Episode notes
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…
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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S12 · E4 · 7 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 32 min
𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗦𝟭𝟮𝗘𝟰 Dr Rajat Chauhan
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…
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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 · E4 · 24 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 17 min
Courage Talks S11E4 - Pooja Sharma Goyal
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂? 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗦𝟭𝟭𝗘𝟰: Pooja Sharma Goyal, Founding CEO of The Udaiti Foundation, serial entrepreneur, and one of India's leading voices on women's economic empowerment. Pooja's journey is anything but linear. From building and shutting down a Bay Area startup during the dot-com crash, to pursuing her MBA at INSEAD as a deliberate reframe (not a reset), to returning to India in 2007, not for a job, but for family, and turning that vulnerability into Intellitots, later acquired by KLAY. She…
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S11 · E3 · 18 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 5 min
Courage Talks S11E3 Prof Ashish Kaul
𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟭, 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟯 - 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗞𝗮𝘂𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘! Excited to host Prof. Ashish Kaul, Professor of Marketing & Digital Marketing, Brand Engineer, Strategist, Coach, Writer, Speaker, and passionate Mountaineer. With nearly 30 years of rich corporate experience, Prof. Kaul has shaped brands and strategies at some of the finest organizations including FCB, Lowe Lintas, McCann Erickson, Nielsen, Bharti Airtel, ICICI, Eicher, and Royal Enfield. He has led marketing and strategy functions across B2B & B2C categories and has also served as a Fractional CMO for an FMCG company.…
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S11 · E2 · 11 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 20 min
Courage Talks S11E2 Ashiish V Patil
🎙️ 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗦𝟭𝟭𝗘𝟮 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗩 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗹 This episode features a powerhouse conversation with Ashiish V. Patil, a celebrated storyteller and creative mind in Media & Entertainment. With 30+ years of experience, Ashiish has shaped culture through bold, heart-touching stories that make people feel, laugh, cry, think, and act. 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆: • 𝗘𝘅-𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗧𝗩 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 – Rebooted youth culture with blockbuster shows like Roadies, Splitsvilla, Bakra, and MTV Music Awards • 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺𝘀, 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗥𝗮𝗷 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺𝘀. Worked with superstars like…
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S11 · E1 · 3 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 21 min
Courage Talks S11E1- Dhurv Agarwalla
🚀 Courage Talks Season 11 Episode 1 is now LIVE! Excited to kick off Season 11 with Dhruv Agarwalla, Co-founder & former Group CEO of REA India (Housing.com, Makaan.com & PropTiger.com).In this powerful conversation, Dhruv shares the real courage behind building and scaling one of India’s biggest prop-tech empires. Here’s what you can expect: The bold calls that shaped a category leader Navigating massive market shifts and tough decisions Leadership lessons from 14 years at the helm The lonely side of building at scale — and what it really takes If you’re an entrepreneur, founder, or leader…
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S10 · E6 · 27 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 19 min
Courage Talks S10E6 - Aarathi Swaminathan
🎙️ Courage Talks Season 10 Episode 6 is Aarathi Swaminathan She quit a 13-year corporate fashion design career to chase an Olympic dream she once thought was lost… and became the 1st Vegan Female IRONMAN of India . Meet Aarathi Swaminathan IRONMAN Certified Coach | Deputy Race Director – IRONMAN India & IRONKIDS India | Athlete Services Director – HYROX India & YOSKA Technology Solutions From a silver & bronze medalist in state & national track & field to transforming from 85+ kg (junk food era) to a lean, strong 60 kg endurance athlete, Aarathi’s journey has been amazing. Her remarkable…
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