Wisdom in fragments

Seeing the Earth framed through the shuttle's small windows versus seeing it from outside was like the difference between looking at fish in an aquarium versus scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef… I was really out there, floating in it, swimming in it. I felt like a real spaceman…

Astronaut and educator who conducted spacewalks on the Hubble Space Telescope

Seeing the earth from space was just breathtaking – I cannot imagine anywhere being more beautiful, we're living on an absolute paradise. Seeing our planet from that vantage point also changed my perspective on the concept of home. I used to think of myself as a New Yorker, as an America, but now? I'm a citizen of earth first and still all those things. Now, when I think of home, I think of the earth.

Astronaut and educator who conducted spacewalks on the Hubble Space Telescope

My whole life I'd thought of Earth as this place where we're in control of our lives. I'd wake up, go to the grocery store, take my kid to a baseball game. It was this safe, stable cocoon. Now it wasn't that anymore. In space I could see the Earth in relation to the stars and the sun and the moon. The Earth is a planet. It's a spaceship. We're zipping around the universe, hurtling through the chaos of space with asteroids and black holes and everything else, and we think we're safe but, boy, we are right out there in the middle of it.

Astronaut and educator who conducted spacewalks on the Hubble Space Telescope

In 2011, she participated in the Indian reality television series Big Boss. She hosts the Indian reality show Splitsvilla. In 2012 she made her Bollywood debut in Pooja Bhatt's erotic thriller Jism 2 (2012) and shifted her focus to mainstream acting which was followed up with Jackpot (2013), Ragini MMS 2 (2014) and Ek Paheli Leela (2015).

Adult film actress turned Indian film and television actress

Meanwhile, she eschewed Bollywood beauty standards and was frequently castigated in the press for her unique fashion sense and fluctuating weight.

Indian actress known for critically acclaimed roles in unconventional films

In No One Killed Jessica (2011), a true crime tale of a woman searching for her sister's killer, Balan (known to her many fans as simply Vidya) proved that a film without a male lead could be a commercial success.

Indian actress known for critically acclaimed roles in unconventional films

On the one hand, Excel's oeuvre comprises of a string of box-office hits like Dil Chahta Hai, Don, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Talaash & Fukrey. Alongside these blockbusters, Excel has also launched avant garde ventures like Gully Boy, India's first hip hop film and the official entry to the Academy Awards this year and Inside Edge, India's first original series on Amazon Prime Video that was nominated for the coveted International Emmy Awards under the Best Drama category in 2018.

Co-Founder of Excel Entertainment & Bollywood Producer

Success in entertainment isn't just about making hits—it's about taking risks, pushing boundaries, and never losing sight of the human element that makes stories matter.

Producer of Academy Award-winning films and television shows

I've learned that the best ideas often come from the most unexpected conversations. That's why I've spent decades having curiosity conversations with people from completely different fields.

Producer of Academy Award-winning films and television shows

The most powerful stories come from genuine human connection. When you truly understand someone's experience, you can translate that into something universal that resonates with audiences everywhere.

Producer of Academy Award-winning films and television shows

Curiosity is the engine of achievement. It's what drives us to ask the questions that lead to breakthrough moments, whether in science, storytelling, or understanding human nature.

Producer of Academy Award-winning films and television shows

The greatest leaders have humility. A good leader is a humble leader. A good leader listens to people, gets other inputs, admits when they're wrong… and that boils down to humility; it's the single most important characteristic that I see in leaders.

Former Navy SEAL Commander & Leadership Author

War teaches you that there are many different types of people, good and bad, and you have to understand that good and evil co-exist, and it's up to you to calculate your way through the world, understanding where people are rooted.

Former Navy SEAL Commander & Leadership Author

When you fail, you take ownership of the failure, and then you assess what mistakes were made, what could be done differently, what better instructions you could have given, what better support you could have given, then you fix those problems, move on and try again, simple.

Former Navy SEAL Commander & Leadership Author

Fundamentally you build trust with people by giving them trust.

Former Navy SEAL Commander & Leadership Author

I don't think we can ever be sure of the decisions we make; but there are things we can do. Firstly; get outside help.

Co-inventor of Public-Key Cryptography & Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange