Editors’ Note

Poonacha Machaiah is Chief Executive Officer of the Chopra Foundation, dedicated to improving health, social and planetary well-being. He has co-founded initiatives such as NeverAlone to address mental well-being and suicide prevention; co-founded CIRCA, an anxiety management platform; and co-founded Cyberhuman.ai, a personalized AI platform for optimizing health and wellness. He is on the board of transformative companies such as The Healing Company, Beacon Media, Limitless Minds, and Reulay. He has also held senior management positions at Nortel, Iridium, Motorola and Sasken. Machaiah holds a BS degree in computer science and engineering and an MBA from the College of William and Mary.

Will you discuss your life journey?

After earning my engineering degree in Bangalore, India, I began my journey as a software engineer, driven by a deep passion for AI and robotics. My early career immersed me in the world of telecommunications, where I had the privilege of working with industry pioneers like Sprint, Iridium, Nortel, and Motorola. These formative years taught me the power of technology to connect and transform lives. Seeking a deeper purpose, I pivoted to using technology as a force for good, collaborating on disruptive and meaningful initiatives. One of the highlights was working alongside visionary leaders like Shekhar Kapur and A.R. Rahman to leverage media as a tool for positive impact. This period ignited my entrepreneurial spirit and solidified my commitment to innovation with purpose.

Over the last decade, I’ve worked closely with Deepak Chopra on transformative ventures aimed at democratizing access to well-being. From Jiyo, a corporate well-being platform, to Seva.Love, a metaverse dedicated to well-being, and now Cyberhuman.ai, a groundbreaking initiative using AI to enhance healthspan and enable peak living, each endeavor has been a step toward creating scalable solutions for global wellness.

As a leader at the Chopra Foundation, I’ve dedicated myself to supporting Dr. Chopra’s vision of fostering a more peaceful, just, sustainable, healthier, and joyful world. My journey has been one of aligning purpose with innovation, using technology not just as a tool, but as a bridge to transform individual lives and the collective human experience.

What was your vision for creating Cyberhuman.ai and how do you define its mission?

Cyberhuman.ai’s mission is to transform well-being by integrating timeless wisdom and modern science with industry leading Agentic AI to enable peak living. The vision is to create a comprehensive platform for personalized preventive health, combining integrative data aggregation, real-time metrics, AI-powered diagnostics, an AI-driven well-being twin, expert-led programs, spiritual intelligence tools, and secure blockchain-backed data management to optimize well-being.

Did you always know that you had an entrepreneurial spirit and desire to build your own business?

My mother played a pivotal role in shaping my journey as an entrepreneur. She was incredibly entrepreneurial in her own way, constantly innovating across various ventures, all while managing the demands of taking care of our family. Her unwavering encouragement to follow my dreams and her belief in the importance of creating jobs and driving societal transformation have been guiding principles in my life and work.

What do you feel are the keys to effective leadership and how do you approach your management style?

I believe that authenticity, integrity, and a sense of higher purpose are essential values that every leader should embody. Authenticity fosters trust and meaningful connections, integrity ensures that decisions are guided by ethics and fairness, and a higher purpose provides a north star, aligning the team’s efforts toward creating a lasting impact beyond personal or organizational gains.

When building a team, I prioritize individuals who embody what I call a “PHD” – Passion, Hunger, and Drive. Passion fuels innovation and creativity, hunger inspires a constant desire to learn and grow, and drive ensures the determination to overcome challenges and achieve results. These traits, combined with a shared commitment to our core values, create a cohesive, motivated, and purpose-driven team capable of achieving extraordinary outcomes.

What role have meditation and mindfulness played in your life?

I wasn’t deeply involved in meditation and mindfulness until I met Deepak nearly two decades ago, and that encounter was truly transformative. It opened my eyes to the profound impact these practices can have – not just on an individual level, but on society as a whole. Experiencing it firsthand allowed me to understand how mindfulness fosters self-awareness, resilience, and balance in my personal life while also creating ripple effects in the way we connect with others and approach the world around us.

What worries you most when you look to the future, and what excites you the most about the future?

What worries me most is the potential misuse of AI and technology, where profit-driven motives overshadow ethical considerations. The lack of transparency, accountability, and alignment with human values could lead to greater inequalities, mental health crises, and the erosion of human connection. The rapid pace of technological advancement without a corresponding focus on ethics and consciousness is a concern. If AI becomes a tool of division rather than empowerment, it could have devastating long-term effects on humanity.

What excites me most is the potential for AI to transform human well-being, creativity, and consciousness in ways we’ve never imagined. By integrating timeless wisdom with advanced technology, we have the opportunity to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges – from mental health to longevity to sustainable living. I’m inspired by the possibility of creating tools that empower individuals to thrive holistically while fostering a more compassionate, connected, and purpose-driven world. AI has the power to elevate humanity if used with intention and care, and that gives me hope for the future.

With all that you have done in your life, and the countless lives that you have touched, are you able to take moments to reflect on your achievements and to appreciate what you have accomplished?

It’s a humbling question because I often find myself focused on what’s next – what more can be done to make a meaningful impact. But I do take intentional moments to reflect, especially when I see how the work I’ve been a part of has touched lives. Whether it’s seeing someone embrace well-being through our initiatives or witnessing the ripple effects of empowering others, those moments of reflection remind me why this journey matters.

I also recognize that none of this would have been possible without standing on the shoulders of giants – mentors, collaborators, and visionaries who have guided and inspired me along the way. I am eternally grateful to my family and friends who have supported me through the entrepreneurial journey which can often feel lonely. Their unwavering belief in me has been my anchor, and their encouragement fuels my determination to keep building, creating, and striving to make a difference. Also living and working across continents is an adventure I highly recommend.

What advice do you offer to young people about living a life of happiness and fulfillment?

My advice to young people is best captured by Jiddu Krishnamurti’s quote, “Truth is a pathless land.” The essence of life is for everyone to explore their own unique path, to embrace the mystery and wonder of existence, and to live to the fullest. Joy is the only true measure of success, and it is found not in external achievements but in the freedom to live authentically, to love deeply, and to discover what makes your heart sing. Seek your own truth, and let joy be your compass.