Paper Napkin Wisdom - Podcast And Blog For Entrepreneurs, Leaders And Difference-makers

There's a moment in every leader's life when they look around the "room" they're in — not the physical room, but the emotional one, the psychological one, the internal one — and ask: "How much of who I am today was shaped by the right voices… and how much by the wrong ones?" For years, Govindh Jayaraman — founder of Paper Napkin Wisdom — sat in rooms filled with people who called themselves friends, collaborators, supporters. And many of them were exactly that. They challenged ideas. They sharpened thinking. They asked questions that helped build the early architecture of Govindh's life work. But others? They shared something else entirely. Not truth. Not clarity. Not genuine care. But doubt. Subtle doubt. Delivered with a smile. "You're not as strong as you think." "You're not that good of a leader." "You're not who you think you are." The words didn't critique the work — they critiqued the identity behind the work. And the most painful part? Govindh believed them. This blog explores the powerful insight beh