In this episode of L for Leadership, Shivani Bhasin Sachdeva, Founder of India Alternatives, delves into the world of fund management, and the unique challenges and advantages that come with being a woman in private equity. 

From India to Wall Street and back to India, Shivani discusses her unique upbringing, spending over two decades in private equity in the U.S. and India, and her bold decision to return to India to establish India Alternatives, a mid-market private equity firm, at a time when there were virtually no women in the space. 

Shivani talks about her strategic approach to investing, creating value and building relationships, and the secret behind success stories like Enamor and TransUnion CIBIL. Being a vocal advocate for more women in finance, Shivani directly challenges the common myths around women in investing, and what makes them the ideal investors. 

In an insightful conversation about women in wealth management, the changing private equity landscape in India and AI, Shivani Bhasin Sachdeva shares the qualities future leaders need: critical thinking, likeability, and empathy.

Credits: 

Host: Swati Apte / Dr. Sangeetha Rajan

About The Arts Quotient

The Arts Quotient is a leadership development firm powered by the two founders’ collective experience of over 50 years across business strategy, operations, psychology, law, communications, and more. Founded by Swati Apte and Dr. Sangeetha Rajan, and their shared experience in the live arts, where they learned in practice - many of the concepts of leadership, such as presence, collaboration, and agility, TAQ looks to bring a multi-dimensional approach to solving leadership problems. Over the past decade, it has harnessed the power of diverse disciplines to solve business challenges and energise leaders across more than 80 organisations. 

This is a Maed In India Production

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Head of Audio Production: Kartik Kulkarni

Producer: Rachna Sukuru 

Assistant Producer: Devanshi Chandak

Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Nihar Temkar

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Recorded at Island City Studios, Mumbai

Long before we speak, our bodies signal important messages to others in the room. And these are shaped by past experiences that we literally, physically, carry around with us. 

This episode explores how unconscious physical patterns influence leadership presence, visibility and authority, especially for women in high-stakes spaces.

In this short episode of L for Leadership, host Sangeetha Rajan introduces the idea of embodied leadership and how the mind-body connection can be leveraged to shape presence, and influence at work. She also shares a simple, step-by-step somatic reset that listeners can use before meetings, presentations and difficult conversations to release tension, restore calm and show up with grounded confidence.

Credits: 

Host: Swati Apte / Dr. Sangeetha Rajan

About The Arts Quotient

The Arts Quotient is a leadership development firm powered by the two founders’ collective experience of over 50 years across business strategy, operations, psychology, law, communications, and more. Founded by Swati Apte and Dr. Sangeetha Rajan, and their shared experience in the live arts, where they learned in practice - many of the concepts of leadership, such as presence, collaboration, and agility, TAQ looks to bring a multi-dimensional approach to solving leadership problems. Over the past decade, it has harnessed the power of diverse disciplines to solve business challenges and energise leaders across more than 80 organisations. 

This is a Maed In India Production

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Head of Audio Production: Kartik Kulkarni

Producer: Rachna Sukuru 

Assistant Producer: Devanshi Chandak

Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Nihar Temkar

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Recorded at Island City Studios, Mumbai

In this episode of L for Leadership, Rukmini S, data journalist, Founder and Director of Data for India, takes us behind the scenes of India’s data landscape and unpacks the hidden stories behind India’s numbers, especially when it comes to labour and gender.

Rukmini sheds light on her own journey from field reporting to data journalism, and explains how biases in data collection and reporting can distort perceptions, from women’s labour force participation, to access to technology. She emphasizes the importance of triangulating multiple sources and adding context to the numbers to reveal the full story. 

Rukmini gives actionable insights for leaders, policymakers, and organizations on how to use government data effectively, avoid simplistic averages, and adopt more nuanced, creative approaches to drive inclusive decision-making.

Credits: 

Host: Swati Apte / Dr. Sangeetha Rajan

About The Arts Quotient

The Arts Quotient is a leadership development firm powered by the two founders’ collective experience of over 50 years across business strategy, operations, psychology, law, communications, and more. Founded by Swati Apte and Dr. Sangeetha Rajan, and their shared experience in the live arts, where they learned in practice - many of the concepts of leadership, such as presence, collaboration, and agility, TAQ looks to bring a multi-dimensional approach to solving leadership problems. Over the past decade, it has harnessed the power of diverse disciplines to solve business challenges and energise leaders across more than 80 organisations. 

This is a Maed In India Production

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Head of Audio Production: Kartik Kulkarni

Producer: Rachna Sukuru 

Assistant Producer: Devanshi Chandak

Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Nihar Temkar

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Recorded at Island City Studios, Mumbai

In this episode of L for Leadership, Tina Ahluwalia, Director - Operations at WinPE, explores the reality and challenges women face, when navigating entrepreneurship and investing in India.

Tina draws our attention to gender equity in private equity and venture capital industries where women have historically been underrepresented. With women-led startups receiving less than 10% of VC funding, Tina emphasizes the need for gender diversity, to ensure better governance, innovation and long-term returns. 

Tina breaks down why women founders are still scrutinized more, what investors really respond to, and how mentorship, money, and mindset can change the pipeline, not just the headlines. She touches on the importance of creating a community where women open up about their fears, and learn the unspoken rules of pitching and power. She also emphasizes the need for financial literacy, whether it’s a woman from a rural town, or a metropolitan city.

A thoughtful conversation on transforming India’s start-up landscape, Tina Ahluwalia shares what future women leaders need: inclusivity, courage and collaboration.

Credits: 

Host: Swati Apte / Dr. Sangeetha Rajan

About The Arts Quotient

The Arts Quotient is a leadership development firm powered by the two founders’ collective experience of over 50 years across business strategy, operations, psychology, law, communications, and more. Founded by Swati Apte and Dr. Sangeetha Rajan, and their shared experience in the live arts, where they learned in practice - many of the concepts of leadership, such as presence, collaboration, and agility, TAQ looks to bring a multi-dimensional approach to solving leadership problems. Over the past decade, it has harnessed the power of diverse disciplines to solve business challenges and energise leaders across more than 80 organisations. 

This is a Maed In India Production

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Head of Audio Production: Kartik Kulkarni

Producer: Rachna Sukuru 

Assistant Producer: Devanshi Chandak

Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Nihar Temkar

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Recorded at Island City Studios, Mumbai

In this short episode, our host Swati Apte talks about the reality of career breaks – the fear and the self doubt that accompanies it, and how that narrative is slowly changing. 

Swati addresses the common myths surrounding career breaks, and offers real, actionable insights into overcoming them. 

Thoughtful, practical, and reassuring, this episode empowers women to claim their pause without apology and re-enter the world of work on their own terms. 

Credits: 

Host: Swati Apte / Dr. Sangeetha Rajan

About The Arts Quotient

The Arts Quotient is a leadership development firm powered by the two founders’ collective experience of over 50 years across business strategy, operations, psychology, law, communications, and more. Founded by Swati Apte and Dr. Sangeetha Rajan, and their shared experience in the live arts, where they learned in practice - many of the concepts of leadership, such as presence, collaboration, and agility, TAQ looks to bring a multi-dimensional approach to solving leadership problems. Over the past decade, it has harnessed the power of diverse disciplines to solve business challenges and energise leaders across more than 80 organisations. 

This is a Maed In India Production

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Head of Audio Production: Kartik Kulkarni

Producer: Rachna Sukuru 

Assistant Producer: Devanshi Chandak

Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Nihar Temkar

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Recorded at Island City Studios, Mumbai

In this episode of L for Leadership, Chandrika Pasricha — founder and CEO of Flexing It — offers an inside look at India's fast-changing career landscape. With over a decade of experience connecting skilled professionals to project-based work, she shares how independent consulting and freelance careers are redefining the modern workforce.

Chandrika shares her insight on why there has been a shift toward independent consulting and the skills required to succeed. She also opens up about the low numbers of women freelancing and steps we can take to increase their participation.  

From managing your own project pipeline to negotiating fair pay, we dive into the realities of building a career as an independent consultant in India. Chandrika draws on her experience as a founder to unpack the opportunities and challenges of work beyond traditional jobs.

A thoughtful conversation offering practical insights on thriving in careers beyond traditional models, Chandrika Pasricha aims to continue building Flexing It as a solution to evolving challenges in the future of work.

Credits: 

Host: Swati Apte / Dr. Sangeetha Rajan

About The Arts Quotient

The Arts Quotient is a leadership development firm powered by the two founders’ collective experience of over 50 years across business strategy, operations, psychology, law, communications, and more. Founded by Swati Apte and Dr. Sangeetha Rajan, and their shared experience in the live arts, where they learned in practice - many of the concepts of leadership, such as presence, collaboration, and agility, TAQ looks to bring a multi-dimensional approach to solving leadership problems. Over the past decade, it has harnessed the power of diverse disciplines to solve business challenges and energise leaders across more than 80 organisations. 

This is a Maed In India Production

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Head of Audio Production: Kartik Kulkarni

Producer: Rachna Sukuru 

Assistant Producer: Devanshi Chandak

Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Nihar Temkar

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Recorded at Island City Studios, Mumbai

In this short episode, our host Sangeetha Rajan explores what it really means to “have presence” at work, and challenges the notion women need to be more like men to be visible. 

Drawing on research and lived experience, Sangeetha gives us insight into how the leadership archetype is shifting toward more inclusive and authentic models, and what this shift means for women today.

With a simple, actionable approach, this episode empowers women to leave the invisible chair, and claim space in the spotlight. 

Credits: 

Host: Swati Apte / Dr. Sangeetha Rajan

About The Arts Quotient

The Arts Quotient is a leadership development firm powered by the two founders’ collective experience of over 50 years across business strategy, operations, psychology, law, communications, and more. Founded by Swati Apte and Dr. Sangeetha Rajan, and their shared experience in the live arts, where they learned in practice - many of the concepts of leadership, such as presence, collaboration, and agility, TAQ looks to bring a multi-dimensional approach to solving leadership problems. Over the past decade, it has harnessed the power of diverse disciplines to solve business challenges and energise leaders across more than 80 organisations. 

This is a Maed In India Production

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Head of Audio Production: Kartik Kulkarni

Producer: Rachna Sukuru 

Assistant Producer: Devanshi Chandak

Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Nihar Temkar

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Recorded at Island City Studios, Mumbai

In this episode of L for Leadership, Madhura DasGupta Sinha, Founder & CEO of Aspire For Her, talks about her bold vision: to reshape India’s economic landscape by building a platform that enables women access to opportunities through structured mentorship, upskilling, and community support.

Madhura shares insight into what led her to start Aspire for Her, going from 10 members  to a community of over 8.6 lakh women. She helps us understand the barriers women face, and how, with her four-pillar model, she has successfully helped women navigate their return into the workforce. 

Madhura gives actionable advice to leaders, HR teams, and businesses committed to diversity and inclusion on how to optimize their return-to-work programs to make the re-entry process easier for women, and thus leverage their true potential. 

With a dream of a more equitable future,  Madhura DasGupta weighs in on how leadership can be more inclusive and the power of community in fostering spaces for growth. 

Credits: 

Host: Swati Apte  / Dr. Sangeetha Rajan

About The Arts Quotient

The Arts Quotient is a leadership development firm powered by the two founders’ collective experience of over 50 years across business strategy, operations, psychology, law, communications, and more. Founded by Swati Apte and Dr. Sangeetha Rajan, and their shared experience in the live arts, where they learned in practice - many of the concepts of leadership, such as presence, collaboration, and agility, TAQ looks to bring a multi-dimensional approach to solving leadership problems. Over the past decade, it has harnessed the power of diverse disciplines to solve business challenges and energise leaders across more than 80 organisations. 

This is a Maed In India Production

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Head of Audio Production: Kartik Kulkarni

Producer: Rachna Sukuru 

Assistant Producer: Devanshi Chandak

Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Nihar Temkar

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Recorded at Island City Studios, Mumbai

From after-hours circles to unspoken cultural rules and real life constraints, this episode unpacks why women are often left navigating the most important part of career growth without access, energy or a clear map.

In this episode of L for Leadership, hosts Swati Apte and Sangeetha Rajan reframe networking from self-promotion to relationship-building and share practical, low-friction ways to grow influence, attract sponsors and create career momentum through curiosity, reciprocity and small, consistent actions that fit real lives.

Credits: 

Host: Swati Apte / Dr. Sangeetha Rajan

About The Arts Quotient

The Arts Quotient is a leadership development firm powered by the two founders’ collective experience of over 50 years across business strategy, operations, psychology, law, communications, and more. Founded by Swati Apte and Dr. Sangeetha Rajan, and their shared experience in the live arts, where they learned in practice - many of the concepts of leadership, such as presence, collaboration, and agility, TAQ looks to bring a multi-dimensional approach to solving leadership problems. Over the past decade, it has harnessed the power of diverse disciplines to solve business challenges and energise leaders across more than 80 organisations. 

This is a Maed In India Production

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Head of Audio Production: Kartik Kulkarni]

Producer: Rachna Sukuru 

Assistant Producer: Devanshi Chandak

Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Nihar Temkar

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Recorded at Island City Studios, Mumbai

In this episode of L for Leadership, we speak to Tanvie Hans, professional footballer and co-founder of Sisters in Sweat, a community-driven initiative making sports accessible to women across India. Tanvie talks about how the platform began with a single football session and has now grown into a multi-city network offering weekly activities, workshops, and events. 

Tanvie reflects on the gaps she has experienced firsthand in India’s sporting ecosystem — from limited infrastructure to the lack of predictable opportunities for women — and how these challenges shaped the way Sisters in Sweat was built. 

Tanvie gives us an inside look at how a grassroots sports community takes shape, what women gain from engaging with sport again, and the practical effort involved in creating safe, inclusive environments. 

A thoughtful conversation about sports, community and leadership, Tanvie Hans leaves women who want to pursue a career in sports with three words: don’t hold back.

Credits: 

Host: Swati Apte / Dr. Sangeetha Rajan

About The Arts Quotient

The Arts Quotient is a leadership development firm powered by the two founders’ collective experience of over 50 years across business strategy, operations, psychology, law, communications, and more. Founded by Swati Apte and Dr. Sangeetha Rajan, and their shared experience in the live arts, where they learned in practice - many of the concepts of leadership, such as presence, collaboration, and agility, TAQ looks to bring a multi-dimensional approach to solving leadership problems. Over the past decade, it has harnessed the power of diverse disciplines to solve business challenges and energise leaders across more than 80 organisations. 

This is a Maed In India Production

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Head of Audio Production: Kartik Kulkarni

Producer: Rachna Sukuru 

Assistant Producer: Devanshi Chandak

Sound Editor & Mix Engineer: Nihar Temkar

Artwork: Alika Gupta

Recorded at Island City Studios, Mumbai

This season spotlights women founders, investors, and community-builders who are shaping new pathways across varied domains. From building women-first ecosystems and funding underrepresented founders to questioning how data is collected and redefining what a “successful” career looks like, the show unpacks what inspires these leaders to explore new frontiers. The conversations are real and go to the heart of what leadership means in our changing world. 

The hosts, Swati Apte and Sangeetha Rajan, share practical insights on building leadership presence, leveraging networks, and navigating career breaks without guilt, so you can lead the change you want to see.

Credits: 

Host: Swati Apte / Dr. Sangeetha Rajan

About The Arts Quotient

The Arts Quotient is a leadership development firm powered by the two founders’ collective experience of over 50 years across business strategy, operations, psychology, law, communications, and more. Founded by Swati Apte and Dr. Sangeetha Rajan, and their shared experience in the live arts, where they learned in practice - many of the concepts of leadership, such as presence, collaboration, and agility, TAQ looks to bring a multi-dimensional approach to solving leadership problems. Over the past decade, it has harnessed the power of diverse disciplines to solve business challenges and energise leaders across more than 80 organisations. 

This is a Maed In India Production

Creative Director: Mae Mariyam Thomas

Project Manager: Shaun Fanthome

Head of Audio: Kartik Kulkarni

Producer: Rachna Sukuru 

Assistant Producer: Devanshi Chandak

Sound Editor: Nihar Temkar

Artwork: Alika Gupta