Hi, my name is Rohan Gowda. I am currently a high school student in Tampa, Florida. I love running track, studying history, and traveling to new places with my friends and family.

When I was in eighth grade, I was diagnosed with a speech impediment. I was already very shy about talking to new people and my speech issues only made me more self-conscious. However, my parents told me I shouldn’t let this discourage me from putting myself out there. So, I decided to go outside my comfort zone and purposefully speak to new people.

In the summer of my freshman year, I started to interview people. Initially, I started talking to my parents’ close friends and people with whom I had some prior relationship. I really enjoyed talking to people and learning from them. So, I decided it could be informative and productive to start asking them specific questions about their life journeys. I thought that if I asked them similar questions, I would be able to compare their experiences and learn from them.

I realized that through my parents and friends, I could meet fascinating and successful people in many different industries. I needed to find a format that considered the time constraints of my interviewees as well as the particular hindrances that my impairment posed to me. After some brainstorming, Five Under Five was born! – an interviewing platform where I ask successful people five questions about their life experiences in five minutes (Though to be honest, most of my interviews are usually about 10 to 20 minutes long because my interviewees are very generous with their time).

I wanted to learn about people’s success stories – not just what they achieved, but HOW. I wanted to ask them about their mindset and their process so I could apply some of these techniques and bits of knowledge to my own life. The concept evolved slowly over the first year. At first, I would just set up meetings at family get-togethers when my interview subjects were already hanging out with my family. But I realized that if I could schedule these interviews and record them, I would be able to share them with others like me because much of the advice that I was hearing in my discussions was applicable across careers and fields of study.

I have had the honor to interview many people including professional athletes, corporate leaders, and other leaders in my community; all of whom have inspired me. I’m excited to share these interviews and the invaluable knowledge and life lessons they hold.

I set up this website with videos of all my interviews in the hopes that I can give others access to all of the incredible people I have had the privilege of speaking to. They have been edited down to provide the most important information in a short amount of time. Thank you for visiting 5under5.net.