Welcome to the Adaptive Mindset. I'm Brett Gallant, cybersecurity thought leader and founder of Adaptive Office Solutions. Here, we don't just talk tech, we unlock the strategies, stories, and mindset shifts you need to stay secure, lead boldly, and thrive in a digital world. Let's get started. Welcome back to the Adaptive Mindset. I'm very pleased to have with me today, Vidya. She's a high performance coach, tech entrepreneur, and a speaker who helps driven leaders transform self-doubt, overthinking and anxiety into the greatest superstar. She has over 25 years experience in tech entrepreneurship. She blends nervous system expertise, emotional intelligence, and mindset mastery to help high performers reclaim their energy, lead with unshakable presence and thrive without sacrificing ambition Oh, thank you so much, Brett. And thank you for that beautiful introduction. I Oh, it's such a pleasure to have you. So on the adaptive mindset, we talk about all things mindset and personal identity and transformations, but we also have I like to say wonderful conversations about getting to know people and helping people, being a lighthouse to help people, our listeners, so they can be inspired. Perhaps we could start this, our first few minutes, just telling our audience about you Thank you, you know it's not a question people usually ask and it's so beautiful that you asked that first of all. So let me say a little bit about myself, I was born and raised in India and at a very young age. of 23, the rebel in me came out and I wanted to move to a new country. So I literally packed my, there's a longer story behind that, but I packed my two bags and got on a plane and immigrated to the United States against my parents, my dad's wishes, I should say. And part of me was wanting to discover myself really, and who I could be outside of the, familial and close family structures and close cultural structures that I was used to living in a country like India. So, yeah, I packed my bags, moved to a different country and had culture shock the moment I walked in and started to learn about people. And what I'd realized during that time is I was always fascinated with human behavior. Even as a child, I remember watching people and wondering why they were doing what they were doing, you know. So this was my fascination at a young age and that kind of progressed into more of an exploration of the mind-body connection as I was working in tech as an entrepreneur and understanding of the nervous system to resolve my own stress. And it brought me to this whole body of knowledge. Although it felt like it was very disconnected at first when I started, there was a lot of connection and beauty behind what the universe had been organizing for me. And I started to see that more clearly. In 2017, I took a bold step to reduce my tech entrepreneurship role in my life and really step into the role of being a coach and a speaker. So that's the nutshell journey of what happened Wow, you went full circle and It's so beautiful you say that because I truly believe that we take on an identity for that moment in time But we are really also challenged to take on new identities every single day in order to become a better version of ourselves than we were. Not that anything is wrong with us, but just so we can move forward in a more cohesive, integrated way You know, I believe that a hundred percent. I believe every day we're meeting somebody that leads us closer to the person we're meant to be. And it's I use the analogy from Shrek or ogres have layers. So we're peeling back a layer every time. And there's this version of yourself that's becoming more present. And because, you know, it might be the Keith. pivoting moment might be this conversation with you and I. One of our listeners may hear it and they say, oh, that triggered an idea. I'm going to take action today to work on to fight for my goals and go for my dreams and start going to that other identity that I'm working towards. Nothing wrong with the old identity. That's a part of the past, but it's just a beautiful flower that's I wouldn't agree more because it's usually when you know the people that I've studied with a lot my mentors when they've said something and i've just had that quiet aha moment. Those are some of the deepest ones right, so I fully agree with what you just said, which is it causes like that internal. dilemma, if you will, of why have I been living less than what I'm capable of living and then helps us to get to that next stage. So I truly believe that life is, you know, a contradiction between chaos and clarity, and we can't have one without the other. So it's beautiful to step into chaos as I don't know why I'm thinking of it, but I want to share it. I taught religious education, and I had a grade three student a number of years ago, and she said, when life gives you lemons, you suck them. So you accept it. That's okay. You suck it, you just keep moving on and don't be so hard on yourself. So you mentioned going through deep adversity. Like I read your bio, going through deep adversity at a young age. Can you share a moment that tested you and Absolutely. So, you know, growing up, I didn't really feel at home with either one of my parents. Like my dad was focused on very different things and my mom was very focused. To me, it felt as a child, like she was very focused on my sister. So I felt like this middle person who was running between them, trying to work out, who am I? You know, who is this person? Who is this girl, you know? And it was a very, I remember that that's when I, when I look back, I realized the brilliance of the universe. It gave me a grandmother on my mom's side who was very deeply tuned into me. And it was very touching because I had this amazing relationship with her where she was mostly like my mom for all practical purposes and I would take off. for like months on end, like three months sometimes just to go live with her, you know? And it was the most incredible thing because she started to help me find the things in life that I felt connected to, to like my fitness, you know, not that she was particularly fit, but through eating the right foods, asking me to go and shop for the right foods. So I got the sense of, you know, this is a healthy food versus this is not a healthy food, you know? And so, for me, it started to, and I remember this moment where she gave me, you know, back in the day, it was 10 rupees, which is, even to this date, it doesn't mean even a single dollar, you know. And she said, go and find the freshest vegetables you can find and bring it back to the table. And I remember feeling this sense of pressure inside me. It's like, what the freak do I do with this? And I was young. I remember I was like 10 years old, maybe. And I went to the market all by myself. And I remember walking around, and it taught me how to lead myself Yeah. And so I was like, okay, I just need to probably go to each of the vendors and start talking to them because of this market where different vendors had set up different fruits and vegetables. And I had to be discerning like this food looks fresh. This vegetable looks fresh over here. So I started to understand that each person had a specialty. You know, each of these people had a specialty, so I started to learn how to look for that and then have a conversation with them around that. And this is a leadership skill. You know, I didn't realize I was learning that at a very young age. And you know, the money management too, right? She gave me 10 or 10 rupees and said, go and buy the freshest things, which mean, which meant I had to look at it and go, how do I spend this? You know, how do I spend this so I can make grandma happy? We can have food on the table. And at the same time, I'm going to the right people to get what I need to get, go back home. And so that was my, I remember that moment so distinctly. As a memory, I remembered it until age 17. I'm still clueless about what I wanted to do in life. And then when I started to, at age 23, I started to learn how to program and do tech work. And when I came into the United States, I started to realize I didn't really want to be heads down, although I knew how to do that. That was not my skill. My skill was having the ability to see the larger picture. And that was thanks to my grandma and guiding people toward a mission. I think that's what leadership is about, inspiring people to move toward a vision by seeing what each person has as a core value within themselves and really supporting and challenging them, I want to say, to live within those core values so that they can be in their greatest energies. So No, it's beautiful. And as you discovered that and you let go of some of the old identity, you blossomed into a new identity where you were helping people, which I think is one of your values. And you were doing something that gave you energy. So many times in life, we have people that are doing things that don't give them energy. And they may even have the, the people around them that can do the task, but they're holding onto it and allowing themselves to let go. So they can put themselves in a situation where they can do things that fulfill them and fulfill their values and Yeah, exactly. And you know, you hit the nail on the head, because I think a lot of entrepreneurs get caught in the doing piece of it, you know, because they're so inspired to bring their vision to life, their mission to life, you know. But sometimes when we start doing things that are not energizing to us, like you were saying, you know, it starts to drain us quietly. And then we wonder, are we really connected in? Are we tapped in? Are we tuned in anymore? You know, so it's true. Exactly Yeah. So true. I'm a living testament to that. So I know that also well. I've had tremendous transformations over the last few years, but I've always had that mindset, but it's been an incredible journey. So what was your personal adaptive mindset moment when you knew something had to change and how you were living or leading? Just expand on what you were talking about or something else besides that, just You know, it's funny, because when I was going through points in my life, I never thought it was anything special, really. I just went through it because I had to do it, whatever. Right. And it was survival more than anything A lot of times we're on survival mode in life. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so I remember like the defining moments like, you know, going through the schooling system in India, I felt challenged because I didn't really fit the mold of the ideal Indian student who would go to school and excel in school. My interest was like fitness, sports, you know, those type of things. And there was absolutely no room in the Indian system of education for me to excel in any of that. So it ended up that I was struggling with my, you know, with education, like trying to get my head wrapped around geography and history and mathematics and you know, and I almost was like, why am I struggling with this so much? Am I just stupid that I don't get this? You know, this was my dialogue as a child, right? And there was no like, my parents were great providers, but they didn't provide on the emotional hunger side. You know, they provided on the food side. My mom did provide a little bit on the emotional hunger side, but she was herself caught up in a lot of emotional, chaos, you know, so it was very hard for her to really step in and do that role. So I remember I literally coached myself through the philosophy of getting through school, you know, because I knew if I didn't get through it, I could never break open and do the other things I wanted to do in my life. So yes, it was survival mode, but I think a lot of times the survival mode forces us to be creative in our solutions. So, you know, so I got creative and worked out a system for getting through school and broke through my own mindset about my so-called learning disability, right? Because on the other side of learning disability is you're very capable Exactly. So many people can thrive in other areas and we judge and we grade people on a certain category, but not one person on this earth is the same. We all have our strengths and we compare to this ideal that Yeah. And so that breakthrough for me was, it didn't come in India because I still struggled with it. But when I stepped into my master's program in the United States, it was my second master's program. In my first master's program, I still struggled with it because I didn't feel connected to what I was learning. It didn't make sense to me. How would I actually use this in real life? It was all just format for the sake of format, right? When I brought that into my second master's, I had the system and the methodology, but I still didn't feel connected into what I was doing, not as much at least, but it slowly started shifting and I realized that it had given me a structure to take into my life. in a tech entrepreneurship and I literally remember the defining moments where you know I started to actually do a hat you know heads down programming and then I realized I had these bigger skills. in managing, seeing the vision. And that gave me the idea to start my own entrepreneurial journey. So I became a tech entrepreneur just after the dot-com bust happened in 2008. And- What a great time. Yeah, it was a great time. And I had the privilege of working with some of the best Fortune 500 and 100 companies to advise them on their tech strategy and helping them realize programs, massive, you know, large scale programs for mergers and acquisitions and things like that. So, you know, my point being, you know, we think that these are disconnected pieces because we haven't quite taken the time to look at how we've grown through it, and how we've become masters of our destiny. But we have, and we have everything that we need in order to get there. Because if I didn't have that hardship, which I perceived to have in my childhood, I could not be here today. I wouldn't be an entrepreneur. And I think most entrepreneurs I'm thinking right now in my own life, The, the challenges I had in, and they were opportunities in disguise because they shaped the Every entrepreneur, every, every entrepreneur that I know has Exactly. Yeah. So that is the, you know, it is the, I think the beauty and the challenge of life, you know, Um, as humans, we want to avoid the challenge, but now my philosophy is I know the breakthrough is Absolutely. Cause when, uh, we have, I have a mentor and a coach and he says, when you do hard things, everything becomes easy. And a lot of times we neglect to take that step. that leap of faith, if you will, if we hold back. And in the past, I'd be a person that would say, would overcomplicate things and think things through. But no, bold action leads to incredible results. And you have to push through that for that next opportunity, that next growth of your identity. Yeah. I so love what you just said, because this was the person, like, I will tell you that once I learned that skill, I now have the courage to go to anything in life. And I mean, anything. Yeah. Because I've lived in seven countries, you know, most people think of travel as being so fun. And I'm going to tell you when you live in other countries, Especially adjusting to new ways, new cultures. Incredible. So Yeah, I have. And I have actually challenged myself to do that more than anything else. After I started in India and immigrated, I first wanted to go back to England, you know, live in England, but that didn't quite work out the way I wanted it to work out back then. So I moved to the United States, immigrated to the United States. There was always a big traveler in me. In 2019, I decided to really explore that and I made it a goal to at least live in two to three countries every year. So I've lived in France, I've lived in Portugal, I've lived in the UK. I've just made it a point because each experience has changed the way I see humanity. And the common thread is that everybody wants Oh, that's the moment in the episode right now. We have to, I think as people, we need to recognize that and make sure that we're taking the effort to realize that perhaps there's someone you know in your own family or a friend or somebody you meet on the street. Show kindness, show love. We're all here put on this earth to help. and to do better and make a better place. And sometimes we think we need to do bold action, but the bold action is just being the best version of you and show love. That's all. If everybody did that, wow. Wow. So you've really seen that other side of humanity that's really given you another mindset shift in of your own identity in Yeah, I mean, I, you know, when I grew up, Brad, I remember days when I would walk outside. India is a country of contrast, you know, you, you see the very wealthy and then right outside, you're going to see a lot of poverty and that's how I grew up. So I saw both sides. Now, most, People might think, oh my God, there's so much poverty, but I actually saw the beauty in that because the two exist together, one that cannot exist without the other, you know, so I learned that at a very young age and learn to understand that that's life. But the beauty is that if you've been on one side, you could always go to Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah. I can totally relate to that. We I wouldn't say I lived in poverty, but we had a challenge growing up and seeing where I am today. I appreciate it. And I know, and that's why when I have the opportunity to support the children's camp and things like that, to make an impact, I do that because I appreciate what it means to allow 10 children to go to a summer camp when I didn't have the opportunity when That's beautiful. So it's giving you the inspiration, it sounds like, for your mission, which looks Yeah, it's just as one of my mandates, I have my heart when I do donations and help at least corporately and even privately, I like to do things that impact children and the outdoors. So we, we support a children's camp, some hiking trails, and we support ground search and rescue to help rescue people. And Yeah. We couldn't do it without the privilege of being able to support people. But I know what it meant to me when we had help. And so when you see that side of humanity, we have to recognize that we can all take our own small action. And you witnessed it in seven different countries and probably Yeah, there's always that side of me what that wants to explore, you know, I've had the privilege of living in countries, but I've not known the language and yet found a way to connect with people at that deeper level. You know, most recently I lived in France and. It was an incredible experience where most people were saying, oh my God, Parisians are so snobbish, you know, and all that good stuff. But you know, when you said that, it made me think of Wayne Dyer. Are you familiar with Wayne Dyer? Okay, I'll never forget this because I remember it. Wayne Dyer was talking to, he was walking, and I know I'll get the story wrong, but the point will make sense. A person asked Wayne, he just moved to the community. She asked Wayne, what are the people like in this community? And Wayne said, well, what are the people like in your community? And the person said, well, they're real standoffish. It's always so busy and they don't have any room to be friendly or anything. Well, I think you'll find the very same thing here. And then that same day, somebody else came along and they asked, they had just moved. What are the people like in this community? Wayne said, well, what are the people like in your community? Oh, it's so friendly. People go out of their way to help you. I'm really going to miss it. It was so great to be there. And then Wayne said, I think you'll find the very same thing here. And I've always remembered that because it's how you look at it, your perspective, and we can never Exactly. And that's exactly it. Because I remember the last day in France, I was just getting ready to come back to the United States and I had decided I hadn't gone into this one little bakery. It's our mom and pop bakeries we're talking about. So I was walking by and this lovely lady made eye contact. So I greeted her in French. I don't know enough French to speak continuously in French, but I greeted her in French and she immediately warmed up to me. And she said, she immediately switched to English because she understood I didn't know French. And she said, would you like to come in, sit down with me and have a cup of tea? And I was like, this is completely unexpected. And so we had this amazing conversation. We sat at the table, she brought a nice pot of tea and she let me sample some of her best work. And she's been making these amazing baked goods like cookies and biscuits in her family for like 300 years, you know? she's got the formulas. And when I tasted this thing, I was like, oh my God. I mean, talk about being a really great salesperson, right? But she didn't need to sell it to me, you know? That was the whole point. And I had a lovely conversation and then I took back home, brought back home with me some of her amazing goods. And It's I think whatever's inside of us is what we're going to see on Yeah. And I think that's what you were alluding to with Wayne's message, That's the message. And we have to be mindful of that in our mindset and how we look at life and recognize that we have to work on our inside. And I believe that's what you help people with as well, I Yeah, that's exactly right. Because I bring this almost weird combination of nervous system experience from my somatic therapy work that I've done as a yoga therapist. And then, you know, deep explorations in the scientific world with Dr. Demartini and Deepak Chopra on the quantum fields. I bring all of that together in my True Resonance methodology. And Brett, I would love to offer your audience my free blueprint. Um, it's for everybody who wants to come and follow me on Instagram. I'd love to offer that free blueprint. So they just, you know, um, DM me the word 10, you know, like in one zero and my Instagram handle is at my future now by Vidya. That's my gift to Yeah. and we'll make sure your Instagram handle is in the show notes. So if the listener is nodding along thinking that's me, along all the wonderful things we said, what do you think is the first micro shift that they can make towards moving to that future version Yeah, this is a great question because I think a lot of us struggle with what is showing up in our external world, you know, and getting challenged by that. So what I would say is instead of seeing it as two separate worlds, start seeing it as one world where you're extending whatever is on the inside of you to the outside world. So if you get really micro clear on what your true values are, not the values of honesty, those are traits, honesty, integrity, those are all traits in my world. And then there are 4,600 traits that all of us are playing in, right? But I'm talking about a deeper play than that. I'm talking about what is intrinsically inspiring to you. Is that when you get on your yoga mat? Is that when you're talking to people? Is that when you're hosting a podcast? Where are you lighting up in the world? And why is that happening? And focus into that zone of genius so microscopically that nothing else matters. I think this is the key for entrepreneurial success. And so many of us go in like 100 different directions trying to do 100 different things instead of saying, everybody has a zone of genius. I want to find people who do well in their zones of genius. And I stay in my zone of genius. as other people step in and help me in their zones of genius. This is a secret, but it's not so easy because there's a mindset of, I might miss something. I might lose control. Things have to be done perfectly. All of these things, will it go in the right direction? The doubt, the overthinking. If you can move past some of those blocks, long-winded answer to your question, do the mindset work that will allow you to be a better leader so that you can show up with yourself and that becomes naturally attracting to people you Yeah, absolutely. It makes me to add on to that, In my own way, what I see and what I've experienced, and I share this a lot because I, I'm involved in scouting and one of the scout masters that, that I, uh, partner with a lot, he lives in another city, but he's taught me a lot. And this is a, a way of expressing it in another way. He says it's right on their vehicles, their cargo vehicle, train them, trust them, Yeah, absolutely. So I want to thank you for coming today. But most importantly, what I want to say to our listeners, we had such an incredible conversation today with Vidya. And the best way you could repay if I know you got value out of this, so think of one or three people that you know in your network and share this episode with them so you can help them because I know and you know the listeners that there were some very there were drops of gold nuggets here that can help Not only did it help you, I know it did, but by sharing this episode with somebody, commenting, and visiting Vidya's Instagram, you can help make an impact on the world. And I can't think of any better way to repay Vidya for Oh, thank you, Brett. It's been my pleasure. And thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be with your audience. And it has been a true pleasure. And Thanks for tuning into the Adaptive Mindset. If you found value in today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who's ready to thrive in the digital age.