Lead From Within Podcast

Nitesh Agarwal is a senior leader at Urban Company who had spent almost a decade helping build and lead its Middle East business. He had recently been promoted, the company had gone public, and professionally, everything appeared to be going well.
But internally, there was conflict.
The same drive, intensity and attention to detail that had helped Nitesh succeed were making it difficult to switch off, let go and remain fully present. He was thinking about work at home, questioning how much to push his team and wondering whether slowing down would mean losing the edge that had brought him this far.
In this episode, Nitesh shares what changed during four months of working with Jaineel. They explore letting go of control, moving beyond self-imposed rules, slowing down to think more clearly, trusting others and leading without constantly needing to prove yourself.
Nitesh also reveals how his relationship with ambition has evolved. Rather than becoming less driven, he has learned to channel that drive towards a clearer mission while becoming calmer and more aligned within himself.
A powerful conversation for high performers who have achieved through drive and hard work but sense that their next level may require a different way of operating.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Success on the outside, conflict on the inside1:14 When drive, aggression and empathy collide5:37 Slowing down and learning to respond rather than react7:44 From answering Slack around the clock to letting go9:36 Enjoying the journey and an unexpected revelation10:59 Moving from proving yourself to serving a mission14:22 What a 360 assessment revealed about Nitesh’s leadership16:21 “I am the only bottleneck”17:00 Letting go of micromanagement and trusting the team18:35 Helping people become stronger versions of themselves21:53 The lion and the monk: balancing ambition with peace23:42 How slowing down created clearer thinking26:02 The “free bird” and creating more space in life27:02 Why slowing down can help you speed up28:49 The turning point: mortality, the treadmill and a new way of being30:22 “Maybe it’s not about learning more. It’s about unlearning”32:12 When enjoying the journey finally became real34:06 The fear of losing his speed and drive34:48 “If you had ten years left, what would you create?”37:43 Becoming calm, intense and fully alive39:01 A mission to improve thousands of lives40:41 The one word Nitesh uses to describe his transformation42:15 Nitesh’s advice to other high performers43:30 Why working on yourself is an athlete’s net practice44:37 Closing reflectionsResources:Brene Brown Article: https://brenebrown.com/articles/2018/05/24/the-midlife-unraveling/Connect with Nitesh:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/niteshag/Connect with Jaineel:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaineelmistry/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaineelmistryNewsletter: https://thrivingscholar.com/newsletters/Website: https://thrivingscholar.com/ 
Lead From Within: 9 Shifts to Unlock Your True Self and Step Into Authentic Leadership — Coming November 2026!

Nimrita Dadlani, founder and CEO of legal AI startup Pivot, was living in survival mode. Fear, overwhelm, sleepless nights, and a dysregulated nervous system, even as her business was performing better than ever.
Today, she's raised investment from three investors, signed her first law firm clients, been featured in The Times, and won funding at London Tech Week.
In this episode, Nimrita shares the inner journey that preceded her outer results. We talk about nervous system regulation, the Miracle Journal, the athlete-in-the-arena mindset, visualisation before high-stakes pitches, a day-long spiritual retreat, and what it actually means to lead from within when you're a single parent running a startup.
Raw, honest, and genuinely moving. If you're a leader or entrepreneur who is performing on the outside but not at peace on the inside — this one's for you.TIMESTAMPS0:00 Introduction & Nimrita's 90-day results1:00 Where she was in December 20252:55 Seeing the possibility but not knowing how to step into it6:14 Nimrita's story: divorce, pivot, and building Pivot9:36 Why she decided to try coaching11:18 Nervous system regulation in practice14:47 Slow down to speed up16:29 The Miracle Journal19:38 Bridging inner work and the business world22:00 Pitching in front of 80 investors26:20 Top breakthroughs from the 90 days27:33 The athlete in the arena30:24 "I'm comfortable in my own skin"34:33 What Lead From Within actually means35:44 What to do if you're where Nimrita was36:46 Tangible results: Times feature, law firm clients, investment39:22 How Nimrita describes this journey44:40 The spiritual retreat and releasing trauma46:40 Closing words
GUESTNimrita Dadlani is the founder and CEO of Pivot. A vertical legal AI platform helping law firms navigate divorce and separation. After pivoting from a consumer-facing platform, she has raised angel investment, signed top UK law firm clients, and will soon be expanding internationally.
🔗 Connect with Nimrita: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nimritadadlani/ https://yourpivot.co/
🔗 Connect with Jaineel: If anything in this episode resonated with you and interested to learn more about how Thriving Scholar can help you create powerful outcomes, book a call via the link below. We'll talk about what's going on in your world and whether the 90-day programme is the right next step.
👉 https://calendly.com/jaineelmistry/connect 
Website: https://thrivingscholar.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaineelmistry/ Join the Lead From Within Newsletter:  https://thrivingscholar.com/newsletters/ 
📘 Lead From Within — the book — launching November 2026. Details coming soon.

Milesh messaged me on Instagram in late in 2021 and now 18 months later he’s a transformed man. 
 
Milesh found himself sitting in his office completely lost, he told me “I found it difficult to remain present and I didn’t even know who I was”.
 
On the outside, he had everything. On the inside, it was a different story. 
 
Something was missing inside.
He felt trapped. 
 
In this interview, he generously shares his story
 
“There was so much more I wanted to give to the world and myself, but couldn’t find a way out."
 
He feared what people thought of him
He wasn’t confident to self-express 
He was being inauthentic to he really was 
 
He was in his own way. 
 
In this interview we go deep on his work with me 1:1 and within our mens group Project Hero. 
 
We talk about:
How he found clarity 
How he had the courage to step away from things and people that didn’t serve him
Finding courage to share his work on social media 
How he turned reactive relationships to consciously created ones
The power of taking ownership
How he connected with his intuition more
The power being his word gave to him
 
This is a powerful interview with a man who doesn’t hold back.
 
Milesh is someone who inspires us with his authenticity, his ability to really understand the inner work, and someone who’s on a positive mission. He's also the creative talent behind many of the podcast videos you've seen me publish across social media!You can connect with Milesh hereSubscribe to his Conscious Creator newsletter here.
And find him on InstagramYou can connect with me here: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaineelmistry/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaineel.mistry/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaineelmistry/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaineelmistry 

Want to find more clarity? 
 
Fear of letting go of things that are taking up energy but are comfortable to you?
 
Want to rise to a higher level of your being and step into a more aligned version of you?
 
In this episode, I share a powerful distinction that will help you come into alignment with yourself so you can make choices aligned with who you are, even if that's uncomfortable at first. 
 
I share the distinction and an exercise that will allow you to reflect on things that are draining your energy (from diet to people) and are now out of alignment vs areas of life that are feeding you energy and are in alignment.
 
This is a powerful episode to listen to as you step into a new chapter of life - for example a whole new year!Enjoy!
You can connect with me here: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaineelmistry/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaineel.mistry/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaineelmistry/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaineelmistry 
 

Have big dreams but find yourself getting frustrated that you get in your own way?You hear the idea of manifestation but then lose yourself in the complexity of it all?Want to take small steps and create simple habits that will allow you to create more of what you want? In this episode, I share a 5 key habits you can implement today to allow you to manifest consciously what you desire. I talk about:
1) Being in the feeling of appreciation 
2) Connect with and use your inner guidance system
3) Daydream!
4) Find clarity on your next step
5) Get present to who you are BEING right nowIn this episode I go deeper on the above points. Enjoy!
You can connect with me here: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaineelmistry/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaineel.mistry/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaineelmistry/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaineelmistry 

Frustrated of complaining about your career and feel stuck?
Want to propel yourself in the workplace?
Want to create a meaningful and successful career?
In this episode, I share 5 career lessons I would tell me younger self. 
I share insights around: 
There is no one set path
Have a scientist mindset
Focus on your craft and your value
Take ownership
Have fun and bring your unique energy to work
Enjoy!
You can connect with me here: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaineelmistry/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaineel.mistry/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaineelmistry/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaineelmistry 

In this episode share how many of us hold ourselves back because of our linear thinking. This kind of think means we bring our past into our current decision. What if you could be free of your past? What if you could create from a blank slate?What could be possible for you?I share 3 core areas of life many people bring their past into their future. 1) Relationships2) Career and business projects
3)Perception of ourselves! (A BIG one!)This could be a transformational episode - if you're ready for it!Enjoy!
You can connect with me here: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaineelmistry/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaineel.mistry/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaineelmistry/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaineelmistry 

Victor Frankl once said "Between stimulus and response, there is a space. in that space is our power to choose our response. In our response, lies our growth and freedom."This is what slowing down to speed up is all about!In this episode, I share 5 practical ways you can slow down to speed up. So you and you can perform at a high level, whilst maintaining your inner peace and sense of grounding. A few things I do into detail on:1) The power of silence
2) Journaling
3) Walk in nature
4) Playing sport
5) Guided meditationsEnjoy!
You can connect with me here: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaineelmistry/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaineel.mistry/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaineelmistry/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaineelmistry 

"I'm not really overwhelmed, but the way I'm seeing the situation is overwhelming"Multiple projects going on at the same time and yourself regularly feeling burdened and frustrated by your never-ending to-do list? 
Find it difficult to be calm and present and in a constant chase of getting things done and always feeling like you're behind?
Bored of trying more of the same old time management tools but still end up in the same place?
This podcast episode will give you the gateway to perform and lead at a high level and do so from a place of alignment and inner peace. Why?Because I share a different take on being overwhelmed. Not the usual leadership and management tools.In fact, I share how OVERWHELM is a created state of being in our own minds. And 5 ways you can shift this to create a better internal state that will transform the way you lead and perform. Enjoy!
You can join my email community to receive weekly "2 min transformation" emails here: 
https://thrivingscholar.activehosted.com/f/1
 
You can connect with me here: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaineelmistry/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaineel.mistry/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaineelmistry/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaineelmistry 

In this episode, I interview author Geoff Watts. Geoff is the CEO of Agile Mastery Institute. He works with bold, forward-thinking leaders who recognise the value in creating engaged, autonomous and creative teams but aren't quite sure how to do this.
In this episode, we discuss a number of key topics:
- What is an agile leader? 
- How can one become a more powerful and effective leader in the complexity we deal with in today's world
- What he sees as the key attributes of powerful leaders today
- How one can become a more powerful communicator and build better professional relationships
- What he's learned from working with leaders from all over the world including those in companies such as BT, Man Investments, Nokia, Sage, JP Morgan, Citigroup, AOL, EMI Music, Motorola, Investec, and KPMG
 
Regardless if you lead a team of 5, of 1, or 10,000. This is episode can be a powerful listen. If you'd like to check out more of Geoff's work. you can do so here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffwatts/
https://agilemasteryinstitute.com/ 
 
You can join my email community to receive weekly "2 min transformation" emails here: 
https://thrivingscholar.activehosted.com/f/1
 
You can connect with me here: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaineelmistry/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaineel.mistry/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaineelmistry/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaineelmistry