The Impressive Empress Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Welcome to an inspiring episode of The Impressive Empress podcast, where we dive into the remarkable spiritual journey of DamodaraPriya Weber. Growing up in a quaint Swiss village, Damodara Priya felt a profound call to uncover the absolute truth, leading her to India and eventually into the path of Bhakti and leadership within ISKCON. Through her story, discover the power of following one's inner calling and embracing challenges to find deeper meaning and purpose. Join us as we explore what it means to live authentically, serve with devotion, and uplift others through shared wisdom. This episode is a testament to the courage of stepping beyond the conventional to seek a higher truth. Don't miss Damodara Priya's insights into trusting her super power and her unique leadership style that continues to inspire seekers worldwide.

Ami Ganatra is an alumna of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) and VJTI, Mumbai

She is the author of 3 bestselling books on Itihasa: Mahabharata Unravelled 1: Lesser Known Facets of a Well-known History, Mahabharata Unravelled II:The Dharma Discourses and Ramayana Unravelled: Lesser Known Facets of Rishi Valmiki's Epic. Her books are not retellings or imaginations, but an attempt to go back to the original Itihasa and present the story, learnings, and nuances for what they are, and make the epics accessible to all.

She is a devout yoga practitioner, a certified yoga instructor, and a student of Sanskrit and Indian knowledge systems. She has taught and spoken about Yoga, Itihasa, and Indic knowledge on multiple forums and has conducted workshops with students as well as working professionals, including in places such as VJTI, IIMA, IITs, Hong Kong University, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Tech, University of Texas at Dallas and many others in India and outside. She has also featured as a guest on multiple podcasts of following and repute. She is a proficient communicator in English, Hindi, and Gujarati and fairly decent in Marathi. She has also spoken on the TEDx platform. On the professional front, Ami has 15 years of experience as a business strategist and management consultant working and living across four continents and multiple countries with MNCs such as Infosys, Bain, BASF, and Bridgespan. Now she is dedicated full-time to studying and sharing treasures from the vast and profound Indic wisdom traditions.

What sets Ami apart is not just her storytelling but the authenticity and courage she brings to it. She reclaims the nuances of ancient narratives while staying deeply connected to her voice, even when it challenges conventional interpretations.

Ami’s work is rooted in purpose and passion—showing how these timeless stories can guide us in our own lives. With her unique blend of knowledge, empathy, and individuality, she inspires her readers to explore not just the depth of these epics but also their true meaning and the enduring values they hold for humanity.

Summary

In this engaging conversation, Ami shares her transformative journey from a successful corporate career to embracing storytelling rooted in Indian heritage. She discusses the challenges and self-doubt faced during this transition, emphasizing the importance of courage and resilience. The conversation delves into the mission of connecting with Indian culture through storytelling, the significance of authenticity, and the lessons of empowerment found in ancient texts like the Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Do make sure to listen in till the end as she talks about some exhilarating stuff.

Feel free to jump to any section you may find interesting...

Chapters

00:00 From Corporate to Storytelling: A Journey of Transformation 08:15 Navigating Challenges: The Transition to Independence 12:41 Courage and Resilience: Finding Strength in Change 16:20 Understanding Identity: The Quest for Cultural Roots 23:25 Authenticity in Storytelling: Balancing Tradition and Modernity 28:14 The Price of Authenticity: Navigating Public Perception 34:06 The Responsibility of Storytelling 38:01 Lessons from Ancient Texts 43:58 Self-Discovery and Personal Growth 50:20 Empowerment in Ancient Epics 55:56 Redefining Success 59:24 Rapid Fire Insights

You can read more about Ami Ganatra here https://www.linkedin.com/in/ami-ganatra-910a7b4/

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Our guest for the day is Sahana Singh, an author and commentator based in Ithaca in New York State, USA. She is an environmental engineer by qualification who writes on a variety of issues including Indian history, water management and education. Her first book “The Educational Heritage of Ancient India - How an Ecosystem of Learning was Laid to Waste” has been appreciated for awakening Indians to the role played by India in spreading knowledge around the world. Her second book titled \"Revisiting the Educational Heritage of India” explores in greater depth, the subject of India’s unique ecosystem of learning which created a knowledge-centred society and laid the foundation of the major academic disciplines being pursued today. 

An alumnus of Delhi Technological University, Sahana made a career shift to writing after moving to Singapore. She worked as Editor of Asian Water Magazine for many years and has won several awards for journalism. Her articles have been published in Reader’s Digest, Washington Post, Discovery Channel Asia, Asian Water Magazine, Swarajya, IndiaFacts and other publications.

I am really happy to have Sahana on this show talking to me about Confidence, Self control and spiritual strength.

Shyamala has been teaching Bharatanatyam from 1987 & Mohiniyattam from 1989. She presently lives in Cochin, Kerala where she runs her school, Dharani School of Performing Arts where one can get systematic coaching in Bharatanatyam, Carnatic Vocal, Mohiniyattam, Kathakali, Mridangam & Veena.. She started learning Bharatanatyam from the Age of 34, until which she was a home maker married to a Captain in the Merchant Navy & sailing with him for 12 years.

I am really happy to have Shymala on this show talking to me about her passion for Dance and being a maverick who wanted to achieve what's not commonly achieved.

Dr. Srimathy Kesan, Founder & CEO of a leading Science and Technology incubator- “Space Kidz India” (SKI), is helping children reach out to the stars, quite literally. Launched in 2011, Space Kidz India has designed and pioneered multiple programs that are aimed at creating the next generation of scientific thinkers in India.

Driven with a mission to disrupt the mundanity of the Indian education system, Dr. Srimathy has broken ground in a hitherto uncharted avenue called “Space Education” through her unique programs, aimed at grooming India’s future scientists. Her ultimate goal is to lay the foundation for a World-renowned Space University with a manufacturing port in India.

In this episode, I talk to Srimathy about Space Kidz India but more importantly about Mindset, Mediation & Mental Health.

Our guest for the day is Ms. Prema Mysore - A highly motivated leader, dedicated as an international Ambassador & Advocate for Rishi Tradition based on Vedas & Vedic Literatures. She loves to travel & propagate the Universal, Eternal & All encompassing messages of Rishi Tradition to humankind all over the world. Prema considers herself to be very fortunate to have the opportunity to be an educator & proponent of Rishi’s Teachings for Divine Life (Overall individual health and wellness), Ideal Nation and Universal Peace. 

She is considered a well-known Rishicare Expert & Rishiyog Master – teaching online, offline and propagating it globally.

She is a recipient of the Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Award at the House of Commons, UK in 2019.

To preserve, research, document, teach, educate, empower, enrich, and disseminate the wisdom of the Rishi tradition, she has founded several organizations with a vision to re- establish the authentic and rich heritage, wisdom, and knowledge of Sages (Rishis) and Seers through healthcare, research, and publication, in every fabric of society. 

Prema's life is fully devoted & dedicated to fulfil the Vision & Mission of Rishipath International Foundation (Bengaluru, India), which is committed to perpetually explore, propagate & re-establish the path of life & living as seen, walked & shown by the Rishis globally, which is in accordance with the Vedas in its authentic form and hence everyone can experience the ultimate & everlasting happiness.

Dr. Rashi Gupta is a Woman Entrepreneur who has been fearless & ferocious in creating a brand for herself & her company in these male dominated fields. She is the Founder & Managing Director of Vision Mechatronics Private Ltd, leading it towards a name to reckon for in the field of Robotics, Renewable Energy & Energy Storage. 

If one takes a closer look at the alchemy of this achiever, two distinct virtues pop up, besides perseverance & hard work. These are: pioneering spirit & willingness. 

Coupled with an impressive educational background, it was not therefore surprising that she became a prominent name in the Renewable Energy Sector of India which earned her the title “Asia's Most Influential Women in Renewable Energy 2020”. She is a recipient of the Global Women Leadership Award 2021 and Women in STEM 2021 by CII - the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Shraddha Marathe is a dietician by profession, working as a freelancer and also associated with Deendayal Research Institute, Delhi. She is a founder member of Foodrik, a web portal related to Nutrition and Wellness for children and their parents. 

After having served professionally in hospitals, fitness centers, she is now contributing to the grass root community and generations to come. According to Shraddha, sticking to one’s own roots helps one grow stronger. The emotional bonding with mother nature as well with our own people is very important, this, she asserts, can happen only through cultural and traditional aspects. She is currently working on documenting these aspects through folklore related to Nutrition and Water culture.

She considers herself to be a confident, motivational, positive person who takes life as a challenge and lives happily through the ups and downs.

Prof. Dr. Parul Shah is one of the rare combinations of Performing artiste, Cross-cultural Choreographer, Bharatanatyam Guru, Dance Educator, Scholar, Researcher, Arts Administrator and highly motivated human being. Though having a High Educational Quotient, she decided to become a Bharatanatyam dancer.  She enjoys being a woman, is passionate about dance and believes that Dance connects people way better than words can. 

Join me as she talks about her passion, hard work and the support of her family & friends that enabled her reach great heights.

Our today’s guest Ms. Gayatri Puranik who is an Entrepreneur based out of Germany. She has been running her Ayurveda business for over 20 years now. She thinks a certain kind of leadership comes naturally to everyone, is  grateful for being a woman and the period in which we are living in. Listen on as we discuss with Gayatri about her journey with Ayurveda and find what makes her The Impressive Empress. 

In this conversation, we discuss about

• Gayatri's educational path and what brought her to Germany
• Her passion and foray into Entrepreneurship
• About being a woman of colour in a foreign land and her cultural adjustments 
• Her Mantra for the DVUCAD situations
• The Impact & Role of Ayurveda in the age of Digitalisation
• How Communication is key to Connecting Ayurveda across the World