Hosted by Naresh Harwani

Naresh Harwani at the mic in the studioWatch on YouTube

Naresh has spent 17+ years in tech and built RemoteStar, an AI HR-tech startup, into a recognised voice on the future of work. A viral reel with 150M+ views earned him the “Cool CEO” label, and our content now reaches 100M+ views across social media.

Cool & Candid brings unfiltered conversations with founders and CEOs on AI, workplace culture and leadership. Talent Talk shows top candidates what it's like to work at fast-growing companies, straight from their leaders.

Engaging metrics

500K+Views
50+Guests in pipeline
100K+Instagram followers
160K+LinkedIn followers

60-second clip

All episodes

Dr Elton Ron Nathan on Cool & Candid57:12
Episode 43 Sept 2026

Gen Z, AI and the future of work: the warning every leader needs

Naresh talks to Dr Elton Ron Nathan, leadership coach and facilitator

Fortune Leadership Top 30 HR Leader · aviation, L&OD

A career across aviation, learning and organisational development gives Dr Elton an unusual read on people. His argument: stop asking which generation is right and start asking what each one can teach the other — and treat AI as something that enables your thinking, not something that drives the car.

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Sonali Dutta on Cool & Candid36:31
Episode 327 Aug 2026

When does a workplace actually become inclusive?

Naresh talks to Sonali Dutta, Founder of Youmanize

A rainbow logo in June is not inclusion. After running into bias over her appearance, age and gender early in her career, Sonali went and built the culture she wished she had worked in. She and Naresh get specific about where DEI programmes quietly fail and what belonging looks like when it is real.

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Danijel Brener on Cool & Candid51:06
Episode 220 Aug 2026

From neurodiversity to global leadership

Naresh talks to Danijel Brener, VP of Philips Sleep & Respiratory Care

100+ countries · $300M P&L

Danijel runs a turnaround spanning more than a hundred countries. He also found out he had ADHD late, and a routine check-up turned up a congenital heart condition. Fifteen marathons later, he talks about learning how you are wired and building a career around that instead of someone else's template.

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Rebecca Sewell on Cool & Candid38:21
Episode 113 Aug 2026

The uncomfortable truth about work, AI and leadership

Naresh talks to Rebecca Sewell, Founder of META-U

Strategic advisor and executive coach

If everyone fits the culture you have already built, who is left to change it? Rebecca makes the case against hiring for culture fit, and walks through the part nobody warns founders about: what you have to let go of once the organisation scales past you.

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What's next

Coming soon

Talent Talk – turning employer branding into a talent magnet

Naresh's second podcast, launching soon.

  • Leadership-led candidate storytelling
  • Building pre-qualified candidate interest
  • Reusable employer brand content
  • Strengthening thought leadership

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