He spent two decades in banking and oil and gas before walking away at 47 to figure out what he actually wanted.

📥 Grab the Sri Lanka Podcast Tour Magazine: https://stan.store/TheCreativeOdysseyPodcast/p/get-inside-the-creative-odyssey-magazine?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio

Farhaz Farouk grew up between Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and Bahrain before spending 15 years in banking and later becoming CFO of an oil and gas holding company. At 47, he quit to finish an MBA — and never went back to corporate life. He returned to Sri Lanka at 48 and rebuilt himself as a coach, trainer, and consultant, now serving as Country Director of Morphosis Coaching.

This conversation covers:
- Why "one-size-fits-all" coaching and training fails clients
- The difference between managing and leading, and the ego mistake behind most bad leadership
- How business cards without job titles changed the way Farhaz saw hierarchy
- Why he intentionally keeps his coaching fees flexible to make the profession more accessible
- The Ikigai framework, and how to apply it to your own life

Farhaz's story isn't about a dramatic reinvention — it's about slowly giving himself permission to build a life around what he's actually good at and drawn to, instead of what looked responsible on paper.

CREDITS:
Hosted by Sheran Ranasinghe
Produced by Odyssey House Media
Guest: Farhaz Farouk, Morphosis Coaching

Send Us A Message! We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Support the show

Two failed startups. A biscuit pudding business that lasted until the second COVID wave. A viral hotel video shot on an iPhone 6S with a GoPro. A $15 Fiverr order that became film school. This is how Hashan Hettiarachchi built Three Circles — a creative production and events company now operating across Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

📥 Get the Sri Lanka Podcast Tour Magazine — free download:
https://stan.store/TheCreativeOdysseyPodcast/p/get-inside-the-creative-odyssey-magazine?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio

In this episode, Hashan breaks down the whole arc — losing his hospitality job during COVID, the relationship that suppressed his creative ambitions, the moment he sold every collectible he owned to stay financially alive, and the inner child he says is still running the whole operation at 35.

Topics covered:
- Why two failed startups were the education no course could give him
- Walking shop to shop with 25 cups of biscuit pudding and getting rejected everywhere
- The viral hotel video that proved equipment doesn't determine outcome
- Learning Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and camera settings from YouTube and Fiverr
- How a $15 editing order became the foundation of a media company
- The partner who held him back and the wife who didn't
- Selling his entire collectibles collection during the hardest stretch
- Why he still calls Three Circles a prototype at 35
- His honest take on AI in the creative industry
- Why motivation is old-fashioned and discipline is the only thing that works

Hashan Hettiarachchi is a Sri Lanka-based entrepreneur, filmmaker, concept developer, and event planner. He is co-founder of Three Circles, a creative production and events company handling prestige events across Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Connect with Hashan:
Instagram: instagram.com/hashan__hettiarachchi
YouTube: youtube.com/c/HashanVlogs

Connect with the show:
Instagram: instagram.com/thecreativeodysseypodcast
Sheran: instagram.com/sheranstories
Email: thecreativeodysseypodcast@gmail.com

Listen everywhere:
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/12SGsSsLz4DqlLFwxigjXX
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/the-creative-odyssey-podcast/id1750306317
Buzzsprout: thecreativeodysseypodcast.buzzsprout.com

Send Us A Message! We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Support the show

For 25 years, Lizzie Ranasinghe insisted she wasn't creative. She drew constantly. She did calligraphy. She built her own greeting card business on the side. And she still believed the myth that creativity belongs to a certain kind of person.

This is the first episode of Producer Talks — a new series where Sheran sits down with his producer (and wife) Lizzie to take apart eight myths about creativity that quietly convince capable people they don't qualify.

They get into why creativity isn't innate talent but a rewireable skill, why the "creative and organized" dichotomy is false, why waiting for inspiration is backwards, why originality is mostly myth, and why perfectionism might actually be proof you're doing the work right, not evidence you're doing it wrong.

Topics covered:
Creativity as a trainable skill, not a fixed trait
Why creative people need systems and habits, not chaos
The role of action in creating inspiration, not the other way around
Creative versus logical thinking as a false choice
When to follow the rules of your craft and when to break them
Why nothing is fully original, and why that's fine
Consistency versus perfectionism in creative work

If you've ever doubted whether you count as a creative person, this conversation is for you.

Send Us A Message! We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Support the show