“Chai is amazing — it should be right alongside a good cup of coffee, espresso, or cappuccino. This business helped me reconcile my American upbringing and my Indian heritage — that push and pull, that beautiful combination of everything.”

Ayan Sanyal is co-founder of Kolkata Chai Company, a vibrant café and online brand redefining what masala chai means to America. Founded in 2018 by two brothers, Kolkata Chai Co has a simple mission: to bring the authenticity, respect and tradition behind a cup of masala chai to NYC and beyond. What quickly became clear to Ayan was that his work went beyond tea brewing. It was about creating a space - and product - to understand and celebrate culture, comfort, and connection.

The Kolkata Chai story caught the attention of many, including comedian Hasan Minhaj, a passionate investor and advocate. Before founding Kolkata Chai, Ayan established a strong career in marketing and advertising — as Managing Director at Green Room Creative, driving growth strategies for startups and mid-stage companies, and held key digital roles at 2U, Havas Media, Hill Holliday and Connelly Partners. Bridging a life of rock music, marketing, and brewing - Ayan’s journey is informed from travels between Amherst, Kolkata, Brooklyn, and everything in between. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation about family, culture, and entrepreneurship, hopefully with a good cup of chai.

This episode is from Modern Minorities, Raman's other podcast - where we share minority conversations for all of our majority years — which we hope will inspire new perspectives and learnings.

“Every behavior we have is motivated by either fear or love — and productive fear we have to lean into to give energy and to exhibit love , and productive and healthy behaviors.”

Teresa Tanner is the Founder and CEO of Reserve Squad, an innovative talent platform that helps companies re-engage former employees — especially women — through flexible, project-based work. A nationally recognized leader in gender equity and workforce transformation, Teresa spent nearly three decades in corporate America, including a decade in the C-suite at Fifth Third Bank, where she served as Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer, and 18 years in operational and HR leadership roles at McDonald’s. Teresa currently serves on the boards of Ms.Medicine and Best Upon Request, and previously held board roles at Vectren. Throughout her career, Teresa has championed corporate cultures that support employees both at work and at home. At Reserve Squad, she’s reimagining how companies can retain skilled talent — particularly working mothers — by disrupting rigid full-time work models and offering “Reservist” opportunities for alumni to stay engaged, contribute meaningfully, and return when ready. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation with Teresa — full of wisdom, heart, and hard-earned insight — as we talk about leading with love over fear, holding your mission while staying open to reinvention, and why the workforce of the future will be driven by connection, not conformity.

This episode is hosted by P&G Alum Sudha Ranganathan, who’s spent over 19 years in diverse Marketing leadership roles at companies like P&G, PayPal, and LinkedIn where she’s honed her passion for customer-centric marketing and talent development.

“People are so hungry to really be understood and the challenge that's primary now, is a growing inability to understand each other.”

What if doing less could actually lead to more impact? Greg McKeown, is a New York Times bestselling author and one of the world’s most influential voices on productivity, purpose, and leadership. Greg shares the story his book "Essentialism – The Disciplined Pursuit of Less", and powerful insights on how leaders can cut through the noise to focus on what truly matters. If you’ve ever felt stretched too thin or overwhelmed by too many priorities, this conversation will inspire you to take a bold step: do less, but better. LEARN MORE: gregmckeown.com

Greg has delivered keynote addresses in over 40 countries and worked with more than 500 organizations, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Nike — and hosts a top podcast in self-improvement and education. A Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, Greg also serves on nonprofit boards and has co-created Stanford’s popular “Designing Life, Essentially” course. Greg is currently conducting doctoral research at the University of Cambridge, holds an MBA from Stanford, and completed a Global Leadership and Public Policy certificate at Harvard Kennedy School. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on how to say no more often, how to lead without overwhelm, and how to build cultures where excellence becomes effortless.

This conversation is from from P&G Alum Stefan Homeister’s top podcast “LEITWOLF” - for more inspirational conversations on leadership subscribe to Leitwolf wherever you get your favorite podcasts. LEARN MORE: stefan-homeister-leadership.com

Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com