When Gopi started The L.A.M.A. (The Leadership And Mindfulness Academy), his clients loved the name. They loved the idea of learning mindfulness, self awareness etc from ‘The Lama’. As more and more people felt the impact of the programs globally, clients started asking for more. And since Gopi could not clone himself (yet!), he started thinking of ways in which he could build scale and touch millions of lives! He even sent a message out to the universe seeking help to actualise this vision.

Unknown to him, Krishan after building two startups, was seeking to fulfil his purpose of working in the field of mental health and mindfulness. And he wanted to work with someone as authentic and passionate as himself. He too had sent a message to the universe. 

The universe conspired. And brought the two together. Do you think it is mere coincidence that even their names are similar?? We think there are actually no coincidences in life.

So mindfulness master met problem solver and the result was Llama – a fun take on the original name!

Gopi Krishnaswamy is the Founder and CEO of Llama and he is driven by the single purpose of making wellbeing a part of every day work.

In pursuit of this, Gopi walked away from conventional corporate success into Zen, learning from many masters including Ekhart Tolle and living at Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village Monastery and training to become a teacher. 

Gopi has a vision of a world where people are able to access wellbeing across all aspects of life including work through simple practices of mindfulness. Llama is an outcome of this vision! At Llama he combines his professional leadership experience with his spiritual training to teach in easy contemporary ways and build a team that shares this purpose!

When not teaching or working with clients, Gopi can be found with with his dog (more of a bear!), working on his next best seller (behind schedule!), or simply perfecting the art of doing ‘nothing’

Krishan Sharma is the Co-founding Llama and Chief of Business Operations at Llama. A serial entrepreneur and 0-1 problem solver, he returns to his purpose with Llama. 

An IIT Kanpur alum, Krishan has the experience of building and scaling tech products from the ground up. At his previous venture, Krishan was responsible for product, strategy, growth, building the team and keeping their heads up in every situation. The startup was eventually acquired by a leading company in the space.

Having seen the good, the great and the not so good of the tech world, Krishan is driven to leverage technology to work for human wellbeing rather than against it. Working at the intersection of new age tech and traditional wisdom systems is his primary driver.

When not working on startups or discussing philosophy he is busy losing money at the poker tables. (Don’t tell him we told you!)

Any business is ultimately about its people. At Llama, as the Client Engagement Lead, Kalyani is driven to help organizations find the right mindfulness solutions to empower their people for wellbeing and peak performance.

Kalyani has lived and worked in multiple countries over two decades. In this role, she draws upon her global experiences, her passion for human-centric design, strategy and business innovation.

When Kalyani isn’t talking to clients about workplace wellbeing, you’ll find her teaching at management school, drumming with her music band, or driving into the dessert sunset for some inspiration.

Kalyani is currently based in Dubai.

Aishwary takes care of the tech inside the company.

With over six years of experience in technologies like Vue, React, GraphQL, Node, AWS, J2EE, Vue Storefront, MySQL, Apache OFBiz, and Moqui, Aishwary is an expert in full stack development.

He is an open source enthusiast and core member of the Apache Local Community and the Vue JS Club.

In his free time, Aishwary volunteers with the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization where he is involved in multiple seva activities and helps a team to educates working professionals in value-based leadership and mindfulness. Being part of Llama has allowed Aishwary to pursue his interests and make a positive impact on the world through his work.

Srinivas or Sri (as we call him) leads the Operations and Community initiatives at Llama.

As someone who loves to help others, he went into the hospitality sector and worked with brands like Oberoi Hotels, Hilton and Accor for over a decade.

Working with different hotels and interacting with guests from all over the world having different cultures, made him realize that keeping them happy and going the extra mile for them was something that he enjoyed and looked forward to.  Sri brings the same enthusiasm at Llama where he wants to go above and beyond for anyone whose life is touched by Llama.

Sri is husband to a lovely independent wife, father of two. Sri is also a Holistic Sound Healer.

As most Indians are, he is also a big fan of cricket. He loves cheering for team India and CSK from the Indian Premier League!! When not working you can find him playing tennis or gaming away on the PlayStation or looking at Nila, his Indie dog. Spending time with family and friends gives him a nice high!

Nushaa leads the marketing vertical at Llama.

In her perspective, the beauty of marketing is that, if marketed appropriately, anything and everything can be sold!

Her marketing approach is quite simple. To her, marketing is nothing but storytelling. Telling the stories of products and services that have stood the test of time because they have substance. She believes experiences keep the audience coming back, and she loves creating such experiences as much as she loves her smoked spiced meat rice—nothing but a mutton biryani.

If you ever get a chance to chat with her about something other than work, the first thing you’ll learn about her is her enthusiasm for sports. She has the unique quality of training for different sports each year. On top of that, she’s a self-taught ukulele player who can strum away the blues. Lately, she realised that while chasing her dreams is great, taking care of her well-being is just as important.

Beyond the boardrooms and therapy sessions, she finds her bliss in the rich tapestry of diverse cuisines, each dish telling a story of culture and flavors. Yet, it’s the dance floor that beckons her heart, an arena where her true passion unfolds in graceful movements and rhythmic expression. The world of fashion, with its ever-changing trends and artistry, captivates her. It’s this allure that drives her to manifest a picture-perfect appearance, a canvas reflecting her unique style and vibrant personality in every facet of life.