In this episode, Preethy Padmanabhan sits down with Catharine Montgomery, Founder & CEO of Better Together, a communications agency focused on purpose-driven brands and social impact storytelling.

Inspired by the book Built to Sell by John Warrillow, the conversation explores what it truly takes to build a business that is not only profitable—but scalable and sellable. From creating repeatable systems to sharpening your value proposition, Catherine shares practical insights on building a company that can grow beyond its founder.

This episode goes deeper into the importance of clarity, positioning, and long-term vision—especially for founders looking to create sustainable, future-ready businesses.

In this episode of Silicon Dreams, host Preethy Padmanabhan speaks with Sushma Malhotra, President & CEO of S5 Advisory, about how How to Win Friends and Influence People shaped her leadership journey.

Sushma also shares actionable leadership strategies — giving sincere praise, avoiding direct criticism, encouraging growth after mistakes, and using empathy to influence clients and teams effectively. The discussion also touches on insights from How to Stop Worrying and Start Living and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

A powerful reminder that great leadership starts with genuine interest, meaningful relationships, and the ability to make others feel heard, valued, and inspired.

In this episode,Preethy Padmanabhan sits down with Ash Seddeek, CEO at The Executive Greatness Institute, with an impressive background spanning Deloitte Consulting, Oracle, and Cisco. Inspired by his book Road to Success, Ash breaks down a powerful framework for career growth through three strategic steps — Own it, Win it, and Crush it.

This conversation goes beyond traditional career advice, diving into how strategy, excitement, and personal energy can become your biggest competitive advantage. Ash shares insights on taking ownership, building momentum, and consistently delivering at a higher level to unlock exponential growth.

In this episode, Preethy Padmanabhan sits down with Prof Mrs Rajita Kulkarni, President of Sri Sri University, for a thought-provoking conversation inspired by her book Unknown Edge.

Unknown Edge explores a powerful idea — that true transformation lies beyond what we can logically measure or predict. It uncovers the subtle forces that separate the mystical from the mundane, guiding individuals and organizations toward deeper clarity, stronger relationships, and sustainable growth.

Drawing from her journey from banking to academia and leadership, Prof. Mrs. Rajita Kulkarni shares insights on self-discovery, decision-making, and how aligning inner awareness with external action can unlock new dimensions of success. The conversation also highlights the importance of intuition, purpose-driven leadership, and navigating uncertainty with clarity.

In this episode, our host Preethy Padmanabhan sits down with Shaloo Garg, Managing Director of AI Startup Ecosystem, Microsoft, for an energizing conversation inspired by 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗡𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗺 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗯.

Antifragile introduces a powerful idea — that some systems, people, and organizations don’t just survive shocks but actually 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆. The book challenges the traditional mindset of avoiding risk and instead encourages embracing change and disorder as catalysts for growth.

Shaloo shares insights from her journey in leadership and social impact, reflecting on how volatility can drive innovation and how startups and leaders can prepare themselves to succeed in uncertain environments. The conversation also explores the importance of resilience, taking calculated risks, and maintaining “skin in the game” when building for the future.

In this episode, our host Preethy Padmanabhan sits down with Prith Banerjee, Senior Vice President of Innovation, and member of the ELT, Synopsys, for a thought-provoking conversation inspired by Innovation Factory: Creating and Sustaining High-Performance Innovation.

Innovation Factory explores what it truly takes to build and sustain a high-performance innovation ecosystem within an organization. Drawing from his experience as former CTO of HP and his extensive leadership journey across academia and industry, Prith shares a practical roadmap for leaders who want to move beyond ideas and create lasting impact.

Prith reflects on the key pillars that drive innovation — a clear strategy, a supportive culture, strong talent management, and meaningful collaboration with external partners. He also discusses the critical role of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things in shaping the future of innovation. With experience as a serial entrepreneur, senior executive, and current CTO at ANSYS, he connects these insights to real-world leadership lessons.

In this episode, our host Preethy Padmanabhan sits down with Mita Gupta, Executive VP and Group Head, WNS Procurement, for a thoughtful conversation inspired by Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein.

Range challenges the widely accepted belief that early specialization is the only path to success. Instead, David Epstein makes a compelling case for generalists—those who explore broadly, experiment across roles, and draw insights from diverse experiences—especially in complex and unpredictable industries.

Mita reflects on what resonated most with her from the book and connects its ideas to her own professional journey. Having taken on dynamic roles as a Co-founder, VP, and Board Advisor, she shares how embracing multiple interests and challenges enabled her to successfully build and scale B2B businesses. Through personal examples, she explains why adaptability, curiosity, and cross-functional thinking can become powerful career assets.

In this episode, our host Preethy Padmanabhan sits down with Syamla Bandla, Senior Director of Production Engineering at Meta, for a thoughtful conversation inspired by Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown.

Atlas of the Heart is a powerful exploration of human emotions—why we feel what we feel, how those emotions shape our behaviors, and how emotional awareness can deepen our relationships. Syamla shares what she loved most about the book, the key insights that stayed with her, and how she’s applied them in her own life and leadership journey.

Together, Preethy and Syamla dive deep into the importance of naming our emotions, building emotional resilience, and developing tools to cope, heal, and connect more meaningfully—with ourselves and with others.