Growing up, football was a huge part of Arvind’s life. He even moved away from his family in Port Dickson to attend boarding school as a part of their football project. At 17, he bought a one-way ticket to the UK to knock on doors and get football trials. “Being the third child and coming after a very academically successful brother and sister, I felt I really needed to prove myself. But at the same time, I was a rebel as well!”
But through it all, it was his brother and sister that steered him on the right track. “My elder brother was my greatest influence. He gave me unconditional support and nothing felt impossible with him”.
Those years of sport (he was a champion middle-distance runner too) developed a solid competitive spirit in him. “I hate to lose. Everything that I do, I want to be the best at it”. Here’s Arvind and his take on life.
What are life’s most difficult decisions to make?
Delayed gratification. To decide on what feels nice today or to focus on the long-term rewards. A lot of people struggle with this in business and life. If we can learn to discipline ourselves to do the right thing for our future self, we stand a much higher chance of being successful as the future rewards will always outweigh the instant pleasures.
What’s an essential truth that not many people accept?
To lead people with empathy rather than logic. There’s a huge emphasis on making “logical decisions” but a lot of times we forget that when we work with people, we always have to first see things from their perspective, understand their situation before we come up with logical solutions.
Part of it comes from facing our own demons and recognising our insecurities and fears. Acknowledging our past trauma takes a lot of bravery but it enables us to step forward and in life.
Tell us about your podcast.
My partner and I have always been passionate about how we can serve and help people improve and become a better version of themselves. Podcasting is a platform where people from all walks of life can listen to different experts on their journeys, and learn different skills and values for free. We curate our episodes in such a way where there are many lessons that the audience can get from our guests and apply it to their daily lives.
How do you want to see your podcast grow?
We would want to hit 1 million listeners by 2023, that’s something we are working hard towards and are not far off based on projections. We are also venturing into keynote sessions where our audience can engage with our speakers in real time, adding more depth compared to a traditional podcast. Our end goal is to be a platform where listeners from all backgrounds can tune in and learn about the principles of life (Mental health, fitness, financial literacy, mindfulness) from experts in the respective areas.
Arvind is wearing a turtleneck, bomber jacket and trousers by Dior men; TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200