How to Stay Strong When Life Breaks You (with Sanjiv Patel) episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 18, 2026 · 53 MIN

How to Stay Strong When Life Breaks You (with Sanjiv Patel)

from Mirror Talk: Soulful Conversations · host Tobi Ojekunle

What happens when the life you built suddenly changes in ways you never expected?In this deeply reflective episode of Mirror Talk: Soulful Conversations, Tobi sits down with transformational leadership strategist and resilience mentor Sanjiv Patel to explore how grief, loss, and personal crisis can reshape the way we lead, live, and understand ourselves.Sanjiv has spent more than three decades working with global organisations, including Microsoft, Citi, the NHS, and Warwick Business School. Yet the most powerful lessons in his life did not come from boardrooms or leadership frameworks. They came from moments of personal loss that forced him to confront pain, vulnerability, and the deeper meaning of resilience.In this conversation, Sanjiv shares how grief transformed his understanding of leadership and emotional intelligence. He explains why authentic leadership begins with inner healing and why resilience is not about pretending to be strong but about learning to stay present with the full range of human experience.This episode is a powerful reflection for anyone navigating grief, uncertainty, or a season of big personal change.What You Will Learn in This Episode• Why resilience begins with self-awareness• How grief reshapes identity, purpose, and leadership• The difference between emotional survival and emotional strength• Why leaders must face their inner wounds to lead authentically• How emotional intelligence strengthens leadership and relationships• Why asking for help is an important part of healingSound Bites from This Episode"Resilience begins within.""It is okay to feel the pain.""It is okay to ask for help."About Sanjiv PatelSanjiv Patel is a transformational leadership strategist, life coach, and resilience mentor who helps leaders navigate uncertainty with clarity, empathy, and purpose.Drawing on more than three decades of experience across boardrooms, organisational crises, and personal loss, he developed frameworks such as the H.E.A.L.S. model and the 3Rs of resilience to help leaders build emotional strength and lead with authenticity.His work has supported organisations including Microsoft, Citi, the NHS, and Warwick Business School. He regularly shares his insights on leadership, resilience, and emotional intelligence on global stages, including TEDx and leadership platforms around the world.Connect With Sanjiv PatelWebsiteSanjiv Speaks Official WebsiteEpisode Chapters00:00 Introduction to Transformational Leadership02:46 Personal Insecurities and Authentic Leadership05:12 The Journey of Resilience10:06 Navigating the COVID Crisis17:55 Grief, Loss, and Emotional Healing28:47 Understanding True Resilience33:51 Lessons for Younger Generations44:06 Leadership Through Adversity52:55 Advice for Those Experiencing GriefAsk what is on your heart. Mirror Talk will reflect back what may help you see more clearly. Try it here: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/ask-mirror-talk/Thank you for joining me on this MIRROR TALK podcast journey. Please subscribe to any platform and remember to leave a review and rating.Stay connected: https://linktr.ee/mirrortalkpodcast More inspiring episodes and show notes are here: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/podcast-episodes/ Your opinions, thoughts, suggestions, and comments are important to us. Please share them here: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/your-opinion-matters/ Could you support us by becoming a Patreon? Please consider subscribing to one or more of our offerings at http://patreon.com/MirrorTalk All proceeds will help enhance the quality of our work and outreach, enabling us to serve you better.We use and trust these podcasting tools, software, and gear. We’ve partnered with amazing platforms to give our Mirror Talk community exclusive deals and discounts: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/best-podcasting-tools/Just like with Podcasthon, resilience is a lifelong journey.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 18, 2026

What happens when the life you built suddenly changes in ways you never expected?In this deeply reflective episode of Mirror Talk: Soulful Conversations, Tobi sits down with transformational leadership strategist and resilience mentor Sanjiv Patel to explore how grief, loss, and personal crisis can reshape the way we lead, live, and understand ourselves.Sanjiv has spent more than three decades working with global organisations, including Microsoft, Citi, the NHS, and Warwick Business School. Yet the most powerful lessons in his life did not come from boardrooms or leadership frameworks. They came from moments of personal loss that forced him to confront pain, vulnerability, and the deeper meaning of resilience.In this conversation, Sanjiv shares how grief transformed his understanding of leadership and emotional intelligence. He explains why authentic leadership begins with inner healing and why resilience is not about pretending to be strong but about learning to stay present with the full range of human experience.This episode is a powerful reflection for anyone navigating grief, uncertainty, or a season of big personal change.What You Will Learn in This Episode• Why resilience begins with self-awareness• How grief reshapes identity, purpose, and leadership• The difference between emotional survival and emotional strength• Why leaders must face their inner wounds to lead authentically• How emotional intelligence strengthens leadership and relationships• Why asking for help is an important part of healingSound Bites from This Episode"Resilience begins within.""It is okay to feel the pain.""It is okay to ask for help."About Sanjiv PatelSanjiv Patel is a transformational leadership strategist, life coach, and resilience mentor who helps leaders navigate uncertainty with clarity, empathy, and purpose.Drawing on more than three decades of experience across boardrooms, organisational crises, and personal loss, he developed frameworks such as the H.E.A.L.S. model and the 3Rs of resilience to help leaders build emotional strength and lead with authenticity.His work has supported organisations including Microsoft, Citi, the NHS, and Warwick Business School. He regularly shares his insights on leadership, resilience, and emotional intelligence on global stages, including TEDx and leadership platforms around the world.Connect With Sanjiv PatelWebsiteSanjiv Speaks Official WebsiteEpisode Chapters00:00 Introduction to Transformational Leadership02:46 Personal Insecurities and Authentic Leadership05:12 The Journey of Resilience10:06 Navigating the COVID Crisis17:55 Grief, Loss, and Emotional Healing28:47 Understanding True Resilience33:51 Lessons for Younger Generations44:06 Leadership Through Adversity52:55 Advice for Those Experiencing GriefAsk what is on your heart. Mirror Talk will reflect back what may help you see more clearly. Try it here: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/ask-mirror-talk/Thank you for joining me on this MIRROR TALK podcast journey. Please subscribe to any platform and remember to leave a review and rating.Stay connected: https://linktr.ee/mirrortalkpodcast More inspiring episodes and show notes are here: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/podcast-episodes/ Your opinions, thoughts, suggestions, and comments are important to us. Please share them here: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/your-opinion-matters/ Could you support us by becoming a Patreon? Please consider subscribing to one or more of our offerings at http://patreon.com/MirrorTalk All proceeds will help enhance the quality of our work and outreach, enabling us to serve you better.We use and trust these podcasting tools, software, and gear. We’ve partnered with amazing platforms to give our Mirror Talk community exclusive deals and discounts: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/best-podcasting-tools/Just like with Podcasthon, resilience is a lifelong journey.

PodParley-generated summary based on available episode metadata and transcript content.

NOW PLAYING

How to Stay Strong When Life Breaks You (with Sanjiv Patel)

0:00 53:14

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Chewing the Fat with WorkForge WorkForge Bite-Sized Conversations for Building a Stronger Workforce Welcome to Chewing the Fat, a podcast delving deep into the world of food manufacturing. Dive into real conversations around critical topics like staffing, retention, onboarding, and career development in this essential industry. Subscribe now to gain insights from your peers, subject matter experts and more on the biggest issues facing food manufacturers today: -Hiring and retaining employees -Addressing the challenges of the Silver Tsunami -Improving time to productivity of new employees -Engaging employees from hire to retire And more... Tune in to Chewing the Fat, a WorkForge podcast, and join the conversation on how to build and sustain a resilient, high-performing workforce in food manufacturing. Solving for Change MOBIA Technology Innovations Solving for Change welcomes business and technology leaders to share stories of bold business transformation within complex organizations. In an era when technology and markets are changing around businesses, the key to staying competitive is to evolve in response to those changes.  MOBIA’s Mike Reeves and Marc LeBlanc investigate business transformation, deconstructing the challenges, ambitions, and market disruptions that drive companies to embark on transformation journeys, and exploring their unique approaches to achieving meaningful outcomes.  What sparks leaders to pursue business transformation? How do they overcome the challenges along the way? What are the keys to creating enduring change?  Through in-depth conversations with business and technology leaders, Mike and Marc answer these questions and explore how businesses evolve by pulling four key transformation levers: people, process, technology, and culture. Humanizing Change Tremendousness Join us each episode as we talk with innovators in their respective fields about their unique journeys and how they humanize change in their own work, right here, on Humanizing Change. AI Erik's Podcast Audio Erik Conn The AI News Podcast where we talk AI.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Mirror Talk: Soulful Conversations?

This episode is 53 minutes long.

When was this Mirror Talk: Soulful Conversations episode published?

This episode was published on March 18, 2026.

What is this episode about?

What happens when the life you built suddenly changes in ways you never expected?In this deeply reflective episode of Mirror Talk: Soulful Conversations, Tobi sits down with transformational leadership strategist and resilience mentor Sanjiv Patel...

Can I download this Mirror Talk: Soulful Conversations episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!