The Happiness Squad Podcast with Ashish Kothari

On paper, everything looks right: your team is talented, your strategy is solid, and your goals are clear. So why does it still feel like progress is harder than it should be?Often, the real barrier isn’t a lack of strategy. It's because your people don't feel safe to bring their best selves to work. The issue is in your culture, which may have been shaped by years of fear and pressure. And in trying to fix things, it’s common to reach for more structure: more meetings, tighter KPIs, added pressure. But that rarely works. That only feeds the cycle of stagnant growth, silent disengagement, and widespread burnout. The missing ingredient isn’t strategy. It’s trust.In this episode of the Happiness Squad Podcast, Ashish Kothari and Michelle Poole unpack the trust-first, people-first leadership approach that transforms cultures and leads to company breakthroughs.Michelle Poole is a seasoned consumer and footwear leader with over three decades of experience, most notably as Brand President at Crocs where she spearheaded a cultural and financial turnaround. She champions authentic, people-first leadership, fostering psychological safety, inclusivity, and trust to drive high-performing, engaged teams.Things you will learn in this episode:• How life experiences shift priorities from achievement to well-being• Gender balance at work and feminine leadership energy• Turning around a struggling brand into a market leader• How inclusivity and belonging drive performance• Three key practices for building trust in times of changeIf you feel your results are stagnant, it’s time to stop pushing harder and start leading differently.Tune in now and change the trajectory of your team and your business.Resources:• Crocs: https://www.crocs.com/stories/come-as-you-are.html • StrengthsFinder (now CliftonStrengths): https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx• How employers can create a thriving workplace: https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/thriving-workplaces-how-employers-can-improve-productivity-and-change-livesBooks:• Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing by Bronnie Ware: https://a.co/d/eAO9RYv • My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future by Indra Nooyi: https://a.co/d/cBY3kES • Hardwired for Happiness by Ashish Kothari: https://a.co/d/bPWHmUG

Organizations love to talk about well-being. But scratch beneath the surface, and it’s the same old perks: gym discounts, meditation apps, an extra day off. All while work itself remains exhausting.Leaders, you need to wake up!Only 20% of employees are thriving.More than 60% report daily stress.And the economic cost of poor workplace well-being is an estimated $12 trillion.It’s time to fix the way we work.It’s easy to slap “well-being” on a poster. Harder to design work that doesn’t drain people in the first place. In this special solo episode of Happiness Squad Podcast, Ashish Kothari, Founder and CEO of Happiness Squad, explores why flourishing at work must be a strategic imperative for leaders and organizations. Drawing on decades of research and lived experience, Ashish makes a clear case for why organizations that invest in well-being don’t just support their people, they outperform the rest. Things you will also learn in this episode:• A 5-question diagnostic to assess if you're truly flourishing at work• How traditional wellness programs fall short—and what to do instead• Why organizations must move from treating symptoms to redesigning work• The science-backed PEARL model and Human Potential Index for building resilient, high-performing teams• A practical playbook for implementing flourishing as a scalable organizational strategyFlourishing isn’t reserved for top performers or well-funded companies. It’s a way of working, and leading, that any team and leader can choose.Tune in now to discover how to unlock workplace flourishing, not just for the bottom line, but for the people who make it possible.Resources: • Pioneering work on the economics of happiness and wellbeing by Jan‑Emmanuel De Neve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV1ks-TLYoMBooks:• Hardwired for Happiness by Ashish Kothari: https://a.co/d/gML83VJ • Why Work Wellbeing Matters by Jan-Emmanuel: https://a.co/d/aQdXmE3 • Awakening Compassion at Work: The Quiet Power That Elevates People and Organizations by Jane Dutton and Monica Worline: https://a.co/d/3onS12d • Connect by Carole Robin: https://a.co/d/gKFbtgH • How Will You Measure Your Life by Clay Christensen: https://a.co/d/1zN1vCt • The Win-Win Workplace by Dr. Angela Jackson

If a factory machine breaks, leadership responds within hours. If a system glitch halts production, it’s triaged immediately.But when a team’s morale is tanking, the response takes 6–12 months—if it comes at all. How did we get to a point where our physical assets get more respect than our human ones? We've spent years treating burnout like a solo thing to fix when it’s actually an organizational problem.In this episode of the Happiness Squad Podcast, Ashish Kothari and Jennifer Moss tackle this problem head on, and discuss what it truly takes to build happy, healthy organizations.Jennifer Moss is an award-winning journalist, international speaker, and workplace culture strategist. She co-founded Plasticity Labs and is the author of Why Are We Here?, and The Burnout Epidemic (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021), which was named one of the 10 Best New Management Books by Thinkers50 and shortlisted for the 2021 OWL Literary Award. A regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Forbes, and Fortune, she’s renowned for reframing burnout as an organizational rather than individual issue.In the conversation, Ashish and Jennifer unpack the evolution of happiness at work, from early “choose happiness” mantras to a more nuanced understanding of systemic well-being.Things you will also learn from the episode:• Rethinking the phrase “Happiness is a Choice”• How both individual practices and organizational design influence happiness• The problem of blaming individuals for burnout instead of fixing workplace environments• Understanding the concept of the “continuum of well-being”• The Role of AI in Happiness and the Future of WorkStop waiting for the next annual survey. Start investing like your people matter, because they do.Resources: ✅• Jennifer Moss’ website: http://www.jennifer-moss.com/ • Burnout Is About Your Workplace, Not Your People (article by Jennifer Moss): https://www.jennifer-moss.com/writing/burnout-is-about-your-workplace-not-your-people • Mercer Trends study: https://www.mercer.com/en-ca/insights/people-strategy/future-of-work/four-day-workweek-the-cure-for-burnout/#:~:text=If%20you%20feel%20exhausted%2C%20you,industries%2C%20making%20work%20more%20intense. • Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory Of Motivation-Hygiene: https://www.simplypsychology.org/herzbergs-two-factor-theory.html • World Happiness Report: The Lost Wallets Experiment: https://worldhappiness.report/news/world-happiness-report-2025-people-are-much-kinder-than-we-expect-research-shows/ Books: ✅• The Burnout Epidemic by Jennifer Moss: https://a.co/d/bVuMU9G • Why Are We Here?: Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants by Jennifer Moss: https://a.co/d/1spyHXX • Unlocking Happiness at Work: How a Data-driven Happiness Strategy Fuels Purpose, Passion and Performance: https://a.co/d/j57U6X5 • Hardwired for Happiness by Ashish Kothari: https://a.co/d/hsJLwcv

When an organization is trapped in survival mode, it doesn’t just face external pressure. It suffers an internal collapse of energy, creativity, and coherence. Chronic stress becomes the culture, innovation dries up, and people burn out trying to keep the lights on. But just as individuals can heal from trauma, so can organizations, if leaders are willing to shift from constant doing to conscious being. In this episode of the Happiness Squad Podcast, Ashish Kothari and Mieke Jacobs explore how energy mastery and systemic intelligence can help leaders break free from the freeze response, reconnect to purpose, and restore wholeness to their teams and systems, unlocking the kind of flourishing that outlasts any crisis.Mieke Jacobs is a Belgium-based leadership advisor serving as Transformational Faculty and Senior Executive Coach at Mobius Executive Leadership. Drawing on two decades at DuPont in operations and large-scale change, she now guides executive teams worldwide with systemic intelligence and energy mastery. Mieke is also the author of Poet Assassin and co-author of Emergent: The Power of Systemic Intelligence to Navigate the Complexity of M&A.This episode is your invitation to lead differently by slowing down, tuning in, and trusting that wisdom lives not in doing more, but in being fully present.Things you will learn in this episode:• What happens when leaders create space for silence and stillness• Practical energy mastery tools for leaders and facilitators• Why systemic intelligence is essential for modern leadership• Rituals to shift team energy—songs, silence, and charged fields• How to spot invisible dysfunctions hidden in your company’s “order”• Ways to create workplaces that energize rather than depleteStop chasing productivity and start leading with presence, energy, and wholeness. Take a pause and check out this episode.Resources:• On Children (Poem) by Khalil Gibran: https://poets.org/poem/children-1 • ‘Stop Treating Well-being as a Side Hustle’ with Ashish Kothari: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij4WcZWFMTg Books:• Poet Assassin by Mieke Jacobs: https://amzn.eu/d/aPfsENl • Emergent by Mieke Jacobs: https://amzn.eu/d/1To2DOK • Hardwired for Happiness by Ashish Kothari: https://amzn.eu/d/1To2DOKBooks mentioned:• The Prophet by Khalil Gibran: https://a.co/d/3pPl6Ea • Hiring the Heavens by Jean Slatter: https://a.co/d/4waFDhI • The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk: https://a.co/d/4oRfck8

The happiness we used to know was like a reward, something that shows up once life finally goes our way. But what if that moment never comes? What if life hands you unimaginable loss instead, and you're left trying to piece together who you are and what comes next? The truth is, happiness isn’t a finish line. It’s a conscious choice, and a lifelong practice. And no one embodies that truth more powerfully than Karen Guggenheim.Karen Guggenheim is the founder and CEO of WOHASU®, the organization behind the World Happiness Summit. A leading voice in global well-being, she is recognized for turning personal adversity into a powerful mission: helping individuals and organizations thrive through science-based strategies for happiness. Most recently, Karen led the expansion of WOHASU to the United Nations and global cities, advancing the conversation on mental health and well-being at the highest levels. Karen is the author of Cultivating Happiness: Overcome trauma and positively transform your life.In this episode of the Happiness Squad Podcast, Ashish Kothari and Karen Guggenheim, explore what it means to treat happiness not as a fleeting emotion, but as a conscious, lifelong practice.Things you will also learn in this episode:• Defining happiness as a framework, not a feeling• The misunderstood nature of happiness• The urgent need for systemic change in how we lead, work, and educate• Why forgiveness is the most challenging but transformational pillar of personal growth• What every leader, parent, and teacher needs to hear about happinessThis episode will remind you that happiness is not something you wait for, but something you build, even in the aftermath of heartbreak. Give it a listen, and you’ll never think about happiness the same way again.Resources:• Karen Guggenheim: http://karenguggenheim.com/ • World Happiness Summit: https://worldhappinesssummit.com/• Wellbeing Leadership Certification by World Happiness Summit: https://worldhappinesssummit.com/wellbeing-leadership-certification/ • World Wellbeing Policy Forum: https://wohasu.com/portfolio/world-wellbeing-policy-forum/ • Conscious Entrepreneur Summit: https://events.humanitix.com/2025-conscious-entrepreneur-summit • The Bridge to Happiness by Karen Guggenheim at TEDxMiami: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcgJo9IGxxk • World Happiness Summit on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-mbWbPUjzHCVQ0iU3rmCsQ • Dr. Fred Luskin - Forgiveness and Happiness from WOHASU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaklxaKGWNU&pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5tD • Truth and Reconciliation Commission with Desmond Tutu: https://www.theforgivenessproject.com/stories-library/desmond-tutu/ Books:• Cultivating Happiness by Karen Guggenheim: https://amzn.eu/d/hla8Eey • The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu: https://a.co/d/0GYRdSx • Hardwired for Happiness by Ashish Kothari:https://amzn.eu/d/1ZdsT4g

We often treat money as the finish line. We chase it, measure ourselves by it, and let it shape our choices. But in doing so, we lose sight of the real question: What are we trading our money for—and is it making us truly flourish?As we live in a world that often celebrates achievement, it's easy to build wealth while unintentionally bankrupting other parts of our lives, such as our time, our energy, and our relationships. In this episode of the Happiness Squad Podcast, Ashish Kothari sits down with Tom Shepard to unpack the frameworks and habits that can transform how you relate to money, not just to grow your wealth, but to help you flourish.Tom Shepard is the Founder and CEO of Shepard Financial and author of Money Isn’t Everything, Everything Is Money. With over two decades of experience, Tom brings a human-centered approach to financial planning, helping individuals align their money with what truly matters. His book introduces the Seven Financial Natures framework—a practical guide to transforming your relationship with money by valuing not just wealth, but also time, energy, and connection.Many of us follow money patterns inherited from the past, without ever pausing to ask if they align with the future we hope to create. That's why even though we live a life that looks "successful," it doesn't really feel fulfilling.Today, you can change that. Tune in to learn how to stop letting money control your story, and start using it to write a more fulfilling one.Resources:• Money Isn’t Everything, Everything Is Money: https://tomshepardeverythingismoney.com • Shepard Financial’s website: https://www.shepard-financial.com• Currency Camp: https://www.currencycamp.com/ Books:• Money Isn't Everything, Everything Is Money: A Personalized Approach to Valuing and Trading Time, Energy, Relationships and Money by Tom Shepard : https://a.co/d/h69psqf • The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks: https://a.co/d/5FBeEpE • Hardwired for Happiness by Ashish Kothari: https://a.co/d/8Lj9uZy

We often talk about strategy, technology, and profit as the engines of success. And in times of rapid change and uncertainty, it’s easy to double down on those levers. But what if we’re missing the most important one?In this episode of the Happiness Squad Podcast, Niren Chaudhary, former CEO of Panera Brands, joins Ashish Kothari to share a leadership philosophy rooted in something many leaders overlook: love and care for people. Because at the end of the day, companies aren’t machines, they’re human systems. And when we treat people like family, they show up with heart, commitment, and a desire to go above and beyond.Niren reflects on lessons from decades at Tata, Yum! Brands, and Panera, breaking down how to build cultures where values are lived, not laminated, and how leaders can turn care for people into a competitive advantage. He also opens up about how the loss of his daughter Aisha Chaudhary profoundly reshaped how he sees leadership, success, and the legacy we leave behind.What you’ll also learn in this episode:• Why business is fundamentally a human-to-human experience• The leadership model that starts with love and leads to profit• How to hire for attitude and train for skill• Why success begins with the right people, doing the right things, the right way• The butterfly effect of investing in your people• Why resilience, curiosity, and generosity are non-negotiables in business and lifeThis conversation is a reminder that in business and in life, what matters most is how we show up for one another.Tune into the full episode to hear Niren’s powerful stories and practical wisdom on what it really means to lead with love.Resources:• Smile A Lot by Thich Nhat Hanh: https://www.awakin.org/v2/read/view.php?tid=168 • The Sky is Pink (Aisha Chaudhary): https://youtu.be/OnBN5b48HBc?si=_FcybEn8N_yhatF9 • Black Sunshine Baby (Aisha Chaudhary): https://youtu.be/Hkf7n7m_KgY?si=THIQQMkGNUE3_-9c • The Power of Well-being at Work by Jan-Emmanuel De Neve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4OWg12Xl5E • CORE Meditation: https://get.hyperice.com/core Books:• My Little Epiphanies by Aisha Chaudhary: https://a.co/d/2E4vtQx • Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: https://a.co/d/2CvRJSu • How Will You Measure Your Life by Clay Chistensen: https://a.co/d/jkZPwb5 • Hardwired for Happiness by Ashish Kothari: https://a.co/d/gML83VJ

What if the success stories you believe, the leadership advice you follow, and the wellness rules you swear by are built on shaky evidence—or no evidence at all? Even well-meaning ideas like grit, purpose, and diversity can cause harm when taken at face value. So, we challenge you to think critically before embracing feel-good narratives.In today’s Happiness Squad Podcast episode, Ashish Kothari and Alex Edmans expose the dangers of misinformation in the pursuit of happiness, well-being, and leadership. Alex Edmans is a British economist and Professor of Finance at London Business School, renowned for his work on responsible business and corporate governance. He authored the influential book Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit, which argues that businesses can achieve sustainable success by creating value for all stakeholders—not just shareholders. This book was named a Financial Times Book of the Year in 2020 and has been translated into nine languages .In addition to Grow the Pie, Edmans co-authored the 14th edition of Principles of Corporate Finance and released May Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics, and Studies Exploit Our Biases – And What We Can Do About It in 2024.In the conversation, Alex reveals how many popular beliefs are based on flawed data, biased research, and confirmation bias. Ashish and Alex discuss how critical thinking is the most underrated skill in the age of instant advice.Things you will also learn in this episode:• How confirmation bias shapes what we want to believe• The unproven hype behind Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why”• The shaky science behind the 10,000-hour success rule• The confusion between correlation and causation in diversity studies• The overgeneralization of grit as a universal success factor• How to build smarter organizations through dissent and inclusionDon’t let bad data shape your decisions. Learn how to think critically. Explore these lessons and more in the full episode.Resources:✅• Related episode with Alex Edmans: https://podcast.happinesssquad.com/episode/the-power-of-purpose-driven-organizations-with-alex-edmans • Alex Edmans’ website: http://www.alexedmans.com/   • Growth the Pie website: http://www.growthepie.net/  • TED Talk: The Pie-Growing Mindset https://www.ted.com/talks/alex_edmans_the_pie_growing_mindset  • TED Talk: The Social Responsibility of Business  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5KZhm19EO0 Books:✅• Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit• May Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics, and Studies Exploit Our Biases – And What We Can Do About It: https://a.co/d/4ZSp6Up • Principles of Corporate Finance ISE by Alex Edmans: https://a.co/d/aglrrnu • Hardwired for Happiness by Ashish Kothari: https://a.co/d/4HwnUVQOther books mentioned:• The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-10x-rule-grant-cardone/1100173447 • Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World https://a.co/d/5DGPHqI • Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker: https://a.co/d/ayLQn4R • Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance: https://a.co/d/5IEIjqE 

Ever walked into a conversation with the best intentions…only to walk out with a broken relationship? The cost of emotional avoidance in the workplace is massive, and invisible. Most people don’t fail at communication because they’re cruel. They fail because they never learned how to do it without causing damage.In today’s Happiness Squad Podcast episode, Ashish Kothari and Dr. Carole Robin, co-author of Connect and co-founder of Leaders in Tech, explore how small changes in how we communicate can lead to big breakthroughs in how we connect and make exceptional relationships, both at work and in life. Drawing from decades of experience teaching Stanford’s legendary Interpersonal Dynamics course, Dr. Carole shares practical tools that help individuals move beyond surface-level interactions to build deep, meaningful, and resilient connections.And let’s just say, what Dr. Carole shared might make you rethink every “We need to talk” you’ve ever had.Things you will also learn from this episode:• What separates exceptional relationships from average ones• How to give feedback that connects instead of divides• The power of “If you really knew me…” for team connection• Why 15% outside your comfort zone is the sweet spot for growth• The OILs model: a better way to structure tough conversationsIt’s time to move from knowledge to practice. Tune into our full episode and spark real connections, one courageous, vulnerable conversation at a time.Resources:• Leaders in Tech (Co-founded by Carole Robin): https://leadersintech.org/• Connect - Building Exceptional Relationships: https://connectandrelate.com/ • Interpersonal Dynamics Course: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/experience/learning/leadership/interpersonal-dynamics • Transforming Through T-Groups by National Training Laboratories (NTL) Institute for Applied Behavioral Science: https://www.ntl.org/transforming-through-t-groups-tttg/ • Film Reference: Inside Out (Pixar)Books:• Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues (Co-authored by Carole Robin): https://a.co/d/67ZqL3B • Hardwired for Happiness by Ashish Kothari: https://a.co/d/5aGRDgh

We live in a world that glorifies hustle, high performance, and constant doing. We rarely pause to ask what truly drives us or what it might cost to keep going without pause. Success demands work, but what if it's not always about pushing harder? While it might not sound like it, slowing down, looking inward, and rediscovering your purpose can redefine your performance and growth.In this powerful episode of The Happiness Squad Podcast, Ashish Kothari sits down with Alison Tetrick to explore what it really means to find joy, purpose, and performance—on and off the bike.Alison Tetrick is the President and Co-Founder of Saga Ventures, an entrepreneur and former professional cyclist and World Championship medalist known for her bold leadership and storytelling. With a background in science and a master’s in psychology, she brings a unique blend of athletic grit, strategic thinking, and purpose-driven advocacy to everything she does.From her beginnings on a California cattle ranch to racing at the highest levels of sport, Alison opens up about how she navigated identity shifts, rediscovered joy through gravel racing, and now helps others—especially women—find their footing through grit, grace, and community.Here are the things you will learn in this episode:• Redefining peak performance as alignment of mind, body, and spirit—not just output.• Creating space for curiosity as a nonjudgmental leadership superpower.• Knowing when to push and when to pause: the real power of grit and grace.• Shifting focus from results to effort to build resilient, motivated teams.With stories that span from Olympic training centers to launching bandana-funded scholarships for girls in sport, Alison reminds us that success isn’t always about pushing harder. Sometimes, it’s about pulling back, staying grounded, and listening to what makes your heart flutter.Get ready to feel inspired! Tune into this powerful episode now.Resources:• Alison Tetrick’s website: https://www.alisontetrick.com/ • National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA): https://nationalmtb.org/ • NICA’s GRIT Program: https://nationalmtb.org/grit • The Move: A Cycling Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVxvkgh82tFopMoCcV4AgNqvgeBj2JfPq&si=HKvYgn_Jb0d-e82j • The Happiness Project: https://www.thehappinessproject.global/home.html • The Cycling Independent article featuring Alison Tetrick: https://cyclingindependent.com/bandanas-for-bikes-with-saga-ventures-alison-tetrick-is-giving-back/ • Alison Tetrick on the Cheeseboard Snacking Bar: https://www.cheeseboardsnacking.com/about • Alison Tetrick, Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame: https://www.gravelcyclinghof.com/hall-of-famers-2023/alison-tetrick • Saga Ventures: https://saga-ventures.myshopify.com • Alison Tetrick at LoveYourBrain.com : https://www.loveyourbrain.com/alison-tetrick-bio Books:• Book mentioned in the episode: "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho”: https://a.co/d/6hQduBj • Hardwired for Happiness by Ashish Kothari: https://a.co/d/eADyDuv