Episode 26 Tushar Kansal

Hello everyone and welcome to a new episode of Veerai's Wellness Podcast. Today we have Tushar with us. He is the founder and CEO of Consultancy Ventures. He is a thought leader and thought influencer. Tushar supports startups and growth stage companies in diverse sectors and have been awarded several times for his support to startups including one from Dr. Kiran Bedi herself. Tushar is a venture advisor with Loyal VC. He is a mentor, judge of startup pitch events at entrepreneurship cells of top academic institutions. So you guys know who to reach out if you need your judge for that E-cell program. He is connected with 450+ investors globally. His expert opinion is often sought by leading business news channels and publications, and he has done 300+ talks. Just Google him for that. He is a B.Tech, MBA, and did his executive education in leadership from Harvard Business School. He is a great, great supporter of spirituality, and that is what we are going to talk about today. Welcome, Tushar. Thank you so much for coming to our podcast.

Thank you, thank you so much for having me, Neetu. Uh, I would love to talk about this particular aspect a lot, and especially with you because you have yourself been doing so much of work in this field.

Yes, thank you so much. So wellness is something which is very close to my heart, Tushar, and I think this topic should be discussed more than it is being done now, uh, because, uh, you know, I have been a startup founder and I had to close my startup because of, you know, struggling with my mental health issues, which, which translated into physical health issues. And I, I have understood the importance of taking care of your own wellness, not just mind but body and soul in, you know, complete unison. So that is why I started this podcast, and I, I love talking about it. And I would like to know, since you advise so many startup founders, what is that one problem that they are facing in this, their wellness journey? I mean, have you come across any startup founder who has, uh, who's struggling with their wellness because of their business side?

Well, uh, Neetu, I feel that what happens is that when you are in a job, so, uh, you know, whenever you are giving focus to a particular issue or a call, then beyond that you are able to convince yourself it is not my company. End of the day, I am on a job, right? What happens is with a lot of people who are not disciplined You know, there are some people who are very regulated. They will walk at a certain time in the morning, they will walk at a certain time in the evening, they will eat limited because they know they need energy for a lot of responsibilities. But, you know, after this mobile has come in, the screens have come in, what has happened is that we are bombarded with so much of data all the time. And because we are bombarded with so much of data, and you know, the data is regulated by artificial intelligence, so, uh, we get to see only very precise stuff. So the mind starts running very fast because the data is being shown to you very fast, and you are on the screens 8 to 10 hours a day. So what happens is the mind can't rest. So that is the biggest problem which is happening with all people from all walks of life that, you know, the mind is not able to rest. One wakes up in the morning and the mind is drawn towards the mobile. And instead of doing your disciplinary tasks like giving some time to your health, giving some time to meditation, giving some time to pranayama or yoga, you know, you are constantly giving time to the screens and mind is more and more tired. And so I feel that For people who are, you know, it's not easy to discipline yourself when you are being, you know, faced with so much of data which is analyzed by artificial intelligence and they know what you like. So it is not easy for anyone to regulate yourself, to discipline yourself, to, you know, stay away from it. And, uh, and, you know, that's why I saw one of your status on WhatsApp that, you know, you will check your messages only 12 noon or 8 PM.

Yeah.

So, you know, this is exactly what my sister's husband tells me, that he never picks the mobile from the charging place because, so that, you know, once he picks it, then he'll keep on using it.

Yeah.

So he only stands, he only stands there and uses it. So, you know, this is the biggest problem which is being faced by people from all walks of life. But if you want me to give you example of founders who face problems, then, you know, it is they are unable to differentiate between work and personal life because, you know, they feel like picking calls at 9 PM, 10 PM because it's their own business, is their own work, is their own money. And so they will work on Sundays also. So that particular lack of a clear division between personal and professional life when you are a founder, that is the biggest problem.

Yeah, I think what has happened, I mean, over the years is that the discipline part of managing all aspects of your life has really gone, and people are focusing only on one aspect, which is, you know, the job, the work that we do. We need to realize that it is just one part of our life, it is not our whole life. And what is happening is we are putting in all our energy in that direction due to which the other areas of our life suffer, which is our health, which is our relationships, even finances. And of course, we, you know, don't end up developing ourselves, our skills. So which ultimately results in, you know, putting so much energy in work because, you know, if you don't have the right skill set, you will end up doing more work than what is required and do the hard work than the smart work that is needed in the business. So that's, that's You know, it was an awakening for me as well when I was struggling with my health issues and I was like, okay, you know, enough is enough. And now I have to focus back on my health because this is one foundation on which everything else rests. So that has become my top virtue now. Everything, everything comes after my health. So what was that awakening moment for you, Tushar, when you were like, okay, you know, I need to take care of other areas of my life as well, not just my work, work. So what was that awakening moment for you?

Well, you know, I faced a very bad situation when I was working in a telecom company. I was reporting to two people. One of them was a disciplinarian. He used to reach office at 9 AM. He was a, you know, very disciplined guy and used to leave at 6 PM. And the other guy, he used to stay back till 10 and 11 PM. So, you know, my office hours were 9 AM to 10 PM, and I used to drive 2 hours from Delhi to Gurgaon and back. So I broke down in the 7th or 8th month. I broke down, and, uh, that was when I was under antidepressants, and I took it for many years. It was only in 2016 that I realized that I am You know, instead of regulating myself, adopting the natural ways to heal myself— meditation, pranayama, yoga, naturopathy— I was relying on medicines which were, you know, it's not that they are the 100% cure to any problem. Yeah, because they have side effects, like, you know, they made me temperamental. I was making wrong decisions. I was being, uh, uh, you know, uh, I was relying on the wrong kind of people, and I started getting cheated. And, you know, because I used to sleep very heavily because of the medicines, the next day when I woke up, I hardly had any sense of judgment about what I did wrong the previous day. So, you know, they make you numb and they accentuate your, uh, traits. So, you know, like, I rely on my sixth sense to make decisions, so it made me temperament. So, uh, you know, so those things— I used to eat a lot and then I used to, uh, talk a lot and, you know, so those problems were there. So, and I realized that if you rely on allopathic antidepressants, then in the later stages of your life, you are likely to get dementia or schizophrenia.

Yeah.

So, you know, I said, you know, to hell with this. And in 2016, I started taking control of my life. Uh, I had huge, uh, headaches when I left those medicines, uh, and, uh, I had bouts of, uh, self-doubt and whether I will be able to move to a new life. But I just didn't give up. I said, you know, whichever way, I have to live without medicine. And I adopted a lot of healthy things, like I, you know, I regulated my time out from the home, and I did a lot of things which stabilized myself. And I, you know, I also discovered myself after I left medicines. Wow. Like, you know, I did a I did an event in Delhi University. I was a judge. That was the first event, and one of my college seniors who had sponsored the event, he had requested me to be a judge there, and I did it so well, you know, I started getting offers from other events. And I didn't know I was good at it, but I have done 300 in the last 6-7 years. Yeah, so, so I discovered, you know, it's a journey, like you have to stop believing that medicine is a panacea for all your problems. You have to believe more in yourself as nature's product and, you know, adopt the healthier ways to cure yourself.

Wow, love that, love that. And I completely resonate with you, Tushar, because I have also been through a similar journey. I was given antidepressant too And I took just one dose, and that day my head was spinning like anything. I could not even walk down from the stairs because I had this feeling of dizziness that I will just fall off the stairs. And I was like, this is not going to be the rest of my life. I really need to do something about it, and I don't want this creepy medicine for the rest of my life. And I started reading about it, that what can I do to, you know, come out of this zone, and how can I live a medicine-free life? And that day I manifested that I'm going to live a medicine-free life. And that day is today. I mean, and this today has been like since 1 year. So I did have to take like medicines for 6 months, but those were Ayurvedic medicines to, you know, manage the symptoms for the interim. But then, yes, I did a lot of self-healing. I started, you know, expressing my gratitude for everything, feeling the abundance that I have, and, you know, started reprogramming my mind for the positive outcomes in life. And that is something I think everybody needs to know, that you need to live a disciplined lifestyle. Maintenance is so important that you just cannot live without it. That is something that is very important. And mind management, that is something we should be taught at school, honestly. I mean, I don't know why we are not being taught how to manage our mind in school, but that is something which is easily doable. I mean, Ever since I've learned neurolinguistic programming, this is something which has become a part of me because my brain has been reprogrammed to think positive, gratitude, feeling the abundance, and trying to help others and living for that higher purpose. So absolutely, absolutely resonate with you, uh, Tushar, on that. Uh, tell us if somebody has to start this journey of, you know, uh, if somebody is already on antidepressant and they want to get off it because you have done it for yourself. What is your advice to those people?

See, my advice to you is we are 97% water. We are, we are actually a very malleable kind of thing, you know. We are just, uh, flesh and bones, like, you know. So we don't realize how much the small things affect us physiologically, mentally. Everything is interlinked. So if you are having a packet of chips which has fatty, uh, low fat, you know, it will affect your mood, it will affect your health. So, you know, you have to live a healthy life, which means eating the right thing, which means stop sleeping late. Which means seeing the sunrise, which means, uh, you know, uh, there are 3 axes on which, uh, we are based. One is the nature axis, that we are a product of nature. So, you know, if you haven't seen the birds and the trees, that is one axis you are missing. The second axis is the God axis, which is consciousness, which is there is something larger in life which is out there, which is the universal consciousness, right? You call it God, you call it the third power. Everything is right. If you are praying in front of an idol, it is right. If you don't want to pray that way, that is also right. If you— but you have to believe in a higher power. You are not God, right? So, uh, you can become a higher consciousness. You have to believe in that. For that, you'll have to, uh, take the help of a guru or a mentor. And I did take classes from, uh, Dr. Shubha Kulkarni, who was a director HR with Hewlett Packard India. And she learned Bhagavad Gita from, uh, Gita Press, Gorakhpur. And they told her to give the gyan further. So she conducts a batch. So I learned, uh, Bhagavad Gita from there, and, and I realized that it is out there, but they never teach it in the schools because, you know, on the thing secularism, secularism— I mean, these are, these are all the basic things about life, how to look at life. So, uh, one is the nature axis, one is the God axis, the third is other people. You know, your approach towards society, your approach towards other people, uh, you know. So that these three axes, if you are managing well, then, you know, you'll be getting all the hormonal satisfaction. You'll get all the right kind of hormones, you know. You'll do some dhyanam in the temple, feed some poor people, do something for the animals, and, you know, so that balance. So the You know, with the digital screens, the balance is missing. And, you know, I feel that once we accept us as product of nature rather than product of a digital world, it'll lead us to happiness again.

Yeah. Yeah. So all those founders who's listening to this podcast, please start taking care of your natural access. You know, start going out in the sun, look at the grass, hug the tree, and, uh, you know, be, you know, charitable. Give as much as you can because the universe is so abundant. The moment you start giving, it will give you tenfolds back. So keep a, you know, mindset of abundance, gratitude, and live for a higher purpose. I think that is what you are trying to say, Kansal, right? Yeah. So my next question, Kansal, would be, uh, what is your biggest learning, that life lesson that you want to share today with the audience?

See, my life lesson is nothing is really very big in life, so don't take it seriously, very seriously. I mean, companies open, they close down, countries change their names, uh, you know, the biggest dictator goes down, uh, you know, someone new comes up, some war happens, then it closes down. Some, you know, today Amazon is a huge company, tomorrow it might lose market value in billion dollars. The word— the life goes on. So the moment you start saying that, oh God, this will happen, and then you start becoming an irritable personality that, you know, yeah, then you are getting irritated and you are getting irritated. Why is this guy saying this thing? Why is that happening? Take it easy. I mean, you were taking it easy when you were a kid. Right? You would, and, and you had no idea how you are different from others. That's why you were happy. So, you know, uh, Buddha has said that, you know, uh, be childlike, be Buddha-like, which means that if you are childlike, you will be in a higher consciousness. The moment you start, uh, you know, uh, the moment you start being in a body form that, you know, all those money starts getting in your head. And because money starts getting in your head, your life, your happy, happier life starts going down. Because you have to give 8 hours every day to work, that is the reality of life. But don't put the money inside your head. you will get money, you will get success if you are happy. You know, I've seen founders who made millions of dollars of company and they, they laugh so much, they trust people, they are on their own journey and still they are making money. They are not in— so, so, you know, for all this to happen, you have to drop your judgments about life. That, you know, founders are like this, investor is like this, you know, the world is like this, and that particular white people are like this, and Indians are like this. You know, you have to drop your judgments, else you will never be happy, and you will judge yourself also, you will judge others also. End of the day, you will be left with a judgment sheet and no happiness. So this is what my biggest advice to founders is.

So the biggest advice from Tushar Khansal today is be a child. Don't grow up.

Childlike, not be a child, be childlike.

Fall into place and keep that childlike zeal in you alive for as long as you can.

Curiosity, inquisitiveness, you know, the love for seeing something beautiful, some nature thing, and you suddenly, you are so happy about it, you know, that So, you know, you have to be like connected with the real life, uh, and disconnected with the artificial one, like the movie Matrix.

Yes, yes, that, and that makes so much sense, Tushar. And I have deeply felt that, and you wouldn't believe, I would do the strangest of things at the strangest of places because I am free of judgments. From what people will think. And I think that has given a new meaning to my life, that, you know, if I can do whatever I want at whatever time I like, at whatever place I am, I think I am at peace with myself. So yeah, and I can totally relate to what you are saying when you say that, Bhai Chai.

So, Neetu, you followed— which path did you follow in spirituality? Like, you know, I been through many of them— Shriji, Ravi Shankar, Sadhguru— and we are followers of naturopathy as a family. And I read some Buddhism, and I did Bhagavad Gita classes. So, you know, I've kind of done, you know, tried to learn many things. So what do you follow?

So, Tushar, I am a very logical person, you know, and analytical as well. So I need logics and analysis in everything, and I go by what science says. So what I started doing was I started learning neurolinguistic programming. I learned cognitive therapy. I learned psychotherapy, hypnotherapy. So things that are being backed by science, because see, we are all made of our beliefs, right? So my belief was I need logic in things that I need to do. And that is, that is when I started finding logic. And I started also researching on neuroscience. So it— and it has the entire thing has a lot of, you know, uh, value because— and talk about in Bhagavad Gita also. So it's not that I don't read Bhagavad Gita or I don't read other modalities. I tried reading astrology also, but it was so difficult, so I could not do that. But, uh, the basic core is same—

how—

what kind of belief we form in our mind. I think this is what has— that has been discussed in every modalities. Whether it's healing, Reiki, neuroscience therapies, CBT, everywhere, the core of every mind management is working on your belief system. The moment you do that, you can change anything that you want. So that's what I think. Neuro Linguistic Programming changed my life. I would say that.

Yeah, it's really awesome.

Thank you so much, Tushar. Thank you for coming today and sharing this with us. Honored, and I think audience has a lot to take from this podcast today. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much. Thanks, thanks, thanks. And you know, your journey, uh, uh, you know, it looks like you have found your path. So, you know, I'm really happy about it. You look happy, and, uh,