Gamechanger Sessions: Leading and Thriving in 2021 No. 6

Kunal Gupta, Founder & CEO of Polar, Director of Year Zero Studios

Original livestream recorded on January 18th, 2021.

Kunal Gupta is the CEO of Polar, a digital advertising technology provider for the world’s largest media agencies and publishers. Polar has clients in 30+ countries and teams in Toronto, New York, London & Sydney.

Kunal is also the Director of Year Zero Studios, a social impact lab focused on investing in experiments that have the potential to shape our future. He advises several mental health organizations, teaches meditation and yoga, and writes regularly about leadership, culture and mindfulness on his blog.

We hope you enjoy the conversation about: 

• How being reflective and setting one word intentions can make us better leaders

• What practices, rituals and mindsets Kunal recommends for thriving in persistent uncertainty

• What Kunal is working on to create the future we want

Key Moments

03:43 – How Kunal’s headspace has changed since the turn of the year

05:47 – On Kunal’s approach to uncertainty

08:49 – On the importance of reflecting and making peace with the past at year’s end

11:10 – The power of journaling to enhance your end of the year reflection period

14:26 – Kunal’s one-word intention for the year and why it can inform for our decision-making process

18:14 – Why one-word intentions can be more powerful for organizations than typical goal-setting

22:45 – On leading with the notion of truth

25:45 – How to find truth and conviction in a world plagued with misinformation

29:10 – On the notion that we as humans become largely identified with what we do 

30:03 – On cultivating more serotonin than dopamine

34:03 – Why our current standards of efficiency and productivity often equate us to machines and eliminate our human emotions

34:53 – On the power of experimenting in a culture that values openness

36:23 – On Kunal’s initiative the Someday Experiment and how he successfully implemented that in his business

40:30 – On Kunal’s personal exodus from the city life and embracing a deeper relationship with nature

Q&A from Gamechanger/Mastermind Audience:

43:53 – How to be a more intentional truth seeker

44:58 – On identifying tasks by effortful and effortless in your motivation process

46:54 – How the challenges Kunal faced in building his business at Polar shaped the leader he is

49:57 – The impact big technology is having on finding the truth