We Are PoWEr Podcast
The We Are PoWEr podcast spotlights voices and perspectives that need to be heard. Our weekly podcast, with listeners in over 60 countries, delivers PoWErful conversations that inspire, challenge, and empower... from personal life stories to business insights and leadership lessons.
We share diverse experiences, bold discussions, and real solutions. Whether you're looking for career advice, topical themes, or stories of resilience and success - this is where voices spark change.
We Are PoWEr Podcast
What Is the Second Brain?
In this episode, we speak with Reshma Mahapacha, IBM strategist and author of The Second Brain, about the real skills that drive complex transformations: emotional intelligence, quiet leadership, and the ability to read a room. She shares how timing, perception, and cultural fluency shape multi-million-pound programmes and why letting results speak often creates the strongest influence.
Reshma’s global career brings a fresh and experienced perspective to consulting, communication, and leadership. We talk about the power of a well-timed pause, how to turn misinterpretation into clarity, and why success has seasons: of intensity, stillness, and deliberate pace.
You’ll hear:
➡️ Why The Second Brain centres on timing, precision, and perception
➡️ The shift from artificial intelligence to authentic intelligence
➡️ The impact of quiet leadership and letting results do the talking
➡️ Why success moves in seasons
➡️ How empathy strengthens AI policy, design, and outcomes
➡️ Ways AI can create jobs and support long-term skills growth
Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫
Hello, hello, and welcome to the We Are Power Podcast. If this is your first time here, the We Are Power Podcast is the podcast for you, your career, and your life. We release an episode every single Monday with listeners in over 60 countries worldwide where you'll hear personal life stories, top-notch industry advice, and key leadership insight from amazing role models. As We Are Power is the umbrella brand to Northern Power Women Awards, which celebrates hundreds of female role models and advocates every year. This is where you can hear stories from all of our awards alumni and stay up to date with everything MPW Awards and We Are Power. Never implicated, never implicated, singularly wonderful. Everybody's wonderful. Well, hello and welcome to the podcast. Today I am thrilled to be joined by Reshma Mahapacha. Um, tell me, tell me, tell me, how are you introducing yourselves these days? Because you are, are you a strategist? Are you an author, or are you the queen of quiet consulting?
SPEAKER_00:Well, first of all, thank you very much for having me. It's great to be here and great to be in the podcast, you know, interacting with your listeners out there. Well, these days, it's really exciting because, you know, I've just released my debut book, The Second Brain. Um the book is all about consulting on spoken code. And uh over time I have been within the consulting for a number of years now, and I've laid both public sector and private sector transformation, multi-million pound transformations, you know. But this book is all about emotional intelligence, it's about timing, it's about precisions, and it's about perceptions, what it takes a consultant to be a best consultant. So I think my introduction goes still, I'm still a consultant by heart, but um I think the new author, I will take that. You like that?
SPEAKER_01:You like that and you work for IBM, yeah. Just that small little company, right? Is it very small if it can be just 114 years old? Well, that's it. Not been around very long. Just to start up, right? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:What was the motivation for you to write the book? I think, you know, um the motivation is all about, to be honest with you, I did not decide to write this book. It just found me, you know, over the time. You know, I felt like, you know, the powerful lessons that we look, you know, that we learn um in our life, in our career, they don't go into the slide pack or reports because they live in the moments. And these are the moments that need to be, you know, said out there because there's so many out there people they wonder what's the consultant life is, you know, what is consulting, what they actually typically do, and that kind of stuff. And this book brings brings all the ground reality, you know, and it's an honest confession of a book, like, you know, what it takes to deliver those big biggest decisions of multi-million pounds transformations. But also this book is about emotional intelligence in an AI-powered world that we are in, you know, and it gives you all the honest pro tips that helps someone to understand this industry, but also understand what it takes to be out there. And who is it aimed at, Reshmer? Well, to be honest, this book is aimed at every everybody can pick up, you know, even the people who are from the industry, consulting industry, or even outside, because ultimately the book is all about emotional intelligence. You know, it talks about human behaviors, it talks about precisions. You know, these are the quality, the traits that everybody needs in this organization, your organization, or in your life even, you know, to make a difference. And so I would say, you know, yes, you know, you would find much of that content is from consulting background, but anybody out there from any profession should be able to read and get some insights, hopefully.
SPEAKER_01:And did you always want to be a consultant?
SPEAKER_00:Well, you know, um, I become a consultant by choice, yes, definitely. You know, I finished my engineering in electronics and telecommunication. So from the very childhood, you know, at the age of three, I was having a desktop in my home, you know, and my mother gave me the mouse and a CPU, which was too long enough. Nowadays it's gone by slimmer. But those big CPUs, large desktops with mouse, you know. And I was playing with it, they were my toys in my childhood. So I'm very much fascinated by the world of IT. And I always saw a future, you know, in IT for myself. And uh so yes, definitely.
SPEAKER_01:And where did it start? Where did Young Greshma start? Other than with your like giant uh computer, your giant CPU, which you, as you say, were much bigger back in those days. Where did it start for you, Willie Thought?
SPEAKER_00:Well, it definitely started in India. You know, um, I'm a convent educated. Uh, I studied science, physics, chemistry, and then I did my engineering. Um, it it my early days were in India. But, you know, uh having said that, I have uh traveled for my work or even as a tourist for to over 156 countries now. Wow. And I have lived in uh five countries. Um I have um after India, we were stationed in uh Singapore, where I lived some parts of my life out there. Then we moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and then in Dubai in the Middle East, and now in the UK. So um really carved myself, you know, across various parts of the world. And I think, you know, some of that diverse perspectives and perceptions is what I have written into this book, you know, as someone who came from different walks of life, lived in different sphere of the world, but also able to make a story out of it. So this book is all about that.
SPEAKER_01:And what did you learn about living in each of those different um continents, different countries, different cultures? What did you learn?
SPEAKER_00:I think the learning was all about, you know, different cuisines. I love food. So I love it when we come back to food. So I love food. So, you know, I'm a great foodie. I can cook well, you know. Um, I have a deep passion for food. So, of course, you know, one part of that is different cuisines. But I think, you know, the best part of living in various parts of the world is that, you know, the fact that you get to connect with various people of different backgrounds and culture, you know, and and that is such a turning point in your life because in my work, I get to meet with like people from different walks of life, you know, um, different religion, different customs, different traditions, people coming in. And having stayed in these places has actually given me a great horizon, a great umbrella view of you know what the people is coming from, you know, where the people person might be coming from, you know, and giving an understanding, their perspective, their perceptions. And I think, you know, I would say yes, the culture and definitely the food.
SPEAKER_01:And what is your um recipe of choice that you choose to uh concoct in your kitchen?
SPEAKER_00:Well, the recipe is simple. You know, I start with something simple and I keep my life mantra is also very simple. Simple living, high thinking. You know, so I think the the ingredients, or I would say the secret ingredient that makes my recipes, you know, delicious is deep down with passion and uh joys and life and love for food. That could be the next thing.
SPEAKER_01:A cookbook, I think. A cookbook of of all of your visits and of your learns along the way. It could bring out such different lessons. But that you have given me a good idea, I guess. I can see we could do a live demo in here. I can feel it now. Now, you talked about your mantras, and one of yours is do the work so quietly that success makes the announcement for you. What do you mean by that?
SPEAKER_00:Well, you know, for me, power isn't about being loudest, um, the voice in the in the room, but it's about being the calmest. And I have seen that quiet leadership move mountains. And that's that's the kind of power I truly believe in. And I think it's the power that goes like influence without, you know, um, you know, arrogance and conviction without ego, you know. And if a person, you know, uh through quiet leadership, if a person can hold steady its own values when the whole world is spinning around you, and I think that's really the power you need to believe in. And um, as I said, yeah, it it doesn't need to be the loudest in the in the room, it can be the calmest as well. And that can drive some great results.
SPEAKER_01:You talked about don't always want to be the calmest in the room, don't always have to be the loudest, but you are clear that influence isn't about being loud, you've said that. But can you give a real-world example where you think that that quiet strategy has won the day?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so like one of my chapters um in my book it says that how silence can save a deal. And um, and it's talking about like, you know, when when you're interacting with various people, you're also interacting at the same time different perspectives and perceptions. And it's great to have diverse thoughts and ideas, but it's also, you know, as a consultant, you need to have clarity, you need to have that context where you're heading in, and and it's that conviction, that willpower that takes you to the right path and to help you win that deal. So, you know, I have encountered several instances in my career where, you know, having that quiet leadership, you know, listening deeply to the people, understanding where they're coming from, and then acting after then really makes a huge difference, rather being, you know, and it's all not, it's not always about being reactive. It's about you know having that evidence decisions making. And I think as a consultant, I have been groomed in that way, like, you know, not jumping to the conclusions right away, but understanding the context, the background, and then acting in the more sensible, responsible way that makes a difference to the team and not just to yourself.
SPEAKER_01:Uh and you talk about you talked about listening, but also reading, reading people you say is your superpower. Now, does that ever have its downsides? Well, and that can be both in your consulting world, but also in your personal life as well.
SPEAKER_00:Well, the downside, um, uh to be honest, you know, some people might think like you have come up with a preconceived notion, you know, uh, or sometimes when you're observing more and speaking less, you know, um sometimes you can be taken um differently, you know, you could be misunderstood and misinterpreted. Um but again, you know, you know, I am a person, like I believe in actions. If your next course of actions is positive and in a constructive order, that makes sense. Like, you know, the person who basically misinterpreted you in the beginning would have a change in thought after seeing your actions.
SPEAKER_01:Have you always been planned? Have you always had because you know we always talk about no one ever has the one same career path or the career directory, and sometimes it has to go big zigzaggy, but have you always been very clear and knew where you wanted to go?
SPEAKER_00:Um yes, I would say, you know, and and much of that um clarity came from my mother, you know. My mother is a civil servant, you know, a senior civil servant, and uh she uh she's come from a working professional background. And I've seen her working, you know, day to day, every day working hard, you know, um not to make the living, but you know, she was passionate about what she was doing. And much of that learning actually came from my mother, and that was transcended to myself. So I'm very, very thankful to her for all the coachings and guidance that she gave me in my early childhood. And I think those foundations and those values were so strong that helped me now nurture as a leader that I am in. And the fact that, you know, I'm able to impact some of that learning and the values within the team, the people that I interact with. And I think it's definitely, you know, a lot of credit goes to her. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And um and it's good to say that your mum was clearly a role model for you growing up. But when you look at your uh life now as a consortium, author, may have mentioned that, author, new book. Um, who would you say are your role models out there now to you?
SPEAKER_00:Well, you know, I am being um blessed to have many mentors um and coaches in my career. You know, when I was um going through, I I have a love, I have love for literature. So Margaret Thatcher, you know, she was one of my inspiration. Uh I was loved by her philosophies, her policies, you know, and the fact that she's not just the first woman to held that position, but you know, the fact that you know she was courageous and brave enough to say no when you know when the situation demanded to say no, and the fact that she could take a stance, and I think um some of that mentorship learning, um, evidently or non-infidentally, came from her, you know, um, by just observing her and learning from her.
SPEAKER_01:And what advice would you give? You've had mentors, right? So um, a new mentor as well. So, what advice would you give to anyone who's watching or listening today that is trying to develop that quiet influence, that calmness when, you know, particularly those of us that are maybe prone to a bit of chatter, what advice would you give?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I would say two things um to all the youngsters out there, right, who are bustling with lots of energy, is that, you know, success isn't a straight line. You know, I think it's like more like a heartbeat. The the highs and lows uh are proof that you're alive and you're evolving. So um I would say like, you know, um that you know, don't just get overwhelmed if something brilliant is happening in your life, and don't get so upset if things are not going the way that you want, you know. Uh I know that there's no such thing as balance, you know, but it's about finding the rhythm because some seasons um demand intensity and others, you know, ask for stillness, you know. So there are symphonies and jazz um that we find in our life. So I think my my first um advice would be that you know, success isn't a straight line, you know, take it, take it um in your way. I think the second advice I would say is that, you know, uh live in your present moment. Um don't rush your story, you know. The fact is that, you know, we are living in a world who is obsessed with acceleration, speed, and pace, you know, but stillness can be your greatest force and can be that act of rebellion. So it's about finding that calmness. So don't put so much pressure on yourself. Like if your the your peers, your colleagues, your friend is marching ahead and you're being held behind behind. I think you know everybody has their own story and you will have your moment one day. It's just about finding the right timing for you. And I'm pro I promise you the time will come and you will be, you know, successful what you're doing today.
SPEAKER_01:And I I couldn't agree, but I'm taking all this in, right? You know, because sometimes actually the best thing you can do is stop still. You don't have to keep, I've always got my trainers on, but you don't always have to try and keep up. Or sometimes it's the best thing in a, and especially in, like you say, in a world of change and uncertainty. Um, you are a really exciting point right now as a as a leader, as a strategist, uh working in Genai. What is the bit that excites you most?
SPEAKER_00:I think what excites me now is like, you know, we are moving to a future from artificial intelligence to authentic intelligence, you know. Um, EI is not about replacing humans, but we're entering into our era where it is helping us to rediscover our worth. You know, it's helping to rediscover what makes us irreplaceable and unforgettable. And, you know, um, machines can predict, yes, but it's only humans who can imagine. And the power of imaginations are endless and possibilities are infinite, you know. And um, sometimes people say like the best competitive advantage in this AI-powered world is data. But I think I say it's more in empathy, you know. Yes, you know, data is the oxygen for AI, but that's more from a system angle. What you need is is the heart of humanity mixed with the logic of AI. And I think that's where the magic leaves. That's the ultimate cocktail, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01:That's the ultimate recipe.
SPEAKER_00:That's the recipe for my upcoming uh cookbook, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And and you just talk, because that's the thing, isn't it? Is the it's it's not this. We've we've please check out our amazing webinar uh that we have, which is all around kind of the AI and uh the fear, taking all the fear away. It's not gonna take everyone's job away because you can't replace the storytelling. You can't you've just talked about the empathy, the creativity. Can't take that away, can we? Absolutely. It's not pitting humans against machines, is it?
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely, yeah. It's it's never um machine versus human. I think it's augmenting, you know, intelligence with the city.
SPEAKER_01:And if you could use AI to solve one great world problem, what would it be?
SPEAKER_00:I think unemployment, you know, the uh the new statistics has come for a home ground in the UK where it has um gone up to like 5% now, you know. And I think it's the best timing now when people have a myth like AI is here to replace jobs. But, you know, and it's basically the great opportunity for us to turn AI into more like an opportunity for us to create more jobs, you know, and uh help us actually drive the future.
SPEAKER_01:And we've already talked about the next book, which is obviously the cookbook, right? Okay, of course. But if you were writing one other book, because then you'd have a trilogy, right? And they'd all be different, because that's what we said, uh, that had nothing at all to do with your work or consultancy, what would it be?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I'm exploring at the minute of opening up a YouTube channel uh based on you know uh travel and food. Um, I think you know, maybe that's one of the areas I would be focusing on.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you you visited 150 plus countries and you've got some simple recipes as well in play. So I am I'm subscribed to that already, Richard. Now we have one last task to do because this is the power jar, okay? The jar of fun, right? So this in here is a question that has been written by one of our previous guests. Okay. So are you prepared and willing and excited to delve in? Well, I'm curious.
SPEAKER_00:Uh, do you want me to read it? Yes. What's your most useless hidden talent? Oh, I've got a list.
SPEAKER_01:Well, you're thinking I've got a whole list. Go on.
SPEAKER_00:At first, I want to say no talent is useless, you know. So the question a little bit, you know, I think we can change it to maybe what's my hidden talent. I think one, we have already spoken about the superpower of reading the room. It's about, you know. I think the other one is about, you know, um, you know understanding people's culture and background and respecting it. And I think um the talent here within me is that, you know, I can literally speak to any people uh without having the fear or being shy. Um and I think and why I'm able to do that is through because of the human connect. You know, we talked about the touch of humanity uh previously. So, you know, the fact is that, you know, um I can do that. I think that would be something like it's your secret chattiness, right?
SPEAKER_01:Isn't it?
SPEAKER_00:It's it's chattiness, but in the meaningful way.
SPEAKER_01:Reshma, thank you so much for joining us on our beautiful teal couch today and delving into the power jar. Thank you so much for sharing all of your advice, guidance, and experiences and cannot wait uh for the cookbook. But in the meantime, please do check out uh Reshma's book as well on all of your regular places to buy them. Have you done it in Audible?
SPEAKER_00:You did, indeed. Well, I want to thank you, Simon, because you are one of the sponsors of my book. So I really want to thank you for trusting and having that believe in me. And um, all to the listeners, I would say, like, yes, please do check it out. It's uh available across all the Mesa leading platforms on Amazon, Waterstone Hive, and fall is everywhere. So, and uh, if you really want to know more about the insights about my book, you know, please do get in touch with me on LinkedIn. We're more than happy to share some insights.
SPEAKER_01:I love a good pitch. There you go. What was that quiet confidence then? It's right there. Regiment, thank you so much for joining me and thank you for joining us on the podcast this week. Subscribe on YouTube, Apple, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a review or follow us on socials. We are power underscore net on Insta, TikTok, and Twitter. We are power on LinkedIn, Facebook, and we are underscore power on YouTube.
