Women Like Me Stories & Business
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Are you ready to embark on a captivating journey of business success and personal growth? Look no further, because Julie Fairhurst is here to enlighten and empower you through her incredible podcast.
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a curious mind, or simply seeking motivation and inspiration, this podcast is a treasure trove of wisdom and guidance. Gain practical tips, innovative strategies, and actionable advice that you can apply to your own life and business endeavors.
Julie Fairhurst's passion for storytelling, combined with her extensive experience in the business world, makes "Women Like Me Stories & Business" a must-listen podcast for anyone craving insight, motivation, and a newfound sense of purpose.
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Women Like Me Stories & Business
Finding Your Power Beyond Burnout - Padma Dayananda
When was the last time you felt truly seen and heard? For award-winning tech professional Padma Dayananda, a dramatic wake-up call changed everything. After collapsing at her office and being rushed to the hospital, she discovered what many high-achieving women experience but rarely acknowledge – her body had been screaming for attention while her mind kept pushing forward.
"I used to dream of Excel sheets and project plans and strategies," Padma reveals in this raw, honest conversation. "I thought I'm really good at it, I love it, I thrive in this, until one day I collapsed." That terrifying moment – believing she might never see her 10-month-old daughter again – marked the beginning of a profound transformation. What followed was a journey into unprocessed grief, the discovery of "radical gratitude" as a daily practice, and eventually, the courageous decision to walk away from a 24-year career when organizational changes conflicted with her core values.
Padma shares game-changing concepts that have reshaped her approach to life and work: the power of pausing to identify what's truly holding you back, expanding your "circle of influence" by stepping into discomfort, and using the "visceral vision" technique to operate from a place of achievement rather than lack. Her story of advocating for exploited children in Indian construction sites demonstrates how one person can create meaningful change by simply asking, "What would I like to do?" rather than waiting for others to solve systemic problems.
For women feeling invisible or stuck in their careers, Padma offers both validation and practical guidance. "How many of you have sat at a table and shared your idea, people look at you and move on, then somebody else repeats the same idea and they're like 'wow, gravity has been discovered'?" Her coaching now focuses on helping women shed this "cloak of invisibility" and elevate their personal brand beyond organizational titles. Ready to reclaim your power? Connect with Padma through the links in our show notes to discover what might be holding you back and take your first steps toward transformation.
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Who is Julie Fairhurst?
Julie Fairhurst – Speaker, Author, and Founder of Women Like Me
Julie Fairhurst is a champion for women’s empowerment and the founder of the Women Like Me Book Program. Since 2019, she has published 30 books and 300+ true-life stories—at no cost to the writers—giving women a platform to heal, inspire, and reclaim their power. Dedicated to breaking generational trauma one story at a time, Julie’s mission is to uplift women emotionally and financially, helping them create better lives for themselves and their families.
Well, hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Women Like Me, Stories and Business, and today I have a great guest. I'm thrilled to welcome Padma Dayanada. Did I get that right? Yes, oh, yay, okay Now. She's award-winning woman in tech, a fierce advocate for social sustainability and a coach helping women carve out meaningful careers without compromising their values. Now I have read quite a bit of information about Padma and she's going to be very helpful to all of us today on this podcast, because she's lived some stuff that she's got some great lessons to help us all. So, welcome and thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Julie. It's a pleasure being here. I've heard some of your earlier talks and conversations. They're so powerful and life changing, so I'm looking forward to being part of this. Oh well, thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's start with your early years. So what was it like growing up? Because you grew up in India, but you also lost your mom at a really young age mom at a really young age.
Speaker 2:Yes, so my dad was in the army and hence we had a very interesting life traveling around every two, three years, moving to a new school, new city and India. Moving to a new city is almost like going to a different country in the Europe right New language, new culture, new cuisine. But it was fun, was fun, you know. You had the sense of adventure and adapting, so I really enjoyed that and I think that has built a lot into what I am today in terms of resilience to change. And I lost my mom when I was 12 and she had a health condition and things. She was such a strong woman that she never let us know or let us feel how unwell she was. She was getting all the treatment, but that, yeah, but you know, as a kid, as 11 year old, you go with what you see, that's yeah, and we always felt she was fine, she's going to be there, um, so it.
Speaker 2:It was very sudden for me though I should have been more prepared, I guess and at that time there was no grief therapy, uh, concept, so it was like it was just my dad and me saying let's get on with life and trying to be strong for each other and everyone who comes and says the same thing. You've got to be strong for your dad and they said that you should be strong for her. Um, so we just got on and and I think I put on a pretense of strength to it was my own coping mechanism. Uh, I became this life of the party, the cheerful person, leader of the group, loud and fun, and over a period of time I started believing that to be me. That is me. I have to be cheerful, I have to be the heart of the party when I go in and I have to lead things. I have to make my mom proud. I think that was a very strong message for me.
Speaker 2:It was because my mom was this constant figure at home who helped me adapt. When we moved to a new city, I had to learn a new language. She would learn and then teach me and she would want me to excel in academics. She was a typical Indian mom of those times for whom, because she didn't have those opportunities, she wanted me to really excel in academics. So that stayed with me. I made sure I was always top of the class, top of the school, top of the city. I had to be the top at everything I do and it went well until I think. Much, much later in life I realized that that was a baggage of scouting, that that was a baggage of scatting. I was trying to constantly prove myself to an expectation of belief in my head and that was tiring yeah.
Speaker 1:I read when you wrote me a little bit about yourself and you said that you were a high achiever and you had to win at anything you pursued. That must have been exhausting.
Speaker 2:Yes, it does, and the thing is I didn't realize it. I think most women don't realize it, because you think when you're enjoying something, it is not stress. If you're enjoying it and hence you're doing 16 hours of it, it is not stress. I used to dream of Excel sheets and project plans and strategies and winning bids and I thought I'm really good at it, I love it, I thrive in this, until one day I collapsed at office, yeah, and I didn't know. I was rushed in the ambulance.
Speaker 2:In Indian traffic, the 10-minute ride can feel like an hour and I thought that's it. I'm not going to see my 10 month old daughter again. Because I couldn't breathe and I thought my chest was clamping. It was actually a panic attack, but I didn't know. Then it felt like a heart attack. It's all blacking out. It was that 10 minute scary journey to from the hospital, from office to the hospital. That was an awakening and when the doctor said it was a panic attack, I was like that happens to somebody else. Panic attack happens to people who are stressed and people I'm not stressed. I love doing this. So many of us have normalized burnout and stress until the body reminds you that this is not normal and it is broken down and you don't need to wait till then for that reminder. So that was my moment of awakening, wow.
Speaker 1:I did 34 years in sales and towards the end I for a simple task, I would freak out. I was actually starting to stutter, I couldn't believe it and I realized okay, julie, you're done, you're you know, you're done. Yeah, but the same thing. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go go achieving same thing. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go achieving getting the money, getting the success, all of that but it's no good to you if you go plump and you're done.
Speaker 2:I literally went plump before a big client meeting and I'm so glad that happened at that point when my body could recover and I went down this kind of exploration into why it happened. And that's when I met a counselor, then a therapist, and figured out it was unresolved grief. I was trying. My body had unprocessed grief stored in different parts of my body and it was constantly on high alert. To you know, will I fail in this, will this? So everything was fight and flight for me. Yes, yeah, and just phenomenal.
Speaker 2:From then my life turned into a more meaningful journey I took. I went down uh, art of living, a lot more breathing techniques, being more aware of what my body is saying. I started being an advocate of mental health to my team and I continue to be right. I notice burnout before it happens in my team. Even when they say it's okay and they're responding to a mail at midnight, I'm saying I don't want you to respond at midnight. I think that empathy needs to be talked down because when you appreciate somebody working very late, you're setting that example for others.
Speaker 2:But when I tell the to a wider audience in a mail. Please don't respond to any mail update because I I'm working from a different time zone. I don't expect you to be responding immediately. I send when I'm able to you respond in your work hours. So those boundaries either you set it for yourself and, if you can, set it for other members in your team and people you work with.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is such great advice because we are such a do it now, get it now. You know we're walking, oh, my phone went off. You know what's going on, you know and, and, and we're just, we're in that, and I think that you're so right. We need to take a take a breath and set boundaries and just say Okay, that's it.
Speaker 1:I remember, years ago, I got a page to call someone. I didn't even really know what it was about, and they used the word it's urgent. So I, of course, I'm lying in bed, I see this, I get up, I call I don't know if it's about my kids, what is it about? And it's someone who said oh, I was just looking at your ad and I lost it. I said look, please don't use the word urgent at 11 o'clock at night to call people. And I don't even I'm not talking to you, just but. But but you know, I mean, if they had to use the word urgent, I wouldn't have got up, but my is, though, that they might not have used that word, and I might have saw it and thought oh, I should just get up and respond to that. I should just deal with this now. And it's cutting into our sleep. It's cutting into our peacefulness.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. There's so much of stimuli around us nowadays, as you said, the ting, the ta-da-da-da, the ting sound, all of that gives a blood rush, right? Yes, different reactions to your body I've seen, if I have my phone next to me, as much. I remote Facebook, I remote all social media for, I think, four weeks to get into the habit of not swiping screens. Yes, weeks to get into the habit of not swiping screens. But still, even if it is not there, I would pick up the phone and keep touching the spaces, a body, you know where, the empty space of where the Facebook used to be. Or I would go to WhatsApp. After some extent, I was opening my bank account Not that every 10 minutes anybody is depositing money, but that's the only path I could open.
Speaker 2:It is so deeply ingrained yes, that it takes 21 days for any habit reboot, something which I talk to my clients about. Uh, these things are very long drawn and sometimes it has to be physical, so I put my phone physically away from me and there is such a temptation the minute I see it there's an urge of there must be something urgent. Then I started disabling wi-fi and mobile data because the school would call on the direct line. That's the only thing I should be concerned about. That's the only thing that is urgent, right?
Speaker 2:if my children's school is trying to reach me, that's. I would disable wi-fi and mobile data and leave the phone and, believe me, suddenly I can hear the birds singing. I would actually savor things around me. And this has also come with practice. I've been doing this practice of savoring and it's fascinating. I've seen these flowers for ages around me. I have a beautiful view of the garden, but I never look at it, I never take in that beauty, never breathe and say I'm grateful. So I started practicing and I think all the listeners would love.
Speaker 2:This is called radical gratitude. I learned it on a course called uncertainty experts and it's dramatically changes your perspective of life. So what it does is, if you're stressed about something or just your mind is wandering and jumping across different things that you need to do, take a moment and be extremely grateful for something simple. But it's the idioms that gratitude. It could be as simple as my children have read school am I. I'm having this cup of tea, I have a home and I'm just here. I can hold it and, you know, start feeling it with all the five senses, the sense of gratitude, and it comes with practice and minute you do that, everything else doesn't seem as catastrophic as it seemed few minutes back.
Speaker 2:Gosh, I need to send this proposal. I have not prepared for this podcast. I have not sent this deliverable, I'm lagging in my plan, but the minute you say but it truly matters, I'm healthy, I feel good, I don't have pain today. We always notice when you have pain. We never notice when I don't have pain today. We always notice when you have pain. We never notice when you don't have pain. That's right. I don't have pain today. I'm able to take a deep breath. And then you build that practice. It's called radical gratitude. If you Google it, you'll see people who have been in extreme cases, like prisoner of war or in prison etc. They have used that to get through those difficult times and that activates a different side of your brain which calms down and says and brings the safety net. Your body and mind feels we are safe and from the place of safety you think with more clarity.
Speaker 1:I love that. Gratitude changes lives. I love that. Thank you so much for sharing that. Oh, can I ask you about, I'm curious. So you, you quit a 24 year career, a job, that so what was? Was that because of the, of the panic attack? Was that what was happening or what happened?
Speaker 2:15 years back. Oh, so it was from then my approach to career changed and since then, actually, I grew faster and I grew purpose because I work from a place of contentment, rather than aggression or lack promotion I don't have a promotion rather than that, I'm saying I enjoy doing this and I I really like what I do. And then I started growing with my career. So I was, yeah, I enjoyed my la, the career with my organization 24 years, varied roles, great bosses, uh, a very supportive, um, entrepreneurial spirit in the organization. So I could experiment a lot more. I moved across. But towards the end of 24 years, when I was the head of social impact and I was driving it across 40 countries, I was really living my purpose and I came to a point where I had to choose something between aligning with my values versus the organizational direction that was being dictated. Every organization has its own directors, wants to change, wants to do things in a certain way, but it didn't align with what it had always stood for, or what I always stood for in terms of equity, diversity, empowerment, transparency. So all of that was conflicting. So I still had very supportive bosses who said let it go, you continue doing what you're doing in one side of the organization while things will change. That was tempting, but it was standing against what I had spoken for. I always stood for equal voices, equal opportunities, seat at the table for all, etc. So that went against my uh ethical principles, uh, and I was.
Speaker 2:I also was conscious that my two daughters were watching me. The decision I would take then would dictate how they navigate their life challenges. I could take the easy way out and compromise no, no one would know that it was not a big deal, it was nothing unlawful or illegal. Or I could stand up for what I believed was right and walk away from everything I loved and built from scratch. And I chose the latter because I realized there are two things. You either have regret on your decision or you come out with pain. Regret, I realized, is a baggage that builds over a period of time. You ponder over it I'm sure all of us have regrets which you look back and it still aches, but pain fades with time. So I chose pain over regret, which also showed my daughters not all choices are easy and doing the right thing may not necessarily be easy. It can be just as challenging.
Speaker 1:Yes, wow, and I love that explanation. It makes complete sense. Regret can stay with us, but pain will definitely fade. So thank you, that was great. So was it scary? Like, how did you Were you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was scary because I didn't have an identity, and that's something. Now I tell all women that you need to carve your own identity beside an organizational title. We live for the title. We introduce ourselves with a title. What are we without a title? Directly? Right, we are much more, because there is an identity we have before our career. There's an identity after a career, and so what is that? Identity moves and that's something I help women now with. How do you elevate your personal brand? How do you create your own identity?
Speaker 2:So that was my biggest challenge after I quit. I didn't know how to network and introduce myself. Right, what I think each one of you can think about for minutes how do you introduce yourself? I'm used to doing that for 24 years, so that was hard, it was painful, there were tears, there was a lot of anxiety and the general instinct was to rebound and say I'm going to go to the next big organization, take the next big title, and this is it. I put a vision board of the organizations I wanted to go to. I hired a coach to navigate that pathway to the new organization, but something was constantly nagging me right, even with the coach. Every session I'd go, we'd explore and I would come out still not very clear. You know, is that what I want to do? There was a voice which was not very clear, and what was change? What was the biggest change that happened was I attended a course called uncertainty experts.
Speaker 2:Uh, you can, it's on netflix, actually, if you I'm doing the free propaganda by mentioning it, but it is, yeah, that, uncertainty experts. It builds your change tolerance and your change resilience. And that completely changed my approach to this from anxiety to excitement. The anxiety of the way I started was I have this one canvas in front of me and I need to do a masterpiece to prove to the world that I am just as good without the organizational title, as good without the organizational title. And after that course. So I was in a stage of freeze, right, because I can't mess up. This has to be perfect. I won't start, I can't do anything with it, yeah.
Speaker 2:But after that uncertainty expert course, I realized I don't have one canvas, I have multiple canvases. Yeah, right, I can try something in this. It's my canvas. For the first time in my life, I have the freedom to draw anything I like and I can throw this away if I don't like and try it on a different canvas. And that sense of liberation, the sense of excitement that set me off on this path of being an entrepreneur and whatever you see today my brand me being on your podcast is the outcome of that self exploratory. Dropping my baggage of trying to prove it to others, elevating my own brand, raising my voice for myself and creating visibility for myself that has been the most empowering change. So I'm so grateful for what was started off as the darkest moment, because it set me off on a path of purpose I think I'd done. I was at the peak of my career, of what I could do, and this is my next calling.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, and I think that what happens, and for myself as well, when I realized that I was no longer going to be in that industry, I started moving to a path where I was sort of still in that industry, but I wasn't doing the same thing, and I realized that that wasn't really my nudge. Women like me ended up being my nudge, and it's interesting when you give up and you just go with what feels right and what you feel in your heart. It's amazing what happens in your heart. It's amazing what happens.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and it's the power of choice and I understand it's a privilege. Many times women have walked up to me and said because I talk about the power of choice and they say it's a privilege to have choice and acknowledge that, but at the same time I believe, knowing that there is choice and just that the other choice looks so hard that you don't want to acknowledge it. If there is a, if you're a single breadwinner of the family, you have a huge family to support, you don't have insurance. It's not going to be as easy as me saying I walked away because I believed in something right you have much more, many more factors to think of.
Speaker 2:But if you just take a step back and believe there is a choice, and if you're being sexually exploited, you know I'm taking the extreme case where there are women who are carrying on because they can't step away, they are the single breadwinner. I've seen that in some of the more lower income jobs in india and I think if they just know that there is actually a choice of, yes, my family may starve for the next month, but I, I but for me, I want to step away from this because it's unsafe for me and if I survive this, I can do something else. It may not pay me so much, but I'll do something else. That knowing that immediately gives you the safety net. Again. You have the clarity, yeah, and you start thinking from that angle. I talked to this about this in schools as well. The second part, the second choice sometimes looks doesn't even show itself, but spend some time, yeah.
Speaker 1:There is a choice.
Speaker 2:Life can seem dark, but there is a choice.
Speaker 1:And when you make a choice, you take your power back.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely Knowing there is choice, you get your power back. Yeah, and that's how you stand up to bullies. That's how you stand up to unreasonable organizations, that's how you stand up for yourself, because it affects your mental health. How long can you put up with doing things that don't align with you? And finally it comes to a point of breakdown and eventually you will take the choice. It is just that you're going to really make yourself lean by the time you get there, and it may be a lack of choice. They might push you out. So, rather lean a position of power when you make the choice.
Speaker 1:And I think too, and I loved what you were saying when you were talking about your daughter, and because I believe that, of course, men are very important to families and to their children as well. But you know, we're women, so we're talking women. I believe that we are the glue and we want to show not only our daughters but our sons as well, that you can be strong and you can still be kind, and it's important to do what is in your heart and don't be afraid to walk away. I love that and I just think that it's such a role model for our daughters, our nieces, our friends to be able to see that there is okay, there is a life outside of what I'm living.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I express my vulnerability very often within my family, with my friends, even on this podcast. It was a struggle. It was not like I walked away into sunset and found this business. It was painful. My daughter, uh, has been my biggest therapist. I call her because I, I, I tell her I've tried, I've put in so much of effort, I've done this, this and this. I just get rejections and rejections. And uh, she's and she says but mama, unless you send that out and they don't respond, it's better that they respond in some way. At least it's reaching them. It's one step at a time and that is a very silly logic. It's, it is, but still it made sense. That means I am making progress. If you're getting 10 rejections, that means you are sending 20 mails a day yes those little milestones we don't celebrate.
Speaker 2:Yes, we don't see that and she affects others. She's seen me in tears. They've seen me frustrated. We have celebrated little things, like today we want a bid, okay, let's order some chinese. And they're seeing the journey, they're part of that and they take examples from their own. Uh, when she's struggling with a gcse or sats, uh, and I tell her remember I, when I had those three milestones and I struggled and eventually got it done. Just put one foot at a time, just keep doing it. Yeah, it makes a lot of difference of what rather than what we speak, yes, what how we show up? Yes, that makes a bigger impression to our children.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, absolutely, when you talk about finding your power. So how do you think women can find their power? Like I know, gratitude certainly does help, but let's say, someone's sitting at home and they're like I don't even know if I have any power, how could I even find my power? What do you think some tips are that they could do?
Speaker 2:I call it my circle of influence and I think every woman, every person in this world has a circle of influence. It's just small. Malala has a big circle of influence, padma has a small circle of influence, but I still have a circle of influence. Now it is about how do I influence in that space. So if I want to raise awareness about mental health, I don't have a stage where I can go and talk about it. But I spoke to my team, my immediate team. I advocated it in every forum. I got an opportunity. I got an opportunity and slowly that became a theme and they would call me to talk about mental health and my journey and me finding the purpose with larger groups. And now I'm talking on this podcast. Right, it starts off in small. What I did was expand my circle of influence into the area of discomfort. Can I speak to a stranger about it? Now, yes, and I think that is where you find the power. We don't build power overnight. We actually move into an area of discomfort and say, let me try talking to the stranger who is hosting this mental health workshop and say can I come and share my story? Yes, and what is the worst thing that can happen. Sorry, we don't have space, but I'll definitely let you know next time. Or the best thing is you say say yes, yes, and I've applied that in every forum.
Speaker 2:I did a big movement in India to fight for the rights of children of migrant workers who were left to be exploited in construction sites and it went on to become a government policy. But when I started it was just one child story that I started fighting for and I thought I'll pass on the problem to somebody else. I've heard about this child who was sexually assaulted. We're quite close to where we lived in the IT highway and I got to know. When I explored I found where the child went for treatment. I spoke to the charity that was supporting and they said this is a very common problem. Children are left unattended in large construction sites from from poor laborers kids. And what can we do? She said all you need is a shelter in every site where you have a volunteer or teacher so the child gets education and also child is safe. I said, wow, that sounds very simple. Now who is going to do this? So I contacted somebody in the organization who used to run these volunteering programs. I said I heard about this. Can we set up these construction shelters? They came up to me and said so, what would you like to do? I was taken aback. I said what would I like to do? What can I do about this huge social problem? Thousands of construction sites, what can I do about it? And they said no, padma, you just tell us what you would like to be done and let's see how it all comes together. So I said I want shelter in at least these two sites. And that journey and that question got me thinking and from there it became a movement.
Speaker 2:I started reaching media houses. I wanted awareness. At one point I was locked up in a school because the construction mafia didn't want this to be exposed. But eventually it came up in all the local newspapers and television and it mandated that every construction site should have a shelter. We set up from our organization across five. That was the day. Until then I was career-minded. It was all about ambition and growth and I thought this doing social good is for people who have time in their lives. I didn't realize that the purpose comes calling and it was powerful. That day I realized the power of I right From starting from a lounge discussing what will happen to making it a statewide solution. That was empowering and it was pushing your circle of influence.
Speaker 1:Constantly push your circle of influence into the area of discomfort and you'll be amazed at the power you find wow, yes, I, it was funny because I have highlighted here the power of I was one of the next things I was going to ask you about. But that is um, that's amazing and and I appreciate you so much telling us about it because we don't know, i'm'm sorry, we don't know what we're going to, what little things or big things we can create if we just open our minds and our hearts and, even in fear, step out.
Speaker 2:Absolutely and ask for help. I love the power of asking for help. We assume that people will offer and and we assume people understand what you need. Yeah, and then you get disappointed that they didn't offer it. And the first question you need to ask did you ask right? And I learned that from my husband, I think, because in the early years of marriage it happens in relationship too right Typical you want the guys to know what you want and be there doing it.
Speaker 2:My husband is a very straightforward person. I just had and I remember we had this lot of arguments why did you do it? He said you didn't ask me to do it, I didn't know you wanted that to be done. I said any girl would want this to be done. And then that to be done. I said any girl would want this to be done. And then why would you think I wouldn't want a surprise? Why would you think I don't want roses? And then it we decided we will be very frank and tell each other what we want and ask for help, and that has really helped us through our 20 years of marriage and even today I'll say I feel down. I just want a hug, or he would say it's been a hard day. So this, if even the smallest of relationship, be children to the boardroom. If you need help, ask for help. It doesn't make you weak, it actually opens up for others to join you yes people want to be part of something and people want to help.
Speaker 2:Uh, they just think they're not capable or they're. What is there for me to offer? I'm not good enough. You're a, you're a star. Yes, how can I help? But everybody, if you just say I need help, this seems quite difficult for me to be doing all by myself. Yeah, and that empowers your team. They feel part of it. They like to see that you are vulnerable and you're human. And it's okay for them to ask help too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, wow. So such good advice. So for women who are listening, who are burned out or stuck between values and success, excuse me, what do you think the first step should be that they should take?
Speaker 2:pause, pause and explore what is holding you back. Is it a baggage or is it a barrier? I believe women have two assets. One is the baggage we carry like the one I was carrying of expectation right, I need to be winning, I need to make my mom proud. I didn't realize where it came from. But you have societal, you have cultural, you have familial. So much of baggage women carry. If you are run by the clock, right, you need to have kids at this time. You need to be married. You, what if you get too ambitious? You won't find a husband. Different cultures bring different baggages. Yes, one is what's holding you back.
Speaker 2:I always ask women to wonder if nothing was holding you back, where would you be? And the second is the barriers right in front of you. What do you find the hardest? There are systemic barriers. We just we know, or we there is we. You are not being called for an interview, you're not being offered a position. That's where you reclaim your voice. You ask for the opportunity. Yes, but then there are actually.
Speaker 2:What are the other barriers holding you back? And sometimes you don't realize it could even be I don't want my children to go to a daycare or nursery. Uh, because it's going to cost. But I call it in where. How much would you be ready to invest in yourself? Do you deserve it? Do you deserve that investment in yourself? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I think the baggage and barriers of pause, because what got you here so far? The same thing may not take you the next nine yards right, because the market is different, the industry expectations are different, there's so much has changed and you constantly feel you're on doing more, working long hours, taking on more responsibility, but that recognition and acknowledgement is not happening. And that's when you need to look at what is your self-limiting barriers, what is the barriers in front of? Or would you go and talk to somebody who has done it five times and has got all the do's and don't do's, runs a program and says and you, who gets to the peak first? Yes, yeah, it's that, get the help, get the reinforcement, but first and foremost, self-exploration. What is it that you want and how far would you go if you didn't have these limitations?
Speaker 1:it sounds so freeing.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, absolutely yeah, it sounds very freeing I call it the visceral vision, which I do with my clients. I'm not sure if you've tried it. It's basically, if you want to climb a mountain or you want to achieve something in the vision, you're already there, so you look like you're standing. For example, I want to be a TED speaker. Yes, I look at myself standing on the stage and look back and say this is how I got here, this is how it feels, yes, so what happens is you start operating from a place of achievement rather than a place of lack. So if I stand here now, I'm looking at the stage. It's daunting. How do I get? There are so many amazing people in front of me. The queue is long. Do I have the skills? Is my topic unique? Will I get selected? But when you're all, when you put yourself on the stage, you get your path very clear. Yes, and you know how it feels and energizes you. That's a visceral vision and I would love them. And to try that for yourself, yes, I'm gonna try.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna try that you should you. This is what I love about being able to host a podcast and talk to all you so intelligent and all you women. You have such great tools. I make notes while I'm listening. I think that's beautiful. I love that. I do, I just love it. I do, I just love it. So let me ask you about your actual business, because you have. Why don't you tell us a little bit about what you do for women? And then, well, you might work with men as well. I don't know, but tell us what you do, and then you've got something you wanted to offer the audience as well.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. What I did was I filtered out my 24 years of career which is quite interesting globally I worked across US, uk, europe, india and across industry filtered it down into a 12-week transformational coaching experience designed to help exactly the factors I spoke about to break through your self-doubt, navigate uncertainty with excitement rather than anxiety and finally step into recognition and leadership, and do all this without burning out and without sacrificing your personal life. That is the crux of it. So if you're feeling stuck, you're feeling overlooked, you're trying to climb the ladder, but you feel you're constantly paying a price to that, then I would love to have a conversation. I think we are so busy being busy. Instead, you spend time building your visibility, right? Yes?
Speaker 2:speaking for yourself you expect people come and see how good you are. World is too fast. They don't have time to come and stop when it used to be right. When you always sit in office, the manager could stand up and say that person and that person works very well. They actually come and report. They are punctual. There's so many things now it's it's a virtual world. You've got to speak for yourself.
Speaker 2:So how do you shed you this cloak of invisibility, especially if you're a woman of color? I need to speak for them because I have personally been there. How many of you have sat at a table and shared your idea? People look at you and they move on to the next topic and after a few it's not just women of color, I'm sure all women have faced it. After two minutes, somebody else at the table would repeat the same idea and they'll be like wow, gravity has been discovered, right, yeah. And you're wondering what's wrong, like I just said the same thing. And when this happens over and over again, you start believing that there's something wrong with you. And guess what? They have made a science of this called imposter syndrome.
Speaker 1:And if you go for?
Speaker 2:a training and fix yourself.
Speaker 2:the problem is not with us, it is just that we have to reclaim our voice, and if you go for a training and fix yourself, the problem is not with us. Yeah, it is just that we have to reclaim our voice. So a simple technique I advise clients is, if this happens, draw the attention back and say I'm glad you like that idea and you also believe what I just said a few minutes back. Do it again and again, because some of it is unconscious bias, some of it is conscious bias, but what's in your power, again, your circular influence, is to draw the attention back, and this is exactly what I would like to help women with shedding the cloak of invisibility, elevate your brand who are you without your organizational title, and overcome the frustration and work from a place of clarity and you flourish your personal and professional life.
Speaker 2:I be ready to invest in yourself. You're worth it. Yeah, yeah, and that's and if you're curious, I would love you to take up. I offer five spots for you to join and let's just explore what's holding you back. I have I run a very simple test, uh, and you can figure out what's holding you back and we can look at one or two techniques to help you navigate that.
Speaker 1:So will you send a link to me so that I can put that in our in the show details for people. Oh, perfect, perfect, yeah, you know it being invisible is, I think it's it has. We've always, I think, dealt with that to a certain extent, but I think now in the world of the internet and videos and short videos and clips and podcasts and everything that's that's going on out there, it can really make people feel even more invisible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. There are two ways to do it. Either you feel overwhelmed by it, or you ride the wave and get to the spotlight. Yes, and I have chosen the latter, and it is hard if you have to do all this. I'm not good at social media. It's tiresome, I have chronic the latter, and it is hard if you have to do all this. I'm not good at social media. It's tiresome, I have chronic fatigue and ME, so I can't spend so much of time on it. So I pick and choose what's important to me. That's how I reach the audience I want, and I found a technique to how I create my new avatar, which is authentic me.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Whatever I applied on me, now I offer it to the clients because I know it works. It works for me. It transformed me the last six months, because the first six months was moping around for my life, career and then the next six months.
Speaker 1:It clicked yes, yeah, I just love it. I I appreciate so much you giving us your valuable time, padma, and helping us all through this. You've just, you've just. It's been a very eye-opening conversation that we've had, and so many lessons and so many, so many tips that I know that anybody who takes the time to watch this is going to get immense value out of it for sure. So I just want to thank you for being here. I appreciate it so much.
Speaker 2:No, thank you for having me. It's such a pleasure being able to share my experience and even if one woman finds this helpful and feels liberated, I think it's my job done and I'll be grateful for this opportunity.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's perfect, Perfect. Well, so everyone that's watching or listening go to the details section and you're going to find all of the links of how to reach Padma, as well as if you want to sign up for her course that she's got coming up, or take the test, whatever you need. She's going to be there to help you and we'll have all of the links so you'll be able to find her very, very easily. Well, once again, padma, thank you so much. It was a great conversation, very, very enlightening, and I am really grateful. I'm what's what's the word? Let me find my word, let me find my word. I've got it here. I am radically grateful for you thank you so much, julie.
Speaker 2:Just such a pleasure. Just meeting you and having this conversation has been so uplifting.
Speaker 1:Thank, you well. Thank you much and thank you all for watching and for listening and we will see you again on Women Like Me Stories in Business.