Ep 72 | Hitha Palepu

Written By Yasmin Nouri
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How to Switch Careers and Build Your Dream Business & Life

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Hitha Palepu is a serial entrepreneur, investor, activist, and author. 

Currently, Hitha is the CEO of Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals and author of her latest book, We're Speaking: The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris: How to Use Your Voice, Be Assertive, and Own Your Story. She also runs #5SmartReads, a social series that compiles five must-read articles every day to keep her community informed. 

As a multi-hyphenate, Hitha is used to things not working out, but this has never stopped her from trying. She has always been able to see the lesson where most others have not, and this trait has helped her succeed. 

In this wide-ranging conversation, we hear about Hitha’s incredibly inspiring family, the impact they had on her, and some of the values that were instilled in her early on. We talk to Hitha about her time in the corporate world, why she ultimately decided to go out on her own, and the many lessons she learned from her first “failure” in the start-up world. 

Hitha also shares how she became an angel investor focused on women-founded businesses, the inspiration around her latest book, why we should all “eat no for breakfast” and so much more.

Show Notes:

  • What holds most people back from getting started on something. [2:54]

  • The impact that Hitha’s immigrant parents had on her. [4:29]

  • How being treated like an adult at a young age influenced Hitha. [8:12]

  • The path Hitha thought she would go on when she went to college and where she needed up. [10:42]

  • Hitha’s time in the corporate world and what this taught her. [14:00]

  • What led Hitha to start her blog, which has morphed into other things and the value of having a side project. [16:28]

  • All of the lessons that Hitha learned from running her blog. [17:18]

  • You should do things that make you light up, even if you don’t have an end game in mind. [18:20]

  • The reflective period and subsequent pivot that happened when Hitha was pregnant. [22:50]

  • How Hitha came to be a serious investor. [26:32]

  • What Hitha typically looks for in companies she invests in. [29:55]

  • Why women founders and CEOs aren't allowed to "fail" in the media. [31:58]

  • There is so little room for women to fail and make a comeback. [34:00]

  • The need to have a flexible culture for parents. [35:45]

  • How Hitha divides her time and where her priorities lie. [37:42]

  • Insights into Hitha’s upcoming book. [42:34]

  • The influence that Kamala Harris had on Hitha. [44:04]

  • What surprised Hitha the most when she was writing the book. [46:30]

  • How motherhood has changed Hitha’s life. [49:35]

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Yasmin Nouri
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