A Little Life

Rehan Poonawala is the founder of ComXR (comxr.in), a virtual reality startup based in Bombay. His team designs & builds VR experiences for clients from a bunch of different industries including real estate, automotive and healthcare. We get into what that means, and a lot more around virtual reality & augmented reality technology during this conversation. Thanks for listening! Sign up for the newsletter here: https://tinyletter.com/aniketrajgarhia.

Neha Agarwalla (@neha_agarwalla2) is a health & fitness professional, a competitive athlete, and co-owner of 303 CrossFit Drive, a gym in Bombay (@303crossfitdrive). In this episode we cover topics related to health and fitness: Neha talks about how she got introduced to CrossFit and chats about her journey so far. We cover the major aspects of physical health in terms of nutrition, exercise and sleep. Neha is also really active on Instagram, so we talk about her role as an influencer, and we discuss mental and spiritual health. Thanks for listening! Sign up for the newsletter here: https://tinyletter.com/aniketrajgarhia.

Sanaya (@sanayairanizohrabi) is a creative producer at RSVP Movies and is one of the most fun people I know. Sanaya studied Film & Business Studies at the University of Warwick and worked at the BBC in London before moving back to Mumbai. She's worked on films like Gully Boy, The Sky is Pink and Natkhat, and is also the founder of an NGO called Save Her Existence (S.H.E.). We cover a lot of topics in this episode, and I can’t wait to share it with you! A Little Life is a podcast where I explore the lives, careers and minds of interesting young people from around the world. This podcast is designed for anyone on the path of building a meaningful life for themselves. Sign up for the fortnightly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/newsletter_aLittleLife

My guest today is Anvi Shah Tayal, a brilliant entrepreneur from Bombay who is working with her father and managing their family business. Anvi has a degree in microbiology and medical anthropology with a minor in entrepreneurship from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from the Indian School of Business.  Today’s focus is on the importance of the people we have in our lives, how we learn and grow from them, thereby becoming better people ourselves - both in private and professional life. A Little Life is a podcast where I explore the lives, careers and minds of interesting young people from around the world. This podcast is designed for anyone on the path of building a meaningful life for themselves. Sign up for the fortnightly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/newsletter_aLittleLife

My guest today is Anshul Kamath, an old friend of mine. Today’s focus is mindfulness and self-awareness, which are tricky topics to touch on because of peoples' perceptions and the fact that some listeners might have some prior experience with meditation, while others might not. Not only is mindfulness a highly relevant topic (because its all about managing our own emotions and decluttering the mind), but it’s also a growing market. A bit of background - Anshul was working a finance role in the London office of one of the world largest oil and gas companies, and is now on the brink of launching his own meditation and mindfulness app called Evolve (https://www.evolveinc.in/). We do touch on things like quitting the rat race, but there’s also some highly actionable advice for everyone to try out.  A Little Life is a podcast where I explore the lives, careers and minds of interesting young people from around the world. This podcast is designed for anyone on the path of building a meaningful life for themselves. Sign up for the fortnightly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/newsletter_aLittleLife

Sam and Ekta are a husband-wife duo based in Bombay. They met at MBA college, got married and entered the corporate world around 10 years ago. Fast forward to today, and they are among the most sought after wedding photographers in the country. They run their own wedding photography and film making business called Sam & Ekta (samandekta.com). I crossed paths with Sam when he was transitioning out of his corporate career, and when I was transitioning into mine in late 2015. Their philosophy on life, and I wholeheartedly agree, is to always look out for and trust serendipity. A Little Life is a podcast where I explore the lives, careers and minds of interesting young people from around the world. This podcast is designed for anyone on the path of building a meaningful life for themselves. Sign up for the fortnightly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/newsletter_aLittleLife

My guest is Sushrut Shastri -  A 27 year old startup founder based in Stockholm, Sweden. Sushrut and I went to school together: Bombay Scottish School (in Mumbai). He got a degree in biotech engineering from BITS Pilani in Dubai and then went on to get a masters in bio-entrepreneurship from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. He then started an innovation consultancy that offered expertise to businesses by applying design-principles along with his friend and business partner, Moa. During this time, and through interviews with many women, they identified a problem - and Endometrix was born, a health-tech startup tackling endometriosis, a disorder which affects 1 in 10 women worldwide. He is one of the nicest, most genuine people I know. A Little Life is a podcast where I explore the lives, careers and minds of interesting young people from around the world. This podcast is designed for anyone on the path of building a meaningful life for themselves. Sign up for the fortnightly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/newsletter_aLittleLife

In this episode, we take a glimpse at the Indian music industry - I’m speaking with Faizan Khan, who is the co-founder & director of an independent record label called the MVMNT. He set the label up along with India’s most prolific hip-hop producer, Sez on the Beat, based on their shared vision to promote upcoming talent from around India. In 2020, the Indian music industry has only just begun to emerge from under the shadows of the Hindi film industry, Bollywood - Almost like a sleeping giant, waking up and rubbings it’s eyes. A Little Life is a podcast where I explore the lives, careers and minds of interesting young people from around the world. This podcast is designed for anyone on the path of building a meaningful life for themselves. Sign up for the fortnightly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/newsletter_aLittleLife

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Ben, so if you haven’t heard Part 1, I’d recommend you go back and check it out for context. This episode contains what I hope to present as the message of this podcast experiment - To take a risk and chase something that you care about; how you can take what you already know, and figure out the next part of your journey - without romanticising, without downplaying, how scary and difficult making those decisions can be. A Little Life is a podcast where I explore the lives, careers and minds of interesting young people from around the world. This podcast is designed for anyone on the path of building a meaningful life for themselves. Sign up for the fortnightly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/newsletter_aLittleLife

In this episode, Ben describes his experience of being the lead vet at the Darwin Animal Clinic in the Galapagos islands, and narrates the story of a virus outbreak on the islands during his time there. This episode is super topical given the craziness around coronavirus right now. Do check out Part 2 for the rest of the conversation. A Little Life is a podcast where I explore the lives, careers and minds of interesting young people from around the world. This podcast is designed for anyone on the path of building a meaningful life for themselves. Sign up for the fortnightly newsletter here: https://bit.ly/newsletter_aLittleLife