The Alexandra Mysoor Show: Recent Episodes
Rukus Avenue Radio
Hi..I'm Alexandra Mysoor and welcome to the Alexandra Mysoor Show. I have a lot of balls in the air. I'm an entrepreneur, a writer, a mother, a kathak dancer and a newbie tennis player and by newbie I mean I just got my racquet yesterday. Join me as I host The Alexandra Mysoor Show, a new Business-y show on Rukus Radio where I chat with entrepreneurs, obsessed visionaries, athletes, artists and experts from all over the world who are just epic. Are you thinking about starting that new business finally, maybe turning that side hustle into a full time hustle or just taking your life to the next level. Call in or text to ask questions to me and my guest...we will help you!
One day a few months ago @mariathattil and I slipped into each other's DM's and we decided to chat on the phone. I was blown away. I wrote in my journal that night "What if we saw souls instead of Bodies what would be beautiful to us?" That's how she made me feel. Maria Thattil is the current Miss Universe Australia and on the eve of her departure from Australia to Florida to compete in the Global Pageant we decided to record our conversation. It was magical. IF there was ever a definition of beautiful inside + out ...it is her!
Meet the inventors behind the magical kitchen robot that changed my life. This dynamic duo @pranotinagarkarr + @rkum123 invented @rotimatic - The world’s first fully automatic flatbread making robot! 70,000 Rotimatics have been sold across 20 countries (45,000 units alone in the U.S. including the one I own). Their journey is one of perseverance and creativity. Such a fun episode....they also happen to literally be the CUTEST couple EVER!
@nirenchaudhary CEO of @panerabread drops massive wisdom in this episode - His ability to lead Panera's 2,119 bakery-cafe locations and thousands and thousands of employees through the choppy waters of this pandemic with so much heart, humanity and compassion inspired me! Long after he agreed to come onto this show, I found out his family was the inspiration behind one of my favorite films @theskyispinkofficial (streaming on Netflix) starring @priyankachopra @faroutakhtar .....it all started to click for me…Niren's lead from your heart management style is one that has been honed over the roughest of circumstances. His ability to lead his family, the Panera family and others through unprecedented times is one that not only galvanizes me to do better but I am positive it will do the same for you.
Meet @marrc Manish Chandra, Founder + CEO of @Poshmark. Poshmark is a social shopping re-selling app, it's actually one of the most successful marketplaces of all time. Poshmark has more people making money on it than: air bnb, Lyft, Uber and Etsy combined! 1 in 5 people in America are on Poshmark, A sale is made every second in just the U.S. alone and just 70+ days ago Poshmark went public…this was a super inspiring interview. We talk about manifesting and visualizing your dreams and how Manish did just that!
Fun convo w/ @milindpant Global CEO of @Amway - the #1 Direct Selling Business on the planet. In 2020 Amway did $8.5 Billion US dollars in sales, they have more than ONE million Amway Business Owners, they have 15,000+ employees internationally, they have more than 60 languages spoken at Amway and they are in over 100+ countries and territories. With over 400+ unique products manufactured chances are you have seen or more likely even used some of their products. And last year, Milind Pant became the first non-family member to run the Amway business since its founding and inception in 1959. Milind's journey is incredible and his energy is even more infectious.
Next week's show is all about being in good spirits…literally… because I’m talking to the founding team behind Nao Spirits and Beverage. This Goa, India based distillery launched its first brand and India’s first craft gin, @greaterthangin Greater Than London Dry in 2017 with tremendous success, they followed up with a sipping style gin @hapusagin Hapusa Himalayan Dry in 2018. These gins can already be found in 15 countries…including the USA and India…..husband and wife co-founders @anandinaglass Anand Virmani and his wife @appuninan Aparajita Ninan started Nao Spirits & Beverages and later brought on their now partner and current COO @abhinavrajput Abhinav Rajput. They recently completed a series A funding round and have raised a total of $5 Million US dollars. Impressive….spoiler alert: I actually try the gin on-air AND it's really....really...good.
International Women's Day is just around the corner on March 8th. Women and girls face some of the worst discrimination & hardships in the world….on The Alexandra Mysoor Show we talk to a lot of leaders about female representation at the highest levels...and we always agree it can be so much better! That's why I am so excited and honored to celebrate the uber talented @padmalakshmi ... we had so much fun and talked about all things FEMALE. Her personal journey and story of being a woman of color in traditionally male dominated industries, being the first WOC hire for many of her roles as model, host, producer etc etc...Her pathway from navigating India + US to modeling + Host + author to advocate of Endometriosis and really all humans is inspiring and rare. In her role as @unwomen Development Programme (UNDP) as a goodwill ambassador, supporting the agency's fight against inequality and discrimination around the world she leverages her start power to lift FEMALES up.
Meet @seemabansalchadha + @chadha the the power couple behind @VenusEtFleur. You may have seen their floral arrangements on IG, they count the Kardashians, the Hadids, Priyanka Chopra and even CardiB as huge fans…They ship their ever luxurious roses across the globe….via the Venus et Fleur online store and five physical boutiques here in the US. As you can imagine success like this was not built on any ordinary rose…it was built off of their Eternal roses which are basically roses REAL roses that last an entire YEAR. Yes you heard that right….roses that don’t die for a year!
Ever wonder what makes something go viral? Husband + Wife team @prernagupta & @paragchordia are considered 'royalty of virality'...together they have launched entertainment apps that have reached more than 1 billion users !!!! Now with their company @Hooked a mobile entertainment company that has reached more than 100 M Gen Z viewers worldwide & the random millennial, me. They have brilliantly combined Silicon Valley tech know how and used that to upend the traditional studio, content creation and distribution models set out by Hollywood. These two have created an entirely new genre of fiction called Chat fiction & they also recently launched a streaming app called Hooked TV - a new television network for Gen-Z . Basically they are Hollywood meets Silicon Valley and they have the investors to reflect that: NBA players @easymoneysniper, @stephencurry30 @kingjamesand & actually here’s fun fact my former neighbor @joemontana also is an investor, LA Based Venture Capitalist Peter Chernin, the people behind Candy Crush, @anjula_acharia (investor and also @priyankachopra manager,) Cowboy Ventures, Founders Fund, @aplusk …oh and two investors that I actually am curious about…. @mariahcarey @snoopdogg .
Meet Prashant Warier + Dr. Pooja Rao the founders behind Qure.ai. This duo is using AI to make our healthcare more accessible, affordable and just all around better. They raised $16 Million dollars led by the famed OG in venture Capital Sequoia. Qure.AI products were being used in over 28 countries to save lives. And then the Pandemic hits…this duo quickly tweaks their algorithm to create a product that helped detect the Novel Coronavirus with the same or more accuracy than a Dr. and definitely much quicker….basically they are out there saving the world right now with their ninja AI skills.
I’ve been super fascinated with voice technology. It's EVERYWHERE Siri, Google home + Alexa, we even use voice in our car. Today we are chatting with Nithya Thadani @nith_thadani CEO of Rain.Ai @rainagency -- they build voice technology for Fortune 100 companies and work with brands like Starbucks, Nike, BlackRock, Pfizer and Nestlé, to help use this voice technology to better connect with customers & to build really cool tools,campaigns. Basically all of these brands including Amazon and Google come to them to learn about the latest and greatest of where VOICE is going in the future…Tune in for this futuristic fun episode where we learn some super cool tricks of how to use your voice devices better. Oh you can tune into this via Amazon Alexa now...all you say is "Hey Alexa-Play the Podcast The Alexandra Mysoor Show"
The pandemic has made me much more self sufficient…I have learned to do my own threading, and cook new recipes. I actually even took the time to program my Roomba robot vacuum, I'm proud to say that it no longer gets stuck under the sofa but what I really have despised doing during this lockdown is….Folding…MY…Laundry. While I can not yet say Alexa "Fold my laundry" I can download the Rinse app @rinse_inc on my phone and they will send someone to pick up my dirty laundry to wash and fold my laundry on demand. Today I am chatting with Ajay Praskash and James Joun - the co-founders behind this San Francisco based magical laundry app @rinse_inc . Tune in to hear how they came up with the idea, raised $24 Million in venture funding, scaled and even navigated the effects of the pandemic.
Ice cream produced through fermentation, NOT cows. Yup, I tried it. Tune in to hear my chat with Ryan Pandya & Perumal Gandhi - the founders behind San Francisco Bay Area based food tech start-up @perfectdayfoods. These two have invented the world’s first real milk proteins made without animals. They figured out how to make milk without COWS oh and it actually tastes like the real thing!!!! Having raised $400 Million dollars & counting Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger as both an investor and a board member, their company is poised to disrupt Dairy as we know it. Their protein has been named Time Magazine's top 100 best inventions in 2020 and these young founders have been spotted on the FORBES 30 Under 30 List and they are just getting started.
Meet TIME Magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year 15 yr old Gitanjali Rao @gitanjaliarao AND Winner of 2020 3M's Young Scientist of the year challenge 14 yr old Anika Chebrolu. These SUPER KIDS answer all of our burning questions. This episode is full of giggles, inspiration and blueprint of how to just be AWESOME.
You may already know and love Meherwan Irani @meherwanirani for his restaurants: @chaipani @chaipanidecatur @spicewalla @botiwalla @buxtonhallbbq @nanisrotisserie and for his 4 @beardfoundation nominations...but this is the story behind how he built his EMPIRE. This is the business of Meherwan Irani....and of course we talk about food along the way! Tune in for the most inspiring story of grit, resilience, resourcefulness, leadership, business acumen and spirituality...that is sure to make your mouth water.
Are you experiencing brain fog, trouble concentrating, depressed or maybe anxious? Did you know you can feed your head with foods that target depression and anxiety? @drumanaidoo a pioneer in the field of Nutritional Psychiatry will teach us how.... She has been referred to as a triple threat: a Harvard Trained Psychiatrist, a professionally trained Chef and a Nutrition specialist. She has a new book out entitled This is YOUR Brain on Food. Get your notebook, because this episode is going to be full of insights, learnings and as Oprah would say Ah ha moments...
It’s December and we are on the cusp of starting a New Year. You know what that means…New--Years--Resolutions…if getting healthier is on your list…this episode is for you. Personally my motivation is at an all out high to get healthy and maybe even drop a few pounds....but this year....2021....I want to actually STICK with it. Enter Dr. Rangan Chatterjee. He is the resident BBC Breakfast Dr, host of the #1 UK Podcast Feel Better + Live More and is the author of three best selling books. But what makes him even more exciting to me is his pioneering work in functional and integrative medicine and he has this incredible way of simplifying "Dr speak" into an actionable plan for us mere mortals. His latest book (which is now available worldwide) including here in the US…is called Feel better in Five. It's the book and plan we all need.
It's almost 2021 (thank goodness!)...are you ready to manifest the dreams of your life? This episode is for YOU! Part 2 -- is all about manifesting your dream life but based on the latest neuroscience. Together with Dr. Tara Swart, a professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management, an MD who has trained and practiced in psychiatry, a PHD in neuroscience, turned executive coach and an expert on metal performance, we work together to create action boards (her version of a vision board). Dr. Swart has worked with the most famous CEO's, athletes and celebrities to help them crystalize their goals and help them manifest their dreams. Tune in to learn how to retrain your brain to direct your actions and emotions to manifest your deepest dreams, ambitions and desires using techniques based in the latest in neuroscience and neuroplasticity.
As we kick off December and start to think about our New Year's resolutions I put together a series of shows that I hope will set you up for success and give you a new perspective on health and wellness. Part one of this series is @mrsanjayr Sanjay Rawal....Now I wouldn’t normally have a filmmaker on my Show…this is a business-y show after all but wellness and spirituality are the cornerstone of living out your fullest god given potential. And one of my intentions behind this show is to create a platform to help inspire all of you to live out your dreams in business or otherwise. To create a BLUEPRINT. To do that we need an open, flexible mind to hear new perspectives. Sanjay’s films push you to do exactly that….see things in a new way. This conversation will not leave you the same.....also if you are a #runner ...you are going to love this. Just everybody...listen. It's good...my mind is still blown.
"I dream. I work hard. I grind, until I own it." - @mithaliraj Mithali Raj, Captain-Indian Women's Cricket Team. It's rare to hear of a multimillionaire female athlete with SuperStar power in professional sports other than Tennis maybe even Soccer but Mithali Raj has won the hearts of 1.5 Billion Indian people all over the world with her acumen, leadership and talent. She is a SUPERSTAR in the world of cricket...we chat about her journey, how she stays positive, motivated and focused. Her blueprint of excellence is one we can all learn from.
A College drop out from Odisha India, creates a start up at age 19, is selected for a Thiel Fellowship and just 7 years later goes on to create Billions of dollars worth of Value. 10 Billion USD to be exact…Today I’m chatting with @riteshagar the 26 year old Founder and CEO of @oyorooms Oyo Rooms has 43 thousand hotels, 150K vacation homes, 41 Million guests across 80 countries worldwide and the Oyo App has over 50 Million downloads…Backed by Softbank Vision Fund, @sequoia_india, @lightspeedventurepartners, Hero Enterprises and other heavy weights….This story is incredible…YOU.NEED.TO.TUNE. IN.
Happy Diwali my favorite humans! This year your celebration maybe a little different due to the pandemic but I hope you all are finding creative ways to celebrate…mine includes a lot of eating, decorating, cleaning so that the goddess of wealth will find me and let’s be real shopping....while I maybe skipping out on my own workouts, my credit card is definitely getting one this holiday season….Today’s guest Raja Rajamannar, The Global Chief Marketing officer of MasterCard, knows a thing or two about credit card work outs. Mastercard stock has soared the last few years outperforming their competitors like Visa and American Express. It’s not surprising considering Raja’s ground breaking and forward thinking approach to Marketing and Business in general. We talk about everything from his genius, literal mathematical genius Mother, to his daily meditation practice, his journey to the top and also his advice on how you can get there too! Get inspired and level up your game with this episode.
Ever wonder how Adele, Dido, Coldplay and LMFAO got discovered and launched into Superstardom? Well they all have one thing in common, Sat Bisla. He recognized their talent, and was an early believer in supporting their music and helping bring them to the attention of the music industry. No matter what industry you are in, the blueprint of identifying and spotting talent, building a superstar brand, being a super connector, knowing how technology and other trends are going to move your industry forward is something we can all use to level up our ambitions. Sat started his journey to Music Mogul with ZERO connection in this highly competitive business. He decided early on to meet or talk to up to 10 music industry people, either by phone or face to face every single day. That ends up being about 50 people in one week, 200 people in a month, 2,400 people in a year. He has been doing that for decades. You do the math. He shares his journey and teaches us all THAT and more.
There once was a princess with a sparkly crown who rode her unicorn from India, to California and then back to India. On the way she slayed some dragons, she defended her territory and she conquered new land. This may sound like a fairytale but my friends this is not….this is the story of how Devita Saraf, Chairperson and CEO of Vu Technologies the makers behind @vutelevisions and how she became the Empress of Televisions. Some of us, specifically @devitasaraf, get to ride our Unicorn Tech companies all the way to No 45 on @fortunemag India’s Most Powerful Women Business List. This rising TV star re-invented and reinvigorated living rooms all over India with her brilliant high end, made in India smart TV’s. Full of bells and whistles that frankly make me wish she would hurry up and already enter the US market….but with 2+ Million units already sold of Vu Televisions and $150 M in revenue she has her hands full already.
Are you having trouble making your dreams and goals come to fruition? This episode is for YOU! Dr. Tara Swart is a professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management, an MD who has trained and practiced in psychiatry, a PHD in neuroscience, turned executive coach and an expert on metal performance. Dr. Swart is basically a trainer for your mind and the secret weapon we all need to level up. She's worked with the most famous CEO's, athletes and celebrities to help them crystalize their goals and help them manifest their dreams. Tune in to learn how to retrain your brain to direct your actions and emotions to manifest your deepest dreams, ambitions and desires using techniques based in the latest in neuroscience and neuroplasticity. Attachments area
Plucked from an orphanage in Pune India at three weeks old, her adoptive parents traveled the world with their new baby and finally settled in Australia. It's there that ICC Hall of Famer, Lisa Sthalekar, bloomed into a world class Cricketer. 4 World Cup Victories, 8 Tests, 125 one-day internationals & 54 T20 internationals. Lisa was the first player in women’s cricket history to have scored over 1000 runs and taken 100 wickets. Her story is one that gives us hope and optimism that destiny, universe or god may have a much bigger plan for all of us. Listen in as she shares her story and also as she lays out a blueprint for success we can all use off the field.
Billionaire Naveen Jain teaches us how to think like a Billionaire. How to think exponentially and how to blast off to the moon💥. His company, Moon Express is the only company to have permission from the U.S. government to leave Earth's orbit, land on the moon and mine it! 🌝His other company @myviome is working to "make illness optional," by studying our gut microbiome and offering personalized nutrition. If you need a pump up in your life, WE PROMISE YOU this show is EVERYTHING. DO NOT MISS IT🌔🌓🌒
This episode is truly out of this world. Never have I ever been THIS inspired. Indian-American Astronaut Commander Sunita Williams the second Woman of Indian Origin to be selected by NASA for a space Mission. She has spent a total of 322 days in space on two missions to the International Space Station and until recently she held the record for the most spacewalk time for a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes). She has completed 7 spacewalks…And if that wasn’t enough she ran the Boston Marathon BUT wait for it IN SPACE….and her adventures as Commander Sunita Williams is far from over she is currently training for her third long duration mission aboard the International Space Station. We talk about FAITH, FOOD, SPACE and how to have a GOOD mindset and so much more....
Ann Mukherjee is Chairman or should I say Chairperson and CEO @pernodricardusa which is one of the largest wine and spirits companies in the world you may have heard of a few of their brands…like Absolut Vodka, Jameson, Malibu rum, Kahlua, Chivaas and many many more. She has an illustrious career that spans 30+ years filled with impressive accomplishments CMO @pepsico and @scj SHE is a BALLER and a trailblazer in so many ways. Being a woman of color in a traditionally male dominated industry, being the first "outside" hire for her role at Pernod Ricard…Ann’s pathway from Marketing to C-suite to CEO is inspiring and rare. A lot of women have gained a foothold in the world of marketing but to see someone take that and move into the CEO role is impressive. Even more rare is her personal journey through surviving domestic violence and rape and using that to catapult massive social change.
You may know Ankita Bansal as the Empowered Woman people all over the world are rooting for in the Netflix SUPER global hit Indian Matchmaking but the role that makes Ankita extra interesting for me is the one as co-founder of Delhi Based There! Denim Brand alongside her Sister Gayatri. Spoiler Alert: While Ankita may have not found love on the show she did find MASSIVE amounts of customers for her Denim brand. Listen to this fun, inspiring and empowering chat.
Meet The Sibling Founders Behind Luxury Hair Care Brand Fable & Mane. Spoiler alert: They launched during the pandemic and sold out at Sephora TWICE already! For reference the luxury beauty market is down 30% + but yet these cats have become the TIGERS of the industry in such a short time. We had so much fun discussing their journey to entrepreneurship, launching a brand during this pandemic and their rituals for success. Lots of inspiration, laughs and tactical advice. Mark your calendars, set your reminders, text your pump up crew...because THIS is it! After listening in there is NO way you will let your dreams gather dust....