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 Shweta Goswami for an exclusive interview with us. Shweta is an Entrepreneur, Leader, Trainer, Coach, Mentor, Influencer and Change Enabler. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, her background and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Shweta:
We are aware of your contributions to the ecosystem; talk us through your background and your journey, please;
I hail from Pune and I’m 40 years old. I have been a corporate trainer for soft skills and communication for over 15 years now. I always enjoyed training and coaching others. Perhaps, that’s the reason 15 years elapsed so quickly and I never realised I was working.
It has helped me discover my own purpose and passion in life.
I am a people person and love human interaction. My training skill helps me empower & uplift individuals to shape their careers and build personal awareness.”
I believe in encouraging and motivating women to develop their skills and build their resilience to be prepared for the challenges ahead and become leaders.
As far as my journey is concerned, I loved it and still enjoying each training session. To me it is quite enriching and fulfilling, that’s why I chose it over other verticals.”
Training exposes me to a world of different nations, cultures, and the greatest diversity of personalities. It has broadened my sociological insight through learning from my learners’ own experiences.
“I enjoy the collaboration with other professionals, and the creativity needed to consider the needs of different types of learners.” All of these have inspired me to come this far as a successful soft skills trainer.
What were the challenges that you faced in your journey?
Well, I believe challenges are everywhere, as a woman I have faced various challenges such as, Gender Bias and Stereotyping, challenges in establishing networks and connections and also as I started young, people were very judgemental of my calibre and took time to take me seriously, then there are family responsibilities and work-life balance is always a challenge in India for working females, however, I have been a fighter and when I look back, every challenges that I faced has made me a more mature, better and a stronger person.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
My love & passion towards my work and my goals in life help me stay motivated. I love training and mentoring because every single day I make a difference in someone’s life which goes far beyond knowledge.
I inspire, support, mentor and get the chance to discover and share some of the best parts of myself as a human being.
How difficult is it to make a mark in this male-dominated industry? How did you manage to succeed despite all odds?
Unfortunately, our reality as women is that we still face workplace challenges. Being a woman in a male-dominated industry means that you will experience ageism, sexism, and possibly sexual harassment throughout your career.
I too have faced these difficulties but I strongly believe & trust in myself. I Stand up for myself and others when needed and continue to climb toward my goals. Instead of getting distracted or negative one should continue to Focus on what your current job can bring you, along with developing the extra skills, industry knowledge you can take with you to the next job.”
To put my thoughts into actions I am now associated with IWRA where I can passionately work towards women’s empowerment & development and help needy women develop the same trust and belief in themselves to face the challenges of life.
Talk us through some of the difficult decisions you had to take?
There have been many decisions in life which were never easy however there are 2 toughest decisions that I have ever made in my life. The first one was about to choose my career, my family wanted me to be a doctor and convincing them that I was least interested in the medical field was one, the second was to start working when my son was not even a year old.
Its always difficult for a mom to fight the guilt of sharing your time to anything when you have a baby, however when I look back, I feel I made the right choices.”
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
I am very confident and a good communicator and can easily relate to others. I also enjoy learning new things and am always looking for new learning opportunities. This really helped me grow as a person.
I believe that the best and most practical way to grow as a person is to face and overcome difficulties. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and boost your self-confidence.
What about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
The transition from a normal girl to a self-made human has never been easy, but I’ve enjoyed every moment of my journey so far. Training and mentoring have been a huge help to me.
While training and coaching others I too have learned from everyone I know I’m not perfect, so I am shameless to ask for help. I like to focus on one thing at a time. I am also very satisfied with the fact that I can manage my family and friends and enjoy life while working.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
Success for you may not be the same as a success for someone else. Build high self-esteem Believe in yourself, be confident, love yourself, feel good about yourself, and be proud of what you do. Stay Positive and Focused.
Always expect the best possible outcome for what you do. Successful people know that they must start achieving achievable goals. These goals aren’t always easy to but striving for something can help you move forward and overcome obstacles.
What advice would you give to aspiring women who wish to take up the same profession as yours?
I would love to guide them through my own experiences and help them inculcate the relevant skills & knowledge to excel in this field.
India needs more strong and empowered females who can believe in themselves and be instrumental in bringing a change in society.
I intend to take this to the next level with all my might and also my association with Lions clubs International as I am a member of the club where our mission is to uplift the women and empower the youth of our country.
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.
