From Shelter to CEO: April Hicke on Defying the 0.002% Odds

Success Without Stillness Is Just Expensive Exhaustion

What if everything you believed about productivity, success and hard work was quietly working against you? In this episode of SHEO Diaries, I sit down with Carolyn Chittilappilly — globally acclaimed wellness consultant, TEDx speaker, yoga educator, and the woman who walked away from offers at Deloitte, KPMG and EY to follow a path that most people around her thought was madness. From the boardrooms of Hyderabad to a Sivananda Ashram waking up at 4am, Carolyn's journey is one of the most honest and quietly radical stories we have featured on this show. Today she works with everyone from elite athletes to Grammy-winning music labels — helping high performers find the stillness that actually makes them better at everything they do. Because here is what Carolyn learned that corporate never taught her: success without the capacity to enjoy it is just expensive exhaustion. In this episode we talk about: — Why she walked away from three Big Four offers and what happened the day she resigned — What an ashram at 4am taught her about productivity that Deloitte never could — Why we have glorified burnout like a badge of honour — and what it is actually costing us — How she brings stillness into high pressure corporate environments and why it makes people perform better — The 20-minute practice that changed her clarity, her decisions and her entire relationship with work — What it really means when your body is in a state of dis-ease — and how to get out of it — Why success without wellbeing is not sustainable — and what the steep drop looks like when it catches up Carolyn's bold step for you this week: Before you open your laptop tomorrow morning — give yourself 20 minutes. Not to plan, not to check messages. Just to be still. Start there. Everything else gets clearer. This week's takeaway: The most productive people are not the ones working the hardest. They are the ones who have learned to work from a place of clarity, ease and alignment. That is not soft. That is strategy. --- 🎤 Watch Carolyn's TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZVKJr2cbVo [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZVKJr2cbVo] 🧘 Carolyn's Yoga Videos with Cult: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKFMgtgip5s&list=PLggP-083Szq4IPsH7Q6HJ0Oq5ptLhxkcy [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKFMgtgip5s&list=PLggP-083Szq4IPsH7Q6HJ0Oq5ptLhxkcy] 🎵 Carolyn's Work with Vedham Records / Universal Music India: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AW9sW_E75s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AW9sW_E75s] 🌐 Learn more about Carolyn's work: https://thepranaproject.org/ [https://thepranaproject.org/] 📲 Follow Carolyn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yogacaro/ [https://www.instagram.com/yogacaro/] 📲 Follow SHEO Diaries on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheo_diaries/ [https://www.instagram.com/sheo_diaries/] --- If this episode made you pause and reconsider how you are running your life right now — share it with one woman who needs to hear it. And subscribe to SHEO Diaries so you never miss a conversation that matters. #SHEODiaries #CarolynChittilappilly #WellnessLeadership #YogaForLeaders #WomenEntrepreneurs #Burnout #MindfulLeadership #TEDxSpeaker #WomenInBusiness #Stillness #Meditation #WomenFounders #Podcast #CorporateWellness #Productivity #Ashram #SuccessWithoutStillness

Beyond Mindset: The Energy Block Nobody Talks About

Tracy Poizner is a consciousness theorist and architect of subtle systems, partnering with female tech leaders in elevating their spiritual intelligence for greater agency and impact in their life's work. She's the creator of Space|Time Alchemy, a process that bridges science and spirituality using frequency-based medicines to accelerate personal transformation. In this episode of SHEO Diaries, I sit down with Tracy Poizner for a conversation that will completely change the way you think about what's been holding you back. In this episode we talk about: * Why 95% of your decisions are being made by your unconscious mind — and what to do about it * The four shadow archetypes that are quietly running your professional life * Why affirmations and mindset work have a ceiling * and what actually works beyond it * How Bach flower essences work at the level of your nervous system to dissolve unconscious blocks * Why your best ideas will never come from sitting longer at your desk * The worst case scenario exercise that dismantles fear in minutesHow to stop waiting for permission to want the life you actually want Tracy's bold step for you this week: Get a bottle of Bach Rescue Remedy available at most health food stores and pharmacies in Canada. Try it before your next big meeting, difficult conversation or moment of pressure. Just start proving to yourself that energy medicine works. That's where the door opens. This week's takeaway: Leadership isn't just about what you do. It's about the frequency you do it from. If logic isn't working anymore, maybe it's time to trust your intuition. If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review and share it with a woman in your life who feels like she's hit a ceiling she can't explain. You might just change everything for her. Connect with SHEO Diaries: Instagram: * @sheo_diariesConnect with Tracy: * Website: tracypoizner.com [http://tracypoizner.com] * LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tracypoizner [http://linkedin.com/in/tracypoizner] * Substack: tracypoizner.substack.com [http://tracypoizner.substack.com] * YouTube: www.youtube.com/@tpoizner [http://www.youtube.com/@tpoizner] * Bach Flower Blends for Human Design: tinyurl.com/hdblends [http://tinyurl.com/hdblends]

From Shelter to CEO: April Hicke on Defying the 0.002% Odds

What does it take to build a company from nothing when the odds are literally stacked against you? * 0.8% children who have spent time in foster care earn a grad level * 15% of people who attempt to quit drinking make it through their first year * 1.9% women founders ever exceed a million dollars in revenue The chances of one person doing it all is 0.002% and April is one of them. April Hicke, co-founder and CEO of Toast, grew up in foster care, aged out of the system at 18 with no degree, no safety net and a baby — and still built one of the most impactful talent communities for women in tech today. In this episode, we get into the real story behind Toast, the mindset shifts that changed everything, and what April has learned about resilience, boundaries, allyship and showing up fully as yourself in a world that wasn't built for you. We cover: * How her past shaped April as a leader and gave her her greatest superpower * The moment she stopped surviving and started thriving * Why real self-care has nothing to do with spa days * What allyship actually looks like — and why it has to cost you something * The role male allies played in building her career * Her advice for any woman who feels her past is a ceiling _________________________ * Follow SHEO Diaries on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheo_diaries/ [https://www.instagram.com/sheo_diaries/] * Learn more about Toast: https://www.trytoast.ca/ [https://www.trytoast.ca/] * Follow Toast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/try.toast/ [https://www.instagram.com/try.toast/] * Watch April's TED Talk- Your Past Is Not Your Ceiling: https://youtu.be/_BthPaN-iXU?si=rPBYMuUe8SAjFwsv [https://youtu.be/_BthPaN-iXU?si=rPBYMuUe8SAjFwsv] * Connect with April Hicke: https://www.instagram.com/aprilhicke/ [https://www.instagram.com/aprilhicke/]

The Sleep Secret!

What happens when the worst moment of your life becomes the mission of your lifetime? In this episode of SHEO Diaries, I sit down with Ria Rustagi — Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, CEO of Sychedelic, one of the UN's Top 75 Women in Business at the G20 Summit, and a Shark Tank India Season 2 alumna — for one of the most honest, raw, and inspiring conversations we've had on this show. Ria's journey into neurotech didn't begin in a boardroom. It began in a stroke ICU, watching her 25-year-old sister Pankuri fight for her life after a brain infection that went misdiagnosed for over a year. That loss didn't break Ria — it built her. She went on to co-found Neuphony, India's first consumer neurofeedback wearable, and after a bold pivot, launched Sychedelic — an AI-powered headphone that uses neurostimulation and binaural beats to help you sleep, focus, and regulate your mood in just 15 minutes. But this episode isn't just about neurotech. It's about what it truly takes to build something meaningful when the world isn't ready for your idea, when your first venture doesn't work out the way you planned, and when you're doing all of it as a woman, a co-founder, and a new mother. In this episode we talk about: — The misdiagnosis that cost Ria her sister and ignited a global mission — Why Neuphony didn't scale and what she learned from that pivot — How Sychedelic uses AI and neurostimulation to solve the sleep crisis — What real partnership looks like when your co-founder is also your husband — The role male allies play in the success of women entrepreneurs — Why sleep is the most underrated health crisis of our generation — Her advice for every woman founder stuck in her "Neuphony phase" Ria's bold step for you this week: You already know the answer. Stop listening to the noise around you and start listening to that small, deep inner voice. Every time Ria doubted herself, she made things harder. Trust your instinct — it has never been more important than right now. This week's takeaway: If the market isn't ready for your big idea, find the version the market IS ready for. Don't change the mission. Change the vehicle. And keep going. --- Connect with Ria Rustagi: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riarustagiofficial/ [https://www.instagram.com/riarustagiofficial/] Learn more about Sychedelic: https://sychedelic.com/ [https://sychedelic.com/] Instagram: @sheo_diaries: https://www.instagram.com/sheo_diaries/ [https://www.instagram.com/sheo_diaries/] --- If this episode moved you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a woman in your life who is working towards her next bold ambition. Every share helps this story reach someone who needs to hear it. #SHEODiaries #RiaRustagi #WomenEntrepreneurs #Neurotech #Sychedelic #BrainHealth #WomenInBusiness #Forbes30Under30 #SharkTankIndia #WomenFounders #Podcast #SleepScience #MaleAllies #BoldAmbition

Burn the career ladder- How the traditional career ladder is a lie for women!

Dr. Anne Welsh is a clinical psychologist and executive coach helping women navigate the intersection of career ambition and parenthood. After leaving her dream job at Harvard University, she dedicated her practice to supporting leaders in high-pressure fields. She now helps working mothers/ women redefine the "Ambition Paradox," providing the tools to manage burnout and lead with confidence—without sacrificing well-being. Please note the views expressed in the podcast are strictly personal and do not represent the views of my firm.