Something for the Soul

Sanju thinks about what it means to commit to your 'life's work', the importance of family support and how identity is rooted in the possibility to take action, inspired by the guest episode with Quim Sabrià. This is a chunky episodes with a lot of thoughts!

The 'Sanju thinks...' episodes are released on the 3rd Thursday of every month. They contain Sanju's reflections on the challenge that the guest speaker has shared earlier in the month so make sure you've listened to that episode first!

If you enjoyed this episode then share i...

Hello and welcome to Season 2 of Something for the Soul! I’m delighted to bring you this first episode recorded during the Teach for All Social Entrepreneurs gathering in South Africa! My first guest this season is going to blow you away, as he did me during our very first conversation on the first night of the conference in Cape Town. We grabbed some time between sessions to talk about changing your life - by taking action. 

Quim talks with such heart about how a conversation with his grandma about the challenge he was having with his...

Sanju thinks about expectations, inspired by the episode with Blazhka Dimitrova, in particular career expectations and society's expectations that are ever more apparent on social media. She reflects on the feeling of overwhelm, which she has experienced this month, and the tools used to help her, such as meditation (yoga nidra), solitude, disconnecting from communication notifications, poetry, playing the violin, spirituality and her expression of Hinduism including listening to the Gayatri Mantra. Sanju thinks about the serendipity of her conversation with Blazhka and how signs have been pointing towards spending more time in nature.

The 'Sanju...

Blazhka shares the challenge she had feeling the weight of other people's expectations, namely her family and friends, when she decided to choose a path that was different to what they expected for her. I think this is something that we can all relate to which is why this is such a powerful episode. Blazhka shares the work she did to identify the values she had and also the values she wanted to have - she realised the former were driven by external expectations and not her own. She highlights the things that have assisted her when she is...

Sanju thinks about how we can respond to crisis, anchored in the motto "start with something", that Anca Margineanu shared. Sanju reflects on how we can all have an important cause that we feel strongly about in our own community or further afield that we can support through social action - this is the foundation on which RISE is built, solving for the education crisis in rural India. She thinks about problem solving at the centre of changing the world through social innovation and how more people dedicating their time to a social mission as a 'side-hustle' has the...

Anca shares the challenge she had managing crisis - responding to the Ukraine war by building a Refugee Centre, now the biggest centre for Ukrainian refugees in Romania. She shares the difficult road she navigated in the face of a desperately harrowing situation, using the power of collaboration, partnerships and sponsorships to provide accommodation and a range of social services to the refugees. From this experience, Anca now believes anything is possible with motivation and passion for an important cause, even if you have no prior experience and even when you have other responsibilities like a full time job...

Sanju thinks about the narrative that led to her setting up RISE almost 15 years ago, rooted in her love of rural India, her cultural heritage and sense of belonging to West Bengal, specifically the village of Shondanga. This is a special episode recorded at Sanju's family home in Shondanga, which meant that her reflections on the powerful episode on Creative Recovery with Fahd Jamaleddine, Co-founder and Transformation Catalyst at nafda, were able to be more intentional. Take a virtual tour of Shondanga in the reel here by Purva Parwani, a fellow Teach for All social innovator and friend who...

Fahd shares the challenge he has had working through the narrative that has guided his social entrepreneur journey, facing into trauma he experienced as a teenager and questioning what should guide the future re-invention of himself. He talks beautifully about having your north star to aid focus, the importance of self-love and how to build resilience through creative recovery. Fahd shares the tools he has used to build his sense of possibility mindset which have enabled him to tune into his higher self and purpose.

Get to know Fahd in the first half of the podcast...

Sanju thinks about the beautiful story that this month's guest Neha Sahu shared of her students from India visiting London as winners of the School Football League and reflects on the power of empathy during that trip. She highlights the Empathy Week Teacher CPD event she attended and reflects on empathy as the driver for creativity and how her early experiences of rural West Bengal led to setting up RISE. Sanju thinks about the challenge that Neha raised on career transitions and considers how to reframe imposter syndrome, inspired by the recent words of Oscar nominee America Ferrera and...

Neha shares the challenge she faced when she took a sabbatical - how the comparative stillness led to feelings of imposter syndrome and needing to seek external validation which led to people pleasing. She talks about how she worked through this, applying her own mechanisms to “win at life” again and creating a work ecosystem that is a "match", which she believes everyone can strive for.

Get to know Neha in the first half of the podcast as she shares her fascinating journey co-founding Just for Kicks, for the most disadvantaged children in India to learn life...

Sanju thinks about the time she experienced a form of burnout whilst establishing RISE and simultaneously starting her job at Accenture and the important decision she had to make about which path to take in her career. She reflects on the aspects that this month's guest Natasha Porter OBE raised on combatting burnout, namely 'right-sizing' roles at work and being honest about where you get your self esteem from in life, figuring out your 'canary in the mine' and keeping a positive mindset.

The 'Sanju thinks...' episodes will be released on the 3rd Thursday of...

Natasha shares a refreshingly honest account of when she experienced burnout in a senior leadership role, which she worked through by what she calls "right-sizing". She talks candidly about letting self-esteem be driven by her job and the work she did to reframe what she gets worth from in life.

Get to know Natasha in the first half of the podcast as she talks about doing Teach First, being on the founding team for King Solomon Academy in London and setting up Unlocked Graduates, having worked with Dame Sally Coates on her Government-commissioned review into prison...

Sanju thinks about what led to launching Something for the Soul, shares a little bit more on the purpose of the podcast, who it is aimed at and what she hopes will come out of it.

This is a bitesize introduction to the 'Sanju thinks...' episodes, which will be released on the 3rd Thursday of every month. They will contain Sanju's reflections on the challenge that the guest speaker has shared earlier in the month so make sure you've listened to that episode first!

If you enjoyed this episode then share it...

With the New Year in mind, Richard shares a personal challenge that he describes as an “all pervasive malaise” which led to a reset in his goals, prioritising the non-negotiables. He talks openly about the work he did to get back the power to make things better in his life.

Get to know Richard in the first half of the podcast as he talks about his move from management consulting to teaching to setting up Maths Pathway, applying process improvement and efficiency to systemic change in education in Australia.

Guest speaker: Richard Wilson, Co-F...