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7. Celebrating the Doyenne: Monica Chawla

“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.

Monica Chawla is the Creative Director at Essentia Environments As one of India’s leading interior designers. Monica Chawla has been the creative genius behind some of the most spectacular celebrity homes in the country.

What is your wellness philosophy?

When it comes to wellness, I totally believe in the mantra: ‘My potential is limitless, and I choose where to spend my energy.’ I focus on my role as the Creative Head and ensure an atmosphere of trust, inspiration, and creativity for everyone to work freely, thus achieving great results. Every job done well is happiness and contentment that creates a sense of wellness. Apart from that, my husband and partner in work, Hardesh Chawla is a fitness freak, so we work diligently towards maintaining good physical health. We have set aside a fixed time of the day and week to work on recovery exercises. Plan around the most important appointments of the week, but be sure to keep the appointments with myself as regularly as possible. The mind works more efficiently when you’re on a well-developed schedule.

Your success mantra?

Prioritise, focus, repeat... as simple as that. Working hard keeping the creative spark alive all along, and constantly exploring ways to improve our offerings to our clients has worked for us. Never letting our imagination and curiosity take a backseat, we take up every project as an opportunity to excel and outdo ourselves.

A lesson you learned from making a mistake?

The foremost lesson from mistakes I’ve learnt is that I have to do it again and this time without mistake. One must always work towards not repeating the mistakes. Continued mistakes take away the focus from achieving your goal, as you are always trying to fix problems, hindering the process of progress.

Any piece of advice for all the women out there?

APerseverance and resilience are key in the workplace. Always believe in yourself, trust in your skillset, know your worth, and set your goals high. If you’re persistent, you’ll find the right opportunity. And make it a point to have fun along the way.

What has been your biggest pride as a doyenne?

This is difficult to answer as I genuinely do not consider myself as a doyenne. Moreover, when I look back, I don’t see a single work of mine that I don’t believe I wouldn’t do differently today. So, if I continue to evolve and hopefully get better with each project that I take on then I cannot perceive myself as anything other than a work in progress. We have worked hard and have achieved much, however, the day when I will look back and feel an unreserved sense of pride and achievement, still lies ahead.