Episode notes
What if the man who has run 150+ marathons over 40 years also happens to be one of India’s leading Sports & Exercise Medicine doctors, and has spent his life proving that running doesn’t destroy your knees, it actually heals and strengthens you? 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 Dr Rajat Chauhan — 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻, 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮-𝗘𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲. A true pioneer who brings a rare 360-degree perspective: • 40 years as a competitive runner with 150+ marathons • Founder & Race Director of La Ultra – The High, coaching athletes for the insane 555 km category in Ladakh’s extreme…
Podcast
Courage Talks
Hetal Sonpal · Learning · English
Inspired by my father's acts of courage in his biography, Against All Odds, I am inviting guests on my first-ever podcast to talk about their experience with courage. Hear from them about their stories of courage and moments in their personal and professional life that brought out the best in the
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S13 · E1 · 12 Jul 2026 · 42 min
Courage Talks S13E3 Jahnavi Dangeti
🚀 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁: 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗦𝟭𝟯𝗘𝟯 – 𝗝𝗮𝗵𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗶 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶: 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗸𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗔𝗦𝗔 & 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 – 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗔𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘂𝘁! 🌌 What does it take for a young woman from a small town in Andhra Pradesh to train like an astronaut at NASA facilities, become the first Indian to complete AEXA’s International Air & Space Program, and set her sights on being among the first Indians on Mars? Meet Jahnavi Dangeti – Analog Astronaut, Scientist-Astronaut Candidate, advanced scuba diver, TEDx speaker, and unstoppable STEM force. 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲, 𝗝𝗮𝗵𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗶 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁: • Becoming the first…
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S13 · E1 · 4 Jul 2026 · 47 min
Courage Talks S13E2 Anshuman Jhingran
🌊 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗦𝟭𝟯𝗘𝟮 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘! Meet Anshuman Jhingran, one of India’s most extraordinary young athletes and an open-water swimming prodigy who is rewriting what’s possible. Born in Delhi and raised in Mumbai, Anshuman went from being a national-level pool swimmer (bronze medalist & Singapore Nationals competitor) to conquering some of the world’s most dangerous channels. A cycling accident during lockdown that left him with a broken hand and multiple surgeries became the unexpected catalyst for his ultra-endurance journey. • At just 18, he became the Youngest Person in the World to swim…
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S13 · E1 · 27 Jun 2026 · 46 min
Courage Talks S13E1 - Renee Noronha
🎙️ Courage Talks S13E1 - Young Achiever’s Special is NOW LIVE! In this powerful opening episode of Season 13, I sat down with Renee Noronha, the 20-year-old endurance athlete who has become the Youngest Indian Female to qualify for the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, and is on a mission to become the youngest woman in the world to finish an IRONMAN on all six continents. From training 8 hours a day as an elite artistic gymnast to switching gears at 16 with zero swimming or cycling background… to crossing the finish line in New Zealand at just 18 and hearing “You are an Ironman”, Renee’s…
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S12 · E6 · 20 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 5 min
Courage Talks S12E6 Munish Jauhar
🚀 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗦𝟭𝟮𝗘𝟲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘! I had the pleasure of sitting down with Munish Jauhar, a powerhouse entrepreneur, prolific angel investor, ultra-runner, and one of the most thoughtful leaders I know. Munish is the Founder & CEO of GrayCell Technologies, an award-winning digital agency, and through GrayCell Ventures, he has invested in 120+ startups. Former Chair of NASSCOM Chandigarh & Punjab, Past President of TiE Chandigarh, and a man who brings the same discipline and depth to ultra-running as he does to building businesses. 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲, 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼: • The heartbreak of…
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S12 · E5 · 13 Jun 2026 · 54 min
Courage Talks S12E5 Kim Levinsky
🎙️ 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟮 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟱 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘! From college athlete (basketball & softball) to ultrarunner, race director, and mental health advocate, this episode is a powerful reminder that the trails can heal, connect, and transform us. Meet Kim Levinsky Founder & Trail Party Director of Sassquad Trail Running (New Jersey) | Ultrarunner | FKT Holder Kim turned her love for running into a mission: building an inclusive, welcoming trail community where everyone, regardless of pace, background, or experience, feels they belong. Her journey includes: Founding Sassquad Trail Running in 2018…
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S12 · E3 · 31 May 2026 · 1 hr 12 min
𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗦𝟭𝟮𝗘𝟯 - 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻
Very excited to share that Lisa Smith-Batchen, one of the most accomplished and inspiring ultrarunners in the world, is the guest on the latest episode of Courage Talks! 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝗮’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆: • First American woman to win the Marathon des Sables, a gruelling 150-mile, multi-stage race across the Sahara Desert • Two-time winner of the Badwater Ultramarathon (135 miles through Death Valley in extreme heat) • The only person to complete the Badwater Quad, 584 miles • The first and only person to run 50 miles in all 50 states in just 62 days as part of her…
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S12 · E2 · 24 May 2026 · 1 hr 23 min
Courage Talks S12E2 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗼
From surviving a stroke at 26 and a crushed foot at 45… to becoming a 17-time HURT 100 finisher and one of the toughest race directors in the Mid-Atlantic. 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘀, Veteran Ultramarathoner, Race Director, Stay-at-Home Dad turned Trail Running Legend, and Founder of Athletic Equation & WV Trail Fest. Born into a family of refugees from the Greek and Armenian Genocides, Alex grew up as an expat kid in the Middle East. He left home at 14 for boarding school, built a career in Chemical Engineering with the Marine Corps, then made one of the bravest pivots of all, becoming a…
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S12 · E1 · 16 May 2026 · 1 hr 7 min
𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗦𝟭𝟮𝗘𝟭: Mihika Wahi Gupta
Mihika is the founder of Mission Healthy with Mihika, a women-focused fitness academy, an ultra-marathon runner, and a hybrid athlete. She describes her younger self as a "jack of all sports, master of none", someone who simply loved to move. Like many women, life gradually pulled her away from fitness: marriage, children, work, and the weight of daily responsibilities. But the spark never truly faded. She returned through yoga, then running, and has since completed some of India's most demanding endurance races: • 50 km Malnad ultra-marathon, • 56 km trail run, • 210 km intercity run from…
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S11 · E6 · 9 May 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
Courage Talks S11E6 Devi Mani
Most mental health platforms in India are built for the West and shipped here. Devi built Skooc because she believed India deserved something that understood its silences, its pressures, and its culture. With a background spanning GE, IBM, Target, and HP, she brings a rare combination of enterprise rigour and genuine clinical thinking to one of the most underfunded spaces in the country. Skooc is a full-stack behavioural intelligence and change system that works with schools, colleges, and corporates. At its core is an AI-powered system that triages every conversation in real time, deploys…
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S11 · E5 · 1 May 2026 · 1 hr 1 min
𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗦𝟭𝟭𝗘𝟱: Gopika Kapoor
Gopika Kapoor is a bestselling author, neurodiversity advocate, autism consultant, and one of India’s most compassionate voices on parenting, inclusion, and acceptance. Gopika’s journey is deeply personal and courageous.From beginning her career as a journalist, to navigating her son Vir’s autism diagnosis in 2008, to transforming pain into purpose by supporting hundreds of families, she has turned one family’s challenge into a movement of hope and dignity. She spent over a decade at Ummeed Child Development Centre as a therapist, trainer, and mentor, working closely with 400+ families and…
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