At BrilliantRead Media, it is our constant endeavour to identify and share some of the unique and compelling stories from the startup ecosystem. As part of this, we invited Pratishtha Muchhal for an interview with BrilliantRead Media. She is an Entrepreneur, Life Coach, Parenting Expert, Mentor, Certified NLP Practitioner, Consultant, Influencer and Change Enabler. She is also the Founder of Life Coach Pratishtha. Let’s learn more about her background, her inspiring journey so far and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Pratishtha:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
I was born in a business family wanting to be a businesswoman all my life. I have seen my family go through many hardships yet never complain, at least in front of us as kids. I grew up listening to teachings in the form of quotes from my grandfather, father and my mother.
As I grew older and was about to finish my teenage, I made a big mistake which bought a lot of shame to my family and my name. Although, I may want to say that was the turning point in my life. It was with the help and confidence of my family, I was able to come out even stronger.”
This incident became a reason for me to prove myself and make a stand once again. Because of this, I got engrossed in work and started with my own business at the age of 19. The decade after that saw me getting married, adjusting in the new family.
I was on a see-saw of wanting to create my mark in the business and being a daughter-in-law. Many years went by in learning and unlearning the beliefs I had as a child.”
I still worked, enhancing my creativity, making appreciable products, yet I wasn’t able to create a profitable business. I believed I wasn’t good enough, the confident girl inside me soon started questioning herself and her capabilities. In between I had my daughter and my focus changed further. For a couple of years, I struggled to find my purpose. I knew I was meant to do something but how and when was a big question mark.
I got introduced to Coaching somehow, which was a big coincidence if you believe in ‘things meant to happen’. I decided to do the certification course with no objective but to help myself and coach myself.
And here I am, a Certified Life Coach, Parenting Expert and Certified NLP Practitioner making a difference in other people’s lives with the objective of helping those who feel less of themselves.
Pratishtha with her Daughter
How did you discover your passion as a ‘Coach’?
As I mentioned earlier, it just happened. I was on a trip to Singapore, a trip I wasn’t supposed to be on. But somehow I went there and I saw my sister talking to someone on her laptop but I couldn’t hear the entire conversation.
Out of curiosity, I asked my sister what she was doing and she told me she’s a counsellor and this is how things work. She also told me about Life Coaching and that I didn’t need any academic background to become a life coach. That’s when I decided I wanted to do this course to help myself.
It was during the course, while I was doing assignments and activities and buddy coaching sessions, that I realized this was something which came naturally to me. Having heard my grandfather and my parents always teach me life skills, having gone through various events in my life at an early age made me inclined to the field of coaching even more.
The way coaching helped me clean the dust of self-doubt from my mind, and bring back positive energy and zeal, I realized there must be so many women out there who are living purposelessly and feeling empty from the inside. I simply wanted to help them because I knew if I could come out of that nasty feeling, anyone could.”
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
Yes, there are challenges, but if I keep my vision clear, and my goals clear, my actions are more focused. I didn’t expect myself to get clients in the initial few months. Had I thought that, I would have gotten disheartened and de-motivated.
My focus initially was to enhance my skills and create a solid foundation for myself. The mistakes I did in the past decade in setting up a business, I didn’t want to repeat them. My mindset and attitude are now more on the “what can happen” mode, instead of “what might fail”.
This keeps me motivated despite the challenges of having a toddler to take care of, managing a house independently, having gone through two miscarriages. I am still positive and excited about my future.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
This is a tough one. It’s like, to create a delicious dish, you need all the ingredients. Anything missing would hamper the taste of the final dish.
So in my life, the push and motivation is my grandfather, Mr. BL Somani. He passed away in 2019 but it’s his teachings and the belief he had in me that keeps me going till today. My husband, Kunal, is a witness of everything in my life. He is the one living every moment with me.
Be it a happy one or a disappointing one. My daughter, Jiya, who’s just 3.5 years old, and my grandmother, Manju, whos almost 80 years old, think I am a hero. It’s that unconditional love from them I get that makes me feel good about myself at times I feel low. My parents Kalpana Pramod Somani, and brother, Suryansh, are my foundation.
When a house is made, everyone talks about the beautiful elevation. What keeps it strong is the plinth and the strong foundation. That’s what my parents and brother are for me.
My co-sister, Asha has been my friend and a person who always listened to me in whatever I had to say without judgment or teaching. She’s been the blotting paper in my life.
And everyone else who’s tried to make my life difficult has also been a source of motivation for me. They have been the catalysts for my efforts because when you’re drowning, you try even harder.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few:
> To believe that I am capable of doing anything.
> Never say no without analyzing.
> To believe that I am solely responsible for where I am in life right now.
> To live in the moment and learn to let go.
> Learn to choose the right battles in life because we don’t realize, we tire ourselves by fighting the wrong ones and therefore are never ready for the main and big battles in life.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
First of all, success is very personal.
I may feel successful if I am able to provide everything for my daughter and live a comfortable life. For someone, success could be earning an eight-digit figure, and for someone else success could be getting recognized by the crowd and being famous.
So first of all, we all need to be clear about our definition of being successful. Success shouldn’t be measured by numbers, profits or assets. This is a stress for many because of which they aren’t able to be their best selves.
So here are a few keys to success:
(a) Defining success for yourself.
(b) Accepting & Loving yourself.
(c) Having a sense of contentment.
(d) Having a purpose in life.
(e) Knowing the reason for your existence.
(f) Taking step-by-step actions to fulfil that purpose.
What advice would you give to our readers?
If you are reading this right now, you are capable of ‘making a difference’. Not just in your own life, but to mankind. I would like to invite you to look at your life as a movie, and what is the ending you’d like to have for your movie.
We become so engrossed in our daily lives and chores, that we lose track of our motive and purpose. Having a futuristic mindset encourages us to ignore small hitches which come on our way.”
Another advice – I have is to spend some time with your own thoughts. We are capable of solving our own problems. The solutions lie inside of us. And we are the best people to solve our problems.
But spending time with yourself is extremely crucial. If you can do this on your own, nothing like it, but if you need help, coaches like me are there to help you and support you. It’s like you know how to workout, there are en-number of fitness videos free online, yet we take gym memberships and workout and have a personal trainer.
It’s because we need an environment, which can help us give our best. And having someone who can be accountable for you, is a way you can make sure to meet with your thoughts.
Last but not least, what about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
What makes my journey satisfying is the feeling of being able to help someone believe in themselves. It’s when someone gets a sense of hope because they spoke to you. That’s the most satisfying feeling.
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.
