Conversations Unplugged
with Anil Gupta
On August 26, Anil Gupta says his happiness score went from nine to one in just 35 minutes. After slipping and falling, he fractured his wrist in nine places, suffered a dislocation, and suddenly found himself facing a difficult recovery. Anil says STEMREGEN became part of that recovery, but the experience also gave him an opportunity to practice something he has spent years teaching: happiness does not have to disappear when circumstances change. In this conversation with STEMREGEN Founder and Chief Science Officer Christian Drapeau, Anil shares the simple formula he uses to bring himself back to gratitude, purpose, and joy.
Anil Gupta
Anil calls his formula “G × G × G”: give, be grateful, and grow. The first step is giving without expecting anything in return, whether that means offering time, energy, love, kindness, or support. He believes a single act can extend far beyond the person receiving it, influencing the person who gives, anyone who witnesses it, and even those who later hear the story. For Anil, learning to find more joy in giving than receiving is one of the foundations of a happier life.
The second G is gratitude, something Anil had to put into practice immediately after his injury. His wrist was badly fractured, but it was his left wrist. As a right-handed person, he quickly found something to appreciate: he could still play pickleball. He describes gratitude as a muscle that becomes easier to use the more often it is exercised. The third G is growth: emotional, physical, spiritual, mental, and financial. After his accident, Anil asked himself how he could still give, what he could be grateful for, and how the experience could help him grow. He says those questions began moving his happiness score upward again.
Christian and Anil ultimately arrive at the same idea from slightly different directions: our internal experience does not have to be dictated entirely by what happens to the body or by the circumstances surrounding us. Anil believes mastering the mind changes the way we experience life, while Christian points to gratitude as a way of moving from feeling like the victim of an event toward finding meaning within it. Asked for the single place someone should begin if they want to become happier, Anil’s answer is immediate: start giving.
