“For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” ~ Virginia Woolf. On this International Women’s Day, GlobalSpa recognizes and celebrates the women in the industry as we delve into their success mantra they follow, mistakes that have helped them grow, and of course, their WELLNESS philosophy.

Geeta Ramakrishnan is an Ontological Coach and has authored Amazon’s #1 Bestseller book, ‘The Game of Change’. This book brings together her rich experience of having interacted and coached people over the past few decades. Her coaching focus has primarily been on change management and assisting people professionally and personally, to help bring to their lives a balance of success and happiness or in other words, help them discover their ‘AHA’ moment.

What is your wellness philosophy?

I look at wellness with a holistic view. Wellness can be defined when your physical body and emotional self are in a Zen state. Your body and your mind are not two independent entities. They function as a whole. If you smile, you can feel a sense of lightness and feel happy even without a specific reason. Similarly, if you are anxious, you can sometimes feel a knot in your stomach. So if you want to take care of your physical body by healthy eating and physical exercise, it increases your ‘happy hormones,’ thereby increasing your mental fitness. By including some mindfulness activities like meditation, slowing your breath once in a while makes dealing with stress more manageable. It helps by preventing or reversing lifestyle diseases like obesity, diabetes, and some cardiovascular diseases.

Your success mantra?

‘I am not perfect, and I am ok with it.’ It only sounds easy, and I still struggle to be there sometimes. Each one has their way of coping with life and wanting to be seen as successful, with their secure and best version of themselves. In practice, this comes with a cost. I wanted to be perfect in all the multiple roles I had, some that I took on and some that were there by default, and I had no choice. I was juggling to be the best mother, best wife, best professionally, and I wanted to keep upgrading myself all the time. And I am a 100% OCD type of person, planning even what and when I have to plan, and of course, I have to be perfect in everything. It cost me my physical health and mental happiness. I was stressed and unhappy until I just decided to accept myself as I am, and I found my Zen balance.

A lesson you learned from making a mistake?

I used to believe that I have to resolve everyone’s problems, and I have a solution for everything. I thought that was my caring and kind side showing up. I even took it as a challenge. As a result, I used to get involved and perhaps even interfere, in good faith, with other’s problems and offer them my solution. In that path, I found myself being jammed in between someone’s battle and ended up getting hurt. So a few of some unhelpful assumptions are, I ‘knew’ the solution thereby I gave the energy of being superior to the other person. I assumed it was an act of kindness to offer help without being asked. As I became wiser, I learned to step back and let people find their solution. And believe me, there is no better way to empower people.

Any piece of advice for all the women out there?

The best way to have others respect us is by us respecting ourselves first. We have to be more articulate of our emotions, especially the negative ones. We have to learn to draw our boundaries, learn the art of saying an assertive ‘No’ when needed. We have to give ourselves love and appreciation first for the beautiful ways we multitask numerous roles. Giving ourselves the love and care makes us more grounded and physically and emotionally, fueling us to take on more significant responsibilities with success.

What has been your biggest pride as a doyenne?

I believe I have a lot to learn and to grow. I also went through the rough to feel the resentment that drained me both physically and emotionally. I pride that I did not stay in my victim state and saw that if I change my attitude, I could positively impact people around me to make their change in a positive direction. It is a powerful feeling. Being curious and open allows me to learn each day, to stay grounded, and to grow. I enjoy every moment of my journey, of mistakes, of learning from knowledge to wisdom.