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Interview with

Sushma Sharma (CEO and Founder of Konversai) and Pavita Singh

How 2 Fish: As a founding member of Konversai, how has your role contributed to the connection of people all over the world? Sushma Sharma and Pavita Singh: Konversai’s platform is built to literally connect anyone, anywhere in the world, about any topic imaginable. Too often we are limited to our personal networks when we are seeking knowledge or information about a certain topic. But what if there is someone halfway across the world who has the exact knowledge and experience that you are looking for? Someone whom, if it wasn’t for a platform like Konversai, you would never have had the opportunity to meet? Everybody everywhere in the world has valuable knowledge, experiences, and skills that can benefit someone somewhere else in the world. Until recently, what was missing was a platform to form those connections. Konversai is that platform. Geography and the limitations of our personal networks are no longer barriers in accessing the knowledge, skills, and information we wish to acquire and that have the power to make our lives better.

H2F: Konversai is a melting pot of people utilizing their passions to service humanity; can you describe how this creates healthier relationships? SS and PS: Konversai is a space where all participants are valued for their passions, experiences, knowledge, and skills. You can bring to the table all that you have without pretending to be something you’re not. You don’t have to be an expert. Any knowledge you have on a particular topic is enough and could be more than plenty to help someone else. Being valued and appreciated for who you are and what you have to offer without having to embellish your life story or appear to be more than you are is an important component of healthy relationships. What’s more, Konversai is a space where you can (and in fact are encouraged to) say “I don’t know” or “I want to learn.” People are not always willing to admit what they don’t know, but having the courage to be honest with yourself and then with others is necessary for healthy relationships. Whether you are having a conversation on Konversai as a provider of knowledge or a seeker of knowledge (and we encourage all of our users to be both), both parties are sure to leave the interaction more enriched than when they came in, even if it might not feel like it right away. Having interactions that contribute to your development, whether it be personal, intellectual, or professional, and that you come out of feeling better than when you came in are also an important part of healthy relationships.

H2F: The word, "Konversai" reminds me of the word, "converse." How does conversation enhance healthy relationships? SS and PS: The origin of the name “Konversai” is an interesting one. It is of course meant to be a play on the word “converse.” The “K” at the beginning is meant to represent knowledge. The “I” at the end represents the online/Internet aspect. And in between, we have “versai,” a root that means “honesty” or “truth.”

Konversai is indeed about conversations, but more importantly, it is about authentic knowledge-based conversations. This means coming as you are and knowing that whatever you have to offer has value. Conversations are not enough to enhance healthy relationships; those conversations have to be authentic. Simple small talk does not help relationships grow and develop. For this reason, Konversai wants users to start embracing the emerging idea of “Big Talk.” We need to go deeper within ourselves and talk about the things that matter to us and that will contribute to making a positive impact in other people’s lives. This is not always easy, and in fact, it can sometimes even be scary. But we have to take these steps. These types of conversations enhance healthy relationships.

H2F: Describe the effects of healthy communication in reference to your personal transformation. SS and PS: We have both grown up with the idea that healthy, authentic communication is the key to strong and meaningful relationships. This authenticity is lacking in so many interactions. It is an aspect of communication that people crave without even realizing that they crave it. Sushma recognized this lack, which was part of the impetus for starting Konversai. Both on and off the platform, we have both had incredible conversations with people all over the world that have contributed to our personal transformation. For example, through Konversai, Pavita has built relationships with people in different countries, which has propelled her desire to travel around the world and experience different cultures firsthand.

H2F: Dr. Quandi created a How 2 Fish dating app (for people seeking serious, healthy relationships); what advice would you give to users who lack open and honest conversation? SS and PS: Open and honest communication is not always easy and can be intimidating to some users because it requires some level of vulnerability. Konversai addresses this pain point by enabling one-on-one interactions. Users have flexibility in terms of how much or little they share in these conversations and how many of these conversations they would like to have. For example, if you wish, you can just have one conversation with another user, and knowing that you don’t have to talk to them again if you don’t want to can take some of the pressure off, making it easier to have an open and honest conversation. For other users, more conversations might be required to develop a sense of candor. Our advice for users who might lack open and honest conversation is to be aware of your personal limitations and to take small steps towards building the openness and honesty. You don’t have to get there overnight or in one interaction, but taking small steps to get there will benefit you tremendously and will make for more enriching conversations down the road.

H2F: How 2 Fish: The Book talks about 6 Inner Power Principles, one being Communication. Define the benefits of healthy communication in a world filled with so many different languages and culture. SS and PS: Communication is about so much more than the words we use. It encompasses non-verbal cues as well, such as eye contact and body language. In a world with so many different languages and cultures, simply relying on people’s words is not enough. In different cultures, different figures of speech might have different connotations. (For example, see our recent blog about the differences between British and American English.) Therefore, we need to learn to pay attention to other non-verbal cues. Learning to appropriately use non-verbal cues is a vital part of healthy communication. This is why Konversai’s video component is such a significant part of our platform – you can actually see the user with whom you’re interacting.

Konversai is a global knowledge platform that allows for one-on-one live video conversations between anyone, anywhere, about anything. We were founded on the premise that everyone everywhere has valuable knowledge, skills, and experiences that can benefit people elsewhere in the world and that geography, time, and money should not be barriers in accessing what we want to learn. Our mission is to democratize knowledge, put the human connection back into the heart of technology, and make the world better by facilitating meaningful connections and conversations that can improve people's lives. For more information, visit Konversai.com.