Play to Potential Podcast

698: 106.00 Bill Burnett on Designing a Life of Play, Purpose and Possibility

GUEST: Bill Burnett is a designer, educator, and co-author of Designing Your Life. He has worked across toys, technology and academia, and now leads the Life Design Lab at Stanford where he helps people rethink how they build their careers and lives. In this conversation, we walk through his journey from the early days of design to his work with students and professionals who are trying to find clarity in a world that keeps shifting. Bill talks about the power of curiosity and play, the value of reframing problems before rushing to solutions, and why small prototypes often reveal more truth than long plans. He also explains gravity problems and anchor problems, how energy and engagement shape our daily experience, and why coherence is a reliable signal that your choices match who you are. We touch on how AI is reshaping work and why the most durable skills involve empathy, creativity and the ability to learn fast. The discussion is a helpful reminder that there is no single perfect path. There are several good paths, and we find them by paying attention, trying things and staying open to what the world is telling us. Published in December 2025.   ABOUT THE PODCAST: The podcast has been functional since 2016. We are one of the (if not the only one) podcasts that break a conversation down into small pieces of content and reorganise them by theme. To know more you can visit www.playtopotential.com and see the Curated Playlists section. While the full conversations on Apple, Spotify and other platforms are open access, the curated insights require membership. HOST: Deepak Jayaraman, the host of this podcast series, works with Leaders and Organizations with a growth mindset and helps them play to their full potential. He strives to spend significant upfront energy in understand the nuances of the context and then armed with the mutual trust and understanding of the context, strives to be of value as a (behind the scenes and discreet) Coach / Sounding Board for their journeys. LinkedIn profile here. OTHER GUESTS: 1.Vijay Amritraj 2.Amish Tripathi 3.Raghu Raman 4.Papa CJ 5.Kartik Hosanagar 6.Ravi Venkatesan 7.Abhijit Bhaduri 8.Viren Rasquinha 9.Prakash Iyer 10.Avnish Bajaj 11.Nandan Nilekani 12.Atul Kasbekar 13.Karthik Reddy 14.Pramath Sinha 15.Vedika Bhandarkar 16.Vinita Bali 17.Zia Mody 18.Rama Bijapurkar 19.Dheeraj Pandey 20.Anu Madgavkar 21.Vishy Anand 22. Meher Pudumjee 23.KV Shridhar (Pops) 24.Suresh Naraynan 25.Devdutt Pattanaik 26.Jay Panda 27.Amit Chandra 28.Chandramouli Venkatesan 29.Roopa Kudva 30.Vinay Sitapati 31.Neera Nundy. 32.Deepa Malik 33.Bombay Jayashri. 34.Arun Maira 35.Ambi Parameswaran 36.OP Bhaat 37.Indranil Chakraborty 38.Tarun Khanna 39. Ramachandra Guha 40. Stewart Friedman 41. Rich Fernandez 42. Falguni Nayar 43. Rajat Gupta 44. Kartik Hosanagar 45. Michael Watkins 46. Matt Dixon 47. Herminia Ibarra 48. Paddy Upton 49. Tasha Eurich 50. Alan Eagle 51. Sudhir Sitapati 52. James Clear 53. Lynda Gratton 54. Jennifer Petriglieri. 55. Matthew Walker 56. Raj Raghunathan 57. Jennifer Garvey Berger 58. BJ Fogg 59. R Gopolakrishnan 60. Sir Andrew Likierman. 61. Atul Khatri 62. Whitney Jonson 63. Venkat Krishnan 64. Marshall Goldsmith 65. Ashish Dhawan 66. Vinay Sitapati 67. Ashley Whillans 68. Tenzin Priyadarshi 69. Ramesh Srinivasan 70. Bruce Feiler 71. Sanjeev Aggarwal and T. N. Hari 72. Bill Carr 73. Jennifer Wetzler 74. Sally Helgesen 75. Dan Cable 76. Tom Vanderbilt 77. Darleen DeRosa 78. Amy Edmondson 79. Katy Milkman 80. Harish Bhatt 81. Lloyd Reeb 82. Sukhinder Cassidy 83. Harsh Mariwala 84. Rajiv Vij 85. Dorie Clark 86. Ayse Birsel 87. Ravi Venkatesan E2 88. Pradeep Chakravarthy 89. Dan Pink 90. Alisa Cohn 91. Ayelet Fishbach 92. Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg 93. Raghu Ananthnarayanan 94. Tarun Khanna EP2 95. Manjari Jaruhar 96. Ethan Kross 97. David Bradford 98. Jeffrey Pfeffer 99. Michiel Kruyt 100. Christopher Clarey 101. Stephen M.R. Covey 102. David Noble & Carol Kauffman 103. Ricardo Sunderland 104. Neeraj Aggarwal 105. Jaspreet Bindra DISCLAIMER All content and opinions expressed in the podcast are that of the guests and are not necessarily the opinions of Deepak Jayaraman and Transition Insight Private Limited. Views expressed in comments to blog are the personal opinions of the author of the comment. They do not necessarily reflect the views of The Company or the author of the blog. Participants are responsible for the content of their comments and all comments that are posted are in the public domain. The Company reserves the right to monitor, edit, and/or publish any submitted comments. Not all comments may be published. Any third-party comments published are third party information and The Company takes no responsibility and disclaims all liability. The Company reserves the right, but is not obligated to monitor and delete any comments or postings at any time without notice.

697: 105. 00 Jaspreet Bindra on AI Literacy - Navigating the AI revolution

GUEST: Jaspreet Bindra is an author, speaker, and thought leader in the areas of digital transformation and artificial intelligence.  In this conversation, we explore his journey from a corporate career to entrepreneurship and his work in helping individuals and organizations build AI literacy. Jaspreet believes that understanding AI is no longer optional, it is essential for leaders who want to stay relevant and human in the age of technology. He shares insights on how AI is reshaping the nature of work, decision-making, and leadership itself, while emphasizing the enduring importance of human connection, creativity, and judgment. We also touch upon how leaders can balance technological fluency with self-awareness, and what it really means to thrive in a world where humans and machines increasingly work together. Published in November 2025.   ABOUT THE PODCAST: The podcast has been functional since 2016. We are one of the (if not the only one) podcasts that break a conversation down into small pieces of content and reorganise them by theme. To know more you can visit www.playtopotential.com and see the Curated Playlists section. While the full conversations on Apple, Spotify and other platforms are open access, the curated insights require membership. HOST: Deepak Jayaraman, the host of this podcast series, works with Leaders and Organizations with a growth mindset and helps them play to their full potential. He strives to spend significant upfront energy in understand the nuances of the context and then armed with the mutual trust and understanding of the context, strives to be of value as a (behind the scenes and discreet) Coach / Sounding Board for their journeys. LinkedIn profile here. OTHER GUESTS: 1.Vijay Amritraj 2.Amish Tripathi 3.Raghu Raman 4.Papa CJ 5.Kartik Hosanagar 6.Ravi Venkatesan 7.Abhijit Bhaduri 8.Viren Rasquinha 9.Prakash Iyer 10.Avnish Bajaj 11.Nandan Nilekani 12.Atul Kasbekar 13.Karthik Reddy 14.Pramath Sinha 15.Vedika Bhandarkar 16.Vinita Bali 17.Zia Mody 18.Rama Bijapurkar 19.Dheeraj Pandey 20.Anu Madgavkar 21.Vishy Anand 22. Meher Pudumjee 23.KV Shridhar (Pops) 24.Suresh Naraynan 25.Devdutt Pattanaik 26.Jay Panda 27.Amit Chandra 28.Chandramouli Venkatesan 29.Roopa Kudva 30.Vinay Sitapati 31.Neera Nundy. 32.Deepa Malik 33.Bombay Jayashri. 34.Arun Maira 35.Ambi Parameswaran 36.OP Bhaat 37.Indranil Chakraborty 38.Tarun Khanna 39. Ramachandra Guha 40. Stewart Friedman 41. Rich Fernandez 42. Falguni Nayar 43. Rajat Gupta 44. Kartik Hosanagar 45. Michael Watkins 46. Matt Dixon 47. Herminia Ibarra 48. Paddy Upton 49. Tasha Eurich 50. Alan Eagle 51. Sudhir Sitapati 52. James Clear 53. Lynda Gratton 54. Jennifer Petriglieri. 55. Matthew Walker 56. Raj Raghunathan 57. Jennifer Garvey Berger 58. BJ Fogg 59. R Gopolakrishnan 60. Sir Andrew Likierman. 61. Atul Khatri 62. Whitney Jonson 63. Venkat Krishnan 64. Marshall Goldsmith 65. Ashish Dhawan 66. Vinay Sitapati 67. Ashley Whillans 68. Tenzin Priyadarshi 69. Ramesh Srinivasan 70. Bruce Feiler 71. Sanjeev Aggarwal and T. N. Hari 72. Bill Carr 73. Jennifer Wetzler 74. Sally Helgesen 75. Dan Cable 76. Tom Vanderbilt 77. Darleen DeRosa 78. Amy Edmondson 79. Katy Milkman 80. Harish Bhatt 81. Lloyd Reeb 82. Sukhinder Cassidy 83. Harsh Mariwala 84. Rajiv Vij 85. Dorie Clark 86. Ayse Birsel 87. Ravi Venkatesan E2 88. Pradeep Chakravarthy 89. Dan Pink 90. Alisa Cohn 91. Ayelet Fishbach 92. Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg 93. Raghu Ananthnarayanan 94. Tarun Khanna EP2 95. Manjari Jaruhar 96. Ethan Kross 97. David Bradford 98. Jeffrey Pfeffer 99. Michiel Kruyt 100. Christopher Clarey 101. Stephen M.R. Covey 102. David Noble & Carol Kauffman 103. Ricardo Sunderland DISCLAIMER   All content and opinions expressed in the podcast are that of the guests and are not necessarily the opinions of Deepak Jayaraman and Transition Insight Private Limited. Views expressed in comments to blog are the personal opinions of the author of the comment. They do not necessarily reflect the views of The Company or the author of the blog. Participants are responsible for the content of their comments and all comments that are posted are in the public domain. The Company reserves the right to monitor, edit, and/or publish any submitted comments. Not all comments may be published. Any third-party comments published are third party information and The Company takes no responsibility and disclaims all liability. The Company reserves the right, but is not obligated to monitor and delete any comments or postings at any time without notice.

696: 104.00 Neeraj Aggarwal on Leadership, legacy and living a full life

GUEST:   Neeraj is a visionary leader and the driving force behind Plaksha University, an innovative educational institution focused on interdisciplinary learning and sustainable development. With a rich background in consulting and leadership at BCG, Neeraj brings a wealth of experience in transforming leadership models to adapt to the evolving demands of the 21st century. In this podcast, we explore Neeraj's journey and insights on the evolution of leadership in the age of AI, emphasizing the shift from hierarchical models to ecosystem orchestration. Neeraj shares how he balances intense professional commitments with personal life and his dedication to nation-building through education reform. We delve into the innovative educational playbook at Plaksha University, focusing on interdisciplinary learning and sustainable development, and discuss the impact of AI on leadership and the importance of integrating technology with human judgment.   Published in October 2025.   ABOUT THE PODCAST: The podcast has been functional since 2016. We are one of the (if not the only one) podcasts that break a conversation down into small pieces of content and reorganise them by theme. To know more you can visit www.playtopotential.com and see the Curated Playlists section. While the full conversations on Apple, Spotify and other platforms are open access, the curated insights require membership. HOST: Deepak Jayaraman, the host of this podcast series, works with Leaders and Organizations with a growth mindset and helps them play to their full potential. He strives to spend significant upfront energy in understand the nuances of the context and then armed with the mutual trust and understanding of the context, strives to be of value as a (behind the scenes and discreet) Coach / Sounding Board for their journeys. LinkedIn profile here. OTHER GUESTS: 1.Vijay Amritraj 2.Amish Tripathi 3.Raghu Raman 4.Papa CJ 5.Kartik Hosanagar 6.Ravi Venkatesan 7.Abhijit Bhaduri 8.Viren Rasquinha 9.Prakash Iyer 10.Avnish Bajaj 11.Nandan Nilekani 12.Atul Kasbekar 13.Karthik Reddy 14.Pramath Sinha 15.Vedika Bhandarkar 16.Vinita Bali 17.Zia Mody 18.Rama Bijapurkar 19.Dheeraj Pandey 20.Anu Madgavkar 21.Vishy Anand 22. Meher Pudumjee 23.KV Shridhar (Pops) 24.Suresh Naraynan 25.Devdutt Pattanaik 26.Jay Panda 27.Amit Chandra 28.Chandramouli Venkatesan 29.Roopa Kudva 30.Vinay Sitapati 31.Neera Nundy. 32.Deepa Malik 33.Bombay Jayashri. 34.Arun Maira 35.Ambi Parameswaran 36.OP Bhaat 37.Indranil Chakraborty 38.Tarun Khanna 39. Ramachandra Guha 40. Stewart Friedman 41. Rich Fernandez 42. Falguni Nayar 43. Rajat Gupta 44. Kartik Hosanagar 45. Michael Watkins 46. Matt Dixon 47. Herminia Ibarra 48. Paddy Upton 49. Tasha Eurich 50. Alan Eagle 51. Sudhir Sitapati 52. James Clear 53. Lynda Gratton 54. Jennifer Petriglieri. 55. Matthew Walker 56. Raj Raghunathan 57. Jennifer Garvey Berger 58. BJ Fogg 59. R Gopolakrishnan 60. Sir Andrew Likierman. 61. Atul Khatri 62. Whitney Jonson 63. Venkat Krishnan 64. Marshall Goldsmith 65. Ashish Dhawan 66. Vinay Sitapati 67. Ashley Whillans 68. Tenzin Priyadarshi 69. Ramesh Srinivasan 70. Bruce Feiler 71. Sanjeev Aggarwal and T. N. Hari 72. Bill Carr 73. Jennifer Wetzler 74. Sally Helgesen 75. Dan Cable 76. Tom Vanderbilt 77. Darleen DeRosa 78. Amy Edmondson 79. Katy Milkman 80. Harish Bhatt 81. Lloyd Reeb 82. Sukhinder Cassidy 83. Harsh Mariwala 84. Rajiv Vij 85. Dorie Clark 86. Ayse Birsel 87. Ravi Venkatesan E2 88. Pradeep Chakravarthy 89. Dan Pink 90. Alisa Cohn 91. Ayelet Fishbach 92. Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg 93. Raghu Ananthnarayanan 94. Tarun Khanna EP2 95. Manjari Jaruhar 96. Ethan Kross 97. David Bradford 98. Jeffrey Pfeffer 99. Michiel Kruyt 100. Christopher Clarey 101. Stephen M.R. Covey 102. David Noble & Carol Kauffman 103. Ricardo Sunderland DISCLAIMER   All content and opinions expressed in the podcast are that of the guests and are not necessarily the opinions of Deepak Jayaraman and Transition Insight Private Limited. Views expressed in comments to blog are the personal opinions of the author of the comment. They do not necessarily reflect the views of The Company or the author of the blog. Participants are responsible for the content of their comments and all comments that are posted are in the public domain. The Company reserves the right to monitor, edit, and/or publish any submitted comments. Not all comments may be published. Any third-party comments published are third party information and The Company takes no responsibility and disclaims all liability. The Company reserves the right, but is not obligated to monitor and delete any comments or postings at any time without notice.

695: Tanmay Vora on The Art of Sketchnoting

GUEST: Tanmay unpacks the idea of 'skillstacking' - the art of strategically combining our skills to shape the playground we operate in. He specifically discusses about how sketchnoting adds to his flywheel in terms of how he adds value in his work. The Book: Play to Potential - Lead a full life, become the best you (Published by Penguin RandomHouse) is now available to order (1-30 copies) on Amazon - https://qr1.be/29Z6 Published on August 2025. ABOUT THE BOOK:  Play to Potential offers a refreshing exploration of human potential, emphasizing discovery through play rather than work. Deepak Jayaraman weaves insights from his eponymous podcast, his coaching work and his lived experience to share a powerful yet simple framework (FLAVOUR) that can act as a guide to navigate the pulls and pressures of life. This book is a guide to living a fulfilled life, integrating family, aspirations, value creation, and deep relationships. It transcends traditional career advice, providing actionable insights for personal growth and fulfillment. While there are many books that act as a North Star for people to navigate their journey, this book strives to be a torch light that can show people the way through the imperfections and the messiness to lead a full life and unlock their human potential.  HOST Deepak Jayaraman's mission is to help individuals with a growth mindset play to their full potential. He works as a coach and a sounding board to growth-minded leaders on multi-year journeys as a trusted confidant and counsel. He does that by immersing himself in the full context of their lives - professional and personal. Deepak has been curating the Play to Potential Podcast since 2016, where he has distilled the wisdom of 100+ distinguished guests across disciplines (business, academics, sports, art, politics and more). Prior to setting up his independent practice in 2016, Deepak has worked across US, UK and India with KPMG Consulting, McKinsey & Co and EgonZehnder. Deepak is an alumnus of IIT Madras, IIM Ahmedabad and London Business School (MBA) and is a certified CEO Coach.  DISCLAIMER All content and opinions expressed in the podcast are that of the guests and are not necessarily the opinions of Deepak Jayaraman and Transition Insight Private Limited. Views expressed in comments to blog are the personal opinions of the author of the comment. They do not necessarily reflect the views of The Company or the author of the blog. Participants are responsible for the content of their comments and all comments that are posted are in the public domain. The Company reserves the right to monitor, edit, and/or publish any submitted comments. Not all comments may be published. Any third-party comments published are third party information and The Company takes no responsibility and disclaims all liability. The Company reserves the right, but is not obligated to monitor and delete any comments or postings at any time without notice.

694: EP 6. Flavour-ful Lives - Vineet Panchhi

GUEST: In this episode of FLAVOUR-ful Lives, we explore the multifaceted journey of Vineet Panchhi, a true exemplar of embracing multiple identities. From his early days in Hotel Management at IHM Pusa to successful careers in Sales, HR, Singing, Jingle Creation, Movie Workshop Directing, Internal Communications, and Poetry, Vineet embodies the essence of not being confined by one identity. Learn how he defies the conventional path, demonstrating that our pasts do not have to define our futures. Join us as we delve into his story, featured in the Play to Potential book. The Book: Play to Potential - Lead a full life, become the best you (Published by Penguin RandomHouse) is now available to order (1-30 copies) on Amazon - https://qr1.be/29Z6 Published on August 2025. ABOUT THE BOOK:  Play to Potential offers a refreshing exploration of human potential, emphasizing discovery through play rather than work. Deepak Jayaraman weaves insights from his eponymous podcast, his coaching work and his lived experience to share a powerful yet simple framework (FLAVOUR) that can act as a guide to navigate the pulls and pressures of life. This book is a guide to living a fulfilled life, integrating family, aspirations, value creation, and deep relationships. It transcends traditional career advice, providing actionable insights for personal growth and fulfillment. While there are many books that act as a North Star for people to navigate their journey, this book strives to be a torch light that can show people the way through the imperfections and the messiness to lead a full life and unlock their human potential. HOST Deepak Jayaraman's mission is to help individuals with a growth mindset play to their full potential. He works as a coach and a sounding board to growth-minded leaders on multi-year journeys as a trusted confidant and counsel. He does that by immersing himself in the full context of their lives - professional and personal. Deepak has been curating the Play to Potential Podcast since 2016, where he has distilled the wisdom of 100+ distinguished guests across disciplines (business, academics, sports, art, politics and more). Prior to setting up his independent practice in 2016, Deepak has worked across US, UK and India with KPMG Consulting, McKinsey & Co and EgonZehnder. Deepak is an alumnus of IIT Madras, IIM Ahmedabad and London Business School (MBA) and is a certified CEO Coach.  DISCLAIMER All content and opinions expressed in the podcast are that of the guests and are not necessarily the opinions of Deepak Jayaraman and Transition Insight Private Limited. Views expressed in comments to blog are the personal opinions of the author of the comment. They do not necessarily reflect the views of The Company or the author of the blog. Participants are responsible for the content of their comments and all comments that are posted are in the public domain. The Company reserves the right to monitor, edit, and/or publish any submitted comments. Not all comments may be published. Any third-party comments published are third party information and The Company takes no responsibility and disclaims all liability. The Company reserves the right, but is not obligated to monitor and delete any comments or postings at any time without notice.