YoggNation: The Spirit of Gratitude
Welcome to the YoggNation: Spirit of Gratitude podcast, hosted by Yogesh Patel
Each week, you’ll hear from a diverse mix of high-profile guests from different ages, backgrounds, professions, and cultures, who open up about topics like gratitude, bullying, self-awareness, resilience, and tuning into that quiet inner voice we often ignore.
This podcast is all about honest conversations that make you pause, reflect, and maybe even see yourself a little more clearly.
Recent Episodes
A Cancer Survivor Explains How Faith And Community Make Resilience Possible
How do you find strength when life takes a turn you never expected? Austin-based philanthropist Fayruz Benyousef shares her journey through Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 16 and a later breast cancer diagnosis. She opens up about the realities of survivorship, the pressure to stay positive, and how faith, supportive communities, and taking life one day at a time helped her navigate uncertainty. Her experiences also shaped her commitment to service, showing how compassion and small acts of kindness...…
Hard Times Change You. What Happens When Gratitude Leads the Way?
A strong team isn’t built by having the best people. It’s built by making better decisions together. Professor Ricardo Valerdi, engineer, sports scientist, and University of Arizona professor, shares how leadership, trust, and team culture shape decision making. Drawing from his book, The Five Tool Team, he explains why complementary strengths matter, how data and intuition work together, and what separates a group of people from a team that delivers results. We also explore his FLASH method…
Can Gratitude Really Help You Turn Adversity Into Success?
Sometimes the hardest seasons of life become the moments that shape us most. In this personal episode, we explore why Spirit of Gratitude was created and how adversity, resilience, and gratitude became the heart of YoggNation. From a daughter navigating Tourette syndrome and severe bullying to finding comfort through writing, these experiences show how strength can grow in the moments no one sees. We also talk about gratitude through health challenges, family, faith, and the support syste...…
The Secret to Performing When the Pressure Is On
Pressure often shows up when something really matters to you. Elite performance coach Seth Pepper joins us to break down what happens in the mind and body when the stakes get high. We explore the difference between pressure and stress, why discomfort can fuel growth, and how Seth’s own journey toward the Olympics shaped his approach to resilience and mental toughness. The conversation gets practical with tools for managing nervousness, reducing resistance, staying present, and performing ...…
Winning Isn’t the Goal — Here’s What Great Coaches Teach
Championship teams are built long before they ever step onto the field. Coach Mike Candrea, one of the most accomplished leaders in Division I sports and a longtime force behind University of Arizona softball and Team USA, shares what it really takes to build a championship culture. From an elbow injury that changed his career to growing softball into a nationally recognized sport, Coach Candrea explains why relationships, trust, character, and consistency matter most. He also opens up about…
What Do Difficult Times Teach Us About Leadership?
What happens when a company goes from rapid growth to survival mode, and how do leaders keep people together when everything is uncertain?
Tom shares lessons from navigating a major dot-com era collapse, including difficult decisions around layoffs, crisis communication, company culture, and rebuilding trust. He explains why honest leadership matters most when the news is difficult, and how the same principles of resilience and accountability apply to your career, team, and everyday …