Sriram Kalyanaraman| "What job would you do if you were not paid any money to do it?"| Ep. 21

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

April 18, 2025

Duration

1h 11m

Channel

Best Place To Build

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In this episode of the Best Place to Build podcast, host Amrutash Misra sits down with Sriram Kalyanaraman, an IIT Madras alum whose journey has been anything but conventional. Sriram shares his fascinating path from Computer Science at IIT Madras to McKinsey consulting, then to Harvard Kennedy School, and ultimately to founding the Amaidhi School for Transformation. At the heart of the conversation is the groundbreaking "Happiness, Habits and Success" course he co-developed at IIT Madras, which now reaches 600+ students every semester. The discussion explores how students face overwhelming pressure—first the "pressure of rank" to get into top institutions, then the "pressure of pay" once there—and how this impacts mental health. Sriram explains how his course uses experiential learning to break these cycles, helping students discover that happiness and success can coexist rather than compete. 00:00 Introduction 01:05 Meet Sriram: A Journey of Contrarian Decisions 02:43 Defying Expectations: The Path Less Taken 04:33 Inner Transformation: Discovering True Potential 06:38 Understanding Inner Healing 07:26 The Pressure of Expectations 10:05 The story behind the Happiness, Habits and Success course 14:49 The Mechanics of the Happiness Course 21:48 The Role of Soft Skills in Engineering Education 26:09 The Importance of Structured Interventions 31:20 The Genesis of the Happiness Course 35:09 The Role of Alumni in Course Development 36:28 The Logic of Inner Transformation 36:38 Teaching Happiness: A Source of Joy 37:19 Diverse Pool of Facilitators 37:45 Course Growth and Alumni Interest 39:21 Challenges in Habit Formation 39:33 Course Grading and Consistency 41:07 Measuring Course Impact 42:09 Addressing Mental Health 42:39 Amaidhi School for Transformation 43:00 The belief that kindness makes one weak or less competitive 45:48 Cultural Shifts in Philanthropy 46:55 Shift from Resource Constraint to Abundance in India 47:27 Journey from IT to People Development 49:09 McKinsey and Nonprofit Experience 52:51 Harvard and Leadership Development 55:40 Meditation and Headspace 58:51 Empathy and Logic in Transformation 01:04:00 Seeking Help and Self-Development 01:06:44 Sriram's father's inspiring journey of lifelong learning This episode offers valuable insights for students, professionals, and anyone interested in personal development, mental wellness, and finding fulfillment while achieving success. Links: Amaidhi School for Transformation: https://amaidhi.com/

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Sriram Kalyanaraman

  guest

• Amrutash Misra

  host

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Best Place To Build, featuring Sriram Kalyanaraman and Amrutash Misra, Sriram Kalyanaraman| "What job would you do if you were not paid any money to do it?"| Ep. 21 explores building inner transformation: happiness habits, coaching, and campus community support Sriram Kalyanaraman (IIT Madras CSE ’07, ex‑McKinsey, Harvard Kennedy School) explains a career defined by “contrarian” choices that increasingly aligned with an inner calling: helping people grow through inner healing and transformation.

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