Living with Purpose (Podcasts)

Vinaya Rao is the founder of Viya Contemporary.Vinaya is a curator, cultural connector, and community builder who has created something truly special through her gallery in Seattle. Viya Contemporary is not just a space for art. It is a place for conversation, reflection, and bringing people together around ideas that matter.In November 2025, Viya Contemporary became the home for the launch of Living with Purpose, hosting an unforgettable evening that brought together leaders, creatives, and changemakers to celebrate stories of meaning, resilience, and impact. It was a powerful example of how art, community, and purpose can intersect in a very real way.Vinaya is now also becoming a co-author in the second Living with Purpose book, adding her own story and perspective to the growing community that has formed around this project. Her journey sits beautifully at the intersection of creativity, entrepreneurship, and service.

Pamela Passman is a global leader who has spent her career operating at the powerful intersection of technology, policy, integrity, and impact.Pamela is Global Chair of Corporate Advisory and Managing Director in New York at APCO Worldwide, where she advises organisations navigating complexity, risk, and reputation on a global scale. She is also the founder of CREATe.org, an organisation that reshaped how enterprises protect integrity, cybersecurity, and intellectual property across global value chains.Previously, Pamela served as Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Global Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at Microsoft, where she led regulatory compliance, public policy, and corporate citizenship worldwide, including senior leadership roles across Asia.She currently serves on multiple boards spanning technology, education, and human rights, including Kinaxis, Kids In Need of Defense, and Lafayette College.

Kevin’s work sits at the intersection of purpose, growth, and long term thinking. Through Webloom, he helps organisations move beyond surface level marketing and build ecosystems that are rooted in clarity, alignment, and real human connection.What makes Kevin’s journey compelling is not just what he’s building, but how he thinks. He’s deeply focused on intention over noise, substance over shortcuts, and creating value that compounds over time rather than chasing quick wins.

Neha Krishnan is a builder, connector, and creative force who has spent over 15 years shaping talent ecosystems at some of the world’s most influential companies, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta.After a standout career hiring PhDs, early career, and senior tech leaders with extraordinary results, Neha made a bold choice to step into her own creative lift off. She founded Atelier Maharanibagh, an editorial fashion and jewelry house shaped by heritage, global style, and modern technology, personally directing everything from brand storytelling to AI driven imagery and merchandising.Alongside this, Neha is the voice behind @dilsewithNeha, a global Hindi speaking community of over 120,000 people, where she shares daily voice notes and micro essays on courage, kindness, and action. Her work bridges logic and intuition, structure and soul.What makes Neha especially compelling is her ability to move fluidly between worlds. Corporate and creative. Strategy and storytelling. Precision and purpose. She doesn’t just tell stories, she hosts conversations that lead to tangible next steps.

Arun is a globally respected urban designer and strategist with more than four decades of experience shaping cities, systems, and policy at the highest levels. Educated in the US and India, his work spans practice, academia, and global advisory roles, influencing over 90 major public and private projects with more than 14.5 billion dollars in combined investment across 165 cities in 46 countries.He has served as Portland’s first Chief Urban Designer, advised state governments, helped shape national development frameworks, and is frequently called upon by the United Nations as a lead expert on urban resilience, safety, and sustainable development. Arun has held academic positions at six universities, delivered over 150 keynote talks worldwide, and continues to shape thinking at the intersection of cities, human behaviour, and long term resilience.

Jon Sabes is a trailblazing entrepreneur, author, and thought leader who is deeply focused on one question how do we build a better future by making better decisions today.Jon’s work sits at the intersection of financial services, personal wellbeing, and longevity. As the founder of Longevity Financial Partners and the author of Healthy Wealthy Longevity, he helps individuals reframe prosperity not just as financial success, but as a holistic system that supports long term health, resilience, and fulfilment.A seasoned CEO, endurance athlete, and longevity expert, Jon believes that small, deliberate actions upstream create powerful downstream results in health, wealth, and life satisfaction. He lives this philosophy through disciplined daily practices including journaling, mindful nutrition, strength training, and recovery.A five time Ironman finisher, Jon now places a strong emphasis on preserving muscle strength, vitality, and resilience as core pillars of longevity. His insights are practical, grounded, and rooted in lived experience.

Beth Kreitl is a counselor, educator and the Co Founder and Executive Director of We Bloom, a global nonprofit dedicated to strengthening public health where it is needed most. For more than eight years she has been building community driven solutions in Vietnam, focusing on two critical issues, drowning prevention and mental health.Her work bridges compassion and execution, heart and systems, creating real change at ground level. Beth is someone who doesn’t just talk about purpose, she operationalises it. She teaches it. She lives it. The ripple effect of her leadership is felt across cultures and generations.

Dr. Basma AlBuhairan is the Managing Director of C4IR Saudi Arabia (WEF Affiliate Centre), where she leads national and global initiatives at the intersection of technology, innovation, and societal progress. Based in Riyadh, she has spent the last several years shaping the future of healthcare, investment, and strategic development across the region and beyond.With more than twenty years of experience across the healthcare value chain, she is known for her work in investment promotion, attracting foreign direct investment, and guiding high-level policy across both public and private sectors.Her academic journey began with a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science and a Master’s in Molecular Biology from Brown University. She later moved into leadership and health services, earning a Master’s in Public Health and a PhD from the University of Sheffield, where she explored how healthcare policy is formed at an organizational level.Dr. Basma is a Fellow of the Eisenhower Fellowships Organization and serves on multiple international boards and committees. And is a co-author in the very first Living With Purpose book, where her story and insights have already inspired many.

Elizabeth Stokely is an MBA with seventeen years of experience in global development and international business. A Fulbright Scholar, a Peace Corps alum, and fluent in Spanish, she has dedicated her life to creating solutions that expand economic opportunity, advance women’s empowerment, and strengthen environmental sustainability across the world.Elizabeth currently serves as the Executive Director of Global Washington, where she leads a vibrant community of organizations working to improve lives across the globe. Under her guidance, Global Washington is shaping the future of global development through collaboration, innovation, and shared purpose.She is also the Founder and Principal of Stokely Consulting, where she advises companies, nonprofits, foundations, and investors on strategy, partnership development, and impact measurement. Her expertise spans fundraising, CSR, ESG, impact investing, program strategy, and operational excellence.

Alka Badshah is an executive with deep roots in emerging technology and finance, a leader who knows how to build profitable businesses, yet her true power comes from something far more elemental. She believes that nature holds the answers for mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, and she has dedicated her life to proving it.As the founder of Anarti Therapeutics, Alka brings twenty five years of personal experience as a fibromyalgia warrior to the world. Her company blends plant based healing, CBD, and Ayurveda to help people relieve chronic pain, recover clarity, and renew their resilience.What I love about Alka is the fusion she embodies. The strategist who can see around corners. The healer who knows suffering from the inside. The entrepreneur who builds solutions that genuinely transform lives.