Thrive Global CEO Arianna Huffington joins Deepika Padukone to explore inner transformation, redefining success at LiveLoveLaugh Lecture Series 2024

The LiveLoveLaugh (LLL) Foundation announced the release of the 2024 edition of the LiveLoveLaugh Lecture Series, hosted by LLL founder, Deepika Padukone. This year’s featured guest was Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO of Thrive Global. 

In a compelling Lecture Series conversation, Arianna and Deepika explored themes of inner transformation, redefining success, and the journey to well-being. 

Arianna began the conversation by challenging the prevailing definition of success–and redefining it. “You know how we always say 'onward and upward'? Well, I like to say 'onward, upward, and inward’. When we go inward, the onward and upward journey becomes both easier and more effective. Ultimately, the most important frontier for me is not outer space; it's inner space,” Arianna said. 

Since its inception in 2019, the LiveLoveLaugh Lecture Series has featured some of the world’s most influential leaders and thinkers, such as Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson of Biocon and Biocon Biologics, Ananth Narayanan, Founder of Mensa Brands, Abhinav Bindra, India's first individual Olympic Gold medalist, and Pulitzer Prize winner Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee. Arianna is the second international speaker in the LLL Lecture Series, after Dr. Mukherjee in 2019. This highlights the global focus of the Lecture Series, which aims to transform the conversation about mental health.

In the discussion with Deepika, Arianna explored five key behaviours—sleep, food, movement, stress management, and connection—that form the foundation of not only physical health but also mental well-being. As she put it, “We’ve spent so long prioritising our external accomplishments and pushing ourselves to the limit that we’ve forgotten the essential role of taking care of ourselves. The truth is, when we prioritise our well-being, everything else falls into place.”

During the discussion, Arianna also shared her personal experience with burnout. While building The Huffington Post, she collapsed from exhaustion. “I thought I had to sacrifice my health to be successful,” she said. After this wake-up call, she realised that our collective definition of success must go beyond just money and power to include taking care of our health and finding joy. 

Reflecting on her personal evolution and how she has arrived at a broader definition of success, Arianna said: “I believe we should include what I call the third metric of success, which encompasses our health and well-being, our capacity to connect with our wisdom and intuition, our ability to appreciate the wonder and mystery of life, and our commitment to giving back. That’s what constitutes a complete and fulfilling life”.

Deepika acknowledged the growing awareness around mental health post-pandemic but emphasised the persistent cultural challenges. “Things have started to change now. But there’s still this notion that if someone needs downtime or time for themselves, or if they take a weekend off, the person is not motivated or not driven. Instead, we look for someone who’s willing to burn the midnight oil, and that person is praised for being hardworking, committed, and dedicated. From being an athlete, I know you need your rest and recovery - you need that to perform better and work more effectively,” she said.

Arianna and Deepika also discussed practical strategies to manage stress and cultivate well-being in daily life. One of the tools Arianna has introduced through Thrive Global is “Thrive Reset.” Based on neuroscience that shows one can course-correct from stress in just 60 to 90 seconds, each Reset features a breathing bubble guiding users to deeply inhale and exhale, activating the parasympathetic nervous system and lowering their cortisol levels.

Hundreds of Resets are available on themes like gratitude, movement and mindfulness, and you can also create your own Reset with images, quotes, and music that bring you calm and joy. “In just 60 seconds, through conscious breathing, we can go from stress to calm,” Arianna said. “It’s a powerful reminder that we don’t need hours to reset; we just need moments of mindfulness throughout the day.”