Inspire Someone Today

Srikanth
  • 5.0 (5)
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  • Updated Semimonthly

Inspiration is all around us. You don’t have to be an epitome of success to be inspiring. This podcast focuses on bringing in stories, learnings, and experiences from a cross-section of people that is worthy and has messages to all. People who are like you and me - our heroes are someone in our neighborhood, in the family, the storekeeper, the aspiring student or the budding entrepreneur, and many more unsung individuals. Join me on this journey of learning together and growing together so that together we can, Inspire Someone Today!

  1. E176 | What We're Really Investing In | Portfolio Life Series - Anu Seth

    4d ago

    E176 | What We're Really Investing In | Portfolio Life Series - Anu Seth

    Send us Fan Mail Money can be the one topic we avoid the most, even while it shapes nearly every choice we make. We wanted to change that, so we invited Anu Seth, financial coach and co-founder of Paid Forward, for an honest conversation on financial confidence, leadership, and the portfolio life many of us are already living. Anu shares how she became an “accidental investor” after starting out in technology, and why earning well is not the same as understanding money. We dig into compounding, investing basics, and the difference between being money-conscious and money-confident. Then we go deeper into the real obstacle most people face: the emotions around money. Scarcity mindset, shame around debt, fear of being cheated, and social comparison can quietly drive spending, saving, and even career decisions. We also talk about women and financial agency, and why confidence grows only through participation and ownership. Anu brings the idea behind Pay It Forward to life: simplify personal finance, remove jargon, and make money a dinner table conversation. Along the way, she shares stories of setting boundaries, choosing long-term security over short-term pressure, and why “Middle India” needs financial education far more than another fancy product pitch. The episode closes with practical steps you can try immediately: pause, write down what’s bothering you, list what you’re doing financially, and run a simple 90-day experiment by tracking every spend. If you want a calmer relationship with money and a clearer path through career transitions, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation. Have you purchased the copy of Inspire Someone Today, yet? - Give it a go geni.us/istbook Available on all podcast platforms, including, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify

    48 min
  2. E175| Reinventing without Noise | Portfolio Life Series - M D Ramaswami

    May 28

    E175| Reinventing without Noise | Portfolio Life Series - M D Ramaswami

    Send us Fan Mail He started as a software engineer, tried building systems on the side as a fresher, and once quoted a potential client four motorbikes as payment. That mix of boldness and curiosity becomes the throughline of our conversation with M D Ramaswami, an engineer turned entrepreneur, investor, mentor, and ecosystem builder who keeps evolving long after most people settle into one lane. We talk about what really connects a portfolio life: risk taking without recklessness, staying alert to opportunities, and learning fast when the environment changes. MD shares how he moved from software and product building into early outsourced tech support in India, and then into a defining leadership moment: pitching Dell for business only to be approached at dinner with a personal offer. The decision wasn’t just about career growth; it was also about responsibility, timing, and ensuring the business and team had a successor before he stepped away. From there, we step into the AI wave and the future of work. MD explains why AI adoption feels faster than past technology waves and why it triggers more anxiety across white-collar jobs. We get concrete about AI productivity and human creativity: AI works best when it’s a tool you direct, not a system that directs you. He also tells the story of how a small experiment turned into “AI Pod,” a thriving AI community with clear rules, subgroups, and a focus on practical learning. We close with what compounds most over decades: relationships built on fairness and generosity, plus health and routines that create the energy to keep going. If you’re thinking about career reinvention, entrepreneurship at any age, or building your own portfolio career, this conversation offers calm, usable guidance. Subscribe, share this with someone who’s navigating a transition, and leave a review with the one idea you’re going to apply this week. Have you purchased the copy of Inspire Someone Today, yet? - Give it a go geni.us/istbook Available on all podcast platforms, including, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify

    40 min
  3. E174 | Unlocking Potential | Portfolio Life Series - Nikki Barua

    May 14

    E174 | Unlocking Potential | Portfolio Life Series - Nikki Barua

    Send us Fan Mail Most careers are built like ladders. Nikki Barua argues for something braver: a portfolio life built like a constellation, where every role points back to one central quest. We sit down with Nikki to explore how insatiable curiosity can become a life design strategy, and why the point is not stacking credentials but getting radically clear on what you are here to unlock. Her hub-and-spoke metaphor grounds “multi-hyphenate”: one hub, many expressions, zero fragmentation. We go deep on alignment as the real source of performance and fulfillment. When your work matches your wiring, you stop living on autopilot and start operating in your zone of genius. Nikki shares how entrepreneurship becomes a fast track to self-discovery, why reinvention is really an identity problem, and what she had to shed along the way, from inherited beliefs about hierarchy to the pride of being “the hardest worker in the room.” We also talk about immigration as an ongoing identity negotiation, and how the pursuit of freedom and autonomy can shape every decision. Then we get practical. Nikki breaks down her writing practice: a nightly question, a 90-minute morning block, and only then research and AI, so your original thinking stays intact. We discuss the AI future of work, the skills machines will not replace (creativity, relationships, judgment, wisdom), and how to manage energy instead of time so a full life does not become a depleted one. The closing challenge is simple: dream even bigger and run a 90-day identity experiment where small steps make your new self real. If you want a portfolio career with focus, a reinvention toolkit that actually works, and a clearer relationship with purpose, productivity, and AI, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who feels stuck, and leave a review with the “hub” you are building around. Have you purchased the copy of Inspire Someone Today, yet - Give it a go geni.us/istbook Available on all podcast platforms, including, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify

    49 min
  4. E173 | The Gap between Knowing and Living P2 | Portfolio Life Series - Rajiv Vaidyanathan

    May 7

    E173 | The Gap between Knowing and Living P2 | Portfolio Life Series - Rajiv Vaidyanathan

    Send us Fan Mail Part 2 of this 2-part conversation with Professor Rajiv Vaidyanathan. Two invisible forces shape almost every awkward moment, workplace conflict, and relationship argument: we want to feel good about ourselves and look good to others. When either one feels threatened, we snap, defend, withdraw, or blame. We sit down with Rajiv to unpack how behavioral science and self-awareness can help us catch that reaction in the moment and respond with clarity instead of heat. We talk through a simple practice that changes conversations fast: when something irritates you, pause and ask what feeling got triggered, then name the impact with “here’s what you said made me feel.” That shift protects dignity on both sides and makes space for repair. We also move into leadership and parenting, where empathy becomes a real skill rather than a vague ideal. Instead of assuming people are lazy or careless, we learn to ask better questions and uncover the circumstances that drive behavior. From money to meaning, Rajiv challenges the default habit of overinvesting in depreciating assets and underinvesting in appreciating experiences. He lays out a practical life-satisfaction framework built on time, health, and wealth, and explains why the “right” priority changes across seasons of life. Along the way, we dig into present bias, the objectivity illusion, and opportunity cost, plus a concrete weekly experiment: 30% discomfort, one brave action that stretches you and shrinks fear. If you want smarter decision-making, better communication, and a more intentional life, press play. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share it with someone who needs a nudge, and leave a review with the one idea you’re going to try this week. Have you purchased the copy of Inspire Someone Today, yet? - Give it a go geni.us/istbook Available on all podcast platforms, including, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify

    31 min
  5. E173 | The Gap between Knowing and Living P1 | Portfolio Life Series - Rajiv Vaidyanathan

    Apr 30

    E173 | The Gap between Knowing and Living P1 | Portfolio Life Series - Rajiv Vaidyanathan

    Send us Fan Mail You can be smart, informed, and highly motivated and still fail to do the things you swear matter most. That’s not a character flaw; it’s often a pattern. I sit down with Rajiv Vaidyanathan, a professor and researcher in behavioral decision science, to unpack the intention-action gap and the hidden forces that pull us away from our own best plans. We get practical fast: why “life gets in the way” is true but incomplete, how present bias and hyperbolic discounting tilt us toward short-term comfort, and what actually helps when willpower keeps losing. Rajiv shares simple tools for behavior change that don’t rely on hype, including writing goals down, making the next step concrete, creating social accountability, and redesigning your environment so the right choice becomes easier to execute. We also talk about reactance, that stubborn pushback you feel when someone keeps telling you what you “should” do, and how leaders and parents can avoid triggering it. From there, the conversation turns personal and surprisingly human: the small moments that shape a life, why open-ended success can be emotionally draining without clear goals, and how micro experiments help you take risks without letting fear run the show. We connect it all to “portfolio life” by separating what we have to do from what we choose to do, then mapping priorities that can evolve across seasons of life, career stages, and family needs. If you care about decision making, work-life balance, habit formation, leadership, and living with intention, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s stuck in the gap, and leave a review with the one trade-off you’re trying to change. Have you purchased the copy of Inspire Someone Today, yet? - Give it a go geni.us/istbook Available on all podcast platforms, including, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify

    35 min
  6. E172 | From Curiosity to Career | Portfolio Life Series - Nikita Jain

    Apr 16

    E172 | From Curiosity to Career | Portfolio Life Series - Nikita Jain

    Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Nikita Jain to talk about Portfolio Life in real time, where career, identity, and values are still being built under constraints. We explore what makes public policy work humane, why implementation fails, and how writing and proximity create durable judgment.  • rebuilding system literacy after moving countries  • building judgment in complex systems  • using writing to make invisible work legible  • spotting early signs that policy will fail in reality  • staying emotionally resilient in uncertain pathways  • learning that infrastructure targets do not guarantee behavior change  • unlearning quick fixes by studying incentives and system design  • developing disciplined doubt and “taste” for substance over performance  • translating corporate skills into credible policy contributions  • earning practitioner trust through proximity and communication  • applying Chesterton’s Fence before “fixing” a system  • running a 90-day experiment to build real pattern recognition  If something from today's episode stayed with you, carry it forward, share it, sit with it, or explore it further through the IST community or the Book Inspire Someone Today. Have you purchased the copy of Inspire Someone Today, yet? - Give it a go geni.us/istbook Available on all podcast platforms, including, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify

    47 min
  7. E171 | What Endures | Portfolio Life Series - Rakesh Khar

    Apr 2

    E171 | What Endures | Portfolio Life Series - Rakesh Khar

    Send us Fan Mail A polished career can hide a quiet price. When you spend decades in newsrooms, close to ministers, bureaucrats, elections, and crisis, what happens to your inner life when your outer life never slows down? We kick off our Portfolio Life Series with Rakesh Khar, a veteran of India’s leading news brands, to talk about resilience that is not performative. He opens up about being displaced by the Kashmir tragedy, carrying loss alongside professional highs, and the values his parents drilled into him: live by your values, keep compassion, practice forgiveness even when you cannot forget. From that foundation, we explore what “a good life” starts to mean as you age, when income can rise but the presence of parents, roots, and time can’t be bought back. From there, the conversation moves into leadership endurance and modern relevance. Rakesh shares what he has seen sustain people in power across regimes: deep skill, self-packaging, and the discipline to “bring value for the day” because yesterday is history, especially in the age of AI. We also talk candidly about media credibility, the pressure for instant gratification, and why reinvention, unlearning, and reskilling matter more than titles. We close with work-life balance, national responsibility during crisis, and a practical compassion experiment you can do today with the people who make your life easier. If you found value here, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review. What’s one choice you’ll make this week to invest in your own portfolio life? Have you purchased the copy of Inspire Someone Today, yet? - Give it a go geni.us/istbook Available on all podcast platforms, including, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify

    1 hr
  8. E170 | Stories that Stayed | Change Makers Series - Srikanth

    Mar 26

    E170 | Stories that Stayed | Change Makers Series - Srikanth

    Send us Fan Mail Clarity is overrated. The real beginning of change is that uneasy feeling you keep trying to outgrow, ignore, or rationalise away. We close our Changemakers series with a reflective summary of the conversations that lingered long after recording ended, and the seven lessons that reshaped how we think about agency, purpose, and impact.  We talk about what it looks like to live fully while carrying illness or disability, and why the hardest barrier is often other people’s assumptions. When someone asks, “Are you sure you can do this?” the honest answer might be “Yes, not the way you think I will.” From thoughtful systems and shared decision making to dignity at work, the thread is simple: capability has many forms, and inclusion is built through everyday choices, not slogans.  We also unpack practical ideas that apply to anyone trying to build something meaningful: purpose is built, not discovered; you don’t need permission to begin; inner work is harder than outer work; change is slow and deeply unglamorous; and no one creates impact alone. We connect these lessons to life skills for a fast-changing world, to caregiving as a learnable set of skills where love isn’t the same as preparedness, and to the moment when speaking up stops being a choice because silence does more harm than good.  If something here hits home, don’t wait for certainty. Grab a pen, write the one thing you’re postponing, and take the first step today. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a review with the lesson you’re taking into your own life. Have you purchased the copy of Inspire Someone Today, yet? - Give it a go geni.us/istbook Available on all podcast platforms, including, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify

    17 min
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5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Inspiration is all around us. You don’t have to be an epitome of success to be inspiring. This podcast focuses on bringing in stories, learnings, and experiences from a cross-section of people that is worthy and has messages to all. People who are like you and me - our heroes are someone in our neighborhood, in the family, the storekeeper, the aspiring student or the budding entrepreneur, and many more unsung individuals. Join me on this journey of learning together and growing together so that together we can, Inspire Someone Today!

Information

  • Creator
    Srikanth
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    187
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Inspire Someone Today
  • Show Website
    Inspire Someone Today