At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring some of the meaningful and powerful stories from around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. This week, we invited yet another passionate entrepreneur Mitashi Pawar to know more about her inspiring journey and the way forward. She is a Coach, Mentor, Mental Health Coach, Counsellor and Founder of LifeBubble. Let’s learn more about her!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Mitashi:
Talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur, please;
I did my schooling from Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj. I further did my Master in Applied Psychology and post-graduation diploma in Counseling and Family Therapy. Currently, I am in the final year of Master in Education.
I work as a mental health counsellor for all age groups. I have worked for different schools, corporate and banks. I also enjoy writing on mental health for different magazines. My articles have been published in Australian Council for Educational Research, ParentCircle and The Progressive Teacher to name a few. My experience has also encouraged me to do community radio shows focusing on mental health issues.
I remember how choosing subjects in grade 11 was big stress during my teen years. I knew the stream I had to choose but was unsure of my subjects. As days passed by, my love for Psychology grew. It was an interesting field. It had a lot of practical knowledge to offer – like understanding human behaviour, learning about different therapies, the concept of mind and body and so on.”
My college years were all about Psychology and learning more about the field through different internships. While I enjoyed my college days to the fullest, I always knew I had to keep working on myself; college alone might not give me all the exposure.
I signed up for different internships in different setups – clinics, hospitals, NGOs and schools. Also, this was the only way for me to know what will work best for me in future.”
I was always keen on doing something of my own, and finally, LifeBubble happened! It took me a lot of time and experience to reach where I am today. I did everything on my own – all planning and execution were done by me.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship? Where did the idea to start something like this come from? Please tell us a little bit about LifeBibble;
I started working when at the age of 22. I always knew I needed to learn the best possible skills to ensure I am one day able to do something of my own. My first job was with a corporate as a counsellor. I travelled to different states to conduct workshops. The amount of recognition I received was overwhelming.
I never imagined myself holding a mic, standing at the centre of a stage, and addressing young students and teachers. My zeal kept me going. I worked for schools and realized my love for working with kids. Parenting became a topic of great interest to me.
As I moved forward, I started taking individual sessions. My work and skills got me numerous referrals from peers and professionals.
Gradually I learnt the importance of having something in my name. It is more fulfilling to work for yourself, as per your comfort and ethics. It does get tricky when you must follow somebody else’s timeline. While I am working with my present school, I felt the need to create my website and get going. I was contacted by a lot of companies to work for them as a resource person; to do workshops for them or take sessions for their clients. While I enjoyed doing these sessions, I wanted organisations to know me by my name and not a third person. It felt like I did all the hard work and someone else took the credit.
Eventually, I created my brand, and here I am! LifeBubble – Life and You.
LifeBubble is all about my passion for the field and to expand my practice. Since it is in its initial phase, it is yet to reach greater heights. I am blessed to have dedicated and passionate individuals to contact me for work. I love guiding them. I can relate to their queries; these are the same concerns I had back then. I aim to conduct more and more workshops and provide counselling services to organisations and individuals.”
Please share with us some of the challenges you faced in your journey;
My first big challenge was choosing the subject in grade 11. My parents did not have any knowledge of this field, neither did I. I was questioned by a lot of people on my choice of career. The number of doubts that came from all over was upsetting. Fortunately, I am not someone who gets easily affected by people’s judgement of me. I know my potential and worth. What kept me going was my passion for the subject and my positive outlook. You lose the battle the moment you let people decide things for you. It is always better to try than regret later.
I give a lot of credit to my destiny. I was destined to follow this track. I was as hopeless as any other student who is nervous about her or his career path. My hard work and destiny together helped me reach where I am in life today.
Another big challenge was my age. In a profession like mine, counsellors with more experience are respected and trusted. My colleagues at my first job often feared what if someone questions my credibility just because I was a fresher. I was sure of one thing, and that was my knowledge and the experience gained over these years. My learning during the internship came handy. I believe in one mantra – focus on the skill, do not let the age or any other factor determine your worth. People respect work, not age every time. I gathered all my confidence each time I had a seminar to host. I received a lot of personal appreciation from different school principals. It used to be a great moment of pride for me.
One more major concern was that back in 2012, there were hardly any internships available. The exposure was too less compared to the current times. I had to learn a lot of things on my own – research, study and implement. It was only when I started it hit me that what I learnt through books and what I now apply in work life is completely different. A counsellor becomes better with each case. Each client is a learning for us.
What is your Business Mantra: Money or Emotions?
I would say both. Good ethics and great work eventually assure financial stability. My work cannot exist without emotions. I never want money to become a reason for people not willing to seek professional help. There is already a lot of taboo attached to mental health; I do not want my clients to be stressed when they pay me. Hence, I try to keep the fee as reasonable as possible.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
When you love your work, the scope of feeling pressured is very minimal. It is exciting to experience those sleepless nights you spend planning your work. It keeps you going! I keep my work life and personal life separate. I love my work, but for me, my family is equally important. Everything else can wait.
People do have this notion that counsellors must be stressed and emotionally drained after listening to several personal stories throughout the day. Yes, I do get physically and mentally drained, but as professionals, with time, I have learnt not to mix emotions with work. The clients’ concerns do tend to stay on my mind through the day, but I do not tend to bring it in my personal life. I ensure I do not discuss my cases with close ones. Doing so might just tire me more and eventually frustrate me.
What has worked well for you so far?
The zeal to learn and grow is what kept me going. I love learning – be it about whichever field, whatever works. What also worked well for me is staying connected with people from the same field. You must connect with like-minded professionals.
My faith in myself is something that never let me quit.
Also, I am a very patient person. You need to wait for that success to reach you, you need to wait for people to know you, you need to wait for your time to shine. All your hard work and dedication is worth it. I have a lot more to achieve in life. I keep redefining my goals. Every time I achieve one goal, I create another one for myself. I do not believe in waiting for the right time. It is now or never.
In your opinion what is the key to success?
Never give up! Never be intimidated by somebody else’s success.
Stop thinking, and start doing. Quite often, we compare our first step with someone else’s tenth step. That is a crucial point. Either you are motivated to do something for yourself or you completely lose yourself in baseless comparisons. Start from wherever you are in life. There is never a perfect day for your dreams. Just get going and do not give up mid-way, no matter how much time it takes. Stay persistent!
We would love to know your advice for all those starting as an aspiring women entrepreneur.
I do not wish to categorise it as a man or woman entrepreneur. An individual who is passionate about the work must go for it. Not just women, but even men face a lot of challenges when working on their dreams. People often doubt and question you until they see you achieve your dreams. Your close ones are mainly worried and have a lot of apprehensions because they care for you. Give them clarity on your goals, the support then comes to you naturally.
Doubts will follow, but so will success.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
As we know, most of the organisations have moved their work online and so have I. I have offered to take webinars, internships, and personal sessions online. It has been a very comforting experience for my clients as well; especially those who are from a different state or settled overseas. It does seem tricky but to adapt with time is what keeps one going.
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.
