U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty

U n' I with Rashmi Shetty ( Season 3)- Vandana Suri

Our first guest for 2025 is Vandana Suri, the founder of Taxshe - a World Bank and UNDP awardee for creating safe mobility solutions for women and kids. One one hand they have women cabs driving kids to schools and tuitions and women to offices and late night airport drives. On the other hand they train women clients to self drive and just get off the risk of abuse in public transport itself. Taxshe has been around for a decade now and created 1.2 million abuse free drives and has trained over 2500+ women to be driving independently. Vandana is an ex investment banker, turned cabbie and driving instructor with a lot of pride, and she believes it's important to be mad to ignite a revolution. She is a TEDX speaker, has got multiple awards which she has lost track on the numbers, but she believes what actually counts is how many women have joined the revolution or got impacted by the same.
 

U n' I with Rashmi Shetty ( Season 3) - Nakul Shenoy

Our guest to day is Nakul Shenoy aka The Mind Reader,  an Indian mentalist, magician, author, and critical thinker. A speaker of choice for Fortune-500 companies, he has delivered high-impact, mind-reading experiences across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, UK, and the USA. With 10 TEDx Talks and numerous television appearances to his credit, Nakul has earned a global following for his mesmerising performances. 
A compulsive reader of books and a self-proclaimed tea connoisseur, Nakul epitomises a mentalist in the real-world via his demonstrated expertise in the allied fields of magic, communication, hypnotism, NLP, user experience, people behaviour, and skepticism. 
Nakul’s book ‘Smart Course in Magic: Secrets, Staging, Tips, Tricks’ is published by HarperCollins and is available in all leading bookstores and online. 
 www.nakulshenoy.com 

U n' I with Rashmi Shetty- N.K.Chaudhary

Our guest today is Nand Kishore Chaudhary, a globally acclaimed social entrepreneur, is the founder of Jaipur Rugs, one of India's largest manufacturers of hand knotted rugs and is often referred to as ‘Gandhi of the Carpet Industry’.
With just two looms and nine artisans in 1978, his journey four decades later stands
at Jaipur Rugs becoming a global social enterprise exporting to over 60 countries
while providing sustainable livelihood to 40,000 artisans in 600 remote villages across five states in India, out of which 80% of them are women.
Management guru, C.K. Prahalad featured his revolutionary business philosophy in his globally acclaimed book -The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid.
Mr. Chaudhary has also been termed as ‘father of modern social enterprises’ by Prof.
Jagdish N. Sheth from Emory University, USA. Sheth said, “Jaipur Rugs has become
a role model, that business can serve society and at the same time ... can be a capitalistic institution”.
In 2019, Raj Sisodia featured Jaipur Rugs and NK Chaudhary in his book, ‘The Healing Organization’ for ‘The Power of innocence’. The book highly celebrated NK Chaudhary’s steps towards healing the customers and transforming the society with love.
He has won awards including E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award, CNBC TV18 Emerging India Award, Social Impact Award conferred by former president Pranab Mukherjee amongst  others.
As a simple man, he is devoted to the Indian hand-knotted rug industry with an aim
to position it rightly in the world and to empower its real owner and creator - the Indian weaver.
His philosophy of totality, inclusion and for-profit solutions to society are widely discussed.
Listen in as he shares significant moments in his life with some amazing life lessons.

U n' I with Rashmi Shetty- Season 3- Beno Zephine

Today as India celebrates her 78th Independence day, our guest  on "U N' I with Rashmi Shetty is Special India's first Visually challenged Foreign service officer , the inspirational  Beno Zephine N.L, IFS Under Secretary Policy Planning and Research, Ministry of External affairs.
Beno Zephine received the “First Women’s Award” from the hon’ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind in January 2018 for becoming India’s first visually challenged Foreign Service Officer. She secured 343rd rank in the all-India Civil Services Examination 2014. She was instrumental in bringing out MEA’s Annual Report 2019-2020 in Audio format for the benefit of public.
She excelled at learning French language, as part of her compulsory Foreign Language. At the Higher Secondary level, Beno attended Global Young Leaders conference in the US in 2008. She had Secured first place in the Secondary level Examinations, at the state level, among Visually Challenged Category.
She was instrumental in making the Government of Tamil Nadu pass a Government Order for honouring visually challenged students who secure the  first 3 ranks in the Board examinations at the state level. She is the recipient of several awards like Woman of the Year Award by Deccan Chronicle and best Woman by Ritz Magazine.
Google has published herquote, “We are too precious to let disappointments enter our minds” as part of its Google doodle on International Women’s day 2019. Beno has a Masters in English Literature and believes Disability should not inhibit anybody from reaching the Stars. She is often quoted as saying, “I might not have vision, but I have a vision to be a hardworking Civil Servant”.
Listen in as Beno shares her love of life , her positive attitude and why she believes women are Precious.

U n' I with Rashmi Shetty- Season 3- Vrunda Sekhar

The National Handloom Day is observed on August 7th every year, to recognise the efforts and skills of the community of weavers engaged in this sector. Our guest today is someone who has given up almost 2 decades of her corporate experience to work with the Ilkal weavers of the last 6 years.
Vrunda Sekhar is an Ilkal Revivalist, Handloom Researcher and Weaver Story Teller based in Bangalore. Facilitating marketplaces for weavers and bridging the gap between weaver and consumer have been her primary areas of engagement. Marketing and promoting Karnataka Sarees, as a must have for Indian women and propagation of Ilkal Sarees as a national weave of historical and cultural significance are also her other areas of work. Championing the rights of weavers, she is involved in research and revival of long-lost design palettes of Karnataka weaves. She is followed by a cross section of women on social media for handloom specific activities of Karnataka centric handloom sarees like Ilkal, Pattadanchu, Guledgudda KhaNa, Gomi, Kote, Molakalmuru, Charaka and Udupi Sarees. With a varied experience as a Communications Specialist, having handled external, internal, customer, retailer communications, Vrunda has worked in Corporates like Bharti Airtel, Hathway, Telenor and Heidelberg India. Apart from 18 years of corporate career, she also has served as a Consultant to the Government of Karnataka, in departments of Kannada/Culture and Karnataka Urban Water Supply Board, as a Media Specialist. Vrunda holds a Masters Degree in English Literature from Mysore University, with a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Relations and Advertising from Bhavans, Bangalore. She has served as a Member of Janapada Loka, Ramanagara, Karnataka and as Ex. Vice President of Karnataka Handloom Council. She is a certified auditor of POSH. A saree aficionado and a handloom lover, her interests include wildlife photography and Indian classical music.
 
Listen in as she shares her journey & the inspiring story of  how she found her purpose.

U n' I with Rashmi Shetty- Season 3- Dr. Sadiq Sikora,

The First Doctor’s Day was celebrated in India in the year 1991. July 1 happens to be the birth and death anniversary of the most famous physician of India - Dr B. C.Roy. It is a tribute to his contributions to the health domain in the country. We are in the last week end of July & so decided to make it a doctor’s day special.
 
Dr Sadiq S Sikora, Director of Surgical Services at Sakra Institute of Digestive and HPB Sciences at Sakra World Hospital in Bangalore, is a distinguished medical professional with an impressive background. An alumnus of the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, Dr Sikora completed his MBBS and MS (Surgery) training there before joining the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology at the renowned Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow.
Dr Sikora's contributions to the field of surgery are numerous and impactful. He has made significant strides in areas such as Safe Cholecystectomy, repair of bile duct injuries, and pancreatic cancer surgery. With more than 125 published articles and book chapters in peer-reviewed journals, Dr Sikora has established himself as a leading voice in surgical research.
Beyond his accomplishments in surgery, Dr Sikora is deeply committed to education and mentorship. His dedication to teaching and cultivating the next generation of surgeons is evident in the success of his trainees, many of whom are now making significant contributions to the field.
Currently, Dr Sikora's focus lies on promoting "Nontechnical Skills for Surgeons" in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, and advocating for gender equality in the surgical discipline.
Outside of medicine, Dr Sikora has a passion for sports, particularly cricket, tennis, golf, and Formula1. He also enjoys traveling to destinations rich in cultural and historical significance.

U n' I with Rashmi Shetty -Season 3- Dr. Shivananda Koteshwar

Dr. Shivananda R Koteshwar (Shivoo), Vice President with Synopsys India served as the EDA Group South Asia Site Leader providing executive management support to EDAG South Asia Teams, Nurturing and maximizing impact in South Asia Ecosystem and creating revenue growth opportunities in the region. Before Synopsys, Shivoo, as a Site Head and GM, was instrumental in setting up MediaTek, Bangalore site, defining growth strategies, creating innovation capabilities, enabling ecosystems, and building breakthrough business models.
Shivoo is a versatile technology leader with 27 years of career-long record of challenging tape-outs, design team setup, and strategic operation management. Shivoo with expertise in full-chip and complex IP implementation, Verification, and Design Methodologies. He is instrumental in delivering multiple first-time-right silicon ASICs.
Across his multiple stints, Shivoo has displayed proficiency in establishing a strategic vision and leading through transformational challenges. He enjoys building performing teams and takes pride in having guided and mentored a strong bench of future leaders
Shivoo has received a doctorate in Education Management and is an alumnus of IIM, Bangalore & has a Postgraduate Diploma in Innovation & Design thinking, a collaborative program by MIT Sloan, Columbia Business School, and Tuck University. Shivoo has a Masters's Degree in Electrical Engineering from OGI, USA, and BTech in E&C from Mysore University. Shivoo has completed various Design Thinking, Strategy, Business, and Leadership Certification courses from Columbia Business School, Wharton School University of Virginia, MIT Sloan School, IIT Bombay, ESADE Spain, and the University of Sydney.
Shivoo is the trustee in Belakoo and Aurinko Academy. Shivoo is a Professor in practice at Cambridge Institute of Technology and an Adjunct Professor at Dayananda Sagar University and ISBR. Shivoo was the Founding Director, at "The Amaatra Academy School", a Professor at PES University, and an Advisory Board member at MS Ramaiah University.
Shivoo, as an author has published four books titled "System on Chip (SoC) Architecture", "SoC Physical Design", “50 Shades of Life” and "50 Colours of Love."
Shivoo is a recipient of the 2007 Employee Excellence Award in Recognition of efforts as an outstanding Synopsys Employee and was awarded Distinguished Alumni of MCE in 2018
Listen in as Shivoo shares his journey balancing multiple roles & the magical work with education he and his team are doing at the Belakoo Trust.

U n' I with Rashmi Shetty-Season 3-Ben Gioia

Thanks to the Influence With A Heart® Method, Ben Gioia's clients write great books in as little as 5 weeks, enjoy 5-figure speaking fees, and attract 6-figure consulting. (That’s even BEFORE publishing!) He is the ONLY book coach who starts the writing process with proven, strategic business development that attracts revenue. (And includes concierge publishing and a custom launch strategy.) Ben teaches consultants, coaches, leaders, speakers, and small-business owners how to make 6- or 7-figures without selling a single book!
A 4X, international bestseller, podcast, and radio host, Ben’s teachings are used by more than 80,000 people. He’s trained 100s of millionaires at Stanford, helped a Fortune 100 create a mindfulness and empathy video game for 20,000 employees, and launched the world’s largest magazine (AARP). Ben started writing when he was 12 and won a patient services award from The ALS Association.

U n' I with Rashmi Shetty- Season 3- Vijaya Deepti

Our guest today is Vijaya Deepti - a Member – Board of Directors at Tata AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd. She is the Chairperson for the Risk
Management Committee and Member – Audit Committee at Tata AIG. She is an Independent Director at Aster DM Healthcare where she Chairs the Risk Management Committee and Technology Steering Committee in addition to being a member of the Nominations, Remuneration and Compensations and CSR Committees
She was the CEO of Tata Insights and Quants a Division of the Tata Industries Ltd. The Organization is a Center of Excellence for Data and Analytics for the Tata Group. The focus is to work with the Tata Group Companies on leveraging Advanced Analytics to address business challenges. She has been supporting a number of IEEE Working Groups to build Industrial AI Standards.
She was with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for over three decades and played a number of roles both at Corporate and Business Unit Level. As part of the Corporate Governance Team, she supported a number of SBUs in their strategic initiatives and programs.
She was on the Board of Diligenta which is a Regulated Subsidiary of TCS in UK. As Head of Global Insurance Product Business at TCS, she was responsible for product development and client delivery initiatives globally. Previously, she served as the Head of Global Insurance Delivery with an additional responsibility to grow UK and European Insurance
business. Under her leadership, the TCS Insurance unit won a number of strategic large deals, acquired new customers and achieved multifold growth.
 
As a long-standing member of TCS Business Excellence Council, Deepti has been responsible for driving the TATA Group’s Business Excellence (TBEM) initiative. She has worked as Head of Quality Council and has championed various Six Sigma Initiatives within TCS across multiple customer engagements.
In Dec 2009, she was conferred the “Leading Business Woman of The Year” award by Women Leaders in India (WLII) in recognition for her contribution towards growing the insurance business within TCS despite the global economic downturn.
She has been working with a number of NGO’s in areas such as Integrated Forest Management, Education for under-privileged and grooming of leadership talent.

U n' I with Rashmi Shetty- Season 3- Summa Ramesh

It Is International Yoga Day today  & my guest for the Human library Audio Podcast, “U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty” is a Yoga therapist, master trainer, functional Nutritionist & Founder of @Sankalp Yoga Shala,  Summa Ramesh, https://sankalpyoga.in/. She deeply believes in ‘The Power of Intention’ and has designed all her therapies and workshops drawing strength from the universal force. She believes in a mentor-mentee relationship and empowers her clients to take their healing in their own hands.
Summa is extremely patient and empathetic approach guarantees that no kind of force is used on her clients. She lets the client’s body decide the course and her unconditional acceptance of the same delivers results beyond measure. 
Her CSR Project RedTent  is all about creating awareness amongst young girls both in rural & urban areas  about:
How is the female body made and its function
What is the role & phases of the menstrual cycle
How the lifestyle & mindset affects the body
What alternative ways can be used to keep the period regular & bearable
How to embrace & accept her feminity