At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring to our community some of the finest stories from the entrepreneurship world. As part of this endeavour, we invited yet another passionate entrepreneur – Sonnia Singh for an exclusive interview with us. She is an Entrepreneur, Leadership Coach, Mentor, Leader, Author, Speaker and Sales Strategist. Let’s learn more about her inspiring journey, background and advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Sonnia:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem, talk us through your background and your journey, please;
I grew up in the environs of the Indian Army Cantonments all over India. I did my high school from the prestigious Daly College, Indore and my graduation from LSR College in Delhi.
I have worked in corporate roles for over two decades and primarily in Sales & Marketing, Customer Management and Training. I have always been actively involved in different assignments that honed creativity and built on strategy.”
I have led successful teams and developed some exceptional managers. I enjoy developing people and wanted to make it a profession for myself. I was helping a lot of my friend’s kids with their queries on what subjects to take up in 11th and which college to pursue abroad, how to write the personal statements for admissions etc.
I also went through some tough situations at work and a coach helped me through that and it gave me the incentive to do good for others struggling in the workplace. So I re-oriented myself and took up certifications in career counselling, studying overseas and also took up life & executive coaching.
I now dedicate my time to my businesses. I work with students and young professionals to identify their career streams best suited for their aptitude and interest determined through a career assessment.”
I work with the parents and young professionals to plan their career path and also plan for their education abroad if they are intent on pursuing higher studies in an overseas college.
I am passionate about human potential and work closely with smart folks who want to take charge of their life and careers. I help people navigate through life & career transitions and help them develop from good leaders to great leaders.
What made you passionate about ‘Coaching’?
The passion to help others live their best lives is what drives me, especially since I have myself experienced the power of coaching and how it can transform one from within.
All of us have that capability and just need to be guided correctly. Coaching is a solution-focused approach to personal development in any area of your life ranging from relationships to investments to leadership capability building. It focuses on the present time to build a rewarding future.
I am honoured when I am approached to help people through coaching and I welcome the co-creative process that it is. Through coaching, I have met some incredible people with remarkable stories and it is a privilege to work with them.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
Self-belief and confidence in myself are my strongest pillars for support. The thrill I hear from my clients when they finally achieve what they set out as a goal for themselves rings beautifully in my ears.
Empowering others to transform and grow is the best gift I have given myself and seeing people succeed is what keeps me going.
Curiosity is what drives me – I am an eternal learner. I am excited about the next day, the next turn in my life, the next step my client has taken and the opportunity to create the future the way I want it.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My parents have constantly been a source of inspiration for me. I have observed from young life the sacrifices my parents made to ensure that their children are comfortable.
The Army has been a great family where there is no religious or cultural divide and taught me to treat everyone well. My life experiences have taught me to be self-reliant and be in a position to help others.
This power of building on the learning experiences from childhood and managing and controlling my own life is the biggest source of motivation for me.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few:
1) Being Straightforward
2) Practicing Forgiveness
3) Having the Courage of Conviction
4) Taking Risks
5) Self-Care
6) Communicating Effectively
Please share with us, how do you motivate your clients?
I love working with my clients and boosting their progress. I do it through accentuating their positives and co-create goals with them that are achievable and can be broken into mini-goals.
Building accountability and keeping the focus on the ultimate victory is a great way to track progress. Rewarding the achievement of the mini-goals is motivating for both my client and me.
And last but not least make it fun – my clients and me both look forward to my sessions.
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
My motivation comes from living life fully. I have learnt to live in the present and enjoy what is happening now and create wonderful memories for tomorrow.
Throughout my corporate roles I have worked with some exceptional leaders who greatly appreciated my contribution and set the tone for me to always give my best always.
I am constantly learning and finding opportunities to enhance my learning curve and that really keeps me going. I inculcate hobbies that unleash creativity and enhance my growth – Reading is a great hobby that I have revived recently, I love to bake and gardening is something that is literally growing on me! I work on my fitness and go for a run and a walk at least 4 times in a week.
I used to like to write and have recently published a book – “The Turning Points 1965 War“ – which chronicles real incidents that turned the situation around and changed the History of our Country forever.
It is also my tribute to some of the Heroes of our Armed Forces who sacrificed for our Nation and who we know so little about. And, of course when I hear that my students and clients have done well and achieved their goals – it’s the ultimate motivator!
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
Success is a journey, not a destination.
In my opinion, the following are the keys to success:
(a) Being Responsible
(b) Discipline
(c) Patience
(d) Goals
(e) Be prepared
(f) Expect the Unexpected
(g) Perseverance
(h) Strong work ethics
(i) Integrity
(j) Positive attitude
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
As young people embark on their careers, it will help them to keep the following tips as career advice to make it easy to navigate their careers:
– Get out of your comfort zone –step forward to work on a different project, or get some cross exposure to a different function. These are all opportunities to grow.
– Build your network – Your network is your net worth, not your paycheck. Invest time to expand your network.
– Connect with mentors – someone who is 5-10 years ahead to where you want to be can guide you well and help avoid pitfalls. Different stages in your life will require different mentors.
– Set goals – For yourself – what would you like to accomplish personally or professionally 5 or 10 years from today? Work backwards and see what you should do now, in a year and in 3 years to get there.
– Keep learning – it never finishes. Grasp the opportunity and sign up for more certifications, courses etc. which expand your knowledge are steps to meet your goals.
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.
