Inspire Someone Today

Srikanth
  • 5.0 (5)
  • CAREERS
  • 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. E174 | Unlocking Potential | Portfolio Life Series - Nikki Barua

    13H AGO

    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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. E169 | Breaking The Ice | Change Makers - Palakh Khanna

    MAR 19

    E169 | Breaking The Ice | Change Makers - Palakh Khanna

    Send us Fan Mail A single whispered conversation about periods during COVID became a wake-up call and a launchpad. We’re joined by Palakh Khanna, founder of Break the Ice, a youth-led nonprofit that creates spaces for honest dialogue around the topics many communities still treat as taboo: menstruation and period poverty, mental health, gender equality, sustainability, climate action, and youth empowerment. We dig into why stigma survives even when people “know better.” Palakh breaks it down into two powerful forces: lack of awareness and misinformation. Using mental health as a clear example, we talk about how unclear language and casual labels can blur real conditions, and why safer conversations need both empathy and accurate information. You’ll also hear what it takes to build non-judgmental, peer-led rooms where people feel comfortable speaking up, plus when it makes sense to bring experts into the circle so doubts can be clarified without shame. The conversation gets personal, too. Palakh shares her growth from being a “massive introvert” to becoming a speaker, and the small habits that helped, including journaling, setting micro-goals, and seeking mentorship. We also explore a future-facing idea: moving young people from participants to decision makers and co-creators, not just beneficiaries. If you’ve ever felt “too young,” “not ready,” or unsure how to start, this one offers a grounded path forward. Subscribe for more reflective conversations, share this with someone who needs the nudge, and leave a review if you want these stories to reach more people. 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

    38 min
  8. E168 | Building the Second Act | Change Makers - Archana Dutta

    MAR 5

    E168 | Building the Second Act | Change Makers - Archana Dutta

    Send us Fan Mail What if the life you want begins the moment you give yourself permission to start again? We sit down with Archana to trace a quiet, insistent nudge that grew into a full second act—one grounded not in escape, but in intention. She opens up about leaving a successful corporate career, confronting imposter syndrome head-on, and replacing the comfort of titles with the steady courage to invest in herself. The turning point wasn’t a single spark; it was a nine-day silence that clarified a feeling years in the making. From there, the path bent toward community. A Plan India project brought Archana into sanitation sites and the lives of women carrying generational burdens. The work wasn’t charity; it was system-building with dignity, access, and agency at the center. That experience seeded Pedalon, a well-being space where mental, physical, psychological, spiritual, and financial health intersect to help women claim mobility and voice. We unpack what it takes to make change that endures: co-creating with true stakeholders, local leadership, and pacing progress to lived reality. We also get practical. Archana shares the reframe that changed everything—stop “spending” and start “investing” in the person you’re becoming. She offers two simple micro experiments to begin today: do something you’ve been avoiding and do something you’ve never tried. Along the way, we talk sisterhood, safe spaces, and why small, consistent shifts beat grand promises. If you’re standing at the edge of your own second act, this conversation gives you a humane roadmap and the nudge to ask boldly, receive with grace, and keep moving. Subscribe for more thoughtful, human conversations. If something here sparked a shift, share it with a friend, leave a review, and tell us: what’s the first step you’ll take toward your second act? Websites Referenced: www.pedal-on.net www.thesecondact.in  archanadutta.com  https://inspiresomeonetoday.in/ 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

    46 min
See All (185)

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
    185
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Inspire Someone Today
  • Show Website
    Inspire Someone Today