Gaurav Dubey

Gaurav Dubey is a dynamic clinical biologist, evidence-based branding professional and entrepreneur with a passion for scientific writing and traveling the world. He earned a dual bachelor’s degree in biology and philosophy from the University of Miami in 2011 and with his Master’s in Biotechnology from Rush University Medical Center in 2015. Gaurav was recently published as lead author in the world’s leading transplant journal, The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, for a study investigating second-time lung re-transplantation. He is an avid cannabis blogger and a regular contributor to Green Flower Media and other cannabis publications. He is also the Founder & President of Karmik, LLC, an evidence-based branding firm for extraordinary life science brands.

Where did the idea for Karmik come from?

My idea for Karmik, LLC came from my years as a clinical biologist and passionate educator. I realized there was a genuine need for better quality, evidence-based content on the internet–especially when it came to content revolving around science/medicine/health. I realized that scientists like myself have a responsibility to leave our “ivory towers” of academia and share science with the world. We are called Karmik because I believe in the laws of karma and, as such, believe by helping extraordinary brands put out great content for the world, we can help all of humanity become more educated, empowered and live a more fulfilling life.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I wake up at 4am and hit my yoga mat for some holotropic/Wim Hof breathwork and meditation. I follow this with a cold shower, prayer and some more meditation before diving into the blogs/content that needs writing for the day. In my meditations, I sincerely ask the Universe to guide me through my writing and help me channel the words I need to effectively express my point in a creative, engaging manner. I make it a point to be well read and educate myself about the topics I am writing about. As such, there is a considerable amount of reading I must do to perform at the level I am expected to as well. I take time throughout the day to take breaks, meditate and breathe more when I need it. I enjoy walking my dog when I’m not living the digital nomad life and traveling, listening to music and having stimulating conversations.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I believe it all starts in my meditations where I gather inspiration and begin the creative process once a topic for a piece of content or article has been decided. Next, I pull up all the credible literature (as a science writer, this usually means from the National Library of Medicine) I can to gather the existing evidence and internalize the various viewpoints. From here, I exercise my skill as a published scientist and critically analyze the data before getting creative and finding an interesting way to distill and express that information in words.

What’s one trend that excites you?

As a psychedelic and cannabis writer, I’m very enthralled by the prospect of this new psychedelic renaissance and the potential it offers individuals for personal expansion and societies the chance at a true evolution in consciousness. I’m excited about the impact great content will have on these emerging industries and am happy to see more and more people interested in seeking credible information and thinking critically.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

My ability to return to the present moment and recalibrate my energy/attitude to where I would like it to be, at most any given time. I believe we have the opportunity to start fresh and anew in every moment. I believe harnessing our potential to reinvent ourselves whenever we need to is critical as entrepreneurs–especially those working in dynamic landscapes (like cannabis and psychedelics) which are in constant flux.

What advice would you give your younger self?

The most important thing you can learn to do in life is to love and appreciate yourself. Find what makes you unique and cultivate those talents and gifts that you are here to share with the world. You have the power to create worlds inside you. Things will get challenging and dark times are ahead–keep going and stay true to yourself through them. Never forget who you are.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Science and spirituality are incontrovertibly connected, like two strands of a DNA double helix.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Meditate and intentionally create (or “imagineer”) your ideal self and ideal future. If you can see it in your mind’s eye and feel it in your heart, you’ve already set your destiny in motion. Also, if you’re easily distracted, set 30 minute timers to get chunks of work done instead of trying to tackle it all at once. This is key.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Being passionate and enthusiastic about what I do and when I talk about what I do. It’s infectious and prospective clients pick up on that energy very quickly.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Only having one main client out the gate that I had all my eggs invested into (without a signed contract for the one-year arrangement we had agreed to). I took the successes and accomplishments we did garner in those four months, put together a case study and found multiple new opportunities (diversification).

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Anyone can become a freelance writer/content creator. Simply find something, anything, you are passionate about and start reading. Start reading other blogs/content in the space and if writing comes naturally to you, start crafting your first pieces. Publish on Medium or reach out to publications and offer to publish guest posts for free. Once you have a portfolio, launch a website featuring your work and snag paid gigs. Eventually, you can host workshops teaching others how to do exactly this!

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Filing my tax refund, because I got $600 back.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

I use Basecamp for personal project management, Slack for communication with my clients and their teams and Zotero to index my scholarly citations for blogs I am writing. I realize this is 3 different softwares, but combined, they make scientific writing/content marketing a much easier task for me.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

The Art of Happiness, because cultivating joy and happiness inside of us is the only way to sustainably enjoy them when the good things we are striving for eventually come to us.

What is your favorite quote?

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit. ~ Aristotle

Key Learnings:

• Believe in yourself or no one else will.
• Find your passion, chase it relentlessly and share it with the world.
• Make a commitment to yourself and keep it, nothing is more empowering