What does it take to get the whole world to agree with you? Where do all great change movements begin—and what kind of leadership can unify nations in a time of deep division? Which leadership coach can you turn to in every season of change—timeless, wordless, and always present? What’s the connection between personal and planetary resilience? And why is spiritual grounding essential for today’s leaders and changemakers?

Find out from Christiana Figueres, exclusively in conversation with Dr. Hitendra Wadhwa on Intersections Podcast.

Christiana Figueres is one of the world’s most influential climate leaders, best known for her role as Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, where she led the six-year diplomatic effort that culminated in the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, uniting 195 nations in a shared climate commitment. After leaving the UN, she co-founded Global Optimism, a social-purpose organization advancing the mindset and momentum needed for global climate solutions. She also co-hosts the award-winning podcast Outrage & Optimism, one of the world’s top climate podcasts, and is the co-author of the international bestseller, The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis, which introduces the mindset of “stubborn optimism” and outlines the actions required to build a regenerative future.

In this episode, Christiana reveals:

- How to get the whole world to agree with you

- Our best leadership coach in epic and everyday moments

- Why spiritual grounding is essential for today’s leaders and changemakers

What kind of work ethic sustains greatness, and lays the foundation for enduring impact? How do successful leaders carry themselves in a room full of people? What are the underlying ingredients of systemic change, and how can one aspire to evolve systems that benefit everyone?

Find out from Jeff Raikes, exclusively in conversation with Dr. Hitendra Wadhwa on Intersections Podcast.

Jeff Raikes is the co-founder of the Raikes Foundation, which he and his wife, Tricia, established in 2002. The foundation helps empower young people to reach their full potential by supporting innovative work in education, youth homelessness and expanded learning programs. Jeff retired from his role as chief executive officer of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2014, having guided the global organization through six years of significant growth. He came to the philanthropic world from a 27-year career at Microsoft Corporation, where he was a member of the senior leadership team and president of the Microsoft Business Division. Jeff serves on the boards of Costco Wholesale, Hudl, Green Diamond Resources, Epicrop, and the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has served as chair of the Stanford University Board of Trustees, where he received a bachelor’s degree in engineering-economic systems.

In this episode, Jeff reveals:

- The hidden risk of being the smartest person in the room

- The work ethic every successful leader and changemaker must cultivate

- How systemic change happens, and how to evolve systems that benefit everyone

Could our deepest sufferings have any hidden virtues? Why do we so often chase moments of transcendence, and yet struggle to live them in our everyday experience? How can we take control of our mind and train it to take instructions from us? Can the repetition of certain sounds become a pathway to quieten the mind and reclaim our inner space? And what does it truly mean to walk the spiritual path, not once, but for a whole lifetime?

Find out from Krishna Das, exclusively in conversation with Dr. Hitendra Wadhwa on Intersections Podcast.

Krishna Das, also known as “the chant master of American yoga” (New York Times), is one of the most influential figures in bringing Kirtan—the chanting of sacred names from the Bhakti tradition of Indian spirituality—into contemporary Western spiritual life. A devotee of Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji), whom he met in the late 1960s in India, Krishna Das came back to the United States with a simple directive of service—one he later understood as bringing devotional chanting to the West as a living, accessible practice. Blending traditional mantra with melodies shaped by gospel, blues, folk, and rock, Krishna Das helped take Kirtan out of temples and yoga studios and into concert halls worldwide, becoming the best-selling Western chant artist and releasing 16 albums, including Live Ananda, which received a Grammy nomination in 2012. He is the author of Flow of Grace: Chanting the Hanuman Chalisa, and Chants of a Lifetime: Searching for a Heart of Gold, and the founder of the Kirtan Wallah Foundation, through which he continues to share the teachings of Maharaj-ji.

In this episode, Krishna Das reveals:

- How to take control of our mind

- The science behind devotional chanting

- What it takes to walk the spiritual path for a whole lifetime