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Paper Napkin Wisdom

Paper Napkin Wisdom

Written by: Govindh Jayaraman
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 Paper Napkin Wisdom with Govindh Jayaraman The biggest breakthroughs don't always come from boardrooms, textbooks, or endless strategy decks. More often, they're sparked in simple moments—captured on the back of a napkin. That's the heart of Paper Napkin Wisdom. Each week, host Govindh Jayaraman sits down with entrepreneurs, leaders, athletes, artists, and difference-makers who distill their most powerful insight into one napkin-sized idea. These aren't abstract theories. They're lived lessons—the kind that shift how you see the world and give you tools you can use immediately. From billion-dollar founders and bestselling authors to under-the-radar innovators changing their industries, every guest shares a perspective that challenges assumptions and invites you to loosen your grip on "the way things are." You'll discover how simple reframes can spark growth, how clarity emerges from constraint, and how wisdom becomes powerful only when it's put into action. Expect conversations that are raw, practical, and deeply human. You'll leave each episode not only seeing reality differently, but also knowing exactly what you can try today—in your business, your leadership, or your life. If you're ready for small shifts that lead to big results, this is your place. Grab a napkin, listen in, and share your takeaway with #PaperNapkinWisdom. Because wisdom isn't meant to sit on the page—it's meant to move you forward.Paper Napkin Wisdom Inc, 2012-2025. Unauthorized use of Paper Napkin Wisdom, WiseNapkin and/or duplication of this material (including images, Podcasts, or any other medium) without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Always Look for a Glimmer of Light | With Denise Cesare, Founder, Author

    Always Look for a Glimmer of Light | With Denise Cesare, Founder, Author
    Jan 15 2026
    Introduction: When the Light Is Almost Invisible Denise Cesare didn't bring a complicated napkin. She didn't bring a framework. Or a system. Or a clever phrase designed to sound insightful. She brought a sentence that could only come from lived experience: "Always look for a glimmer of light." At first glance, it feels gentle. Comforting. Almost obvious. But as this conversation unfolds, you realize this isn't encouragement spoken from the sidelines. It's a survival strategy. Denise's story is not about optimism. It's about navigating real darkness — loss, identity disruption, silence, and uncertainty — and choosing, again and again, to stay present long enough to notice what hasn't gone out. This episode is a meditation on resilience, intuition, self-love, and the quiet courage it takes to keep going when there is no dramatic breakthrough — only the next small glimmer. The Core Idea: Light Doesn't Arrive All at Once Denise's napkin isn't asking us to find the light. It's asking us to look for it. That distinction matters. After a car accident in 2006, Denise gradually lost her voice due to a neurological condition called spasmodic dysphonia. For five years, she lived without a functional speaking voice — as a speech-language pathologist whose work depended on communication. No clear answers. No immediate solutions. No guarantees. What carried her through wasn't a single moment of rescue. It was the discipline of noticing what was still there. A child who understood her without words. A student who loved her voice — even when it changed. A friend clapping when she successfully spoke into a drive-through microphone for the first time in years. The glimmer wasn't dramatic. It was human. And it was enough to take the next step. When the Darkness Lasts Longer Than You Expect One of the most sobering parts of Denise's story is the timeline. Five years. That's how long she lived without a voice before finding the right medical partner and treatment. During that time, she continued working, advocating, adapting, and learning to accept accommodations she never imagined she'd need. What makes this part of the story powerful is not the eventual outcome — it's what she didn't do. She didn't give up. She didn't disappear. And she didn't outsource her knowing. At one point, she was told she should stop working altogether. That moment could have ended everything. Instead, Denise trusted her intuition and walked away. This is where the napkin becomes less poetic and more practical: Looking for the glimmer sometimes means refusing to accept a conclusion that doesn't feel true — even when it comes from an authority. "I Thought Someone Else Saved Me — But It Was Me" One of the most honest moments in the conversation comes when Denise reflects on what she believed kept her going. For years, she told herself it was her son. That he was the reason she stayed. That she endured the darkness for him. And then, later, she realized something deeper: It was self-love. Not in a performative sense. Not in a slogan sense. But in the quiet, daily choice to keep caring for herself — even when the path was unclear. This realization reframes the napkin entirely. The glimmer of light isn't always external. Sometimes, it's the part of you that refuses to abandon yourself. Silence as a Creative Incubator Ironically, the years without a voice became some of Denise's most creative years. Without the ability to speak freely, her inner world expanded. She began imagining new ways of working. New forms of expression. New ways to help people feel seen, included, and whole. Out of that space emerged: Deeper connection with her students A growing commitment to embodiment and self-acceptance And eventually, a book that arrived fully formed during the isolation of COVID One night, she woke with the story in her mind — a story that would become Moments in Motion with Love. She tested it not with focus groups or metrics, but with people who knew her heart. When her son heard it and cried, she knew. The glimmer had turned into a calling. Presence Is the Practice As the conversation deepens, a quiet truth surfaces again and again: We only ever have this moment. Denise doesn't talk about mindfulness as a trend. She talks about it as a necessity — especially for children, for people in pain, and for anyone navigating uncertainty. Her work now integrates movement, emotion, and accessibility, meeting people where they are — seated, standing, or lying down. The common thread is presence. Not fixing. Not forcing. Not rushing ahead. Just staying. That, too, is a form of light. 5 Key Takeaways (...
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    41 mins
  • Edge of the Napkin #20 - Build Your Growth Aura

    Edge of the Napkin #20 - Build Your Growth Aura
    Jan 11 2026
    Introduction: When Effort Isn't the Problem There comes a point in leadership where doing more stops working. You're focused. You're aligned. You're taking action. And yet—momentum feels heavier than it should. Trust takes longer to build. Progress happens, but it doesn't compound. This episode lives in that space. Not to offer another tactic or system, but to explore something quieter and more foundational: why some leaders seem to carry gravity, while others—with equal effort and capability—do not. What if the difference isn't effort at all, but structure? The Core Idea: Presence Is Built, Not Projected We often talk about presence as if it's a personality trait. Charisma. Confidence. Energy. But spend enough time around leaders whose influence endures and you start to notice something else. Their presence doesn't fluctuate with circumstances. They don't perform for the room. The room adjusts to them. That kind of presence isn't stylistic. It's structural. This is what I've come to call a Magnetic Growth Aura—not something you perform or manufacture, but something you build over time. The metaphor that makes this visible is architecture. Enduring buildings aren't designed from the outside in. Architects don't start with aesthetics. They start with foundations, load paths, and integrity—because if the structure is wrong, everything else eventually cracks. Leadership works the same way. Belief Before Evidence: The Invisible Foundation Every structure rests on a foundation you rarely see once the building is complete. For growth that lasts, that foundation is belief before evidence. Not blind optimism. Not wishful thinking. But the willingness to act from conviction before the proof shows up. Every meaningful body of work begins here. Someone moves without applause. Someone commits without guarantees. Someone trusts principles more than outcomes. Without this foundation, action hesitates and energy fragments. With it, decisions feel cleaner and effort carries weight. This is where Focus–Align–Act lives. It's the operating system. But operating systems still need architecture that can carry their power. Four Pillars That Carry the Weight What rises above the foundation isn't a single trait, but a structure built on four pillars. Confidence gives permission to act. Congruence creates credibility. Calm provides leverage without force. Contribution gives the work meaning beyond metrics. Most instability comes from overbuilding one pillar while neglecting the others. Confidence without congruence becomes arrogance. Calm without contribution becomes sterile. Contribution without confidence stays small. But when these four pillars work together, something subtle changes. People trust you faster. Decisions feel cleaner. Energy compounds instead of leaking. You stop forcing momentum. Gravity takes over. A Hall That Held There's a town with a meeting hall that never quite worked. Leaders debated lighting, seating, sound systems. Every fix helped briefly—then failed. A builder arrived and studied the ground. "If we repaint this hall," he said, "it will still collapse. If we rebuild the structure, people will gather." Foundations were expensive. Invisible. Unimpressive. But he rebuilt anyway. Winter came. Storms hit. Every other structure creaked. The hall held. By spring, no one asked questions. They just brought chairs. That's how aura works. 5 Key Takeaways (with Take Action) 1. Presence is structural, not stylistic Take Action: Notice where you're managing perception instead of strengthening foundations. 2. Belief before evidence creates momentum Take Action: Act on one conviction today without waiting for validation. 3. Confidence needs alignment to be trusted Take Action: Check where your words and actions may be slightly out of sync. 4. Calm multiplies impact Take Action: In one conversation today, slow the moment instead of pushing it. 5. Contribution is the point of growth Take Action: Ask: Who benefits if this works—and how? Closing Reflection A magnetic growth aura isn't built in moments. It's built in consistency. Belief before evidence. Alignment without negotiation. Calm under pressure. Contribution beyond scale. This isn't fast work. But it is enduring work. And like the best architecture, long after the noise fades, people will still feel something solid when they stand near what you've built. Chapters and Key Moments 00:00 The Essence of Influence 07:10 Building a Magnetic Growth Aura 10:01 The Four Pillars of Magnetic Growth 14:04 The Integration of Confidence, Congruence, Calm, and Contribution 17:22 The Long-Term Impact of a Magnetic Growth...
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    19 mins
  • Help Me See What You See - With Susan Asiyanbi Founder and CEO Olori Network

    Help Me See What You See - With Susan Asiyanbi Founder and CEO Olori Network
    Jan 8 2026
    Introduction: Seeing Beyond What We See Susan Asiyanbi is one of only two guests in the history of Paper Napkin Wisdom to draw eyes on a napkin. Not symbols. Not words alone. Eyes — complete with lashes — and a simple phrase beneath them: "Help me see what you see." At first glance, it feels poetic. But as this conversation unfolds, you realize it's not poetic at all. It's practical. It's disciplined. And it may be one of the most underutilized leadership skills in modern organizations — and in our personal lives. Susan's work lives at the intersection of leadership, learning, and human systems. And in this conversation, she offers a deceptively simple idea that carries enormous weight: Your perspective is true — and incomplete. That sentence alone could sit on a napkin and change how meetings are run, how families navigate hard seasons, and how leaders unlock innovation, alignment, and trust. What follows is not a theory-heavy conversation. It's a grounded exploration of how curiosity — real curiosity — becomes the gateway to better leadership, stronger relationships, and faster, more sustainable results. govindh-jayaramans-studio_susan… The Core Idea: Perspective Is True and Incomplete One of the most powerful moments in the conversation comes early, when Susan names something many leaders feel but rarely articulate: "I just think it's critical to frame and see the world in a way where you know that your perspective is true — and also incomplete." That framing does two things at once. First, it honors experience. Your view matters. It's informed by what you've lived, seen, and learned. Second, it creates humility. No matter how senior you are, no matter how experienced, you are missing something. And the missing pieces don't live in data dashboards alone. They live in other people. This is where leadership either contracts… or expands. Curiosity Is Not a Soft Skill — It's a Sophisticated One Susan pushes back hard on the idea that curiosity and listening are "soft skills." She reframes them as sophisticated skills — the hardest ones to master. Why? Because our brains are wired to respond, defend, and conclude quickly. The moment someone says, "I see it differently," our nervous system is already preparing a counterargument. Susan offers a disciplined alternative: Ask seven questions. Not to stall. Not to perform curiosity. But to interrupt the brain's rush to certainty. She explains that leaders who claim they "don't have time" for this work are already paying a much higher price — in rework, misalignment, fractured relationships, and emotional repair. Slow down now, or pay for it later — with interest. govindh-jayaramans-studio_susan… When Words Become Shortcuts (and Create Misalignment) One of the most practical insights in the episode is how teams often use the same words — but mean entirely different things. Strategy. Innovation. Culture. Acceleration. Susan shares an example of an executive team all agreeing they had a "strategy problem," only to discover: One leader meant product-market misalignment Another meant execution breakdown Another meant culture and retention Same word. Three different action paths. Zero shared understanding. This is how organizations burn time and energy without realizing it. Curiosity slows the conversation just enough to ask: "When you say that word — what does it mean to you?" That single question can save months of misdirected effort. govindh-jayaramans-studio_susan… The Personal Mirror: When Assumptions Hurt the Most One of the most human moments in the conversation comes when Susan shares a deeply personal story about navigating grief with her siblings after the loss of their father. They all agreed on one thing: "We want to love and support our mom." And yet — chaos followed. Why? Because each sibling held a different definition of what "support" meant: Being physically together Honoring her wishes Planning for long-term care No one asked the seven questions. Everyone assumed alignment. This is the paradox Susan names beautifully: We take the greatest shortcuts with the people we love the most. And those shortcuts cost us understanding. The napkin phrase becomes personal here: Help me see what you see — especially when I think I already know. govindh-jayaramans-studio_susan… The Currency of Challenge Is Connection A subtle but powerful theme emerges as the conversation deepens: Once someone feels understood, challenge becomes possible. Susan calls understanding the currency for challenge and change. When people know you've truly seen their ...
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    44 mins
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