USC Dean of Religious Life Dr. Varun Soni on Mindfulness, Leadership, Spirituality

Varun Soni is the Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California (USC) and the first Hindu to serve as the chief religious or spiritual leader of an American university. In a time where it feels like we have never been more divided, this conversation is about unity. It’s about empathy. It’s about diversity. It’s about curiosity and regard. There is so much to learn in this conversation. Varun has been personally impacted by some of the most influential thought leaders in history… Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, to name a few. As a leader (and I’m not throwing that term out there loosely) at the University of Southern California, Varun is deeply committed to helping students become, through embracing the tension between differences and commonalities. His goal is to run the office of religious life at USC as the office of the future – to envision what religion and spirituality is going to look like 10 years from now rather than what it looked like 10 years ago. In this conversation we talk about how to master the art of living – this includes the importance of asking yourself the right questions, redefining your metrics for success, and the importance of emotional intelligence. Varun also sheds light on some of the difficulties today’s college students face that previous generations may have thought inconceivable.