Ep. 19 | Transformation Through Travel with Nishant Badami
Release Date: 06/29/2025
Bridging the Gap Between Your Inner and Your Outer World
Ace of Pentacles
A little reintroduction going into 2026! Here’s who I am and what I do - through my coaching, consulting, writing, speaking, and teaching. If you’d like to meet: If you’d like to stay connected: saramirza.com
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The Back Seat
Ace of Pentacles
In this episode, I share a reflection on my year, and some important questions for you to consider as you roll into 2026. The cover photo is from a time in my life when I finally got into the driver’s seat of my own car.
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The Psychology of Employee Engagement & Motivation
Ace of Pentacles
Traditional employee engagement surveys don't work, but there's another way for us to think about employee engagement -- through the lens of motivation. This episode is for leaders, HR, workplace experience designers, AND individuals who might be considering a career change! 🗓️ Need support designing an employee engagement strategy that's rooted in the science of human behavior? Book a Workplace Consult:
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Designing Your Next Chapter
Ace of Pentacles
Great product design starts with deeply understanding the user and building for their experience. Ultimately, the products people keep coming back to are the ones that consistently exceed expectations. And isn’t that exactly what we’re doing when we design a life we’re genuinely excited to live? In this episode, I talk about a specific tool that can help you design your life and work experience more intentionally. For more help with designing your life / career or workplace experience, visit: ; set up a meet & greet and we can design a coaching package that...
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Activating Self-Schemas
Ace of Pentacles
Our environments are constantly activating our self-schemas. In this very short bonus episode, I talk about what that means, how I’ve used this psychological concept intentionally, and how you can use it too, especially as the holidays approach. Need research-backed strategies and support to step into the next version of you? Let's chat: avra.as.me
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The Middle Passage: A Threshold to Second Adulthood
Ace of Pentacles
Midlife is when many people have a profound psychological awakening that James Hollis calls the Middle Passage. Around age 40- 50, we move from first adulthood, defined by external roles, achievements, and societal templates into second adulthood, where the soul demands authentic self-expression. I think that because we don’t have rituals or support for this transition, it often shows up as restlessness. In this episode I look at the middle passage through the lens of the stages of grief, reframing midlife struggles as a necessary grieving process and an invitation to shed false...
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The Desk with the Best View: A Story about Power, Privilege, and Perspective
Ace of Pentacles
If your life feels like it’s in a strange moment, maybe even an absurd one, take a listen to this episode. And if you need some help figuring out how to work with that moment — reach out. Because that’s what I do. I help people turn moments just like these into keys that unlock another chapter of their lives and other version of themselves.
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McMuffins, Muslims, and Finding Meaning in the Madness
Ace of Pentacles
In this episode I share a little bit of my journey of self-discovery and the importance of finding meaning in life's experiences. Through personal anecdotes, a story of my time at Tesla and a pivotal encounter with a colleague, I explore themes of confronting hatred and expression of feelings we are channeling - that don't originate from our own lived experiences, but from the experiences of a collective. Every experience prepares us for our purpose. But that becomes hard to see if we can't approach our past with a sense of wonder and curiosity rather than judgement and anger.
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Ep. 26 | Clifton Strengths and Career Wellbeing with Dr. Leighann Rechtin
Ace of Pentacles
In this episode, we meet Dr. Leighann Rechtin, a coach and expert on CliftonStrengths. CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) is an assessment developed by Don Clifton that helps people identify their natural patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving — called “talents.” The tool categorizes these talents into 34 themes that all roll up to four domains: Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking, Executing, and Influencing. Leighann and Sara were in the same coaching certification cohort and are both certified strengths coaches through Gallup. In this episode, they discuss the value...
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Ep. 25 | Overcoming Self-sabotage & Imposter Syndrome with Dr. Albert Bramante
Ace of Pentacles
With over 20 years of experience at the intersection of entertainment and education, Dr. Bramante helps performers, educators, and creatives unlock their potential by combining psychology, performance strategy, and AI. He guides actors beyond just booking roles— to building sustainable, purpose-driven careers across Broadway, film, and TV. A seasoned college professor, Dr. Bramante has taught psychology courses at Union County College and BMCC (CUNY), creating impactful, real-world learning experiences. As a certified hypnosis and NLP practitioner, he helps clients overcome internal...
info_outlineIn this episode, Nishant Badami, founder of Ubuntu, shares her journey and the philosophy behind creating soulful, transformative travel experiences. She explains that transformation isn’t about changing who you are, but how you see yourself - a distinction shaped by her own evolution through travel.
Nishant debunks common myths about personal growth and emphasizes subtle inner shifts over dramatic reinventions. Ubuntu treats each journey as a living, evolving experience.
Nishant designs these trips to create space for reflection, connection, and vulnerability, encouraging travelers to engage deeply with themselves and others.
Travel, she says, is a unique catalyst for mindset change - it breaks routines, challenges beliefs, and opens people to new perspectives. Community and honest connection play a central role, as does ensuring cultural immersion is respectful and reciprocal.
About Nishant:
Nishant Badami is a creator, communicator, and connector. As the founder of Ubuntu, she creates meaningful experiences that help bridge cultural gaps and connect people with the world as well as themselves.
Nishant studied history and then went on to become a copywriter, working in the world of print advertising and later writing for television programming. Travel started as a deeply personal passion for Nishant - something she designed with love and intention for her family and herself.
In time, this passion was recognized and transformed into a profession, an opportunity she remains profoundly grateful for. As her journey progressed, Nishant came to a realization: lasting change requires a shift in how we perceive the world and each other. Her involvement with the Transformational Travel Council gave voice to this belief and reinforced her conviction that travel can be a powerful tool for transformation and connection.
Today, Nishant designs conscious travel experiences rooted in the principles of transformational travel. She is also a painter – what began as a passion has evolved into a professional pursuit, with her artworks being sold and commissioned.
Is she someone different outside her professional life? Not at all. As a mother, daughter, wife, friend, and sister, travel and art are interwoven into every version of who Nishant is.
Set up your next travel journey with Nish at: https://theubuntu.life/