As part of our relentless pursuit to identify and share with our community some of the unique and compelling stories from the startup ecosystem, this week we spoke to yet another passionate entrepreneur Madhulika Appasani to understand more about her inspiring journey, her vision and the way forward. Madhulika is a Life Coach, Entrepreneur, Leader, Change Enabler and Consultant. She is the Founder of Madhulika Appasani Coaching. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey so far!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Madhulika:
Talk us through your background and your journey, please;
I did my BBA from Symbiosis Center for Management Studies, Pune & MBA from IMT, Hyderabad in 2014. I worked for over 5 years in Construction & Fin-Tech Industries before getting into Coaching full time. I have good exposure in various departments like technology, risk analysis, project finance & corporate finance.
My journey into being a life coach was quite accidental. I’ve been exposed to the coaching market since 2017, however, as a client. I’ve seen tremendous transformation in my mindset & my potential.”
During my maternity break, I realized a shift in my priorities & wanted to be more available for my baby doing something meaningful at the same time.
After evaluating my options, I decided to pursue Life Coaching Certification in Jan 2019 as I truly found the work beneficial and complementing the lifestyle I aspired to. Over time, many women started coming to me for advice on balancing motherhood, relationships & passion.
Helping them made me realize that this is the need of the hour & now I specialize in ‘productivity for moms of young children’.
What made you passionate about ‘Coaching’?
I have three reasons why I am crazily passionate about the work I do.
To begin with, the transformation I’ve seen in myself! Right from handling negative thoughts, to communicating better to taking consistent action – I’ve personally experienced the change in me.”
And the fun part is – it was always in me…I just didn’t see it. My coach made me see my potential. I wish that everyone sees the best in themselves!
Secondly, I truly believe if someone is ambitious and a high achiever, with a little guidance they can climb huge mountains. And I love decoding their dreams along with them. It gives me a lot of thrill to be a part of someone’s transformational journey.
Furthermore, I deeply believe that each one of us is born to contribute in a big way. It’s not just about us and our dreams. At a point when all our personal desires are fulfilled our cup of love overflows and it moves into a contribution to society. And I love seeing this journey of self-fulfilment and living a charged life with my clients.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
Over time I’ve stopped seeing things that come in my way as challenges. I believe that in order to grow, we need to go through the daily hurdles.
The larger the vision the more common the hurdles. So better to get used to the entrepreneurial journey.
“Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new centre of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a way to stand.” – A strong quote by Oprah is always on my mind.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My father and father-in-law. I’ve learnt amazing life and business lessons from both. They have gone through a lot in their personal and entrepreneurial journeys.
They have a strong solution-oriented mindset and a positive perspective on life. They have a larger-than-life vision which is very inspiring.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few:
1) Being mindful at all stages
2) Clarity in my priorities
3) Courage in asking for what I want
4) Being kind while setting boundaries
5) Practicing gratitude – seeing the good in everything
6) Being comfortable being uncomfortable – I try to push myself just a bit every week
Please share with us, how do you motivate your clients?
My clients have big dreams for themselves and generally come to me when they feel stuck due to some internal or external factors.
In my experience of coaching over 1000 people so far, I realized most of these can be solved if we have the following:
(i) Growth mindset
(ii) Assertive Communication
(iii) Clarity In Our Vision
(iv) Courage To Set Boundaries
(v) Discipline To Take Continuous Action
I help my clients gain the above skills with the right tools and strategies.
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
Honestly, I’m not ALWAYs positive. I do go through emotional ups and downs. However, most times, I bounce back to a positive mood relatively quickly.
I like to honour my feelings. To me, feelings are feedback from our inner self. So, I allow myself to ‘feel’ negative. I give myself some time to acknowledge and accept the way I feel.
Then, the question is – How is that feeling serving me? I ask myself what action or inaction I need to take to address this negative feeling. Once I know that I accept what I can change and what I can’t. This helps me stay grounded.
Finally, I set an intention to flip to a positive mood. Here’s my secret – I train my mind to be positive. And my motivation is – “Happy Mood is a Productive Mind” and hence I believe if one is ambitious, they need to learn the art of being happy.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
The word success is an extremely personal word. It has many definitions and many layers.
To me, Success means ‘balancing all my priorities and living a fulfilled living while doing impactful work’. For me – my family, work, happiness, self-care & social life are all important. Success to me is having all of them in the right proportions.
The key to success, according to me, is the courage to dream big while being grateful for what you have.
What advice would you give women who want to balance their passion and family?
(a) Believe that you are born to do something big.
(b) Believe that you can do it – even if no one believes in you.
(c) Believe that you can do it – even if you don’t have enough trust in yourself yet.
(d) Believe in yourself even if nothing around you changes.
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.
