U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty

U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty- Season 2 - Heena Saini

In keeping with the Divine Feminine celebrations and breast cancer awareness month, our guest this week is the inspirational Heena Saini.
Heena is a versatile and effervescent leader with global expertise and a passion for creating impact through collaborative and coaching leadership. A double MBA with Operations and Project Management specialization & and graduated in March 2022 from Cornell in Executive Management, she brings forth
21+ years of steadfast experience in IT program management, operations management, and people management. She has effectually orchestrated multiple
global service transition projects with cross-functional and diverse culture teams. Catapulted several business process standardization initiatives for strategic alignment, which resulted in $2M in cost savings. Catering to the role of Senior Principal Program Manager, Advanced Customer Services with Oracle India Pvt. Ltd.
In a constant endeavor to mentor & coach budding professionals, she has impacted 1500+ lives as a pro-bono effort by sharing wisdom pearls of her collective professional & life experience. Being a Certified International Career Coach, Heena is driven to transform the lives of students & promising professionals who are eager to upskill themselves and bring forth a promising change in the ecosystem.
A breast cancer warrior, she was recently featured in TOI & Biocon’s “Stories of Hope”. She is an active contributor to the cancer awareness cause and works with multiple recognized platforms, hospitals, and support networks to make a difference in the lives of those battling this dreaded C. Had passionately led the Cancer Support Network (CSN, India Region) CSR at Cisco, to be the
first one established in India in Feb 2020 and has amplified the awareness to 2500+ lives.
An ardent collaborator for women empowerment via "Corporate Diva", a flagship program on transforming women professionals into women leaders. She moderated a global summit in 2021 for Corporate Diva, which was a collaboration of 21 speakers from 12 different countries, the summit was aimed at transforming women professionals into women Leaders, by focusing on topics imperative for their professional growth.
Heena is an active public speaker. She was a dynamic toastmaster.
She has been :
Awarded as “Women of Substance” in the “Women Changemaker” Category by WSN Network by “She Inspires Magazine & Hypedge Media & Events”
• Awarded as “Women of the Future” by All India Women Achievers Award (AIWAA-2022) organized by Twell Magazine, India's largest Women Empowerment
Program.
• Awarded as “Emerging Women Leader in Skill Development” by International Inspirational Women Awards (IIWA-2022) organized by GISR Foundation, in April 2022
• Facilitated by Karnataka Cancer Society, during the address to Bangalore's one of the infamous colleges final year students (250+) in August
2019 on cancer awareness.
Listen in as Heena shares her battle and
how she is thriving in the world today as an inspiration to everyone she meets.
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U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty - Season 2 - Mukesh Sharma

 
Our guest today is Mukesh - the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Menterra. Through the Menterra Social Impact Fund, he invests in
social enterprises that are harnessing the power of technology to impact India, by improving the quality of farming, healthcare, and education.
 
Mukesh has 20+ years of experience in start-up investing, impact investing, private equity, investment banking and finance domains. Mukesh is a Chartered Accountant and a CFA Charterholder. He has been a member of the capital sub-committee of the Impact Investors Council, India. He is also a member of the PoleStar Award Jury which is focused on celebrating excellence in journalism and social impact.
 
Earlier, he was the Chief Investment Officer at Villgro, India’s oldest and foremost social enterprise incubator. He has advised the board and management of several companies. He has served as the non-executive director on the board of Biosense Technologies, Omix Labs, Adiuvo Diagnostics and Concept Learning.
In his very first fund, Mukesh raised investments from a diverse set of marquee investors such as the Government of India, U.S.-based foundations, corporate investors, family offices and HNIs.
 
At Villgro, Mukesh was an integral part of the idea to scale the journey of several entrepreneurs. This experience convinced him that the passive investing model focused on only deal-making combined with the invest-divest movement is not an ideal approach to solving big social problems. He used these insights to build a holistic fund-incubator platform with a conveyor belt approach to provide patient funding combined with intense post-investment operating support.
 
Mukesh believes that non-linear outcomes are more likely to be achieved through big, game-changing ideas that leverage the latest science and technology. He is focused on using the power of technology to solve the most pressing developmental challenges. Mukesh has co-founded this platform. He has attracted a stellar network of advisors and the best impact-oriented talent. He is now working on scaling this model to generate market-level returns and sectoral impact.
 
Listen in as Mukesh shares his inspirational journey from a small town in Gujarat to the investor he is today.
 
 
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U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty- Season 2- Sanjay Deshpande

Our guest today is the inspirational Sanjay Deshpande who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor at the age of 29. A massive grand mal seizure landed him
in the emergency room on the day he landed on Harvard University's campus to start his Master's program in September 2021. The same week, he flew back to
India to get a 7-hour-long brain surgery. It's been almost two years since and he's tumor-free.
He is passionate about mental health, queer rights, and cancer advocacy. He loves to dance and has recently started writing poetry. He hopes to publish a memoir someday and travel the world before he kicks the bucket.
He led the effort to conceptualize, manage, write, and publish his first book 'Don't Ask Me How I'm Doing' with several other contributors to raise awareness about the unique challenges faced by South Asian and Indian Young Adult Cancer Patients, Survivors, and Caregivers. He hopes this book will help hundreds if not thousands, of others who have to deal with an insidious disease like cancer when they are at the peak of their lives and careers. Sanjay consults as a learning designer, workshop facilitator, and trained coach with several Edtech startups from across the country.
His book is available in all leading bookstores. This is the link to order it on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.in/Dont-Ask-How-Doing-everything/dp/8195259049/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1696535097&refinements=p_27%3ASanjay+Deshpande&s=books&sr=1-2e
He is back at Harvard today to finish his Master's program surprising everyone around him including his doctor! Listen in as Sanjay shares his journey with all honesty in this conversation completely vulnerable & pragmatic.
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U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty- Season 2- Bhavana Issar

Our guest today is Bhavana Issar -  the Founder & CEO of a social venture Caregiver Saathi (http://caregiversaathi.co.in), which is a hi-tech and hi-touch platform that supports family caregivers through a care navigation system that aims to ease access to resources like advice, information, community, professional services, and learning tools. She consults with organizations to build Caregiver-friendly and Compassionate Workplaces that are resilient and innovative. 
After her corporate stint as an HR leader in large companies, she is an Organization consultant in the areas of Change, Leadership Development, and Organization Building. She is a Fellow and facilitator in Process Work with Sumedhas Academy for Human Context, Gestalt OD Practitioner. She's been a faculty at institutions like IIM Ahmedabad, Udaipur, XLRI, SP Jain Institute of Management, and NMIMSetc. She is a passionate person with diverse interests like poetry, crocheting, and hi-tech gadgets. As a multi-potential-ate, she most identifies as a feminist, a storyteller, and an activist who believes in the possibilities of human potential. 
 Her story was included in the book by bestselling author Rashmi Bansal - Touch the Sky: Stories of women across India who are changing their destiny.
She is a motorcyclist and believes motorcycling has helped her push the boundaries of the body and mind. She supports women motorcyclists to realize their dreams. She expresses through poetry and believes humor powers resilience. She's a bewildered parent to a strong-willed teenager and a moody pet, currently residing in Mumbai with her spouse who often complains that she's a bully.
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U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty- Season 2- Dr. Arti Datta

It’s 131 Episodes of the human library audio podcast “U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty”& I feel completely grateful. All the storytellers willingly shared their story & today are good friends. One thing we all have in common is we are all connected to the “#voiceinme” Today is the 25th episode in Season 2.
These are the video extracts of the 131 episodes:
https://coachrashmishetty.com/podcast/
https://coachrashmishetty.com/podcast-2022/
https://coachrashmishetty.com/podcast-2023/ 
Our guest today is Dr. Arti Datta the founding Artistic Director of Mudra Dance Studio, Muttontown, NY, and the President of The Mudra Foundation: Art for a Cause. Dr. Arti Datta is the founding Artistic Director of Mudra Dance Studio, Muttontown, NY, and the President of The Mudra Foundation: Art for a Cause. Dr. Arti Datta was initiated into Bharatanatyam early in her childhood in India. An alumnus of
Kalasadan, one of the premier cultural institutes in Mumbai, India, was the disciple of the late Guru Shri Mani who trained her in the rigorous Vazhuvoor
tradition. Dr. Datta continued her education in dance at the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, London, UK. She has performed extensively in India, the U.K., and the United States.
Dr. Arti Datta is a clinical scientist by profession and has conducted her post-doctoral cancer research at the Hammersmith Hospital in London, U.K., and at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York.
Dr. Arti Datta has successfully choreographed and directed several multi-media productions including
Shiv-O-Hum, Leela – The Play of Krishna, Yatra – A Journey of Indian Dance, part of the Joseph G Astman International Concert series at the Hofstra
University, NY,
Devi: An Ode to Mother Goddess,
Arpan – An Offering, a benefit for the victims of the Japan tsunami disaster,
WATER: The Flow of the Divine, a fundraiser for the Sankara Eye Foundation,
and
AANGIKAM - a tribute to the victims of the Nepal earthquake.
NAVARASA: The Essence of the
Nine Emotions as a benefit for the Guide Dog Foundation,
JEEVAN TARANG: The Rhythms of Life benefitting CRY America,
MARGAM: The Path for Hewlett House, and most recently
PREKSHA: A Meditation in Dance supporting Long Island Crisis Center was staged in May this year.
On the 10th Anniversary of the dance school, as a way of integrating her passion for dance with a desire to give back, she founded the nonprofit The Mudra Foundation: Art for a Cause.
(www.TheMudraFoundation.org)
Dr. Datta was recognized by the India Association of Long Island (IALI) as one of the most influential people in the Indian American Community in NY and has been felicitated on numerous occasions for her contribution to the arts in the US.
Dr. Arti Datta serves on the board of the Long Island Arts Alliance and volunteers her time at New York Cares. She continues to teach dance at the Mudra Dance Studio, Muttontown.
 Listen in as Dr. Arti shares her journey from the logical world of Science to the creative world of Dance.
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U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty - Season 2- Dr. Vivek Mendonsa & CA Arun Vaz

When I look back at how these 130 Episodes of the human library podcast “U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty” unfolded, I feel completely grateful. Many of the storytellers willingly shared their story & today are good friends.
These are the video extracts of the 130 episodes:
https://coachrashmishetty.com/podcast/
https://coachrashmishetty.com/podcast-2022/
https://coachrashmishetty.com/podcast-2023/  
 
“The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth.” In this quote by Dan Rather, I can confidently replace a teacher with a mentor & it will still make sense to you. Today on the eve of teachers’ day, we have a special episode. A conversation between mentor & mentee that has all elements of trust, respect, friendship & partnership. On the eve of Teachers Day, we bring to you the beautiful story of CA Arun and Dr. Vivek who from being a mentor to CA Arun has become a friend over the period of years and they have been actioning multiple projects together now. It is a wonderful example of how a good mentor builds up the mentee and helps them become the best version of themselves. Dr. Vivek started working at age 17 while studying, filled data forms door to door and exceeded his target, and learned true sales and marketing, as he had to convince security guards, receptionists -and gatekeepers of apartment and corporate offices to allow him in. He filled forms for soft drink concrete companies, financial, insurance companies, tyre companies. Those solid life lessons in the
marketplace in the 'real world' for 5 years during the summer holidays, Diwali, and Christmas honed his skills to apply to Lawrence & Mayo as a team
player. A shock interview at the age of 31 years with a journalist, taught him to pre-pone Retirement Plans to the NOW and start multi-tasking in giving back
to society and mentoring people. CA Arun Vaz is a Chartered Accountant by profession and deal maker by passion. With his solution-providing ability, he
has been able to do a lot of work with some of the major corporates and has a presence in Mumbai, Delhi, Goa, and Dubai. He has a team of 370 people and believes in empowering people to become Chartered Accountants. He along with Dr. Vivek G Mendonsa who is the General Secretary of the Federation of Indo-Israeli Chambers of Commerce is leading over 50 entrepreneurs, businesswomen & men to Israel from the end of October 2023 to the first week of November 2023.
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U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty- Season 2- Saraswathy Ramamoorthy

Learning Matters is a seven-year-old ed-tech organisation based in Bengaluru. They implement their Artificial intelligence-based solution-Tara - in schools and colleges to improve the communicative English proficiency of students and teachers. They were recognized by India AI and NASSCOM for their significant contribution to India's AI ecosystem by being included in their compendium "75 at 75" which showcases 75 Indian companies doing innovative work using AI last year. https://www.aninews.in/news/business/business/learning-matters-announces-star-educator-awards-2023-celebrating-exceptional-educators-and-transformative-educational-institutions-worldwide20230817162451
Our guest today is  Saraswathy Ramamoorthy, one of the co-founders of Learning Matters. An early childhood education (ECCE) expert, she has worked in various facets of the education domain as an educator and educationist. Her core expertise is in designing and developing educational curricula and programs, teaching children, training teachers, as well as creating digital education products and programs.
As co-founder of Learning Matters, she takes care of marketing.
Listen in as she shares what Learning Matters does and explains the buzz around the 3rd edition of the  Star Educator award, they are hosting. To nominate yourself or anyone you know click: https://learningmatters.ai/star-educator-awards/                                                            
                     
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U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty- Season 2- Ashok Kamath

Our guest today is Ashok Kamath- an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT Bombay). He was formerly the Managing Director of the Indian operations of Analog Devices, a major global semiconductor company. Ashok attributes a large part of his success to the fact that he was privileged enough to receive a quality education from a young age. The well-balanced foundational education he received gave him strong
mathematical ability and enabled him to get into great universities and excel further. However, he saw that this opportunity to access quality education for younger grades in school was not available for a majority of children in the country. During his time at IIT, Ashok’s education was made more affordable for him because the Government of India would subsidize the cost of training each student through the program. Ashok always saw this as a badge of honor and investment from his country.
So, in 2004, Ashok left his corporate career to pay back the ‘debt of honor’ he felt towards his country by empowering millions of children in the
country that are denied the opportunities that he received. He immersed himself in solving the complex problems of the education sector in India and developed the idea of GKA in 2012, envisioning this model to function at a population scale. Since 2004, Ashok has not drawn a salary from Akshara
Foundation. And with a small team of 35, he is transforming learning for over 3 million children in India. The Ganitha Kalika Andolana (GKA) model, Akshara Foundation’s flagship initiative is aimed at revolutionizing math learning for grades 1 to 5 in government schools and is built around this core idea. GKA is a unique 360-degree model consisting of a comprehensive combination of interventions targeting multiple stakeholders at both the demand and supply side of the foundational education system including the state system, teachers, and the community.
In April 2019, he was conferred the prestigious Namma Bengaluru Award for exemplary work in education. His alma mater, IIT-Bombay, presented him
with its Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2013 for his various initiatives and contributions to the field of child education.
 Listen in as Ashok Kamath shares this meaningful journey with The Akshara Foundation & the impact it is creating.
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U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty- Season 2- Tara Kini

Our guest today is Tara Kini who has trained intensively in Hindustani classical music, from the late Shri Narayan Rao Patwardhan, Smt. Mira Khirwadkar Deshpande, and the late Pandit Rama Rao V. Naik. She is currently learning from Vidushi Lalith J Rao, and from Padmashree Gundecha Brothers.
Tara is the founder director of a music collective called Sunaad that has presented over ninety shows that demystify classical music. Inspired by Padma Bhushan Sri M, Sunaad has presented several shows on four major Upanishads, weaving together Dhrupad, dance, yoga, and storytelling. Tara has conceptualized and directed all these shows.
Tara Kini is an independent consultant in Education and Music and works with several reputed institutions in Bangalore, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, and Ahmedabad, developing curriculum, and training teachers and trainers. Tara is an advisor to the Shankar Mahadevan Music Academy.
Tara received The Senior Research Fellowship from the Sangeet Natak Academi, in 2017.
Listen in as Tara shares her fascinating journey of the beautiful blend of music & theatre.
 
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U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty- Season 2- Reena Chowdhury

Our guest today is the founder of "A Little Dream," a Bangalore-based non-profit, working with underprivileged children is
celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year. The organization started off as an initiative of former IT professional Reena Chowdhury the founder and Managing trustee Over the past decade ALD has reached out to orphanages and children's homes and touched the lives of 8500 children. What keeps ALD pulsating is its dynamic volunteers - young IT ‘techies’ of the city have been an integral part of ALD’s diverse activities. It was during her corporate years, she felt lacunae in her life, a need to do something for others -  to make a difference in the lives of less fortunate children. She used her artistic skills and reached out to children in orphanages, children's homes, and slums in Bangalore.
Thus was born A Little Dream.
A Little Dream has over the years been working with children on several projects be it for children in Cancer hospital wards, those suffering from Thalassemia, Diabetes, and HIV-positive kids.& also regularly holds Dental camps for children in orphanages
and slums.
Listen in as   Reena shares her journey, her fearlessness, the ability to walk alone on the Road not Taken, with commitment and empathy & her
genuine desire to help people in distress.
 
Reena’s  Personal Links 
My Linkedin page: linkedin.com/in/reenachowdhury2008 
My Instagram handle: instagram.com/reenachowdhury
My FB page:  facebook.com/reena.chowdhury
My
Twitter handle:  twitter.com/reenachowdhury
 
A Little Dream
(ALD)Links 
ALD Instagram handle: instagram.com/alittledreamindia 
ALD FB page: facebook.com/ALDcamps 
ALD FB group:  facebook.com/groups/ALittleDreamCamps
Youtube channel: youtube.com/@alittledream6500
Email id : littledream2010@gmail.com 
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