Despite LinkedIn being the need of the hour, this episode is unique in its own right.

This week's guest is one of the early users of LinkedIn, who has not only built her career through LinkedIn but has also helped a lot of people do the same.

From being an account manager to HR recruiting to becoming LinkedIn's top voice in 2021, Karen Tisdell followed her passion.

She is running her own business for the last 13 years and has been a LinkedIn user for the last 18 years.

She is currently a LinkedIn Profile Writer and got over 100 recommendations.

She started her journey as an account manager for the Essex chronicle group back in the 1990s and today, she has close to 20k followers on LinkedIn.

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Following your passion
How to use Linkedin
Building Career on LinkedIn
Learning something new every day
Adding value in every job
Communication
Networking
Alignment of role and purpose

Karen Tisdell coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karentisdell

Website: https://karentisdell.com

Email: hello@karentisdell.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/karen_tisdell

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

If you are concerned about your career, take the 3-minute quiz to find out what gaps in your career are costing you the most: https://empoweringyourcareer.scoreapp.com/

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The less traversed path comes with unique challenges that change the way we think.

The guest of this week, Jaya Vaidhyanathan, has stretched her boundaries to show that we can accomplish whatever we set our minds to.

Jaya was listed in the top 10 most influential women in tech and has also been named India's most trustworthy CEO.

She started her career as a computer science graduate.

She wanted to work with people rather than systems, so she studied finance and strategy in an MBA program at Cornell University in USA.

During her MBA, investment banking caught her interest, so she joined CIBC Oppenheimer as their Director.

She then got into technology shaping up large deals in USA for HCL Technologies.

After that, she moved to management consulting where she worked on setting up large businesses for Accenture clients.

Then, she joined Standard Chartered Bank as Executive Vice President heading global technology and strategic transformation.

A personal situation made her think of the next stage of her career, and she thought of bringing all her corporate experiences to build something valuable for the banking industry to help the bankers. And her entrepreneurial journey started.

Today she is CEO at BCT Digital and Independent Director at UTI Mutual Funds.

During her career, she was primarily driven by demands on a personal and professional front.

Her passion for exploring and learning became apparent in her shifts in jobs in quite different ways.

Her main objective is to use technologies to impact human lives.

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Various aspects of growing your career
Developing right growth mindset
Transitioning into Entrepreneurship
Giving back and creating an impact

Jaya Vaidhyanathan coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaya-vaidhyanathan-26039510

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

If you are concerned about your career, take the 3-minute quiz to find out what gaps in your career are costing you the most: https://empoweringyourcareer.scoreapp.com/

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Do you want to start a side hustle?

Do you want to shift from corporate to entrepreneurship?

Then this episode is the answer to your questions.

From finance to sales,

From banking to cybersecurity,

Tinesh Chhaya has experienced it all.

He started his journey in finance but soon realized he needed to switch.

He moved to sales, where he sold address verification software door to door.

It didn't take him long to realize there was much more to life than what he was doing.

He then joined Gartner, which turned out to be the best decision of his life. He got an inside-out view of the entire market.

That's where he fell in love with cybersecurity.

He switched a lot of roles and did a number of side hustles before starting his own firm in cybersecurity.

Today he is very proud to say that he is building the largest database of CyberSecurity vendors globally with his startup Decipher Cyber.

The following are two important lessons he learned from his side hustles:

Always do whatever you are passionate about
Choose your business partner correctly

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Sales
Importance of mentorship
Finding opportunities
Career switching
Following your passion
Identifying the problem
Creating the solution

Tinesh Chhaya coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinesh-chhaya-07623097/

Company Website: http://www.deciphercyber.com/

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

If you are concerned about your career, take the 3-minute quiz to find out what gaps in your career are costing you the most: https://empoweringyourcareer.scoreapp.com/

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Starting as a programmer, Malik Irfan has evolved into a Serial Entrepreneur and Innovation thought leader. Today, he runs a Start-up Accelerator as well as a successful IT Consulting Company. He is also the president of AIBC (Australia India Business Council – a 30+ years old non-profit organisation).

There is a lot to learn from Malik’s experience – both in entrepreneurship as well as a corporate career.

Malik’s journey in short:

Malik was born and raised in Kerala. He worked for a couple of years with Tech Mahindra (then Satyam Computers). He then decided to build his own software development company. He managed to find his co-founders but moved to Australia for further studies. While pursuing his masters in Australia, he developed a strong network in the local community and that’s how he found his first client for his company. His business grew and he started to consult with large enterprises. His next opportunity came with a large financial services organsation where he stayed for about 10 years, delivering large digital programs and developing his leadership skills.

The credibility he built in Australia got him invited to middle east where he spent his next 2-3 years building innovative technology solutions.

Today, he runs a startup accelerator, is the CEO of his IT consulting company, is president of AIBC, and is also an investor in several tech startups.

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Leveraging
Legacy
Giving back to society
Look for synergies
Networking
Building confidence
Creating an impact
Following your passion

Malik Irfan coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irfanmalikmobility/

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

If you are concerned about your career, take the 3-minute quiz to find out what gaps in your career are costing you the most: https://empoweringyourcareer.scoreapp.com/

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We often find it difficult to pursue our passions.

This week's guest Fatema Kudrati shares how a medical school graduate got into child tutoring, development, and NLP training.

In 2004, her son was diagnosed with ADHD, and that's when she realized it's not a learning difficulty, it's a teaching difficulty, and all brains can learn.

She then started helping neurodivergent kids to build self-esteem and self-confidence in themselves.

Initially, she served as a mentor for Toastmasters Gravels Club in Kuwait.

After moving to Australia, she opened the Ringwood branch of Kip McGrath Education Centre.

And then there was no looking back.

Today she also teaches NLP concepts that helped her to be the master of her own mind, speed reading, mind mapping, and the art of public speaking.

Her main objective is to create an impact.

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

NLP concepts
Mind mapping and its application
Speed reading
Building confidence
Creating an impact
Following your passion

Fatema Kudrati coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachfatema/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drkudrati

Personal Website: https://www.fatemakudrati.com.au/

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

If you are concerned about your career, take the 3-minute quiz to find out what gaps in your career are costing you the most: https://empoweringyourcareer.scoreapp.com/

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Most of us find it challenging to manage a job along with family.

This week’s guest Akash Kannegulla shares how he manages a full-time job and a start-up alongwith a family.

He is a perfect example of living his passion, working for a cause and perseverance.

While pursuing his Phd in nano-photonics (heard of it before?), he ventured into the world of entrepreneurship and developed a cloud-based product for researchers to help create thesis faster and named Wisedoc. During covid, his father and his sister lost their jobs so he pivoted and made his product useful for students and job seekers.

For the last 3 years, he has been working for Intel as a Process Integration Engineer alongside running a full-fledged business.

He strongly believes that the best way to know what you want is to keep exploring.

He has shared his entire journey from identifying the problem statement to developing the product and finding the work-life balance.

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Communication
Networking
Being motivated at hard times
Identifying the problem
Creating the solution
Perfecting a pitch
Accepting the criticism

Akash Kannegulla coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akashkannegulla/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AKannegulla

Company Website: https://www.wisedoc.net/

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

If you are concerned about your career, take the 3-minute quiz to find out what gaps in your career are costing you the most: https://empoweringyourcareer.scoreapp.com/

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Establishing your own company can be a little intimidating at times.

Shifting to a new country is often challenging.

Isn't it?

Naheed dealt with all of it and is now a Transformational Learning and Development Consultant and a Co-Founder of Futurwits.

She started her journey way back in 2004 as a Sales Trainee Manager at Bajaj Life Insurances.

And eventually moved to SBI as a Training Manager, where she started applying NLP concepts even before being certified as an NLP practitioner.

Soon after, she and her husband shifted to Dubai and registered their company.

While re-establishing themselves in a new country, they faced many challenges.

In all the challenging times she focused upon 3 simple rules, which were:

Be conscious of the words that you use.
Think about the outcome and not the path.
Be present in your present moment.

She works on aligning your purpose with your job and limiting the barriers to accepting change.

With less than 3 years under her belt, her business has expanded to 16 countries, won 5 awards, and been a finalist at the Gulf Capital SME Awards.

It was a combination of giving and networking offline and online across different platforms, such as Linkedin, Coffee Mug, and Lunch Club, that allowed her to expand so much.

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Aligning with the purpose
Adding value to your vision
Networking
Focusing on the goal, not the path
Finding your vision
Importance of getting a coach
Some concepts of NLP

Naheed Khan coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naheedkhan/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/naheedinspires

Company Website: https://www.futurwits.com/

Personal Website: https://www.naheedkhan.com/

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

If you are concerned about your career, take the 3-minute quiz to find out what gaps in your career is costing you the most: https://empoweringyourcareer.scoreapp.com/

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Success leaves clues.

It's intriguing how a Chef can become CEO of an airline.

Not only that, Koustab became an authority in starting full-service airlines from scratch in the Build-Operate-Transfer model.

As a hotel management graduate, Koustav started as a chef and grew rapidly into leadership positions in the hospitality industry.

By a twist of fate, Koustav sat next to Sahara Airlines chairman in a flight. That conversation led to him getting invited to work at Sahara Airlines. That's where he learned about the airlines business. Again, with his dedication and hard work, he grew rapidly in ranks; he was given the responsibility to expand the airline outside India.

After Sahara airlines got sold to Jet airways, by another twist of fate, he was invited to start the MDLR airlines. And he hasn't looked back since then.

He has built 9 airlines so far in the Build-Operate-Transfer model and 2 more are in the pipeline.

There is a lot to learn from his journey.

He shared his story in the following stages

Chef to general manager
General Manager to Vice President at Air Sahara
Building MDLR and Jagson Airlines
Creating Zoom Air

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Business strategies
What does it take to create exponential career growth
Entrepreneurship
Brand building
Networking
Managing failures
Being generous

Koustav M. Dhar coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/koustavmdhar/?locale=en_US

Blog: http://indiaregionalaviation.blogspot.com/2009/01/indian-aviation-hopes-2009-new.html

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

If you are concerned about your career, take the 3-minute quiz to find out what gaps in your career is costing you the most: https://empoweringyourcareer.scoreapp.com/

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Are you keen to build your career around marketing?

Does psychology excite you?

Are you a parent dealing with a mental health issue?

This episode might be the answer to all your questions.

From medical school dropout to psychology graduate,

From practicing marketing and digital innovation to building his own startup on parent-child psychology,

Through his journey, Vijay expresses his desire to serve parents and children struggling with mental health issues and also continue growing as a person.

Born in Kenya, Vijay spent most of his life in the UK before moving to Australia seven years ago.

After graduating with a bachelor's in psychology, he worked as a Brand Manager for Unilever. Eventually, he moved into digital innovation.

Mental health issues took a toll on him after his parents passed away, which led him to contemplate all the things he could do to raise his own children.

After this, he built a company focused on parent-child psychology for every parent and describes it as a therapist in your pocket and a virtual digital clinic.

Here's what you'll learn in this episode of Empowering Indian Expats

Value proposition
Marketing in various aspects
Finding a target audience
Mental health
Emotional wellbeing
Pitching Investors

Vijay Solanki coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijaysolanki/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vijaysol/

Company website: https://parentaleq.com/

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

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Are you considering starting your own company??

Are you ready to have a paradigm shift in the way you perceive things?

This episode has the answers to your questions.

From HR graduate jobs to Analytics and Data Science Recruiter,

From slacking off on science tests in school to owning an analytical firm,

His journey demonstrates his passion for learning, his drive to find his purpose, and his desire to maintain a work-life balance.

Nakul left Mumbai, India when he was 5 to move to Sydney, Australia, with his family.

After graduating with a background in commerce, he started his career at CitiBank as an HR and Recruitment intern.

He currently runs a sports analytics business named Wicky.

He has demonstrated his journey in the following states:

HR intern at Citibank
HR Analyst and Lend Lease and Sanofi
Data Science Recruiter at Motion
Partner at Sterning
Founder of Wicky

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Building on core values
Handling criticism
Communication
Networking
Work-life balance
Being easy on yourself
Finding a factor that drives you
Maintaining relationships with clients

Nakul Pednekar coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nakul-pednekar-5486972a/

Company Website: https://wicky.ai/

Email: Nakul@wicky.ai

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NakulP1991

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

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Are you feeling stuck in your job and unable to find a way to grow.

Then this episode has got the answer you might be looking for.

From being a doer to becoming a thought leader, From a data analyst to becoming CDO at a leading financial services organisation,

Kshira Saagar demonstrates his passion to learn, his drive to apply, and his determination to help others, through his journey.

He started his career as a Data Analyst after completing his BTech in Computer Science from India. Before he moved to Australia, he was heading Presales at consulting organisation.

He had to start all over again in the new country. With right strategy and constantly striving to become his best version, he rapidly grew in his career as well as the impact he was making.

He was ranked as the #2 Analytics Leader in Australia for 2019. Also, He has been ranked among the Top 25 Analytics Leaders in 2019, '20, & '21.

He shared her life journey in the following phases: • Data Analyst to becoming Client Engagement Manager at Mu Sigma Inc. • Becoming Head of Presales at Mu Sigma Inc. • Starting his journey all over again after moving to Australia, and becoming CDO at Latitude Financial Service

From this episode, here are the building blocks for creating the career that you want: • Showcasing what we have done • Communication • The value you are creating • Helping others • An important part of building a career • Putting people first then profits • Creating value • Comparing value and impact • Flexibility and adaptability • Building association

Kshira Saagar coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kshirasaagar/ Personal website: https://www.kshirasaagar.com/publications Twitter: https://twitter.com/kshira_saagar

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

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Are you interested in building a brand on LinkedIn?

Whether you are a new startup or a full-fledged business, a student or professional in any field, this podcast will help you build an impressive online presence on LinkedIn.

Graduating in Computer Science to becoming a Personal Branding Strategist,

From self-doubt to self-discovery,

Her journey illustrates her desire to help others build their brands, her determination to maintain a work-life balance, and her thirst for knowledge.

Originally from Rajasthan, India, Ashish Singhal currently focuses on transforming one's personality into a brand.

In her fourth year of undergrad, she grabbed four job offers alongside her side hustle.

She believes that if your work speaks, then age doesn't matter.

A special place in Ashi's heart belongs to LinkedIn since it allowed her to discover who she is and connect with some of the biggest names in the business.

Here's what you'll learn in this episode of Empowering Indian Expats

Building confidence
Branding
Inbound and cold outreach
Purpose of using LinkedIn
Networking
Mindset shift
Work-life balance

This episode features a roadmap for discovering the purpose of using Linkedin to achieve it.

Ashi Singhal coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashisinghal/

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

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Are you feeling stuck in your career?

Are you planning to become an entrepreneur?

Then this episode might be the answer to your questions.

From living in a conservative and protective family to being the first working woman in her family,

From not choosing the traditional path to owning her business,

Her journey showcases her passion to accept challenges, her purpose to mentor, and her determination to create a benchmark.

Vinita Surana started her career as an engineer. Soon after graduation, she moved to the US to study business.

She is currently an executive coach while continuing to serve as executive director in her family business.

She shared her life journey in the following phases:

1) Taking a non-traditional path as a student

2) Working in her family business

3) Creating her own business

4) Helping others to achieve their goals and giving lifelong happiness

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Creating fulfillment in your life
Communication
Networking
Importance of building a brand
Importance of having a coach
Adding value in every job
Connecting the dots

Vinita Surana coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinitasurana/

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

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Do you want to switch career?

Do you want to enter into management roles?

Then this episode is the answer to your questions.

From being a doer to entering into management roles,

From being an Executive Manager to becoming an Associate Partner at IBM,

Her journey showcases her passion to learn, her purpose to implement, and her determination to achieve.

Anu Kukar was born and raised in Denmark and has an Indian background. Soon after completing her graduation, she moved to Australia for her Master's.

She is currently working as an Associate Partner for Cybersecurity strategy, risk, and compliance in Australia and New Zealand at IBM and as a Director in Arascina.

Her 20 years of experience is strategically divided between Consulting and Industry which gives her the depth and breadth required to be the thought leader.

She has demonstrated her C to C, Chartered accountant to Cybersecurity journey in the following stages:

An Accountant at Winn Croucher Partners
A Client Manager at Deloitte
An Executive Manager in Risk and Compliance at Commonwealth Bank
The Director in Risk Innovation at KPMG
The Associate Partner at IBM

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Exploring all aspects of life
Learning something new every day
Adding value in every job
Communication
Networking
Switching internally and externally
Mindset shift from doing to influencing other
Importance of vertical and horizontal growth
Direct exposure to the corporate world
Alignment of role and purpose
Upskilling/ upgrading and its implementation
Adopting diversity
Social eminence

Loved the way she explained who she is from her name:

A - Advisor

N - Nurturing Talent

U - Untangling Risks

She has also shared a roadmap for anyone who is looking to enter into the world of Cybersecurity.

Anu Kukar coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anukukar/

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

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If you are struggling in finding the purpose of your life,

then this episode might be the right place to tune in.

From being a door to door salesman to becoming the operational manager of the company,

From failing in 6 startup ideas to owing his full-fledged finance academy,

His journey showcases his hunger to learn, his passion to explore, and his drive to experiment.

Mr. Chinmay Ananda started his career as a civil engineer. He is currently working as a financial educator for the last 10 years, mainly focusing on startup founders, and has also developed business analytical and accounting software.

He shared his life journey in the following three phases:

An MBA student having a zill to own a business and lacking a proper direction
A mid-career professional working in a corporate job and lacking creativity
A financial educator having a purpose in his life

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Self-development
Difference between need and want
Connecting the dots
Importance of learning every day
How to learn from your failures
Communication
Networking
Importance of building a brand
Being authentic
Being focused
Having a coach

Chinmay has also shared 3 questions that can help you to have a deeper introspection of yourself.

Chinmay Ananda coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anandachinmay

Website: http://www.financeacademy.com.au/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/faaustralia

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

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If you are battling with self-doubt,

This episode might help you to get out of that dilemma.

From moving to Australia to spending almost 24 years there,

From getting pregnant in the middle of the training period to becoming Head of AI and Data Science at HCL,

Her journey showcases her passion for learning and her Determination to become better.

Aruna Pattam was born and raised in Chennai,

she is currently serving in HCL as Head of AI and Data Science in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East region and is a proud mother of 3.

Aruna unfolds her story in the following stages -

1) An ordinary girl pursuing her college

2) A person developing an interest in computers in another country

3) A mid-career professional switching into management

4) A professional thriving for creating impact and building a personal brand

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Importance of saying NO
Switching career
Overcoming self-doubt
Upgrading yourself
Facing and overcoming challenges
Personal branding
Celebrating small success

Aruna coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arunapattam/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PattamAruna

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8_yY-2_KXa5wYrEQFmMp-Q

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

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If you think you need a degree to pursue your dream in any field,

Then this episode might help to debunk this thinking.

From a rare disease since childhood to becoming a TEDx speaker,

From a suicidal attempt to becoming the founder of a company,

her journey showcases her passion for life, purpose to live, and determination to achieve.

Dr. Kamala is currently demonstrating her talent in multiple domains like Biology, Artificial Intelligence, Business Development, Strategic Marketing, and a lot more.

She shared her journey in the following 3 stages

1) Being really tough on herself while studying in college

2) Attempting to end her life after being bullied

3) Becoming a change that she wants to see

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Putting the pieces of the puzzles together or connecting the dots
Focusing upon positive goals
Mindset shift
Building your inner circle
Fighting the odd battles
Communication
Networking
Living in the moment
Not being too hard on yourself

Dr. Kamala coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkkmaddalihealthcollaborations

Website: https://becomingakamala.com

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

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If you are feeling stuck in your career,

this episode may be just what you needed to listen to.

From a hopeless student to building a career, most professionals would envy,

Jay Hira's journey represents passion, drive, purpose, and lots of practical strategies.

Starting his career as a Pen Tester, Jay currently serves as the Security and Compliance Advisor at Salesforce.

In this episode, Jay shared his life story in three stages

An average student with big dreams
A mid-career professional putting efforts behind his big dreams
A person having a purpose in his life

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Networking
Building and fuelling relationships
Importance of mentoring
Continuous development
Embracing your weakness and strengths
Building your inner circle

He gave a piece of really important advice on how to consciously choose people for your inner circle and learn from their strengths.

Jay Hira coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayhira/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cybersec_jay

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

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This is by far the most relatable episode

I have had on the Empowering Indian Expats podcast.

He started as a typical IT professional in India and currently working as CTO in Australia.

At a very young age, Prakhar has shown the importance of both hustling and stability in his life.

At the age of 19, he started finding out his interests and building his surroundings accordingly.

While doing his side hustle with his better half, he kept on constantly growing horizontally as well as vertically.

He shared his life story working as

Incident manager at HCL
Data operational manager at Intel
Service delivery manager at Nucleus
Head of delivery in NCML
CTO at Simple

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about

Networking
Connecting the dots
Choosing the surroundings
Hustling
Finding mentors
Building value
Investing in yourself

Prakhar Rawat coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakhar-rawat-sydney/

Website: https://simple.io/

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

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This is by far the most practical and comprehensive

Career, Start-up and Business conversation

I have had on the Empowering Indian Expats podcast

At such a young age, Anto has demonstrated a very high level of competency and success both in his career as well as in running a business.

Whatever be your ask... Want to build a career Want to be an intrapreneur Want to start a fintech company

Anto has revealed valuable strategies, best practices, and mindset required to succeed.

He shared the details in 3 stages Role1 at Citi - Private Banking relationship manager Role2 at Citi - Vice President, partnerships Role3 - Founder of a fintech start-up STROPRO

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, you will learn about -Calculated decision making -Networking -Developing confidence -Upgrading your skills -Building a brand and influence -Collaborating for mutual benefits -Identifying business opportunity - Starting a business -Enrolling others on your vision -Growing a business -Establishing relationships -Facing and overcoming challenges

Loved his concept of being comfortable to get out of the comfort zone to build something powerful and his idea of legacy.

Anto Joseph coordinates: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anto-joseph-22871885/ Website: https://www.stropro.com/ Email: anto@stropro.com Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

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How did a B.Com graduate found his way up to becoming Chief Cyber Security Adviser at Microsoft, APAC?

Not only that, Abbas Kudrati is also a Professor, Mentor, and Keynote speaker.

Abbas has demonstrated that life is full of Opportunities if you are willing to grab one.

His story starts way back in a small town in Gujarat named Jamnagar.

He completed his secondary education from Patna, Bihar, and moved back to Gujarat for senior secondary schooling.

In 1993, due to less percentage in 10th, he had to choose commerce over science.

But the love for technology drove him to do a diploma in IT simultaneously.

He used to attend B.Com classes till 12 pm, followed by diploma classes till 2 pm, and later in the evening used to do odd jobs to be financially independent.

After the completion of the Diploma, he was the first student to get placed on the campus.

Professionally, he has not only experienced vertical growth, but also horizontal growth.

He started as System Administration at BHA then moved to Hyderabad with one of his CFO's.

He got into a financial crisis after the 24/11 attack.

So then he moved to Kuwait.

And within 15- 20 days, he got a job in system administration.

He shares his journey of starting as Sys admin to multiple award-winning CISO and now the APAC Chief Security Advisor at Microsoft.

In this episode, You will learn about :

Networking
Upgrading your skills
Public speaking
Overcoming self-doubt
Creating Impact
Learning everyday
Creating discipline

Abbas also shares his 3 tips for people in their 20's.

Abbas coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akudrati/
Website: https://aka.ms/abbas
Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbas_kudrati

Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

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This is one of the most eye opening conversations on Empowering Indian Expats Podcast. It's an inspiring story of passion, grit, courage, and giving back...

Saroni Roy is a media and PR professional who concurred cancer and moved to Australia to build a new life all over again.

She applied for more than 700 jobs in PR and Media, without any success. She pivoted and started with a call centre job.

She was hit by another health issue that made her bed ridded for a while. During that down time, she decided to become an actor.

It's the same lady you see with baking outfit on Commbank ad. She is the first Indian model to win an international portrait award of its kind in LA

On defeating cancer, she shared her mindset and attitude of making best use of the time even if she had only 2 days to live. What hit me hard is when she said "cancer created sense of urgency to live fully the limited time we have on this planet"

On change and moving to a complete new place, She reminded that our body has memory. When you are in the same place, our body will respond in the same way and that it becomes very difficult to make a change. But when we move to a new place, body is shocked and change is inevitable.

On acting as the powerful tool to build self-image, She mentioned acting made her accept exactly who she was. It built her self image and her mindset.

She share many other valuable learnings On personal branding On grooming On diversification of skills Adapting to change Building Resilience Not giving up Standing up for social cause Changing careers

and much more

This episode features a special message for people who are suffering from cancer and any other illnesses.

Saroni coordinates: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saroniroy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saroroy Website: https://www.saroniroy.com Ahimsa Peace Symposium 2021 Registration link: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/ahimsa-peace-symposium-2021-tickets-169309819227?aff=erelexpmlt Host Ehsan coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan

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Failed in 11th,

Got compartment in 12th,

Attempted suicide at 16,

Struggled with employment

Worked multiple jobs

Almost got deported from UK

His life has been full of twists and turns.

He went through a lot of hardships,

Yet he kept his spirit high to fight back,

His willingness to help people remained high,

He continued to develop each day with a high level of enthusiasm.

Amandeep shares his journey of consistently failing to meeting people who inspired him and then committing to transforming his life.

He mastered sales and public speaking.

He got trained by and worked with the world's best personal development trainers like Tony Robbins, T Harv Eker, Robert Kiyosaki, Dr. John D Martini, Les Brown, and many more.

He is now an International Trainer, Best Selling Author & Public Speaking Coach.

He believes that everyone should be open to learning as there is always a better way of doing things.

In this episode, he talks about

His struggles as a kid
What influenced him to become a public speaker
His move to UK and series of struggles until he met his mentors
Turning point – how he got his big speaking break
Starting his own business and now impacting lives
His future vision and long-term plan

Amandeep coordinates:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amandeeplive
Websites
amandeepthind.com (Personal Website)
facebook.com/amandeeplive (Portfolio)
tinyurl.com/y8xdfdrh (Blog)
Email: amandeep23@gmail.com
Twitter: growthmantra

Host Ehsan coordinates- https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

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Working in a high profile marketing job for 18 years with brands like Time Network and CNBC, Punita Parekh decided to quit, with no plans whatsoever. Scary isn't it? But she had enough, she was completely burnt-out. And what she did is worth noticing and learning from. She used linkedin as a platform to build a thriving consulting business. In this episode, she shares the strategies, tips and learnings. You will learn: * The 4C's of LinkedIn * How she overcame all the self-doubt * What was the first step after quitting her job * The importance of building personal branding * Why and how to optimize your LinkedIn profile * How you can put relevant content without spending too much of time * Benefits of giving * Power of collaboration * Steps to build your own tribe * Time management as a solopreneur * Creating multiple income stream * Her next steps in growing her business

She provides services in * Content Creation and Curation, * Website Content, * LinkedIn Personal Branding Content, * Social Media Content, * Blogs, Articles, and * Content Marketing.

Punita's favourite sites for content generation: * semrush.com * title-generator.com * feedly.com

Scheduling services mentioned by Ehsan * buffer.com * later.com

Punita Parekh coordinates: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/punita-parekh/ * Twitter: https://twitter.com/punitaparekh

Host Ehsan coordinates- https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

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My life is accidental.

I was so surprised when Shaily said this.

How can one's life be so spontaneous!

Before diving any deeper, I would like to give some background of Mr. Shailendra Kumar.

He is a Machine Learning Leader, Evangelist, Best Selling Author, Keynote Speaker, and recognised as Top 50 Global Tech Influencer. He also got recognised as top 10 AI influencers to follow in 2021.

Till now, he has spoken at more than 300+ live events with Fortune 500 companies worldwide and has more than 200 videos of live discussions.

He's one of those few people who scored a little low in his 12th but ended up having a wonderful and inspiring life.

His current domains are Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science. His mission is to spread awareness about Artificial Intelligence.

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, Shailendra orates about

How he ended up doing 2 degrees at once and his learnings
Why did he choose computer science as his domain for graduation
His story of becoming one of the highest paid DJs in India, as his first job
His story of outstanding customer service bringing down the call drop to 1.8% which was the best so far in India by any service provider, and still getting fired
Becoming the first person to bring Analytics to India
Role of his mentor Rohini in his life
Story and significance of choosing Belgium over USA and UK as the destination for his first assignment abroad
Experience and challenges in setting up his company in India
His move to Australia, advice from the community on the way to start in this country (was limited in its own way
His funny story of the first job
His outstanding contribution to 2 large retailers and then setting up analytics practice for Accenture globally
How he managed to write and publish the bestselling book in just six months and his inspiration
The objective behind creating video content
What drove him to perform so many roles in his life

Book briefs:

Name- Making Money out of Data: The art and science of Analytics

Link- https://www.amazon.in/Making-Money-Out-Data-Analytics/dp/1547021748/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

About - This book contains all the projects done as a data analyst for over 2 decades. And explains how you can make money from data

His tip for writing a book: Be very focused, or else the book will never get finished

His advice to people who are stuck in their lives:

You need to get out of your comfort zone. And try asking yourself whom I can serve and what I can do to serve them.

Shailendra kumar's coordinates:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaily/
Business website: http://cognitivetoday.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/meisshaily
Email: shailend.kumar@gmail.com
Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ShailendraKumarS/

Host Ehsan’s coordinates- https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

Making Money out of Data: The art and science of Analytics

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Is the linear career paradigm obsolete? Have you heard of a portfolio career?

Been working hard but not happy with the growth? This week’s episode reveals some of the reasons why hard work alone is not the answer.

I spoke to a wonderful human being and a well-rounded professional, who also maintains a very good work-life balance. He represents the true successful professionals of industry 4.0 Built his authority by leveraging opportunities that weren’t available that easily in any other era.

Chirag Joshi is a cyber security & technology leader and a best-selling author. He is also a keynote speaker and trainer.

In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, Chirag talks about · Importance of guidance and mentorship in one's life · Influence to pursue masters in the states · How mingling in local society in Oklahoma shaped up his personality · Impacts of world financial crisis and 2000 .com bubble burst on jobs · Fascination for Cybersecurity and inspiration to write the book · Strategy and process of writing a book – guaranteed · Importance and process of building your own identity, influence and authority · His thoughts on expanding his career options beyond what he has already done

Must listen if you are keen on career growth - you will find loads of gold nuggets in this episode.

Finally, What do you think should be the career strategy in Industry 4.0? (where you have fierce competition with machines, and businesses say “machine first”)

Book brief, written by Chirag D Joshi · Name: 7 rules to influence behavior and win at cyber security awareness · Link: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07VPP71BN

· Focus: Human behaviour in cyber security. Since 95% of cybersecurity breaches happen because of human error, so Chirag focuses on changing the way people think and talk about cyber-security

As he states in the end, " Beyond your professional career, physical and mental health's plays a vital role."

Books recommended by him · The 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires by Brian Tracy · Unleash the Power Within by Tony Robbins · 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson · The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone · The Influential Mind by Tali Sharot · How to Have Impossible Conversations by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay

Breathing technique mentioned by him · Vim Hof Method: https://www.wimhofmethod.com/practice-the-method

Host pick on personal energy management: · The Power of Full Engagement by James E. Loehr and Tony Schwartz

Chirag D Joshi's coordinates: · LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiragdjoshi/

· Personal website: https://www.chiragdjoshi.com/

Host Ehsan’s coordinates- https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

EmpoweringIndianExpats #Authority #CyberSecurity

7 Rules to Influence Behaviour and Win at Cyber Security Awareness

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Graduate Degree, Masters, Certifications & more formal education Vs Learning on the job Doing what you love That energises you That uses your highest potential! Check out Sheetal's story to find out what brings in success and fulfillment. A fresh graduate in mechanical engineering, gets married and moves to Australia. To utilise her time at home, she starts to learn the world of online marketing. Falls in love with it. Within a year, with no formal training or a certificate, lands an entry-level job in social media marketing. From web advertisement moves to mobile advertisement. Grows into becoming head of sales and CMO. And, quits at the peak of her career - to start her own gaming studio. Don't forget to check the game her company created - Phone Case DIY that has had close to 90 million downloads so far. [Available both on iOS and Android] Today, Sheetal is one of the very few female founders in the male-dominated mobile gaming industry. Not only did she dare to enter this arena, but she also proved her mettle in the very first year of founding her company by building a game that went viral - 80+ million downloads In this episode of Empowering Indian Expats, Sheetal talked about -Why she was so inclined into this area of industry -vivid experience of her 1st interview -How and why, she transitioned from web advertising to mobile app marketing -Ways to learn and grow in the mobile app adverting market -Challenges faced by her in her career journey -Proven methods by which she grew so fast in her career -Why leaving the company to set up her own gaming studio was difficult? -Why and how she started her entrepreneurial journey in the gaming world -Her early days fear -Role of good community/support in one’s career Loved her answer to the question- what she would be doing if not what she is doing today? Her message to all the people just starting their journey is if you’re passionate enough, nothing can stop you, until and unless you decide to lose your passion. So what do you say is more important for true success and fulfillment - DEGREE or PASSION? Sheetal Bairamadigi's coordinates: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheetal-bairamadgi-7655507/ Business website - https://crikey.io/ the company mentioned by her Crazylabs- https://www.crazylabs.com/ Host Ehsan’s coordinates- https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

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Do you feel that no fields are left for advancement in this fully digitized era? To debunk this myth and to share his life experience, we have Mr. Sunil Jha for this episode of the Empowering Indian Expats podcast. Sunil started his journey way back in the 1980s when companies like HCL, Wipro were just settling in the Indian market. Over the last 35 years, Sunil founded 2 companies (one was sold to a firm before he moved to Australia ) and currently living in Sydney Australia. At present, his areas of interest are market entry, business strategic planning, and implementation, business growth, and branding. In this episode, he talks about - What were the opportunities in 80s and 90s vs the opportunities that exist today - Staring young as an entrepreneur and its benefits and challenges - Importance of networking - ways to improve your business in this pandemic - Fields where there is a lot of scope of improvement - Ways in which a mid-career professional can pivot in different fields - Way to convert a rejection into an offer letter - Importance of being an early adopter In his own words... "If you never failed, there is no learning. And remember there are endless opportunities out there, you just have to find a way to grab them." Mr. Sunil Jha's coordinates LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/suniljha/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/SunilKJha Business website - https://theakikogroup.com/, https://www.akiko.com.au/ Book mentioned by him Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by James C. Collins Communities mentioned by him New South Wales business community - https://www.business.nsw.gov.au/ Host Ehsan’s coordinates- https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

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I will have no regret in life if I fall dead right now...

It was 2012 and I had just acquired my Personal Trainer certification. I needed someone as a guinea pig to hone up my newly learned skills.

That's when Dr. Bhuvan Unhelkar trusted me and took the risk.😄

We were friends for a couple of years by now.

We started to meet at 5 am every morning in the field to jog and perform a series of exercises.

During one of those huffing and puffing moments, I vividly recall Bhuvan saying "you know what Ehsan, I will have no regret in life if I fall dead right now...."

Seriously? I had not known anybody who could say that. I still don't know anybody other than him.

Coming to the topic, Bhuvan has had an incredible professional life as well.

He started just like most IT professionals way back in 1982 The last IT job he had was that of the Product Development Manager at Dow Jones in Sydney.

Today he is a professor of Information Technology in Florida, USA.

He is a thought leader and a prolific author with 24 books in his name.

He is the founder of 2 companies.

He is an engaging keynote speaker and trainer.

Currently, his areas of focus are Big Data, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, and more... [I am afraid I can't contain his all interests in one sentence]

He ran his first full marathon at the age of 61 this year

In this episode of the EmpoweringIndianExpats podcast, he talks about - Value of education - Career growth strategies - it's not always vertical upward, horizontal growth could be equally rewarding - Current industry trends - Learnings from his journey - Power of Community and Volunteering - Mindfulness and power of living in the moment - Importance of doing nothing in this modern busy lifestyle - Mentorship - People and books that influenced his thoughts and decisions - Beautiful discovery of zero - no starting point

It surprises me to this day how he is so productive and still finds time for friends.

I am honored and privileged to bring his wisdom out to the world. Listen to the whole conversation ...

Get Inspired | Learnt a thing or two | Do Something great It's only one life and more than 90% of us is still unused potential😞

Dr. Bhuvan Unhelkar's coordinates LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/unhelkar/ Email - Bhuvan.unhelkar@gmail.com Personal website - http://www.unhelkar.com/

Books mentioned by him Games people play by Eric Berne Freedom from the Known by Jiddu Krishnamurti A search in secret India by Paul Brunton India my love: Fragments of a golden past by Osho Illusions: The adventures of a reluctant messiah by Richard Bach

People/ Mentors mentioned by him Prof. Anurag Agarwal Dr. SD Pradhan Brian Henderson-Sellers

Communities mentioned by him Australian Computer Society - https://www.acs.org.au/ Australian institute of business analyst - https://australia.iiba.org/ Rotary International - https://www.rotary.org/en IEEE Society - https://www.ieee.org/ Computer Society of India - http://csi-india.org.in/

Host Ehsan’s coordinates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/

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Failed in 12th exam …

The same year Ajay Unni built software for a school that printed 3000 report cards for year 11 and 12 students.

How did that happen?

Much later, he shared his story in LinkedIn article “The joy of failure” https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140603131707-5693854-the-joy-of-failuer/

That one freelancing work turned into a company with 100 employees.

Yes, he did pass his year 12 next year and also graduated while building his business.

Ajay ran his company from the age of 16 to 26 and then sold it to one of his clients.

Worked for World bank for a couple of years in India.

Then came to Australia for his masters.

Someone who had once failed in year 12 was chosen to be the graduate speaker of his class in his masters.

From freelancer to a CEO of a software company to selling it to one of his clients. From CEO to an IT consultant to a master’s student. And, then from a project manager to CEO again.

He shares what worked and what did not work in his journey of building a career and business.

He also talked about his breakthrough moments, successes and support he got from various people.

I was touched by his humbleness, authenticity, and willingness to share the vulnerabilities and challenges he faced at various stages of life.

He is an interesting storyteller too, so you will get a visual picture of situations he describes.

My #1 takeaway was to become comfortable with uncertainty – that’s where the magic happens!

Listen to the conversation – it’s full of inspiration, fun and learnings

Ajay Unni’s coordinates:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ajayunni?lang=en LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajayunni/?originalSubdomain=au Company website - https://www.stickman.com.au/

Ehsan’s coordinates

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alimohammadehsan/