Kunal Gupta is the founder of Polar, a digital advertising agency that develops Social Display technology for hundreds of brands, generating millions of ads every year. He’s also on the board of CAMH, Canada’s Center for Addiction and Mental Health, where he advocates for public health policy rooted in ‘mindtech,’ a technology-enabled model for compassionate and effective mental health care. He writes the blog By Kunal, where he shares reflections on leadership, mindfulness, technology, and culture. He’s the co-host of Year Zero, the podcast that explores Kunal and co-host Jay Vidyarthi’s vision for the world after COVID-19. Lastly, he hosts a guided meditation every single weekday at 9:30 am EST for everyone in the world who cares to show up.

Kunal comes to the JOMO(cast) to share his study, exploration, and practices in attention, mental health, and the frameworks through which we can create and consume content and social media in positive, affirming ways.

Favorite Quotes:

• “We all come to a place of attention, intention, and mindfulness from different perspectives. “It’s not our fault that we’re addicted to technology.”

• “I think we all owe it to ourselves to experience what it feels like to not have it [internet] in our life.”

• “If we see everything- conscious and unconscious- as an expression of who we are and our identity, it’s actually quite beautiful.”

Key Take-Aways:

• Attention is the fuel for every activity; wellness, performance, and joy must begin with sustained attention fueled by mental performance

• The impact of social media on our mental health is a function of which style of relationship we have to it- consumer, consumer/creator, or creator

• We are expressing ourselves in every waking moment, whether we curate our outward behavior or not; understanding this will help us to spend more time being intentional.