Deepika Padukone returns to the screen after motherhood.

The Live Love Laugh (LLL) Foundation has announced the release of the 2024 edition of the Live Love Laugh Lecture Series, hosted by LLL founder, Deepika Padukone. This year’s featured guest is Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO of Thrive Global. In a compelling Lecture Series conversation, Arianna and Deepika explore themes of inner transformation, redefining success, and the journey to well-being.

Arianna began the conversation by challenging the prevailing definition of success – and redefining it. “You know how we always say ‘onward and upward’? Well, I like to say ‘onward, upward, and inward’. When we go inward, the onward and upward journey becomes both easier and more effective. Ultimately, the most important frontier for me is not outer space; it’s inner space,” she said.

In the discussion with Deepika, Arianna explored five key behaviours—sleep, food, movement, stress management, and connection—that form the foundation of not only physical health but also mental well-being. As she puts it, “We’ve spent so long prioritizing our external accomplishments and pushing ourselves to the limit that we’ve forgotten the essential role of taking care of ourselves. The truth is, when we prioritize our well-being, everything else falls into place.”

During the discussion, Arianna also shared her personal experience with burnout. While building The Huffington Post, she collapsed from exhaustion. “I thought I had to sacrifice my health to be successful,” she shared. After this wake-up call, she realized that our collective definition of success must go beyond just money and power to include taking care of our health and finding joy.

Reflecting on her personal evolution and how she has arrived at a broader definition of success, Arianna stated, “I believe we should include what I call the third metric of success, which encompasses our health and well-being, our capacity to connect with our wisdom and intuition, our ability to appreciate the wonder and mystery of life, and our commitment to giving back. That’s what constitutes a complete and fulfilling life”.

Meanwhile, Deepika too acknowledged the growing awareness around mental health post-pandemic but emphasized on the persistent cultural challenges. “Things have started to change now. But there’s still this notion that if someone needs downtime or time for themselves, or if they take a weekend off, the person is not motivated or not driven. Instead, we look for someone who’s willing to burn the midnight oil, and that person is praised for being hardworking, committed, and dedicated. From being an athlete, I know you need your rest and recovery – you need that to perform better and work more effectively,” she added.

Arianna and Deepika also discussed practical strategies to manage stress and cultivate well-being in daily life. One of the tools Arianna has introduced through Thrive Global is “Thrive Reset.” Based on the neuroscience that shows we can course-correct from stress in just 60 to 90 seconds, each Reset features a breathing bubble guiding users to deeply inhale and exhale, activating the parasympathetic nervous system and lowering their cortisol levels. “In just 60 seconds, through conscious breathing, we can go from stress to calm. It’s a powerful reminder that we don’t need hours to reset; we just need moments of mindfulness throughout the day,” Arianna concluded.