“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.

Dt. Shikha Mahajan, Holistic Nutritionist and Founder of Diet Podium, member of Nutrition Society of India and The PCOS Society of India, is a Certified Nutrition Therapist, Certified Metabolism Specialist and an Intuitive Eating Counsellor, with a private virtual practice.

What is your wellness philosophy?

I believe that health should be approached from a holistic perspective. Your physical, mental, emotional and hormonal health do not exist in isolation, you need them all to be in sync with each other and achieve a balance for them all. I apply the same to hormonal and metabolic health as well. Even if a person has the most (seemingly) insignificant health issues, the truth is that this can either signify an underlying condition or even be the beginning of many health problems in the future. Balance comes not from an extreme approach but a balanced one that can nourish your body in a wholesome manner. My approach towards diet therefore is one of nutrition and not punitive or compensatory. My clients are guided to eating intuitively while making balanced wholesome choices. This can be extended into their other life areas too as living balanced in all walks of life can help physical health in a way that the only diet could not.

Your success mantra?

I never strive for success because for me “Success is a by-product of your work”. My work brings me joy and though it is stressful to have the responsibility of someone’s health on you, it is more than worth it when a person reaches their goals and is happy. Somehow doing my work honestly and with dedication, I realised that more and more of my clientele started coming through word of mouth, this to me was the appreciation that had a lot of value. I do believe in setting goals, working hard but also smart. I am often much more cautious than I would like to be but since risk taking is not a big part of my business this has worked well for me. If something doesn’t work in my favour, I have now learnt that wasting time over regret can never change the past and I do move on quickly. However, I do believe in giving my best, working hard, and persevering till necessary.

A lesson you learned from making a mistake?

I have learnt that even as a professional I am running a business and this can sometimes mean losses, and that mulling over it is only a waste of precious time. Often, in my early years, when I would invest into marketing myself and didn’t receive the expected ROI or worse, found the company/person I signed was unprofessional, I would let it get to me. This has been a major source of distress to me and has even impacted my work. Unfortunately, I was short-sighted and with time realised the loopholes in this mentality. Once I realised this, I stopped falling for the ideas of marketing, social media, ads etc and focussed on organic growth. Slowly, I changed my approach towards my work, focussed on giving outstanding results and a personalised service to my clients. This helped me grow slowly but steadily as I wanted. Letting go of bad business decisions or experiences, not taking the lows as a personal failure, and focusing on my work has brought me a lot of mental peace which was lacking before.

Any piece of advice for all the women out there?

Success takes time, patience and perseverance. There will be many setbacks and you may even have to start over. Never take your setbacks or failure personally. Have faith in yourself or a divine power, whatever you believe in, don’t let that faith go. Success is a trickster and will always seem to be around the corner, a few steps away or within an arm’s length. But when you stop looking for it, you may just find it coming to you on its own. Remember what is important to you and place the highest value on things that are irreplaceable or un-buyable- family, health, mental wellbeing, relations, spirituality. Make sure your work is a part of your life and not your life. Strive for having a well-balanced life, and a well balanced body. No matter what, never neglect your mental health and never let a loved one ignore theirs.

What has been your biggest pride as a doyenne?

I never considered myself to be a doyenne before this interview, however, I can say it is a matter of pride to be respected and known in my field. I work closely with many doctors who consider my professional opinion to be of value, this has been a source of a lot of confidence and pride to me. I am also extremely proud of my clients that have persevered through many setbacks and have been able to place utmost importance to their health even after they achieve their goals and stop working with me. Currently, I am in the process of launching self-paced online health programs that would make wellness much more affordable. We also recently launched an academy for nutrition courses- Allied Healthcare Academy- that brings sheer pride to me.