At BrilliantRead Media, it is our constant endeavour to identify and share some of the unique and compelling stories from the startup ecosystem. As part of this, we invited Aarti Shah for an interview with BrilliantRead Media. Aarti is a Leader, Entrepreneur, Coach, Author, Trainer, Keynote Speaker, Consultant, Mentor, and Influencer. Let’s learn more about her background, her inspiring journey so far and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Aarti:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
From being a high achiever through school and college years, both academically and in sports and leadership, to becoming a double postgraduate in Human Development and Early Childhood Education, to choosing to be a housewife living in a joint family, and a stay-at-home mother for the first 15 years of motherhood, to beginning my first start-up in Financial Literacy for children and youth, to becoming a Professor to Undergraduate students of Early Childhood Education to my current role and achievement as an ICF certified Parent and Life Coach and now, Author… My journey has been extremely diverse, exciting, demanding and challenging!
I have always had varied intense pursuits from a young age, like Karate (I became a Brown III belt at the age of 16 years and was the Kata and Jukumite champion). I have been an Iyengar Yoga exponent since the age of 18 years.
I am a deeply spiritual seeker and have been closely associated with the Chinmaya Mission in my youth – I was Vice-President of their Youth Wing, engaging in seva, which included organising children’s camps, conducting weekly BalVihar Classes for children, writing articles for their monthly youth magazine and so much more.
I have been an avid traveller who has travelled the length and breadth of India and who has visited more than 20 countries.
I am a meditator (Vipassana, Transcendental Meditation) and a Reiki practitioner and have taken training under several Masters.
On the flip side, I have also had several chronic ailments in the past like spondylitis, rheumatism, high cholesterol, digestion issues, and skin problems. I have dealt with years of untreated high anxiety and depressiveness, have been nearly divorced after more than two decades of marriage, and have even been disconnected from my children in the past, for a few years.
Cut to the present, my marriage has rebooted and is in a new, regenerative phase, which my husband and I call Marriage 2.0. He and I now, are each other’s most vociferous supporters. My relationship with my adult children has beautifully blossomed into a more mature and democratic one, where mutual unconditional love, respect, communication and understanding are the new foundation.
I am in the best of health now, more than I have ever been in the past 5 decades of my life. All the chronic problems have vanished. My mental health is at an all-time high.
How did you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drove you then and what drives you now?
> My upbringing by my parents, with the highest of values and ideals.
> A strong belief in God and Karma.
> An attitude of life-long learning
> Self-discipline and consistency
> A desire to do my best at whatever I choose to do
> Surrendering to a worthy Guru, Mentor, and Coach
> Surrounding myself with a Tribe of like-minded people
> Having an accountability partner
> Giving back to society as a token of my gratitude for having been fortunate to have received so many innumerable blessings in my life.
> Respect for all Beings including me.
> Taking 100% conscious radical responsibility for any challenge in my life…there are new ones each day!
> Having a Big Picture perspective. Practising to look at everything dispassionately, as an observer who is seeing from 30000 feet above. And can see things from almost a 360-degree angle.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
Life itself is my biggest motivator and my highest inspiration. It is a non-stop journey of excitement, challenges and rewards. The people and situations in my life are the daily fuel that propels me to keep going.
Next, all the Gurus, Mentors, Coaches and Guides from different fields of life like politics, movies, sports, social work, some of whom I have had and continue to have the privilege of access to and training from, are my biggest source of inspiration, drive and motivation.
I entered a beauty pageant for the first time ever and won the runner-up title. If I can do it at my age and at this stage in life, anyone can!
What are you looking forward to in your professional life now?
Firstly, I wish to have my book, ‘Why Do GOOD People Feel Like BAD Parents?‘ reach as many parents as is possible. The book is the basis for the first level of my curriculum for Parent Coaching.
My Vision is twofold: One, to empower parents to raise children to become worthy self-assured individuals in an increasingly complex and demanding world. Children, who can go on to become worthy contributors to society.
Two, to empower all women, including mothers, to rise above the shackles that social conditioning has bound them to, like I was bound. And to boldly create their own unique identity and personal power before all their other identities, without compromising on their femininity and on the harmony in their close relationships.
My Mission is to reach out to at least one million people in the next two years actively through my individual and group outreach programs
In your opinion what are the 3 vital keys to success?
(a) Invest in yourself first – your physical, emotional, mental, social, financial, and spiritual well-being. Fill your own cup first.
(b) Have an attitude of gratitude and service towards one and all. Give back all the good to others at every opportunity.
(c) Be in the company of Leaders, Mentors and Coaches who have your highest well-being in their hearts. Surrender to their wisdom and guidance until you sharpen your own intuitive wisdom.
SUCCESS IS FOLLOWED BY MONEY and ABUNDANCE and not vice versa
What advice would you give to our readers?
Any age, any stage and any state of life is a great place to start and to start over. Each time we begin to do a new thing, we are a newborn baby in that area.
We must have patience and trust and not be hasty and restless for results. My new version started after almost 5 decades of my life on this planet. If I can do it, anyone can.
All that one needs is:
– The humility to acknowledge that a change needs to happen
– A desire to seek the required knowledge, skills, tools and guidance to bring about that change, whether in one’s personal or in one’s professional life.
– The efforts to find a suitable Guide or Coach to help you get clarity for your next set of goals, to help you chart out a road map for the new journey and to handhold you through the inevitable internal and external obstacles along the way.
– A conscious and consistent attitude of gratitude and appreciation for everyone and everything
– Life does not happen in a linear manner. Success, money, and fame can come from anywhere and only when it is due to us. It is out of our human control. What we can control is only how we wish to be at every point of time. Our goal-oriented efforts must be incessant for us to experience success.
– Don’t try to do everything on your own. Build a strong team of trusted and trained professionals who can help you magnify your efforts and carry them forward even in your absence.
– Trust and faith that if we put consistent and sincere efforts into our goal, then over time, we will succeed.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
