Lisa Ray is an internationally acclaimed performer, philanthropist, author and public speaker.

She’s also one of India’s most successful models and an award-winning actress who starred in Canada’s Oscar nominated film Water.

After Ray was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2009, her forthright, courageous and humorous approach to navigating her experiences with this incurable blood cancer, which she chronicled in her blog, ‘The Yellow Diaries’, earned her international respect.

She is the author of the memoir Close to the Bone and will be attending the Emirates Literature Festival in Dubai in February 2023 - I can’t wait to attend her sessions.

I talked to Lisa about her career in the entertainment business and what it’s like to navigate that challenging space as a woman, and of course we talked about her cancer diagnosis and how the illness shaped her and her life.

Lisa spoke so beautifully about spirituality and purpose and and was full of wisdom about life, connection and community. I also loved out chats about raising children and how to stay centred and connected in the madness of family life.

Lisa is warm and wise and I loved her sense of humour and her pragmatism. I’m sure you’ll love this conversation as much as I did.

Follow me, and the Good Intentions podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/kellyharvarde/

https://www.instagram.com/goodintentionsuae/

Find Lisa here:

https://www.instagram.com/lisaraniray/

https://www.instagram.com/theupsidespace/

Immerse yourself in some of the books we discussed:

Gabor Mate - In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

https://magrudy.com/book/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts-9781785042201/

Casey Schwartz - Attention

https://www.amazon.com/Attention-Love-Story-Casey-Schwartz/dp/1524747106

Chögyam Trungpa - Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism

https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Through-Spiritual-Materialism-Chogyam/dp/1570629579