While She Builds

Himani Kothari

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Business
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While She Builds is a podcast for ambitious professionals who want to think like founders and take ownership of their careers, inside or outside corporate. Hosted by Himani, each episode features real conversations, practical frameworks, and honest insights from founders and operators building something of their own.

1d ago

How This 30 Year Old Makes ₹1 Crore Every Year By Building AI Applications

In this episode, I sit down with Ramsri, a builder who's turned AI into a full-time income machine, making almost a crore a year by using AI tools to build and ship applications completely on his own.Ramsri's story is a bit different. He didn't quit his job to make this bet. He built alongside it, using his evenings and weekends to ship real applications while holding down a 9-to-5. Along the way, he realized AI had quietly become powerful enough to let one person do the work of an entire dev team. And he used that leverage to turn a side pursuit into a serious income stream. Today, he's built and shipped five applications, sourcing most of his ideas straight from X (Twitter), where he keeps a pulse on what people actually want built.In this conversation, we talk about:● How he finds winning ideas on X and validates them before building● His process for going from idea to shipped product using AI, end to end● What it really takes to make consistent money building with AI on the side● Lessons for anyone thinking about starting but stuck overthinking itWhether you're a developer, a founder, or just curious about how far AI tools have come, this episode has something for you.
Aug 6

60 Minutes of Brutally Honest Business Advice

In this episode, I sit down with Nicola Gunby, co-founder and CMO of CLIQ. The fast-growing social networking app helping people build real, in-person friendships around shared interests and hobbies. Nicola's story starts with a familiar struggle: moving to London after the pandemic and feeling completely isolated in a city of millions. That personal pain point turned into CLIQ, a platform now connecting over 100,000 users worldwide through communities built around running, reading, pilates, faith, and more. This isn't her first venture either.Nicola previously founded a beauty-tech startup that was acquired by Revolution Beauty PLC before she pivoted to tackling loneliness through technology. Subscribe to While She Builds for new episodes every week. In this conversation, we talk about: What it was really like feeling isolated in a new city, even one full of people. The idea behind CLIQ and how it's different from typical social media. Building and scaling a startup as a second-time founder. The challenges of being a female founder in a male-dominated tech industry. Why real-life, offline connection matters more than ever in a hyper-digital world. Lessons from selling her first company and starting again from scratch. Whether you're a founder, someone navigating a new city, or just curious about the future of social connection, this episode has something for you.
Jul 14

Forbes 30 Under 30 Founder Shares The Reason Why Most Founder FAIL

This video features a discussion with Grace Hardy, the founder of Hardy Accounting, regarding her career journey, the importance of financial education, and how to build a business from the ground up.Journey to Entrepreneurship In this episode, we cover: 1.⁠ ⁠Alternative Path: After struggling in school due to dyslexia, Hardy opted for an apprenticeship at 18 rather than attending university, valuing practical, on-the-job learning. 2.⁠ ⁠Overcoming Bias: While networking, Hardy frequently faced condescending assumptions from senior men who questioned if she was a student or an assistant, leading her to eventually abandon those events in favor of more intentional networking. 3.⁠ ⁠Financial and Business Insights: Hardy notes that a healthy business requires a clear understanding of cash flow, startup costs, and the importance of having a financial buffer. 4.⁠ ⁠Advice to Aspiring Founders: The hardest part is going from zero to one. Focus on building your own path rather than worrying about the opinions of others. Your internal voice is a vital data point that should not be ignored.
Jun 23

80 Percent Of Men Burnout at Age 25

What if the burnout everyone talks about is not about working too hard, but about who you became to keep up? Lucy Scarlett spent years performing a version of herself society approved of, until her body forced her to stop. Founder of Blurred, she now helps high achievers move from pressure to flow using nervous system work and breath. This conversation is about the good girl syndrome, the flower analogy that explains why you are not the problem, and what it actually takes to come home to yourself. In this episode, we cover: What burnout actually is and the three symptoms most people missHow to tell the difference between burnout and being tiredThe flower analogy: why the environment matters more than willpowerLucy's story of being diagnosed with dyslexia at seven and what it shapedWhat the good girl syndrome is and why millennials carry it hardestThe Embodied Change FrameworkA breathing technique you can use before any high pressure momentWhy breathwork is not meditation rebrandedThe one message Lucy would give her fourteen year old selfChapters (00:00) Intro (02:14) What Burnout Actually Is (03:30) The Three Symptoms Of Burnout (05:31) Am I Burned Out Or Just Tired (08:34) The Flower Analogy Explained (13:19) Lucy's Story: Diagnosed With Dyslexia At Seven (19:51) What Is The Good Girl Syndrome (26:25) The Embodied Change Framework (35:06) The One Thing To Do Before A High Pressure Meeting (37:10) The Breathwork Reset You Can Do Right Now (38:03) Why Breathwork Is Like Going To The Gym (42:14) No Filters (49:13) Message To Her 14 Year Old Self (51:10) Wrap Up Connect with the guest: Lucy Scarlett Follow While She Builds: 🎧 Spotify: While She Builds 📺 YouTube: @whileshebuilds 📍 Host: Himani Kothari: LinkedIn & Instagram @himanikothari__
May 26

I Run 3 Businesses and Nobody Knows How

What if you were told your dream was too big, and you believed it for years? Done Ogretici built a luxury fashion brand, convenes founders and policymakers in parliament, and runs a restaurant. But before any of that, she was a girl who stitched clothes for her Barbie doll and was told she would never make it. This conversation is about reclaiming ambition, finding your superpower, and building rooms for yourself when no one invites you in. In this episode, we cover:1. Why culture and family can silence ambition before it starts2. How Done went from events to fashion to rooms with high stakes3. The difference between influence and power: and which one gets things done4. Soft power as the most underrated tool5. Building a luxury brand as a one-woman army against fast fashion6. How belief and credibility are built through proximity and consistency7. Why confidence is the outcome, not the prerequisiteChapters(00:00) Intro (01:44) The Girl Who Stitched Clothes For Her Barbie(03:27) When Culture Tells You To Dream Smaller(08:30) The Moment Everything Shifted Five Years Ago(10:51) What She Does In Parliament And Why(13:44) How To Make People Believe In What You Bring(15:04) Finding Your Superpower And Using It(16:52) Building Credibility Through Consistency And Proximity(19:10) Power vs Influence(21:00) Soft Power vs Hard Power(23:24) Inside Done London(25:18) Competing Against Fast Fashion As A One Woman Army(28:54) Why Getting Out There Is Still The Best Strategy(39:04) When You Truly Want It You Find A Way(41:48) Women Who Are Told Their Ambition Is Too Much(43:27) Key Takeaways And ClosingConnect with the guest: Done OgreticiFollow While She Builds:🎧 Spotify: While She Builds📺 YouTube: @whileshebuilds📍 Host: Himani Kothari: Instagram @himanikothari__
May 7

What No One Tells You About Building a Global Company at 22

What if the system you trusted failed you, and building your own became the only option? At 22, Krish Bajaj turned the chaos of international student migration into a company, leading teams older than him and making decisions without a playbook. This conversation is about ownership, signal vs noise, and building before you feel ready. In this episode, we cover: Why international student mobility is structurally brokenHow founders often misunderstand the real problemLeading teams that are older and more experiencedSignal vs noise as a decision-making filterWhy boredom and “doing nothing” unlock clarityHow habits and identity shape resilienceA practical framework to validate ideas early Chapters (00:00) Intro (01:03) What Roam Does and Why It Exists (06:24) Why Student Migration Is Broken (08:29) The $500 Billion Market Nobody Talks About (13:13) The Hidden Cost Of Moving Abroad Alone (15:32) Leading A Team Older Than You (17:02) How To Make Experienced People Want To Follow You (20:19) Signal vs Noise: How To Filter Ideas That Actually Work (23:31) How To Manage Ideas Across A Team (27:20) Pattern Recognition and Storytelling As Founder Skills (29:59) Why Boredom Is A Superpower For Builders (33:29) Solving Problems In Your Sleep (35:12) Neuroscience, Habits and Keeping Your Head Straight (38:26) How To Validate An Idea By Talking To Real People (40:26) Go To Ground Zero With Your Customer (42:14) Final Advice: Find Your Interest and Let It Compound (43:21) Closing Thoughts Connect with the guest: Krish Bajaj Follow While She Builds: 🎧 Spotify: While She Builds 📺 YouTube: @whileshebuilds 📍 Host: Himani Kothari: LinkedIn & Instagram @himanik13
Apr 14

Building Before You're Ready: A Founder's Guide to Leading With Less Certainty

Building does not always start with confidence. Sometimes it starts with energy, curiosity, and a willingness to test before you feel ready. In this episode, Karan Kapoor shares how he thinks about risk, momentum, and taking action without waiting for perfect clarity, and why starting small often tells you more than overthinking ever will. Karan Kapoor is the Founder of Vividh. In this conversation, Karan talks about early stage decision making, testing ideas through action, and how momentum is built by moving before certainty arrives. In this episode, we cover: Why confidence often comes after actionHow to think about risk in the early stagesUsing energy and curiosity as signalsAvoiding paralysis through overplanningWhy small experiments matter more than big intentionsLearning through movement rather than theory Chapters (00:00) Intro(02:21) Why Success Still Feels Empty(05:40) The Moment You Realise This Isn’t Enough(09:12) The Problem With Following The Right Path(13:55) Why We Ignore Our Gut Instinct(18:30) How To Start While Working Full-Time(23:48) Why Playing Safe Is Risky(29:10) What It Takes To Reinvent Yourself(34:52) Stability vs Ambition Trade-Off(40:15) The Identity Shift That Comes With Growth(47:05) How To Start Before You’re Ready One idea to try this week Set a 30 minute decision timer. Pick one decision you have been thinking about for more than a week. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Use that time to write down: what you knowwhat you do not knowwhat would change if you delayed it another monthWhen the timer ends, decide with the information you have. No more research and waiting. Connect with the guest: Karan Kapoor Follow While She Builds: 🎧 Spotify: While She Builds 📺 YouTube: @whileshebuilds 📍 Host: Himani Kothari: LinkedIn & Instagram @himanik13
Mar 17

From Corporate to Freelance: Building a Portfolio Career Without Burning Out

What do you do when the safest career move is not the right one? In this episode, Henry Wandsworth shares how being offered a role at Number 10 Downing Street forced him to rethink success, walk away from certainty, and build How Social on his own terms. This conversation explores choosing alignment, trusting your timing, and building something sustainable without burning out. In this episode, we cover: Why the safest option is not always the right oneThe decision to walk away from a role at Number 10Moving from corporate structure into self employmentHow Henry built How Social step by stepThe emotional reality of choosing independenceWhat early stage founders misunderstand aboufreedom and stabilityBuilding a business that fits your life, not theother way around Chapters (00:00) Intro (02:44) How Henry Built His Career From Scratch (07:42) The Moment He Knew Freelance Was Next (10:56) Career Milestones That Changed Everything (13:08) The 20 Percent Rule For Personal Branding (14:08) How Henry Built His Personal Brand (19:25) Going On This Morning Live On TV (25:00) Juggling Multiple Roles Without Burning Out (28:29) How To Rest, Recharge And Say No (30:13) Skills Corporate Taught Him That Freelancing Needs (32:46) How AI Is Going To Change Social Media (33:55) Three Ways To Bulletproof Yourself Against AI (34:45) Closing Thoughts And Final Message Connect with the guest: Henry Wandsworth Follow While She Builds: 🎧 Spotify: While She Builds 📺 YouTube: @whileshebuilds 📍 Host: Himani Kothari: LinkedIn & Instagram @himanik13

8 Episodes

While She Builds is a podcast for ambitious professionals who want to think like founders and take ownership of their careers, inside or outside corporate. Hosted by Himani, each episode features real conversations, practical frameworks, and honest insights from founders and operators building something of their own.

Creator

Himani Kothari
Years Active

2026
Episodes

8
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Himani Kothari
Show Website

While She Builds