In Conversation with Ashwin

Nimmi Roche is the founder of Blue Flag Project - an all-purpose sustainable men's shoewear that I cannot wait to buy. Each pair of Blue Flags is made of ~8 upcycled plastic water bottles. On the episode, we discuss Nimmi's early childhood and how that has influenced her choices. We chat about her MBA at Harvard (and why Harvard MBA students shy away from revealing the name of their institution). We discuss Nimmi's corporate experience, her plunge into entrepreneurship and lots of detail about Blue Flag Project - the 4Ps, the 3Cs and everything marketing related. We end the show with some authentic and mildly philosophical advice from Nimmi about hard work and results.  Nimmi worked at Goldman Sachs as an Associate in Hedge Fund Consulting. She graduated with an MBA from Harvard post which she worked in Amex and Adpatly before she finally decided to go all-in with Blue Flag Project- a product that replaces fast fashion and forces customers to change the environment- one step at a time. Show notes- Blue Flag shoes explained in 2 minutes-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzvd3_Qhpz0&t=8s Blue Flag website-https://blueflagproject.com/ Nimmi's LinkedIn-https://www.linkedin.com/in/nimmi-roche-035b7513/ Washington Post Article-https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/climate-solutions/israeli-startup-ubq-turning-trash-into-plastic-products/

YouTube Link to audiovisual - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMe_oUUfIkg&t=1544s FYI- I would say it's better to watch and listen via the Youtube link. However, if you are on the move, this recording should do a good job as well! The visual helps drive the point home but the audio, independently, does not do a bad job either. Best to listen in with headphones :) About the episode- A recording of The Reading Workshop I hosted with author, Krishna Trilok on 3rd Feb, 2019. We had a good turnout and a very good discussion. The workshop was for people who care about reading but are struggling to incorporate it in their daily routine. At the workshop, we discussed why we read, busted some myths about reading, committed to build it as a habit and shared actionable advice to make reading convenient. We discussed audio books, how we should pick our next books, answered common questions and spoke about varying genres. My previous podcast with author, Krishna Trilok- Episode 9 (https://audioboom.com/posts/7113279-episode-9-writing-ar-rahman-books-writer-s-block-and-more-about-writing-feat-krishna-trilok)

On the show we discuss Rahul’s early childhood and his motivation behind starting Storiyoh. How he moved from being an employee in London’s financial district to a full-time entrepreneur. From the 15th minute on, we talk about podcasting- Rahul’s love for BBC world services and how it inspired him to start Storiyoh. We talk about the business model of podcasting by breaking it into 3 topics- distribution, consumption and monetization. We talk about the typical going rates of ads on podcasts, the disparities in listenership across different geographies. I was surprised to learn that  China is the biggest podcasting market in the world with it generating revenues of 7B$ in 2016. Chinese who have a reputation for being frugal are more than willing to pay for good content. We discuss advantages of free v/s paid content and how podcasters shouldn’t shy away from pricing their episodes. We talk podcasting for the mass v/s niche. We discuss the ad model versus paid model and pros and cons of each of these. We answer the question – Is good content good enough for a podcast’s success? Rahul compares podcasting and its marketing to a book/movie launch and draws relevant parallels. Finally, we get Rahul’s 2 cents on being a perpetual learner and doing deep work. With that, I leave you to listen to my wide ranging conversation with Rahul Nair, founder and CEO of Storiyoh. Please enjoy.  Show notes- Storiyoh- https://www.storiyoh.com/ You can reach Rahul on-  Email- rahul@storiyoh.com Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100021699556849 About Rahul- Rahul has over 13 years of experience across domains including financial services, entrepreneurship, consulting, and has experience working in the education sector in India. He started his career as a private-client and institutional stockbroker in London, selling IPOs to London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM), subsequently co-founding a business in the niche real-estate asset class of student and staff housing. He then founded and managed his own coffee retail and hospitality business for two years before advancing his professional experience with EY, Dubai and Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Dubai in accounting and IPO advisory services respectively, working across sectors including healthcare, hospitality, real-estate, construction and trading. Rahul did his schooling in Mumbai, Shanghai, Coimbatore and Dubai before moving to the University of Liverpool from where he graduated with a BA (Hons) in Economics and International Development. He also holds an MSc in Organisational Behaviour from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). During his stockbroking days, he was an Associate of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments (CISI), and, most recently, was also an education sector chair at the Learning Innovations Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

On the show, we discuss Rashi’s journey of vagabonding across different cities in India as an army kid and how that helped her to embrace change and even thrive in it. We discuss how the army life exposed her to sports early in her life, her tennis adventures and why she decided not to pursue a career in sports. We get her take on women and gender diversity in the corporate and sports arena. We talk gender conditioning and how it is important, yet difficult, for women to be unapologetic about pursuing their ambitions. How women can and should be helped to become great sportswomen. Rashi’s definition of ‘progressive thinking’ and her gratitude towards her family for being progressive. Her push on ‘What would you with your life if you weren’t afraid?’ To close, we discuss her favourite books and her dog Bruce who has an Instagram handle of his own (Whether you listen to the podcast or not, you must take a look at Bruce. As Rashi says, in our conversation- He is a happy ball of fur).  Show notes- Books mentioned- Lean in Why nations fail Sapiens Harry Potter The man in the high castle You can find Rashi on- Twitter-  https://twitter.com/rashi_kakkar LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashikakkar/ (https://www.facebook.com/mommyshotsbyamrita/) Rashi’s articles on Firstpost- https://www.firstpost.com/author/rashikakkar Rashi was identified as a stereotype defying candidate by a top MBA blog, Poets & Quants- https://poetsandquants.com/2016/08/31/introducing-mba-class-2018/15/ Bruce’s (Rashi and Anubhav's dog) Instagram handle -  https://instagram.com/bruce_the_brat?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=1wji0jgj57e9r

Amrita, an HR professional for 7 years, now turned photographer runs mommyshotsbyamrita- your one stop shop for anything baby and camera related. She’s been an entrepreneur for 4 and a half years now. Although Amrita Samant liked her job in the Human Resource department, there was a constant desire in her to do something artistic with her life. During this phase in her life, photography started off as an interest to her, and she quickly capitalized on her newly discovered ambition. She parted ways with her career in Human Resources, and Amrita Samant decided to combine her love for two of her favorite things: photography and babies, and founded “Mommy Shots by Amrita”- a high quality photography service for maternity, newborn and toddlers. She has 75K+ followers on Instagram and is someone who makes a 'not-so-fond-of babies' person like me go 'oh so cute' with her incredible baby shots. I am not lying when I say that her pictures on my feed lighten up my day so easily.  Show notes-  You can find mommyshotsbyamrita on-  Website- http://www.mommyshotsbyamrita.com/  Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/mommyshotsbyamrita/  Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/mommyshotsbyamrita/  Amrita’s person handle (very travel heavy and some spectacular iPhone shots)- https://www.instagram.com/thatwindowseat/  More about Amrita’s campaign on raising awareness on breastmilk donation- https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/meet-amrita-chennai-photographer-who-raising-awareness-breastmilk-donation-86489  Listen to my chat with AR Rahman’s authorized biographer, Krishna Trilok (who also discusses writer’s/creative block)-https://soundcloud.com/in-conversation-with-ashwin/episode-9-krishna-trilok

You can find Swapna on- Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/swapna.nair Swapna’s glamorous experience as the cover girl of Good Housekeeping- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhZhwC_g1AA  Swapna’s blog - http://dreamlearns.blogspot.com/  Show notes-  People-  Carol Dweck  Marilee Adams  Brene Brown  Books-  Mindset  Change your questions, change your life  Daring greatly

Aditya is a former investment banker and management consultant with a Finance degree from NYU Stern, but he left all that behind to join Pocket Aces, a digital media start-up best known for it's channels FilterCopy and Dice Media. After starting as a production intern, 3 months he was asked to take over as the Head of Video for FilterCopy. You might not have heard of Aditya himself but chances are that you must have seen many of the viral videos that he has produced on your Facebook and Youtube feeds. He has created several online popular videos, and worked with the likes of Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Ayushman Khurana and Rani Mukherjee.. Aditya’s shift from investment banking to the creative and media industry happened in a matter of 3 years. He was recently invited by Josh Talks, an Indian TedTalk equivalent to speak about career choices and how you should think about it. I watched the 12 minute video and found it to be super simple and solid advice.  Would definitely recommend watching (see link below) Aditya is also the host of India's premier Bollywood podcast Bollywood weekly where he hosts guests and discusses the latest movie releases (see link below). In my conversation with Aditya, we discuss his journey and career choices-how he shifted from investment banking and consulting to video head at Filter Copy. Aditya gives us a brief overview of the various steps involved in the creation of a video-from start to finish. He also talks to us about the different factors that are thought through in the choice and production of a video (targeted audience, mass reach etc). We also talk Bollywood, its evolution over the past few years and how exciting the years ahead are going to be. To close, Aditya shares his picks of 2 underrated movies in Bollywood that are a must watch!  Show notes- Aditya's podcast (Bollywood Weekly)  https://audioboom.com/channel/bollywood-weekly-tic  You can find Aditya on-  Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/adipish/  Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/aditya.pisharody  Aditya’s video on career motivation with Josh Talks- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIDkLC8loiU  Aditya's underrated movie recommendations-  'Dev D' and 'Waiting'  Other movies discussed-  Parmanu,  October,  Veere Di Wedding,  Dhishoom and  Judwa 2

In my conversation with Krishna, we talk about his early childhood, his love for battlefields, how he hid his passion for writing for a good amount of time just so he wouldn't be discouraged. His loneliness and frustration leading up to his first publication, Krishna's interaction with musical maestro, AR Rahman (Krishna spent months traveling with AR Rahman, spoke to his family, directors and others who are a part of his journey). We discuss Rahman's personality, humour, humility and his unique gift of elevating spirits around him. Krishna talks to us about writer's block, how he tackles it and lots more on why Krishna thinks everybody should write-one way or the other. We also discuss Krishna's favourite books. You can find all books and important links mentioned in the show notes, below Krishna is a great lover of a good story and has a keen, long-time fascination for Asian and European history and mythology. A student of commerce and marketing, he started writing in my teens – with the sole and simple intent of creating a big battle scene set in a world of his own imagination. The result, ten years later, was his first book: Sharikrida which has garnered world-wide applause. He is also the authorised biographer of Mr. A.R. Rahman, which will be released by June next year. You can find Krishna on- Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/krishna.trilok Twitter- @krishna_trilok Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/krishnatrilok/ Show notes- Krishna's 1st book- Sharikrida- https://www.amazon.in/Sharikrida-Krishna-Trilok/dp/194643664X Books mentioned- Sam the Magic Genie by Brian Mayne Devotion of suspect X by Keigo Higashino Illusions by Richard Bach

In casual conversation with Chennai boy and a dear friend- Ashwin Sridhar Iyer (fondly known as Iyer). We discuss Iyer’s childhood, his journey in Boston and what motivates him. We also discuss his obsession of making people around him happy, how he deals with expectations of being happy all the time and his love for alone time. Iyer shares a tip on how humour helps him get through difficult times and some friendly banter plus inside jokes (we take a dig at our good friends). Lastly, Iyer’s consistent betrayal to Ajith and Vijay surfaces in our conversation as well. I had a great time recording this. Hope you guys enjoy listening to it! Ashwin Sridhar Iyer grew up in Chennai and is currently pursuing his masters in Supply Chain Management in the University of Boston. You can find Ashwin on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/ashwin.sridhar.5

Pranshu grew up in Chennai, went to Wharton for college. He had originally dreamed of going into politics in India after college (idealistic dreams of changing the country and all that. He started his first company in his 2nd year; retail analytics using security cameras which got funded by Y combinator, raised $1mm. But then he shut the product down in 2016, returned money and began pivoting. He came back to India in September 2016 and started SimpleMoney. Simplemoney tracks your portfolio automatically by reading the statements in your inbox! In my conversation with Pranshu, we discuss his early childhood, his passion for building relevant institutions, his learnings at Wharton, his learnings from startups- funding, how to approach funding and when is a good time to raise money, the VC death trap. Specifically we also talk about his start up Simple money which tracks your portfolio automatically by reading the statements in your inbox. We discuss his favourite books, minimalism and even discuss our mutual love for renowned organizational psychologist, Wharton Professor and one of my favouritest authors- Adam Grant. Show notes- Simple Money- https://simplemoney.in/ Pranshu's blog post on Prayas shutting down and his learnings from the same: https://medium.com/@pranshum/10-lessons-on-3-years-with-prayas-31cdaf893b40 TV shows- Mad Men Books- Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard Midnight's children by Salman Rushdie People- Adam Grant Salman Rushdie

In casual conversation with film enthusiast Kishen Das. Kishen is a film enthusiast and currently works with film merchandising and movie reviewing company-Fully Filmy. Only 20 years old, Kishen has a great skill base to thrive in the movie world as an actor and beyond. Only a matter of time till he makes it to the box office. We discuss his early childhood, stand-up comedy, why slapstick humour works best with the Indian audience, Kishen's job at Fully filmy, youtube's strength in promoting good content, Kishen's film reviewing guidelines, Merasal, Padmvat and other controversy struck movies. You can find Kishen on- Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/kishendas/ Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/iamkishendas Twitter- https://twitter.com/kishen_das Youtube-https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuxZyUMvZCIVx6fV0omnssQ Link to Fully Filmy's youtube channel- Show notes- My favourite video of Kishen- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G25koYgyYO4 Top 10 movies of 2017-http://showtodaytv.com/play-clip-top-10-movies-of-2017-fully-filmy-rewind_tvQ6FEyhS9jXY

In casual conversation with yogini Deepika Mehta. Deepika is a well known yoga teacher and professional fitness expert, Deepika lives in Mumbai, India where she teaches regular classes in Bandra. She also has clients (individuals and corporates) all over the country. She helps them achieve ultimate mind and body experiences with Ashtanga Yoga, diet and lifestyle advice, and has helped them arrive at their goals. Our discussion dives into Deepika's journey and transition into yoga as a way of life, the different types of yoga, thinks to check before you decide on a yoga instructor, Deepika's course on codyapp, her favourite books and the secret behind her breath-taking instagram photos You can find Deepika on- Website-http://deepikamehta.in/ Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/deepikamehtayoga/?hl=en Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/deepikamehtayoga/ Deepika's course on Codyapp- https://www.codyapp.com/coach/deepika Her 2 favourite books- 1. The power of intention by Wayne Dyer-https://www.amazon.in/Power-Intention-Dr-Wayne-Dyer/dp/8190565524 2. The law of attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks- https://www.amazon.in/Law-Attraction-Basics-Teachings-Abraham/dp/1401912273/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515936164&sr=8-1&keywords=the+law+of+attraction+esther+hicks

In casual conversation with Siebel Scholar Rohan Rajiv who currently works at LinkedIn as a Product Manager. Prior to this, he graduated with an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. His personal mission statement is to build active relationships with framily (close friends and family), learn, and strive to have a positive impact on his world and, in time, “the world.” He has blogged a learning a day since May 2008 on his blog - www.ALearningaDay.com. Our discussion dives into philosophies that give the listeners a sneak peak into Rohan’s perception of life and stuff that matters to him. We speak about his favourite book, his writing habits, his early childhood and bitcoin. You can find Rohan on- Twitter- @alearningaday LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohanrajiv/ Blog- www.alearningaday.com Rohan's book recommendations- www.rohanrajiv.com

In casual conversation with Asmita Ghosh, a digital editor at Feminism in India where she writes, edits and tweets for a living. On a Saturday morning, we discuss the MeToo Campaign, the Raya Sarkar episode, the world's patriarchy, generational social conditioning and Asmita's YouTube video which gathered a million views. Outside of work, Asmita spends her time singing with a blues band and missing her 4 dogs back home in Chennai. All posts by Asmita Ghosh- feminisminindia.com/author/asmita/ Asmita's post on 'women in public spaces'- https://feminisminindia.com/2016/11/04/womens-experience-of-public-spaces/ Asmita's post on privelege- https://feminisminindia.com/2016/11/10/primer-oppression-privilege-101/ Be Our Pondati (Call Me Maybe Parody) www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARWwmOsGZGw Asmita's twitter handle is @asmitaghosh18

In casual conversation with the Gujju son and mom- Dhruv Vora and Neha Vora. On a lazy Sunday evening, we discuss god, first impressions and pineapple on pizza. Dhruv's twitter handle is @VoraDhruv94 Subscribe to News on the Go here: @ashwin-chhabria-764883296

In casual conversation with Bhargav Prasad, a writer and stand-up comedian. On a lazy Sunday evening, we discuss objectivity versus emotion and social anxiety among other things. Bhargav's twitter handle is @CFLlightSabers Subscribe to News on the Go here: @ashwin-chhabria-764883296