What if your next chapter could be your strongest one?
In this milestone 50th episode of Career Shifts – Journey to the Future, host Gopal Iyer reflects on the journey of 50 conversations — 500+ hours of stories, lessons, and reinventions — and brings together a powerful dialogue on second careers.
This isn’t about fallback options. It’s about bold moves, reinvention, and the courage to design a future on your own terms.
You’ll hear real insights on:
Why second careers are becoming a defining trend in today’s world of work
How leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals are rewriting their playbooks after 40
What it really takes to navigate change, embrace uncertainty, and thrive in the future of work
For anyone who’s ever felt stuck, curious, or ready for reinvention — this episode is for you.
Keywords for SEO: career shifts, future of work, second careers, midlife reinvention, leadership transitions, career podcast, Gopal Iyer, authentic conversations.
50 episodes down. The building continues.
Education is the one lever that changes everything.
But in India, access has never been equal.
For every student who can afford coaching, there are millions who can’t. For every city classroom with resources, there are villages left behind.
In this special Teachers’ Day and Onam episode, Gopal Iyer speaks with Roshni Mukherjee, founder of LearnoHub (formerly ExamFear) — one of India’s most impactful free learning platforms.
Roshni left behind a corporate career to teach science on YouTube. With just a marker and a camera, she created thousands of free video lessons that now reach millions of students across India.
In this conversation, we explore:
✅ Why education is still the biggest equity gap in India
✅ How LearnoHub broke barriers of cost, geography, and privilege
✅ Stories of students whose lives were transformed by free access to learning
✅ The challenges of building a free education platform at scale
✅ And the future of learning in India when passion, technology, and equity collide
This isn’t theory.
It’s one woman’s fight to democratize dreams and change how India learns.
👉 Tune in to Journey to the Future for a conversation about courage, access, and the power of teachers to shape generations.
What if your next hire isn’t human?
In this episode of Journey to the Future, global HR thought leader Jon Younger returns to share his latest venture—mensch.work, a startup building custom AI agents for fast-growing, mid-sized companies.
We explore why AI teammates may be the next freelancers, how leadership must evolve in an AI-first world, and what it takes to build trust in intelligent systems.
A powerful conversation on clarity, reinvention, and the future of meaningful work.
When Success Starts to Hurt – Shreya Krishnan on Leadership Burnout, Inclusion & Career Freedom
Leadership in India Inc often looks like success from the outside—bigger titles, bigger calendars, brighter spotlights.
But behind the shine lies something rarely spoken about: burnout, fractured trust, and leaders quietly losing themselves.
In this episode of Journey to the Future, Shreya Krishnan — MD, CSR leader, gender inclusion advocate, therapist, poet, and performer — shares powerful insights on:
The hidden cost of “always on” leadership and workplace burnout
How success can fracture identity, trust, and culture in organisations
Why embodied leadership may be the next competitive advantage
Breaking toxic leadership patterns in India Inc
What real career freedom means on the eve of Independence Day
This conversation goes beyond titles and performance.
It’s about building leaders who can stay whole, stay free, and shape the future of work in India.
💬 Freedom isn’t just political. It’s personal. And maybe it starts in the workplace.
Are you leading… or just performing leadership?Join Deepa Mahesh and me as we unpack burnout, energy mastery, and why presence—not productivity—is the real edge in leadership.We’ve become walking calendars.Meetings. Deadlines. Metrics.Every hour accounted for, Except the one that asks: Where am I in all this?Most leaders aren’t burnt out because they’re doing too much.They’re burnt out because they’re disconnected from themselves while doing it.This conversation is about changing that.Meet Deepa Mahesh – Leadership facilitator, expressive arts therapist, ICF PCC coach.She walked away from corporate not because she was broken,but because she knew wholeness could never be found in KPIs.Her journey isn’t just a career pivot.It’s a quiet revolution in how we think about success, energy, and conscious leadership.When I invited her to Journey to the Future, I wanted to go beyond self-care hacks or hustle culture and ask:👉 What if presence, not productivity, is the real leadership edge?👉 How do you return to yourself in a world that never lets you pause?In this episode, we explore:✔ Deepa’s shift from HR to healing leadership✔ How movement, mandalas, and silence unlock true presence✔ Why “high performance” often hides collapse✔ How to hold space for others—and yourself✔ Why the future belongs to those who are present🎧 Journey to the FutureLeading with Presence: Energy, Boundaries & the Deep Return to Selfwith Deepa MaheshIf you’re done performing wholeness and ready to live it—Join us. Be present. Ask. Reflect.This isn’t just a podcast.It’s a pause you might need.#careershifts #lifelessons #mindfulness #mentalhealth #leadership
99% of our decisions happen without us realizing it.
Yet leadership, policy, education—even parenting—still assume people are rational.
Biju Dominic has spent three decades proving otherwise.
Chairman of Final Mile Consulting.
Chief Evangelist at Fractal Analytics.
A global voice in behavioral science, neuroscience, and decision design—and the man behind projects that reduced railway deaths in India, improved HIV treatment adherence in Africa, and reshaped leadership culture worldwide.
In this conversation, we go beyond theory to explore:
→ Why most behavior change efforts fail before they start
→ The neuroscience behind habit, instinct, and unconscious decision-making
→ How to design systems that influence—not instruct
→ The shift from “awareness” to “automatic” change
→ And what it takes to lead when the brain—not logic—runs the show
If you’ve ever asked, “Why do people keep doing what they know they shouldn’t?”—this episode will change the way you lead, educate, govern, and live.
🎧 Journey to the Future
“Changing Behavior: Beyond the Conscious Mind”
with Biju Dominic
#BehavioralScience #Neuroscience #Leadership #HabitChange #HumanBehavior #FutureOfWork #DecisionScience #JourneyToTheFuture #CareerShifts
Yoga, Burnout & the Balance We Forgot
Recorded Live with Supriya | June 18, 2025
In a world that never slows down, burnout rarely announces itself.
It hides behind high performance.
Behind the smile that says, “I’m fine.”
Behind the quiet ache of always holding it together.
In this special conversation, recorded just before International Yoga Day, I sit down with Supriya—yoga therapist and emotional wellness coach—to unpack what balance really means in a restless world.
We explore how yoga and breathwork can heal burnout, restore clarity, and bring you back to yourself—no perfect poses required.
If you’ve been feeling stretched thin, emotionally tired, or quietly running on empty—this conversation is for you.
Because balance isn’t a luxury.
It’s your foundation.
70% of companies say they’re “doing AI.”
Only 15% of their people truly understand it.
The gap isn’t tech.
It’s leadership.
And it’s growing—faster than most careers can keep up.
In this episode of Journey to the Future, I sit down with Sameer Dhanrajani—CEO of AIQRATE, President of 3AI, and a trusted advisor to Fortune 500s, GCC leaders, and India’s top educators.
We go beyond AI hype to explore:
→ What AI fluency really means for CXOs, educators, and professionals
→ Why GCCs must evolve from headcount machines to impact engines
→ The broken link between academia and industry readiness
→ How Gen Z and Tier 2 cities are reshaping ambition
→ Why mid-career professionals must stop hiding and start reinventing
This isn’t just about systems.
It’s about self.
Because in a world where the rules keep changing, your edge isn’t your experience—
It’s your ability to rethink who you are and how you lead.
🎧 Journey to the Future | “Building AI Fluency: What GCCs, Educators, and Leaders Must Know” with Sameer Dhanrajani
She walked away from a proven path—into uncharted territory.
No safety net. No precedent. Just belief.
Meet Chhavi Moodgal—IIM Ahmedabad alum, seasoned finance leader, and Former Founding CEO of the IIMA Endowment Fund, India’s first structured, alumni-driven endowment. A Young Alumni Achiever Award recipient, she returned to her alma mater not for titles or accolades—but to build legacy.
In this episode of Career Shifts – Journey to the Future, we go beyond numbers to explore:
→ Why India needs an endowment culture now more than ever
→ How to build trust when no precedent exists
→ Why philanthropy must shift from transaction to philosophy
→ And how leadership changes when you’re building something meant to outlast you
Because this isn’t just about fundraising.
It’s about future-building.
About conviction, trust, and the quiet leadership it takes to create something that lasts.
If you’ve ever wondered what it truly means to build with belief, this conversation is your blueprint.
🎧 Listen now—and ask yourself:
Are you chasing momentum? Or building meaning?
90% of companies say they want to build leaders from within.
Less than 10% actually do it right.
The problem isn’t the pipeline.
It’s the perspective.
In this episode of Journey to the Future, Gopal Iyer sits down with Dr. Sanjeev Rastogi — global transformation leader, CEO of a high-growth Global Capability Center, and former senior executive at Deloitte, Syngenta, HP, and Metro GBS.
Beyond the titles, Dr. Rastogi is a quiet architect of culture, capability, and meaningful change. Together, they explore what it really takes to build future-ready organizations from the inside out — and how to stay human while leading at scale.
You’ll learn:
→ Why GCCs must evolve from execution engines to leadership labs
→ What “purpose” really means in high-performance cultures
→ Lessons from navigating both global MNCs and Indian enterprises
→ What today’s talent actually needs (hint: it’s not just another LMS)
→ How to lead through complexity without losing clarity or care
This isn’t just about strategy or org charts.
It’s about rebuilding trust in leadership — by leading with intention, not noise.
Listen now to rethink not just what you deliver, but who you become while delivering it.
We’re not building back offices anymore.
We’re building the brain trust of global enterprise.
That’s the conviction I felt in every moment of this conversation with Lalit Ahuja.
Naval officer.
Entrepreneur.
Architect of 100+ GCCs that power the world’s most iconic companies.
When I sat down with him, I wasn’t looking for industry stats.
I was looking for a lens on leadership and capability—the kind that lasts even when the ground keeps shifting.
What I heard changed how I see India’s role in the enterprise world:
→ It’s not about talent pipelines. It’s about shaping global leaders who influence without authority.
→ It’s not about adopting AI. It’s about owning it—embedding deep digital muscle at the core.
→ It’s not about scaling delivery. It’s about scaling judgment—especially when playbooks don’t exist.
India’s 1,700+ GCCs employ 1.9 million professionals today.
But Lalit sees a bigger horizon:
→ 3–3.5% of India’s GDP
→ A core pillar of Viksit Bharat
This episode dives into:
✓ Why 70–80% of enterprise AI now sits inside India’s GCCs
✓ How leadership in GCCs must evolve—fast
✓ Why Tier-2 cities are more complex than people think
✓ What it really takes to build GCCs that drive strategy—not just scale
And at the heart of it all?
Conviction.
The word Lalit chose to define his legacy.
Because building systems that last means saying no to shortcuts—
And yes to depth, even when the world keeps rewarding speed.
🎧 Tune in to Journey to the Future and let us know:
Are we building for the next quarter—or the next decade?
What the Future of Work Really Demands
Most companies are racing to reskill, reorg, and reinvent.
But here’s the question no one’s asking:
Are we still building teams for tomorrow—or trying to fix yesterday?
In this roundtable episode of Career Shifts – Journey to the Future, we pause the noise.
We hold up a mirror to what’s breaking beneath the surface of today’s leadership and talent playbooks.
Join host Gopal A Iyer and a sharp panel of practitioners:
Neeraja Ganesh | Leadership Coach
Gautam Shetty | Talent Acquisition, A.P. Moller – Maersk
Meenakshi Arun | Microsoft
Dr. Shivani Gupta | Reliance Jio
Sushma Kiran Kanuri | VOIS
Ramesh Aiyyangar | Founder, Tech Write Pro
Together, we explore:
Why most hiring processes are stuck in the past
How AI is reshaping what “being good at your job” means
The unseen burnout in middle management
Why Gen Z isn’t waiting for permission
How coaching is now survival gear
And why storytelling—not policy—is the real lever for building trust
If you’re a leader, builder, or someone navigating this fast-changing world of work—this conversation is for you.
Come for the honesty.
Stay for the clarity.
And maybe—leave with better questions.
#CareerShifts #FutureOfWork #LeadershipWithSoul
Most brands aren’t tired.The people building them are.Behind the shiny campaigns, the 10-minute deliveries, the CX dashboards—are humans trying to hold it together.Leaders who can talk “Gen Z persona mapping” all day, ut haven’t had a real pause in months.Marketers building “authentic storytelling”, while quietly feeling like their own story is off-track.And don’t get me started on relevance.That word is everywhere.But nobody tells you the cost of chasing it.This week on Career Shifts, I sat down with someone who’s seen all of it—Jermina Menon.Retail veteran. Brand strategist.And someone who said something I haven’t stopped thinking about since:“The faster we build, the less we feel.”We talked about AI, quick commerce, burnout, reinvention.But more than that, we talked about how easy it is to drift.Not crash.Not fail.Just… slowly disconnect from the work that once meant something.And let’s be real, Most people don’t need a rebrand.They need to come back to themselves.So no, this episode won’t give you a marketing framework.It won’t teach you how to “personalise at scale.”But it might make you stop mid-scroll and ask:“Do I even like the thing I’ve become so good at?”That was my question.Maybe it’s yours too.Watch it! And when you do, Listen beyond the marketing!
What kind of leadership will India need by 2047?
In this episode, Gopal Iyer speaks with Dr. R. Balasubramaniam, Member of the Capacity Building Commission and founder of the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement.
They explore:
• Mission Karmayogi and why it matters
• Reimagining governance for a citizen-first future
• The Karma Yogi Competency Model
• How mid-career professionals can evolve with purpose
• Why changemakers, not caretakers, will define India@100
A powerful conversation for anyone looking to lead with conscience, clarity, and service.
#CareerShifts #MissionKarmayogi #India2047 #Leadership #DrBalu #GopalIyer #PublicService #FutureOfIndia #JourneyToTheFuture
Not every wound bleeds.
Some hide behind high performance.
Behind the “I’m fine.”
Behind the targets hit, the titles earned, the teams led.
But quietly, something’s been fraying.
In this episode of Journey to the Future, Gopal Iyer is joined by Priya Ramesh — Master Certified Coach, Psychologist, and mentor to hundreds of leaders and coaches. With over 3,500 hours of deep coaching experience, she brings insight into a side of leadership we rarely talk about.
Together, we explore:
– What’s really hurting leaders in 2025 — beyond the burnout headlines
– Why many are performing on the outside, but disconnecting within
– What coaching can heal — when it stops trying to fix and starts to witness
– The emotional cost of staying strong too long
– And why empathy and emotional stamina are becoming the new power skills
This isn’t a leadership playbook.
It’s a pause.
A real, honest conversation for those who’ve been carrying more than they’ve been able to name.
If you lead, coach, or simply want to show up without losing yourself — this episode is for you.
Listen now on Journey to the Future.
#careershifts #JourneyToTheFuture #leadership #ICW2025 #coaching
What’s really breaking in the workplace today?
It’s not just systems.
It’s trust. Culture. And connection across generations.
In this episode of Journey to the Future, Gopal is joined by Sajit TC, Human Capital Strategist and former Head of HR at Quess Corp.
A bold and future-facing voice in the people and culture space, Sajit unpacks the silent tensions shaping today’s workforce:
✔️ Why Gen Z is challenging traditional leadership—and what that reveals about the system
✔️ How moonlighting, quiet quitting, and reverse mentoring are rewriting the rules of engagement
✔️ What it takes to build real inclusion—not performative policies
✔️ And whether the multi-generational workplace is a ticking time bomb—or a missed opportunity
This isn’t just about generational friction.
It’s about whether leadership is ready to evolve.
If you’re a leader, founder, or navigating teams that span five generations—this episode will shift your perspective.
🔊 Tune in now on Journey to the Future.
To mark the first anniversary of Career Shifts – Journey to the Future, Gopal Iyer hosts Shri Amitabh Kant — one of India’s foremost policymakers and thought leaders — for a conversation on how India is shaping its future across digital infrastructure, green growth, innovation, and youth leadership.Guest:Shri Amitabh KantFormer IAS officer (1980 batch, Kerala cadre)India’s G20 SherpaFormer CEO, NITI AayogChairperson, NIIT UniversityArchitect behind Incredible India, Startup India, and Make in IndiaWhat you'll learn in this episode:✅ The story behind Incredible India, Startup India, and Make in India✅ How India’s Digital Public Infrastructure became a global model✅ The synergy between green growth and digital innovation✅ What India must do to unlock a $30 trillion future✅ The evolving role of public–private partnerships✅ Why India's youth are critical to nation-building🙏 Special Thanks To:@Digital India Programme @Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology @NITI Aayog @G20 India @Invest India @Startup India @Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, India @Make In India @MyGovIndia@National Payments Corporation Of India (NPCI) @Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) @Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC)🔔 Subscribe to Career Shifts Podcast for more powerful conversations about the future of work, leadership, and policy innovation.#careershifts #futureofindia #amitabhkant #digitalindia #greengrowth #startupindia #makeinindia #leadership #india2047 #publicpolicy #podcast #transformation
What does your presence say—before you even speak?In today’s digital-first world, your image speaks louder than your resume.And when your presence doesn’t match your potential, opportunities don’t just pause… they pass.In this episode of Journey to the Future, I’m joined by Naina Peris—former Amazon leader turned executive presence coach and visual branding expert.She helps professionals lead with clarity, confidence, and authenticity—long before they say a word.We explore: ⇢ Why personal branding is non-negotiable for career growth in 2025⇢ How executive presence influences trust, leadership, and visibility⇢ What happens when your story evolves—but your image doesn’tThis isn’t about headshots.It’s about who you are—and whether the world can see it clearly.If you're a founder, CXO, or in career transition—this conversation will shift something for you.
Most of us think coaching is a luxury.A soft skill.Something leaders do after they’ve “made it.”But in a world spinning faster than ever, where AI is taking jobs and certainty is disappearing—Coaching might be the one thing that keeps us human.⇢ When machines automate roles faster than we can learn⇢ When leaders are burnt out but can’t slow down⇢ When meaning feels missing even in success⇢ When attention becomes the rarest currencyThese aren’t just personal challenges.They’re consciousness challenges.And they need more than productivity hacks.They need presence.They need reflection.They need coaching—the way it was meant to be.In this episode of Journey to the Future, I speak with Ram S. Ramanathan MCC—a rare blend of boardroom strategist, Eastern mystic, and one of the most respected coaching minds in the world.⇢ He’s worked with governments and startups⇢ Taught coaches globally through Coacharya⇢ And spent decades weaving together silence, systems, and soulJoin us Career Shifts Podcast on Friday, April 11 at 7:00 PM IST to talk about what machines can’t replace.This isn’t a conversation about AI.It’s a conversation about attention.About navigating change without losing ourselves.About why the real disruption isn’t out there—but in here.Join us as we explore: ⇢ Why coaching matters more in the AI era⇢ What ‘mindless awareness’ means—and why it matters⇢ How leaders can move from reaction to reflection⇢ And what it really means to live and lead with clarityThis isn’t a business conversation.It’s a human one.Because the future won’t just belong to those who move fast—It will belong to those who can still go deep.
#journeytothefuture #careertransformation #coaching #ai #deepwork #attention #leadership #humanfirst #futureofwork #ramramanathan #coacharya #consciousleadership #presence
Most companies talk about culture.Posters. Perks. Playbooks.But culture isn’t what’s written.It’s what’s felt.⇢ In meetings that silence dissent⇢ In onboarding that overwhelms but doesn’t guide⇢ In leaders who praise values but don’t model them⇢ In the quiet exits of people who once loved their workTop talent rarely quits overnight.They leave when the culture stops speaking to them.In this episode of Journey to the Future, I sit down with someone who understands culture from the inside out.Marie Unger⇢ Former educator and school leader⇢ Now CEO of Emergenetics International⇢ On a mission to make workplaces more humanWe explore:⇢ Why your best people leave—even when they seem happy⇢ What real culture looks like beyond the values wall⇢ The hidden cost of hiring for “culture fit”⇢ And what companies must do to build belonging in a hybrid worldThis isn’t about retention hacks.It’s about understanding the invisible moments that shape how people feel, perform, and choose to stay.Because when culture fails—it doesn’t just hurt performance.It breaks trust.🎧 Listen now!#journeytothefuture #culture #leadership #futureofwork #hr #retention #onboarding #emergenetics #peoplefirst #careerconversations #teamculture #marieunger
