Counselling Psychologist & Mental Health Coach for Women

“As a kid I was always fascinated by machines be it a car or a ship or an Aeroplane ! But, I wasn’t really sure on what I wanted to do. During my junior college days I started contemplating about what what my career would be. I pinned it down to either Merchant Navy or a Pilot. Being a Merchant Navy required a lot of commitment with time and the nature of the job, one needed to spend, 6 months on land and 6 months on sea. As much as it interested me, I couldn’t relate to it nor could I commit to the time it extracted. Since I have been fascinated by big Jets and I love speed, I chose to be a pilot! It wasn’t a dream all along to become a pilot, but that didn’t stop me from committing to it fully! Dream, Or no Dream, once you are passionate towards something, there are always hurdles and bumps along the way, mine was no exception. I did face hurdles. 1) Where to start from? I did decide to be a Pilot but the question was where to begin from? I joined an Aviation club thinking it may help me to get a good flying school. It did but along with it I had to shell out a lot of money on unnecessary course. To think of it now it didn’t make any sense at all but during that time with lack of knowledge and guidance I thought it was essential. 2) Money Money Money….Well if one wants to be a pilot He or She has to be ready to shell a lot of money, a lot! It is like having to keep your wallet open all the time and it is not easy for everyone. Some people do the flying course in parts so that they can work and pay off their fees and some give it up halfway! I was lucky because my father decided to support me financially. 3) Young Age…..This one thing is very crucial in my opinion. One may start getting flying lessons as early as 18! At that age all you think about flying, it is fun, well it is, along with a LOT of responsibility. To add to responsibility, it takes ages, so much time that you hit mid 20s. It is as good as getting married at an age of 22 and being able to handle in laws and your wife, Difficult but not impossible! Jokes apart, if one is not good with handling responsibilities, they should take a step back! 4) Job Scenario…This is one of the major issues people leave aviation half way through. I was fortunate enough in this case. As soon as I got my license, I gave written exams for two airlines in a span of 6 months.But the other side of the story is people sometimes don’t get an opportunity to give an exam for a whole year (this is to do with how aviation is expanding in the country). One really needs to have a lot of patience, by patience I mean, one needs to work hard and keep studying all the time even if there aren’t any openings around the corner. Some people fail to work hard and when an opportunity comes they fail to strike at it hard. All said and done.. It is amazing to be a pilot. It changes you as a person, it makes you professional, it forces you to inculcate good things and try to iron out any of your own short comings personally and professionally. However, there are few things that bog you down. Monotonous nature of job, slow pace of growth etc. In such cases I try to my life balanced by having other activities in my life-like Photography, Travelling, and Ballroom Dancing. Despite facing all these struggles, I am happy of the fact that I am now a successful Pilot! Besides who doesn’t like to fly!”

I’m Annapoorna Reddy and this is my dream story. I am a tarot card reader and interior designer. I had a passion for arts and creative work always, my father being a builder I wanted to design and beautify the spaces people live in. I always believed in tarot and astrology a lot from my childhood. I had a curiosity to learn the subject. When I was in college I learnt tarot reading from my friend. I was extremely fascinated with the way the cards answered my questions. That’s when I decided to get in depth of tarot reading. I practiced a lot. Always being the protected kid I didn’t have enough exposure to go out and see places or basically I can say I had no connection to the outside world which really made me loose self confidence in a way. But I never gave up I kept trying to reach out to people in some way and help them. Whatever fee I earn through tarot is given to charity for a good cause. At first I used to read only for family members and friends. As things started happening more and more offers flooded my way. Now I’m a successful tarot reader and my dream came true I’ve been reading tarot from past 9 years. It’s been a great experience, all thanks to my family support. Now I even do readings for a popular magazine. Thank you so much tarot for making me stand tall with pride. I would just like to say start dreaming and never stop dreaming. For dreams are meant to come true with hard work and sincerity. It doesn’t matter whether your work is small or big. The way you stand tall among everyone and shine bright in future matters. Today my tarot is helping thousands of people and for a cause too.

Hello my name is Kshama Adka. Born in Mangalore, brought up in Chennai, Studied in Goa and worked in Hyderabad, I have now moved back to the place I love the most. I am an ice cream lover who took her love for the dessert a bit too seriously 🙂 I run a Chennai based ice-cream business, Shmoozie’s Hand-Crafted Ice Cream. Q – Was it always your dream to become an entrepreneur, if not how did you made the choice? From being caught up in the cushiony corporate world and trying to catch the next bus, next meeting, next training, next job – setting up a small ice cream cafe is nothing short of a dream come true. I am a commerce student with an MBA degree from Goa Institute of Management. I have no food background except for the absolute love of it. The love for ice creams made me do a lot of research for more than a year. Once I understood the science behind it and knew that good quality ice cream could be made by hand (without the use of artificial colouring or essence), I discussed it with my folks and they loved the idea. That was all the motivation and support I required to drop everything, move home and start up my dream. Q – Who or what was your inspiration? While I worked for an IT biggie in Hyderabad , the independence gave me the confidence and strength to believe that I could make my dream a reality. I helped my friend , part time, baking brownies for his business. so I would work 10 am to 6 pm at office get back home and spread brownie aroma for the next 6 hours by mad baking. From 3 days a week it went on to 5 and I loved the craziness of my situation Q – Please tell us about your milestone journey, especially the difficulty you faced? Food industry is itself a tough one to be in. Imagine pleasing every single palette with your offering. It is a huge task. Learning that it is okay to not have to please all tastes and preferences was the toughest hurdle to across. Believing in your offering and going after it, is very crucial. My biggest milestones are when people come back and tell me they have started enjoying more flavours than just chocolate or when the actually like Ice cream Q – With so much Competition around, How is “Shmoozies” different from the other companies? Ice cream is more than just a dessert. It is magic. It is a celebration. Imagine making your own ice cream! you get to play around with flavours and create a lovely dessert out of it. Hand -crafted ice creams gives me the privilege of customising a flavour and creating everything from scratch. Most of what we get these days has a ton of colouring, essences and excess sugar. I prefer to keep it simple and give more importance to flavour. Most of the magic happens in that first bite of ice cream The idea- while eating a scoop of Backyard Mint Refresher , you remember the freshness of the mint lemonade after school in the summers. The kadak garam chai on a rainy sunday evening. The comforting lull of your grandmother’s filter coffee as you sat on the swing. Reliving memories sets shmoozie’s apart Q – What was the best and the worst advice you received when you started your career? I had very supportive friends and family encouraging me. “Go for it”. I had them cheer for me . Always! Q – At this point in your career, are you happy ? How do you feel about your company? Shmoozie’s has never been about catching the next summer and making a ton of money. It has been a wonderful journey so far and I’m cherishing every moment as an achievement.It’s a overwhelming feeling when people equate ice cream to Shmoozie’s. It is now bigger than me and I am glad to be associated with it 🙂 Q – If someone read your story and wanted to follow your footsteps being inspired by it, what advice would you give them? You are your only asset and inspiration. Challenge yourself. You might just have a pleasant surprise! Q – Do you believe in dreams? Yes I do believe them in this capacity “Dream is not the thing you see in sleep but is that thing that doesn’t let you sleep.” ― A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

I am Gayatri Nair. The founder of Book-O-Box! It’s a book subscription service that caters to all the readers out there who still like the idea of owning paperbacks and are brave enough to set themselves on a ‘blind date with a book’. What is Book-O-Box about? Book-o-Box is all about the love of reading and everything printed. It’s a book subscription service that caters to all the readers out there who still like the idea of owning paperbacks and are brave enough to set themselves on a ‘blind date with a book’. It’s an easy way of getting to read interesting books each month without lifting a finger. Because you are leaving all the hard work to me—researching, interacting with publishers and authors, visiting umpteen number of bookshops and libraries, scouring book blogs, bookstagrams, articles, talking to book experts, and more to find the books that cannot be missed. Along with the book, the box will also carry other bookish goodies. So each month, I collaborate with independent artists to create these unique literary products. The idea is to promote the love of reading as well as to do my small bit in supporting these talented artists. When did you begin the company? It was launched in March 2017. Did you study or go through any special training for the business? No special training at all. Before starting Book-o-Box I worked as a content and digital marketer. I used some of that knowledge to help me get started. But most of all it was about having the courage to start a new business. A lot of people helped me and encouraged me along the way. I picked their brains, did my own research and finally started up. How did it all begin? The hurdles? The milestone journey! I used to follow the beautiful book subscription boxes they have in US and other countries, on Instagram and wished we had such varied options available in India as well. During one such conversation with my husband, he encouraged me to start one myself, and I thought why not. From there on it was quite a few months of research on packaging, designing and book curation. At the end of all those trials and experimentations, we finally launched Book-o-Box in March, 2017. What is the significance behind the name “Book-O-Box”? There is no deep significance behind the name. It was just a fun way of saying box of books. I liked the sound of it. What was the best and the worst advice you received when you began your journey? People tend to have fixed tastes and ideas about what they enjoy reading. And not everyone takes kindly to the idea of someone suggesting what to read or specifically buying a book blindly. So when I was working on this project, there were apprehensions over how readers will perceive it. I knew this was not an idea that will appeal to all. But on the flipside I thought, the adventurous wouldn’t mind signing up for a blind date with a book. And I wouldn’t go for a book, which I didn’t personally like or think is not worth someone’s time. The best advice is always the ones which encourage and push you to go for your dreams no matter what. I got plenty of that from those around me. Also, I am mostly an introvert and the prospect of interacting with so many people, coordinating and getting things done was no means an easy thing for me. But people have been kind and positive throughout and that have boosted my confidence a lot. Would you describe your journey to be a successful and happy one? Kindly describe It’s been just 3 months, and I’m happy with the way it is shaping up. There has been lot of positive feedback from my readers which encourages me to better myself and the product each time. What are the further plans for Book-O-Box? Currently what’s been offered is a single plan, which is World Fiction. Going forward I would want to introduce more plans/genres, so that readers will have more options to choose from. Do you believe in dreams? Yes, I do. I was more of a dreamer than doer most of my life, but now I have actually transformed one of my dreams into reality. It’s not an easy feat, you have to work at it daily, keep yourself motivated and most importantly not give up even at your lowest. If someone was inspired by your journey and wanted to take the path you did, what would you tell them? “Go for it. If I can do it, then you can too.”

NV – A brief introduction about you and your work. TUB – I specialise in Motion Graphics and 3D Animation. I have been actively involved in the field of design for almost 8 years now as part of my work sphere. NV – What is The Uncommon box about? What inspired you to begin this company? TUB – The Uncommon Box (TUB) aims to find the Uncommon in people, places and thoughts, and offer them a platform. The inspiration behind this is my life’s experience. We, usually love to appreciate and share the creative output of celebrities who already have fame and popularity. But we do not show the same kind of enthusiasm for our friends who are trying to establish themselves as artists. Therefore, I created this community to encourage and support artists of all genres- whether it is painting, sketching, doodling, photography, writing, singing, dancing – you name it- we have our doors open for anyone who wishes to join us. I have endeavoured to build a supportive community of creative people. Due to pressures of life, whether it is for money or responsibilities of various kinds, many individuals give up on their dreams and passions. They live mundane lives, and allow their talents to go waste. But with a community like TUB, we hope to inspire them to return to their passion, and share it with the world, and receive the warm compliments from the group, which often gives them celebrity status. This is what keeps us going at The Uncommon Box- every single day! We have no weekends off 🙂 NV – The issues and problems you faced. Your milestone journey. TUB – Problems are basically situations we have not encountered before. So they will appear as we move on this journey with TUB. But yes, the biggest challenge is the time crunch we face in the team. We are currently walking a tight rope as far as balancing our responsibilities of work, personal lives and our aspirations for TUB, are concerned. We are managing fine though because as far as TUB is concerned, there can be no compromises 🙂 The Uncommon Box is yet to reach the heights I want to see it accomplish in terms of reach and generating content that is different and meaningful. We are constantly striving to create content that will inspire and foster greater creativity and confidence. Currently, TUB has one more member on our team- Preeti Roychoudhury from Kolkata; and we are looking forward to Tasneem Bharmal joining us from Mumbai. We are seeking to expand our team of volunteers – but one of the main criterion is that people wishing to be a part of this team have to share our fundamental philosophy of promoting the talents of others through TUB. They need to commit their time and effort to help increase output in the productivity of the community. We are also seeking collaborations as channel partners for events and individuals who seek to promote their products or events through us. We will also be happy to mediate collaborations between our members and our partners in a mutually beneficial set up. Also frankly speaking, funding is another issue that will soon need addressing. The reality is that so far TUB has been a self-funded dream but to continue with its journey of promoting quality content, it does require funding. This is an aspect under discussion too NV – How do you feel about your company at this point in life? TUB – There is definitely a lot to accomplish in the coming years – but we have made a promising start. When individuals express their gratitude to us about having encouraged them to return to their hobbies and talents, we are the happiest. It is like rocket fuel to us! So we continue to build this forum for all to share. NV – Do you believe in dreams? If you had to motivate people to follow their dreams what would you tell them? TUB – I am basically a doer- someone who believes in efforts rather than empty hopes and wishes. I believe that dreams are meant to be translated into reality. We should never give up on them and lie to ourselves. If your dreams are urging you to take up that pen, brush or camera, go ahead and do it. Try and be as uncommon as you can with your talent J and leave the rest to us here! We wish to reach out to as many people as we can, using the powerful tool of social media. We have members from different parts of the world and we are delighted to share their work. The Uncommon Box is no ordinary page or group or Instagram handle- it was born out of a desire to help all artistes and is guided by that principle. We wish to invite everyone to join our forum and be a part of this growing family 🙂 Website : www.theuncommonbox.com Instagram : @theuncommonbox Fb Page : www.fb.com/theuncommonbox FB Group : https://www.facebook.com/groups/theuncommonbox Email : theuncommonbox@gmail.com

I was born and brought up in a family where a woman is either a Professor,Doctor or a Teacher. But I had other plans and dreams. I found my passion in designing. I was encouraged a lot by my father who has always advised and supported me in my every single decision,no matter what people say. After gaining a whole lot of knowledge about fabrics,handwork and designing.I started my baby brand Tradition meets trends with the support of my husband and my father.I started with a single design in my hand, which i showed to my friends and family(out of 15 only 3 decided to buy it) To my surprise the people whom I thought would help me,since they have a huge social circle did not even share my Facebook page. I was heartbroken and felt bad, but at that point I fully understood that if I want success I need to prove my work to general public. I managed to get good clientele from Facebook, but getting followers on Instagram was a big challenge. I Remember that even after months on Instagram ,I had only 9 to 10 followers and everyday I would think that I am gonna delete my account. But my husband never allowed me to do this. I even approached many bloggers and advertising agencies, but the amount of fee they charged was sky high. Then I showed my designs to a fashion blogger(Indianstreetfashion) they agreed to do a post for me and the response I got from the people was amazing. By God’s grace I came across some celebrities who loved my work and they not only promoted my work on social networking sites but also among their friends and family. Can’t thank them enough.Today TMT is not only doing good in India but we are getting so much love from Foreign land too.A small brand started by NEHA and TARUN is now getting bigger day by day.We believe-Give best designs,best quality with best rates to your clients because every girl deserves the best.

My name is Amrita. I am the Founder of Alankaara. Alankaara is a venture to make a difference in the lives of the people who struggle for their daily meals. Products by us are made by the underprivileged. What is Alankaara about? Alankaara is a design studio/workshop/warehouse where magical things happen. If you’re an old soul trapped in the modern world where everything is fast and hazy, you’ll find solace in our products. We are those souls that can watch the waves crashing onto the rocks for hours on end without getting bored. We are the gardeners who deal with mulch and pollen allergies without breaking a sweat. Our products incorporate a piece of nature, like a flower, leaf, pebble, seashell, sand and even tree barks that are frozen in time and preserved for you to appreciate it for many years to come! We believe that in an age where everything and everyone is literally hurtling towards the future, there needs to be a pause button. We believe in making products that make you pause, stop, and wait, appreciate, and feel reverential. When did you begin The company? August 11th 2016 was when we registered and became a registered business. But the journey began much earlier, around October 15th 2015. Did you study or go through any special training for the business? The business was built from scratch as my graduation project in Srishti college of arts design and technology, Bangalore. I studied under Industree Foundation founder Jacob Matthews in his lab called, “Impact Edge” where we were trained to be social entrepreneurs. We learnt how to maximize a business by applying our learnings in real life scenarios. How did it all begin? The hurdles? The milestone journey! It began when my project took me all way to Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India, where I worked with seashell artisans whose bread and butter was the craft they practiced. The tsunami hit their businesses as well as imported products from China. So I went there to revive their craft. Which is how the whole idea of preserving a natural resource came into being. The biggest hurdle in the journey was to identify the people who were actually suffering and help them. There are many people who take advantage, but to look through the lens and find the meek ones who actually needed the uplifting was and is still by far the biggest hurdle. What is the significance behind the name “Alankaara”? Alankaara is quite straightforward. In Tamil it basically means ‘Beautify”. The deeper meaning or rather explanation is that Alankaara is an abbreviation of the first letter of all the inspiring women in my family. it goes as far as 4 generations of names of the women in my family. What was the best and the worst advice you received when you began your journey? I am related to a string of businessmen and I get a lot of advice. The worst advice is “leave emotions at the doorstep of your workplace”. I disagree with that because I am not a robot. Without human values, what are we really, right? The best one I’ve received is, “follow your very first gut instinct. Do whatever it says”. Oh, that advice has carried me forward so much! Would you describe your journey to be a successful and happy one? Kindly describe Yes! I worked 2 jobs before I started off on my own. I worked as a merchandiser and I learned processing, how to control uncontrollable situations and mainly I learned how to multitask like mad! The day I quit was scary but I was truly happy that I was my own person. The freedom I felt is unexplainable. Ever since, it has been amazing. I’m not going to say it was easy. But it was definitely a happy one. What are the further plans for Alankaara? We work according to a timeline. Every month we take up a project and work towards it. We analyse which one will be the most challenging one and make products accordingly. These challenges ensure the growth of our product line and thus the growth of the enterprise. Do you believe in dreams? I’d be a fool to not believe in dreams. I’m an avid believer that if you dream big enough and work hard enough, those dreams do come true. I’ve never been one to ask for help, or use my family as a cushion for when I fall. I’ve noticed that depending on people doesn’t build character. It breaks you down. So since 2015, vie dreamed of having my own space, vie dreamed of filling it with antique furniture and adopting a couple of stray cats and being the girl that works odd hours. I started off working in my dad’s garage with one table and shelf. I was a merchandiser by day and a crafter at night. I saved up, worked my back off and within 8 months, I managed to set up a steady revenue, register the business and rent out my own space. In less than a year, I managed to turn my dream into a reality. I now work out of a 1000sq ft. space, filled with antique furniture and have 2 cats, a boy and a girl. So yes, dreams come true. Even the wildest of them! If someone was inspired by your journey and wanted to take the path you did, what would you tell them? Id asked them to not be scared. I was scared to death, I’ll be honest. When I quit my job and came home. I was shivering to my bones. It felt like rock bottom. My family offered help, my friends insisted on saving me but I was determined to do this on my own. And as hard as it seems, things always work out in the end if you believe in what you’re doing. Sometimes you’ll just sit with your head in your hands hoping for a miracle, but past all those sleepless nights, there’s a nice big happy reward waiting for you. I’d say, don’t be afraid to dream big. Dream as big as you can and work damn hard and you’ll get what you deserve!

“Prathik Panchamia here! I am from Tamil Nadu, a professional freelance photographer based in Bombay. I live by one quote — “It is better to travel well than to arrive.” – Buddha. I specialize in Travel and Wedding Photography and Black and White Landscapes. I also own a company that I started with the lovely Raechelle, who also happens to be a dear friend, called “The Wedding Fotografós”. The Wedding Fotografós, specializes in Candid wedding photography and Wedding Films. Along with that I have started another photography company with the beautifully talented Bhavya Kotian. This company provides professional photography services in the fields of Travel, Dance, Fashion and Architecture. It was not always sure about seriously venturing into Photography, but it eventually became my calling when I started to pen down serious thoughts about my future. From my second year of Under Graduation, I knew I wanted to become a photographer. For me it was quite an easy decision. My classmate, a very good friend one day got his beautiful Nikon FM10 to college. And we just started clicking random photographs. Back then digital photography was still taking off. We had to buy films, click and then give them out to develop. There was a rush I experienced, waiting at that studio for the photographs to be printed. I’ll never forget that feeling till date! Receiving the hard copies in my hand staring at my work and I knew it, this is what I want to do! After that, there was no looking back. I wanted to learn more, know more and shoot more. But my first hurdle was to convince my family. Coming from a Gujarati family, we take pride in ourselves on being businessmen. To get my family to wrap their heads around this was a time taking process. They were taken aback. For me to take up something that no one had an idea about was unfathomable. But I knew I had to prove my capability to them. Slowly and steadily I started proving my mettle and how serious I was about it. Finally they did come around. You meet someone whom you idolize and then you meet someone who inspires you. I had a chance to meet the Late. Mr.Prabhu Dasgupta. A self made photographer, who learnt the art on his own without doing a fancy photography course. He learned things the hard way. Being a self taught photographer myself, I idolize him and take a lot of inspiration from him and admire his work! Chennai gave me my inspiration. I went to Chennai for a winter internship program as an assistant to Mr.Sujith Kumaar and Mr.Surya Galla. Mr.Sujith Kumaar, an ace advertising photographer in the country. Working there, was a huge turning point in my life. Can you imagine living off only Rs.3000/- a month? Well, I did that for 2 years. I was determined to make it and to reach the zenith, so whatever the hurdle came my way, I was ready to take it up. It was an amazing learning experience for me. It strengthened my desire, to watch him work and teach me things about photography. It was the best photography course I could have asked for. He was and is till date my first inspiration. That experience and learning is a big part of who I am today. I’ve moved around a lot. From Madras to Bombay to Bangalore and now I am finally back and settled in Bombay. It’s difficult to find something unique about your work that is appealing to the clients. Everyone does good work. Therefore, there is a ton of competition. You have to dig deep and dig hard to find out what is unique about you and push that skill even further. As a travel Photographer I specialize in Black and White Photography. As a Wedding Photographer, I tend to concentrate on the emotions and aesthetics together. Along the way I have achieved a lot of things. I hosted my first solo exhibition in my hometown, in 2013, called “Faces of an Expressive Country”. My work has been published in a lot of magazines, dailies and websites in India as well as abroad. In 2014, I was selected as one of the top 10 photographers in India by National Geographic. I’ve also gone trekking up to Mount Everest Base Camp with NDTV GoodTimes. Presently, I am working on a few other exhibitions with Bhavya Kotian. We are going to keep that under wraps for now. We are waiting for the collection to be complete and then announce it. At this point in my career I am happy but not content. And I don’t think it is a bad thing. I am happy that I have achieved and accomplished as much as I have, but I am always hungry for more. I am hungry for experiences, learning more, meeting more people, travelling more. Believing in the journey, I don’t think I will be content ever! DO everything you can to make your dreams come true. Avoid taking short-cuts. Successes from shortcuts are short-lived. Toil hard, there will come days that will set you back, and there’s nothing wrong in being a little sad about it, but always surround yourself with people who can motivate and push you to be better. Your company plays an important role in shaping the kind of person you become. If you want to be successful, then surround yourself with people who’ve tasted success in their own way. Learn from their experiences and motivate yourself. Never be afraid of change. Because change is the only thing that is a constant in everyone’s lives. Thank you!” There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs. ~Ansel Adams

My name is Divya Ganesh. I am the owner of Tamara, a curated lifestyle boutique newly launched in T. Nagar behind Natesan Park. Tamara, attempts to solve a particular problem – a dearth of boutiques in Chennai offering chic designer products at an affordable price point. I spent the last half year scouting around the country, meeting designers, and forging partnerships for Tamara. I wanted to create a platform for urban designers struggling to showcase their products under one roof at the core of Chennai’s retail hub. A group of fantastic young urban talent with a pedigree of the country’s best design and fashion schools is all available at Tamara. Being an entrepreneur has always been my dream. However just being an entrepreneur would not satisfy my hunger for achievement. I wished and really wanted to make a difference. Hence I decide to create a platform to help upcoming urban designers, struggling to sell their products on online forums and at exhibitions. I created a retail space at the core of buzzing T. Nagar. Now they can sit back and focus on creating and innovating, while we take care of branding, sales, promotions etc., It was not easy to start this venture. Giving up my well paid corporate job to take a risk like this came across as madness to many. However people from my closest knit knew I would not rest without tasting success and supported me. My dream, what now is a reality, inspired me. It kept coming in visual flashes throughout and guided me and motivated me to do this. Being in the textile industry is quite challenge. There is a new boutique popping up every day on every street. To compete with branding and innovation and ever changing fashion trend is quite a task. With the online shopping craze, it is very difficult to get someone to walk-in to the store. Only your products have the capacity to bring people to the store and keep bringing them back. Also, being a woman, you don’t get taken seriously in India. Be it government officials, bank officials it takes additional effort to convince them that you are here and ready for the game! I am 24, I have many mountains to climb. Tamara is just a beginning. I remember less than a year ago, I woke up one morning and told my husband that I want to start my own business, and create a platform for upcoming designers. Now it is a reality. I feel dreams are a medium that allows the almighty to communicate to you, and guide you in achieving what you were born to do in the world. Many talk of uplifting weavers, designers and always tend to take their vision to rural. But we have to realise there are so many talented urban designers, creators, innovators, stuck in their corporate dungeons without the right platform to showcase their art. Tamara right now has collaborated with over 20 urban designers across clothing, accessories, jewellery, home decor, and sleep-wear. We are looking to house many more such talented designers and showcase them to the world. The next time you are in Chennai, be sure to stop by and take a look at our collection, or just stop in to say hey! Address – 28, Crescent Park Street, T Nagar, (Behind Natesan Park), India, Chennai – 600017 Facebook link: Facebook.com/tamarachennai Instagram link: Instagram.com/tamarachennai Hakkuna Matata, Divya Ganesh Founder & owner – “Tamara – Curated Lifestyle Store”

I am Molly, a designer by profession and a self taught decouper artist. After a university diploma in Fine Art & Design and a long stint in the design industry, I decided to chase my own dreams rather than somebody else’s. Out of this dream was born –Design5 Studio. Paints & design were the base but Upcycling and Decoupage became my medium of expression. It was a way to make the ordinary, extraordinary. It gave wings to my passion of design. I experimented with various materials initially like wood, glass or even fabric but settled with wood as my favorite. NV – What is Design5 Studio about? What inspired you to begin this company? MOLLY – Design5 Studio started out of my love for creating ‘functional’ design. I wanted to create products that reflected this thought…beautiful but useful. I started with home décor products that were filled with joie de vivre. They were ‘eco-whimsical’ and fun! I added wooden jewelry and wooden box clutches to my collection recently. The interface of design rarely mattered. So what was graphic in its early days became substance later on. NV – The issues and problems you faced. Your milestone journey. MOLLY – Finding the right balance between work and family time to work while being a mother to a toddler was my biggest challenge in the early days of setting up my studio. The second thing I had to work hard upon was finding and managing the proper resources for wood, as I was only working with ‘leftover’ wood pieces. As a women entrepreneur, I had to learn a lot of new things on my new journey – cracking numbers (xl sheets were my biggest nightmare) or speaking to so many new people (BIG introvert!!). I had to shed my inhibitions about travelling alone, working with artisans in remote areas, but most of all ‘talking’ about my work to create new business opportunities, being a very private person that was my hardest struggling point. NV – How do you feel about your company at this point in life? MOLLY- It’s on a roll. I love the fact that so many people recognize my work now. I have learnt so much over the past years. But I am continuously working on new materials and always on the lookout for new ideas for my work. The main idea will always be sustainability but the medium might change. NV- Do you believe in dreams? If you had to motivate people to follow their dreams what would you tell them? MOLLY – When Walt Disney said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing,” he must’ve been talking about entrepreneurs J I am a firm believer in dreams and following them with all you got. The best kinds of dreams are the ones that you see with your eyes open. My advice to people would be to have a strong will…and a clear plan. Once you know what you want to do, start doing a wee bit of it every day. Follow your heart, do what makes you happy…and most of all, keep at it!! Tenacity is the biggest super power you can have as an entrepreneur. NV – What is unique about your products? And what’s the most fast moving one? a bit about the product range. – MOLLY – I design, handcraft and decoupage wooden products. Right from Wooden Box Clutches, Keepsake/Jewelry Boxes, Trays, Clocks to exclusive Wooden Jewelry. Reviving vintage furniture using hand painted details and a bit of Decoupage is a deep passion. Bringing old, worn out furniture pieces back to life brings an enormous amount of creative satisfaction to my heart. I create a lot of customized products for my clients, as unique gifts for them and their loved ones on the occasions for birthdays & anniversaries etc. My most selling products are my keepsake/jewelry boxes and recently my wooden earrings have become my star attraction! Vision for Design5 Studio? – My thought for this year is that 2017 will be bigger and better than 2016! J I have come beyond the initial hiccups and obstacles. This year is going to be all about travelling and working with new ideas in designs and materials. I will continue to design and create beautiful pieces.