1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,200 Tell me about your vision. 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:05,040 It's a big vision, Harian. 3 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:08,360 As soon as I think about it, my brain laughs at me, 4 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:11,280 because the vision is to touch billion lives positively. 5 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:13,040 It's a big vision, but it's been something 6 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:18,600 that I've been consistently making progress on since 2016. 7 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,840 It's hard to quantify it, but while it gives me 8 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:27,960 a lot of joy on the everyday basis, I'm good with that. 9 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:31,960 A billion lives positively. 10 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:33,840 I don't know if it's a big vision. 11 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:35,760 I think you can go much bigger than that. 12 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:40,360 But when you mean positively, what do you mean by that? 13 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:41,920 Can you tell me the details? 14 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:42,440 Absolutely. 15 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:46,000 So I think what I've done over the years in my own life, 16 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,320 and this is something that I reflected when a coach asked 17 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:50,800 me this question, Utkash, you moved from health care 18 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,600 to filming and editing, to sales and operations, 19 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:57,520 to now coach and facilitator, changed continents 20 00:00:57,520 --> 00:00:58,800 a few times. 21 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:00,600 What pushes you? 22 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:05,640 And I told him, for me, it's the joy that I get in the day. 23 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:09,880 If I feel that I'm not doing something that's valuable enough, 24 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,600 that's relevant enough, that's who I want to be, 25 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:14,520 then something else has got to change. 26 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,920 And I think that's the courage that I want people to feel, 27 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:19,360 because it's really important. 28 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:21,520 This human life is a blessing. 29 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:23,880 It's such a unique opportunity that's 30 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,800 been given to us to create beautiful things in our life 31 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:30,440 and if we're not feeling fulfilled in the moment, 32 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:32,160 if we feel that if I die today, there's 33 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:34,480 going to be a regret, then that is disservice. 34 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:37,840 So helping people live with courage as individuals, 35 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:40,520 as teams, as organizations, that to me 36 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:41,680 is touching a billion lives. 37 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:46,960 And I think as I think about it, if I coach a parent, 38 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:50,400 for example, who's an executive at a large company, 39 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,040 I'm helping them be their best in their organization, 40 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:56,440 but also when they go back to their families. 41 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,080 And the impact that that has is ripple 42 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:01,080 and that's where my job lies. 43 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:02,200 That's amazing. 44 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:06,440 And now I can see your vision from one person 45 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,360 to the other and how it can spread. 46 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,520 A lot of times when we have great leaders in the company, 47 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,960 it can lead to great lives for people with abundance. 48 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:18,320 And not just money. 49 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:22,840 I think money is a secondary product of things, 50 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,920 but creating a beautiful culture for people 51 00:02:25,920 --> 00:02:28,320 where they can learn and they can grow 52 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:32,080 and they feel that they are growing and making a difference, 53 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:33,840 that they have a purpose. 54 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:38,800 I think that's what leaders in executive levels at least, 55 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:40,200 I think, should aspire to be. 56 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:42,200 100%. 57 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:47,320 So where did this vision of you going and affecting 58 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:51,600 a billion lives from 2016 come from, Putkarsal? 59 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:57,640 So when I moved from my first profession of physical therapy 60 00:02:57,640 --> 00:03:01,560 into filming and editing, this was back in 2013, 61 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:03,680 I started working with a Columbia Business School 62 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:04,720 professor in New York. 63 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,640 And so I never lifted a camera, but the first role 64 00:03:08,640 --> 00:03:11,320 that I started to evolve myself into in that organization 65 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:13,760 was to film and edit video lectures. 66 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:18,040 As I started to go about that, 2014, 15, by 16, 67 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,280 I realized that I enjoy my work, but I 68 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:23,560 want to get better every single day. 69 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:27,640 And so in 2016, on my birthday, which is July 2, 70 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:31,560 I pursued that I'm going to take for the next 365 days 71 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,320 one portrait a day, one picture of a complete stranger 72 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:37,400 or person that I know of, but I'm 73 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:39,360 going to go out and take a picture of that person 74 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,920 to improve my skills of photography. 75 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:44,760 And as I thought about that, I thought, 76 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:47,840 let me also ask them if they are happy in their life 77 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:50,280 or what do they mean by happiness for themselves. 78 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:53,280 And so I pursued that project, Happiness, in 2016 79 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:58,240 from July 2 to about 400 days where every day I met a person, 80 00:03:58,240 --> 00:03:59,920 had a conversation about happiness, 81 00:03:59,920 --> 00:04:01,600 and I realized through those conversations 82 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:05,000 that the impact they had on me was 83 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,600 multi-fold than what I had on them. 84 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,040 I took that picture, put it on my social media, 85 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:15,000 the reach and that aspect of it was not like it did not blow up 86 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:16,640 the internet or something like that, 87 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:18,160 but it gave me a lot of joy. 88 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:19,800 I still look back at those pictures, 89 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:21,400 I still look back at the stories, 90 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:23,840 and they provide me a lot of fulfillment. 91 00:04:23,840 --> 00:04:26,320 And that's where I started to realize that if I'm 92 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:30,000 talking to a person who's maybe walking on the street, 93 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,320 a homeless person in New York City, 94 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,600 or someone who's selling vegetables 95 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:39,080 on the street in India, as I have these conversations, 96 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,640 as I help them think about the joy in their life, 97 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,000 that's going to give me a lot of satisfaction. 98 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:46,120 And that's where it started. 99 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:49,320 I can have this ripple effect on people. 100 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,680 I thought I could do million lies, 101 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:56,440 but then you complete, it's to me, more about the journey 102 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:57,720 than the final destination. 103 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:00,920 There's not going to be a day when I'll say in 2037 that, 104 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,720 oh, today I've touched a billion lies, now I can rest in peace. 105 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:05,840 Because to me, it's not like a final destination. 106 00:05:05,840 --> 00:05:08,560 It's the journey where I'm finding more joy in. 107 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:10,440 And so that's where the vision evolved. 108 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:14,160 And yeah, it continues in different shapes and forms 109 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,640 through this podcast, for example. 110 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:19,840 Wow, I'm very intrigued. 111 00:05:19,840 --> 00:05:23,280 I'm very intrigued by what you just shared. 112 00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:25,480 And this is a tough question, if you want to answer. 113 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:33,600 How did that taking photography of pictures of people 114 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:41,080 every day and asking them the question about their happiness 115 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:42,200 get you where you are today? 116 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,160 I think if there's one thing that we take with ourselves 117 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,040 through the journey and beyond in life, 118 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:50,800 that's the stories that we collect. 119 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,040 That's the conversations that we have. 120 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:55,400 I'm not going to, if I look back at my career 121 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:57,240 over the last 20 years, I'm not going 122 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:00,040 to remember what presentation I gave 123 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:03,320 and what Excel sheet did I create, what email did I send. 124 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:06,120 But I clearly remember that difficult conversation. 125 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:08,040 I clearly remember that moment when 126 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:10,000 I said something to someone, and they said, 127 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,600 I remember that moment when I said something to someone 128 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:13,880 that made them feel special. 129 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:17,000 I remember growing those people in my organization. 130 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,040 So those stories stay with me. 131 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:20,560 Story of a coaching conversation. 132 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:23,920 I'm not going to remember all of them, 1,500 hours, no. 133 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:25,520 But the stories stay with me. 134 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:27,600 That human touch stays with me. 135 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:29,960 So I think those stories still stay with me, Harian. 136 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:31,440 And that's the big lesson. 137 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:33,480 And I clearly remember there was this one day, 138 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:35,160 many conversations are coming to mind 139 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:36,760 as we are having this conversation. 140 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:38,800 But there was this one day, it was Diwali, 141 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:44,000 since we have an Indian unifying chair. 142 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,800 So it was Diwali, which is a very important festival 143 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:48,320 in India. 144 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:49,720 It's like Christmas for India. 145 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,240 And so I was going to the market to buy something. 146 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:54,080 And I was in my car. 147 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:55,800 I had my camera that day as well. 148 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:56,920 It was early morning. 149 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:03,360 And I saw a little girl sitting in a pile of rotten vegetables. 150 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:05,440 And she was about 10 or 11 years old. 151 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:08,400 And she was trying to find vegetables that were still 152 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:10,800 edible from that pile. 153 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,440 And I'm thinking now, should I go and ask her? 154 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:14,840 And part of me is judging myself. 155 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:17,320 Utkash, what the hell is wrong with you, man? 156 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:18,680 Look at her situation. 157 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:20,960 Do you think she's happy right now? 158 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:23,120 I'm judging her in that moment. 159 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:26,440 Sat in the car, about to reverse and go away. 160 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:28,760 But I thought, let me go and have a conversation with her. 161 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:29,760 And don't take the camera. 162 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:31,360 Just have a conversation with her. 163 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:32,000 I went there. 164 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:33,200 I sat down with her. 165 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:35,720 I asked her, like, what are you up to here? 166 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:39,320 And she said, I'm finding vegetables to feed my family. 167 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:40,720 That's a beautiful thing to do. 168 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:41,840 How do you feel about that? 169 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:46,760 And then she started saying, so what makes you happy in life? 170 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:51,040 And she said, when I color my work 171 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,440 that I get from school or the page, 172 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,160 when I color it to my heart's content, 173 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:57,160 that gives me happiness. 174 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:58,720 I'm like, tell me more about it. 175 00:07:58,720 --> 00:07:59,920 And then she started to open up. 176 00:07:59,920 --> 00:08:02,440 And then the last statement that she gave me, 177 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,200 she said, bhaiya, which in English means brother, 178 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:11,320 when I see other people smile, that gives me happiness. 179 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:12,760 I'm like, wow. 180 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:14,440 And my mind was blown in that moment 181 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:16,640 that here I am judging the other person for the maturity 182 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:19,600 that they might have or not have the situation they're in it 183 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:20,960 or not in. 184 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,040 But I think those experiences, Hari, 185 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:25,800 when I coach people today, I walk into those sessions. 186 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:27,520 I'm non-judgmental. 187 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:29,520 I'm able to create that space because I'm not 188 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:31,480 going to come here and say, what are you up to, man? 189 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:32,320 You cannot solve this. 190 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:33,240 What is wrong with you? 191 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:34,800 You cannot delegate to your people. 192 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:36,360 And you're the CEO. 193 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:37,600 Are you sure about that? 194 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:39,600 I'm not going to go into causation judging them. 195 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:42,720 I think that's the lesson that I still keep with myself. 196 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:45,840 Well, thank you for sharing that authentic self. 197 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:49,680 I think that helps me clarify what you're going 198 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:52,880 and what your vision is all about. 199 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:56,320 So how did you get, and I think you've answered it in a way, 200 00:08:56,320 --> 00:09:01,480 but then how did the transition from photography 201 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:07,120 to business coaching and now all that together? 202 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:09,440 So absolutely, it's a fascinating story. 203 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:11,240 And I consider myself lucky. 204 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:13,600 But also, each day I was choosing 205 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:15,120 to be the author of my story. 206 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:17,560 Each day I was choosing to be who I wanted to be. 207 00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:22,800 And that, to me, was what I allow people to take away. 208 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,440 After doing filming for about four years, 209 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,160 building 400 hours of content, I went to the founder 210 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:30,040 and said, now I'm going to do something else. 211 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:33,440 Because I can now delegate this to my team. 212 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:34,720 I don't really have to be here. 213 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:36,560 We're not creating any new content. 214 00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:38,400 So let me get into sales, because that's 215 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:39,360 something that I enjoy. 216 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:40,280 I built the product. 217 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:41,600 I can sell it now. 218 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:43,600 And they're like, Utkesh, what's wrong with you, man? 219 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,360 Four years ago, you came as a physiotherapist, 220 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:48,760 changed your life, and now you want to change it again? 221 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:50,800 How many times can one person change their lives 222 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:52,400 in a lifetime? 223 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:54,640 Who's going to stop me? 224 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:58,480 And so then what I did was I started to keep a social day. 225 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:00,360 In that moment, I said, Utkesh, why don't you 226 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:02,280 get some coaching for yourself to clarify 227 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:03,760 what you're going through? 228 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:05,600 I'm like, coach, what would they do? 229 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:07,280 And they said, they'll talk to you on Zoom. 230 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:08,280 We have internal coaches. 231 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:10,480 And I'm like, I don't believe in coaching. 232 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:14,800 I'm not going to sit across Zoom and share my beliefs 233 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:17,400 and limitations to anyone else. 234 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:19,080 I don't feel safe doing that. 235 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:20,680 But they persisted. 236 00:10:20,680 --> 00:10:22,040 And then I gave in. 237 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:24,080 But those six months with my coach, the first time 238 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,360 I experienced coaching in its beautiful form, 239 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:27,560 was life-changing. 240 00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:30,600 And I think that's when in 2016, 17, the seeds were sown, 241 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:32,880 that someday, hopefully, I will come to a position 242 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:34,640 where I'll be able to help others 243 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:37,240 and create that space for them where beautiful solutions might 244 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:38,800 pop up. 245 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:41,320 Went into sales and operations, made that transition, 246 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:44,240 sold deals worth $250,000 and beyond, 247 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:46,080 and thoroughly enjoyed that process. 248 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:48,240 But when COVID came about, I realized 249 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:50,320 that there was a very dear friend who 250 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:51,760 passed away during COVID. 251 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:53,240 And he was mere 41. 252 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:56,720 And I realized that life's too short, 253 00:10:56,720 --> 00:10:58,360 even though it's the longest thing that we all do. 254 00:10:58,360 --> 00:10:59,960 But it's still too short, because there 255 00:10:59,960 --> 00:11:01,720 are so many dreams we have. 256 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:03,480 What's your big dream? 257 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:05,760 It is to start a company called Ignited Neurons 258 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:07,680 and become a coach for others, because that's 259 00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:10,920 what changed your trajectory at a certain point. 260 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:12,640 And so in the middle of the pandemic, 261 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:14,320 I will not recommend people to do it 262 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:16,800 who are sitting at home and listening to this. 263 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:18,640 Quit my job in the middle of the pandemic 264 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:22,000 and started a company, took a year, 2020, 265 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:24,320 spent a lot of time studying and understanding 266 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:26,240 how coaching really happens and what's 267 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:28,760 the role of a coach in helping people move forward. 268 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:30,400 And yeah, that's the journey. 269 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:33,680 And now it's learning facilitation, coaching, 270 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:37,080 and helping people embrace their fears 271 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:38,800 while they live with courage. 272 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:40,160 Thank you for being here today. 273 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:42,640 I'm really happy that you tuned in to Vision Pros Live. 274 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:45,280 I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions 275 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:47,520 as these episodes continue to move forward. 276 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:49,280 This is going to get more and more fun. 277 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:51,080 We'll have more and more engagement as well. 278 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:53,200 We'll invite people to participate in the show. 279 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:55,560 And thank you for giving us your time and attention. 280 00:11:55,560 --> 00:11:58,280 Have an excellent time building out your vision 281 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:26,280 and becoming a Vision Pro yourself.