A Lifetime Of Lessons In Resilience with Tech Executive Turned Non-Profit Leader Himani Naresh
From a $1.25 subway arrest in New York City to graduating from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, Himani Naresh’s story is a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and navigating life across cultures.
Himani Naresh: Tech & Nonprofit Executive | M&A | Strategy
Born in India, raised in the UK and New Jersey, and now rooted in Seattle, Himani brings humor, vulnerability, and hard‑earned wisdom to this conversation. She shares what it was like being the only woman on her engineering team, how she pivoted from developer to PM to finance to M&A, and why resilience is built through the left‑and‑right turns of life—not straight lines.
Along the way, she tells unforgettable stories: getting handcuffed by the NYPD at 17, being shaken down for bribes in Italy and Mumbai, and nearly getting kicked off a train in Prague. Through it all, she never stops moving forward.
If you love personal growth, women‑in‑tech stories, global travel mishaps, or honest conversations about confidence and identity, this episode is for you
Chapters:
01:28 – Himani’s Father’s Remarkable Journey
02:20 – Life in New Jersey
03:10 – Discovering New York City
03:43 – The $1.25 Arrest Story
05:14 – Calling Home From the Precinct
06:48 – Lessons From a Teenage Mistake
08:25 – Travel Mishaps Around the World
11:41 – Choosing Adventure Anyway
12:41 – Planning vs. Winging It
14:26 – Studying Computer Science at Columbia
15:25 – Building SharePoint v1
16:41 – Switching to Program Management
19:40 – Reinvention Across Careers
21:12 – Being the Only Woman in the Room
23:00 – How Resilience Is Built
24:47 – Priorities in Your 20s vs. 30s
25:30 – Life Isn’t a Straight Line: Why careers are made of strategic left and right turns.
If you listen to any of the following shows, we're sure you'll love this episode: The Diary of a CEO (Steven Bartlett), Freakonomics, How I Built This with Guy Raz, The Mel Robbins Podcast,The Tim Ferriss Show,The Lex Fridman Podcast, Modern Wisdom
Tags: women in tech, tech careers, immigrant stories, resilience, career reinvention, Microsoft stories, SharePoint, software engineering, women in engineering, leadership journey, personal growth podcast, identity and culture, global travel stories, NYC stories, subway arrest story, funny travel mishaps, confidence at work, early career challenges, navigating male dominated industries, career pivots, Columbia University, Indian American stories, multicultural identity, East Coast attitude West Coast values, Seattle tech, New Jersey stories, tech leadership, career development, overcoming self doubt, mentorship, women in leadership, STEM stories, tech podcast, life lessons, personal storytelling, inspiring interviews, professional resilience, career confidence, global upbringing, immigrant family stories, childhood stories, travel bribes, train travel mishaps, young adulthood stories, Microsoft career path, program management, software developer stories, M&A career path, business school journey, finding your priorities, building confidence, overcoming fear, navigating career transitions, personal narrative podcast, human experience podcast, storytelling podcast, authenticity in leadership, women in business, tech industry insights, career advice, life reinvention, growth mindset, overcoming obstacles, inspiring women, empowering stories, podcast interview, real life stories, vulnerability in leadership
