Arāya Ventures Masterclass Series: Maximising Performance and Better Decision Making as a Founder and Leader with Paresh Kanani

As a founder or leader, do you: Find you have no time to think, are constantly firefighting, leaving you physically and mentally exhausted with no space for strategic thinking?Question whether you deserve a seat at the table, second-guessing yourself, playing it small or safe?Face conflicting demands and guilt between personal relationships, family, and the business? Research shows that stress, anxiety, and overwhelm can cause the cognitive equivalent of losing up to 20 points off your IQ and up to a 40% reduction in the working memory capacity needed for critical decision-making. Independent of stress and anxiety, over 85% of our behaviour (what we do and say) and our experience (how we feel, our self-judgements and self-criticisms) comes directly and automatically from our Deep Mind (also known as the subconscious or unconscious), without rational awareness, leaving only 15% coming from our rational, conscious mind. In essence, most of our "decisions" are not rational but automatic, made without conscious choice. Given that we can only fully utilise our knowledge, capability, and freedom of rational choice around 15% of the time, it is essential optimise this capacity. Mastering your inner state is the first step to reclaiming the full power of your rational mind. This highly experiential and practical first session opens a two-part series exploring: Session 1, led by Paresh Kanani: The importance of managing your inner state to begin taking back control of your rational decision-making, reclaiming lost choice, and releasing your 'hidden handbrake'.Session 2, led by Ryan Murray with Paresh Kanani: How to rewire the automatic patterns of your deeper mind (the 85%): self-protective programmes formed in the past that are silently working against you, unlocking your currently untapped potential and capacity. Session 1 will cover: How your inner state directly influences the way you receive and respond to information and events, ultimately impeding your best decision-making.Becoming aware of the repetitive patterns that sabotage you as a leader and founder.Practical daily tools to help you change your state. About the speakers:  Paresh Kanani is a leadership and wellness coach, adviser, investor, and board member with over 30 years of experience working across international banking, family offices, venture capital, and private equity. Alongside his career in finance, he has spent decades studying and practising human development and performance, integrating executive and systemic coaching with mind-body and unconscious pattern work. He works closely with founders, senior leaders, and family offices to uncover hidden constraints, build internal capacity, and support clearer, more intentional decision-making under pressure. Ryan Murray, co-founder of The Mercury Mind, is a scientist, personal performance transformation expert, and former technology leader who pioneered the Deep Mind Recode™, a breakthrough neural transformation method for rewiring the deep mind to radically elevate personal and leadership performance. A graduate with honours in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Duke University, Ryan transitioned to a career in software and technology, where he served as an engineering leader and Chief Technology Officer, led large-scale software engineering organisations, and advised and coached Fortune 500 executives across a career spanning more than two decades. If you're tired of operating with a hidden handbrake and are ready to lead with clarity and intention, this session is for you.