Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday" where host Pooja Mottl highlights a piece of wisdom she has come across from her own readings, or shares an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm and rooted life. -- "The purpose of life is a life of purpose” concludes author Robbin Sharma (Monk Who Sold His Ferrari). But what is your purpose? If you don’t know, you’re no alone. Most people fly through life existing but never living, going through the motions, ...
May 05, 2022•4 min
People unconsciously imitate the desires of others—and therefore they value jobs, spouses, brands, viewpoints, and even themselves according to what others around them desire. In his latest book Wanting , my next guest, author, educator and former Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Luke Burgis spotlights a theoretical framework to answer why we want what we want and provides antidotes to chasing what leaves you unfulfilled. Luke uses mimetic theory to explore how our technology, relationships, politic...
Apr 21, 2022•41 min
Khurshed Batliwala, fondly known by the nickname “Bawa” is a renowned speaker, meditation expert and author of the new book Sleep Your Way to Success. After speaking with him, I found him to be is a beautifully wise, jovial, charismatic and witty teacher, not surprisingly beloved by so many. He has decades of experience teaching with the Art of Living , and organization founded by spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankharji , a volunteer-based, humanitarian and educational non-governmental ...
Apr 12, 2022•22 min
Gary Russell is the CEO of Winning Profile , a company that helps identify talent and how to maximize performance by focusing on the heart and the mind rather than the just the external optics. He’s worked with world class athletes, the NFL and Team Great Britain prior to the 2021 Olympics. "Everyone can see and recognize exceptional performance" says Gary, "but we have trouble selecting and, most importantly, reproducing it." If you’ve been enjoying these episodes please text or email todays ep...
Apr 07, 2022•35 min
Regina Wallace Jones is the former Mayor of East Palo Alto and currently serves on the board of SF based AI company Sama and prior to this she spent many years in leadership positions at blue chip tech companies like Facebook and Ebay, and most recently Mindbody. Over the course of her nontraditional, prodigious career, Regina has made it her priority to bridge the heart and the intellect by having one foot in public service and the other in cutting edge silicon valley. It is this powerful blend...
Apr 01, 2022•32 min
Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday" where host Pooja Mottl highlights a piece of wisdom she has come across from her own readings, or shares an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm and rooted life. -- In a fast-changing world, news about success runs rampant. It seems society wants to sell us it's own version of success and the fact is, most of us have bought into it. If you’re connected to the internet, news about people achieving great wealth,...
Mar 17, 2022•4 min
Our guest today is AGAPI STASSINOPOULOS, best-selling author of the new book Speaking with Spirit . Her previous books include Wake Up to the Joy of You and Unbinding the Heart. In this latest book, Agapi encourages all of us to tap into the power of secular prayer to help us manage our minds and find the calm, tranquility and rootedness we need to flourish in a fast-shifting world. It was a great pleasure to have this dear friend on the podcast again. We talk about the general need for ppl to t...
Mar 15, 2022•47 min
Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday" where host Pooja Mottl highlights a piece of wisdom she has come across from her own readings, or shares an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm and rooted life. This week, learn all about the Calm & Free Podcast collaboration with the World Happiness Foundation, to bring you 3 special conversations for this year's World Happiness Festival. To learn more about the WHF, visit their website . -- If you want ...
Mar 10, 2022•2 min
Our guest today is Dr. Andrew harman, a Professor of Virology and Immunology at the University of Sydney School of Medicine and an ordained Buddhist who has much insight on how Buddhist practices and philosophy can help us deal with change, restlessness and uncertainty in our fast moving world. He shares how acceptance of your reality can help bring about calm. Dr. Harman and Pooja talk extensively about how we may need to reset our definition of "happiness" – instead of desperately seeking out ...
Mar 10, 2022•45 min
In this special exchange, Pooja and Professor Negi discuss the central tenants and urgency of compassion, a focus of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Dr. Negi expands on how although humans have made tremendous progress from an outward, material standpoint, we have neglected to develop the core inner values that lead to contentment and inner peace. In other words, we have been focused on educating the mind, while forgetting to educate the heart. Dr. Negi shares how compassion is linked to the idea ...
Mar 07, 2022•49 min
Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday" where host Pooja Mottl highlights a piece of wisdom she has come across from her own readings, or shares an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm and rooted life. If you enjoy these episodes, please text or email this episode to someone you love and subscribe. -- Last week we premiered a compelling storytelling video entitled Self-Worth you can check it out now by searching Pooja Mottl and Calm & Free Podca...
Feb 24, 2022•4 min
Ali Kershner is an entrepreneur, coach and creative at the Art of Coaching and formerly a Sports Performance coach with Stanford University and their 2021 Womens Basketball National Championship team. Originally from Palo Alto, California, she was a student athlete at DUKE University where she was captain of the Blue Devils Womens Soccer team. In this special episode Ali and I talk in detail about why embracing change is a necessary life skill, and has been since time immemorial, an insight foun...
Feb 15, 2022•31 min
Pooja and Agapi discuss how embracing practices like self-love, meditation, checking self-doubt and limiting beliefs at the door, and not being afraid to unleash your childlike freedom can help create a limitless, fulfilled life. Wake up to the Joy of You is the title of Agapi's most recent book and both Pooja and Agapi touch on and extend upon many of it's core lessons such as "Enoughness", "Momento Mori", teaching yourself and your children about the deeper meaning of "Wealth", and dealing wit...
Feb 08, 2022•44 min
Welcome to "3 Minute Thursday" where Pooja shares a weekly nugget of wisdom in just a few minutes. If you enjoy these short episodes please text or email them to someone you love and subscribe! -- Today I wanted to share with you the last words of Steve Jobs prior to his death. I hope they can help you, too, craft a more examined life. I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In some others’ eyes, my life is the epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. In ...
Feb 04, 2022•4 min
Welcome to "3 Minute Thursday" (#ThreeMinuteThursday) where Pooja shares a weekly nugget of wisdom in just a few minutes. -- I’d like to honor and celebrate Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietamese Buddhist monk who passed away last week. Many of you have been listening for a while, know that much of my work and my own inner shifts have been inspired by the work of Nhat Hanh (lovingly known as Thay). When I first got a hold of his tiny book, How to Relax , for under $10 dollars at my local bookstore, I ha...
Jan 27, 2022•3 min
Jaineel Mistry is a Life, Executive and Leadership coach based in London. Once an unfulfilled pharmacist, he soon found that the way to master life is to master the self. You’ll hear Jaineel discuss how to bridging the gap between where you are and where you want to be, and the courage he assembled to buck traditional career routes in an effort to find his own personal fulfillment. You'll also hear him talk about the clarity he obtained from sitting in silence, his definition of success, and an ...
Jan 25, 2022•34 min
Welcome to "3 Minute Thursday" (#ThreeMinuteThursday) where Pooja shares a weekly nugget of wisdom in just a few minutes. -- The idea – that the more you want the more you suffer – is a basic tenant of Buddhism and many other spiritual and religious traditions. The Buddha believed that most suffering is caused by a tendency to crave things. These things might be exact and tangible like wanting to own a sports car or getting to 100K followers on Twitter, or more amorphous, like just not feeling c...
Jan 20, 2022•5 min
Lynn Guerin is the CEO of The John Wooden Course , and the President of Guerin Marketing Services, helping individuals and organizations reach their full potential in life. He is also the author of Coach 'Em'Way Up: Five Lessons for Leading the John Wooden Way . Lynn spent significant periods of time in the presence of legendary UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden before his passing in 2010, learning a great deal of wisdom from this "philosopher-coach" who impacted the lives of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar...
Jan 18, 2022•37 min
Welcome to "Time Out Thursday" (#TimeOutThursday) where I guide you through a powerful meditation. -- Often, many of us try to meditate with a misunderstanding of mediation which then leads to doubt or hesitation to meditate regularly. Today I’ll start by briefly helping you understand what mediation is and then we’ll go straight into the experience of it. Meditation is about moving into stillness. Our bodies may be in the noisy outside world but we are going inside with mediation. You can also ...
Jan 14, 2022•17 min
Louis Gagnon is a seasoned corporate executive having worked and lead at Monster.com, Audible and most recently was the CEO of Total Brain , a company that leverages neuroscience to optimize mental fitness. At the age of 48, he found the self-awareness that has led him to move beyond the intellect and into the heart which has fueled renewed life purpose with a focus on human wellbeing. This conversation was genuine and rich with insight. You will hear Louis speak about an unhealthy obsession wit...
Jan 11, 2022•26 min
Pooja and Saroya talk about her journey to finding the freedom to express her authentic self as an elite athlete at an Ivy League university and as a professional athlete in the Premier Hockey Federation . Pooja and Saroya discuss strategies to overcome limiting beliefs, imposter syndrome and fear of failure as well as defining success and a purpose beyond one's individual accomplishments. Follow Saroya: You can find Saroya and keep up with her work and mentorship initiatives at: On Instagram @s...
Jan 04, 2022•26 min
Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday" (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote or insight that can help you lead a more calm, free and compassionate life. -- I’m overjoyed by the support we’ve received this year on this very special podcast. I want to thank you for taking the time out of your life to be here with us every week. It is my sincere hope that the insights ...
Dec 30, 2021•4 min
Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday" (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and compassionate life. -- Today we want to share with you an insight about steadiness, richness and peace. "You do not become rich through working, through power prestige or influence, You become rich when you find peace inside and out. " ~ Pooja Mo...
Dec 23, 2021•4 min
Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday" (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and compassionate life. -- Today I'd like to share with you an insight based on the book, Your True Home – everyday wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh , Vietnamese Buddhist monk who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr. He says tha...
Dec 16, 2021•3 min
“There is nothing more priceless than each and every moment of your breath”. Based in his home in Nepal, Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche shares with Pooja a wealth of knowledge and teachings relating to how to live a life of ease, joy, and authenticity. Topics discussed include: Keeping "busy" and filling the mind versus appreciating the process The "awareness of nowness" as it relates to finding your authentic self and eliminating anxiety Knowing you are valid just being who you are this very moment Tr...
Dec 14, 2021•48 min
Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday" (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and compassionate life. -- Earlier this week I got some sad news – a former boss of mine from London passed away. He left behind a beautiful family – a wife and three kids. He was an amazing human with great empathy and compassion for humanity and ot...
Dec 09, 2021•4 min
This conversation is filled with life changing wisdom that you won't want to miss - powerful, practical knowledge that can help you change the way you think so you can change the way you live. Ruchika delivers beautiful thoughts on how her definition of success has changed over the years and what it is now. We talk about how to become aware of a culture that normalizes craving and aggrandizes the finish line more than the day to day process. Ruchika also provides some insight on the reshaping of...
Dec 07, 2021•32 min
Welcome to our weekly segment, "Three Minute Thursday" (#3MinThursday) where I highlight a piece of wisdom I’ve come across from my own readings over the past week, or share with you an inspirational anecdote that can help you lead a more calm, free and compassionate life. -- This week I have contentment on my mind, inspired by my current education at the Sri Sri School of Yoga. Many of you know that one of the central areas of focus in this podcast is spotlighting profound wisdom and philosophi...
Dec 02, 2021•4 min
In this conversation we dive deep into the inner skills that have contributed to Lu’s outward success. A product of inner Mongolia and a child of entrepreneurs, Lu cultivated a fearlessness toward risk and discomfort early on in life. She also discusses the power of being equanimous and non judgemental in the face of challenge, and the personal freedom and power that comes from being fiercely and consistently authentic to her true self. You will also hear Lu reflect on how, over time, she learne...
Nov 30, 2021•38 min
In this episode, you will hear Lisa and Pooja engage in an honest and authentic conversation into many topics spanning from what she calls "good girl brainwashing" to being "fearlessly female", to learning to be your own best friend, and reaching that state of awareness that reveals to you that becoming the greatest version of yourself is a duty. About Lisa: Lisa Carmen Wang is a former 4X US National Champion & Hall of Fame gymnast turned serial entrepreneur, investor, keynote speaker, exec...
Nov 23, 2021•1 hr 14 min
