Hi [FORMATTED_SUBSCRIBER_NAME GOES HERE],

Soundarya here, aka thecuriousmaverick :)

Last week, I shared a habit tracker template, but I heard from many of you that the link wasn’t accessible. My apologies for the inconvenience! Here’s the correct link:

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🎁 Every edition will have a surprise gift hidden in the newsletter. For this week, it's hidden inside a word. Whoever clicks the link first will claim it. Scroll to the end to see who won last week!

With that, let's go.

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This week's maverick: Deepak Ramola

TL;DR: Watch the story of a maverick who started a non-profit when he was 17 years old to spread wisdom. Yes, really. So far, he’s impacted 400,000 people directly with his work and currently teaches “Meaning of Life” at MIT.​
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Imagine being told that your voice isn’t good enough.

It’s thin, too petite, not what anyone expects from a young boy. Every school day feels like a battlefield, where the harshest bullies don’t just steal your lunch but chip away at your confidence.

For Deepak Ramola, this was his reality growing up.

He was bullied so severely for his voice that he didn’t want to go to school. The taunts were relentless, leaving him questioning his worth. But one conversation with a teacher changed everything.

At first, Deepak wasn’t sure. But then, when he imagined a life without it—a life where he could no longer speak his thoughts or share his stories—he realized something: he did like his voice. He just needed to own it.

Today, Deepak Ramola is a wisdom historian, visiting lecturer at MIT, and founder of Project FUEL.

His life’s mission? To collect life lessons from around the world and help people fall in love with themselves—imperfections and all.

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​Lesson 1: Own your story

Deepak’s teacher didn’t just help him accept his voice; she taught him to reclaim it. After that conversation, he decided that no bully could use his voice against him because he had already embraced it.

(This story reminded me of someone who made fun of my voice when I was in high school, calling it very “masculine.” Unlike Deepak, it took a decade before I came to love my voice the way it is 😅 But, better late than never I guess.)

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Lesson 2: Ask, ‘What do I no longer need validation for?’

Deepak talks about the “pond of inner quiet” that lives within all of us—a place untouched by the world's noise.

Protecting that quiet means letting go of the need for constant validation.

When you stop seeking external approval, you can walk into any room and own your presence without trying to prove anything.

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Lesson 3: Empty yourself before you die

For Deepak, the act of emptying himself—of sharing his stories, wisdom, and lessons—is how he creates space for more.

Whether it’s writing a book, giving a talk, or sending a quick note to a friend, he believes in passing knowledge along.

“In the gallery of your life, are you the art, artist, or the visitor?”

This is one of Deepak’s favorite questions to ask. It invites us to think about how we appear in our lives. Are you actively creating? Observing? Or simply being admired?

There’s no wrong answer, but there’s immense power in knowing your role—and choosing it intentionally.

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This week's tiny experiment

Experiment: Resolve conflicts before you go to bed every day.

Reasoning: Several years ago, Deepak published a viral article titled, “12 life lessons from a man who has seen 12,000 deaths.” I loved reading it (as you will too). Guess what lesson occupies #1? “Resolve all conflicts before you go.” We tend to brush off minor conflicts to get to it at a later stage, only to have it build up into a mountain later on. For a week, try to resolve any minor conflicts that flare up in your work—both at work and at home.

💡 Bonus tip: Seeing a therapist helped me immensely overcome my aversion to conflicts. If you haven’t yet, maybe visit one?

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This week's question for you

Question: If you had to lose all your memories but could keep just one, which would you hold on to?

Answer by Kelly Pulgarin: I want to remind myself every day that I am truly loved and cherished by the people who matter most to me—my family, friends, and close ones. Their unwavering support, care, and presence in my life make me feel valued and deeply connected. This thought gives me strength and comfort, especially during challenging times, and it’s something I hold close to my heart.

🤔 Question for you: If you could go back and relive one conversation, who would it be with and why?

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How a novel gets created

Here’s a secret: I plan to make a movie out of my novel, “1000 Days of Love.”

Six months ago, I thought I would be writing a self-help non-fiction guide, similar to Tuesdays With Morrie. Back then, I had the idea of maybe creating a documentary out of the book someday. I never thought of a movie.

But the moment I decided to write fiction—a novel—I knew that there was potential to convert this into a movie that had the power to reach and impact millions.

It feels crazy to even say it out loud… but I’ve begun working behind the scenes to make this happen someday. The past few weeks, I’ve been talking to a few screenplay writers, actors, and directors.

A few lessons I learned talking to people in the movie industry:

• Write a screenplay based on the novel to pitch it to production houses
• Register the screenplay script before approaching production houses (it’s sad to learn that people have lost their copyright because they didn’t register)
• The budget for a slice-of-life movie like this ranges between 4-8 crores
• Very, very, very few movies recoup their budget
• This industry is brutal.

My goal is to finish the book’s first draft by the end of 2024, followed by spending the first half of 2025 pitching the novel to publishers and the screenplay to movie directors/producers.

It’s gonna be a fun 2025 💃 What do you think?

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👑 Last Week's Winners 👑

Congrats to Ajith Kanumuri, Joythish Reddy Evuri, Shraddha Bhandari, Neha Chowdary, and Kelly Pulgarin who won a free annual subscription to Eventbeep :)

This week's winner will get a free digital copy of the book "50 Toughest Questions of Life" by Deepak Ramola. Start searching 😉 (psst: it's hidden within a word.)

Quote of the week: "It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old. They grow old because they stop pursuing dreams."

~ Gabriel García Márquez