The Impressive Empress Podcast

Our guest for the day is Sahana Singh, an author and commentator based in Ithaca in New York State, USA. She is an environmental engineer by qualification who writes on a variety of issues including Indian history, water management and education. Her first book “The Educational Heritage of Ancient India - How an Ecosystem of Learning was Laid to Waste” has been appreciated for awakening Indians to the role played by India in spreading knowledge around the world. Her second book titled \"Revisiting the Educational Heritage of India” explores in greater depth, the subject of India’s unique ecosystem of learning which created a knowledge-centred society and laid the foundation of the major academic disciplines being pursued today. An alumnus of Delhi Technological University, Sahana made a career shift to writing after moving to Singapore. She worked as Editor of Asian Water Magazine for many years and has won several awards for journalism. Her articles have been published in Reader’s Digest, Washington Post, Discovery Channel Asia, Asian Water Magazine, Swarajya, IndiaFacts and other publications. I am really happy to have Sahana on this show talking to me about Confidence, Self control and spiritual strength.

Shyamala has been teaching Bharatanatyam from 1987 & Mohiniyattam from 1989. She presently lives in Cochin, Kerala where she runs her school, Dharani School of Performing Arts where one can get systematic coaching in Bharatanatyam, Carnatic Vocal, Mohiniyattam, Kathakali, Mridangam & Veena.. She started learning Bharatanatyam from the Age of 34, until which she was a home maker married to a Captain in the Merchant Navy & sailing with him for 12 years. I am really happy to have Shymala on this show talking to me about her passion for Dance and being a maverick who wanted to achieve what's not commonly achieved.

Dr. Srimathy Kesan, Founder & CEO of a leading Science and Technology incubator- “Space Kidz India” (SKI), is helping children reach out to the stars, quite literally. Launched in 2011, Space Kidz India has designed and pioneered multiple programs that are aimed at creating the next generation of scientific thinkers in India. Driven with a mission to disrupt the mundanity of the Indian education system, Dr. Srimathy has broken ground in a hitherto uncharted avenue called “Space Education” through her unique programs, aimed at grooming India’s future scientists. Her ultimate goal is to lay the foundation for a World-renowned Space University with a manufacturing port in India. In this episode, I talk to Srimathy about Space Kidz India but more importantly about Mindset, Mediation & Mental Health.

Our guest for the day is Ms. Prema Mysore - A highly motivated leader, dedicated as an international Ambassador & Advocate for Rishi Tradition based on Vedas & Vedic Literatures. She loves to travel & propagate the Universal, Eternal & All encompassing messages of Rishi Tradition to humankind all over the world. Prema considers herself to be very fortunate to have the opportunity to be an educator & proponent of Rishi’s Teachings for Divine Life (Overall individual health and wellness), Ideal Nation and Universal Peace. She is considered a well-known Rishicare Expert & Rishiyog Master – teaching online, offline and propagating it globally. She is a recipient of the Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Award at the House of Commons, UK in 2019. To preserve, research, document, teach, educate, empower, enrich, and disseminate the wisdom of the Rishi tradition, she has founded several organizations with a vision to re- establish the authentic and rich heritage, wisdom, and knowledge of Sages (Rishis) and Seers through healthcare, research, and publication, in every fabric of society. Prema's life is fully devoted & dedicated to fulfil the Vision & Mission of Rishipath International Foundation (Bengaluru, India), which is committed to perpetually explore, propagate & re-establish the path of life & living as seen, walked & shown by the Rishis globally, which is in accordance with the Vedas in its authentic form and hence everyone can experience the ultimate & everlasting happiness.

Dr. Rashi Gupta is a Woman Entrepreneur who has been fearless & ferocious in creating a brand for herself & her company in these male dominated fields. She is the Founder & Managing Director of Vision Mechatronics Private Ltd, leading it towards a name to reckon for in the field of Robotics, Renewable Energy & Energy Storage. If one takes a closer look at the alchemy of this achiever, two distinct virtues pop up, besides perseverance & hard work. These are: pioneering spirit & willingness. Coupled with an impressive educational background, it was not therefore surprising that she became a prominent name in the Renewable Energy Sector of India which earned her the title “Asia's Most Influential Women in Renewable Energy 2020”. She is a recipient of the Global Women Leadership Award 2021 and Women in STEM 2021 by CII - the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Shraddha Marathe is a dietician by profession, working as a freelancer and also associated with Deendayal Research Institute, Delhi. She is a founder member of Foodrik, a web portal related to Nutrition and Wellness for children and their parents. After having served professionally in hospitals, fitness centers, she is now contributing to the grass root community and generations to come. According to Shraddha, sticking to one’s own roots helps one grow stronger. The emotional bonding with mother nature as well with our own people is very important, this, she asserts, can happen only through cultural and traditional aspects. She is currently working on documenting these aspects through folklore related to Nutrition and Water culture. She considers herself to be a confident, motivational, positive person who takes life as a challenge and lives happily through the ups and downs.

Prof. Dr. Parul Shah is one of the rare combinations of Performing artiste, Cross-cultural Choreographer, Bharatanatyam Guru, Dance Educator, Scholar, Researcher, Arts Administrator and highly motivated human being. Though having a High Educational Quotient, she decided to become a Bharatanatyam dancer. She enjoys being a woman, is passionate about dance and believes that Dance connects people way better than words can. Join me as she talks about her passion, hard work and the support of her family & friends that enabled her reach great heights.

Our today’s guest Ms. Gayatri Puranik who is an Entrepreneur based out of Germany. She has been running her Ayurveda business for over 20 years now. She thinks a certain kind of leadership comes naturally to everyone, is grateful for being a woman and the period in which we are living in. Listen on as we discuss with Gayatri about her journey with Ayurveda and find what makes her The Impressive Empress. In this conversation, we discuss about

Beena is a seasoned development professional with 24 years of progressively responsible work experience with technical and managerial expertise in the field of Adolescent Development and Participation, Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS and Child Protection. Possesses a deep understanding of programme development, programme management policy and research. Since 2015, as Chief of Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP), Beena has been leading the second decade programme in UNICEF Thailand country office. She was instrumental in transitioning HIV programme into a full-fledged adolescent development and participation section - starting from evidence generation to the development of country programme and its implementation. Her key responsibilities included evidence driven programming, research, development of partnerships, influencing and promoting adolescent specific policies, fundraising and setting up of innovative initiatives and demonstration projects and their scale up in the areas of reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, mental health, skill development, participation and path to employability of adolescents and young people. Additional responsibilities taken up include Gender Focal Point, Peer Support Volunteer, representing UNICEF in Inter-agency and UN taskforces, Joint AIDS programme, UN Gender task force and various National Committees on HIV and teenage pregnancy prevention. As a child, she was very active and energetic in co-curricular activities during her school and university days - participating in dance, debates, theatre, NCC and actively holding leadership options in those years. Taking life’s ups and downs in her stride, she faces life as it comes . She strongly believes in possibilities and always trusts goodness of people. She is proud to be woman- a daughter, sister, mother and friend to many.

Our guest Ms. Neeraja Ganesh comes with 25 + years of experience in the IT industry. For the last few years, she has been working as freelance consultant, who conducts various training programs and workshops on leadership and behaviours. She decided to switch her career to work in the space of gender diversity, after having mentored women from diverse experiences, age groups, industries and domains, to help them grow in their careers. She believes that much needs to be done to show the path to women in India, who have the innate talent but lack the knowledge of where to find help in terms of mentoring, coaching, networking and, more importantly, understanding that these are important elements in one’s professional growth. In our daily life, we perceive many kinds of fragrances and it is believed that the sense of smell plays a very important role in the physiological effects of mood, stress and working capacity. As humans, we are all gifted with a certain value set. Understanding these and understanding oneself propels a person to leadership and to lead with impact. With a clear idea of the What, How and why, they provide the support, guidance, and direction that many others need to reach their full potential.

We all know that Knowledge is power. In today’s digital world, a lot of information and content are freely available on anything and everything at the touch of a button. The knowledge is obtained by taking in the information, memorising them and making them available in meaningful ways. As we continue to gain knowledge, we are able to make better sense of the information gathered and can connect the dots in hindsight. We then move on to become insightful where we are able to apply our knowledge gained to obtain solutions to deeper problems. But the Actual Power lies in our Wisdom when we start using our insights to facilitate informed decision making that makes this world a better place. And this is the Power of Knowledge. Our guest today, Smt. Vishaka Hari, is a practitioner of the ancient beautiful form of art called Harikatha or Katha keerthan. Herein she weaves beautiful stories of value and wisdom interspersed with mellifluous songs of yesteryears’ great composers. She has recently founded the ‘VIJAYASHRI SCHOOL OF HARIKATHA’ – a patashaala to promote the art of Harikatha and a medium to promote our culture, values and Dharma.

The work of navigating the human mind and finding solutions for individuals battling mental, social, and emotional afflictions is at best, challenging and rewarding and at worst, daunting. Dr. Neeradha Chandramohan, a Clinical Psychologist with more than 30 years of experience chose to deal with the rehabilitation of special needs children with multiple disabilities, so they can have, not only a good life but a self - sustaining life. She’s worked with enormous patience, energy and single mindedness, backed by spiritual strength, which, she believes, helped her cross various barriers and reach higher levels professionally.

Our mind is like a monkey, playing tricks with impulsive, irrational and at times even destructive behavior. Any excellence that we strive to achieve, the monkey mind becomes our biggest hurdle and, once tamed, it becomes our greatest asset. The tamed mind is capable of direct perception- devoid of memories, beliefs and colored filters. Our today’s guest Dr. Mala Kapadia, a Human Resources Professional, who has done pioneering research work on Emotional Intelligence in the ancient and modern Indian context. She founded Tame The Monkey, a Consultancy practice through which she introduces people to Transformational Learning that enable people to change from "the inside out”.

A Social Entrepreneur works for the empowerment of the weaker section of the society by identifying the gaps. While they are visionaries, they are also realistic in their approach, trying to implement innovative solutions to the societal problems. Our today’s guest is one such Social Entrepreneur - Dr. Chidatmika Khatua, Odisha, India.

As human beings, we all bring our unique characteristics or personality traits to the fore. A successful leader holds on to this uniqueness, ever curious and open to new ideas, while staying true to the principles and values that matter the most to them. Our today’s guest is one such Social Leader - Mrs. Madhuri Sahasrabhudde from Pune, India.

It is imperative that to have a better tomorrow, the children of today be provided with value based education, which inspires & excites them. Teaching is a very noble profession that shapes the character, caliber, and future of an individual, And If people remember me as a good teacher, that will be the biggest honour for me. said Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and I am sure that this true of Geetha, our today’s guest.

A social leader is one whose leadership is built upon humility, fairness, kindness and respect, but it is NO soft form of power; it is a power that is earned and, because of that, it carries great weight. It’s built upon trust. Our today’s guest is one such Social Leader - Consul General Madam Pratibha Parkar, an Indian Foreign Service Officer from Mumbai, India.

A humanitarian and medical doctor who believes that there is a lot to learn in this short span of life from the world as well from each other! Dr. Kalyani practices doctoring as an art and appreciates the resilience of human spirit against all odds.

Dr. K R Maalathi is an educationist based out of Chennai. Specialized in Early years Education and setting up of successful school, she is the Founder & CEO of Auuro Educational Services. She has set up around 14 International, 18 CBSE schools and 2 multi-disability centres across India, Qatar and Zambia. Raising Happy Children through Happy Parents and Happy Teachers is her life's mission.

Bharathi Avireddy is a very experienced dancer and teacher of Indian Classical Dance styles - Bharatanatyam and kuchipudi. Her tagline is “Art is Divine and Divinity is love,” meaning anything which is done in the form of Art need to be done with a loving heart.