Michael speaks with Rakshit Kharbanda about creating a non-linear life and career through repeated international moves and calculated risk-taking. Rakshit shares his background from New Delhi, completing a bachelor’s in technology (through 2022) and moving to Paris for a master’s in management at ESSEC Business School, then living across four countries (India, France, Germany, and Canada) for internships, exchanges, and apprenticeships before relocating to Munich about six to seven months ago to work at Throne as a Risk and Analytics Manager. He describes the emotional realities of moving abroad on a one-way ticket—initial excitement giving way to responsibility, uncertainty, and the need to build a career—and explains why he shares both setbacks and successes on platforms like LinkedIn: to counter the highlight-reel effect and create relatable conversations. Rakshit discusses learning that posting publicly can create unexpected professional connections, and he characterizes his engaged audience as people who take action rather than feeling life is out of their control. He outlines guiding principles for his path: doing what others don’t to get different results, taking risks to avoid future regret, focusing on the next step instead of overwhelming long-term plans, and using tools like ChatGPT to solve practical problems (such as visa processes). He also shares a hiking story from Italy to illustrate breaking big goals into manageable milestones. Professionally, Rakshit emphasizes maintaining childlike curiosity, acting with high agency—especially in an AI-enabled world—and not forcing success into someone else’s mold. In the closing tradition, he answers what he would rebuild first if he lost everything: relationships, because people remember how you make them feel. He shares where to find him—LinkedIn, his podcast “Maven Talks” (about 25 episodes), email, and his website—and Michael closes by encouraging listeners to act on the urge to explore and change now.

Timestamps:
00:24 Welcome and Setup
01:35 Meet Rakshit and His Background
03:04 Why He Chose a Global Path
04:41 The Emotional Reality of Moving
06:37 Sharing the Real Journey Online
08:31 Writing as a Personal Diary
11:53 Audience and High Agency Mindset
14:10 Taking Risks That Pay Off
19:24 Handling Hard Moments Step by Step
24:37 Motivation Science and the Hike Story
26:47 Career Philosophy Curiosity and Agency
31:34 Closing Question and Where to Follow
34:42 Final Thanks and Call to Action

Connect with Rakshit:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rakshitkharbanda/
https://www.instagram.com/rakshitkharbanda/
https://www.youtube.com/maventalks
https://www.rakshitkharbanda.com