The Power of Silence, Music and Words with Sudha Kheterpal

Sudha Kheterpal is a world-renowned musician, performer, TEDx speaker, and coach. For more than 30 years, Sudha played with high-profile artists such as The Spice Girls, Faithless, and Dido and has performed in front of thousands of audiences. In 2013, inspired to translate the experiences she’s had from performing into something useful for more people, Sudha created Spark, a percussion shaker capable of converting kinetic energy into electricity. She then launched her first Kickstarter start-up, Shake Your Power, with a mission to deliver Spark and produce other clean-tech products for the developing world.

 

Today, as The Pitch Coach, Sudha integrates her expertise as a performer and musician with her experience as a start-up founder to help other founders and individuals present with impact and deliver winning pitches.

 

Sudha joins me today to share her journey through a life in music and the road to becoming the Pitch Coach. She explains what drew her to playing percussion earlier in her life and what life as a session musician was like back in the 90s. She discusses her Buddhist practice and how an earthquake inspired the idea behind Spark. She describes the importance of practice and the similarities between musical performance and delivering a business pitch. She also highlights what working with other musicians taught her about non-verbal communication, what it takes to deliver an impactful pitch, and underscores why when it’s show time, it’s connection time.

 

“A lot of it is about the intention you have coming into your pitch. Be ready and be present, as you would in a show.” - Sudha Kheterpal

 

This week on Moving Conversations:

 

●     Sudha’s first memories of playing percussion

●     Her move to Manchester and what it was like to be a female session percussionist in the 90s

●     Why Sudha decided to step away from the music industry

●     How a gecko, a Buddhist silent retreat, and an earthquake led to the creation of the Spark percussion shaker

●     What Sudha learned from working with other musicians about non-verbal communication and building connections

●     The importance of allocating enough time for rehearsals and practice before doing a pitch, gig, or any performance

●     How to deliver the perfect pitch with little preparation time

●     Why connection is key to delivering a great pitch or performance

●     What makes good practice and how Sudha is helping her clients deliver speeches without cue cards

●     Common mistakes people make when doing presentations or pitches in a short amount of time

●     Sudha’s daily mindfulness and wellness practices

 

Resources Mentioned:

 

●     The world’s first clean energy musical instrument for off-grid areas | Sudha Kheterpal | TEDxGateway

 

Connect with Sudha Kheterpal:

 

●     The Pitch Coach

●     Shake Your Power on Kickstarter

●     Email: [e-mail]

●     The Pitch Coach on LinkedIn

●     Sudha Kheterpal on LinkedIn

●     Sudha Kheterpal on Instagram

●     Sudha Kheterpal on Facebook

●     Sudha Kheterpal on Tw