Gurasis: 0:01

before we get into the final segment of the podcast, I've introduced this new segment in this season and I call it know your host, where I give my guests an opportunity to ask me any question that you would like to ask awesome, I was waiting for that.

Yauhan: 0:16

Okay, tell me, Gurasis. So in your time living in canada, uh, what are the top three lessons that you've learned that have really helped you? You know, grow as a person, grow as a professional. What were those top three lessons?

Gurasis: 0:35

sure I'll talk about like growing as a person.

Gurasis: 0:37

First, definitely I think I have mentioned it so many in the podcast as well I grew up in like a very patriarchal household and I had like a certain way of seeing things and, after coming here, just interacting with people and getting exposed to so many cultures and, uh, you know languages as well and and just interacting with these people, I think I've understood it's important to shed few things which are not serving you anymore, and it's okay to unlearn and relearn some new things.

Gurasis: 1:01

That's something I think I have learned. Uh, personally, for sure, and for professionally, something I have learned is that which also you also talk a lot about, that which is, you know, hard skills definitely get you a job, but soft skills are something which retain you at the job, and I think I have witnessed some examples where they are people who are like professionals in their career amazing decades of experience but they were let go just because they were not basically like a team player, and now I have seen that that people will let go in that sense. So, yeah, these are the two things I would say I've definitely learned throughout my journey. I love that.

Yauhan: 1:39

I love that. That's. That's lots of good insights and, you know, in those couple of tidbits over there, thank you for sharing. Um, I know you asked me this question so I'm going to put it back to you. What is? You know a movie or um, you know documentary that left an impact in your life? Sure, and? And can you, can you recall, can you recall a dialogue from that that really stood out to you? It could be serious, it could be comical as well.

Gurasis: 2:08

No, definitely I have an answer to that. You know, I always do my research before I ask other guests. You should know the answer to the questions you ask other people, absolutely.

Yauhan: 2:18

I always know that.

Gurasis: 2:19

So I think I'll go back to my time in 2021 when I I was like really going through a really hard phase from like my initial four months. I think I don't even remember those four months anymore because there was so much happening and because my work permit was expiring I was left with like three months. I wasn't getting any job. I was let go of my the job I was doing already I was. I was asked to leave the house as well. I had no house.

Gurasis: 2:50

There's so many things just going on in my mind at that time, tons of things, you know, and I think at that time I just. It was an old movie, it's like a 90s or early 2000s, I believe. It's a Will Smith movie that features Will Smith called the Pursuit of Happiness, you know, or maybe happiness, you know how they call it. I think that movie in general really left an impact on me that all that comes your is is part of your bigger, bigger journey. It's part of your journey and if you just get bogged down by all these huddles, pull yourself up and just continue moving, continue putting your effort and continue doing the best you can in that particular situation.

Gurasis: 3:24

Focus on the things that you can control. You can't control what is not in your control. I think I give the example earlier also in terms of international student journey. The things which is in your control is to go ahead and apply to a certain work permit or a job or anything as per the requirements. That's in your control. Whether the immigration office will reply back to you or not, you don't know that. When they're going to reply you back, you don't know that. When is the recruiter going to respond you back or no, you don't know that. So, doing the best that you can and continue doing your thing and just uh, I think that will let you to pursue your happiness. I would say that, yeah, so that movie is definitely uh, left an impact on me.

Yauhan: 4:03

Yeah, that's how I'll answer that. Yeah, no, that's a. That's a great movie. Uh, I love watching that movie as well. There were so many lessons, absolutely, um, on happiness, on life in general, that that movie teaches you. Yeah, love it love it. I'll ask you one more question do you cook and um, what is your favorite food to eat?

Gurasis: 4:21

you could eat that any day, all day, okay great question is and yes, I do cook, I love cooking. I was mentioning it. Oh, you do. I actually obviously, like back in india, I've hardly cooked, and the funny thing is my last guest actually asked me this question regarding cooking, so, like what's something you discovered? And I told them I think I discovered a cook within me when I came to canada I didn't know I could go back and only maggie or maybe like boil some eggs or labos case scenario. Uh, but here, yes, I cook, I cook a lot.

Gurasis: 4:50

I think I obviously I cook ind, indian. I've also tried. I actually I cook a lot of like Chinese, very similar to Indian as well, like Indo-Chinese I cook. I cook a lot of like Mexican as well. I cook some Thai food as well, and so I think I've cooked Mediterranean, obviously very similar spices and everything. But I do cook that and something which I think my staple food is it's very boring answer, but that is dal chawal, or how we call it lentils and rice. I think I can have that anytime every day lentil soup, how people call it. I think that's the, that's the therapy for me. I love just having a simple, plain yellow dal, so to say we call it. So yeah, I think uh this is something I would say that so when?

Yauhan: 5:31

when are you inviting me over for dinner?

Gurasis: 5:32

whenever you say, whenever you are available I'm sure you have a busy schedule, but whenever I'm in toronto next or whenever you are in montreal next we have to connect, for sure.

Yauhan: 5:42

Yeah, yes, no, I have a busy schedule. Yes, but you know, after all of those dishes you mentioned you know indian, indo-chinese and mediterranean and mexican I was like, no, this. I think you know what you're doing, so I should probably make a trip to Montreal soon to try that 100%, 100%.

Gurasis: 6:01

I'm not sure you'll love it or not.

Yauhan: 6:03

My friends say they love it, they enjoy it, so I'm sure you'll love it as well, I don't have very high standards when it comes to food, so anything that you serve me would be good, so thank you, you, thank you for sharing that would was lovely to know that there's a cook hidden inside grasses as well, and you've discovered that talent for yourself so now you're on, I would like to get the final segment of the podcast.

Gurasis: 6:28

I call it beneath the accent. I'm going to ask a couple of questions. You can answer them in one word or a sentence or howsoever. You feel like the idea is just to know a little bit more about johan. So ready, absolutely, let's go for it. Tell me an advice you would like to give to your younger self, and at what age.

Yauhan: 6:45

So definitely at my teenage years, when I was a little bit off track. Advice I would like to give myself was you know, always remember the consequences of your actions, because every action you take, whether or not you take no action, no action is an action as well. So always remember, you know, before you do something or take or take a step, remember what consequences it could have for yourself, for people in the community. That's one lesson that I have learned. Sometimes you know the hard way growing up.

Gurasis: 7:18

Okay, is there any worst advice someone ever gave you?

Yauhan: 7:21

Yeah, when I was, you know, job searching myself, um, I used to receive advice that you know it's all about blasting thousands of applications and hopefully one of them will, uh, will, help you land a job. So I remember that distinctly uh, I won't mention names, but I remember that distinctly, coming from a couple of sources, and we know now that that is absolutely the worst way of landing a job.

Gurasis: 7:46

Of course, Okay, is there any one dish from your home country that always brings you comfort and nostalgia?

Yauhan: 7:52

So when I was growing up in Pune, I used to eat a lot of biryani, and biryani since then has, you know, stayed with me and I love it. So you know, similar to how you eat dal and rice, for me I can eat biryani anytime, any day breakfast, lunch, dinner, okay so you said you moved here, obviously like by the age of 15.

Gurasis: 8:14

Do you remember your first friend that you made in Canada and are you still in touch?

Yauhan: 8:19

um, yes, actually I made a few friends. So I was way, I was not very shy, I was quite outgoing. I did make a few different friends in high school and, believe it or not, two of my friends that I made are still my best friends today, even after 23 years. We message almost on a weekly basis and it's amazing to see people who you went to high school with now growing up with you. You know, university years, adult, uh, you know getting married around the same time kids and my best friend actually just his wife delivered twin babies two days ago. Oh wow. So that was very exciting to see and you, you know, very happy for him.

Gurasis: 9:05

Okay, so what's that one tradition that you have adopted wholeheartedly and what's one from your home country that you have introduced to your Canadian friends, if you have?

Yauhan: 9:14

So I don't have too many Canadian friends. I mean a lot of my friends. I mean when I say Canadian, I mean like born and raised over here. Most of my friends are immigrants, just like myself. Actually, a lot of my friends are friends from high school, uh, for many, many years, and then we've made some friends recently as well.

Yauhan: 9:32

So no tradition. I mean they know all of the indian traditions that I know, so I haven't made them adopt any traditions, uh, but some traditions that I didn't use to celebrate back then. Uh, that we celebrate over here is thanksgiving, okay, right, so the festival of Thanksgiving, we get together as a family. We don't do like turkey or anything like that, it's just getting together having a meal. My wife is of Chinese descent, so we also celebrate now Chinese New Year. Okay, so that's a big you know big tradition for us to do every single year. And for the kids it's halloween, right, so there was no halloween concept back in india or dubai and halloween just passed, so my house is filled with candy, okay, so if, if, you cook food for me, I will give you one full box of chocolates, so you?

Gurasis: 10:21

said your, your wife is from chinese descent, so how many languages are spoken in your house now?

Yauhan: 10:27

So she is. She's of Chinese descent, but she's born and raised in Mumbai, so she has the Chinese. You know ancestry and the looks, but you know she speaks. She speaks, you know fluent Hindi because born and raised in Mumbai. So it's just, it's just Hindi and English.

Gurasis: 10:52

Okay, and do you make that conscious effort to instill, like for example, Hindi in your children?

Yauhan: 10:59

I wish I did. Unfortunately, you know, ever since my wife and I have been together, we spoke to each other in English, okay, even though both of us can speak in Hindi. For some reason we always communicated with each other in English, and so it became a little bit odd for us to talk to the children in a different language. So something I regret is not talking in either Hindi or Gujarati or a little bit of Chinese that she knows with them.

Gurasis: 11:29

So yeah, lessons you learn as as you go and is there something you recently bought and you now regret?

Yauhan: 11:36

I'm very careful with whatever I buy. I do a lot of research and analysis, so I don't I can't think of anything recent that I bought that was not good value or that I wanted to return okay so what's next on your bucket list?

Yauhan: 11:49

So we just had a baby who is now five months old. So the next on my bucket list is to give him, you know, the best possible experience growing up, just like how I've done for my daughter so far, and prioritizing that, because family is top priority for me. Um, in terms of work, it would be, you know, continuing to do a little bit of my coaching, you know also continuing to work for Deloitte, uh, while maintaining the work-life harmony, um, and we have a trip coming up in December, so next month we are taking the kids to Disney, so so, looking forward to that, okay.

Gurasis: 12:26

So you have to create this one law that everybody has to follow. What?

Yauhan: 12:30

would it be? I think, coming back again to my value of kindness and empathy, one law that I would create is just being kind to people, irrespective of you know what they do, what they say, how they treat you. So the law of kindness by Johann Einstein.

Yauhan: 12:48

Finally describe Canada in one word or a sentence finally describe canada in one word or a sentence opportunity. I think you know canada brings thousands and millions of people and and that's one word I would use to describe it it's a land of opportunities for a reason, and if you admire and appreciate, you know what it can offer you.

Gurasis: 13:08

I think there's so much and and lastly, if you could leave me with one piece of advice, what would it be? Keep doing?

Yauhan: 13:14

what you're doing, Keep cooking what you're cooking and just keep making such a big difference in people's lives through you know sharing people's stories, teaching people different lessons. So I love what you do and kudos to you for spending so much energy, time and effort behind this, and you really are inspiring so many people all across Canada and, you know, in the world as well.

Gurasis: 13:42

So thank you. Thank you, rohan, for being on the podcast. Thank you for your kind words and adding value to my listeners. Thank you, thanks a lot.

Yauhan: 13:48

Thank you so much, gurases, for having me. It's an absolute honor and I really enjoyed our fun conversation together, wishing you all the very best.