Episode 31 - Suman Dash

Hello everyone, hello everyone, and welcome to a new episode of Veerai's Wellness Podcast. Today we have Suman Das with us. She is a mindfulness and meditation coach, a spiritual healer, she's an entrepreneur, and she's the co-founder of Aurun Ventures, which is an incubator and accelerator for conscious startups. Welcome, Suman, and Thank you so much for coming today.

Thank you so much for inviting me too. We've had so many conversations and I've been enlightened at all times. And thank you so much for making me a part of this podcast.

Yes, I've been looking forward to it for such a long time. We talk all the time, but we did not find the time to record this. But finally, I think the audience will take away a lot from this podcast because I think this is going to be very insightful. So, Suman, you know, being a healer, um, how does it contribute to your community at Auron? Because Auron is most about, uh, conscious startups. So I mean, how does this both profession intertwine, and what is the takeaway of those founders who come to you at Auron?

You know, it actually starts at very grassroots levels. When I say grassroots levels, it is who and what the founder of a startup is, what kind of values is that particular founder coming up with. So, you know, whenever we start any kind of project or, you know, any kind of a company, we come in with a lot of enthusiasm. Each co-founder and founder has it, right? But what happens is there are so many stresses in a startup which come with it. In terms of, you know, it could be basics operational, it could be fundraising, it could be hiring new people, go-to-market strategy, where there is a lot of things a startup owner has to do. And most of the time, it's a very, very lonely journey. And it's bound to happen that during this journey, you get lonely. But what I'm trying to do, or Auron is trying to do, is that the founder should not become lonely during the journey. They should know that they have this community of beautiful people who are actually speaking from the heart, who have joined the community in terms of giving, in terms of giving more rather than receiving more. So they have a lot to gain from it. And how my particular, you know, expertise of healing comes into play is, uh, I constantly drill into their minds the fact that Mindfulness, consciousness is a very, very important part of each and everyone's life. People should understand that they are the sun of their own universe. Okay, the company is not the sun of the universe. So they need to treat themselves that way. They need to keep themselves up front. And once that, that is established, once that is there, what happens is everything falls into place. Yeah, everything then, you know, falls into that orbit and starts revolving around them. So even if a startup fails in the long run, they're not disheartened. They just know that, okay, we have enough power to start something new. Yeah, and that's beautiful. That, that's power. Having that power to yourself is very, very beautiful.

Yeah, so your startup is not your whole world, it is just a part of your world. So this is what, uh, actually I'm— we are also covering at We Rise Accelerator program because now, uh, being a conscious founder has become a thing that even investors are looking at, that you should have the right mindset to actually build a startup. So it's not just about, you know, running a business. It's also about how do you manage the other areas of your life, including your health. Because if you are not keeping yourself healthy, it will definitely show in your business, and it will definitely affect the business as well. So, you know, taking care of every part, not just your health, relationships, business, your personal development? Because a startup founder who is doing ₹10 crore today, to reach at a goal of ₹100 crore, one has to develop themselves, you know, every single day. So how do you invest in your personal development?

So I think, and also I think, you know, when you are conscious in yourself, you pass it on to the people that you're working with. Absolutely. It's not just that your relationships are better in that way, or your company is doing well, but your company will do well only when the, the— you have the right kind of processes, you have the right kind of conscious kind of policies, uh, you deal with people in terms of your workers, co-workers, um, you know, equally consciously, you deal with your customers equally consciously, you deal with your vendors equally consciously. So that is, that is something that creates a very cohesive environment to actually grow.

Yeah, because if we are not doing something consciously, it will keep coming back to us as a trigger that, okay, there was something that I did not you know, do right. Our mind knows that ultimately at the back of the mind, we know that we did not do it right and it will come back to haunt us. So it's always— so I also advise a lot of startups on, you know, financial models and I work with them on, you know, their valuation. So I see that many come to us. Even today I had a call with someone who did not keep their books right. For the last 5 years, they did not keep the books right. And now that they have to raise funds, they are not able to drive the right valuation. Despite making that kind of money. So I'm like, see, this is how, you know, the karma hits back. You made a karma of, you know, not keeping your books right, and now your future is going to suffer because, uh, you know that you did not do the right thing.

Yes, yes, yes. As soon as possible.

Yes, absolutely. So this— and also, you know, now investors have started approaching life coaches like us. You know, to actually coach founders on mindset building. Because there was one case that came to me recently where, you know, there was a huge investment in this founder. They found everything well, the business was good, but the problem with the founder is, uh, you know, that he's very dominating, and that is showing in his character, and that is showing in his business. And when they're trying to grow, his aggressiveness is actually affecting the company because he's trying to be dominating with his employees. And the moment the company grows and you still keep micromanaging and you still, you know, do not leave the control out of your hand, it starts showing in results. So investors have started giving this red flag also that we need to work on the mindset of founders. So this is something which is, you know, imperative. One cannot start working without, you know, working on the mind first. So mind first is something which I would like to know about your opinion about.

Absolutely, you know, but I would also like to highlight something. Each day is a new day. It doesn't matter if you weren't conscious till yesterday. Each day, you know, the sun rises. So today you still have a chance to understand that, okay, I have woken up today. From today onwards, I want to be conscious. Of each and everything that I've, you know, not done consciously. And you will probably, if you see this now, now see if I've done 10 things which were consciously not right. Now what it does to the mind of a person is that suddenly this thought process comes. There's fear, there's overthinking, there's procrastination. These 3 things come. Okay, how am I going to do it? This is too much of work. I cannot do it. The easiest way to tame your mind is tell your mind, it's okay, it looks like a mountain right now, but let me just break it down into pieces. Yeah, let me not be in a rush to, you know, probably break down the entire mountain in a day's time. Let me take a year and break it down completely. Okay, so today, what is it that I can work on? Just take that one step forward, even if it's a baby step, it's okay. But yeah, has to be put one, one in front of the other. Yeah, now that is when you, you know, when you start doing these small, small things on a daily basis, 6 months down the line, you'll be amazed at the progress that you've made.

Consistency is key.

Absolutely. You know, you— I'll tell you something, Waheeda Rahman, at the age of 80s, she started shooting for wildlife, shooting wildlife. She started learning wildlife photography. What does it say? It's all in the mind. It's all in the mind. There are no limitations. Limitations come to you from the conditioning that the society or your environment has placed you in. Okay, it's not just you, it's, it's environment that's surrounding you. But know that, you know, you can break away from it. I just wanted to tell you something. So yesterday I was having this session and There was this person, again, founder of a very well-known startup, and what she was telling me was, you know, there are similar kinds of patterns. If you talk about her life, if you think of it as a big, big canvas, so there are a lot of problem statements. Say, for example, there are a lot of problem statements, and for each problem statement, she's just moving round and round and round around those, and they're coming back to haunt her, which are creating more issues. So, you know, the basic thing is, if you're going to do the same things, you are going to be stuck in the same loop. Try and do something different. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. You know, for a while, just tell yourself, let me just try it out.

Yeah, break the pattern, actually.

Just break the pattern. And once you do it with one thing, one issue in your life, you will see that, okay, there are some changes that are happening, and that's very encouraging, and everything else will follow. You will start following the same patterns for all of these circles that are happening in your life, and soon, you know, you'll be a completely changed person. So it's all in the mind. It's all in the mind. In fact, you know, we talk about weight loss a lot of, a lot number of times, like a lot of, a lot of people have issues with weight, and even I have had these cycles, you know, wherein I lose weight and then I gain weight and then I lose weight again And I'm again in the process of losing weight. So to me, I understand why I have gained weight, and I also understand how I lose weight. So in my mind, it's not a very difficult thing to do. In my mind, I know that, okay, I just have to set my mind to it. The moment I set my mind to it, so then there's nothing which can, you know, break me away from it. So it's just about the fact that don't think of Again, I'll take this single simple problem of weight loss. Don't think that, you know, I have to lose 10 kgs in a day, 10 kgs in a month, or, you know, 5 kgs in a month. Don't think like that. Just think that, okay, you know what, today I have to go to the gym, today I have to follow a certain diet, today I have to drink 4 liters of water. This is what I'm going to do today. I am just going to go on the weighing scale tomorrow morning, and I'm going to just keep a graph on whatever my weight is. I'm not going to obsess on the number which comes up on the weighing scale. I'm just going to do these things which are in my hand. And you see, over a 6-month period of time, you'll see that you've lost weight, and very significant weight, and probably more than you thought that you'd lose. I'm sure you would also, you know, relate to it. Yeah, it's absolutely all in the mind.

It's absolutely all in the mind. Yes, so I have basically trained my mind, and it, you know, there you can break the pattern by actually training your mind to, but through visualizing that what is it that you want in terms of your health. So that is what has helped me stick to my weight, and I don't gain weight because my subconscious knows that this is my ideal weight. And the moment I start eating more or I do not, you know, go for my workout, it triggers me to, you know, get back to my diet. So this is how I have created these neural patterns in my brain, and it is so powerful, Suman. Anybody who can learn this and who does this on themselves, they don't have to worry about, you know, anything which deviates from their goal. So now my goal is, you know, a certain number in terms of weight, and I just need to show my subconscious that this is my ideal weight, and I just install it on my mind. I know people hearing this would be finding it weird, but believe me, this is a concept of neuroscience and it works. And when it comes to actually breaking the patterns—

Sorry, I said, in healing also we talk about this. When you're practicing your affirmations, it has to be visualization as a big part of it. If you want to buy a car, if you want to buy a car, you should have in mind the make, model, How do you feel when you're sitting in the car? You know, everything has to come to you, right? Once it's there, once it's set in your subconscious mind, everything else becomes easy.

Absolutely. And, uh, you know, I would like to go back to this, uh, thing of breaking the pattern. Remember you said that, you know, that founder was doing things in this loop. So recently I concluded my first cohort for Veera's Accelerator Program where I actually realized that there are a mental blocks that founders are working with. So I actually, you know, through the program made them do an exercise where they could go back to their memory lane and identify what is that memory that is blocking, you know, their, you know, progress and actually they are not able to break that pattern. So the moment they went back to that memory and I, you know, you know, help them through that exercise of releasing that memory from the subconscious. it's a neuro-linguistic programming technique. It works every single time. When I did that, and when we reframed the whole concept of the pattern, they were in awe. They were like, this is something I have never seen or understood, but this works. This works to break the pattern. If you do this, it will make your growth really quick and easy, because every time you're you know, old baggage is holding you, it is very difficult and slow for you to move forward. To move forward more quickly and easily, you need to actually drop that baggage. So that's what we did at the program. So that really helps in breaking the pattern. What do you think about it, Samant?

No, absolutely. And you know something, you know, these exercises, these are so strong. There's also this one exercise that I do with, you know, my clients. There's this like, so you're stuck in a memory, right? And What happens is if there's a bad experience which has happened to you, you're stuck in that and it changes your behavior, it changes your perception, it changes how you react to situations.

Right.

There is this example. So there is this exercise, maybe people can do it at the comfort of their homes. You know, just close your eyes and, you know, just stand at a place, okay? And just visualize, just feel that this particular scene is being played on the big screen.

Yeah.

Okay.

We did that as well in the program.

Yeah. So it's a very, very strong one, you know, you stand, so this is being played in the, you know, on the projector, this is on the screen. So you are in the screen. So just feel the emotions, how you're feeling. Now think that you are sitting in the first row, and you're seeing the scene.

Okay.

When you're sitting in the first row, take a step back. Now you're the first to just take a step back and, you know, so this physical exercise actually helps in the visualization part. And then after, so now you see the screen, what does it do to you? How are you feeling about it? Now the third step is now think that you are now in the projector room from where the film is being screened. Okay, so now what do you see? You see the person sitting in the front row watching Uh, you know, and then you also see the movie happening. Okay, so now what are your emotions when you're back in the projector room? Now you certainly feel that, okay, I'm actually distant from the— so the, the thing that is happening on the big screen is actually not affecting me. And it's very simple. It's a very simple exercise that you do to make detachments from your bad memories. And when you do these things, it's also neural exercise.

Yeah, absolutely. So that is the time when you are actually creating new neural pathways in your brain. So, I mean, it is wonderful, and I have used it multiple times, you know, to actually break my old negative patterns of memories and then create new negative pattern, you know, positive patterns of memory. So it's like a thing for me now that if something is bothering me, I can immediately go back and understand that why this is bothering me, and I release it from my mind, and then I create an empowering, you know, vision in my mind that, okay, what would be more empowering than this? And I show my subconscious, this is my future, this is the empowered future I look for. And that becomes my North Star, and my subconscious starts triggering me to move that side. It's so powerful and it's so empowering, Suman, I can't tell people about it until they— and they'll not realize until they feel it. It's a feeling.

It's absolutely healing. And suddenly when you think that you're in the projector room and you're seeing this big screen, you know, the scene happening in the big screen, what happens is, you know, your mind comes into play that, okay, you know, why am I doing this? I should be doing this. So then you're powered. Now then when you go back to the situation, you actually see yourself reacting differently to it in that particular situation. Yes, you know yourself, you know. So It's not difficult. I personally would say that all of this work— sorry, it's not difficult, it's easy, provided you have the right kind of mentorship and right kind of help. And that is why I think people like you and people like I exist, because we probably also have gone through that part of our lives, you know, wherein we've seen trauma, we've seen issues happening, but What we've done is we've not given up. What we've done is we've empowered ourselves. We've just learned techniques and tricks and methods wherein we know that, okay, you know, this works because we want the whole world to know.

We want the whole world to know that, you know, and that is why this podcast exists. And every, you know, people, a person who comes to me for mentoring and, or who comes for the cohort, I tell them, each one of you should have your own podcast. You need to speak out about yourself, about your product, about things that you feel and care about and things you want the whole world to know because you are here in this world with a purpose. You know, you have been God-sent to actually do something which would add value to people's life. And a podcast is a very good medium to reach out to people. Absolutely. You know, create content around your feelings, what you think and how you add value to people and people will, you know, actually you will leave something as a legacy to this world before you leave. So I mean, it could be any form of content. Podcast is something which, you know, where, you know, we can talk about people and they come up with different ideas. And that is why I keep telling them, do this, do this for yourself, do this for your business, do this for the world, that, you know, reach out with your message.

Absolutely. And I think for an individual level, what any co-founder can do is, you know, whenever they're faced with the problem, they're faced with an issue, firstly, don't run away from it. So as I say, there are, for me, there are 3 A's. This is something that I talk very actively about. There are 3 A's. First is acknowledge there is a problem. Second, Accept that there is a problem. So there are two different things, okay? Acknowledge means you say that, okay, this problem exists, okay? When you say accept, okay, this problem exists in my life or my company, okay? And the third and the most important one is action. Now you've acknowledged, you've accepted, what is the action that I can take to get this problem removed from myself or the company.

Yeah, can I add one more angle to it? The acceptance part should be more like, uh, how can I take response— responsibility for this that has happened? So acceptance is not like somebody else did it wrong, except that you might have fallen somewhere wrong, and that is why acceptance happens when you put yourself in a responsible position.

Absolutely, absolutely. And also what people need to understand and know is that they have control only on themselves. Yeah, no one else. You know, even as mothers, we do not have control over our kids, let alone our husbands or companies.

Absolutely.

People who work with us, we do not have control over anyone. The only control that we have is on ourselves, how we act and how we react. And once we take care of that, things somehow magically, you know, get better. Yes, yes.

So one last bit of advice, Suman, that you would like to share with the founders who are, uh, you know, watching this show, and not just the founders, everybody who's watching this show, and what, uh, they can do for their wellness, because this is a wellness podcast and we need to leave a message on wellness. Yes.

So me, um, I would actually leave them with two things. One is self-love. Okay, again, I speak very highly of this particular trait. Now, on a scale of 1 to 10, you should love yourself at 12.

Okay, you should start loving yourself yesterday.

Okay, yeah, totally, you know, and love yourself. It is okay to be imperfect. You are imperfect, but you're perfect. Okay, so believe in that. Love yourself with all your quirks, with all the issues that you think that you have. Even then, love yourself the way you are. Yeah, absolutely, the way you are. It is okay to have bad traits. Everyone has that. You are a human being. You are not a monk yet. Monks might also probably have that, but you're not a monk yet. So you're a human being. You will have things which you probably dislike about yourself, but even then, Even then, self-love is the way to go. That is number one. And second is gratitude. When you start paying gratitude to each and everything in you and around you, you see, you will see that good things will multiply in your life. Yeah, you know, this is what the book Secret talks about, it's Law of Attraction and all of it. But it all starts with gratitude. You know, I rarely, I rarely see people giving gratitude to the air that they breathe. But they don't realize is that if air ceases to exist for 2 minutes, they will not survive. They don't give to the water that they drink, they don't give gratitude to the food that they eat, let alone, you know, giving themselves, their own selves gratitude, or people around them or situations around them gratitude. Or the universe. So, you know, start paying gratitude to everything. Now, I would personally say just do these things very dedicatedly, very consciously for 3 days, and maybe put in the comments how did you feel the 4th day.

I'm sure they would be transformed just with this 2 acts.

Just with these 2 acts and 3 days, do it yourself, consciously do it, you see the magic happening.

Yes, and the magic is within.

Yes, and then you become a practitioner of happiness just like me.

And we need more people like you in this world, someone who doesn't give a damn about what others think and do, and you're just totally so happy in your own skin, and I'm so proud of you for that.

Me too, me too. The way, you know, I see you doing things, um, it's so empowering. It is so empowering. And genuinely, Neetu, I learn from you. I learn a lot from you. I learn from everyone around me, but people who believe in themselves, who love themselves, who work on themselves and take action, you know, there's no beauty, there's no more beauty in the world, you know, it's just amazing. So you're an amazing person, be the same forever.

Yes, I would say the same to you. And with that, we'll bring this to a close. Thank you so much for coming, Suman. This has been really helpful and Insightful.

Thank you so much for having me here. Lots of love and lots of gratitude.

Thanks. Bye-bye. Thank you, audience.

Bye-bye.