Episode 1: The Wake-Up Call That Changed Everything

What happens when the body—after years of whispering—finally yells “no”? In this deeply personal and powerful premiere episode, host Sweta Vikram shares the story behind The Grounded Leader. From climbing mountains in Central Europe to being confined to a couch, from receiving awards to being put on the cancer watch list—Sweta reveals the physical, emotional, and spiritual unraveling that forced her to redefine success, leadership, and well-being.

This is more than a health story. It’s a leadership story.
It’s a wake-up call for anyone who looks put-together on the outside but feels out of sync within.

Through Ayurveda—India’s 5,000-year-old science of life—Sweta found not just healing, but a roadmap for sustainable success. And she’s here to share it with you.

If you’ve ever thought:

• “I should be happy, but I’m exhausted.”
• “I’m successful—but I feel disconnected from myself.”
• “There has to be a better way to lead and live…”

…you’re not alone. And you’re in the right place.

👉🏽 Subscribe now so you never miss an episode.
💬 Leave a review if something resonates—it helps other grounded leaders find us.
📤 Share this episode with someone who needs a reminder that health is their greatest leadership asset.
🔗 Explore these Ayurvedic tools and free resources to begin your own wellness journey today.

Let’s walk this path together—because you don’t have to choose between excellence and well-being.

If you are looking for advice from a trained yogi and Ayurvedic Doctor, contact Sweta here.

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Disclaimer: The content is purely informative and educational in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. Please use the content only in consultation with an appropriate certified medical or healthcare professional. If you are nursing, taking medications, or have a medical condition, please consult with your health care practitioner prior to the use of any of these herbs.

Transcript

Sweta Vikram: 0:09

Welcome to The Grounded Leader, Ayurvedic wellness for leaders who want to succeed from a place of balance. A podcast where ancient practices meet ambitious goals to help you operate with strength, clarity and grounded intention. I'm your host Shweta Vikram, an Ayurvedic doctor, trauma-informed yoga teacher, award-winning author, mindfulness coach and corporate wellness speaker, adjunct professor, and a lifelong student of what it really means to lead with clarity, purpose, and peace. Each week, we'll explore holistic wellness, how to excel in authentic leadership, and live with balance and purpose. Let's dive in. This podcast is born from a very personal place. In the late 2000s, I was the head of marketing for a large nonprofit. One day, I couldn't get out of bed. Now, we thought I'd broken my neck. My husband had to carry me in his arms to the doctor's office while I was like in a nightgown. Turns out, due to stress, I had pulled out a nerve and lost mobility in the body. Courtesan shots and several doctor visits later, I met this compassionate practitioner, a Western medicine practitioner, who told me that there was always a possibility that I would end up in a wheelchair. So to give you the background, While most doctors recommended I get a surgery, she advised me against it. Learn to manage the stress, she reiterated. I thought I did. In 2018, I was hiking 20 miles through Central Europe, fit, active, thriving. I'd won one of the biggest awards of my life, Voices of the Year Award. Past recipients include Chelsea Clinton. My novel Louisiana Catch was getting rave reviews and I was booking events across the country. A few weeks later, I was fighting for my life in the ER. Just like that, everything changed. Overnight, the strong woman who exercised daily, ate organic food, meditated religiously, did headstands, ran a business, threw dinner parties, traveled globally. I was that woman who was now homebound. I could barely move. You know, I saw seasons change from a living room. I lost over 50 pounds in under 10 weeks. My body was shutting down. Breathing was hard. Eating was nearly impossible. And yet on paper, I was doing everything right. Except I wasn't sleeping well. Except I wasn't feeling my feelings. Except... My nervous system was dysregulated. Except, I wasn't listening to the whispers my body had been trying to communicate for years. So when the storm hit, both the times, it wasn't just physical. It was spiritual, emotional, energetic. This time around, I focused on wholesome healing. Yes, surgery and medications were necessary intervention, but I made up my mind that this wasn't how I was going to live and lead. My wellness had to be at the center of everything on a daily basis. For a few years after that, I was on the cancer watch list. But something remarkable happened. My body, the same body that had collapsed under pressure, began to respond beautifully to Ayurvedic lifestyle and diet. My doctors and surgeons were stunned. But I wasn't. Because Ayurveda isn't just about food and herbs. It's about how we breathe, how we think, how we grieve, how we love, how we work, how we sleep, how we lead. I was okay being that person who went to bed at 9pm, learned to build healthy boundaries, got super comfortable saying no, prioritized rest and recovery. Apparently, the minute I was wheeled out of surgery, I'd looked at my surgeon and asked, when can I go back to Zumba? He still laughs about it. But the truth is, that question wasn't just about exercise. It was about my fight for joy, for agency, for hope. And I want that for you too. From being unable to walk, I now push 240 pounds. From closing shop and losing clients and confidence, I've won two entrepreneurship awards in less than a year. One was the U.S. Small Business Administration's Home-Based Business Champion of the Year Award. So let me tell you who this podcast is for. It's for the leaders who look polished on the outside but feel fractured on the inside. The ones crushing their KPIs but being crushed by insomnia. The ones making decisions all day but feeling numb my night. The ones who have mastered performance but forgotten presence. You might be a CEO, a founder, a senior executive. Maybe you are an HR leader juggling the mental health of your entire team while neglecting your own. Or maybe you're a high-achieving entrepreneur who hasn't had a day off in years Because the mission matters too much. I see you. Because I was you. And here's the truth we don't talk about enough. Leadership burnout is not just about stress. It's about a disconnection from self. It's about a nervous system that's struck in overdrive. A gut that's inflamed. A mind that never turns off. And it's costing us. Not just productivity or innovation. But our joy. our relationships, and our lifespan. Ayurveda, India's 5,000-year-old science of life, teaches us that disease doesn't show up overnight. It evolves, often silently, in six stages, which means if we are attuned, we can intervene before burnout becomes disease, before exhaustion becomes autoimmune, before sleepless nights become a crisis. I didn't know this when my mom died suddenly. She was still young. And what broke me was not just the grief of our absence, but the helplessness that came with not understanding what went wrong, the lack of clarity from doctors, and the it's just one of those things shrug. In Ayurveda, nothing is just one of those things. Everything has a root cause. Everything has a pattern. Everything is connected. I couldn't help my mom, but I can help others. And that's why this podcast exists. So what can you expect here on The Grounded Leader? Ayurvedic wellness for leaders who want to succeed from a place of balance. Each week, we'll explore the intersection of Ayurvedic wisdom and modern leadership. We'll talk about what your digestion says about your leadership style. Why your sleep schedule may be sabotaging your creativity. How unprocessed grief can show up as brain fog, joint pain or burnout. How to align your work rhythm with your Ayurvedic dosha. And how to build sustainable energy without coffee or cortisol. You'll hear from me and from incredible guests, leaders, wellness experts, visionaries, other Ayurvedic practitioners who are redefining what it means to lead from a grounded, joyful and authentic place. This podcast is not about you quitting your job and moving to a Himalayan cave. It's about reclaiming your body, your mind and your intuition so you can lead with clarity, compassion and longevity. If you've ever thought, I should feel happy, but I just feel tired. I've built a successful life, but I feel disconnected from it. I know something is off, but I don't know what to do. You're in the right place. The grounded leader isn't about perfection. It's about coming home to yourself. Before we wrap this episode, here's what I want to leave you with. You don't have to choose between excellence and well-being. You don't have to burn out to be taken seriously. And you don't have to do this alone. So my friends, here's your call to action. Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. Leave a review if something resonates. It helps other grounded leaders find us. Share this episode with a friend, a boss, a team member, someone who's always giving to others but forgetting to receive. And if you're ready to go deeper, check out the show notes for Ayurvedic tools, journaling prompts, and resources to start your wellness journey today. I am so glad you're here. Let's walk this path together. Until next time, stay grounded, lead well, and remember, your health is your greatest leadership asset.