What better way to get to know our guest than a round of snappy and energising Quick Takes.

Meet Dolly Jain, India’s most celebrated drapreneur! From draping sarees for iconic stars like Sridevi, Deepika Padukone, and Gigi Hadid, to influencing millions through her viral tutorials, Dolly’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. Dolly discovered her passion for saree draping after her marriage, and since then, she has redefined the art. In 2019, she made headlines by earning a spot in the Limca Book of Records for draping a saree in an astonishing 18.5 seconds—an achievement that showcases her incredible skill and creativity. In this episode, we’ll dive into Dolly’s roller-coaster journey, exploring the hard work and belief that propelled her to success. With millions of followers on Instagram, she’s dedicated to educating young women about the beauty and sustainability of sarees and encouraging a revival of this timeless tradition.

What better way to get to know our guest than a round of snappy and energising Quick Takes.

Ashish Mishra is a distinguished computer science engineer, MICA alumni, and the Chief Marketing Officer at ACKO, an innovative and digitally savvy insurtech brand based in India. Ashish brings with him two decades of rich experience in brand-building and marketing, having previously served as a Regional Marketing Manager at HSBC in Dubai. His career is marked by a strong track record in driving growth and leading high-performing teams. In this episode, we’re diving deep into the world of advertising and marketing. Ashish shares his insights on the evolving role of the Chief Marketing Officer, the challenges and opportunities in today's digital landscape, and the strategies that drive successful brand-building. Whether you're a marketing professional, an entrepreneur, or just curious about the field, this conversation promises to be a masterclass in understanding the intricacies of modern marketing.

What better way to get to know our guest than a round of snappy and energising Quick Takes. 

Tejal Bajla is a visionary leader committed to simplifying the lives of new parents in India. Through her ventures, AllThingsBaby.com, Brainsmith, and The Mommy Network, she provides high-quality products, genuine advice, and robust support systems to families. Renowned for her expertise in consumer marketing and brand management, Tejal has successfully built brands that stand out in today’s competitive market. Her commitment to excellence and innovation makes her a prominent figure in the Mother & Baby sector. This episode is truly a master class on building brands with many how to and what to insights. Do listen up as she shares the unique needs for women in the industry, and how we need to be more open about our experiences and share with other women who are coming down the pipeline. This is Taking Chances.

What better way to get to know our quest than a round of snappy and energising Quick Takes.

Shreyaan Daga is a 19 year old entrepreneur and founder of OLL. OLL teaches real life skills like entrepreneurship, Ai, robotics to over 20,000 kids daily across 35 cities of India. He was the youngest pitcher on Shark Tank India and runs a TV show on CNBC TV18 called Skill Titans which empowers students to pitch their business on TV. In this episode, he shares his Buddha moment, his Shark Tank experience and serves as an inspiration that age is no barrier to driving meaningful change. This is Taking Chances.

What better way to get to know our quest than a round of snappy and energising Quick Takes.

There are no short cuts in life says our guest - Raj Gopalakrishnan the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at KOGO Tech Labs - India’s only AI travel expert app.  Raj is a professional with more than three decades of rich experience in media, entertainment, design, content, video technologies and AI under his belt.  Adept at building businesses from the ground up he has founded and transformed six start-ups into successful corporate brands. An avid biker and traveling enthusiast, his passion for travel and culture became a huge part of his professional journey with KOGO.  In this episode he talks about his life’s pursuits, motivations, leadership mantras and of course KOGO.  This is Taking Chances.

What better way to get to know our guest here on The Taking Chances podcast than a round of snappy and energising Quick Takes.  

Our guest today is Nikhil Taneja, a multi-award-winning writer, producer, storyteller, entrepreneur, teacher and youth mental health advocate. He’s the co-founder and Chief of Yuvaa, India’s first Gen Z-driven youth media, research and impact organization. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the girls’ education focused international non-profit, Girl Rising. Nikhil is currently the creator and host of Be A Man, Yaar! - the viral chat series on positive masculinity. In this episode, he tells us to listen to young India, shares all that is important and interesting to him and why he believes Shahrukh Khan is a champion of positive masculinity.  This is Taking Chances.

Our guest on this podcast is Kanika Saxena, only the 2nd master scuba diving  trainer  in India. And that is just one of the many pies in which she has her fingers. A VP at a telecom major, a chef, a teacher, media honcho and an entrepreneur; she also graces the list of the most influential professionals of India.  With her vast and varied experience she has lot to say about what makes the consumer tick and how hard work always pays off. In this podcast she talks to us about her life lessons and how if you try hard enough you will always find a way. But don’t forget to have fun while you are at it, she says. This is Taking Chances.

We have with us Anupreet Dhody, co founder of I’m wholesome a food service startup that aims to provide healthy, sustainable and gourmet food services to guests She has 15 years of experience in finance, management, and entrepreneurship, plus a certification in permaculture design, which enables her to apply ecological principles and practices to food production and distribution. She has been recognized as one of the 99 Women Achievers of India for 2023 In this episode she talks about her passion for ingredients, customer service and the importance of innovation in food. We discovered what grazing tables are and how cool they have become in the last few years.  This is Taking chances. 

Our guest today is Tarun Katial Founder & CEO, coto (come together), a Web3 based social crypto community platform for women. A Kellogg’s alumnus and a TEDX speaker, Tarun excels at blending technology and consumer insights in building digital products. With an experience of over two decades, Tarun began his career with advertising. Later, he became the Head of Content and Communications at Star Network India before moving to Sony Entertainment Television as Business Head. He led BIG FM as the Founder COO-CEO before moving on to steering ZEE5, to a leadership position in the cluttered OTT market in India. He has been recognized as a Dreamer-Disruptor by Bloomberg-Quint, voted as NewsCorp Achiever for Asia and included among the best in the ‘India Today 30 on 30’ list. He was also part of the team that won the first Media Gold at Cannes. A digital thinker, Tarun is also a Vipassana practitioner and is single-mindedly focused on creating a decentralised web space designed for women that grants equal status to all. In this episode, he shares his content philosophy, importance of purpose and the need for self-talk. This is Taking Chances.

Our guest in this episode is one of the first woman to do stand-up comedy in India, the witty and incredibly funny Aditi Mittal.  She is a comedian, writer, actor and podcaster with many shows and accolades to her credit in India and abroad. Her stand up specials ‘Things they wouldn’t let me say’ and ‘Girl Meet’s Mic’ are on Netflix. She actively tours across many countries giving live performances and stand-up comedy workshops. In this podcast she speaks to us about her trials, challenges, passions and goals, in her now familiar humorous and candid style. With her mother as her muse and her wit on her sleeve, she takes life in her stride and is laughing her way through it. Just stop thinking, she says, go out there and do exactly what you want. This is Taking Chances.

Sam Balsara, has near 50 years’ experience in marketing and advertising, of which the last 34 years have been entrepreneurial. Sam has served as President or Chairman of almost every Industry body in the country. The Economic Times Brand Equity Ad Agency Reckoner ranks Sam as "India's Most Influential Media Person" for 11 years. Sam is also the recipient of the Advertising Agencies Association of India's Lifetime Achievement Award, Ad Club of Kolkata's Hall of Fame Award and has entered the International Advertising Association’s (IAA) Hall of Fame. Over the past 34 years, Madison has grown to become India's largest Indian owned communications company. In this episode, Sam talks about his journey, the chances he takes and the importance of integrity. This is Taking Chances.

Our guest today Shahana Goswami started her career at the age of 19 with Naseeruddin Shah's directorial début - Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota. Most known for her performances in Rock On, Firaaq, Midnight's Children, she more recently has been seen in Mira Nair's A Suitable Boy, Amazon's show Hush Hush, Netflix's Bombay Begums and most recently in Nandita Das's Zwigato. Shahana has varied interests - trained in classical dance, sports, fitness and spirituality. In this episode Shahana talks about her craft, her role models and why it is important to be in the moment fully. This is Taking Chances.  

Varun Duggirala is one of the leading conversationalist in business, personal development and creator landscape. He co-founded "The Glitch" in 2009 and has since helped grow it to be one of the leading creative agencies in the country (Global AD Giant WPP acquired it in 2018). He hosts one of India's most popular business podcast, 'Advertising is dead', and co-hosts one of the most irreverent business podcast, "Think Fast". He shares ways to optimise your mindset to perform better in life on his thrice a week podcast series “Take a Pause” with Varun Duggirala & writes a weekly newsletter "Unschooled". His first book “Everything is out of syllabus” came out in February 2022 and hit No.1 on the creativity & entrepreneurship best-seller charts on launch. A propagator of the slow growth life while optimising for happiness and performance , he constantly shares his fatherhood & fitness journey with the world. He is also always open to having a conversation about anything ( literally everything)!

Our guest today is the prolific vocalist - Shubha Mudgal. Born into a musically dedicated family, Shubha has been trained by some of the finest musicians and musicologists in India.  In addition to being a performer she is also a composer and has received numerous awards including The Padma Shri, The Gold Plaque Award at the 34th Chicago International Film Festival and the Yash Bharati Samman from the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Shubha has been closely involved with several projects related to music education in India and has an online distribution platform for musicians specializing in diverse forms of Indian music. Shubha continuously perseveres to preserve the rich musical heritage of India. This is Taking Chances.