The Happiness Squad Podcast with Ashish Kothari

Having a clear awareness of exactly what is happening as it happens is an important key to a happier and more fulfilled life. And if you are wondering how you can get this awareness and clarity, you will certainly get some answers from today’s episode of the Happiness Squad podcast,Our guest today dedicates time to meditation as a professional athlete dedicates to their trade. He is Manish Chopra, Senior Partner at McKinsey and Company and is focusing his work on healthcare and pricing strategy across various sectors. He grew up in India and attended college at the IIT in Delhi, before completing his Master's and PhD from the University of Michigan. He has lived in Asia, Europe, and now lives in New York with his wife and his daughter. Manish's life was forever changed after spending 10 days in a Vipassana retreat, an experience he writes about in his book, “The Equanimous Mind ”. After 10 years of practising Vipassana meditation, his mental, physical and verbal transformation is truly powerful and inspiring.In today’s episode, Manish will talk about the mindfulness and Vipassana practices he created to use in his daily life, he will share beautiful examples of changes in his life, how meditation can be an awake rest and so much more.Listen now to learn how to meditate your way to happiness - it may lead to your own transformation!What You’ll Learn in this Show:What is Manish's definition of happiness and what makes him happyKey practices that can allow you to have the power of mindfulness and Vipassana in your lifeThe difference between Vipassana and other forms of mediation or practices that lead to mindfulnessHow Vipassana meditation transformed Manish’s lifeAnd so much more...Resources:Equanimousmind.org Happinesssquad.com @MyHappinessSquad InstagramAshish Kothari LinkedInAnil Ramjiani LinkedInHappiness Squad Youtube ChannelBook:The Equanimous MindHardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life

Is there a real divide between spirituality and science? Most of us tend to answer “Yes” to this question because we are used to seeing spirituality and science in conflict. Our guest today, Neil Markey, sees no divide between science and spirituality and he is passionate about sharing the science-backed benefits of psychedelics in conjunction with the contemplative practices that support holistic well-being.Neil is a mathematician and the founder and CEO of Beckley Retreats. Neil was a captain in the US Army Special Operations 2nd Ranger Battalion and was deployed once to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan. After that, he got his MBA/MIA at Columbia University, but he suffered from depression and PTSD. This led him to alternative wellbeing practices and marked the start of a profound healing journey with mindfulness and psychedelics. In this new episode of the Happiness Squad podcast, Neil Markey joins Ashish and Anil to talk about how meditation and plant therapy saved his life and gave him a new purpose. Neil shares his origin story and the challenging experiences that led him to where he is today. Neil will also talk about psychedelics and meditation, and how they come together to help you find stillness and a deeper meaning.Join us and learn a new way to rewire your brain from fear to happiness to unlock your full potential!What You’ll Learn in this Show:The importance of finding a job that is meaningful for you and coherent with who you areThe importance of awareness and being truly connected to our bodiesWhat is one of the biggest sources of anxiety and stress and how to avoid itPsychedelics and meditation: how they come together to help you find stillness and a deeper meaningHow the present moment awareness practice can help enhance your performanceThe history, mission and programs of Beckly RetreatsAnd so much more...Resources:Beckleyretreats.com Happinesssquad.com @MyHappinessSquad InstagramAshish Kothari LinkedInAnil Ramjiani LinkedInHappiness Squad Youtube ChannelBook:Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life

Anil Ramjiani continues his series of interviews with Ashish Kothari about his book “Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life “.Within this series, they explore each of the nine practices described in the book that have the power to change your life for the better. Having covered the first two practices that can help you rewire for happiness, they continue here with Practice 3: Embrace Mindful LivingDo you often find your mind racing or thinking of something (or things) other than what you are doing in the moment? If so, you are not alone my friends! You are like most people who spend almost half (or more) of your waking hours distracted. Good news: you can develop the superpower of mindfulness that will transform your life and fuel your journey forward. Anil and Ashish will discuss mindfulness and the benefits it offers both mentally and physically.Ashish will discuss the connection between body and mind and why they cannot be separated. We will share how mindfulness can make fundamental changes in our brain and reveal how it allows us to truly savor the moment.Stay tuned, because, at the end of this episode, Ashish shares a guided gift to convert the mundane into the magical! Enjoy!What You’ll Learn in this Show:How every moment can be a mindful moment.Mindfulness is one of the most powerful ways to deal with anxiety and stress.Ashish’s favourite definition of mindfulness and how every moment can be a mindful moment.Mindfulness is one of the most powerful ways to deal with anxiety and stress.The connection between body and mind and why they can’t be separatedHow mindfulness can make fundamental changes in our brainHow mindfulness allows you to truly savor the moment and makes you happierAnd so much more...Resources:Happinesssquad.com @MyHappinessSquad InstagramAshish Kothari LinkedInAnil Ramjiani LinkedInHappiness Squad Youtube ChannelBook:Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life

Do you find purpose in what you do? Or are you lacking an internal orientation that leads you through your day-to-day? Well, purpose and meaning are not only critical but are also powerful motivators that allow us to unlock a commitment to something bigger than ourselves. Did you know that a company with a strong sense of purpose also has a history of strong financial performance?So now, just imagine as an individual, what each of us can foster if we create or find purpose in what we do, what performance, and what reward we can unlock for ourselves as individuals that we can release into the world.This is what  Ashish and Anil are going to discuss in today's episode of the Happiness Squad podcast with their special guest, Eric Schmidt.Eric has a master's degree in conservation biology, and he has worked with governmental institutions such as the US National Renewable Energy Lab and various local and regional government entities focusing primarily on grassland flora and fauna, as well as large mammal wildlife management.Early in his career, Eric decided to shift gears and entered the world of tech startups, eventually leading large scale enterprise software deployments to Fortune 500 clients including Verizon, American Airlines, Ernst & Young, Deloitte, Hershey’s, Kaiser Permanente, Boeing, Intel, and more.Today Eric is back to applying those same skills to conservation by leading Wildlife Protection Solutions, an international NGO focused on protecting endangered species and ecosystems through the practical application of technology to field settings.In this conversation, Eric is going to explore the real value of finding meaning and purpose in what you do.You will find out more about Eric’s background story and how he decided to pivot from the tech world back to what he always loved to do.He will talk about his company Wildlife Protection solutions, what it does and the impact they are driving in the world.Eric will share his definition of true happiness, will talk about how his life changed after he pivoted to doing what he loves to do, will reveal how you can overcome burnout and find the resources to make a change in your life by adding meaning and purpose and so much more,.Listen now to learn a new way to unlock your full potential by adding purpose to your life!What You’ll Learn in this Show:A little bit about Wildlife Protection solutions: What the company does and the impact they are driving in the worldWhy did Eric decide to pivot from the tech world back to conservation?Eric’s definition of happinessHow to overcome burnout and find the resources to make a change in your life by adding meaning and purposeHow Eric’s life changed after he pivoted to doing what he loves to doAnd so much more...Resources:Wildlifeprotectionsolutions.org Happinesssquad.com @MyHappinessSquad InstagramAshish Kothari LinkedInAnil Ramjiani LinkedInHappiness Squad Youtube ChannelBook:Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life

In today’s episode we share the 2nd practice in our 9-part series designed to help you lead a more purposeful life as we explore Ashish’s book, “Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life,” a modality that walks you through nine simple practices used to change your life in just a few minutes a day.In an earlier episode, we talked about cultivating self-awareness. Today, we explore Defining your Purpose. We will discuss the importance of purpose in our lives and why we all should find and follow it. Ashish will reveal the key to unlocking your ikigai, the Japanese secret to a long and happy life and, in the end, he will share an amazing quote that will change your life and inspire you to take the next step in your journey. You can integrate meaning into any profession and discover how to find ways to introduce and integrate what you love into where you work and much more.If you feel stressed, burnt out, disillusioned or even undervalued at work, this episode will help you overcome these issues and start living a happier and more fulfilling life! Enjoy!What You’ll Learn in this Show:Why do we need to find purpose and meaning in life?What is the ikigai concept and how we can unlock our ikigai?How to find ways to introduce and integrate what you love into where you work?To find your purpose you have to turn inwardsHow you can make a difference in the worldAnd so much more...Resources:Happinesssquad.com @MyHappinessSquad InstagramAshish Kothari LinkedInAnil Ramjiani LinkedInHappiness Squad Youtube ChannelBook:Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life

What if we told you that billions of people around the world are walking around, but they are not truly awake? Are you one of them?Ashish and Anil will dive into this topic with today’s guest, Veronica Love, who will share simple yet powerful tools, better than an alarm clock, that will wake you up. And once you're awake, you will be curious for more. Veronica is the global CEO of the Newfield Network, one of the world’s leading transformational learning organizations. Their work in personal growth, coach training, professional development, and within organizations increase your reach and influence over your life and surroundings.Veronica holds a master's degree in acupuncture and is a professional certified coach. She's led Newfield’s signature Coaching for Personal and Professional Mastery program for over 18 years in eight countries and in two languages.  She has trained leaders, coaches from organizations including NASA, Google, Nike, IBM and more.Veronica powerfully integrates linguistic, emotional and somatic awareness to foster potent learning environments, equipping coaches and leaders with the capacity to generate transformative and sustainable change for their clients and organizations.  Ashish himself is a testimonial of her work.In this new episode of the Happiness Squad podcast, Veronica will talk about two models that will allow you to develop your own self-awareness and will reveal some effective tips on how to unlock your potential and find real meaning.You will also find out what real happiness means for Veronica and what brings happiness in her life.You will learn more about the importance of self-awareness and why Veronica dedicated her life to helping people wake up.Veronica will talk about the three core levels of awareness and how you can develop the practice of self-awareness.Veronica will reveal an amazing story of personal transformation she encountered in  her professional experience.She will also talk about Newfield Network's mission and practices, the difference between remaining asleep or setting aside the time to become aware and emotionally agile and so much moreListen now to learn a new way to rewire your brain fro happiness and fulfilment! Resources:Happinesssquad.com @MyHappinessSquad InstagramAshish Kothari LinkedInAnil Ramjiani LinkedInHappiness Squad Youtube ChannelNewfieldnetwork.com Book:Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life

In this new episode of the Happiness Squad podcast, Anil Ramjiani starts a series of interviews with Ashish Kothari about his book “Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life “.In this series, they are going to explore each of the nine practices that can change your life for the better. They will begin with the first practice, and the heart of all of them: cultivating self-awareness.Have you ever said (and felt) “I am angry”, rather than “I feel angry”? Or “I am sad” rather than “I feel sad”, and ever wondered what is the difference between the two? Have you ever thought of what's the difference between making an assertion versus an assessment?Throughout this conversation, Ashish shares personal experiences and several practices that address these and more. Plus, at the very end of the chat, he shares one meditation practice that will help you increase your own self-awareness.You will learn what inspired Ashish to write his book and what happiness mean to him.You will learn more about what awareness is and why it is considered the heart of all practices in Ashish’s book.You will discover how self-awareness can rewire your brain from seeking fear to seeking happiness.Ashish will share some of the science-based benefits of self-awareness, will reveal how increased self-awareness leads to better social skills, will talk about the three levels of awareness and so much more.Join Anil and Ashish as they talk through how we can all hardwire for happiness!What You’ll Learn in this Show:What is awareness and why it is the heart of all practices in Ashish’s book?How self-awareness can rewire your brain from seeking fear to seeking happinessThe difference between “I am angry” and “I feel angry”Some of the science-based benefits of-awarenessThe power of self-awareness in businessAnd so much more...Resources:Happinesssquad.com @MyHappinessSquad InstagramAshish Kothari LinkedInAnil Ramjiani LinkedInHappiness Squad Youtube ChannelBook:Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life

We all have special moments in our lives. Whether it is our wedding day or an important moment in our career, we all have these big events in our lives that we look forward to. We want these moments to be perfect, so we prepare ourselves thoroughly, we try to plan ahead for everything and make sure we don’t miss anything. Unfortunately, we tend to overcommit and by doing this we actually miss the most important thing: enjoying the whole process. And we end up tired, stressed out, anxious and sometimes even unable to savor the moment we were waiting for.Does this sound familiar to you? When you have a big moment coming up, how much time do you actually spend savoring the moment, really enjoying the process, knowing what it's like as you go, day to day, leading up to that big event? In this new episode of the Happiness Squad podcast, Ashish Kothari and Anil Ramjiani are going to talk about how you can be more, rather than do more in order to be more present in the moment and really savor these important events in your life.They are going to talk about two important moments coming up in their lives, how they prepare for them and what gets in their way.You will find out why overcommitting is not a good thing and how much we should actually plan ahead for an important moment in our lives.Ashish and Anil will discuss the importance of savoring the moment and what we can do to be able to do that, how to reconcile the notion that you have to work hard to get to your goal, how to savor the small bites of life and so much more.Listen now and get ready to learn how to savor the most important moments of your life!What You’ll Learn in this Show:About two important moments coming up for Ashish and Anil and what gets in both of their waysWhy overcommitting is not a good thing and how much should we plan ahead for an important moment in our lifeThe importance of savoring the moment and what we can do to be able to do itHow to savor the small bites of life.And so much more...Resources:Happinesssquad.com @MyHappinessSquad InstagramAshish Kothari LinkedInAnil Ramjiani LinkedInHappiness Squad Youtube ChannelBook:Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life

In today's episode of the Happiness Squad, Ashish and Anil sit down with a very special guest, Captain Suzanne Lesko, USN (Ret.). Suzanne is part of an elite group of women, the 1% of the 1% club to rise to the rank of Captain in the U.S. Navy, and introduces herself as "Xena, Warrior Advisor." She has over 20 years’ experience in defense and national security-related communications, strategic and operational planning, program management, and high-risk training. She is a combat veteran and has provided high impact leadership training to various organizations, through her role as a technical advisor with Valiant Integrated Services, and as a subject matter expert with Wharton Leadership Ventures. Suzanne has also served as a Captain, US Navy Reserve, where she was a high-level focal point for public affairs activities in Central and South America and the Caribbean to support her active duty counterparts. Suzanne is a passionate advocate for women, peace, and security. Suzanne also founded the Global Awareness Through Education (GATE) Project, a global non-profit, which provides scholarships and leadership advancement to empower strong-willed women undergraduates from post-conflict zones to participate meaningfully in peace and security processes in their homelands.During the show, Ashish, Anil and Suzanne discuss some of the practices that have allowed her to flourish, and unlock her full potential throughout her life and career.Suzanne shares her gratitude for the small things in life, and her appreciation for life as she enters the next stage after 26+ years with the Navy.They also offer insights into the importance of knowing your people - the direct connection that allows you to be aware when they're feeling "off," and helping them reach their own potential.Join Ashish, Anil and Suzanne for this fascinating and informative conversation.Enjoy!What You’ll Learn in this Show:The importance of being in a parasympathetic state when working in intense situations.The importance of personal connection in a world so filled with technology.The dichotomy of wealth vs. meaning, and why we need to stop differentiating between them.Why we need to be aware of the lessons life is trying to teach us at all timesAnd so much more...Resources:Suzanne's LinkedInThe GATE ProjectHappinesssquad.com @MyHappinessSquad InstagramAshish Kothari LinkedInAnil Ramjiani LinkedInHappiness Squad Youtube ChannelBook:Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life

The world we live in seems to be better than ever. In many ways, it is a world of abundance and prosperity. Modern technology keeps us connected and brings us closer than ever before, while the huge progress in medicine ensures our health and well-being. And yet, so many of us struggle with feelings of loneliness, anxiety, depression and stress.Why is that happening? Why, despite many accomplishments in our lives, we don’t feel happy and fulfilled? And what can we do to change this and learn how to combat stress, unlock our full potential and rewire our brains for happiness?If you want to find out the answers to these questions and much more, then you should definitely listen to this new podcast!The Happiness Squad podcast, hosted by Ashish Kothari and Anil Ramjiani has the goal to inspire individuals, teams and organizations to unlock their full potential and thrive, rather than just survive in this increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world that we are living in. Anil and Ashish are going to explore together a range of modalities and strategies that we can integrate into our lives, so we can literally hardwire for happiness, versus a hardwiring for fear and scarcity that we often find ourselves in. In this first episode they will first introduce themselves, they will talk about their background, will share their origin stories, how they met and how the idea of this podcast came up.You will also find out more about the mission of this podcast and what Ashish and Anil hope to accomplish with it.They will also talk about Ashish’s book and the 9 proven practices to overcome stress and live your best life and so much more.Tune in and start your journey towards true happiness now!What You’ll Learn in this Show:Who are Ashish and Anil: a little bit about their background and how they met each otherWhat is the mission of this podcast and what do Ashish and Anil hope to accomplish with it?About the three formats this podcast is going to haveAbout Ashish’s book and the 9 proven practices to overcome stress and live your best lifeHow we can rewire our brains for happiness?And so much more...Resources:Happinesssquad.com @MyHappinessSquad InstagramAshish Kothari LinkedInAnil Ramjiani LinkedInHappiness Squad Youtube ChannelBook:Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life