🎙️ Podcast: Regaining Your Equilibrium: Should Shouldering the Demands of Your Life Come at a Cost?

Leaders in the “sandwich generation” often carry a silent load: managing teams and businesses, raising children, and caring for aging parents—all while trying to keep their own lives intact. On the outside, they look like powerhouses. Inside? Many feel stretched thin, unseen, and close to breaking.

In this episode of The Grounded Leader, I sit down with Aditi Davray, consultant to nonprofit, philanthropic, and private sector organizations and doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership and Policy at NYU. She's also a certified Domestic Violence Advocate and was recognized as an Advocate of New York in 2021 by the Mayor's Office to End Gender-Based Violence.

Together, we unpack the toll of nonstop caregiving and leading, and explore how women in particular experience unseen pressures, guilt, and identity shifts during this stage of life.

We also look at how organizations and families can step up, what wellness practices like Ayurveda and mindfulness can offer, and how redefining success can help leaders in the sandwich generation reclaim energy, agency, and fulfillment.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying the world for everyone else while quietly putting your own dreams on pause, this conversation is for you.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• The invisible weight of caregiving & leadership: Why women leaders in the sandwich generation face unique challenges.
• The emotional toll: How guilt, grief, and burnout quietly shape both careers and personal lives.
• Identity shifts: What happens when leadership collides with caregiving and women begin to question their sense of self.
• Ripple effects in the workplace: How silent burnout affects teams, organizations, and culture.
• Pathways to resilience: Small but powerful ways women can prioritize their own well-being without guilt.
• Redefining success: Moving away from “doing it all” toward living fully, sustainably, and with balance.
• The role of holistic practices: How Ayurveda, yoga, and mindfulness can anchor leaders through this demanding life stage.

📣 My friend, if you’re listening and feel seen by today’s conversation, know this: you’re not failing—you’re simply carrying too much. You deserve support, rest, and dreams that don’t have to wait for “someday.”

👉 Share this episode with another woman in your life who’s quietly holding it all together. Start a conversation, and let her know she’s not alone.
👉 For more resources on balance and Ayurvedic wellness for leaders, connect with me on Instagram @swetavikram or visit www.swetavikram.com.

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

Connect on Socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

Visit my website

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.

Sleep, Success & the Subtle Body—The Nightly Rituals of Grounded Leaders

Sleep isn’t just rest—it’s leadership hygiene. In this episode of The Grounded Leader, host Sweta Vikram unpacks why insomnia is more than a personal struggle—it’s a leadership crisis.

Drawing from both Ayurvedic wisdom and modern science, we explore how poor sleep depletes ojas (your vitality), disrupts your subtle body, and derails your ability to make wise, grounded decisions. You’ll learn why high-achievers are especially vulnerable to vata imbalances that keep the mind racing at night—and how nightly rituals can help restore balance, clarity, and resilience.

🌿 Inside this episode:

• The hidden leadership cost of poor sleep.
• How Ayurveda views sleep as one of the three pillars of life.
• Why “tired but wired” nights signal a deeper imbalance.
• Five grounding rituals leaders can adopt tonight to improve sleep and performance.

Because the world doesn’t need more sleep-deprived leaders running on fumes. It needs rested, intuitive, and radiant ones.

✨ If this episode resonated, don’t keep it to yourself—share it with a fellow leader, founder, or entrepreneur who’s been struggling with burnout or sleepless nights.

🌙 Download my Free Rejuvenating Sleep Guide to start your own nightly ritual today.

💌 For personalized Ayurvedic coaching on sleep, stress, and leadership wellness, connect with me directly at swetavikram.com

Until next time—stay rooted. Stay rested. Stay radiant.

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

Connect on Socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

Visit my website

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.

What happens when a high-achieving entrepreneur hits burnout, questions everything, and decides to rewrite the rules of success?

On today’s episode of The Grounded Leader, I sit down with Paula Routon—a former co-founder of a thriving packaging prototyping business—who courageously walked away from the boardroom and into the healing world of Ayurveda.

Paula’s journey didn’t begin in balance. At the height of her career, she found herself burnt out, unwell, and disconnected. The turning point? Realizing she was living out of alignment. What followed was a courageous unraveling: stepping away from her company, confronting stereotypes and skepticism, silencing her inner critic, and reimagining success on her own terms.

Today, she’s not only an Ayurvedic practitioner but also the creative force behind Ayu Chocolates—a handcrafted Ayurvedic chocolate line tailored to your unique doshic type.

🌟 Key Takeaways

• Burnout is a wake-up call, not a weakness. Paula’s body signaled that something was off long before she admitted it, reminding us that ignoring symptoms only delays healing.
• Success without alignment isn’t sustainable. Even at the peak of her entrepreneurial career, Paula felt disconnected—showing that external achievement doesn’t always equal inner fulfillment.
• Courage means letting go. Walking away from a thriving business took bravery, but it opened the door to a more meaningful and health-centered life.
• Ayurveda can be a turning point. Discovering Ayurvedic wisdom gave Paula tools to reconnect with herself, restore balance, and redefine her path.
• The “messy middle” is part of the process. Healing isn’t linear; unraveling old patterns and facing doubts is part of transformation.
• Inner critics are often louder than external skeptics. Paula shares how silencing her own doubts was harder than confronting others’ opinions.
• Redefining success creates freedom. Today, Paula’s definition of success is rooted in wellness, creativity, and service—not relentless performance.
• Leadership evolves when grounded. With Ayurveda as her foundation, Paula leads and creates from a place of clarity and balance.
• Healing can be joyful (and delicious!). Through Ayu Chocolates, Paula shows that wellness practices don’t have to be rigid—they can be creative and enjoyable.

✨ Ready to ground yourself in wellness over performance?
Tap follow on The Grounded Leader and share this episode with a friend or colleague who’s ready for a more sustainable way to lead.

🍫 Don’t forget to explore Paula’s handcrafted Ayurvedic chocolates at [Ayu Chocolates]—because healing can be delicious too: https://ayuchocolates.etsy.com/

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

Connect on Socials: Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube

Visit my website

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.