshineshwar Temple
59:30 What God means for her
01:01:50 Importance of a spiritual guru; a closeness to Lord Krishna
01:04:00 Rainbow body of Tibetan Buddhism
01:08:08 Conscious parenting and taking to her kids about Sushant’s death
01:10:50 Finding closure after her brother’s death
01:12:45 “Bhai has not gone anywhere, he’s living in me”
01:14:35 A thank you for Sushant’s fans

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com
Disclaimer: The 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,...]]>4546shwetasinghkirti,shwetasinghkirtibookpain,ssr,ssrians,sushantrajputsinghsister,sushantsinghrajputfalse15fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-14-pooja-sharma-rooting-for-an-inclusive-duniya--57816219Pooja Sharma spent over 15 years in the corporate world before setting up The Sarvodya Collective, a non-profit working to weave inclusive communities around persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, especially through their programme Inclusive Duniya. Here, she talks about how society at large can show up for the neurodivergent community, which accounts for 0.2 percent of the population, according to official estimates. Pooja, as part of India's first all-women team, also drove through 30 countries covering 30,000 km as part of the Mongol Rally to raise awareness around intellectual disabilities. Inclusive Duniya has introduced comics, freely available through their Instagram handle, to answer questions around neurodivergence. She encourages people to keep open minds and hearts and connect with people despite their differences. Listen in!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Click here for recommended books, movies and shows.

Chapters:
00:40 An introduction to Inclusive Duniya
03:13 On her brother’s intellectual disability; importance of awareness and allyship
05:50 Sharing her family story
10:04 Building a support system for caregivers
15:10 The numbers on neurodiversity; changing mindsets
18:00 Achieving UN’s SDGs through partnerships
20:50 Creating educational products for learners
22:23 Students as champions of neurodiversity
26:04 What is neurodiversity?
31:41 Inclusive Duniya comics and merchandise to create awareness
38:18 Participating in the Mongol Rally with all-women team
41:14 Witnessing inclusivity around the world – Croatia’s “best buddy” programme
47:12 Representing people on the spectrum
52:10 Late diagnosis of autism, ADHD, etc
55:10 Recommended reading and shows
56:50 building connections over differences

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/57816219Fri, 01 Dec 2023 12:20:23 +0000Anuradha VarmaPooja Sharma spent over 15 years in the corporate world before setting up https://sarvodya.org/, a non-profit working to weave inclusive communities around persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, especially through their programme...Pooja Sharma spent over 15 years in the corporate world before setting up The Sarvodya Collective, a non-profit working to weave inclusive communities around persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, especially through their programme Inclusive Duniya. Here, she talks about how society at large can show up for the neurodivergent community, which accounts for 0.2 percent of the population, according to official estimates. Pooja, as part of India's first all-women team, also drove through 30 countries covering 30,000 km as part of the Mongol Rally to raise awareness around intellectual disabilities. Inclusive Duniya has introduced comics, freely available through their Instagram handle, to answer questions around neurodivergence. She encourages people to keep open minds and hearts and connect with people despite their differences. Listen in!

Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Click here for recommended books, movies and shows.

Chapters:
00:40 An introduction to Inclusive Duniya
03:13 On her brother’s intellectual disability; importance of awareness and allyship
05:50 Sharing her family story
10:04 Building a support system for caregivers
15:10 The numbers on neurodiversity; changing mindsets
18:00 Achieving UN’s SDGs through partnerships
20:50 Creating educational products for learners
22:23 Students as champions of neurodiversity
26:04 What is neurodiversity?
31:41 Inclusive Duniya comics and merchandise to create awareness
38:18 Participating in the Mongol Rally with all-women team
41:14 Witnessing inclusivity around the world – Croatia’s “best buddy” programme
47:12 Representing people on the spectrum
52:10 Late diagnosis of autism, ADHD, etc
55:10 Recommended reading and shows
56:50 building connections over differences

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>3513adhd,autism,intellectualdisability,internationaldayofdisability,neurodivergence,personswithdisabilitiesfalse14fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-13-grief-coach-shiv-shukla-death-is-not-the-end--57467139We are born grieving when we enter the world screaming from the warmth of the womb, says Shiv Shukla, US-based Grief Recovery Specialist. In this fascinating conversation, he shares his experience of overcoming feelings of anger and loss at his mother’s passing, the importance of a structured approach to grieving and how the physical relationship may end, but the emotional and spiritual bond continues beyond lifetimes. He reveals how a medium made him aware of his late grandmother’s presence around him and being almost miraculously cured of vertigo through a past life regression session. He also speaks about over 35 kinds of grief, which may be triggered by an emotional breakup or even retirement.

Shiv, a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through (ICF), is a Past Life Regression therapist and is also passionate about coaching couples to make marriages work.

Reach out to Shiv at:
Marriage.justgobeyond.com (Make Marriage Work)
Webinar.justgobeyond.com (Grief coaching)

Recommended books:
* Laws of the Spirit World by Khorshed Bhavnagri
* Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe by Laura Lynn Jackson
* Life After Life by Raymond Moody
* Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss
* Incredibly Believable!: Everything You Wanted to Know About The Shift But Did Not Know Whom to Ask by Dr Sunny Satin

Chapters
01:08 What is grief? What does a coach do?
03:00 We are not taught how to deal with loss; how to talk to a child
07:00 Mom’s premonition of her death; anger at her death
09:40 Structured approach of moving from grief to recovery
12:00 Grief pulls us down; the consciousness graph
14:13 Acceptance is freeing
15:50 On the book ‘Laws of the Spirit World’
17:45 Reaching out for therapy
20:00 Spiritual connection with his grandmother; meeting a medium
23:36 Death is not the end of a relationship
25:20 Connecting beyond death; departed loved ones want to see you progress
28:48 Nurturing the emotional relationship after a loved one’s passing; processing guilt
34:00 How to communicate with a loved one
34:23 The bedtime ritual to communicate in a dream state
36:21 On the book Life After Life by Raymond Moody; near death experience
37:37 Loved ones want us to move on
38:21 Getting rid of vertigo through past life regression
40:42 Getting trained by Brian Weiss, experiencing the soul state
41:27 Lady who visited her past life as a snake
44:32 Visiting a probable future; Dr Sunny Satin’s book Incredibly Believable
47:33 How to comfort someone who is grieving
52:00 Different types of grief; anticipatory grief, community grief, secondary grief, traumatic grief, etc
57:56 Retirement is a trigger for grief
58:40 The challenge of a first emotional breakup
59:06 Coaching for marriages - Make Marriage Work
1:00:43 The trauma of a breakup or divorce; giving power to the other
1:04:49 Victim mentality going back to childhood; like attracts like

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/57467139Fri, 24 Nov 2023 06:16:24 +0000Anuradha VarmaWe are born grieving when we enter the world screaming from the warmth of the womb, says https://justgobeyond.com/, US-based Grief Recovery Specialist. In this fascinating conversation, he shares his experience of overcoming feelings of anger and loss...We are born grieving when we enter the world screaming from the warmth of the womb, says Shiv Shukla, US-based Grief Recovery Specialist. In this fascinating conversation, he shares his experience of overcoming feelings of anger and loss at his mother’s passing, the importance of a structured approach to grieving and how the physical relationship may end, but the emotional and spiritual bond continues beyond lifetimes. He reveals how a medium made him aware of his late grandmother’s presence around him and being almost miraculously cured of vertigo through a past life regression session. He also speaks about over 35 kinds of grief, which may be triggered by an emotional breakup or even retirement.

Shiv, a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through (ICF), is a Past Life Regression therapist and is also passionate about coaching couples to make marriages work.

Reach out to Shiv at:
Marriage.justgobeyond.com (Make Marriage Work)
Webinar.justgobeyond.com (Grief coaching)

Recommended books:
* Laws of the Spirit World by Khorshed Bhavnagri
* Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe by Laura Lynn Jackson
* Life After Life by Raymond Moody
* Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss
* Incredibly Believable!: Everything You Wanted to Know About The Shift But Did Not Know Whom to Ask by Dr Sunny Satin

Chapters
01:08 What is grief? What does a coach do?
03:00 We are not taught how to deal with loss; how to talk to a child
07:00 Mom’s premonition of her death; anger at her death
09:40 Structured approach of moving from grief to recovery
12:00 Grief pulls us down; the consciousness graph
14:13 Acceptance is freeing
15:50 On the book ‘Laws of the Spirit World’
17:45 Reaching out for therapy
20:00 Spiritual connection with his grandmother; meeting a medium
23:36 Death is not the end of a relationship
25:20 Connecting beyond death; departed loved ones want to see you progress
28:48 Nurturing the emotional relationship after a loved one’s passing; processing guilt
34:00 How to communicate with a loved one
34:23 The bedtime ritual to communicate in a dream state
36:21 On the book Life After Life by Raymond Moody; near death experience
37:37 Loved ones want us to move on
38:21 Getting rid of vertigo through past life regression
40:42 Getting trained by Brian Weiss, experiencing the soul state
41:27 Lady who visited her past life as a snake
44:32 Visiting a probable future; Dr Sunny Satin’s book Incredibly Believable
47:33 How to comfort someone who is grieving
52:00 Different types of grief; anticipatory grief, community grief, secondary grief, traumatic grief,...]]>4191griefcoaching,grievingfalse13fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-12-dr-rajiv-kovil-dr-ami-shah-on-diabetes-acceptance-is-key--57661525As Indians, we need to shift our mindsets about how we see food and manage diabetes. For starters, we need to stop counting rotis and start with a plate of salad, moving away from carb-focussed meals. In this conversation, diabetologist Dr Rajiv Kovil along with marketer and entrepreneur Dr Ami Shah, co-founders of Zandra Healthcare, talk about changing the narrative around creating healthier lifestyles. Their initiative Rang De Neela, using showbiz puppets such as Singham and Sholay to dispense medical knowledge through a network of highly motivated doctors across urban and rural areas, is one step in this direction. Tune in as they talk about the Indian “thrifty genotype”, making us vulnerable to fat storage and how to take small but effective steps to manage diabetes.
Follow and share to grow the conversation!

Dr Kovil is part of the movement to create a Blue Dot classification for diabetes-friendly foods. In 2019, he was awarded the Fellowship Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh. He is also a founder member of the United Diabetes Forum (UDF) and was awarded the Diabetes India Fellowship, in 2017.

Dr Ami Shah, an engineer by training and marketer by choice, has worked with B2B and B2C companies across different industry sectors in India and Southeast Asia. Shah is a visiting faculty with various B-schools since 2006.

Chapters
01:38 Blue Dot for diabetes-friendly foods
04:00 A diabetic meal is a healthy meal
06:00 Small changes for health; propensity for carbohydrate-driven meals
10:11 Diets such as intermittent fasting and Keto
11:20 We eat for pleasure
12:53 Portion control during social occasions
13:58 ‘Mithaas ek Ehsaas’ initiative; shifting the focus from food
17:49 Cultural association with sugar; getting rid of addictive behaviour
19:02 Rang De Neela initiative combining art and health; puppets to engage and inform
28:23 Cultural mindsets regarding food; acceptance of the problem
30:48 Taking health content mainstream
34:20 Is a healthy lifestyle a full-time job?
35:30 Health is wealth
37:22 Not ‘diabetic’, but ‘person with diabetes’
40:48 Low-sugar and sugar-free substitutes

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/57661525Mon, 20 Nov 2023 08:14:17 +0000Anuradha VarmaAs Indians, we need to shift our mindsets about how we see food and manage diabetes. For starters, we need to stop counting rotis and start with a plate of salad, moving away from carb-focussed meals. In this conversation, diabetologist...As Indians, we need to shift our mindsets about how we see food and manage diabetes. For starters, we need to stop counting rotis and start with a plate of salad, moving away from carb-focussed meals. In this conversation, diabetologist Dr Rajiv Kovil along with marketer and entrepreneur Dr Ami Shah, co-founders of Zandra Healthcare, talk about changing the narrative around creating healthier lifestyles. Their initiative Rang De Neela, using showbiz puppets such as Singham and Sholay to dispense medical knowledge through a network of highly motivated doctors across urban and rural areas, is one step in this direction. Tune in as they talk about the Indian “thrifty genotype”, making us vulnerable to fat storage and how to take small but effective steps to manage diabetes.
Follow and share to grow the conversation!

Dr Kovil is part of the movement to create a Blue Dot classification for diabetes-friendly foods. In 2019, he was awarded the Fellowship Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh. He is also a founder member of the United Diabetes Forum (UDF) and was awarded the Diabetes India Fellowship, in 2017.

Dr Ami Shah, an engineer by training and marketer by choice, has worked with B2B and B2C companies across different industry sectors in India and Southeast Asia. Shah is a visiting faculty with various B-schools since 2006.

Chapters
01:38 Blue Dot for diabetes-friendly foods
04:00 A diabetic meal is a healthy meal
06:00 Small changes for health; propensity for carbohydrate-driven meals
10:11 Diets such as intermittent fasting and Keto
11:20 We eat for pleasure
12:53 Portion control during social occasions
13:58 ‘Mithaas ek Ehsaas’ initiative; shifting the focus from food
17:49 Cultural association with sugar; getting rid of addictive behaviour
19:02 Rang De Neela initiative combining art and health; puppets to engage and inform
28:23 Cultural mindsets regarding food; acceptance of the problem
30:48 Taking health content mainstream
34:20 Is a healthy lifestyle a full-time job?
35:30 Health is wealth
37:22 Not ‘diabetic’, but ‘person with diabetes’
40:48 Low-sugar and sugar-free substitutes

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>3237diabetes,diabetesday,diabetesfriendlyfoods,healthtips,healthylifestyle,managinddiabetes,type2diabetesfalse12fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-11-anand-neelakantan-ravana-as-sita-s-father--57604732Did Ravana abduct his “daughter” Sita to save her from a life of struggle with Ram? In this chat, Anand Neelakantan, author of ‘Asura: Tale of the Vanquished’ talks of the many tellings of the Ramayana that follow this narrative. He speaks of Ravana as the “complete man”, full of flaws as well as goodness, which acts as a foil to “maryada Purushottam” Ram. Ravana is also believed to be an incarnation of Jaya, Lord Vishnu’s loyal gatekeeper, who awaits liberation from a curse. Neelakantan, through his writing, pays tribute to the classical Indian way of storytelling with all its complex layers and emotions taking readers beyond the trope of good vs evil, prevalent since the Bhakti era. Tune in to listen!
(Apologies for the audio quality issues!)

The bestselling author’s books include the ‘Bahubali’ trilogy; ‘Nala Damyanti’; ‘Vanara - The Legend of Bali, Sugreeva and Tara’; ‘Ajay - Duryodhana's Mahabharata’ series; ‘Valmiki's Women’. ‘Asura: Tale of the Vanquished’ was his debut novel. His upcoming works include ‘How to Live Life the Ravana Way’, ‘Devi’ and a ‘Many Ramayanas, Many Lessons’ series (on Audible).

Chapters
01:00 On Ramayana as a nuanced story, telling Ravan’s side
03:17 Heaven-hell vs Karma and the cyclical nature of time
05:30 Jain version of Ramayana & 32 versions where Sita is Ravana’s daughter
06:58 Pre-Bhakti era and later Ramayanas
08:50 Asuras vs Devas: The code of conduct
11:00 Ravana as the complete man
13:50 Ravana’s early family life; half-brother Kuber
14:50 Ravana as a tragic hero; no fatal flaw
16:50 Bhadra as co-narrator in his book ‘Asura’
18:24 Is there a message in Ravana’s life? A beautiful, complicated life
21:36 On Sita; limitations of writing for television
22:49 Sita’s abandonment through her viewpoint
24:00 Recommended books
26:50 Current projects

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/57604732Sun, 12 Nov 2023 15:48:03 +0000Anuradha VarmaDid Ravana abduct his “daughter” Sita to save her from a life of struggle with Ram? In this chat, https://www.facebook.com/itsanandneel, author of ‘Asura: Tale of the Vanquished’ talks of the many tellings of the Ramayana that follow this narrative....Did Ravana abduct his “daughter” Sita to save her from a life of struggle with Ram? In this chat, Anand Neelakantan, author of ‘Asura: Tale of the Vanquished’ talks of the many tellings of the Ramayana that follow this narrative. He speaks of Ravana as the “complete man”, full of flaws as well as goodness, which acts as a foil to “maryada Purushottam” Ram. Ravana is also believed to be an incarnation of Jaya, Lord Vishnu’s loyal gatekeeper, who awaits liberation from a curse. Neelakantan, through his writing, pays tribute to the classical Indian way of storytelling with all its complex layers and emotions taking readers beyond the trope of good vs evil, prevalent since the Bhakti era. Tune in to listen!
(Apologies for the audio quality issues!)

The bestselling author’s books include the ‘Bahubali’ trilogy; ‘Nala Damyanti’; ‘Vanara - The Legend of Bali, Sugreeva and Tara’; ‘Ajay - Duryodhana's Mahabharata’ series; ‘Valmiki's Women’. ‘Asura: Tale of the Vanquished’ was his debut novel. His upcoming works include ‘How to Live Life the Ravana Way’, ‘Devi’ and a ‘Many Ramayanas, Many Lessons’ series (on Audible).

Chapters
01:00 On Ramayana as a nuanced story, telling Ravan’s side
03:17 Heaven-hell vs Karma and the cyclical nature of time
05:30 Jain version of Ramayana & 32 versions where Sita is Ravana’s daughter
06:58 Pre-Bhakti era and later Ramayanas
08:50 Asuras vs Devas: The code of conduct
11:00 Ravana as the complete man
13:50 Ravana’s early family life; half-brother Kuber
14:50 Ravana as a tragic hero; no fatal flaw
16:50 Bhadra as co-narrator in his book ‘Asura’
18:24 Is there a message in Ravana’s life? A beautiful, complicated life
21:36 On Sita; limitations of writing for television
22:49 Sita’s abandonment through her viewpoint
24:00 Recommended books
26:50 Current projects

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>1739anandneelakantan,diwalistory,ramayanastory,ravanachildhood,ravanasitasfather,ravanastoryfalse11fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-10-arundhuti-dasgupta-many-sitas-feminist-ramayanas--57538809Arundhuti Dasgupta, journalist and co-founder of The Mythology Project, takes us on a delightful ride through the many versions of the Ramayana, including folk songs where Sita has been truly understood as a woman with a mind of her own. She talks about the eternal nature of the epic, the various tellings through Valmiki, Tulsidas and Kamban, the rationality of the Jain version as well as Sarala Das’ Odia Ramayana and Chandrabati’s ‘feminist’ Ramayana, which all “come from a place of love”. Through all this, Sita has been a voice for her “sisters of sorrow”, while unleashing her ‘Bhayankar Ras’ as Kali in Valmiki’s Adbhut Ramayana. Tune in to listen!

Arundhuti Dasgupta runs online and offline classes on myth and folklore. She is the author of The Weretiger: Stories of the Supernatural and Spooked: Stories of the Supernatural.

Recommended books:
Three Hundred Ramayanas by AK Ramanujan
In search of Sita: Revisiting Mythology by Namita Gokhale & Malashri Lal
Chandrabati’s Ramayan by Nabaneeta Dev Sen
Questioning Ramayanas: A South Asian Tradition by Paula Richman

Chapters:
00:44 An introduction to The Mythology Project
03:33 The eternal idea of the Ramayana
09:25 The Ramnamis of Chhattisgarh adopting the Ramcharitmanas
12:00 Many Ramayanas; an excerpt from the Adhyatma Ramayana (from AK Ramanujan’s essay)
13:00 Sita is always questioning Ram, she’s not timid
15:45 Folk songs around Sita; 15th century poet Sarala Das’ Odia Ramayana
17:51 The rationality of the Jain Ramayana; Lakshman, not Ram, kills Ravan
19:35 Chandrabati’s ‘feminist’ Ramayana and Sita’s origin story; Mandodari births an egg
26:36 Oral tellings in Nepal and Southeast Asian countries
27:13 Sita as Ravan’s daughter
28:27 Sita vs Draupadi; Nabaneeta Dev Sen and Sita’s ‘sisters of sorrow’
31:46 ‘Grinding folk songs’; Sita refuses to return to Ram
34:57 Sita as Kali in Valmiki’s ‘Adbhut Ramayana’
35:00 Valmiki’s Ramayana vs Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas
36:20 Ram as ‘maryada purushottam’ and Sita’s role
37:55 The power of Sita in retellings; Sita vs Surpanakha
40:03 Ramayana as a tragic love story; the parrot’s curse on Sita
44:27 Thai and Malay versions of the Ramayana
47:00 Relating daily problems through stories of Sita and Ramayana
50:34 The male gaze in Ramayana tellings
53:00 Women have understood Sita through folk songs; Kaushalya reprimands her sons
56:22 Recommended reading

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/57538809Tue, 07 Nov 2023 07:32:34 +0000Anuradha Varmahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/arundhuti-dasgupta-singhal-2683031/, journalist and co-founder of https://themythologyproject.com/, takes us on a delightful ride through the many versions of the Ramayana, including folk songs where Sita has been truly...Arundhuti Dasgupta, journalist and co-founder of The Mythology Project, takes us on a delightful ride through the many versions of the Ramayana, including folk songs where Sita has been truly understood as a woman with a mind of her own. She talks about the eternal nature of the epic, the various tellings through Valmiki, Tulsidas and Kamban, the rationality of the Jain version as well as Sarala Das’ Odia Ramayana and Chandrabati’s ‘feminist’ Ramayana, which all “come from a place of love”. Through all this, Sita has been a voice for her “sisters of sorrow”, while unleashing her ‘Bhayankar Ras’ as Kali in Valmiki’s Adbhut Ramayana. Tune in to listen!

Arundhuti Dasgupta runs online and offline classes on myth and folklore. She is the author of The Weretiger: Stories of the Supernatural and Spooked: Stories of the Supernatural.

Recommended books:
Three Hundred Ramayanas by AK Ramanujan
In search of Sita: Revisiting Mythology by Namita Gokhale & Malashri Lal
Chandrabati’s Ramayan by Nabaneeta Dev Sen
Questioning Ramayanas: A South Asian Tradition by Paula Richman

Chapters:
00:44 An introduction to The Mythology Project
03:33 The eternal idea of the Ramayana
09:25 The Ramnamis of Chhattisgarh adopting the Ramcharitmanas
12:00 Many Ramayanas; an excerpt from the Adhyatma Ramayana (from AK Ramanujan’s essay)
13:00 Sita is always questioning Ram, she’s not timid
15:45 Folk songs around Sita; 15th century poet Sarala Das’ Odia Ramayana
17:51 The rationality of the Jain Ramayana; Lakshman, not Ram, kills Ravan
19:35 Chandrabati’s ‘feminist’ Ramayana and Sita’s origin story; Mandodari births an egg
26:36 Oral tellings in Nepal and Southeast Asian countries
27:13 Sita as Ravan’s daughter
28:27 Sita vs Draupadi; Nabaneeta Dev Sen and Sita’s ‘sisters of sorrow’
31:46 ‘Grinding folk songs’; Sita refuses to return to Ram
34:57 Sita as Kali in Valmiki’s ‘Adbhut Ramayana’
35:00 Valmiki’s Ramayana vs Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas
36:20 Ram as ‘maryada purushottam’ and Sita’s role
37:55 The power of Sita in retellings; Sita vs Surpanakha
40:03 Ramayana as a tragic love story; the parrot’s curse on Sita
44:27 Thai and Malay versions of the Ramayana
47:00 Relating daily problems through stories of Sita and Ramayana
50:34 The male gaze in Ramayana tellings
53:00 Women have understood Sita through folk songs; Kaushalya reprimands her sons
56:22 Recommended reading

Follow Anuradha on3464akramanujan,chandrabatiramayan,diwali2023,diwalistory,kambanramayana,manyramayanas,ramayanastory,saraladeviramayana,sitabirth,sitadiwali,sitaramayana,tulsidas,valmikiadbhutramayanafalse10fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-9-kavita-kane-epic-women-kaikeyi-surpanaka-and-menaka-reimagined--57404757Sexual intrigue, workplace politics, obsessive love is all reflected in the epics, which are metaphors for life, says author Kavita Kane. In this chat, the bestselling writer of mythological fiction talks about how the much vilified Kaikeyi in the Ramayana may have just been playing her part in propelling Lord Rama towards his preordained destiny, the beautiful Meenakshi transformed into Surpanaka to plot revenge against her brother Ravana, the King of Lanka, and Menaka, the temptress was responsible for making Vishwamitra the Brahmarishi that he came to be.

Kane, whose soon to be launched novel is Tara’s Truce (on Tara, Vali and Sugriva’s wife in the Ramayana), has also written Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s Queen, Sita’s Sister, Lanka’s Princess, Menaka’s Choice, Ahalya’s Awakening, Fisher Queen’s Dynasty and Saraswati’s Gift.

Chapters
00:30 On her book ‘Saraswati’s Gift’; an unconventional goddess
07:39 ‘Menaka’s Choice’ and apsaras as the symbol of sexuality
10:55 A lot of depth, trials and tears behind the beauty
11:26 Work dynamics in Indra’s world; female employees and male boss
13:40 The research involved in her books
16:10 On Vishwamitra and his ruthless quest for power
17:53 Kamban’s Meenakshi vs Valmiki’s Surpanakha
19:44 Amar Chitra Katha and its contribution
21:12 Relevance in contemporary times
22:49 Surpanakha and her shades of grey (‘Lanka’s Princess’)
24:56 Meenakshi becomes Surpanakha; revenge against Ravana
27:15 Ravana’s flamboyance and smug arrogance
28:39 Mandodari as Ravana’s conscience
29:15 Her grandmother’s influence
32:10 On ‘Karna’s Wife’; Duryodhana’s resentment
33:50 Lack of self-awareness of flaws; overpowering emotions
36:10 The positive side of Kaikeyi (‘Sita’s Sister’)
39:47 Upcoming book on Tara, Vali and Sugriva’s wife
41:07 Writing deadlines; dealing with grief
42:40 Spiritual connection to characters
43:10 Personal loss and unconditional love
45:30 First love and disappointment in ‘Karna’s Wife’
47:00 The beauty and depth of original stories; stories of us

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/57404757Tue, 31 Oct 2023 05:01:24 +0000Anuradha VarmaSexual intrigue, workplace politics, obsessive love is all reflected in the epics, which are metaphors for life, says author https://www.instagram.com/kavitakane/?hl=en. In this chat, the bestselling writer of...Sexual intrigue, workplace politics, obsessive love is all reflected in the epics, which are metaphors for life, says author Kavita Kane. In this chat, the bestselling writer of mythological fiction talks about how the much vilified Kaikeyi in the Ramayana may have just been playing her part in propelling Lord Rama towards his preordained destiny, the beautiful Meenakshi transformed into Surpanaka to plot revenge against her brother Ravana, the King of Lanka, and Menaka, the temptress was responsible for making Vishwamitra the Brahmarishi that he came to be.

Kane, whose soon to be launched novel is Tara’s Truce (on Tara, Vali and Sugriva’s wife in the Ramayana), has also written Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s Queen, Sita’s Sister, Lanka’s Princess, Menaka’s Choice, Ahalya’s Awakening, Fisher Queen’s Dynasty and Saraswati’s Gift.

Chapters
00:30 On her book ‘Saraswati’s Gift’; an unconventional goddess
07:39 ‘Menaka’s Choice’ and apsaras as the symbol of sexuality
10:55 A lot of depth, trials and tears behind the beauty
11:26 Work dynamics in Indra’s world; female employees and male boss
13:40 The research involved in her books
16:10 On Vishwamitra and his ruthless quest for power
17:53 Kamban’s Meenakshi vs Valmiki’s Surpanakha
19:44 Amar Chitra Katha and its contribution
21:12 Relevance in contemporary times
22:49 Surpanakha and her shades of grey (‘Lanka’s Princess’)
24:56 Meenakshi becomes Surpanakha; revenge against Ravana
27:15 Ravana’s flamboyance and smug arrogance
28:39 Mandodari as Ravana’s conscience
29:15 Her grandmother’s influence
32:10 On ‘Karna’s Wife’; Duryodhana’s resentment
33:50 Lack of self-awareness of flaws; overpowering emotions
36:10 The positive side of Kaikeyi (‘Sita’s Sister’)
39:47 Upcoming book on Tara, Vali and Sugriva’s wife
41:07 Writing deadlines; dealing with grief
42:40 Spiritual connection to characters
43:10 Personal loss and unconditional love
45:30 First love and disappointment in ‘Karna’s Wife’
47:00 The beauty and depth of original stories; stories of us

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>3048authorspotlight,diwalistories,dussehrastories,epicmythology,kaikeyibook,kaikeyireimagined,kavitakanechat,loveandpoliticsinmythology,mahabharatstories,mythologicalfiction,ramayanastories,ravanastory,taravalisugriva mythologicalno,whowassurpanakhafalse9fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-8-ritu-dalmia-on-food-family-lgbtqi-community--57389829The smell of ‘hing’ coming in contact with oil, tomato and basil cooking together, melting chocolate…these are a few of chef Ritu Dalmia’s favourite things. In this delightful chat, the co-founder of Diva restaurants talks about how success for her has never been about money, how a shared meal can end the worst fights and her journey to becoming a voice for the LGBTQI community. She also talks about easy self-acceptance and coming out as gay at 23 to her mom, who asked “Lesbian kya hota hai?" Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
00:30 From a marble business to food
01:22 Cooking was my private time
02:35 First unsuccessful venture; no regrets
04:50 No space for arrogance
05:07 What success means
07:44 What luxury means
09:10 What cooking means
09:47 Rediscovering Indian food at 40
11:12 The beautiful smell of ‘ hing tadka’
11:57 Simple home food; serving ‘parwal’ and ‘torai’
13:48 People coming together through food
17:10 Singing to deal with ‘lows’
18:35 Writing a journal when younger
19:30 Growing older; learning to letting go
22:00 On standing up for LGBTQI
26:29 Coming out as gay
29:10 Important that law is on your side
29:45 Family support
30:53 An eternal optimist

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/57389829Thu, 26 Oct 2023 06:25:49 +0000Anuradha VarmaThe smell of ‘hing’ coming in contact with oil, tomato and basil cooking together, melting chocolate…these are a few of chef https://www.instagram.com/ritudal/?hl=en favourite things. In this delightful chat, the co-founder of...The smell of ‘hing’ coming in contact with oil, tomato and basil cooking together, melting chocolate…these are a few of chef Ritu Dalmia’s favourite things. In this delightful chat, the co-founder of Diva restaurants talks about how success for her has never been about money, how a shared meal can end the worst fights and her journey to becoming a voice for the LGBTQI community. She also talks about easy self-acceptance and coming out as gay at 23 to her mom, who asked “Lesbian kya hota hai?" Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
00:30 From a marble business to food
01:22 Cooking was my private time
02:35 First unsuccessful venture; no regrets
04:50 No space for arrogance
05:07 What success means
07:44 What luxury means
09:10 What cooking means
09:47 Rediscovering Indian food at 40
11:12 The beautiful smell of ‘ hing tadka’
11:57 Simple home food; serving ‘parwal’ and ‘torai’
13:48 People coming together through food
17:10 Singing to deal with ‘lows’
18:35 Writing a journal when younger
19:30 Growing older; learning to letting go
22:00 On standing up for LGBTQI
26:29 Coming out as gay
29:10 Important that law is on your side
29:45 Family support
30:53 An eternal optimist

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>2007acceptancematters,activism,article377,breakingbarriers,changingnarratives,chefritudalmia,comingoutstory,cookingforchange,culinarydiversity,divarestaurants,diversityandinclusion,equalitymatters,familysupport,growingconversations,inspirationalchat,lgbtqi,lgbtqiaadvocacy,prideincooking,ritudalmia,sharedmealsfalse8fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-7-animal-telepath-shraddha-bochgiri-they-are-more-evolved--57251878A runaway cat that is reluctant to return home, leading a lizard to safety, dogs looking out for their pet parents…this is all in a day’s work for Shraddha Bochgiri, Pune-based interspecies communicator and trainer. In this chat, she tells us how anyone can hone their telepathic skills to communicate with any living thing in nature. Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
00:30 What is an inter-species / animal communicator?
04:00 Starting on her journey
09:00 The course on animal communication
11:13 Triggering the communication
15:20 Getting validation; talking to pets
20:19 Communicating with a lost pet
26:00 Messages between the family and pets
28:10 Pets are mostly calm, in touch with nature
33:56 Messages from pets
35:55 Missing case protocol
39:40 Attuning with the surroundings
42:50 Receiving the message through the five senses
48:10 Communication from beyond
51:54 A conversation with a lizard
56:00 Talking to ants
58:30 Communicating with strays
1:02:40 Animals are more evolved
1:07:20 How the experience has changed her
1:13:00 Animals are just ‘being’ in the present
1:15:48 Kanha national park safari; tiger interaction
1:21:10 Interaction with a snake
1:24:00 Empathy with a tree
1:26:00 Talk to your pet
1:27:09 How to increase awareness

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/57251878Tue, 17 Oct 2023 09:01:00 +0000Anuradha VarmaA runaway cat that is reluctant to return home, leading a lizard to safety, dogs looking out for their pet parents…this is all in a day’s work for https://www.facebook.com/Telepathic.community/, Pune-based interspecies communicator and trainer. In...A runaway cat that is reluctant to return home, leading a lizard to safety, dogs looking out for their pet parents…this is all in a day’s work for Shraddha Bochgiri, Pune-based interspecies communicator and trainer. In this chat, she tells us how anyone can hone their telepathic skills to communicate with any living thing in nature. Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters:
00:30 What is an inter-species / animal communicator?
04:00 Starting on her journey
09:00 The course on animal communication
11:13 Triggering the communication
15:20 Getting validation; talking to pets
20:19 Communicating with a lost pet
26:00 Messages between the family and pets
28:10 Pets are mostly calm, in touch with nature
33:56 Messages from pets
35:55 Missing case protocol
39:40 Attuning with the surroundings
42:50 Receiving the message through the five senses
48:10 Communication from beyond
51:54 A conversation with a lizard
56:00 Talking to ants
58:30 Communicating with strays
1:02:40 Animals are more evolved
1:07:20 How the experience has changed her
1:13:00 Animals are just ‘being’ in the present
1:15:48 Kanha national park safari; tiger interaction
1:21:10 Interaction with a snake
1:24:00 Empathy with a tree
1:26:00 Talk to your pet
1:27:09 How to increase awareness

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>5527animalcommunicator,inclusivity,interspeciescommunicator,neurolingualprogramming,nlp,shraddhabochgiri,telepathyfalse7fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-6-seema-sinha-a-driving-coach-who-empowers-women--57161299Driving coach Seema Sinha is helping women across Delhi-NCR to take charge of the steering wheel, teaching them to drive in high heels and ending with a celebratory victory dance! The fearless mom of three talks about reentering the corporate world in her mid-40s after an existential crisis and finally finding her flow as a driving coach. In between, she was also crowned first runner-up at the Mrs India beauty pageant. Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters
0:55 All about helping women in Delhi-NCR
2:38 Women comfortable with female driving coach
4:48 The anxiety that stops women from driving
13:24 The joy of teaching; victory dance reels
16:35 Being a stay-at-home mom; re-entering corporate life at 45
24:56 Prioritising daughters’ Board exams
27:00 Not finding the joy; finding purpose before turning 50
30:39 Becoming a driving coach; passion for driving
37:50 The ‘Eureka’ moment
41:38 A life in preparation
43:50 A fan of glamour; the Mrs India Diva pageant
53:30 How she teaches driving
57:35 An inclusive driving coach
1:01:09 Gender has nothing to do with driving
1:18:30 Love for raw, rustic SUVs
1:19:56 Men not ‘allowing’ women to drive
1:23:10 Advice for other women on taking the plunge
1:29:13 Goal to empower underprivileged women


Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/57161299Mon, 09 Oct 2023 06:45:12 +0000Anuradha VarmaDriving coach https://www.instagram.com/driving_coach_seema/?hl=en is helping women across Delhi-NCR to take charge of the steering wheel, teaching them to drive in high heels and ending with a celebratory victory dance! The fearless mom of three...Driving coach Seema Sinha is helping women across Delhi-NCR to take charge of the steering wheel, teaching them to drive in high heels and ending with a celebratory victory dance! The fearless mom of three talks about reentering the corporate world in her mid-40s after an existential crisis and finally finding her flow as a driving coach. In between, she was also crowned first runner-up at the Mrs India beauty pageant. Follow and share to grow the conversation.

Chapters
0:55 All about helping women in Delhi-NCR
2:38 Women comfortable with female driving coach
4:48 The anxiety that stops women from driving
13:24 The joy of teaching; victory dance reels
16:35 Being a stay-at-home mom; re-entering corporate life at 45
24:56 Prioritising daughters’ Board exams
27:00 Not finding the joy; finding purpose before turning 50
30:39 Becoming a driving coach; passion for driving
37:50 The ‘Eureka’ moment
41:38 A life in preparation
43:50 A fan of glamour; the Mrs India Diva pageant
53:30 How she teaches driving
57:35 An inclusive driving coach
1:01:09 Gender has nothing to do with driving
1:18:30 Love for raw, rustic SUVs
1:19:56 Men not ‘allowing’ women to drive
1:23:10 Advice for other women on taking the plunge
1:29:13 Goal to empower underprivileged women


Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The 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]]>5544drivingcoach,inclusivity,taxshe,womenempowermentfalse6fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-5-beth-watkins-why-an-american-blogger-loves-bollywood--56818285American blogger Beth Watkins talks to Anuradha on her love for Bollywood, feeling welcomed on her first visit to India by spotting a giant billboard of Shah Rukh Khan and why she found Sholay’s Hitleresque Asrani problematic! Of course, she talks about her famously viral Bollywood family tree, which she says is about how influence works in the industry. She also co-hosts the podcast Filmi Ladies. Follow and share to stay updated and grow the conversation!

Chapters:
01:08 Being introduced to Bollywood
04:19 Already 1100 films and counting!
05:19 On Sholay and the Asrani scene
10:27 Shashi Kapoor as her favourite
12:54 Visiting India for the first time
20:32 The global Bollywood fan network
23:44 The Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan experience
30:51 Beth before and after Bollywood
42:04 Favourite Khan - Shah Rukh
46:45 Rishi Kapoor as an entertainer
48:54 On Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
53:27 On her famous Bollywood 'family tree'
1:02:12 Bollywood party playlist
1:04:30 Top 5 films to introduce someone to Bollywood


Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Edited & mixed by New Wave Films

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/56818285Sat, 16 Sep 2023 08:22:03 +0000Anuradha VarmaAmerican blogger https://www.instagram.com/iambethwatkins/ talks to Anuradha on her love for Bollywood, feeling welcomed on her first visit to India by spotting a giant billboard of Shah Rukh Khan and why she found Sholay’s Hitleresque Asrani...American blogger Beth Watkins talks to Anuradha on her love for Bollywood, feeling welcomed on her first visit to India by spotting a giant billboard of Shah Rukh Khan and why she found Sholay’s Hitleresque Asrani problematic! Of course, she talks about her famously viral Bollywood family tree, which she says is about how influence works in the industry. She also co-hosts the podcast Filmi Ladies. Follow and share to stay updated and grow the conversation!

Chapters:
01:08 Being introduced to Bollywood
04:19 Already 1100 films and counting!
05:19 On Sholay and the Asrani scene
10:27 Shashi Kapoor as her favourite
12:54 Visiting India for the first time
20:32 The global Bollywood fan network
23:44 The Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan experience
30:51 Beth before and after Bollywood
42:04 Favourite Khan - Shah Rukh
46:45 Rishi Kapoor as an entertainer
48:54 On Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
53:27 On her famous Bollywood 'family tree'
1:02:12 Bollywood party playlist
1:04:30 Top 5 films to introduce someone to Bollywood


Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Edited & mixed by New Wave Films

Disclaimer: The 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]]>4143false5fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-4-preeti-vyas-amar-chitra-katha-is-a-brand-for-today--56817880Preeti Vyas, CEO & President at Amar Chitra Katha, tells Anuradha how “Brand Amar Chitra Katha is not just the collection you have under your bed or in your library, there is whole new content.” She also talks about encouraging kids to read, launching a new collection for early readers on Uncle Pai’s birthday, keeping alive ACK’s legacy as the keeper of heritage and lots more! Follow and share to stay updated and grow the conversation!

Chapters:
0:55 A dream job
2:30 Building new connections with Amar Chitra Katha
5:19 The currency is time for parents & kids12:48 The neuroscience behind comics as a medium
15:49 Dropping 'Shikari' from Shikari Shambhu
17:24 Getting kids to read comics
22:25 Visiting Comic Con, San Diego, with ACK
26:24 Retaining values and shifting mindsets at ACK
30:20 Illustrators at ACK
32:25 Putting together an ACK comic
35: 17 The Tinkle Mega Collection
36:15 Uncle Pai's birth anniversary: ACK Junior Tot Box
38:13 Picture books are difficult to market
41:15 Diehard fans & collectors of ACK
43:25 Collaborations
45:32 Asking 'What would Uncle Pai do?'

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Edited & mixed by New Wave Films

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/56817880Sat, 16 Sep 2023 05:57:21 +0000Anuradha Varmahttps://www.instagram.com/preeti.vyas/, CEO & President at https://www.instagram.com/amarchitrakatha/, tells Anuradha how “Brand Amar Chitra Katha is not just the collection you have under your bed or in your library, there is whole new content.”...Preeti Vyas, CEO & President at Amar Chitra Katha, tells Anuradha how “Brand Amar Chitra Katha is not just the collection you have under your bed or in your library, there is whole new content.” She also talks about encouraging kids to read, launching a new collection for early readers on Uncle Pai’s birthday, keeping alive ACK’s legacy as the keeper of heritage and lots more! Follow and share to stay updated and grow the conversation!

Chapters:
0:55 A dream job
2:30 Building new connections with Amar Chitra Katha
5:19 The currency is time for parents & kids12:48 The neuroscience behind comics as a medium
15:49 Dropping 'Shikari' from Shikari Shambhu
17:24 Getting kids to read comics
22:25 Visiting Comic Con, San Diego, with ACK
26:24 Retaining values and shifting mindsets at ACK
30:20 Illustrators at ACK
32:25 Putting together an ACK comic
35: 17 The Tinkle Mega Collection
36:15 Uncle Pai's birth anniversary: ACK Junior Tot Box
38:13 Picture books are difficult to market
41:15 Diehard fans & collectors of ACK
43:25 Collaborations
45:32 Asking 'What would Uncle Pai do?'

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Edited & mixed by New Wave Films

Disclaimer: The 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]]>2807amarchitrakatha,childrensbooks,comicbooks,shiftingmindsets,tinkle,unclepaifalse4fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-3-supriya-deverkonda-hearing-impaired-single-adoptive-mom--56810008Single adoptive parent Supriya Deverkonda talks to Anuradha about the strong support system she has in her parents and meeting challenges such as getting her name as the parent on her daughter’s passport. She opens up about her hearing impairment, coming to terms with it in her childhood and becoming a diversity & inclusion advocate. She has also recently learnt to drive her car, conquering a major mental block. Follow and share to stay updated and grow the conversation!

Chapters:
1:09 Defining diversity
5:15 Opening up about her hearing impairment
11:09 Advocating diversity
17:56 At age 10, parents wanted to get her the best hearing aids
21:08 Discovering hearing impairment; bullying in childhood
28:10 Daughter as a support system
29:39 Arriving at the decision to adopt a child
33:10 Love at first sight with Manasvi
36:01 Life has expanded after Manasvi
37:50 Challenges of single parents; getting a passport made
43:54 Grandparents help with parenting
45:40 Being applauded for her choice
46:32 Talking to the child about adoption
50:13 Advice for single women considering adoption
53:28 Learning to drive

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Edited & mixed by New Wave Films

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/56810008Fri, 15 Sep 2023 12:09:01 +0000Anuradha VarmaSingle adoptive parent https://www.linkedin.com/in/supriyad/ talks to Anuradha about the strong support system she has in her parents and meeting challenges such as getting her name as the parent on her daughter’s passport. She opens up about her...Single adoptive parent Supriya Deverkonda talks to Anuradha about the strong support system she has in her parents and meeting challenges such as getting her name as the parent on her daughter’s passport. She opens up about her hearing impairment, coming to terms with it in her childhood and becoming a diversity & inclusion advocate. She has also recently learnt to drive her car, conquering a major mental block. Follow and share to stay updated and grow the conversation!

Chapters:
1:09 Defining diversity
5:15 Opening up about her hearing impairment
11:09 Advocating diversity
17:56 At age 10, parents wanted to get her the best hearing aids
21:08 Discovering hearing impairment; bullying in childhood
28:10 Daughter as a support system
29:39 Arriving at the decision to adopt a child
33:10 Love at first sight with Manasvi
36:01 Life has expanded after Manasvi
37:50 Challenges of single parents; getting a passport made
43:54 Grandparents help with parenting
45:40 Being applauded for her choice
46:32 Talking to the child about adoption
50:13 Advice for single women considering adoption
53:28 Learning to drive

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Edited & mixed by New Wave Films

Disclaimer: The 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]]>3470false3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-2-coach-dexter-rodrigues-power-of-nlp-past-life-healing--56809151Coach Dexter Rodrigues, L&D leader, NLP practitioner, spiritual educator and past life regressionist, talks to Anuradha about how NLP helps you access the toolbox we carry within us, giving us more control over our life. As a spiritual educator, he believes the guru lies within us and past life regression is a healing modality that allows us to experience our karmic actions and understand how this is impacting our present. A coach, he explains, is a neutral sounding board who will help you clear the fog and achieve your goals, without languishing in the past. Follow and share to stay updated and grow the conversation!

Chapters:
1.10 Introduction to Coach Dexter
3.26 Explaining Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
7.08 The guru is within you10:16 Power of the human mind
13:42 NLP in practice - client anecdotes
20:35 Difference between coaching and therapy
26:26 Moving from the ‘why’ to the ‘how’
32:05 Role as a spiritual educator
35:59 Religion and spirituality
39:38 Being drawn to spirituality & past life healing
44:23 Past life regression therapy (PLT)
48:00 Past lives: Many cars, same driver
51:52 Regression therapy as a healing process
54:40 The wow factor of PLT
57:00 Our soul wants us to heal, move forward
1:03:22 The soul is the only permanence
1:05:29 Karma is action
1:10:17 Asking ‘Why does it happen to me again and again?’
1:13:59 Dealing with regret
1:15:31 What is destiny?

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Edited & mixed by New Wave Films

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/56809151Fri, 15 Sep 2023 12:08:32 +0000Anuradha Varmahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/coachdrodrigues/, L&D leader, NLP practitioner, spiritual educator and past life regressionist, talks to Anuradha about how NLP helps you access the toolbox we carry within us, giving us more control over our life. As a...Coach Dexter Rodrigues, L&D leader, NLP practitioner, spiritual educator and past life regressionist, talks to Anuradha about how NLP helps you access the toolbox we carry within us, giving us more control over our life. As a spiritual educator, he believes the guru lies within us and past life regression is a healing modality that allows us to experience our karmic actions and understand how this is impacting our present. A coach, he explains, is a neutral sounding board who will help you clear the fog and achieve your goals, without languishing in the past. Follow and share to stay updated and grow the conversation!

Chapters:
1.10 Introduction to Coach Dexter
3.26 Explaining Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
7.08 The guru is within you10:16 Power of the human mind
13:42 NLP in practice - client anecdotes
20:35 Difference between coaching and therapy
26:26 Moving from the ‘why’ to the ‘how’
32:05 Role as a spiritual educator
35:59 Religion and spirituality
39:38 Being drawn to spirituality & past life healing
44:23 Past life regression therapy (PLT)
48:00 Past lives: Many cars, same driver
51:52 Regression therapy as a healing process
54:40 The wow factor of PLT
57:00 Our soul wants us to heal, move forward
1:03:22 The soul is the only permanence
1:05:29 Karma is action
1:10:17 Asking ‘Why does it happen to me again and again?’
1:13:59 Dealing with regret
1:15:31 What is destiny?

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Edited & mixed by New Wave Films

Disclaimer: The 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]]>5188false2fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ep-1-author-richa-jha-adhd-diagnosis-in-her-40s--56808000From her dad telling her she was destined to be an author to a serendipitous journey that led her to turning children’s books publisher with Pickle Yolk Books, Richa Jha has developed an abiding passion for picture books. She also talks candidly about an ADHD diagnosis in her late 40s, which she calls a blessing as “power lies in the knowing”. Follow and share to stay updated and grow the conversation!

Chapters:
0:49 The desire to become a writer
5:28 The journey to turning publisher
11.09 The first picture books – Susu Pals, The Unboy Boy – and Macher Jhol
19: 35 Living life acutely in the moment and a visit to the neurologist
22:10 The need for ‘labels’ and the ADHD diagnosis
32:03 Managing ADHD, prioritising mental health
40:42 Addressing tough themes in children’s books
51:00 Becoming an award-winning author and learning not to chase awards
58:09 Going to a therapist and taking charge
1:03:19 On her own journey

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Edited & mixed by New Wave Films

Disclaimer: The 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]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/56808000Fri, 15 Sep 2023 12:07:41 +0000Anuradha VarmaFrom her dad telling her she was destined to be an author to a serendipitous journey that led her to turning children’s books publisher with https://pickleyolkbooks.com/, https://www.instagram.com/richajharj/?hl=en has developed an abiding passion for...From her dad telling her she was destined to be an author to a serendipitous journey that led her to turning children’s books publisher with Pickle Yolk Books, Richa Jha has developed an abiding passion for picture books. She also talks candidly about an ADHD diagnosis in her late 40s, which she calls a blessing as “power lies in the knowing”. Follow and share to stay updated and grow the conversation!

Chapters:
0:49 The desire to become a writer
5:28 The journey to turning publisher
11.09 The first picture books – Susu Pals, The Unboy Boy – and Macher Jhol
19: 35 Living life acutely in the moment and a visit to the neurologist
22:10 The need for ‘labels’ and the ADHD diagnosis
32:03 Managing ADHD, prioritising mental health
40:42 Addressing tough themes in children’s books
51:00 Becoming an award-winning author and learning not to chase awards
58:09 Going to a therapist and taking charge
1:03:19 On her own journey

Follow Anuradha on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram
Email: swishingmindsets@gmail.com

Edited & mixed by New Wave Films

Disclaimer: The 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]]>4122false1full