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S5E10 – Career Lift-Off: Best Moments from Small Talk in 2023

Hey, Smalltalkers! As we wrap up 2023 on ‘Smalltalk with Rainkraft Career Lifting Conversations,’ we’ve delved into intentional conversations about careers, transitions, and the ever-evolving workplace.

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S5E9 – Choosing How to Shape Your Year

Join Subha and Hasita as they reflect on the transformative experiences of the past year. Hasita shares her journey into deep-sea diving and the profound impact it had on her life choices.

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S5E8 – Job Search Strategies for Mid-Career Professionals

Explore the mid-career curve with Subha and Hasita as they discuss the challenges of leaving a familiar job after 15 to 20 years.

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S5E7 – Coffee Badging At the New Cafe In Town?

Subha and Hasita explore the nuances of the evolving workplace dynamics amidst the return-to-office mandates.

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S5E6 – Redefining Failure and Embracing Growth

Join Subha and Hasita, as they engage in this conversation about the complexities of failure. They discuss the impact of social media on our view of success and failure and explore the three types of failures – preventable, complex, and intelligent.

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S3E07 – How to Navigate Branding Challenges

Is branding more than just marketing? Delve into the world of brands as we analyze the core of branding, from emotional connection to custodian challenges.

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S5E5 – How to Influence with Impact – Answer the ‘So What?!’

Have you ever found yourself in a meeting wondering, “What’s the point of all this?” If so, you’re not alone. In today’s episode, we dive deep into the world of meetings and ask a fundamental question: Are meetings wasted opportunities?

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S3E06 – How to play the role of head of content

Are content heads prepared for the challenges posed by AI, ChatGPT, and shifting search engine policies?

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S3E05 – Clarity in Purpose is Clarity in Branding

How do you create a brand that’s not just visually stunning but also drives profitability while focusing on social impact?

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S3E04 – Content Marketing Expectations vs Reality

Ever wondered if the concept of a “thread” in social media is evolving faster than you can keep up?

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S3E03 – Should I Start a Podcast?

In this episode of the Damn Good Marketing Podcast, Join Subha Chandrasekaran and Hasita Krishna as they dive into the depths of podcasting, sharing their experiences, insights, and unexpected discoveries.

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S5E1 – Insights and Strategies to Navigate Career Transitions

Are you feeling like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole in your career? Join us as we delve into the Art of Career Transitions in this episode of Small Talk with RainKraft.

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S3E02 – Who Approved That Ad with Manisha Kapoor

In the latest episode of the Damn Good Marketing Podcast, hosts Subha and Hasita are joined by Manisha Kapoor, CEO of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), who reveals the importance of self-regulation in the advertising industry.

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S3E01 – What Did ChatGPT Do To Digital Marketing?

ChatGPT: Unleashing Creativity or Taking Over Jobs? Or both, perhaps? Join Subha and Hasita as they explore the impact of generative AI tools like ChatGPT on content creation, marketing processes, and whether it is a game-changer or just a shortcut for writers and marketers alike.

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Highlights Episode | How To Step Up The Career Ladder

Tired of being stuck in your career for a while? This episode gives highlights of Season 4 of Small Talk with Rainkraft where Subha and Hasita give career lifting tips.

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S4E11 | How To Be A Good Pitcher | Hasita Krishna And Subha Chandrasekaran | Pitching Ideas

You may not judge a book by its cover. But you will judge it by the book blurb – the short description at the back of the book. Similarly, your pitch is your own blurb. It is your first impression of the world. Make it your best version.

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S4E10 | Startups Need A People Strategy, Even If Not A People Function

In the beginning, startups have nothing but an idea – and a team of true believers who hope to bring it to reality. Everything is riding on the success of that team.

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S2E10 | How To Be More Creative With Your Marketing Ideas

Do you have to be a mad genius to be creative? Or get inspired somehow? Or is it something within reach of all of us, something that can actually be executed reliably and within deadlines?

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S4E9 | How To Cultivate Executive Presence

You know how some people can walk into a room and behave as though they own it? Well, in this episode we discuss how you, too, could become one among them, by developing the elusive Executive Presence.

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S2E9 | How To Run LinkedIn Ads

Have you been frustrated with your lead-generation efforts on LinkedIn? In today’s episode we share with you tips and (kind of) a formula that you can apply to attract and nurture quality leads at a reasonable cost.

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S4E8 | Dealing With Bad Bosses

How do you know when a ‘bad’ boss is really just someone with a different working style – and how do you align your styles for better outcomes? And what do you do when the relationship is truly toxic?

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S2E8 | What Can I Cut Out Of My Marketing Effort?

Have you found yourself managing two personas, one of an entrepreneur and the other of a coach? Or are you wondering if you should be present on all the major platforms or maybe choose quality over quantity and stick to what’s relevant?

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S4E7 | It’s Not Always About The Money!

“I gave her a raise, yet she left.” Dual careers and an increased appreciation for work-life integration sparked during the pandemic have made employees think about work more broadly than just a pay packet.

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S2E7 | On Storytelling, Community, And Making Marketing Beautiful

Have you ever struggled to articulate what your brand stands for? Or wondered how to not just be, but also sound authentic online?

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S4E6 | What To Do When Your Manager Needs Managing

So you’ve expanded your team and yet you find yourself having to defer important things to handle day to day questions? The answer might lie less in behaviour and more in process.

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S2E6 | How To Scale Your Content Creation Process

Everybody understands the struggles of creating unique content with consistency. This episode charts the pains and gains of content creators as they are encouraged to explore new mindsets and approach newer topics that abet success

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S4E5 – “Where Do You See Yourself In Five Years?”

“Where do you see yourself in five years?” is THE dreaded interview question. And you know what, it’s okay not to have answers! Your career path is exactly that—a path. One that deserves exploring.

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What Should Be My Marketing Plan For 2023?

It’s a new year! For many of us, that means a new planner and a new beginning. This is even truer for marketers, who have a whole new world of social media content, email campaigns, blogs, websites, and other cool things to work on.

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Holiday Crossover: Damn Good Storytelling

It’s the holiday season! And that means it’s time for something special! This week, we’re excited to bring you the first-ever crossover episode with our sister podcast The Damn Good Marketing Podcast. In this episode, Subha and Hasita discuss a topic dear to both their hearts: the power of storytelling and its ability to make…

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Holiday Crossover: Small Talk About Storytelling

We’re excited to bring you the first-ever crossover episode with our sister podcast Small Talk with RainKraft- a podcast for those who feel passionately about growing their career

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S4E4 – Can We Do Goal Setting Differently This Year?

Every year around this time we take stock of our achievements versus the goals we had made. But are we going about it the right way?

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S2E4 | Why Are My Landing Pages Not Converting?

In this episode, Hasita and Subha discuss what actually makes a landing page effective and how brands should approach making one.

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S4E3 – How Not To Take A Layoff Personally

Layoffs are just business, not personal. But when you get laid off unexpectedly and it throws a curveball at your career, how can you help but not take it personally?

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S2E3 | What’s My First Step In Building A Personal Brand?

In this episode, Hasita and Subha discuss what personal branding is, how it differs from company branding, and what it takes to create a successful personal brand.

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S4E2 – Why Do I Struggle To Delegate? Here’s A Mindful Approach For Every Busy Professional

Do you find yourself doing a lot yet feeling like the work never ends? Are you still doing things that you mastered a few years ago or in your previous role?

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S2E2 | Is There A Right Way To Do Email Marketing?

Emails, emails everywhere, not a single one worth reading. Out of 50 emails of all shapes, forms, and varieties, we receive each day, we probably read one. The recipe for a good email consists of some ingredients- like understanding exactly who you want to speak to, knowing in depth the subject you’re writing about, and giving…

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S4E1 – Your Career Doesn’t Need The Pressure Of Being Your Passion!

We’ve often heard that if you make a career out of your passion, you’d never have to work a day in your life. But then again, we’ve also heard it said- find your passion and let it slowly kill you!

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S2E1 | Why Do My Digital Marketing Efforts Keep Failing?

Welcome back! It’s season 2, and we’re starting, as always, with the big questions. If you’ve had failed digital marketing experiences, it is only natural to be unsure about trying it again. In this episode, we discuss why some things fail, and others succeed, with seemingly no explanation offered. In this episode, we discuss why…

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Season 1 Finale- Much Ado About Digital Marketing?

All mentions of the metaverse aside, this one’s a very ‘meta’ episode. For the final episode of this season, we look back at what we said during the season and test whether that advice still holds. After all, in marketing, there’s always a shiny new tool to buy, or advice to follow. And yet, good…

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Bonus – Serena And Sebastian And Identity Clarity

Some events just have us making a mad dash to the podcast studio! Not just because we want to talk about them but because we have already been talking about them!

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How Do I knock My Marketing Goals Out Of The Park?

Over time, Hasita’s favorite marketing saying has become this- most people do not have marketing goals, they have marketing dreams. Marketing campaigns can (and should) be creative and fun and even a bit outrageous. Marketing goals, however, need to be rooted in reality, plain hard facts, and be oftentimes, boring. How do you move from…

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How Can I make Instagram Do The Heavy-Lifting For My Brand?

Yep, one of us has a cold here, and it isn’t the guest. We apologize in advance for the ‘nn’s that sound like the ‘dd’s. Pranoy Thipaiah of Kerehaklu knows something, almost viscerally, that a lot of brand managers, marketing folk, and businesspeople miss- no one hangs out on social media to hear from brands….

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S3E21 – It’s OK To Quit, Right?

Uncover the truth about stepping away and embracing change in the corporate world. Join the Small Talk with Rainkraft podcast for career empowerment and fresh perspectives. Season 4 awaits!

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S3E20- Small Talk With Neeraj Kakkar- Drinks, memories, And Selling A Story At Scale

As the CEO of Hector Beverages, Neeraj Kakkar has created one of the most iconic beverage brands to come out of India in recent times- Paper Boat. 

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Do I Even Matter On The Internet?

Existential crises aside, we ask this question (and get asked often as well) – do I matter in the larger scheme of (virtual) things? Being on social media can be hard both for individuals and brands, and yet there is a reward for consistency, for having opinions and being able to articulate them in ways…

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S3E19 – The Challenge Of Building And Changing Careers

For many of us, there’s a fundamental challenge in identifying the difference between a job and a career. Should we commit to one field and become the best in it?

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S3E18 – Being A Multipotentialite And Curating Your Digital Presence – With Nandita Iyer

When you don’t define yourself just by your professional qualifications or limit yourself to one job/one hobby, the possibilities are endless.

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Everyone Seems To Be On LinkedIn. But What About Me?

After avoiding the subject for as long as possible (no we’re just kidding, we’ve been dying to do an episode on LinkedIn), Subha and Hasita wade into the realm of social media. And what better place to start, than with the world’s largest professional networking platform? Looking at LinkedIn today, it is hard to see…

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Bonus Episode – WeCrashed, Work Cultures, And Where The Best-Laid Plans Go Awry

Have you had a chance to watch WeCrashed on Apple TV+ yet? If not, we’d strongly recommend that you do, definitely for Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway

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S3E16 – Do You Know How To Say No?

The ability to turn down things we’ve outgrown, things we don’t want to be doing, and things we never wanted to do but got cajoled into, is one of the most underrated skills of our century.

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Am I Building A business, Or Building A Website?

We hear your frustration! If you want to find out how successful a marketing team will be in the future, get them all to agree on how to go about building a website. Because of its front-facing significance, its dynamic nature, its role in reflecting evolving company goals, and its complexity in mapping, and the list…

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S3E15 – Creating Organisational Resilience By Being A Perpetual Learner – With Srideep Kesavan

Turning around one business is a big deal in itself, but what do you do when you find yourself in situations where you need to turn several businesses around throughout your career?

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S3E14 – Are You A New Face At The Old Workplace?

You know the saying, one person’s Google Meet is another person’s poison? Some of us have started working with new companies during the pandemic and are only now beginning to see our colleagues in a real-world environment.

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Do I really Need Someone Else To Tell My Brand’s Story?

Well here’s a super-common question we get asked- if we don’t really know our story, how can we count on a consultant to tell us? Personally, we’ve grappled with this question quite a bit, too. However, having sat in on several brand strategy workshops now, we’ve come to understand that the role of a brand…

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S3E13 – Why Does A Voice Inside My Head Keep Telling Me I’m Not Good Enough?

We all have fears and many times these fears save us from doing something dangerous. Some fears turn into limiting beliefs – negative judgments about ourselves that we hold to be true.

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Why Does My Ideal Customer Not Care About Me?

Genius. Billionaire. Playboy. Philanthropist. Who is this? Subha and Hasita guessed two very different people, which made us think about ICP or the ideal customer profile. Often, our best efforts to engage prospects fail because we don’t understand the real-world context of a client. We group them by age, gender, location, and income, but never…

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S3E12 – Getting Smart About Artificial Intelligence With Kashyap Kompella

Kashyap kompella on getting smart about artificial intelligence, Harmful effects of AI, AI audit and its concept, Advice on starting a career in AI, Metaverse – the concept and experiencing it. Listen Now!

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S3E11 – Going From Zoom To The Room

Hybrid work has a particular penchant for being trickier than it sounds. Do we over-communicate when we aren’t all around each other?

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How Do I Make My Content Go Viral?

Welcome! This episode has Subha and Hasita discussing a topic that’s immensely close to their heart- content marketing. CRED ads are a cult of their own, but how do you really go viral like they did? Should you indulge in moment marketing? Should you write blogs? Build case studies? We answer these questions and many…

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S3E10 – Building A Sustainable Business, One Toy At A Time With Meeta Sharma Gupta

Meeta Sharma Gupta is talking about building a sustainable business, one toy at a time, Handling unfamiliar and new things in entrepreneurship, Tips and learnings from women entrepreneurs and Shumee etc.

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S3E9 – Why Is Giving And Receiving Feedback So Difficult?

We don’t always know what does or doesn’t maketh a person, but feedback certainly breaketh us. Why do we hate giving and receiving feedback so much? Why do we take it so personally each and every time?

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Why Are My Ad Campaigns Just Not Working!?

B2B performance marketing is wildly different from B2C, and yet we often interchange the two, to no avail. Here’s what we think- use the creative stimulus and fun of a B2C campaign, and focus laser-sharp on your target audience the way world-class B2B businesses usually do. Both marketing functions have a lot to learn from…

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S3E8 – How To Slow Down And Still Grow Your Business With Shailaja Vishwanath

Whether you are building a personal brand or professional a brand, it can feel quite overwhelming to be on multiple platforms and create content and generate visibility.

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S3E7 – How To Recognise And Deal With Burnout

A conversation on burnout is both relevant and necessary today. Where does the individual locus of control on burnout end, and what aspect of burnout becomes an organisation responsibility?

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How Much Growth Is Too Much Growth?

“We need better numbers.” Have you heard this before? So have we. Let’s get logical about how much growth businesses actually need. Building a pipeline is not optional, and that’s the basis for why an entire marketing function exists at all, but how much is necessary, really? In this episode, we talk about growing steadily,…

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Since When Did Marketing Become Such A Chore?

It was supposed to be about jingles and fun creatives. Marketing and advertising were a welcome respite from the mundanity of everyday life. Today, can we put the fun back into marketing? Can we still get the results we want, while continuing to have fun? We think so, yes. In this episode, we discuss just…

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S3E6 – How To Hit Your Goals Out Of The Park – With Yash Mishra

Across generations, across diverse contexts, we’re all human. We need support and help, and a nudge in the right direction to help us achieve our full potential.

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S3E5 – How Many Thoughts Does It Take To Become A Thought Leader?

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a thought leader? Listen to the podcast by Subha to know more about thought leadership and how to go about it.

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S3E4 – Law In The Times Of Social Justice With Jayna Kothari

Listen to Advocate Jayna Kothari on Laws in the time of Social Justice. Her research & practice interests include discrimination law, constitutional law etc.

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S3E3 – How To Focus When You’re Chronically Distracted

Listen to this exciting podcast, which will assist you in staying focused and not getting distracted. Be smart by using modern technology to stay on the right track.

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S3E2 – How Positivity Can Be Your Superpower With Sonia Saini

In this podcast, Sonia Saini will talk about how positivity can be your superpower. Positive thinking is an attainable skill, a superpower that everyone can harness. Listen now!

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S3E1 – How To Be Curious And Not Judgemental

This podcast is about how to be curious without being judgmental, and Subha Chandrasekaran will join us to discuss and answer this question. Listen Now!

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S2E10 – With The Best Of Intentions

Ending the year and a season, on a high! For the last episode of season 2, we talk about the things that were and the year that will be.

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S2E9 – Building A Team Without Hunting For Mini Versions Of You!

This podcast is about building a team without hunting for mini-versions of yourself! A look at the nuances of growth, building a team, and learning to let go too.

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S2E8 – Where Do You Draw The Line? Drawing Boundaries In A Virtual World.

This podcast is about: where do you draw the line. Drawing boundaries in a virtual world. Listen now!

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S2E7 – Connecting The Dots With Kartik Hosanagar

A truly inspiring and insightful conversation with Kartik Hosanagar, a multipotentialite with careers in academia, entrepreneurship, angel-investing and now jumpstarting a new venture in movie-making.

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S2E6 – Notes To Self – Ep 3 – It’s Ok To Not Be Ok

An honest and brave note to self, where Hasita shares her personal mental health journey. It takes courage, compassion, and commitment to know and understand that it’s ok to not be ok. And knowing that will keep you safe.

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S2E5 – Notes To Self – Ep 2 – Letting Grief Remind Me Of His Legacy

Welcome to another episode of the Small Talk with Rainkraft podcast! It is a truly challenging time for most families around the world and India especially.  Everywhere you look there is a loved one in need of something that should be so fundamentally easy to get your hands on. It is also a time for…

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S2E4 – Notes To Self – Ep 1 – Why The CIA Missed 9/11 And Building Teams That Don’t Always Agree.

This podcast is about Notes to Self – Ep 1 – Why the CIA missed 9/11 and building teams that don’t always agree. Listen now!

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S2E3 – Communication Zen And The Art Of Asking Questions

Royal dramas, Oprah’s ability to ask the right questions, and why we need to ask more and listen more in a world that’s connected, probably more than it needs to be.

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S2E2 – Going Impromptu, In The Spirit Of Clubhouse!

In this episode of Small Talk with RainKraft, Subha Chandrasekaran & Hasita Krishna identify the value of unscripted speech and how it helps us grow.

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S2E1 – Own Your Productivity

Own Your Productivity by challenging yourself to listen with an open mind and take away a lot (or just a little bit) that will get you thinking about your life.

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S1E8 – Five Years Of RainKraft, And What We Got Right

Small Talk with RainKraft is a pandemic project that outgrew its pandemic status early this year. Let’s now look ahead to learning and growing with optimism.

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S1E7 – Hiring Virtually: Lessons From Dunnhumby India

We welcome our first podcast guest, Manoj Madhusudanan, Head of Dunnhumby India, to talk about managing a virtual workforce.

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S1E6 – Content Marketing 101 For Small Businesses And Solopreneurs

This podcast is about content marketing for small businesses and solopreneurs. Let’s start from the very beginning and simplify this for you.

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S1E5 – How To Make LinkedIn Worth Your While

How to make LinkedIn worth your while – Here’s how you can still keep connecting to the good side of LinkedIn, as a corporate cubicle-dweller or an independent soul.

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S1E4 – Getting Hiring & New Gigs Right In A Virtual World

Hiring a new employee or starting a new gig can feel like jumping through virtual hoops, but here’s how to make it worth your while.

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S1E3 – What Is Really Wrong With So Many Resumes Today?

In good times and pandemics, the job hunt is a challenging effort. But the document that’s supposed to help us land a job is betraying us. Here’s how to fix it.

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S1E2 – Are You Tired Of Playing Meeting-Meeting?

Are you tired of playing Meeting-Meeting? An ode to the many Zoom calls we’ve muted ourselves on. But there are also real tips to make meetings less painful.

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S1E1- Starting Off With Small Talk!

Welcome to Small Talk with RainKraft, where Subha and Hasita discuss what’s top of mind in our industry and work-life currently.

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S1E0 – The Small Talk About RainKraft

Putting names, titles, reasons, and other fancy stuff to the disembodied voices you’ll now be hearing on your way to work or on the couch that’s now the office.

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