“Soulfulness is when we allow ourselves to show up in the fullness of who we are.” – Dr Preeya Daya
In this deeply resonant episode of the Incredible Machines podcast, we sit down with Dr Preeya Daya for a conversation that touches on the core of what it means to truly belong, both to ourselves and to each other.
Key Highlights from Episode 28
Before Dr Preeya Daya ever stepped onto global stages, she learned the true meaning of inclusion from her family. Raised during apartheid South Africa, Preeya grew up in a world that wanted her to shrink. But inside her home, she was free to expand.
“My parents were in service to us before I ever knew what service meant,” she reflects. Service, when rooted in love, is the original act of leadership. This foundation of dignity laid the groundwork for how Preeya would come to define diversity, as a continuous effort to making others feel seen, safe, and whole.
In corporate or educational settings, she insists that inclusion is not about “fixing” others, but about allowing all people to show up fully, especially those who don't feel seen.
“People are longing to be able to show up as themselves. What separates them from that? Their own permission, and the organisation’s permission.”
Preeya reminds us that diversity and inclusion start with the inner work of self-acceptance, then ripple outward into the spaces we create for others.
In a world that too often measures worth by productivity and perfection, Dr Preeya says that self-love is the foundation from which a sustainable sense of identity emerges.
“Self-love is the grounding that holds us stable,” she says, and ignoring that internal compass leads to burnout, detachment, and the collapse of purpose. True inclusion must begin within, by nurturing an inner safe space that is accepting and whole. Only then can we show up fully for the world around us.
In a world obsessed with speed and performance, Preeya champions slowness and silence as leadership traits. Her time in remote monasteries, the mountains of Tibet, and her Kilimanjaro climb offered her a counterpoint to the urban hustle, a place where people aren’t performing, but simply being.
These experiences, she says, taught her how to carry that peace into the chaos. For Preeya, inclusion doesn’t just mean inviting everyone to the table. It means creating a table sturdy enough to hold all of who we are, including the parts we’re still learning to love.
“You are enough, and you are beautiful the way you are.” – Dr Preeya Daya
Advertising Campaign Mentioned
Australian Human Rights Commission campaign: Preeya chose this campaign because it highlights unconscious bias and the ways in which people unknowingly enact prejudice. She values the ad’s message of silence and inaction reinforcing discrimination, and she is moved by its call to consciously see and challenge these divisions.
What We Can Learn from Dr Preeya Daya