Provoking Thought
By Agnel J D'Cruz
Provoking ThoughtApr 25, 2021
Having Fulfilling Life & Career - Ethan D Peck
It may sound surprising but in my first ever conversation with Ethan D Peck I asked him to record a podcast episode with me. He happens to be my boss and is a wealth of knowledge. Ethan clearly can make fantastic conversation and there's always something to learn from him. The initial discussion with Ethan was to talk about career paths and that evolved into a few things which are highly insightful. You will want to bookmark this conversation. In this podcast - we talk about >Introduction > About Ethan > Career Paths > Corporate All-rounders > Rules to Manage Life > Daylight Saving > Conclusion
What really happened at Silicon Valley Bank?
Healthcare after a layoff - what can America do better?
In this conversation Rob explains how the healthcare system is broken and what could be done to fix it.
The part I loved the most is where Rob talks about the fact that there should not be a profit motive for healthcare.
Be sure to comment on Rob's post to share your thoughts.
Lessons Learnt in Entrepreneurship - Vikram Nayak
Also - if you watch the video version on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQV2gsCh-54) you'll see smart lights are not very smart at all - and if any of you who are watching have a way to make smart lights smarter please do. I decided not to edit that part out so you get a behind-the-scenes view of how this works.
In this video we talk about:
- Thought Process around designing a product
- What's the experience around building and developing a product?
- Living through development hell - managing life and finances
- How does an entrepreneur find investors?
- Advice to entrepreneurs
You can find Vikram on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/vikramnayak85/
Vikram Series of blogs make for a great read here: medium.com/@vikramnayak.vn
Link to the previous conversation with Vikram: spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/hJuMzhARgwb
Data, Analytics and Entrepreneurship - Vikram Nayak
Vikram is what we would call a serial entrepreneur. What impresses me the most about Vikram is his ability to explain concepts so clearly and in a manner that makes it easy to understand. Had he not been an entrepreneur I'd bet he'd have been an academic and a very famous one that.
In this video Vikram and I talk about data and he also gives us a view into his world of being an entrepreneur, he explains the world of data and analytics - where it has come from and where it is going to. He also gives also gives us a sneak peak into how products are built and what it takes. I have requested him for more time to learn more.
I must say I'm mind blown by this conversation.
In this video we talk about:
- Intro
- How do Entrepreneurs survive through the process?
- How does Vikram describe himself as someone in the data space?
- How has Vikram seen the field of analytics evolve?
- What is the next frontier of analytics?
- Talking about his current venture and breaking down a few complex terms (ML-driven Quant Trading to consistently generate Alpha across asset classes and instruments)
- Vikrams Advice to anyone wanting to get into analytics and entrepreneurship and what skillsets make one successful
You can find Vikram on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikramnayak85/
Vikram Series of blogs make for a great read here: https://medium.com/@vikramnayak.vn
Being a successful Technical Program Manager - Shashank Melkote
A Technical Program Manager (TPM) is one of the key roles in any organization today. They oversee and drive programs. In this podcast we have Shashank Melkote who breaks down the role by comparing it against a Project Manager and the journey for one before and after being a TPM.
Shashank is an Engineering Manager at Amazon and is hiring for Software Development Roles - so you're interested in working with someone who is knowledgeable, smart and empathetic - you can apply to roles below:
- https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3024194324/
In this video we talk about:
> Introduction
> Project Manager v/s Program Managers
> Project Manager to Program Manager - Natural Progression?
> Program Managers v/s Technical Program Managers(TPMs)
> Day-to-day responsibilities of a TPM
> What are the characteristics of a good TPM? $ Key pillars of being a successful TPM
> Most challenging aspect of being a TPM?
> Can I be a TPM straight out of college? Who can switch to a TPM?
> Career growth after being a TPM?
> Next conversation topic with Shashank?
Sound: bensound.com
Delta, Omicron and Beyond, Discussing Variants and the Future - Dr. Lalitha Parameswaran
With both the Delta and Omicron variants behind us - the world seems to be in a much better place today than it was a few months back. Travel is starting to pick up, offices are opening and we're meeting more people in person.
After having a fantastic conversation in April of 2021 (link below) - in this video we have Dr. Lalitha Parameswaran who is an infectious diseases specialist talk to us about how we got to Delta and Omicron and what we could expect in the future.
We discuss:
- Intro
- What is a variant?
- Delta & Omicron
- Can we expect more variants?
- How can we prevent new variants?
- What is a breakthrough infection?
- Vaccines v/s breakthrough infections
- Closing thoughts and advice to us
Previous Episode with Dr. Parameswaran: https://anchor.fm/agneljdcruz/episodes/Fighting-Vaccine-Misinformation---Dr--Lalitha-Parameswaran-evkuts
The Fundamentals of Design Thinking - Raunak Gulshan
Design thinking is a term used to represent a set of cognitive, strategic and practical processes by which design concepts (proposals for products, buildings, machines, communications, etc.) are developed. Many of the key concepts and aspects of design thinking have been identified through studies, across different design domains, of design cognition and design activity in both laboratory and natural contexts. An iterative, non-linear process of understanding users, challenging assumptions, redefining problems, and creating innovative solutions to prototype and test is called design thinking. [Wikipedia]
In this podcast Raunak Gulshan explains the Design Thinking process. His ability explain it simple words without jargons is fascinating.
We discuss:
What is design thinking?
When does design thinking come in handy?
Is this something every business can use?
Design Thinking Framework
The WOW zone
WHY should businesses think of Design Thinking?
How does Design thinking relate to the Agile methodology?
Real-life Examples
Good resources to learn more about Design Thinking
Image credit: https://unsplash.com/
Podcasting 101 - What it takes to start and manage a podcast
Bharani Madhav Nittala and I talk at length about the why behind the channel, what I gain from it and how I get it done.
This is broken down into:
- Intro
- Why Podcasts? What was the genesis of the idea?
- What feedback have you received? What does it mean to you?
- Success Criteria - what drives the effort?
- How do you define what a podcast is?
- Why the diverse set of topics on your channel?
- How time consuming is podcasting?
- Who is your audience?
- What makes a good Podcast?
- Does it take passion or skill?
- How important is your voice?
- Can he start his own channel?
- What is the most annoying/difficult part of podcasting?
- How do you market your podcast/videos?
- Do you lose friends when you annoy them with updates?
- Opinion on plagiarism/copying
You can find Bharani here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bharani-madhav/
Disclaimer - my methods are very raw and may not be very efficient. It also may not be the right approach for everyone. Each one of us will have a different "Why" and it's important for us to find that when you want to start something like this.
The truth behind MLMs & Why it is best to "Just Say No" - Shashank Melkote
"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." - Mark Twain.
Everyone listening to this would have been approached by an Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) proponent be in Amway, Herbalife, e-Biz, Qnet or some scam Crypto like Bitconnect or Squid Coin.
In this podcast Shashank breaks down the MLM world and very cleverly proves how MLMs are more of a scheme than a business model. We discuss:
- Intro
- What is an MLM & How do they compare against Ponzi/Pyramid Schemes
- Why do MLMs exist?
- What is their business model?
- Why do proponents focus on recruitment instead of selling?
- Is there money in it?
- What are some examples of what they sell?
- Personal experiences with MLMs
- Who is most vulnerable?
- What strategies do MLM practitioners use to sell/recruit?
- What is the best way to avoid such situations?
- Closing thoughts
Link to my blog on the topic: https://agneljohndcruz.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-perils-of-network-marketing-multi.html
List of MLMs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_multi-level_marketing_companies
Why is the Great Resignation Happening?
There were ~4.4 Million resignations in Sept of 2021 and > 4Million in October. Every month there are millions of folks who quit their jobs in 2021.
In this podcast - I discuss the why behind this and what companies could do to prevent this bleeding of their top employees.
Some topics I talk about are:
- What is happening?
- Why is it happening?
- Is this normal?
- Who is gaining from this?
- Why this affects all of us - what are the side-effects?
- What can organizations do to reverse this trend?
- What to expect in 2022?
Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) with Depender Singh
While definitions are great - the best way to understand it to listen a practitioner talk with real-life experience.
Depender is a a leader in the GRC space with a large Fortune 50 firm. His experience and passion for the space is evident from the talk.
I just love how Depender explains why GRC must be treated as a culture and not as a function.
Some topics we talk about:
What is GRC?
What does an Organization need GRC?
What about startups - do companies of all sizes need GRC?
What can organizations do to prevent hacking attacks?
What kind of roles exist in the GRC space?
What is the career ladder within GRC?
What roles with AI/ML play in the GRC space going forward?
What skillsets are needed to be successful?
You can find Depnder on LinkedIn here: www.linkedin.com/in/depender-singh-58246518/
Music: www.bensound.com
The Wisdom of Nihira
Folks - Nihira Ramaswamy is a cute 6 year-old living in New York City. This cute off-topic podcast is a refreshing take of a 6 year-old on life in the Big Apple, her opinion on Covid and vaccines and what are the little things that bring her joy.
I hope you like this conversation refreshes you as much as it did me every time I talk to Nihira.
STOP THE STIGMA - Let's talk about mental health with Sharon Uthappa
I have known Sharon for over 25 years. She's a top counsellor and psychotherapist.
Website: https://www.sharonuthappa.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharon.utha...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SharonUthapp...
Email: info@sharonuthappa.com
In this video Sharon talks about:
About Sharon
What is mental health and why is it important?
The evolution of mental health - how we're stopping the stigma
What is resilience and how to build it?
Advice for someone who has a loved one who needs help or needs help themselves
Career Advice
One of her secrets to mindfulness and handling stress better
How do you find her?
Sound: www.bensound.com
Preview - Importance of Mental Health with Sharon Uthappa
Here's a preview of my conversation with Sharon Uthappa. She's a top counsellor and psychotherapist.
Please subscribe so you don't miss out on the full video.
We talk about:
- The Importance and Evolution of Mental Health
- Resilience
- Advice on how to handle issues of mental health
- How to handle stress better
Sound: www.bensound.com
PROCRASTINATE NOW! Before it's too Late - The Guru of Procrastination - Ritika Ramaswamy
We're all stuck in a rat race - where we're trying get things done here and now and immediately. What might actually help is procrastination.
Ritika is a top professional in the procrastination space and helps us fight that taboo. She has been practicing it for decades and her experience is evident in the all the advice she gives us. Here's a conversation with her on the benefits of procrastination.
Ritika and I talk about:
- What is procrastination? Why is it important?
- How did she become so good at procrastinating?
- What strategies does she use to procrastinate?
- How did she begin procrastinating? What triggered this journey?
- Her response to people who say that procrastination is for the lazy!!!
- What does her family think about this wonderful quality?
- What is her advice to people who wish to procrastinate?
- How Ritika got her life back by procrastinating?
Background Music: www.bensound.com/
The Future of Food - Shashank Melkote
With all the technology we have today - food is one area that has a lot of potential to be more efficient or even be disrupted in some way.
Through this conversation you'll realize Shashank is knowledgeable in the subject but also applies some great first principles thinking on the subject.
Key Quote: "Shashank is unfortunately one of my favorite people in the world to talk to"
In this podcast Shashank talks about the following:
Introduction
The issue with the way food is grown today
What kind of risk does global warming pose
How could we fix the global warming issue
Vertical farming
Lab grown meat
Plant based meat
Transition to the future of food
Mandatory joke on Shashank
What industries will play a big part
Investment opportunities in the future of food
Weed Joke
Closing thoughts
Music: https://www.bensound.com/
The Secret to Effective Interviewing - Christina Frisco Milde
Christina is an expert in talent development and is currently a program manager in the space. She has been a mentor to many individuals who're in their early career and has helped their career development. She knows all things talent acquisition, talent development and staffing. In this conversation Christina and I talk about:
- How does Christina Prep for interviews and her advice to folks who're prepping
- How to effectively negotiate a salary
- How best to handle counter offers
- How to negotiate a higher salary
- Why conversational interviews are better than a Q&A format
- Advice to candidates and companies on how to make the process of interviewing better
Upcoming podcast on effective interviewing and the future of food + a bonus short segment on crypto!
This is a short episode on what to expect over the next couple of weeks from the podcast:
1. We have a conversation with Christina Frisco Milde on effective interviewing
2. We have a conversation Shashank Melkote on the Future of Food
I've also thrown in my opinion on Crypto being a store of value v/s a medium of exchange.
Find my YouTube channel here : https://youtube.com/c/ThinkingaloudwithAgnel
Should I invest when the market is at all time highs? Or should I wait?
Ads on Uber may be the next $100B idea. Here's why!
Explaining the role of a finance analyst - Peter Mendivil
Through this conversation you will realize Peter Mendivil is a person with a variety of experiences. He's been in multiple roles and industries and has the ability to explain even the most complex concepts in a very simple way. In this conversation Peter and I talk about the role of a Finance Analyst - what they do, where they come from, where they go and what it takes to be successful. Peter also has some great advice.
Some of the topics we discuss are:
The role of a finance analyst
The difference between financial analysts, finance/accounting analyst and financial advisors
How they add value to a company
What it takes to be successful
How to get into the field
Pipeline of how they are created and where do they come from?
What are next steps of finance analysts
The complex world of FP&A
Data, data and more data
Peter's advice to aspiring analysts
From the conversation it is evident that Peter has a lot of experience in the space and has some great overall advice as well.
Here is the book that Peter talks about: https://www.amazon.com/Reckoning-David-Halberstam/dp/0688048382/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?
The YouTube channel that Peter recommended for Excel : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJtUOos_MwJa_Ewii-R3cJA
In a first in the series: Peter and I also enjoy a drink as part of the conversation.
Song recommendation: Grandfather's Clock and another version here
What is Artificial Intelligence?
In this conversation with my dad we talk about artificial intelligence - with a few specific topics around:
- What is artificial Intelligence?
- How has AI changed in the past few decades?
- How AI useful to the economy?
- How does AI impact public life?
- Correlation between AI & the Medical profession - Some fantastic use-cases are discussed here around how AI could help paraplegics.
- What is the future of AI?
- How can the misuse of AI be prevented?
In this podcast we also talk about the downsides of AI - how AI could potentially used in a police state so it is very important to have very strong ethics around AI.
About Neuralink:
- https://neuralink.com/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuralink
Song Recommendation: Dutch songs❤
Fighting Vaccine Misinformation - Dr. Lalitha Parameswaran
Dr. Lalitha Parameswaran is an Infectious Diseases Specialist. She has been part of teams that have researched vaccines and was also involved in the trials of the covid-19 vaccine. This podcast shows her depth in the subject and the wealth of information she has.
Some of the topics we discuss are:
- The difference between a virus and a bacteria
- What is the immune system
- What is a vaccine
- Different types of Covid-19 Vaccines
- How a vaccine is tested
- How did healthcare community bring the vaccine for commercial use so fast?
- Are we done with Covid-19 yet?
- How do we handle Covid-19 better?
- How likely is another pandemic?
- How can we prevent another pandemic? [My favorite part]
- How will we be able to manage future pandemics better?
- Career advice
Some Links:
- Canarsie Courier: NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn Recognizes Remarkable Women - https://nyulangone.org/news/canarsie-courier-nyu-langone-hospital-brooklyn-recognizes-remarkable-women
- Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System - https://vaers.hhs.gov/
Song recommendation: Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
Success in Product Management is down to two things, A Question and A Skill - Sidd Gurjar
Success in Product Management is down to two things, A Question and A Skill - in this podcast Sidd Gurjar who is the Director of Product Management at a tech firm talks to us about what that question is and what the skill is.
Sidd also has a brilliant way of explaining how product management has a unique way of navigating through the three boulders in an organization.
This podcast is also available in video form on YouTube - it also has all the links to the books that Sidd mention - link here.
Song Recommendation: That's Amore
What is "True" Leadership?
If you Google "Leadership" - you will find multiple articles and definitions of leadership.
In this podcast we condense Leadership into different aspects:
- What is Leadership
- The different types of leaders and situations
- What makes a good leader
- The one mistake a leader should avoid
- An example where leadership changed the course of history
- How leadership must evolve with the age of artificial intelligence
- Advice to aspiring leaders
Understand Cryptocurrencies in 5 minutes
I've been trying to wrap my head around cryptocurrencies for a while now and at the moment here is my best understanding of crypto. I firmly believe they have a great future and a lot more use-cases than we can imagine today.
In this short podcast I discuss 3 possibilities of what crypto might be and which is the best potential use-case:
1. A Stock
2. A currency
3. A store of value
Song Recommendation: LM3ALLEM
Learn how to save the environment from an 11 year old
You've probably heard my earlier conversation with my niece Ritika on Roblox.
Another topic that she's very passionate about is the environment - she tells me she wants to become an environmental lawyer fighting for causes that would save the environment when she grows up.
I sat down with her to get her perspective on the problem and the solution.
You can tell she probably will make a great lawyer and I would never want to be on a case against her.
The other thing we learn from this conversation is that there is hope for future generations - I just love how forward thinking they are.
Song Recommendation: Zac Brown Band - Chicken Fried
What are the advantages of investing in space technology? Also - where is Remote, Oregon?
There are at least 3 great innovators of our time in Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson who have invested in space technology - but should Mars be only a travel destination? Or can we do more there? Can we manufacture in Mars? Can we find raw materials in Mars? The possibilities are endless.
Also - looking to travel in space gives us better(more durable) travel technology on earth too.
There's a little town in Oregon that probably has more high paying jobs than New York or San Francisco - why is that?
Song Recommendation: Mary Poppins - Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
What does the next generation think about Roblox?
I've been fascinated about the company Roblox and how kids and teens are so addicted to it. Roblox also unlike a lot of other platforms gives a lot of importance to safety and security.
My quest for answers led me to my niece Ritika Ramaswamy who is 11 and a power user of Roblox herself.
So why not ask the users themselves for feedback and what makes it so great.
Ritika is a naturally gifted speaker and it is difficult to believe we completed this podcast in one take. She also has wisdom and intelligence beyond her age.
I will be speaking with her more often to get insights on things related to the next generation.
The Philosophy of travel with Gopesh Shetty
There are a lot of benefits of travel - from learning about other cultures to getting out of our comfort zones to becoming better managers to learning empathy.
In this podcast Gopesh talks about the Why of travel and what triggered for him. He also has some great stories to tell about memorable experiences, scary ones and some that didn't go as planned. There is also one activity he wouldn't do again. He also talks about the places he's visited and his future bucket list. I hope this podcast gives you some places to add to your bucket list.
You can find him and his escapades on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gopesh_shetty/
Song Recommendation: Christian Nodal - Adiós Amor
YouTube Link: here
What on Earth is Roblox?
A company that my 10 year old niece keeps talking about is Roblox. She says "It's the Best!!!!!" - she also has dedicated time negotiated with her parents to play it twice a week. She tells me the next time we meet - she would teach me to play it and then we should log in at the same time to play it together.
Listen to this short podcast to learn what Roblox is. Roblox is set to generate and unleash a lot of creativity in the sense that it is like the Google play store/Apple app-store model where anyone could design a game or parts of it as against a software company model like the current game developers are employees of a company. The advantage that Roblox has is that it is the sum total of all the creativity of all it's contributors as against a select few developers. Think of Wikipedia v/s traditional encyclopedias.
Note: I misspoke when I said Artificial Reality - I meant Augmented reality - I hope you'll forgive that error.
Song recommendation: Mambo Italiano by Dean Martin
Image source: https://corp.roblox.com/
Google to stop supporting cookies by 2022 and Square buys Tidal - the What and the Why? Bonus - a quick opinion on how 5G must be architected?
For a company that was built on selling ads - in the minds of many folks - Google probably made a decision that shoots itself in the foot.
Also - why would Square buy what is probably considered a failing enterprise what plays in a space dominated by Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music? Three of the largest players in music streaming today.
This episode discusses the what and they why behind these decisions.
Song recommendation: Closer - The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey (Boyce Avenue ft. Sarah Hyland cover)
What are the aspects of Tesla the Energy company?
There is always a misconception that Tesla is an auto manufacturer and most analysts who value Tesla tend to compare it with one be it Toyota or VW or something else....
In this podcast Shashank and I bust that myth and talk about what is behind the energy company that is Tesla and how what we know today is just the tip of the iceberg.
I also hope you enjoy the joke and song recommendation at the end of the episode.
Song Recommendation: Soosan Khanoom by Barobax
What should you do during a market downturn?
MY PORTFOLIO IS DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Something we should all remember during market downturns is the age old saying "This too shall pass".
This podcast is a monolog about what are the different things once could do when they their portfolio value drop?
Some things include - Keep the course, buy more, do nothing and a few others things that are discussed here.
Song Recommendation - Bimbo by Jim Reeves