The path to happiness often begins with the courage to make a change. In this episode, we sit down with Ashish Kothari, Founder and CEO of Happiness Squad, to explore how redefining success, shifting workplace mindsets and building human-centric systems can unlock both individual and organizational potential. Ashish shares his deeply personal journey from corporate leadership to founding Happiness Squad, offering transformative insights on wellbeing, leadership and the future of work. He explains why flourishing must become a strategic priority, how organizations can tackle burnout at source and how leaders at every level can create meaningful change.

Key Takeaways:

00:00 Introduction.

01:09 A battle with anxiety inspired Ashish to pivot his career toward well-being.

05:22 Ashish says his calling, not courage, drove his career transformation.

10:06 Burnout is often worse in nonprofit and frontline roles than in corporate jobs.

15:02 Trust, belonging and deep work fuel human energy.

19:58 One-size-fits-all programs fail; teams need tailored interventions.

25:34 Leaders can drive systemic change without top-level support.

29:59 The Eisenhower Matrix helps reset priorities and reduce overwhelm.

32:36 People want to contribute, but broken systems create changeable helplessness.

Resources Mentioned:

Ashish Kothari

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashishkothari1/

Happiness Squad | LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/happiness-squad/

Happiness Squad | Website

https://happinesssquad.com/

VIA Character Strengths

https://www.viacharacter.org/

World Economic Forum

https://www.weforum.org/

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