Meera Gandhi, Founder and CEO, The Giving Back Foundation
The Brand Called You welcomes the extremely talented Meera Gandhi on the podcast today. Meera, who is from NewYork is the Founder and CEO of The Giving Back Foundation. She is a TV Show host of two incredible shows one of them, her own- The Meera Gandhi Show.
Podcast
Overview
The Brand Called You welcomes the extremely talented Meera Gandhi on the podcast today. Meera, who is from NewYork is the Founder and CEO of The Giving Back Foundation. She is a TV Show host of two incredible shows one of them, her own- The Meera Gandhi Show.
In conversation with host Ashutosh, Meera shares her professional journey with us. A giver since a very young age, Meera was always finding ways to help people out. As a high school student, she spent time with handicapped kids and learnt and respected her privileges. She has been working with various social ventures ever since. She even had the opportunity to meet Mother Teresa several times during her social projects.
Meera talks about her own venture, The Giving Back Foundation where she helps lesser privileged children get access to education. She shares that the foundation is a platform for three mandates- education, positive dialogue/debate and mental wellness. She shares some noteworthy points about setting up a successful philanthropy brand. Meera believes that the quality of the work one puts in can not be compromised.
She further also shares her experiences of working for the welfare of the St.Michael School for girls in Delhi. She has done some incredible work with these girls and positively changed their lives. Meera also talks about her TV shows and shares why she initiated them.
Her success is driven by empathy and a strong will to give back and change the world for good!
Tune in to know more about Meera and the incredible work she is doing in the social field.
Profile
Meera Teresa Gandhi is the daughter of an Irish mother and an Indian father. Though she spent a part of her youth in England and Ireland, she grew up mostly in India, where her early years were spent following her father around the country as he progressed in his naval career. She graduated from Cathedral with her HSC in 1979. She then attended the United World College in Canada and returned to study eco jobs at the University of Delhi at JMC and was both Vice President and President of college.
She married Vikram Gandhi, her Cathedral batch mate in 1986 and both went to the USA to get their MBA’s in Boston. They have three children together who are all now super stars in their own right. Kiran, Kanika and Kabir. Meera is single as Vikram and her were amicably divorced in 2014 and remain good friends.
At the age of 16, and while still a student at the Cathedral & John Connon School in Mumbai, she volunteered to teach dance at Ashadaan, a shelter for abandoned and differently-abled children, the destitute, and HIV-positive people run by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity.
Her mother encouraged Meera to continue working at Ashadaan through her last 2 years of high school, but meeting and spending time with Mother Teresa proved to be the turning point in Meera’s life. That is when she truly understood the great joy in doing things that are beyond and outside of the self.
Meera continued with her charitable work and fundraising in New York with various organizations through her early professional life, marriage, and motherhood. Her family moved to Hong Kong and it was while living there that Meera had her epiphany in 2009. “I felt like something was lacking in my life. That I felt disconnected, and I really needed to do more”, Meera states, and consequently, she established The Giving Back Foundation and continues to be the CEO of this charitable organization.
Her passion for her work ensures she stays actively involved in the foundation’s day-to-day operations, monitoring the progress of on-site grassroots projects, and in making decisions on the disbursement of grants.
“Different people have different needs, and it isn’t about those who have materially less. Reaching out to make any life healthier, happier and more joyful is more important,” says Meera. Embodying this message, she worked with B4U Television Network to create The Meera Gandhi Show, which aired internationally to an enraptured audience and tackled one discussion centered around health and wellness in each episode. Soon after, Meera created her signature show 3 Tips in partnership with Times Network, where she imparted pragmatic, easy to follow advice on a number of subjects ranging from business leadership, fitness, travel and self-development. Meera is currently working on a book adaptation of 3 Tips.
Meera Gandhi has three children; two daughters and a son, and spends her time between the USA, India and Dubai.
From volunteering her time as a teenager to help handicapped kids, to now providing educational programs and platforms for people around the world, Meera continues to leverage her resources towards her most passionate goal – GIVING Back!
