The Creative Odyssey Podcast

Sheran Ranasinghe
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Arts
  • Updated Biweekly

Feeling stuck, burned out, or lost in the daily grind? Discover how creativity can help you heal, find purpose, and reconnect with your true self. Welcome to The Creative Odyssey Podcast—the show for anyone searching for meaning, inspiration, and a way out of burnout. Hosted by Sri Lankan-American storyteller Sheran Ranasinghe, this podcast explores the powerful link between creativity, mental health, and personal growth. Each episode dives deep into real stories of transformation—how artists, entrepreneurs, teachers, and everyday people use creative expression to overcome depression, anxiety, and identity crises. Whether you’re an artist, a creative professional, or someone who hasn’t picked up a paintbrush in years, you’ll find hope, practical tips, and a supportive community here. What You’ll Get: Inspiring interviews with creatives, healers, and thought leadersRaw solo episodes on overcoming creative blocks, burnout, and self-doubtActionable advice for reigniting your creative spark—even if you feel numb or stuckHonest conversations about identity, purpose, and the healing power of artPerfect for: Creatives, artists, and makersAnyone struggling with burnout, stress, or feeling lostListeners seeking mental health support and personal transformationThose craving authentic stories and practical inspirationYou’re not broken—you’re becoming. Creativity is your compass. Subscribe now and join Sheran on a journey to rediscover your voice, heal from burnout, and live a more creative, joyful life.

  1. She Never Called Herself Creative | Grace Abigail Devaprasath

    May 26

    She Never Called Herself Creative | Grace Abigail Devaprasath

    Send Us A Message! We'd love to hear your thoughts! Feeling like you're losing a race no one told you about is one of the loneliest experiences a creative person can have — and Grace Abigail Devaprasath spent years running it. 📥 Get the Sri Lanka Podcast Tour Magazine: https://stan.store/TheCreativeOdysseyPodcast/p/get-inside-the-creative-odyssey-magazine?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio Grace is 23, based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and she will tell you straight — she never called herself creative. Bad O Level results. Bad A Level results. Always behind, always doing more just to escape the thought of not doing enough. Then she walked into a classroom of special needs children and everything she believed about creativity fell apart. Today she is head of projects at an NGO, co-founder of a sustainable clothing brand built for bodies the fashion industry ignores, and a collaborator to multiple creative businesses in Colombo — none of it from a degree, all of it from curiosity and a willingness to fail in public. This episode is about what happens when you stop waiting for permission to call yourself creative. In this conversation you will learn: Why spending years feeling creatively behind is not a sign you missed your window — it is the windowHow teaching special needs children rewired Grace's entire understanding of what creativity actually meansWhy she built a sustainable clothing brand specifically for mothers whose bodies the fashion market had forgottenHow she manages multiple creative ventures simultaneously while keeping her Sri Lankan parents' peace of mindWhy she would rather fail at something than spend her life wondering if she could have done itWhat she did the exact month she got fired from the job that was her heart and soulHow to use curiosity as a daily practice even when you don't see yourself as a creative personHost: Sheran Ranasinghe Guest: Grace Abigail Devaprasath — head of projects, NGO sector; co-founder, sustainable clothing brand; Colombo, Sri Lanka Recorded at: Hatch.lk Startup Hub, Sri Lanka Produced by: Odyssey House Media Episode theme: A 23-year-old who never called herself creative builds three ventures from curiosity and a refusal to play it safe. 🎧 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/12SGsSsLz4DqlLFwxigjXX 🎧 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/the-creative-odyssey-podcast/id1750306317 📧 thecreativeodysseypodcast@gmail.com 🎙️ The Creative Odyssey Podcast explores the inner lives of creative people — why they create, what it costs, and why creativity might be the most important thing any of us can do. Hosted by Sheran Ranasinghe. Produced by Odyssey House Media. Recorded at Hatch.lk Startup Hub, Sri Lanka. Support the show

    28 min
  2. From Actor to Tech Founder: Following Your Curiosity with Biman Wimalaratne

    May 20

    From Actor to Tech Founder: Following Your Curiosity with Biman Wimalaratne

    Send Us A Message! We'd love to hear your thoughts! At the peak of an award-winning acting career — theatre in Sydney, agents in London and Australia — Biman Wimalaratne made a decision most people never do. He walked away. Not because he failed. Because he wanted to stop narrating other people's stories and start living his own. Now he's Chief Growth Officer at Kainovation Technologies, an InsureTech startup building AI-powered insurance intelligence tools and recognised as a Top 7 Startup in Sri Lanka. He also helps run N Chandraratne Decorators, a 45-year-old family construction business that took a serious hit during the Sri Lankan economic crisis — and came back. In this conversation, Sheran and Biman go deep on what it actually looks like to follow your curiosity across multiple careers, industries, and versions of yourself. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR: - Walking away from an acting peak — and why it was the right call - Why creative people need both analytical and creative modes to function at their best - Career cycles: how Biman learned to read industries the way a musician reads time signatures - The "jack of all trades" argument — and the part of that quote most people have never heard - What the Sri Lankan economic crisis did to a family business built over 45 years - Door-to-door sales in Sydney, drama school, and proving something to yourself - Facing racism as a brown guy navigating Australia and London - The moment he said "forget what everyone thinks" — and what happened next - Why versions of you have to die for new ones to emerge - The inner child underneath all the ambition — and why no one else can do that work for you Recorded at Hatch Sri Lanka — a startup hub where creativity and technology meet to solve real problems. CONNECT WITH BIMAN: Instagram: @bimankw LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/biman-wimalaratne-bb3804b7 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE: 🎙️ Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/12SGsSsLz4DqlLFwxigjXX 🍎 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/the-creative-odyssey-podcast/id1750306317 📖 Get the Sri Lanka Podcast Tour Magazine: https://stan.store/TheCreativeOdysseyPodcast/p/get-inside-the-creative-odyssey-magazine 📩 Contact: thecreativeodysseypodcast@gmail.com creative entrepreneur, Sri Lanka podcast, actor turned entrepreneur, career pivot, following your curiosity, InsureTech Sri Lanka, Hatch Sri Lanka, Kainovation Technologies, creative entrepreneurship, entrepreneur motivation, self love, inner child, career advice, Sri Lankan startup, multi-passionate entrepreneur Support the show

    37 min
  3. He Built a Studio in His Backyard. Now Sri Lanka's Biggest Brands Book It | Sachith Perera

    May 19

    He Built a Studio in His Backyard. Now Sri Lanka's Biggest Brands Book It | Sachith Perera

    Send Us A Message! We'd love to hear your thoughts! Sachith Perera is an IT project manager who built a photography and video studio in his parents' backyard during COVID — not because he was a creative, but because he was curious. In this episode, Sachith breaks down how he applied the IT concept of minimal viable product to launching Creator Space Studios, survived Sri Lanka's economic crisis, and grew a 15x15 foot backyard space into a fully booked commercial studio working with some of Sri Lanka's biggest brands. But the deeper story is about what made risk-taking possible — losing his father at 15, a mother who held everything together, and the support systems that taught him the worst thing that can happen is rarely as bad as the fear of it. He also mentors young professionals, offers free studio time to emerging creators, and believes you should want the people you help to become better than you. This is what creativity looks like when it lives inside a curious mind — not a paintbrush. —— 📍 Recorded at Hatch.lk | Sri Lanka Series 💌 Get inside the Sri Lanka Podcast Tour Magazine: https://stan.store/TheCreativeOdysseyPodcast/p/get-inside-the-creative-odyssey-magazine 📲 Follow Sachith: @sachithperera | linkedin.com/in/sachithap/ 📩 thecreativeodysseypodcast@gmail.com Support the show

    38 min
  4. She Codes AI & Games. Here's How She Defines Creativity | Himashi Naurunna

    May 18

    She Codes AI & Games. Here's How She Defines Creativity | Himashi Naurunna

    Send Us A Message! We'd love to hear your thoughts! Engineering without creativity shows up in the product. Every time. Himashi Naurunna has been inside enough products to know — and in this episode she explains exactly what that means. 📥 Get the Sri Lanka Podcast Tour Magazine — free download: https://stan.store/TheCreativeOdysseyPodcast/p/get-inside-the-creative-odyssey-magazine?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio Himashi Naurunna is an Associate Tech Lead in AI/ML at Gapstars, a former game developer at Rivertune Games, and a First Class Honours graduate in Computer Software Engineering. She's based in Nugegoda, Sri Lanka, and she has one of the clearest creative philosophies of any guest this show has had — she just doesn't frame it that way, because she doesn't need to. In this episode, recorded at Hatch.lk startup hub in Sri Lanka, Himashi and Sheran cover: - The game that sparked everything — Ori and the Blind Forest — and the moment she thought "if they can do it, I can do it too" - How gaming became the gateway from finger painting into coding and eventually into machine learning - What creativity actually means inside a world of logic, code, and algorithms - Why AI is built from human creativity — and why that makes it a creative tool rather than a threat - Building Yokai L — the mobile game where every micro-decision from jump height to damage buffers was a creative act - The line that landed hardest: when you engineer without creativity you can see it in the product - Engineers and burnout — why they're married to each other, and what gets you through the 3AM bug spiral - The blob tracking algorithm she posted on Instagram that inspired people she never expected - AGI — what it is, what it isn't, and why the dream isn't just intelligence but creative intelligence - Why humans are, structurally, already a form of AI — and what that reframe does to how you think about what we're building - How Sri Lankans respond to AI engineers — and what Himashi says back - Why Hatch.lk is the Silicon Valley of Sri Lanka and why building around builders is the only proper way to do it This episode is part of The Creative Odyssey Podcast Sri Lanka Series, recorded live at Hatch.lk startup hub, Colombo, Sri Lanka. ───────────────────────────── GUEST ───────────────────────────── Himashi Naurunna Associate Tech Lead, AI/ML — Gapstars LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansa-naurunna-013324197 Instagram: @lia.likescookies ───────────────────────────── FIND THE SHOW ───────────────────────────── 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12SGsSsLz4DqlLFwxigjXX 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/the-creative-odyssey-podcast/id1750306317 🌐 Buzzsprout: https://thecreativeodysseypodcast.buzzsprout.com 📩 Email: thecreativeodysseypodcast@gmail.com 📥 Sri Lanka Magazine: https://stan.store/TheCreativeOdysseyPodcast/p/get-inside-the-creative-odyssey-magazine?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio ───────────────────────────── PRODUCED BY ───────────────────────────── Odyssey House Media Recorded at Hatch.lk startup hub, Sri Lanka Support the show

    23 min
  5. He Builds Useful Things That Give a Lot of Value to a Lot of People | Tharaka Hettihamu

    May 16

    He Builds Useful Things That Give a Lot of Value to a Lot of People | Tharaka Hettihamu

    Send Us A Message! We'd love to hear your thoughts! He didn't walk away from aircraft engineering because something better came along. He walked away because nothing he built ever reached anyone — and that was the only thing that mattered to him. Tharaka Hettihamu is a product manager and builder working at the intersection of agritech, AI, and startup product development in Sri Lanka. In this conversation, he breaks down what product management actually demands, why he pivoted from aircraft engineering into tech, and how his team at Spectrify AI is digitising data across Sri Lanka's tea industry to turn a supply chain into a value chain. 📥 Download the Sri Lanka Podcast Tour Magazine — free: https://stan.store/TheCreativeOdysseyPodcast/p/get-inside-the-creative-odyssey-magazine?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio What we get into: Why Tharaka left aircraft engineering and what he found on the other sideWhat product management actually is — and why emotional intelligence is the core skillHow Spectrify AI is using infrared spectroscopy to digitise agricultural data in Sri Lanka's tea industryWhat it means to convert a supply chain into a value chainThe Govi Lab program — one of 10 startups selected, backed by the Bill Gates FoundationAI agents, digital workers, and the Vector projectWhy creativity in tech has nothing to do with artistic talentHow AI access in rural Sri Lanka is an infrastructure problem, not a readiness problemHow to get into product management from any background — including the free resources Tharaka usedCONNECT WITH THARAKA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hetti.tech/ Website: https://hetti.tech 🎙️ The Creative Odyssey Podcast Hosted by Sheran Ranasinghe | Produced by Odyssey House Media Recorded at Hatch.lk, Sri Lanka 🎧 Listen and subscribe: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12SGsSsLz4DqlLFwxigjXX Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/the-creative-odyssey-podcast/id1750306317 Buzzsprout: https://thecreativeodysseypodcast.buzzsprout.com 📩 thecreativeodysseypodcast@gmail.com Support the show

    23 min
  6. He Had 8 Careers. None of Them Were Wasted. | Ammar Ahamed

    May 15

    He Had 8 Careers. None of Them Were Wasted. | Ammar Ahamed

    Send Us A Message! We'd love to hear your thoughts! What if every job you've ever had was building toward something you can't see yet? Ammar Ahamed didn't plan to become a growth marketer, a startup founder, or a skill development entrepreneur. He planned to be a journalist. Then HR felt safer. Then PR felt right. Then employer branding took him across Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Jordan. Then growth marketing found him. Now he's running two companies while heading growth at an AI firm in Singapore — and he commutes three hours a day by public transport from Mawenella to Colombo. None of it was a detour. All of it was the portfolio. In this conversation recorded at Hatch.lk in Colombo as part of the Sri Lanka Series, Ammar makes the case that your job title is a corporate categorization tool — not your identity. Your skills compound across every role you take. And the skills you most need might be ones you don't even know you have yet. What we get into: - Why Ammar calls his career a portfolio instead of a path - How he went from newspaper clippings to key account manager in 3 months - The hidden skills you carry that experimentation unlocks - The fake podcast that revealed his real ability - What the Hatch startup community taught him about creative courage - Why coding, farming, and engineering are all forms of creativity - The 60/40 rule: why soft skills matter more than technical ones - How to upskill, reskill, and reinvent yourself — starting now Download the free Sri Lanka Podcast Tour Magazine: https://stan.store/TheCreativeOdysseyPodcast/p/get-inside-the-creative-odyssey-magazine 🎙️ Hosted by Sheran Ranasinghe 🎬 Produced by Odyssey House Media 📍 Recorded at Hatch.lk, Colombo, Sri Lanka 🌐 thecreativeodysseypodcast.com 📧 thecreativeodysseypodcast@gmail.com 🎵 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/12SGsSsLz4DqlLFwxigjXX 🍎 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/the-creative-odyssey-podcast/id1750306317 Find Ammar: ammarahamed.life | @ammar.ahd Support the show

    39 min
  7. Building Open Source Synthesizers in Sri Lanka | Arunoda Susiripala

    May 14

    Building Open Source Synthesizers in Sri Lanka | Arunoda Susiripala

    Send Us A Message! We'd love to hear your thoughts! He wanted to make music. The instruments he needed didn't exist in Sri Lanka — too expensive to import, taxed at 50% on every component, impossible to hear or touch before buying. So Arunoda Susiripala built one from scratch. No electronics engineering background. Just the internet, AI, and a decision to stop waiting. 📥 Get the Sri Lanka Podcast Tour Magazine — inside stories from every guest on the tour: https://stan.store/TheCreativeOdysseyPodcast/p/get-inside-the-creative-odyssey-magazine?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio In this episode: - Why Arunoda got into modular synthesizers and what made existing tools feel wrong to him - How he taught himself electronics with no formal engineering background - What it actually takes to build and ship a hardware product from Sri Lanka — the logistics, the import tax, the manufacturing realities - Why he open sources everything: designs, components, manuals — all of it - The "fail fast" system he uses to move quickly and know when to stop - His take on the "no opportunity in Sri Lanka" conversation — and why he thinks it's the wrong frame entirely - How community finds you when you build something worth finding - His advice for anyone who keeps waiting for the right time to start Arunoda Susiripala is a game developer, researcher, and founder of Bread Modular — an open source modular synthesizer built for affordability and accessibility. He's based in Sri Lanka and currently builds tools for 3D artists and game developers through his company GDi4K. Find Arunoda: Instagram: instagram.com/arunoda LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/arunoda Substack: storiesfromsrilanka.substack.com Bread Modular: Instagram: instagram.com/breadmodular Website: breadmodular.com 📻 Listen & Subscribe: Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/12SGsSsLz4DqlLFwxigjXX Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/the-creative-odyssey-podcast/id1750306317 Buzzsprout: thecreativeodysseypodcast.buzzsprout.com ✉️ Email: thecreativeodysseypodcast@gmail.com Hosted by Sheran Ranasinghe. Produced by Odyssey House Media. Recorded at Hatch.lk, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Support the show

    22 min
  8. He Went to 11 Schools in 11 Years — Now He Runs a Startup Agency | Kenath Nicholas, LuminaSphere Media

    May 13

    He Went to 11 Schools in 11 Years — Now He Runs a Startup Agency | Kenath Nicholas, LuminaSphere Media

    Send Us A Message! We'd love to hear your thoughts! Burned out and building anyway. Kenath Nicholas walked into Hatch — Sri Lanka's leading startup hub — broke, exhausted, and sat down next to an 18-year-old school dropout running a six-person agency. That moment didn't just inspire him. It broke something open. Now he's the Founder and CEO of LuminaSphere Media, a Colombo-based digital marketing agency helping startups and SMEs grow their online presence through end-to-end creative and strategic solutions. But this conversation isn't about the metrics. It's about what actually keeps a founder standing. In this episode, Kenath and Sheran go deep on: - Going from burned out to building — with one client and a specific dream - Why time is the real reason startups don't invest in marketing - What creatives get wrong about entrepreneurship and what actually has to change - Growing up in 11 schools in 11 years and delivering food — and the dream that survived all of it - Building a team culture on appreciation instead of authority - The daily self-talk ritual that keeps burnout from winning - The Snoop Dogg speech that rewired how Kenath sees himself - Why "I got nothing to lose" is the most powerful place to start from - Finding your community before anything else — and why Hatch changed everything This episode is for anyone building something real from nothing. Whether you're a creative trying to figure out if you can be an entrepreneur, a founder wondering how to lead your team without running them into the ground, or someone who just needs proof that where you started doesn't determine where you land — Kenath's story is the answer. Recorded at Hatch / hatchworks.lk, Sri Lanka. Hosted by Sheran Ranasinghe. Produced by Odyssey House Media. 📩 thecreativeodysseypodcast@gmail.com 🎧 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/12SGsSsLz4DqlLFwxigjXX 🍎 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/the-creative-odyssey-podcast/id1750306317 🌐 luminaspheremedia.com | @kenathnicholas | @luminaspheremedia Support the show

    25 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Feeling stuck, burned out, or lost in the daily grind? Discover how creativity can help you heal, find purpose, and reconnect with your true self. Welcome to The Creative Odyssey Podcast—the show for anyone searching for meaning, inspiration, and a way out of burnout. Hosted by Sri Lankan-American storyteller Sheran Ranasinghe, this podcast explores the powerful link between creativity, mental health, and personal growth. Each episode dives deep into real stories of transformation—how artists, entrepreneurs, teachers, and everyday people use creative expression to overcome depression, anxiety, and identity crises. Whether you’re an artist, a creative professional, or someone who hasn’t picked up a paintbrush in years, you’ll find hope, practical tips, and a supportive community here. What You’ll Get: Inspiring interviews with creatives, healers, and thought leadersRaw solo episodes on overcoming creative blocks, burnout, and self-doubtActionable advice for reigniting your creative spark—even if you feel numb or stuckHonest conversations about identity, purpose, and the healing power of artPerfect for: Creatives, artists, and makersAnyone struggling with burnout, stress, or feeling lostListeners seeking mental health support and personal transformationThose craving authentic stories and practical inspirationYou’re not broken—you’re becoming. Creativity is your compass. Subscribe now and join Sheran on a journey to rediscover your voice, heal from burnout, and live a more creative, joyful life.

Information

  • Creator
    Sheran Ranasinghe
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Creative Odyssey Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Creative Odyssey Podcast