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 Sapana Sanghvi for an exclusive interview with us. Sapana is an Internationally Certified Image Consultant, Soft Skills Trainer and Owner of Reyou – Revive Yourself. Let’s learn more about her background, journey and advice for our community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Sapana:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
My journey into image consulting and soft skills training is inspired by personal experiences. Growing up, I struggled with insecurities about my appearance, social skills, and fitting in, especially coming from a conservative background. The lack of confidence followed me through school and college, where I often felt out of place due to my looks, etiquette, and inability to match the polished style of my peers.
I always missed having my identity, as I was a daughter, wife, daughter-in-law, mother, sister but who was I? Such thoughts would keep reverberating in my mind all the time. That day I decided I would do something of my own.
As the quote says – “the one who helps himself, is helped by all”, I began transforming myself first—losing weight, embracing my love for fashion, and finding belief in myself. But I realized confidence wasn’t just about clothes; it was about how we present and carry ourselves. Post that, I initiated helping others who might feel the same way I once did—stuck, insecure, and unsure of where to begin.
Every time I would google personality development this course called Image Consulting and Soft Skills Training would popup, discovering Image Consulting and Soft Skills Training felt like the perfect fit. It combined everything I was passionate about—style, confidence, and personal growth.
Today, I aim to help individuals become their best selves, believing that every person is unique and capable of achieving their full potential with the right guidance.
‘Reyou – Revive Yourself’ 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?
ReYou – Revive Yourself is more than just a name; it’s a revolution. My life has always revolved around my family, kids and friends. But in all this, I would often wonder about how can it revolve more around myself. That’s when I had the vision of developing something which is truly mine and that was ReYou!
I always believed that life isn’t about finding, but creating one and that everyone is unique and enjoys personalized attention and assistance, and that’s exactly how my vision became ReYou’s mission.
ReYou is about rediscovering and reviving an authentic self—helping individuals and organizations bring out their best through the ABC of Image: Appearance, Behavior, and Communication.
As the founder of ReYou and an Internationally Certified Image Consultant and Soft Skills Trainer, by combining elements of fashion, communication, and branding, I have created many bespoke programs that not only help people with personal transformations but also assist them with revamping their wardrobes, refining communication, and reshaping how they’re perceived. We’re surely here to present your best self to the world.
Despite the challenges, what keeps you going when things get tough?
I don’t remember a time when things weren’t tough or I hadn’t faced challenges. But what has kept me going is that my work goes beyond making people look good – it’s about making people feel good.
When times get tough, I focus on why I started in the first place. When I see my clients achieving success, cracking an interview, conducting a meeting well or dressing appropriately for an event, it brings me immense pleasure and feels like a personal achievement. Those “wow!” moments where they realize their worth, replace my fears with smiles.
I strongly believe that challenges are opportunities in disguise. Knowing that I’m making a difference in someone’s personal or professional life keeps me motivated, no matter how difficult the road seems.
These challenges seem less daunting when clients like my work and my colleagues, and loved ones encourage me. Knowing I have a strong support system and the ability to make a positive difference helps me rise above challenges confidently.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned in your life?
Life never stops teaching. I have made my share of mistakes, had my downfalls and have still managed to get up and walk again. I have many learned lessons, but if I have to list my top 3, it has to be the ABC of life – Asking for help, Balancing work, personal life & self-care. and Consistency.
Asking for help: As a typical Indian woman, I was made to believe that help is for weaker people. Women should be independent. They should be able to do everything by themselves otherwise, hello, feminism! I’ve realized that seeking guidance and help isn’t a sign of weakness but a strength. A vehicle can’t run on one wheel, no one achieves success entirely on their own. Hence, collaboration with others has been pivotal in my journey be it with fashion designers, digital teams, networking or delegating work. Reaching out for help has taught me the power of connection.
The Importance of Balance: I am a mother to two beautiful boys and to be honest, it’s not easy sometimes. No matter what people say, even after being an entrepreneur, being a homemaker is sort of a given role. Striking a balance between work, personal life, and self-care is not always as fancy as it sounds. However, I’ve very well accepted that you can’t pour from an empty cup—taking care of yourself and pursuing your goals is as important as looking after my loved ones. Hence, I snooze out of my duties as a mother and a wife and focus on myself when my mind and body ask for it.
Consistency: Life has taught me that change is the only constant and consistency is the only way to reach higher. Talent and hard work without consistency is just a tree without roots. It’s not like a line graph that soars up every single day, it’s like an ECG report, ups and downs but at least it reflects that I am doing something right. You can have all the talent in the world, you can work hard all day long, but you aren’t consistent with it, there’s very little that you can actually attain.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
In my opinion, there are many factors but if you really have to have the key elements then to me these are the ones:
1) Consistency is the key. Discipline takes you a long way,
2) Have a clear goal in mind. Have a vision, a purpose that you wake up to every morning.
3) Taking the Initiative to meet people, network and see what works for you.
4) Have a passion, and purpose and then take responsibility for my actions
5) Learn from the failures, have a positive attitude and accept & love yourself beyond all your mistakes and flaws.
6) And like I said before – When you stop learning, you stop growing. Never stop learning, never stop reading.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
Firstly, we HAVE to normalize 2 things – success doesn’t come easily and failures aren’t final. I am sure that people today and smart enough to Google or ChatGpt easy mantras to buy a successful career through shortcuts.
However, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee results in their favour because – “सफलता उन्हीं को मिलती है जो अपने काम से प्यार करते हैं”, Success comes to those who love their work.
Here’s my secret 6 steps formula – G.R.O.W.T.H
GROWTH
G: Goals – Have a clear purpose. Define where you want to be in the short and long term, and break down your goals into actionable steps.
R: Relationships– Start networking early. Build a network of contacts within your field, including mentors, peers, and industry professionals. Attend events, connect on LinkedIn, and don’t be afraid to reach out for advice.
O: Open-mindedness – Be open to feedback and act on it. Seek feedback from supervisors, colleagues, and mentors. Use constructive criticism as a tool to improve your performance.
W: Work Ethic – Build a strong work ethic. Show up on time, meet deadlines, and maintain a positive attitude. Show them that you are worth it.
T: Talk – Develop strong communication skills. Be clear, concise and listen actively to communicate better
H: Hone – Focus on continuous learning. Stay current with trends and developments in your field by taking courses, attending workshops, reading industry-related articles, or earning certifications.
Last but not least, what about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
Well, it’s exciting in the beginning when we start the process. Imagine getting to know a person for who they are, it’s like you getting paid to travel the world and experience culture, capturing moments, and realizing your dream to be independent.
Our clients are like our family, after all they confide in our expertise when they can’t figure it all out by themselves. It’s extremely satisfying towards the end when every single process brings visible changes in a way one had only thought of. It has always been exciting and I have a way to go to make it more satisfying.
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.
