What if the obstacles and hardships in your life aren't roadblocks, but invitations to discover what's humanly possible?
On this episode of the JOY² – Live With Joy Podcast, Greg De Koker sits down with Vandana Puranik, founder of Active Ingredients and What She Said, bestselling author, TEDx speaker and brand strategist, for a deeply personal, wildly insightful and joy-filled conversation about resilience, curiosity and the power of thinking differently.
Vandana shares how extraordinary adversity, including cancer and a two-week coma, transformed the way she sees life, and why deliberate curiosity can change the way we navigate uncertainty, difficult conversations and life's toughest moments. Rather than simply accepting the meaning we give our experiences, she challenges us to get curious, reframe what's possible and focus less on solving problems and more on creating the outcomes we actually want.
In this episode, we explore:
• How deliberate curiosity can transform the way we approach challenges
• Why we can become brilliant at solving the wrong problems
• How reframing adversity can reveal new possibilities
• Why letting go can create space for what matters most
• How to become a “category of one”
• The power of intellectual humility and asking better questions
Whether you're an entrepreneur, leader, creative thinker or simply navigating change and uncertainty, this conversation is an invitation to question what you think you know, get curious about what you don't, and discover what might be possible.
Because sometimes the breakthrough isn't found by working harder to solve the problem.
Sometimes it begins by seeing the problem differently... and asking a better question.
Chapters:
00:00:00 Welcome to JOY²
00:02:23 Meet Vandana Puranik
00:05:31 Choosing Joy Through Life's Challenges
00:09:50 The Two-Week Coma & the Power of Discovery
00:16:24 Practicing Deliberate Curiosity
00:25:24 The Power of “Might”
00:32:24 Letting Go, Focusing & Receiving
00:35:24 Finding Joy in Loss
00:37:20 The Role of Humor in Difficult Moments
00:42:15 Solve for the Outcome
00:46:37 Thinking Differently & Creating Impact
00:47:50 Your Circumstances Don't Have to Define You
00:48:12 Choosing Joy, Purpose & Curiosity
Connect with Greg De Koker
Website: www.joy2.ca
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gregdekoker/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/greg_de_koker/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/greg.koker.5/
Connect with Vandana Puranik:
Website: www.thisiswhatshesaid.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/vandanapuranik/
Business Instagram: www.instagram.com/activeingreds/
Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/vandanaspuranik/
Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089863683637&mibextid=LQQJ4d
X.com: https://twitter.com/activeingreds
Grab a copy of The Book of Might Book here at https://www.TheBookOfMIGHT.com
Listen and Subscribe to JOY²:
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joy-live-with-joy-podcast/id1886910363
Spotify: creators.spotify.com/pod/show/joy-squared-podcast
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JOY2LiveWithJoyPodcast
Stay Connected to JOY²:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/joysquaredofficial/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/joysquaredofficial/
Take Action
Ask yourself:
• Where could I replace frustration with curiosity?
• Am I solving the right problem?
• What meaning am I giving a difficult experience?
• What do I need to let go of?
• What makes me uniquely valuable?
Action Tip
Choose one practice this week:
• Pause during frustration and ask a curious question.
• Define the outcome you want before solving a challenge.
• Reframe a difficult experience by asking, “What else could this mean?”
• Admit something you don't know and learn from someone else.
Then ask yourself:
“What might become possible if I stayed curious a little longer?”
Because sometimes you don't need another answer. You need a different perspective, a better question and the courage to stay curious.
