“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.

Kanchan Rai is a Mental & Emotional Wellbeing Coach, and the Founder of Let Us Talk. She helps  people discover themselves, close the gap between where they are now in life and where they want to be.

What is your wellness philosophy?

My approach to wellness is influenced by the domain of psychology, sociology, culture and systemic transformation and is focused on developing healthy systems. At Let Us Talk Foundation we facilitate in developing the capacity to reflect, recognize both strengths and vulnerabilities and embrace authenticity in oneself. This drives systemic alteration and paves the way for an emotionally healthy state of mind.

Your success mantra?

From the time I started coaching, my aim was to make my clients to not feel embarrassed about their emotional state of mind. Particularly due to the social baggage that is attached to mental health issues, people feel ashamed to seek help. I have successfully helped my clients deal with this by modelling to them about the many challenges in my life that I have managed to overcome through therapy. Today what I consider to be my success mantra is the fact that my clients are not shy to seek help. There is no hide and seek when they come to me for emotional guidance and our healing therapies help them emerge out of it stronger.

A lesson you learned from making a mistake?

It is completely normal for human beings to make mistakes, what’s important is accepting it and knowing how to tactfully deal with it. Acceptance and learning from your flaws will enhance your learning process.

Any piece of advice for all the women out there?

I am of the opinion that unless we become accountable for the pain and eliminate it from our mental space, we cannot be positive. We must give ourselves time to grieve, express our weaknesses, and share our difficulties. Aspects like uncertainty and loss need to be accounted for. Through therapy, I encourage my clients to push boundaries, defy their challenges and ultimately magnify their frame of reference. My advice would be that change must be the only constant and we must strengthen our beliefs that while our past influences us, we must be capable of changing in the present. I wish to empower women to give the past the respect it deserves and let it go, while concurrently embracing new narratives.

What has been your biggest pride as a doyenne?

Regardless of mounting awareness, mental health and therapy still continue to be on the fringes. Hence being able to conceptualize Let Us Talk foundation to enable people to be vocal about their emotional illness and working collectively to standardize therapy as a way of life has been my biggest pride. I find therapy so empowering even for myself since it offers you a space where you can communicate about your darkest secrets without being ashamed and facing the anxiety of being judged. I often narrate to my clients my challenges that I have overcome and tell them there is nothing to feel bad about. I come from the philosophy that it is all right to be vulnerable and I totally encourage that. I consider vulnerability as a strength.