An evening with Ms. Sridevi Edupuganti
Introduction
On Friday, April 18, we had an engaging session by Ms. Sridevi Edupuganti – former Microsoft exec, global tech leader, and now a passionate advocate for preventive health care with purpose.
Health includes many aspects: diet, exercise, sleep and stress management. Ms Sreedevi focused on diet and exercise. Her core message was that with a little bit of effort, we can take good care of ourselves, avoid health problems, become more productive and lead a more fulfilling life. There is a famous saying, health is wealth. But health is not wealth. Health is more than wealth.
The full session can be watched by clicking the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryyQYD6IsVw
About Ms. Sridevi Edupuganti
Ms Sridevi Edupuganti is a technology leader with over 25 years of global experience. She has led high-impact teams at premier organizations such as Microsoft Corporation, NTT Data Global Services, and Tech Mahindra. Most recently, she held the position of Vice President - Azure Cloud Solutions Practice at Saxon Al.
Ms Sreedevi’s core expertise lies in building high-performance teams, elevating customer experiences, and driving innovation using Cloud and Al technologies. Ms Sridevi has led initiatives that have improved operational efficiency, streamlined processes, and fostered impactful employee engagement. All this has ultimately contributed to multi-million-dollar deal wins and significant ROI in complex enterprise environments. She has worked closely with C-suite executives to align technology strategies with long-term business goals.
Ms Sridevi is a recognized voice in the startup and innovation space. She has served as a panel judge at notable events such as the BECon Blueprint 2025 organized by IIT Delhi in collaboration with CBIT Hyderabad, the Startup Competition at NALSAR Law College, and the T-Hub Mentor-Startup Mixer held in March 2025.
Ms Sridevi’s leadership and mentoring acumen have been acknowledged through several honours, including the Best People Manager Award for three consecutive years, the STAR Award for Professional Excellence, and the Roll of Honor Award for outstanding mentoring.
Ms Sridevi also holds top-tier certifications including AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert, and Azure Al Engineer Associate. Ms Sridevi's passion for continuous learning is reflected in her participation in executive programs such as Chief Technology Officer and Leadership with Al at the Indian School of Business (ISB). She is currently deepening her expertise in Generative Al & Machine Learning through an advanced program at IIT Guwahati. She holds a Master's degree from Osmania University.
Outside her professional realm, Ms Sridevi is a committed wellness and fitness enthusiast. Remarkably, she has not fallen ill over the past 15 years, even while navigating demanding leadership roles. Her disciplined and mindful approach to well-being has not only transformed her own life but also positively influenced her family and teams.
The importance of well being
Wellbeing is close to Ms Sridevi’s heart. She is neither a doctor nor a nutritionist. But through her own research and initiative, she has architected her well-being program which is yielding excellent results. For the past 15 years, Ms Sridevi has stuck to her fitness regimen and not fallen ill. And this program is available for anyone who is serious about her health.
Being mindful of our health
All of us like to dress well for any occasion. We spend time and effort to ensure that we are looking well dressed. Similarly, we must invest time mindfully in our health. We must make well-being an integral part of our daily routine.
Important principles
Plan the day before: For anything important, planning is necessary. We should plan the night before what we will eat during the next day.
First things first: We must make sure we start with the most important things every day. For Ms Sridevi, going to the gym takes priority, not logging into LinkedIn.
What you don’t measure, you cannot manage: Without measurement, we cannot improve. Today there are so many apps available to track our weight, the calories we are consuming, the calories we are burning, the number of steps we are walking, etc. Ms Sridevi also goes for quarterly health check-ups.
Nutrition
Nutrition plays a major role in our wellbeing. We should avoid harmful food items. Ms Sreedevi herself was a victim in this regard during 2023. Due to consumption of wrong food in the company cafeteria, she suffered inflammation and weight gain. But once she understood the problem, she embraced a disciplined fitness regime and quickly came back to her normal weight.
There are some important thumb rules we can follow:
- Consume high fibre, high protein, low carbohydrate food.
- Drink 3 litres of water daily. Water aids in digestion, nutrient absorption and temperature regulation.
- Have enough exposure to sunlight to get enough of Vitamin D.
- Do vigorous exercise for at least 30-45 minutes.
- Minimise stress levels. When it comes to stress we should not be bothered by what others say or how they behave: A favourite quote for Ms Sridevi is: when your purpose is beyond pain nothing else matters.
- Practise intermittent fasting. This is extremely powerful especially when we are trying to reduce weight.
Breakfast: Include the right nutrients
Nuts/seeds boost the immune system. They improve the functioning of the kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, skin, heart, brain, etc. We can use walnuts, cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds, dry fruits and resins. We should soak them in water the night before. Then, the next morning, we can mix and match fruits and vegetables like papaya, pomegranate, watermelon, blue berry, strawberry, bitter gourd, ginger, amla, avocado and ivy gourd. With these ingredients, we can prepare a tasty dry fruit shake.
Dry fruits have all the nutrients. Vegetables provide fibres. Grated coconut has anti-aging properties. A juice of apple, beetroot and carrot can serve as a detox and anti-cancer medicine.
Beetroot is naturally high in nitrates, which the body converts into nitrites and then nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps to relax and widen blood vessels, leading to improved blood flow and potentially lower blood pressure. It also flushes out toxins. Beetroot contains unique bioactive compounds called betalains. These are potent antioxidants and have demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects. Some early research suggests that certain compounds in beetroot, may have anti-cancer properties by inhibiting cancer cell growth and promoting cell death. (Her father had to be treated for cancer. So Ms Sreedevi is taking all care to ensure that she does not have to go through the same ordeal.)
Regular meals: Consume Salads, Broccoli, Mushroom.
Salads, at their core, are a combination of various fruits and vegetables. Salad greens like lettuce, spinach, have essential vitamins and minerals that play crucial roles in immune function, bone health and energy production. The vegetables and fruits in salads are excellent sources of dietary fibre. Fibre aids in digestion, promotes gut health, helps regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and contributes to feelings of fullness, which can assist in weight management. Colourful vegetables and fruits in salads are rich in antioxidants. These compounds protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, potentially reducing the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. Many salad components have high water content, contributing to overall hydration.
Broccoli contains unique bioactive compounds like glucosinolates, which are converted into sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol in the body. These compounds have been linked to potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and potential anti-cancer effects. Sulforaphane, in particular, has been studied for its role in detoxification, blood sugar control, and even brain health.
Mushrooms should also be a part of our diet. Certain mushrooms, especially when exposed to UV light (like sunlight), can produce vitamin D, which is crucial for bone health, immune function, and more.
Follow the circadian rhythm. Avoid eating after sunset.
Our metabolism, the process of converting food into energy, follows a circadian pattern. We are generally more insulin-sensitive and better at processing glucose earlier in the day. Consuming rice after sunset can lead to sugar/diabetes related problems.
Avoid unhealthy foods
These include sunflower oil, white sugar, white salt, tamarind, white rice. We must consider substitutes as indicated above.
Wrong oil can lead to inflammation. Cold pressed coconut or olive oil is recommended.
Demo
Through a recorded video, Ms Sreedevi provided a demo of how she manages things at home. Here are the key insights.
Radiation: We should not be exposed to too much radiation. We must use a radiation detector to measure and control radiation. We should stay away from WIFI points and electronic devices including television sets. We should ensure that we are not getting into the radiation zone when we operate our laptop. We should ensure that the plug points are not very close to our laptop. We should avoid charging our phone with the laptop. Also, if we sleep keeping our phone charger very close to the phone, the brain will feel the entire radiation impact.
Acupressure: Acupressure magnetic therapy sandals can help. Because of the pressure points, there is an increased level of blood circulation.
Massagers: There are various massagers available for the feet, legs, etc. They enable increased levels of blood circulation from top to bottom and help in the overall body relaxation.
Cookware: For Ms Sreedevi, AMC cookware has been a worthwhile investment. It is made up of very good German 7 layered, stainless steel. The nutrients get retained while cooking, and it enables steam cooking with little oil, so that calorie intake is minimal.
Box: Inside the kitchen, we should keep handy a box (just like a spice box) containing a mix of nutritional powders: sesame seeds, walnut, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and watermelon seeds. We can use them for every dish, whether it is dal, or curry. We should add all these powders towards the end of the cooking and not heat too much, just for 4-5 min . That way we will be adding more protein to the curry.
Air purifier: An air purifier can be used to purify the air in our home. We don’t have control over the air outside our home, but at least inside our home, it is in our control.
Q&A
Health is the best gift we can give our family members. If we don’t fall sick, think of the benefits: peace of time, quality of time, time saved in going to the doctor. If we fall sick, we may have to spend hours to meet a doctor for less than 5 minutes and end up paying Rs 2000 as consultation fees. We may also be prescribed pills with harmful side effects. Our frustration levels will only increase.
Implementing wellness is not a big task. We need not postpone anything. If we take away 8 hours for sleep and 10 hours for work, we still have 6 hours. We can easily find the time. We can prioritize it and allow everything else to come later. We just need to take some simple steps. In 2-3 weeks, we will be well organized.
It is all about soaking the items in the night and grinding it in the morning breakfast. This may take only about 15 minutes. We get 40% of our nutrients by 9 am giving us the required energy to get off to a good start.
It does take time to cut vegetables, soak nuts, etc. But that is much less than needed for preparing traditional Indian dishes. Moreover, we can take the help of a maid for mundane activities and invest our time in well-being activities.
Whether we are rich or poor, empathetic behaviour is important. We must learn to understand things from the perspective of others. Ms Sreedevi offered some practical tips to improve our mental wellbeing:
- We must surround ourselves with likeminded people.
- We should spend time in fun activities and with elders, kids and nature.
- We must stay away from bad habits like smoking, drinking, eating highly processed foods.
- In our interactions with others, we should not get overwhelmed and start comparing ourselves with others. We should be focused on becoming a better version of ourselves.
Many people look at the screen for more than 4 hours a day and some for more than 10 hours. There is an adrenaline rush as people move from one reel to the next. This is draining out their emotional energy.
The phenomenon is being increasingly referred to as infobesity. Just as consuming too much food can lead to obesity, consuming too much information can lead to a state of "infobesity" where our mind feels overloaded and is unable to process everything effectively.
Ms Sridevi recalled her interaction with one of her direct reports who had Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and other social media open on her laptop during a one-on-one meeting. When her team members would try to reach her, she would cut the call. Ultimately, this kind of an unfocused erratic approach to work led to many escalations and her career could not take off.
The key to avoiding such behaviour is to have a strong purpose. Once we are clear about our goals, then we will be able to prioritize and decide where we should spend our time. It also helps to have mentors and guides. Parents, teachers, office colleagues, mentors can all help in inculcating a strong sense of purpose. When it comes to kids, we must remember that they learn from their parents. So parents should first change their behaviour.
We should take digital detox seriously. This is a period of time during which we intentionally refrain from using digital devices such as smartphones, computers, tablets, and social media platforms. It is a conscious effort to disconnect from the digital world to focus on real-life interactions, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being.
We cannot hold corporate canteens entirely responsible for our health problems. Different individuals react differently to different kinds of diet. This is called bio individuality. (That is how Ms Sreedevi picked up weight in 2023.) We should focus on the biofeedback. What is the body telling us? Where Ms Sridevi worked earlier, there was a food committee. In fact, she was one of the members. The committee would decide on the menu. So employees do have a say in what kind of food is prepared.
It is true that companies should provide good food as employees are their most valuable assets. But rather than blame the company why not carry home food to office for lunch? Cooking is now an essential skill. We should take responsibility for our health.
We should visit credible websites like:
Harvard Health Publishing
National institute of Nutrition. (has video tutorials on various topics)
We should follow only credible health experts.
A clean environment promotes good health. So, we should handle waste properly. In general, we should keep the dry and liquid wastes in separate bins. The liquid wastes can be converted into compost either by ourselves or through a suitable agency. This compost can be used for making manure. Awareness sessions must be held at the community level and discussions encouraged on this important topic for public health.
Meditation can be of two types: Keeping our eyes closed and mind blank or being fully focused on our work without any extra distraction. Both these types of meditation can be useful.
We have two types of nervous systems in our body: sympathetic and parasympathetic. Sympathetic nervous system is at play when we are in a very aggressive or agitated mode. Parasympathetic nervous system comes into play when we are calm and at ease.
Today, there is so much of chaos. The sympathetic nervous system helps us to calm down and improve our productivity. Meditation is a technique to switch from sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system. If we remain in the sympathetic mode for too long, there would be a hormonal imbalance. For example, insulin will not be secreted properly. it might lead to diabetes.