At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring to our community some of the finest stories from the entrepreneurship world. As part of this endeavour, we invited yet another passionate women entrepreneur – Esther Niharika Indurkar for an exclusive interview with us. Esther is an Entrepreneur, Coach, Mentor, Consultant, Change Maker and Growth Strategist. She is the Co-Founder of Indian Board of Mind & Life Transformation and Founder of Make New Ways. Let’s learn more about her inspiring journey, background and advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Esther:
Talk us through your background and your journey, please.
I come from a very small town in Madhya Pradesh. Since my Kinder Garden days, I have lived with my extended family in Jabalpur in order to get access to better education. Since I was always living away from my parents I was not a very happy child. In fact, I was a recluse and introvert child.
I did my schooling from Christ Church Jabalpur and Graduated from St Aloysius College. It was during this time that I started making friends. It was with their support that I was elected the President of the Students Council which was a pretty big deal at that time.
I realized that it was because of the way I spoke and the impact I created on the listener. It got me interested in this aspect of human behaviour and took up HR as my main elective for my postgraduate studies. I completed this from Sinhgad Institute of Management Pune.
After my post-graduation, I started working in JSW Steel as the youngest Management Trainee picked up fresh from campus. Here I got the opportunity to work with the best of the best and understand the power of human potential. I worked with stalwarts in HR and learnt a lot from them especially in Organization Development and Learning & Development.
I learnt how I as an individual have the power to impact life positively. I also picked up a love for public speaking as a host and Emcee for various corporate events.
After more than a decade and a half in the corporate industry, I felt the need to make a more meaningful contribution which is what I did as an entrepreneur & founder of 2 people-oriented companies.
As a natural progression, I started following my passion for working with people as a guide, mentor and consultant. As a mindset transformation coach, I am now following my passion of bringing in a positive shift in the lives of our youth as well women by making them aware of mindset and how to leverage its power to maximize growth.
How would you introduce yourself to our readers?
I am a changemaker, growth catalyst and mindset transformation coach. I am passionate about how our minds operate and I am constantly looking at ways to tweak it so that we can maximize our effort. I understand that we are what we are because of what we think. Our beliefs & our dreams have to be aligned and that this is what I help achieve.
I am the founder of the Indian Board of Mind and Life Transformation – a mindset training organization as well as initiatives like Youth Mentor & Women For Women – a collaborative tribe based on the principles of knowledge & networking.
What made you passionate about ‘Coaching’?
The way we lived our life a decade ago is much different from what we do. Our parent’s life was much sorted. A lot of calmness and fulfilment existed.
But with the advent of technology, every aspect of our lives is impacted tremendously and at an unprecedented pace.
My own life experiences have helped me realize how important it is to rewire our mindset if at all we need to bring in a positive shift in our lives.
Since the time I was a little girl till the time I was out of my teens, I was living with a victim mindset. I had this because I had to live away from my parents in order to get access to better education. And that only doubled up in magnitude when I lost my mother in a tragic road accident.
Only this time the hurt which was inside me was also hurting the ones around me. It took me many years to realize that I was placing my happiness in the hands of other people. I was depending on circumstances outside my sphere of control to be happy.
I realized that until I do not stop holding onto anger & anguish, I will never heal. It was then that I realized that I was telling myself a story. A victim story. And the day I changed my story, my life changed. I realized that my life was what was going on in my mind. My thoughts were controlling me. It was my mindset. And unless I change my mindset, my life will not change. I underwent a mindset transformation.
I was surprised at how quickly I could turn my life around. I became fascinated with our minds and how we can bring about drastic changes by changing our mindsets. I read about this a lot. I spoke with accomplished people who had a similar turnaround. I took formal education. And I backed it up with science & practice. And that has what got me into coaching.
As a mindset transformation coach, the purpose of my life is to bring in a positive shift in the lives of our youth as well as women by making them aware of mindset and how to leverage its power to maximize growth. I believe that every person deserves to experience this truly magical change.
‘Make New Ways’ is such a unique name; talk us through more about it, please. Our audience would also love to know what kind of problem you are solving?
Life is all about constantly making new ways. Different hurdles mean we need different ways to tackle them. While change is the only constant which will ever be, changing ourselves, our approach and our belief system are one of the most difficult and uncomfortable aspects which we have to constantly face. And yet it is a fact that when we change the approach we see immediate breakthroughs. And that is why the name Make New Ways.
Make New Ways is a transformation coaching and breakthrough venture. We do the following training – Beliefs & Thoughts, Creating Breakthrough, Peak Performance, Rapport Building, Campus To Corporate and NLP Master Trainer programs.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
I love challenges. It is the one thing which I look forward too. In fact, if at all we can wish for anything we should wish for more challenges because that’s what makes us grow.
The bigger the challenge, the more we grow. And what really motivates me to push through the challenges is the change which I am able to bring about in my client’s life. To be part of a change which can really impact my clients in a positive way is a great motivator for me.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My unwavering spiritual belief in God has always kept me going all through my life. It is the biggest source of strength which I know I can always rely on and will always be there for me.
That together with the love and support which my family extends towards me is a great source of strength for me.
My husband, my son, my sister and my father will always be the 4 pillars which hold me steady through the thick and thin of life. I know that no matter what, their love will always make me believe in myself and in my capabilities.
What do you think are the issues which our society and world at a large face? How can you contribute to making it better?
The quest for happiness in this world of information overload has made us lose touch with our inner selves. We seem to have forgotten simplicity, contentment and the very ability to stop reaching for more. We seem to be pushed into a race to do more, to be more and to get more.
As the uncertainty & chaos are increasing, there is an intense quest for peace. We seek places & practices which offer solace to our troubled minds.
I bring in ways to re-establish connections among us, to go beyond “them” & “us”, to heal self, others and the planet at large.
As a dreamer and eternal optimist, I see a world where we live in complete harmony & happiness with each other and mother earth.
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
Genuineness. I recognized that being genuine with clients, in terms of the kind of results that they will get, in terms of the time which will take really comes through as a superpower. Clients nowadays are well researched and well-read. So being genuine and honest makes them feel assured that they have come to the right place.
Also, it takes the pressure off me to be myself and speak what is in the best interest of my client even if it is not music to their ears. Never over-commit. In fact, under commitment, overdelivering and sticking to your niche is my guiding principle.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
I realize that being mindful is very important to grow as a person. We can do a job but not really be mindful of it. It does not give us feedback. It will not make us grow. On the other hand, if we do something mindfully, each and every action makes us grow significantly.
But the single most important program which I have developed and which has contributed to my growth is R.I.S.E. – Real Impact for Sustained Excellence. This is now a part of my signature program which fosters complete ownership in life.
It is the one thing which has changed my life around almost immediately. No matter what happens in life, I know that since it’s my life I will take ownership of it.
Also, I feel that my ability to take risks & venture into uncharted territories has helped me grow as a person.
What about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
To be able to see a change in my client’s lives, to be able to be a part of their progress, it is a highly satisfying feeling.
Please share with us, how do you motivate your clients?
It is a matter of changing the perspective. Almost always the client has lost focus of the goal. I try to shift their focus to the goal away from the challenges which they are encountering.
Bringing in this shift can take the application of various techniques. I bring in a belief in my clients that change is possible and that they themselves are responsible for it.
It is their challenge so the solutions will also come from them. I show them small incremental changes which motivate them to reach their goals.
I motivate them by empowering them to take responsibility for their own growth.
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
Our life is like a wheel which has many spokes to keep it in shape. Each spoke represents an aspect of life. It is very important to focus on every aspect of this wheel, especially those where we lack in order to have a balance in life. See, a wheel which is not in shape will ultimately derail our life.
Another important part of not getting bogged down by issues and staying positive is to disassociate yourself from the client’s issues and emotions consciously. In coaching, it is very important to keep these 2 separate and this is what I do.
And lastly, I work on a daily schedule keeping my focus on my short term goals which will eventually lead me to my ultimate goal in life.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
A 100% unshakable belief in yourself and your dreams is a must for success. There will be challenges. A lot of them. But we have to keep our focus on our goals and that is what will get us through difficult times.
Apart from this, I use my motto of IMLITO – It’s My Life I Take Ownership to help me find answers. And yes, gratitude keeps me grounded and humble.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
Life has many layers to it. A career is an important aspect but not the only aspect on which the wheel of our life revolves. So keep things in perspective. Work on career but work on other aspects as well.
As far as career is concerned, understand that the way we did business a couple of years back is way different from what it is now. Our textbooks have not changed at that speed. And hence you are learning outdated stuff.
So we need to extend our learning beyond books. Understand how business is done. Speak with experts. Go after your goals with a single-minded approach. Do not paddle with feet in 2 boats. But most of all try and get hands-on experience. The more experience you have the more you will learn.
The age-old quote of Charles Darwin really rings a bell here. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most adaptable to change.”
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.
