The (Not So Simple) Business of Business Writing by Preeti Bansal Years of trying my hand at different forms of writing (yes there are academic, technical, personal, creative, etc., etc., etc.), and failing at some and not doing so well at others, I sort of developed an affinity towards, a knack for, and created a niche in, ‘Business writing’ (I think my 6 years of work experience in Corporate public relations might have something to do with it though). While the vocabulary used for all these types of writing might be similar (except for industry-specific jargon), they differ greatly in [...]

Desperately seeking a future for women in the workforce by Aditi Seshadri The best book I’ve read this year is the cleverly titled Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh by Shrayana Bhattacharya, a book that seems like it’s about the star power of Shah Rukh Khan but is, in fact, a powerful, insightful commentary into the lives of women in India post the 1990s navigating life and society and the quest for love, choice and freedom. Why the 1990s? Why Shah Rukh? Because both heralded a change in aspirations, economics and societal fabric for India, especially for women growing up then and after. Using [...]

From girls in hijabs to men who cook, it takes collective action to break the bias by Aditi Seshadri As I reflected on this year’s International Women’s Day theme, my first thought went to the hijab controversy that erupted in India at the start of 2022. Even though Covid was surging through a third wave, several parts of the country went to vote, and the world was holding its breath over a possible war, the hot topic of the season, yet again, was women’s clothes and how they choose to express their identity. When girls are being prevented from [...]

In this new year, we might just need to find our inner tiger by Priya Thachadi One of the biggest highlights for me in 2021 (or ever) was seeing the majestic tiger at the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, India. My family and I were in an open jeep accompanied by an experienced guide and driver, whose unmatched passion for conservation, helped us maintain distance and etiquette, making sure we were not disrupting the calls of the wild, as far as possible. The guide had spotted a recent kill at a location and bet that the tiger would be [...]

Unleashing the Best Leader in You by Priya Thachadi Priya and her co-collaborators Derya Bischoff, Advisor, Her & Now, GIZ and Aditi Seshadri, Co-founder, Unlock Impact & Business Transformation Advisor, StanfordSeed discuss the challenges that women entrepreneurs face in the pandemic, making the case for women entrepreneurs to invest in themselves to lead with empathy and resilience in these challenging times. They share their thinking behind the design of the SHELeads program, an 8-week learn-as-you-go curriculum, from Unlock Impact and GIZ, focused on leadership and gender training. Tune in to find out more: Apple Spotify Stitcher Google podcasts Player [...]

Whether it's to placate your inner jealous devil or to drum up more social capital, you need to think about your personal brand by Aditi Seshadri A few weeks ago, I gave a talk on personal branding and how regular people like you and I can get good at it. It's pretty ironic that someone who's not famous or a big-time influencer (someday, right?) can talk about personal branding but I think that's precisely what makes me a good speaker on this subject - the fact that I have to work at it too, and don't have all the [...]

Leading with Empathy with Nirmala Sankaran by Priya Thachadi Priya sits down with Nirmala "Nimmi" Sankaran, Co-founder of HeyMath! to discuss what it takes to last the journey of growing your venture and build a culture that is open and inclusive. Nimmi shares her 20-year journey on leading with empathy and what it takes to build 'Zebra' ventures. Tune in to find out more: Apple Spotify Stitcher Google podcasts Player FM For more episodes of Talk Impact, click here. (Published Sep 16, 2020)

The incredible opportunities for #radicalcollaboration by Priya Thachadi I am often asked where I get the energy and the mind space to do all things I am doing. I am overly optimistic, energetic, and animated about things I am passionate about. Let's put it down to a personality issue. And this is always the case when I talk about #radicalcollaboration. Radical Collaboration - a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in the social impact space (with the best of intentions) but often difficult to transform into meaningful and sustained collaborations. Even the best of people and organizations who want [...]