

Take a Pause with Varun Duggirala
Varun Duggirala
Where deep conversations meet real-world wisdom. Through thought-provoking discussions with entrepreneurs, creators, and thought leaders, we explore the lessons we wish we’d learned earlier—across work, relationships, money, health, and the world around us. Rooted in The Wisdom Project, this podcast is designed for those who’ve seen some part of life pass them by, offering clarity, actionable insights, and stories that help navigate the complexities of modern life. Whether it’s redefining success, building meaningful connections, or embracing personal grow, every episode is a moment to pause,
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 24, 2022 • 3min
Provide Support Through Listening
Our first instinct when we know someone is struggling is to ensure we give them support. We state similar instances from our lives to let them know they are not alone. This course of action might not have the desired effect on the individual. It may make them feel even worse. In this episode of Take aPause, Varun shares why he believes listening is an integral step to healing. What do you think? You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/ https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take apause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its listeners to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to learn tools, embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them find motivation, build the right mindset and perform at their best. Varun also occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting people to give listeners a learn from and use in their work, life and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

10 snips
Oct 21, 2022 • 18min
7 Lessons That Changed My Life
Our lives are filled with moments that can alter its course. It is upto us to decide whether to take the path in front of us, or take a detour and learn a few new things along the way. Sadly, our decisions often tend to be influenced by fear – fear of judgement, fear of failure. Imagine if you could make decisions without these fears whispering in your head. What would you choose? In this episode, listen as Varun candidly shares lessons that helped pave the way for his life ahead. You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/ https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take apause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its listeners to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to learn tools, embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them find motivation, build the right mindset and perform at their best. Varun also occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting people to give listeners a learn from and use in their work, life and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

Oct 17, 2022 • 5min
The Formula for Fighting Your Fears
When you think of the word “fear”, what comes to mind? Is it a collection of small things, or just one large looming emotion pertaining to something that scares you at a visceral level? Things you fear are like a close-knit bunch of friends; they usually flock together lending each other the power needed to control you. In this episode, Varun explores what it means to be afraid, and how you can wield that fear to grow as an individual. As humans, we tend to avoid things that scare us. By facing it head-on and acknowledging its existence, you’re already taking away a big part of its control over you. Tune in to learn battle secrets against fear. You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/ https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take apause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its listeners to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to learn tools, embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them find motivation, build the right mindset and perform at their best. Varun also occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting people to give listeners a learn from and use in their work, life and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

Oct 14, 2022 • 3min
Why We Only Remember the Winners!
Do you know who the first man on the moon was? The first Indian to win the Olympic gold? History is notorious for honouring only the ones who have achieved the impossible. Emphasis on the word “achieved”. When we look at winners, it is easy to get swept up in the waves of their accomplishments; we want to emulate their journey. It is common knowledge that for every winner that exists, there are far more who didn’t win. What can we do to learn from the best and the second-best? Tune in to today’s episode as Varun breaks down ‘Survivorship Bias’. You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/ https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take apause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its listeners to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to learn tools, embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them find motivation, build the right mindset and perform at their best. Varun also occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting people to give listeners a learn from and use in their work, life and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

Oct 10, 2022 • 4min
Finding Balance In Short Term vs Long Term Thinking
A question most of us have heard often is, ‘what is your 5-year plan?’ While we may have some semblance of what we want to achieve, charting how to achieve them is equally important. The planning is just as important as the execution. In this episode of Take aPause, Varun weighs the importance of long-term and short-term goals to figure out how we can strike the right balance between the two in our lives. You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/ https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take apause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its listeners to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to learn tools, embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them find motivation, build the right mindset and perform at their best. Varun also occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting people to give listeners a learn from and use in their work, life and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

Oct 7, 2022 • 6min
The Thin Line Between Being Confident and Bragging
The word bragging by definition is to speak with pride about something you have done or something you possess. Confidence, on the other hand, is defined as the feeling that you are sure about your own abilities. Read the definitions again. Aren’t they almost similar? In this episode of Take aPause, Varun breaks down a very famous quote by Muhammad Ali and how you can apply it to your own life too! You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/ https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take apause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its listeners to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to learn tools, embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them find motivation, build the right mindset and perform at their best. Varun also occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting people to give listeners a learn from and use in their work, life and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

Oct 3, 2022 • 6min
Make Your Impossible Goals Possible! Listen Now
We all have big plans for our lives and our future. The enormity of our goals can sometimes be extremely overwhelming. The How’s & Ifs of the plan threaten to dismantle the structure instead of helping form it. In this episode of Take APause, Varun shares a story from Will Smith’s life and how he still applies that lesson in the face of adversity. What helps you move forward with your life plans? You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/ https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take apause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its listeners to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to learn tools, embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them find motivation, build the right mindset and perform at their best. Varun also occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting people to give listeners a learn from and use in their work, life and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

4 snips
Sep 30, 2022 • 5min
How I Build Deeper Connections, Organically!
Conversations are the currency of the networking world. Every interaction comes with a subtext, a silent agenda. The way to navigate it is to ensure the purpose with which you conduct each exchange. At a personal level, it may be to find romantic relationships or make a friend. Professionally, it may be to increase your likeability and their perception. In this episode, Varun shares an interesting tip for building deeper connections and it may help you too! You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/ https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take apause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its listeners to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to learn tools, embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them find motivation, build the right mindset and perform at their best. Varun also occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting people to give listeners a learn from and use in their work, life and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

Sep 26, 2022 • 4min
Why You Should Own Up When You're Wrong
When you own up to a mistake you’ve made, you indicate that you’re willing to change and rectify things.This may come with its own repercussions in the short term, but to be willing to face them is what shows your strength of character. In this episode of Take a Pause, Varun talks about the importance of owning up to your mistakes and admitting when you are wrong, while being humble about the times you’ve been right. It’s not something that comes naturally to most of us, but truly is a testament to one’s character. You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/ https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take apause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its listeners to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to learn tools, embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them find motivation, build the right mindset and perform at their best. Varun also occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting people to give listeners a learn from and use in their work, life and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message

Sep 23, 2022 • 4min
Uncomfortable Conversations: Your Key to Better Relationships
Each time you avoid an uncomfortable conversation, you end up creating a bigger problem for another day – a day that is bound to arrive sooner rather than later. It is in fact the conversations that you feel like running away from that hold the key to real freedom and growth. In this episode of Take a Pause, Varun talks about the importance of uncomfortable conversations in overcoming barriers in life and relationships. You can Order Varun’s book “Everything is out of syllabus: An instruction manual for life & work “ at https://amzn.to/335QKow Follow Varun across social media platforms @VarunDuggi https://www.instagram.com/varunduggi/ https://www.youtube.com/c/VarunDuggi https://twitter.com/varunduggi And for a weekly download of mind musings and recommendations subscribe to his newsletter “Unschooled with Varun Duggirlala” at https://varunduggi.substack.com About the show “Take apause with Varun Duggirala” ( previously “The Varun Duggi show”) is a thrice a week podcast that’s meant to enable its listeners to take a pause amidst the chaos of their daily lives to learn tools, embrace ideas and soak in concepts that will help them find motivation, build the right mindset and perform at their best. Varun also occasionally taps into the minds of truly interesting people to give listeners a learn from and use in their work, life and everything in-between. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/take-a-pause-varun-duggi/message