🎙️In this episode of The Grounded Leader, we explore what it truly means to lead with empathy, authenticity, and a healthy dose of quirk. My guest, Karla Pamanes, is an award-winning designer, branding expert, and mentor based in San Antonio, Texas. Over her 15-year career, she’s worked with powerhouse brands like HGTV, Food Network, and Brit+Co, and now helps creative professionals build brands that tell human stories through The Brand Design Academy.

Karla opens up about how seeing the best in people, honoring her rituals (from snail mail to solo Trader Joe’s trips), and embracing imperfection have shaped her leadership and creative philosophy. Together, we unpack how small, personal joys can keep leaders grounded in high-pressure environments — and why playfulness, empathy, and boundaries aren’t weaknesses, but strengths.

✨ In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why quirks make leaders more relatable and human.
• How empathy creates trust and stronger team culture.
• The power of everyday rituals in staying centered and creative.
• How moments of pause — even procrastination — can become powerful resets.

🎧 Loved this conversation? Don’t forget to follow The Grounded Leader so you never miss an episode about leading with balance, authenticity, and heart.

💌 Share this episode with a friend or colleague who leads with empathy — or wants to start.

💡 Listen now and rediscover how authenticity can transform the way you lead, create, and connect.
🎧 Available wherever you get your podcasts.

✨BIO

Karla Pamanes is an award-winning designer, branding expert, and mentor based out of San Antonio, Texas. She has designed for brands such as HGTV, Food Network, Brit+Co, in addition to several other amazing companies. Her focus is on building branding that tells a story and reflects the core values of a company. Her motto is to "be the person you needed when you were younger." She created "The Brand Design Academy" to share the knowledge and experience she has learned over her 15 years working with corporate brands and small businesses.

If you are looking for advice from a trained yogi and Ayurvedic Doctor, contact Sweta here.

Connect on Socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

Visit my website

Disclaimer: The content is purely informative and educational in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. Please use the content only in consultation with an appropriate certified medical or healthcare professional. If you are nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition, please consult with your health care practitioner prior to the use of any of these herbs.

🎙️Podcast Description

February often arrives wrapped in red hearts and expectations — a season that tells us love must look a certain way. But what if true love begins not with someone else, but within?

In this episode of The Grounded Leader, host Sweta Vikram explores the subtle emotional weight that Valentine’s Day can carry — from comparison to loneliness — and how these moments mirror deeper questions of self-worth. Drawing on Ayurvedic wisdom and lived experience, she unpacks how our relationship with ourselves shapes the way we lead, connect, and show up in the world.

Through gentle reflection and grounded practices, you’ll learn to return to yourself — to lead from worth, not from the need for validation.

💛 Key Takeaways:

· Self-worth is not performance. It’s remembering that your value doesn’t rise or fall with others’ approval.

· Disconnection creates imbalance. In Ayurveda, true alignment begins with reconnecting to your essence.

· Leadership rooted in worth feels safe. When you lead from self-trust, others feel grounded in your steadiness.

· Simple self-love practices heal. Conscious breathing, nourishing food, and mindful gratitude are leadership tools — not luxuries.

· Love becomes leadership. How you love yourself sets the tone for every relationship you nurture — at work and beyond.

🌸 If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and review The Grounded Leader — it helps more people find this space of calm and authenticity.

✨ Continue your journey of holistic leadership and Ayurvedic wellbeing at swetavikram.com, or connect with me on Instagram @swetavikram
for daily reflections on balance, purpose, and heart-centered success.

If you are looking for advice from a trained yogi and Ayurvedic Doctor, contact Sweta here.

Connect on Socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

Visit my website

Disclaimer: The content is purely informative and educational in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. Please use the content only in consultation with an appropriate certified medical or healthcare professional. If you are nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition, please consult with your health care practitioner prior to the use of any of these herbs.

In this heartfelt episode of The Grounded Leader, host Sweta Vikram sits down with Priya Ramteke, a professional leader whose journey beautifully intertwines career success with compassion and service.

At a time when leadership is often defined by metrics, titles, and outcomes, Priya reminds us that true fulfillment comes from giving back. Be it through her volunteer work teaching yoga to underprivileged children or donating her time and services in other ways, Priya has discovered how acts of service can quiet the ego, cultivate empathy, and strengthen the very qualities that make us better leaders.

Together, Sweta and Priya explore how service nourishes purpose, how privilege can be used consciously, and why generosity of spirit may be the most sustainable form of leadership in our fast-paced world.

✨ Key Takeaways

1. Service transforms the self before it transforms others. Giving back is not just an act of generosity—it’s a path toward deeper self-awareness and humility.
2. Leadership is energy management. Teaching yoga to children helped Priya reconnect with stillness, balance, and compassion—qualities she brings back to her professional life.
3. Privilege comes with responsibility. Awareness of opportunity can inspire meaningful action when paired with empathy and intention.
4. Boundaries sustain generosity. Priya shares how she maintains healthy limits to ensure that giving doesn’t lead to depletion.
5. Fulfillment is born from connection. Success feels richer when it is rooted in purpose, presence, and the wellbeing of others.

🎧 If this episode inspired you, take a moment to reflect on how you can give back this week — whether it’s mentoring, volunteering, or simply showing kindness.

💫 Share this episode with a colleague or friend who leads with heart.
💫 Subscribe, rate, and review The Grounded Leader wherever you listen — your support helps us reach more leaders who value purpose, balance, and authenticity.

✨BIO

Priya Ramteke, Head of Learning at NMAJS, brings over 26 years of experience in education — including 17 years in IB schools in India and nine in England. In her current role, she leads curriculum and instructional leadership across both the Primary Years Programme and the Middle Years Programme, with a strong focus on making transitions enriching.

As both a certified yoga teacher and an active IBEN educator, she brings a unique lens to her work — one that integrates well-being and mindfulness into the way schools use data, ensuring that learning remains holistic and human-centered.

If you are looking for advice from a trained yogi and Ayurvedic Doctor, contact Sweta here.

Connect on Socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

Visit my website

Disclaimer: The content is purely informative and educational in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. Please use the content only in consultation with an appropriate certified medical or healthcare professional. If you are nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition, please consult with your health care practitioner prior to the use of any of these herbs.

🎧It’s January — the season of fresh starts and fierce resolutions. But Ayurveda reminds us: we don’t need to reinvent ourselves to grow — we only need to remember who we are.

In this episode, Sweta Vikram explores how to begin the year with stillness, not speed. Through Ayurvedic wisdom and mindful reflection, she shares how slowing down helps us align with winter’s rhythm, lead with clarity, and cultivate calm strength instead of burnout.

If you’re ready to start the year grounded in purpose rather than pressure, this episode is your invitation to breathe, reset, and return home to yourself.

🌿 Key Takeaways

1. You don’t need to reinvent yourself — you need to realign. Growth begins with remembering your true rhythm.
2. Ayurveda teaches cyclical balance. Winter (Kapha season) calls for rest, nourishment, and reflection — not overdrive.
3. Stillness clarifies strategy. The quiet moments reveal what truly matters, personally and professionally.
4. Add, don’t restrict. Add warmth, grounding, and gentle structure to stabilize energy and focus.
5. Leadership starts with energy, not achievement. Ask: “How do I want to feel as I lead this year?”

🌿 Begin your year with intention — not intensity.
💛 Share your January intention using #TheGroundedLeaderPodcast and tag @swetavikram
💌 Download your free “5-Minute Ayurveda Reset” and explore Ayurvedic coaching at swetavikram.com
🎧 Follow The Grounded Leader for more Ayurvedic wisdom to help you lead with balance, not burnout.

If you are looking for advice from a trained yogi and Ayurvedic Doctor, contact Sweta here.

Connect on Socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

Visit my website

Disclaimer: The content is purely informative and educational in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. Please use the content only in consultation with an appropriate certified medical or healthcare professional. If you are nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition, please consult with your health care practitioner prior to the use of any of these herbs.

On today’s episode … we’re diving into a topic that so many leaders quietly struggle with—the emotional weight of the holiday season. While we’re told this is the ‘most wonderful time of the year,’ and the holidays are marketed as the season of joy, family gatherings, and picture-perfect moment … for many, it brings up grief for loved ones who are no longer with us, the stress of strained family dynamics, spotlight the loneliness that follows life transitions like divorce, or the pressure of living up to Hallmark-style perfection.

This episode of The Grounded Leader explores how to navigate the emotional weight of the holidays without succumbing to the Hallmark pressures of “perfect cheer.” Instead, we’ll talk about the healing role of self-compassion, both/and thinking, and the grace of letting go—reminding us that one difficult holiday does not define a lifetime. Our guest today is Angie Miller.

🔑Key Takeaways for Listeners

• The holidays can hold both light and shadow, and that’s normal.
• Self-compassion is not indulgence—it’s resilience.
• Both/And thinking allows us to honor grief and joy in the same breath.
• Letting go of “perfect holidays” creates space for authentic presence.
• A tough season doesn’t mean a tough lifetime.

📣If the holidays feel heavy this year, know that you’re not alone — and you don’t have to push through in perfection mode.

💛 Follow The Grounded Leader for more soulful conversations that blend Ayurveda, leadership, and emotional wellbeing.
🌿 Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or loved one who might need the reminder that grace and grief can coexist.

-------------------------------------------

Angie's Bio

Angie is a Global Wellness Speaker who champions the intersection between physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. A Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, Author, and Renowned Fitness Expert, Angie empowers individuals and organizations worldwide with evidence-based strategies for mental and physical wellbeing. With years of experience helping individuals navigate loss, transition, and high-pressure seasons, Angie brings deep wisdom on how we can meet ourselves with self-compassion, both/and thinking, and the grace of letting go.

If you are looking for advice from a trained yogi and Ayurvedic Doctor, contact Sweta here.

Connect on Socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

Visit my website

Disclaimer: The content is purely informative and educational in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. Please use the content only in consultation with an appropriate certified medical or healthcare professional. If you are nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition, please consult with your health care practitioner prior to the use of any of these herbs.

🎙️ Episode Description

The Gratitude Advantage: Why Thankfulness Fuels Entrepreneurship

In this illuminating episode of The Grounded Leader, I sit down with the incomparable Laura Mignott—a culture-shaper, master connector, and visionary who leads teams that build unforgettable, high-impact brand experiences. Known for her magnetic presence and her ability to “know everyone,” Laura brings wisdom, humor, and heart to our conversation.

Together, we explore an entrepreneurial superpower that rarely gets the spotlight: gratitude. Far beyond a feel-good concept, gratitude is a strategic lens that transforms how we lead, innovate, and navigate uncertainty. It softens the edges of stress, fuels clarity, and strengthens resilience—while also shaping compassionate teams and emotionally intelligent companies.

Through personal stories and practical reflections, this episode invites you to rethink gratitude not as a “soft skill,” but as a hard-working leadership asset. Whether you’re scaling a business, leading a team, or simply trying to stay grounded in an ever-shifting world, this conversation will show you why thankfulness isn’t a luxury—it’s a competitive advantage.

✨ Key Takeaways

• Gratitude reframes the entrepreneurial journey
• Thankfulness strengthens leadership
• Gratitude is a team-culture builder
• Innovation thrives in a grateful mind
• Gratitude during setbacks
• Expressing gratitude outwardly

📣 If this episode helped you see gratitude in a new light, I’d love for you to support the show:

✨ Subscribe to The Grounded Leader so you never miss an episode
✨ Rate & Review to help more leaders and entrepreneurs discover these conversations
✨ Share this episode with someone who could use a reminder that gratitude is a leadership strategy—not an afterthought

Until next time, stay grounded, stay grateful, and keep leading with intention.

--------------------------------------------

Laura Mignott is a visionary business leader, cultural strategist, and brand innovator with over 15 years of executive experience shaping the future of marketing, communications, and experiential engagement. As the CEO of You Are Home (YAH), Laura helps Fortune 500 brands grow through inclusive storytelling, cultural fluency, and deep audience insight—driving business transformation in industries from tech to CPG, luxury to healthcare.

Her voice has been featured in Forbes, AdWeek, Essence, and Business Insider, and she is a frequent speaker at premier industry events including Cannes Lions, SXSW, Beet.TV, CES & more.

If you are looking for advice from a trained yogi and Ayurvedic Doctor, contact Sweta here.

Connect on Socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

Visit my website

Disclaimer: The content is purely informative and educational in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. Please use the content only in consultation with an appropriate certified medical or healthcare professional. If you are nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition, please consult with your health care practitioner prior to the use of any of these herbs.

🎙️ In this heartfelt episode I sit down with Reshma Kearney, a Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher and Healing Guide who helps individuals and families navigate life after loss.

After losing her husband to suicide in 2022, Reshma turned to mindfulness and movement as lifelines in her own healing. Today, she leads Healing Circles for those walking the difficult path of grief, creating compassionate spaces for remembrance, release, and renewal. To me, she is a real leader helping her children, family, and communities grieve and heal with compassion.

Together, we explore how grief can become a teacher — guiding us toward deeper self-awareness, tenderness, and purpose.

🎧 Key Takeaways

1. Grief reshapes us. It can become a powerful teacher that deepens our empathy, resilience, and connection to what truly matters.
2. Healing isn’t about “getting over it.” It’s about learning to live with love, loss, and gratitude all at once — honoring the full range of human experience.
3. Movement and mindfulness reconnect us. Simple, embodied practices can help us feel grounded and reclaim parts of ourselves that grief can silence.
4. Community heals what isolation cannot. Healing Circles and shared spaces remind us we don’t have to carry pain alone — collective healing creates profound transformation.
5. Purpose can emerge from pain. When we allow grief to soften rather than harden us, it can guide us toward service, creativity, and deeper meaning in life and leadership.

📣 If this episode spoke to your heart, share it with someone who needs to hear they’re not alone and connect with Reshma for grief and mindfulness support.

📚 And for a deeper exploration, pick up my book The Loss That Binds Us — part memoir, part guide — wherever books are sold.

💡 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review The Grounded Leader so we can keep creating space for these real, human conversations.

If you are looking for advice from a trained yogi and Ayurvedic Doctor, contact Sweta here.

Connect on Socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

Visit my website

Disclaimer: The content is purely informative and educational in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. Please use the content only in consultation with an appropriate certified medical or healthcare professional. If you are nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition, please consult with your health care practitioner prior to the use of any of these herbs.

🎙️ Podcast: Regaining Your Equilibrium: Should Shouldering the Demands of Your Life Come at a Cost?

Leaders in the “sandwich generation” often carry a silent load: managing teams and businesses, raising children, and caring for aging parents—all while trying to keep their own lives intact. On the outside, they look like powerhouses. Inside? Many feel stretched thin, unseen, and close to breaking.

In this episode of The Grounded Leader, I sit down with Aditi Davray, consultant to nonprofit, philanthropic, and private sector organizations and doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership and Policy at NYU. She's also a certified Domestic Violence Advocate and was recognized as an Advocate of New York in 2021 by the Mayor's Office to End Gender-Based Violence.

Together, we unpack the toll of nonstop caregiving and leading, and explore how women in particular experience unseen pressures, guilt, and identity shifts during this stage of life.

We also look at how organizations and families can step up, what wellness practices like Ayurveda and mindfulness can offer, and how redefining success can help leaders in the sandwich generation reclaim energy, agency, and fulfillment.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying the world for everyone else while quietly putting your own dreams on pause, this conversation is for you.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• The invisible weight of caregiving & leadership: Why women leaders in the sandwich generation face unique challenges.
• The emotional toll: How guilt, grief, and burnout quietly shape both careers and personal lives.
• Identity shifts: What happens when leadership collides with caregiving and women begin to question their sense of self.
• Ripple effects in the workplace: How silent burnout affects teams, organizations, and culture.
• Pathways to resilience: Small but powerful ways women can prioritize their own well-being without guilt.
• Redefining success: Moving away from “doing it all” toward living fully, sustainably, and with balance.
• The role of holistic practices: How Ayurveda, yoga, and mindfulness can anchor leaders through this demanding life stage.

📣 My friend, if you’re listening and feel seen by today’s conversation, know this: you’re not failing—you’re simply carrying too much. You deserve support, rest, and dreams that don’t have to wait for “someday.”

👉 Share this episode with another woman in your life who’s quietly holding it all together. Start a conversation, and let her know she’s not alone.
👉 For more resources on balance and Ayurvedic wellness for leaders, connect with me on Instagram @swetavikram or visit www.swetavikram.com.

If you are looking for advice from a trained yogi and Ayurvedic Doctor, contact Sweta here.

Connect on Socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

Visit my website

Disclaimer: The content is purely informative and educational in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. Please use the content only in consultation with an appropriate certified medical or healthcare professional. If you are nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition, please consult with your health care practitioner prior to the use of any of these herbs.