Mumbai-based author S.Venkatesh has had a rather interesting career trajectory. From helping invest over a billion dollars as a finance professional to writing two bestselling thrillers to enable individuals to achieve their potential in his capacity as a mindfulness and leadership coach, he has taken many interesting turns.
From helping invest over a billion dollars as a finance professional to writing two bestselling thrillers to enable individuals to achieve their potential as mindfulness and leadership coaches, he has taken many interesting turns.
He spent the initial years of his professional life with global investment banks JP Morgan and Credit Suisse, where he went on to lead top-ranked Indian and Asian teams. Subsequently, as a private equity investor with Australian firms AMP and Macquarie, he helped invest over a billion dollars into India. Yet, he says, “I was overcome with the feeling that something was missing.”
It was in a year when he spent a lot of time on international flights, away from phone calls and emails, that he rediscovered his passion for writing. “Once I stepped out of my left-brain conditioning and stopped trying to control the creative force”, he says, “my first book practically wrote itself.”
The book, KaalKoot, published in 2018, went on to number one on the Amazon rankings and was later optioned for screen adaptation. Venkatesh’s second book, AgniBaan, published last year, topped the charts too. Both books typify Venkatesh’s signature style of writing, cliff-hanging suspense and global geopolitical intrigue laced with nuggets from science and history. Another striking aspect of both books is the nuanced portrayal of the strong female protagonists as they navigate the tussle between individual choices and societal expectations.
Venkatesh ascribes this transformation to his practice of mindfulness, which he first learnt during his college days at IIT Delhi. “Mindfulness enabled me to tune into my inner compass and overcome roadblocks to creativity”, he says. “Interestingly, it has made me a better investor too, helping me manage my emotions in the face of the volatility and uncertainty of markets.”
These realizations have given Venkatesh a sense of purpose. As a newspaper columnist, he writes about mindfulness and its links to creativity, business, leadership and wealth. He is a regular speaker at corporate forums and educational institutes, where he talks about how talented individuals can wire themselves for success.
As a leadership coach, he works with business leaders and founders, enabling them and their businesses to achieve their full potential. “The key”, he says, “is for individuals to pierce through the layers of self-doubt and false beliefs, release mental knots, come face-to-face with their dreams, and open up a world of possibilities.”
Enabling people to tune into this inner compass, he says, is hugely gratifying. He concludes, “Once you tune into your inner core and embrace your intrinsic greatness, the potential is limitless.”
This article is generated and published by FPJ focus team. You can get in touch with them on fpjfocus@fpj.co.in
