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Available on Apple and Spotify.
Imagine if music could heal both people and the planet at the same time …
Kiran Gandhi, known professionally as Madame Gandhi, is an electronic-music producer, drummer, and climate activist. In her top song on Spotify, titled “Let Me Be Water,” a recording of glaciers melting in Antarctica is heard in the background, and nature is credited as a collaborating artist on the track.
In this conversation with cohosts Cleo Carney and Ally Giebutowski, Kiran shares why joy and love are the fuel for sustained climate action, how small, intentional actions create massive ripple effects, and the power of a daily meditation practice.
“She’s leading with joy and that feels radical,” Cleo says. “I left realizing that happiness and activism aren’t opposites — they're fuel for each other.”
From touring with British rap artist M.I.A. to building underwater microphones at Stanford and working with Brian Eno on EarthPercent, a group dedicated to making music in service of the planet, Kiran proves that art and activism aren't just compatible, they're essential to each other. Ally says Kiran’s perspective made sustainability feel personal. “She connected meditation, music, and mindful living in a way that made me realize real change starts in the quiet choices no one sees,” Ally says. “It wasn’t about being perfect; it was about being intentional.”
This episode is for anyone who’s felt overwhelmed by the climate crisis and needs a reminder that meaningful change starts with joy, connection, and intentional living.
In This Episode, You’ll Hear:
- Recordings of melting glaciers in Antarctica
- About EarthPercent, the group crediting nature as an artist and redirecting streaming royalties to conservation
- About daily meditation practices for sustained climate activism
- Why emotional depletion leads to overconsumption
- How intentional living is radical climate action
- The difference between American and global climate attitudes
- About building spiritual strength for long-term activism
About Kiran Gandhi
Kiran Gandhi, known professionally as Madame Gandhi, is an electronic-music producer, drummer, and climate activist. She toured internationally with M.I.A., holds degrees from Georgetown, Harvard Business School, and Stanford, and has been recognized in Forbes’s 30 Under 30 and BBC’s 100 Women. She integrates activism and environmentalism into her music.
Meet the Hosts:
- Janet Kraus: I’m Janet, a serial start-up founder and CEO, twin-girl mom, and wife to a fun and funny guy. I am on a mission to build healthier thinking in young people, stop toxic division, spotlight hopeful climate action, and advocate for safe AI.
- Cleo Carney: I am Cleo, a student at Harvard University, and I strongly believe that conversations, businesses, and the private markets can create profound change. I also love to cook nourishing food, work out in nature, and find sustainable swaps for everyday items and habits.
- Victoria Riskin: I am Victoria Riskin. I’m always looking for the best life has to offer despite a turbulent world. I find comfort in the environment and joy in friendships. We have a great team of all ages at Bluedot who inspire me every day as we work together to build community.
- Ally Giebutowski: I’m Ally, a freshman at Lafayette College. I believe that a sustainable life is a happier life and that human connection is at the heart of it all. Every day, I try to weave greener, more intentional living into every part of my life, whether that’s in the college classroom, in the kitchen, or through meaningful conversations with others.
Transcript
Hosts: Ally Giebutowski and Cleo Carney
Guest: Kiran Gandhi
Victoria Riskin: Hi everybody. Welcome back to the Imagine If podcast by Bluedot Living. I’m Victoria Riskin, founder of Bluedot Living, and on this podcast, we imagine if people were actually making a difference on climate change, because they are. Every week we meet great people in the trenches doing big and small things to make a difference, and to help us do these interviews, we have wonderful co-hosts. Would you introduce yourselves, ladies?
Janet Kraus: I’m Janet Kraus. I’m an entrepreneur, and I’m a board member here at Bluedot Living.
Cleo Carney: Hi guys. I’m Cleo Carney, a student board member of the Bluedot Institute and a sophomore at Harvard.
Ally Giebutowski: Hi everyone. I’m Ally Giebutowski. I’m a freshman at Lafayette College. I am an intern here at Bluedot Living, and I also happen to be the daughter of the wonderful Janet Kraus.
Cleo Carney: Can I tell you guys about who I’m bringing to the fore today?
Ally Giebutowski: Please do.
Victoria Riskin: Yes!
Cleo Carney: I am bringing Kiran Gandhi, also known by her stage name, Madam Gandhi, an electronic music producer, drummer, and artist. She started off touring internationally as a drummer for M.I.A., which Ally may know; they have a really good song, “Bad Girls.” She also holds degrees from Georgetown University and Harvard Business School, and later studied music, science, and technology at Stanford.
Janet Kraus: Oh, she sounds so cool already.
Victoria Riskin: Unbelievable. Holy moly.
Cleo Carney: She was recognized by Forbes’s 30 Under 30 and BBC's 100 Women. She’s also spoken at TED. What I think makes her perfect for this podcast is not only that she has the most incredible energy when you talk to her, but also the fact that she integrates her activism and environmentalism into her music. I spoke to her recently after she came back from Antarctica to record sounds of glaciers melting.
Janet Kraus: Melting.
Cleo Carney: Which she incorporated into music. She’s partnered with initiatives like EarthPercent to redirect nature for her royalties, funding conservation and promoting conversation around environmentalism through her music.
Janet Kraus: OK. She sounds so incredibly cool.
Ally Giebutowski: Maybe just a little speechless.
Victoria Riskin: As far as the debate is concerned, I’m going to nominate Cleo. I don’t know if you ladies agree, but she was going for it.
Ally Giebutowski: Another thing that’s destined, I think, might be the fact that I need to be her co-host. I need to be Cleo’s co-host. I think that’s also in the cards, because here is where I’ll start: I think that what she’s doing is incredible and I think it’s so important in the world. That intersection between environmentalism and music is just not talked about enough. I’d love to talk about it with you, Cleo.
Janet Kraus: As they say in Congress, I cede my time to Vicki, if you want to make a case for yourself. Otherwise, I’m over.
Victoria Riskin: My case for myself is I can’t wait to hear Ally and Cleo’s interview.
Ally Giebutowski: Then it looks like we’re ready to go. See ya.
The Interview
Cleo Carney: Welcome Kiran, otherwise known by your stage name, Madam Gandhi. You are not only an incredible person, but an incredible activist and artist. Today we’re here to speak with you as we imagine if music, movement, and activism all work together to fight the climate crisis. Tell us about who you are, what you’ve done, and what drives the work you do.
Kiran Gandhi: My name is Kiran Gandhi. I grew up between New York City and India, and what I really appreciate about the way my parents raised my brother, sister, and me is that we were always encouraged to have a bigger picture and a bigger mentality around giving back and being in service. From a young age, even in India, we would visit kids who might be recovering from illness, and we’d volunteer. When we were in New York City, I was the treasurer of my class, which was always a fundraising initiative to give back. I think what was great was that no matter what we were doing, it was always: How do we take our gifts and what we’ve been given and make the world better?
When you instill that in a young person, there’s no other option. I loved music from when I was young and I understood music's power for change, both in the way that it makes us feel — it opens us up to be more receptive and come back to our loving hearts — but then also lyrically, you have an opportunity to influence someone’s way of thinking. From an early age, I knew that my path was going to be music and activism. It’s easy in a way for me to sit here and share that because, even though sometimes the path is difficult or confusing or can be humbling, what’s important is just the clarity around that mission.
Ally Giebutowski: That’s beautiful. That’s so important. I love that you talk about having that clarity of what grounds you in your everyday life, because we’re in a world where it’s just so easy to get lost in everything that’s going on. What I want for you to do is to give Cleo and me a little bit of an elevator pitch of why your work is so important. The world is so concentrated with art, all great art, all very important, but what makes yours so special and so necessary?
Kiran Gandhi: When I think of my work and my music and the medicine that I’m creating in service, it’s joyfulness, it’s happiness, it’s spirit, it’s lightheartedness, and it’s warmheartedness. All of these very human qualities are often lost in corporate environments, in the climate activism community, and in these more serious spaces because we’re dealing with such heavy and overwhelming issues. We’re up against evil, for lack of a better word.
What I think my gift and my offering is, because I’ve benefited from this, is: How do we infuse the audience with love first and foremost? When we have love, we have energy and capacity to have empathy for others, compassion for the planet, and a desire to dream big and actually imagine the world that we wish that we lived in because we’re resourced emotionally and energetically. When people come to the show, I want them dancing, singing, happy, and lighthearted, so they go home replenished.
Cleo Carney: I love that approach so much. I’ve felt, particularly in more recent years in the climate space, that it’s become so drained. Therefore, people have often turned away from it because the work itself can be very existential and depressing. Humans aren’t going to do things that don’t bring them joy and that they don’t want to do, necessarily. I think that’s such a great approach to take because it welcomes everyone, because at the end of the day, we all want to be happy, full of energy, and loved. It’s so touching.
Kiran Gandhi: You’re also reminding me that when we return to the flow of love, we want to take care of the planet and each other. There’s a natural expansion and connection that happens. But when we feel small and under-resourced and depleted, it actually is the very feeling that then creates the exploitative behavior that is damaging the planet. When we feel low-vibrational, lacking energy and love, that’s when we want to shop on Amazon. That’s when we want to over-consume. That’s when we want to buy something to make us feel better. That’s the cycle that’s never-ending because it’s a quick dopamine effect, but then we’re back down to that feeling of depletion. We shop again and over and over again on a mass scale; we’re all depleting the planet because we’re feeding something that’s shallow. It’s actually very profound: Human emotion is driving either very positive, protective behavior or very exploitative, problematic behavior toward the planet, especially here in the United States.
Ally Giebutowski: That’s so interesting to me. You mentioned how you’ll have a bad day and you’ll wake up and listen to a song or a podcast and you feel this intrinsic motivation within you. But my question to you is: What advice would you give to someone who listens to a song or goes to a show and feels all of these emotions, but then they have this inside of them and they don't know what to do with it? They don’t know how to bring it into their life or take what they’re feeling inside and give it to others because it feels daunting to them.
Kiran Gandhi: I love this question because I have to think about it myself. We never, when none of us can ever feel like we're doing enough. And when I feel those feelings, I have to come back to like, what's the first step? What's the simplest step? What's the step when no one's looking that I'm still honouring?
And because I was born and raised in New York City, in all of these big cities, consumerism and over-consumption is part and parcel of this way of living. It's actually radical to say, I want to consume less. I don't want to take it out, I want to bring my own mug wherever I'm going. I wanna bring my own reusable water bottle. I wanna be mindful of my travel. I want to be mindful of my diet. Even living with a plant-based diet, eating gluten-free. So I'm not eating things that are sitting on the shelves for like months and months because they're so overly preserved. These are some of the behaviors that are a private shift within my own life that at least allow me to feel like I'm creating alignment.
Now, do I, like if I have shampoo in my bathroom, does it come in a plastic bottle? Yes. Like … we're always set up to fail, so you can always feel bad about it, or I'll forget, or whatever it is. When you ask me like, what, what's the immediate actionable step when someone comes home inspired?
I think it's what are the small changes you might be able to make just in your own way of living? Because if I make a small change and somebody witnesses it, they feel like it's accessible to them. Just in the same way as somebody else who was living a vegan diet. I was like, this isn't as difficult as I perceived it to be.
And five years ago, I made the shift. It's such an empowering feeling to eat plant-based. So, these are some of the simple things. I'm always on the journey, living in cities. We're always set up to fail traveling on a plane. We're set up to fail, but yeah, I'm more interested in the private actions, in addition to the community-building.
Cleo Carney: I would say my general ethos to life is happiness. Obviously, you enjoy it in the great euphoric moments, but it also comes in the small daily actions, like the joy of your morning soy milk matcha, which I know we both love.
Kiran Gandhi: You taught me about Bonsoy! My favorite source of protein as a vegan, thanks to you.
Ally Giebutowski: Ooh!
Cleo Carney: But if I take that kind of general framework of what, how I think of happiness, it's the same for these changes. Because if you live a happy life, that is such a daunting task because life is full of setting up to fail, and the climate scenario right now feels so daunting, but it's kind of what can I do to say I've done something today? It's not gonna be everything, but something is so much better than nothing.
Ally Giebutowski: Cleo and I were talking about how I'm trying to find the little parts of my life that are small, but they romanticize my life. And what I was just thinking about is oftentimes on social media, we see romanticizing our life and we connect that with consumption of goods like you were talking about.
So how do we come back to, a generalized understanding that romanticizing in your life doesn't have to come with buying a matching sweatshirt, sweatpants, and like all materialistic goods, exactly like romanticizing your life can be doing these small acts that you're talking about, bringing goodness to the lives of others, to sustainability of the planet and for future generations.
Cleo Carney: My next question is about something you mentioned to me in such a humble way, but it is less of a private action because not many people have done it. Can you tell me about your trip to Antarctica where you recorded the glaciers melting? Which sounded incredible.
Kiran Gandhi: Yes. I really appreciate this question and what I enjoy is trying to take the artistry as far as it can go and playing to my strengths as far as they can go. I've always loved technology. In undergrad, I was a math major, at Georgetown, and so I've always enjoyed the engineering side of music production. I felt a sense of gratitude to the mood, to the privacy of nature, to the healing forgiveness of nature. Like, when you spend time in nature, because everything around you just is, and it's honest, and it's tuned to the truth of itself. Whether it's a tree or a plant or a butterfly, you have no choice but to embody the same. And what I appreciate about nature so much is that it doesn't take long. If you go into a natural environment for two or three days with no phone and you really just allow yourself to be the tuning, the returning process and the authenticity, it happens quickly. And so, I share that because it was that shift in my mind that really inspired my next body of work, which was more in this ecofeminist and climate space and protecting the planet.
And I got into this program at Stanford and the first week of school, they taught us how to build underwater microphones, hydrophones that recorded whales in Monterey Bay underwater. This was like homemade in the classroom. We were just students. And so, when I got invited by a group of friends who are in tech and the climate space to go out on this epic trip to Antarctica, the March of that year, I was like, wow, I actually have an academic application to this trip.
And that was really important to me because of the trip itself. It was more just to expose you to Antarctica and to maybe to change your mind and your perception. It had a bit of a touristy element to it. So, at first I sort of rejected it because I was like, this is part of the very problem. But when I had a more sincere and deeper way to connect to the trip, that's when I said yes.
So, I appreciate you giving me space to answer the question with some background because everything we do has to be very intentional. The more intentional you are and the more correct you do things, the bigger the quality of the output. If you do things ad hoc, that's OK. Inspiration is good.
But there was a lot of depth leading up to the Antarctica trip. Even my mom coming on the trip, her helping me co-fund it because Stanford didn't have enough of a budget for me to go. There were so many magical things that fell into place when I arrived at Antarctica and they took us out.
They have a big ship, and then they take us out on these small, almost rafts, like inflatable rafts with a motor. I actually had to request that the driver of the boat turn off the motor because underwater the motor will overpower the recording. So that actually obscures the recording, and he's like, you know, we're not allowed to do that because if the boat freezes and the engine freezes, that's a dangerous situation.
I was like, listen, we have to work together. It's not gonna freeze. We'll just do it for, you know, two minutes at a time. We got this. And so, he agreed. Everybody else on the ship agreed. And so, we put the mic underwater and put the headphones on and it was like, it was this floating iceberg.
And the mic went underneath and it just sounded like crackling. It sounded like bubbles. It sounded so fresh. It was so, um, powerful and clean. The sound, because the chunks of ice are actually fresh water and the ocean is saltwater. And so, there's a chemical reaction happening as they melt. It's like air releasing underwater.
And so the sound is like deeply emotional and tragic because it's the sound of the planet melting, but it's also so beautiful because it's so clean and fresh and water and it makes you thirsty. Like you just wanna drink it. Because it's like a Disney movie, it looks Beau Pristine.
And, so that moment was very transformational for me and I was like, I have to give everything to this project. We made a million beats out of it. We put it on Splice. I actually just got off a call with Splice just now where other producers can download the sound from Antarctica. And in doing so, a portion of them buying the pack goes to Antarctic conservation, and then they also can make their nature beats.
I linked up with Brian Eno, who's a world-famous producer based in London. I was his drummer in Wembley Stadium, which was an incredible fundraiser for Palestine, and he started Earth Percent where we credit nature as an artist on Spotify.
And so again, some of the songs that I made were so brilliant. Some of the songs that I made from Antarctica now finally had a home where I felt complete that we've built the microphones from scratch, we've recorded it in nature, we've made music out of these organic sounds, and now we're putting it on Spotify cautiously knowing that at the very least we've created a hack that if anyone does listen on Spotify, we’re redirecting the streaming royalties back to nature conservation.
So, this was sort of this pinnacle, like a peak project. And then from there I've been to the Amazon, I've been to the Arctic, the North Pole, and I think those three are culminating in a project called AAA, like Arctic, Amazon, Antarctic, that I'm working on. So yeah, I appreciate the longer story, but it was a magical experience. Yeah. Thank you.
Ally Giebutowski: All of that context is needed because it's so clear that from each step of your process, everything is intentional, right? From, why you decided to go on this trip. The pros and cons of like, was it going to be correct for the journey that you wanted to be on? To bring it to Spotify.
And I guess my question next is this idea of having nature as one of the contributors on Spotify is that hopefully a goal to see other musicians do this. And is there anyone that you know of who is hoping to join you on this journey of making art with nature as a collaborator?
Kiran Gandhi: You know what's really interesting, and I'm sure Cleo is seeing this as well, is like when I go overseas. Talking about nature and climate and the planet is like constant. It's like a no-brainer. I feel when I land in America, it's like two realities. And I find myself caught up in that because when I land, I'm like, oh, Grammys outfits, meeting people, networking, Instagram.
Like, I'm immediately back into it. Oh, OK. That finished, ordered on Amazon. Oh, groceries, Instacart, it's immediate. I'm immediately in the robot way of being. And it's because it's a glossy, fun, distracting way of being, and it's easy. It's a soft life. It's sunny here in L.A. I've been at the Grammys all weekend in fantastic outfits.
I performed last night. I mean, it's endless. But when you ask me, you know, like about including other artists in this work, I'm still in this. If I'm being very vulnerable, I'm still almost shocked. Because when I come here, mentioning nature on the planet is almost like a bit funny.
And because it's, what they've done very strategically is they've created this bipartisan like approach to thinking about the planet, rather than a more sincere human-centered approach. And then also, again, people who are in the climate space from a business standpoint, it still has a bit of a body energy, which is like, oh, don't worry. Like we, we got that. We are solving the green energy problem. We have a company; it's invested multimillion dollars. Like I think that's good. And my dad teaches social impact at Harvard, so he would be the first to criticize my criticism of business solving these problems.
And I do think we, of course, need business solutions, but there's just a deeper opportunity, which is that's still motivated by money. And so, the second that that doesn't make you money, you're going to shift and go to crypto or go to whatever else is gonna make you money. Like, I'm not so convinced that sincerity is unwavering.
And so that's, you know, that's why it has to be human-centered and spiritual, in my opinion, rather than only money-driven. And then, yeah, when it comes to the artistry, we can only walk as an example, when you go to London and England, all the Europeans and artists from the global south, it's like a no brainer when they credit nature, they immediately understand the concept. When I explain it to the Americans, they love it. They get it, they're semi in, but they're not championing it at the level that the Colombians are. The folks from India, the folks from Nigeria, the folks from Europe. It's a different world.
Cleo Carney: They’re in until it’s their royalties that are going away! Which leads us to our next question. We interview such accomplished people, but life is not all accomplishments. Do you ever feel like quitting? Do you ever feel disheartened? If you do, what do you do? How do you come back to the grounding of your true purpose?
Kiran Gandhi: This is a great question. I think if you're on the right path, the path summons you. So sometimes when I'm like no one cares, this doesn't actually matter. And then I'll get a call, like our podcast today or working with Splice like I was this morning. We have a great shoot next week. They're integrating how you make beats with the Antarctica sounds.
And they want to feature it like other producers. So, there is kind of a level of consistency and discipline that I am having to learn at 37 to remind myself, don't waver from the path and get distracted and confused and don't allow your emotions and your sadness to yeah, to actually be distracting.
Like there's a level of discipline, like commitment to the path, that sometimes you can be tested because it's so easy for me to just be, like, never mind. Let's live the soft life in L.A. and just, you know, it's a soft life. Let's just like, what's the issue? You know?
Cleo Carney: It’s such a good point. Remind yourself: Action creates momentum. Don’t be demoralized by the problem; do something about it and you will feel better.
Kiran Gandhi: I do feel spiritual strength is really important — having a strong connection to “Source,” whatever that looks like for you. I really think a daily meditation practice is vital. I won’t miss a day.
Cleo Carney: Can you tell us a bit about connecting to Source and how you came upon this journey? Do you have any tips for an everyday listener who maybe is new to meditation?
Ally Giebutowski: Yeah, what’s that thing that when you’re in a meditation, what are you reminding yourself of? What are you telling yourself in your head to bring you back to that connective energy?
Kiran Gandhi: Well, what's great about meditation is like the first few minutes of it are like the monkey mind. Like, I have to do this. I have to respond to this person. I have to email this person. Like, that's monkey mind. And that's also the reason why none of us are meditating because all of us are like I don't have time to meditate. Like I gotta hit this person back. I gotta run to class. I gotta do my job right. That's why nobody's meditating, because this is the anxiety trap that they keep us in. But actually, Mahatma Gandhi would say, oh, you have twice as much to do today. Then you need to meditate for twice as long.
And it's sort of like sitting in your throne and like, you're so powerful. You're just like, yep, this is getting done. This is getting done, and you're coming from this place of I'm the driver, rather than I'm the, like, I'm on this rollercoaster that's taking off without me. So that's a big difference. I do it every day.
It's a little bit of yoga, and then it's three specific guided meditative thoughts, which are three words that I know that I am. So, it's like a moment of kindness to the self. The second is three things I'd love to do with my day today. Visualizing those things with clarity so that by the time you actually do them, it's almost like a no brainer, and that's really good. Particularly for things we might be procrastinating. If you actually sit in meditation and you're like, cool, why am I procrastinating? Oh, because it's annoying. It's difficult. OK, well, what would be the first step? OK, fine. I would do this. OK, cool. What would be the second step? And you actually realize, you deconstruct it so that it's not that difficult.
And then you actually get it done. And those are life-changing seeds. Like, if you take the things off your list that are just holding you back, this life-changing behavior. And then the third is a very beautiful one. It's loving kindness meditation, which is to visualize the most joyful, childlike laughter of any three people in your life.
And what it does is it softens you and it brings you back to your own medicine to love others. Like when we look at somebody with sweetness and with love, like you actually are bringing them back as well. They're like, why are you looking so sweetly at me? Like, you're making me feel so good. You know, it's such a kind quality.
So those, that's the meditation. And then in terms of Source, you know, have you ever heard this concept of like, meditating is listening to God, to Source, and then praying is speaking to God, to Source. It's a two-way experience. I think when I pray or when I need guidance, the way I experience it is quite immediate, where the higher self is just like, you know, this is what it is.
Like, it's usually quick because I've cultivated that, but I think it happens easier than you think. If I'm in my ego self, you're like, me, me, me, they did this, da, da, da. But if you just take a moment and you're like, God, what do you think God's like, you already know. Like, give it a moment. Or they're just it.
Don't overcomplicate it. And I think that's, you know, even listening to the Grammys everybody's thinking God, people who are doing bigger things, you have to have some kind of spiritual strength because otherwise all of this world is designed to fragment us and distract us. So, these are some of the ways that I have this spirit.
Ally Giebutowski: Wow. You know, I think so much about what you do is inspiring, but the most is that intentional living that you possess. I'm really excited for all of our listeners to hear that and to at least get a little window into your world and think to themselves, I can do that too. What do you think this time in history is asking of us? Because there's so much that needs to be happening right now and only so much that each of us can do.
Kiran Gandhi: I think we need purpose, clarity. I think when everyone's confused, like that's what I feel. Everyone's like, I feel confused and I feel discouraged. But that's by design. I think America's very good at making sure that we're fragmented and confused. I do think that, and I think the way social media is, is outrageous.
It's like a sticky goo. Like as soon as you open it, it's like, boom, we're gonna show you reels and things like that that are going to interest you. And now you're like, get me out of this. It's like a sticky goo. Quicksand it is and they're designing it that way because it's printing them ad dollars.
So the better they are at it, and it doesn't have to be that the reel is like a cat meme. It can be climate-related; it can be activist-related. It can be absolutely, like from a quality standpoint, it could be a wonderful reel, but you've now taken my attention for yourself because you don't care what I'm watching on Instagram as long as I'm watching something.
Human attention when it's cultivated is laser sharp and it's very potent, and being a human is a gift. There's a million of animals and species in the world; we got to be humans. It's such a gift. But what is happening right now is what divides us and distracts us is effective and it's potent and it's fear driven. So yeah, when you ask me what I think we need, we need a little bit of less distraction, a little bit of discipline around things like protecting our mind space, cultivating and being aware of what we're watching, what we're listening to, the food that we're eating.
We have to be bulletproof, and it's so interesting because it's actually radical. It's radical to be like, no, I don't watch that chaotic stuff on Netflix before I sleep. No, I don't watch horror movies that make me jump out of my skin. Like there's a level of cultivation. It's sort of like the way I feel about my veganism. Like right now, if I have a little bit of dairy, because I'm in India, it doesn't make me then immediately crave dairy. So, then it's safe for me to have it because it's OK. I'm not allergic to it. It's my heritage, but I'm not confused that my diet is vegan and like this is the straight and narrow.
Similarly with entertainment. OK? But if it becomes a part of your everyday routine at night, it's worth deconstructing it and checking it. It is because it affects the way we think and understand the world. So yeah, more clarity and more discipline is actually what I think.
Cleo Carney: You’ve been to the Grammys and you’re tapped into the climate scene. Where do you feel the most momentum is right now when it comes to climate action and cultural change? What are you excited about? Where are the shifts happening beneath the surface that you think will become more visible in the next few years?
Kiran Gandhi: Well, I do feel grateful to be in this Nature Music Little Squad, and it's hilarious because it's only because my partner is British and that I've been spending so much time overseas, like had I stayed in America even though I discovered this process here of recording nature sounds from a producer who mentored me, called Metropolis.
And then of course being at Stanford, there's not as much community here as I've found overseas. So that is a small, tiny niche that now is kind of like, again, it's blowing up on the internet because people who like to see that it's trendy, make reels and whatever of their, you know, nature beats.
And so again, it becomes like an ego thing all over again in this country. But I think overseas, yeah, there's a small niche of musicians who are creating with nature and who are creating, using their music in service to bring awareness to the planet. And I feel very grateful that once again, the gift of music and my path as a musician has allowed me to transform my own way of being, to be an agent for climate change and an agent for nature. So that's a small one that excites me. And then on a larger note, what I would say to anybody listening is like, if any of whatever your passion is, if it can tie back to a purpose and to a cause and to something that makes the world better, it’s always worth that path because accolades and affirmation and all of the external stuff comes and goes, but living a life of service and devotion is endless.
It's spiritual abundance, so it's always worth walking that path because you're guided by something much higher.
Cleo Carney: Yeah, remembering there's so much abundance in life rather than operating from a scarcity mindset.
Ally Giebutowski: Completely. Now the last question, as we wrap up today, we always like to ask the question that kind of ties back to the name of our podcast. Which is, we invite you to bring us a vision of what you imagine your world to be, with your values driven by your care for the world, care for other people's passions, and putting love at that forefront. But I want you to fill in the blank. We are going to ask you to imagine if…
Kiran Gandhi: Imagine if we were one with nature. Imagine if we were able to retort back to our reverence and protection of nature, our gratitude for nature. Imagine if we were building businesses that put sustainability at the center of their work, which then actually forged and created more innovation and more respect for the planet. Imagine if we were whole, healed, and happy, and so we didn't actually need to exploit or take from each other or the planet. Imagine if we had more unity.
Ally Giebutowski: Hmm. I think that’s going to become my new daily affirmation.
Cleo Carney: I’m going to play this recording every morning.
Ally Giebutowski: Thank you so much.
Cleo Carney: This was just an incredible conversation. I know your energy in person is wonderful. I didn't know if it could transmit it through Zoom. I shouldn't have questioned it.
Victoria Riskin: Thank you for joining us on Imagine If from Bluedot Living. If you want to explore our recipes, products for your home and lifestyle, and read interesting stories, you can find us at bluedotliving.com. And for daily inspiration, you can follow us at Bluedot Living on Instagram.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it and please add your thoughts in the comments on YouTube. I'm Victoria Riskin and we'll be back next week with more stories from great people doing amazing things in their little corner of the planet.
