At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this endeavour, we invited Neha Ravichandran for an exclusive interview with us. Neha is an Entrepreneur, Leader, Psychologist, Counsellor, Speaker and Change Enabler. She is the Founder and Business Owner of Athreyaa Wellness. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, her background, and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Neha:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
I’m a daughter of a proud Army officer – who was in the short commission. Even though he served in the army for 10 years, but it left a huge impact on our lives and how we were brought up. My father has been a balance of authoritarian and authoritative parents. This has really helped me understand and know what I wanted or will help me grow. Mom was equally supportive and never interfered in our decision-making. This helped me take risks and learn.
However, I feel some guidance must always come from parents. As that helps the kids to learn to face responsibilities, adulting challenges and how to adjust to the world comes in handy. I was always keen on being a psychologist but during my college selection, I ended up with a Sociology (Hons) followed by an MBA from Lucknow University.”
Life took a different turn and I started working as a Human resource professional. I worked in NCR Delhi and post-marriage in Bangalore. As an HR, human behaviour, emotions, always motivated me but I felt lost due to a lack of knowledge on mental health. I stayed in the field for close to a decade. In between became a mother. Motherhood taught me a lot, I suddenly felt, I have finally entered adulthood. Being not just responsible for self but for another life. It taught me love, discipline, care and many more emotions. Within 2 years, I was blessed with another child and then the period of hardship began.
Parenting 2 kids, even with your partner and family support was not easy. I went through Post Partum Depression. Soon I realized I need to find another purpose in my life and not feel content with being a mom. This was the first time I met a psychologist and felt even I want to learn and get clarity about Human behaviour, mind and life.”
I enrolled myself in different programs starting from Image consulting, to make-up, mental health – I have completed 15 programs. MA in phycology from IGNOU, PG Diploma in Counselling Psychology – from Banjara Academy, Master’s Diploma in Art therapy, Raga therapy, Dream analysis, child psychology and many more from Asha the Hope. All was done with the help of my saving and family support to manage the kids. My parents and in-laws played an important role. These institutions and the mentors/ Teachers played a crucial role in my learning journey.
I never felt I am missing out on full-time learning exposure. These institutions helped me balance my family time and responsibilities and yet stimulate my intellectual craving. It was not easy to hustle between so many things, managing expectations and motherhood. I learned to hustle and adulting.
How did you discover your passion?
Passion is what drives me. Life must have a goal and mine is to achieve and to create more value. It can be your plan to rest, to have a vacation, to achieve a degree or be successful at work etc.
The driving force of our life is our desire to achieve something or do something. I am driven by varied passions and have not limited my desire to explore and learn. The driving force of our life is to achieve or do something.”
Most women go through a change in their lifestyle due to changing family circumstances. My desire to balance life with family and my own pursuits were very high and that started the journey to know what more I can learn to make myself more satisfied. I have always been keen on knowing why people behave a certain way. This curiosity enhanced further, post I became a mother.
Post my second childbirth, I went through postpartum depression. There was a point in my life, that I wanted to leave everything. My professional life had come to a halt and I went through a lot at work post my first child. My HR head being a woman created situations and circumstances to make things tough for me. I learnt a lot from that experience and understood the difference between a boss and a leader.
All these difficult life experiences empowered me to do something of my own. This exposed me to the corporate world. This experience and journey came in handy to handle corporate patients. I also learnt how to coexist with different cultures and respect diversity. A firm believer of healthy boundaries and assertiveness.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
I keep myself aware of the roles and goals I am in and play it accordingly. I don’t hold my identity too seriously and don’t function in auto-pilot mode. Self-awareness and being comfortable with myself have simplified things for me. I don’t live to please others or myself. My thinking directs me to understand the moment and practice mindfulness.
I have not been afraid to take any steps to upgrade my skills academically and intellectually. I have always believed that we are constantly learning and all the life experiences we go through either make us the best version of ourselves or the worst, based on how we interpret it.”
One of my mentors Dr. Asha once mentioned – ‘Hustle Wisely’. It has stuck with me since then. We all know that we have been born for a purpose, but it is not given to us on our laps. We have to face the road of life, understand our calling and then define purpose. If you will sit on it, you will have regrets when you will reach the end of the road without identifying one.”
If you have a plan A, ensure you have plans B, C. This will ensure that failure doesn’t disappoint you but to keep moving. My other mentors Sridhar Sir and Rupali Ma’am also played equally important roles in helping me understand the non-clinical and clinical aspects of my field. I am always great to all my mentors and guru’s.
My constant desire to learn has made a huge difference. When your cup is filled – you are able to share it. If you are empty -you will constantly seek validation and will look for others to tell you about yourself and miss out on self-belief.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
Happily married and a mother of two pre-teens. My partner and I hustled for a period of 7 years. This was the toughest period in our lives with differences of opinion, conflict, child care. We didn’t give up on each other and our family. We both were focused on solutions, problem-solving and each other’s strengths. We both supported each other to grow in our own fields.
I was a double Master’s; I started my practice in 2015 with providing inner and outer well-being programs to corporate clients and individuals. My work had picked up in mental health, image consulting and make-up training.
Though Covid hit and we ended up with a complete shut- down. Me and my family learnt to hustle without help. We all picked up online programs to upgrade our skills. This was a great opportunity for me as my mental health work became online. Covid brought many challenges, but I learnt that I was able to overcome those challenges and rise above my fear.
Due to covid, I was able to connect with many counselees at the global level. Presently I am focusing only in one vertical i.e. mental health as a full-time psychologist. My Academic qualifications include – Graduated from Delhi University – Miranda House, Master’s in Psychology (IGNOU), MBA(Lucknow University), Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology (Banjara Academy) CBT; NLP; REBT; Clinical Disorders; Child Psychology; Vedic Psychology; Raga Psychology, Anger Management; Art Therapy; Graphology; Behaviour Counselling; Marriage Counselling; Color Therapy; – Asha The Hope, Image Consulting (ICBI).
A good psychologist is one who is able to connect with people and lets them speak. The psychologist then brings in their own insights and expertise to work with such people without letting their own distortions affect their counselee.
I have also worked with Asha the hope for a period of two years as a freelancer to mentor family therapy and counselling students. I am also a Part of CCI, psychology India. At present, I am also pursuing PhD. In psychology.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few:
> Time Management
> Stay away from small talks.
> Upgrading myself and constantly learning.
> Identify opportunities and using them for growth.
> Family and understanding their strengths.
> Having healthy boundaries with all your relations- don’t over-expect, as it leads to disappointments, especially from the closest relations you may have.
> Mentors to look up to
> Grit and resilience
> Not waiting for the perfect opportunity for learning or growth, but using existing or sustainable resources to ensure learning is an ongoing process.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
I will say it straight that there are many factors but if you really have to have the key elements then to me these are the ones:
– Being Responsible
– Being Realistic and practical.
– Being Genuine
– Know who you are to ensure people respect and identify with it.
– Being Kind to yourself
– Being Professional – don’t mix work with friends or acquaintances
– Positive attitude
– Self-awareness to drive your life rather than being caught up in the rat race.
– Not expecting others to motivate you – self-motivator and your own cheerleader
What advice would you give to our readers?
(1) Learn to adapt to your circumstances – learn to adult and keep creating version 1/version 2 and so on of your personality.
(2) Learn financial management – don’t spend learn to save and invest.
(3) Don’t sit on problems – focus on potential and solutions
(4) Keep yourself away from toxic people – people who gossip about you, belittle you, who cannot agree to disagree, closed-minded people.
(5) Be around people with whom you share mutual respect and intellect.
(6) Create your own identity – don’t let society and other people’s behaviour decide that for you.
(7) Don’t be in AutoPilot Mode – Different situations may demand different responses. Learn to use your emotional intelligence.
(8) Don’t hold your achievements too tight as they are temporary.
(9) How you take care of your outer body and health; please take care of the inner world too as that is the foundation.
Last but not least, what about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
Getting great feedback from those who have been inspired through my social media content, through my counselling sessions/programs amps up my energy to deliver more value to them. Seeing shifts in them and in their journey makes it satisfying because I see their success as my success and their breakthroughs as mine. I have grown and understood human emotion and behaviour. I am able to clearly read and see where people are stuck and distorted being their own enemies.
All the learnings have helped me improve my counselee’s quality of life along with mine. If you are a seeker and learner – nothing can stop you to grow. Growth doesn’t mean name and fame.
Growth in different areas of your life – emotionally, mentally, financially and spiritually. Name and fame are temporary. You are content and happy in what you are doing and constantly learning.
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.
