As part of our relentless pursuit to identify and share with our community some of the unique and compelling stories from the ecosystem, this week we invite one such trailblazer who is a powerhouse of inspiration and innovation! Meet Dr. Shikha Singh – an educationist, economist, and entrepreneur. She is an Internationally certified soft skills trainer, facili-trainer, image consultant, and published author with 20 years of experience.
From being the small-town girl with stars in her eyes and a fierce ambition to make her mark in the world, Dr. Shikha Singh possesses a dynamic persona. Her journey is equal parts passion and determination combined. “I put my heart and soul into whatever I do,” she affirms, a mantra evident throughout her stellar career.
Dr. Shikha’s path wasn’t always paved with certainty. Initially aiming for civil services, she found her calling in sharing knowledge with others – as a Faculty of Economics. Along the way, she earned her doctorate and has been a faculty member at some of the most prestigious universities and institutions across the country. (LBSIM Delhi, NMIMS Mumbai, Symbiosis NOIDA to name a few ).
However, her journey isn’t just about climbing the ladder of professional success in academics, she embraced change with open arms, and never shied of growth opportunities. From guiding students to managing administration, to later shifting gears to become a soft skills trainer and an image consultant, and starting her venture, Swabodh Studio, Dr. Shikha proves that one can rewrite the rules of success with every step through sheer determination and hard work.
Join us as we delve into the extraordinary journey of Dr. Shikha Singh as she shares her mantra of success, her challenges, and more.
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Dr. Shikha:
How did you discover your passion? Where did the idea to start something like this come from?
I have always been a very ambitious person right from my childhood. I wanted to become a civil servant and bring about a change in the society. However, when that did not happen, I started working in a school first and then joined a college as a faculty of economics.
This journey in the academic world gave me newer insights into personal and professional life as I faced fresh challenges each day, achieved laurels, and also met some incredible people along the way who taught me crucial life lessons. Eventually, it was my deeper self-introspection and self-exploration as I grew professionally that led me to where I am today.
I became aware of my capability to facilitate and lead others effortlessly thus organically transitioning into the domain of soft skills training and image consulting. I followed my heart, learning the nuances of this craft, and this newfound self-learning and self-awareness resulted in the birth of Swabodh Studio, a learning and training organization.
What makes your programs unique and innovative? What is your vision?
Our programs are highly customized and designed on the facilitative principles of training. Our focus is to meet the clients’ learning outcomes in an engaging, and fun way. Swabodh Studio conducts innovative training programs, workshops, consulting, and personalized 1:1 sessions.
We believe excellence and resounding success are achieved through self-exploration, awareness, and self-realization.
Swabodh Studio visualizes to create meaning and purpose in people’s journey, imparting the values of self-discipline, dedication, responsibility, and learning by doing.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned in your life?
Life teaches us lessons through its course and many memorable experiences have given me valuable lessons, making me stronger, better, and more self-aware.
> In a world full of influence, stay authentic. Follow your path, don’t try to copy, or follow others. It will be short-lived if it does not resonate with your true self.
> Take out time for yourself. Beyond all the madness for work, going higher in life, promotions, increments, marriage, buying a house or car, and so on, take time to introspect about what is real happiness that will make you more satisfied in life.
> Rewiring the thought patterns is essential to add more relaxation in life and think differently to move ahead.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
I feel as you move forward in life, it is important to reflect and learn from your failures and never take your success for granted.
I can speak for myself and what has worked for me so far which one may call key to success. These are:
~ Stay in action. Create a plan. Always write down what you want, this will help in giving more clarity. Give yourself deadlines.
~ Prioritize the things and concentrate accordingly. Once you do this you will be able to concentrate accordingly.
~ Don’t wait for the world to come and motivate you, find your motivation within yourself.
~ Listen to your inner self, do self-introspection, and follow your intuition.
~ Success doesn’t come to you, you go to it by your smart work, hard work, sincerity, patience, and so on.
What advice would you give to students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
Always have positive self-talk about yourself all the time. This will help you develop a positive outlook towards yourself, and the outside noises will not drown your inner voice.
We grow up with a lot of prejudices, opinions, labels, and judgments by others, which at times lead us to believe what they think or feel. It is imperative that we unlearn and re-learn about our own self through self-exploration and self-awareness.
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.
