“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.

Having done her masters from Asia’s finest design college and having worked with India’s leading fashion retail giants, Upasana decided to create her own fashion and lifestyle channel by the name of Salmon on Stilettos. Her visual storytelling in the field of beauty and fashion has got her the eyeballs of the new age millennials.

What is your wellness philosophy?

Love and embrace yourself. Feed yourself with care and see yourself blossom. That’s my mantra of wellness. In a world of critics, when everyone around pulls you down and shows you where you lack, it’s for you to be your cheerleader, boost yourself every day and reassure yourself of how amazing you truly are.

Your success mantra?

Walk with a compass and not a clock. Don’t be in a hurry to achieve, but instead be cognizant of where you are going. Emphasising on the time aspect- remember life is a journey that you are crafting for yourself. It’s not a race and was never meant to be (and you are not some rat expected to run it!)

A lesson you learned from making a mistake?

We always look up to people and try to ape them. As a kid, we generally tag certain people as cool and what they do becomes a marker of cool for us, too.

The pursuit of trying to match this definition of cool is definitely a sin I did commit as a kid. And now I realise how exhausting it was. How I tortured little me with the pain of trying to make me someone I was not. Trying to be someone else is truly the worst thing I could do to myself. I was forcing my own being to recreate someone whom I had put on the pedestal of cool.

It’s now that I have realised that me being truly me is the coolest thing I could ever do. Being authentic and unapologetically me is liberating and is what I aim to be each day of my life. Holding pride in my flaws and realising these quirks are what make me so unique and awesome – flower-some in the true sense!

Rather than trying to be a replica of someone, I now yearn to be an original piece. All I intended now is to work on myself each day, trying to carve out a better version of myself with each passing day.

Any piece of advice for all the women out there?

Also, we as women are “givers”, a motherly instinct forces us to keep everyone before us. We shower others with love, prioritise others, but somewhere de prioritise our own needs and desires. It’s important to really love ourselves before we love anyone else. The aeroplane is the best analogy where each time the plane flies, you are guided to wear your mask first before even helping your own family. Self love is not selfish. That’s the only lesson I wish to give each woman and man whose life I touch through this piece.

Love yourself and you will see how you attract love from everywhere. Self criticism is the root of every kind of agony in life. Our self talk matters. We need to remind ourselves how we are truly one of a kind. We need to believe in our vision, dream and point of view and never hide or be ashamed of expressing it. Our DNA is unique and why shy away from being us?

What has been your biggest pride as a doyenne?

Having found a new unique voice of my own. Being able to reach out to so many people across India and outside. Having created a strong community that resonates with me and my vibe. I call my channel “salmon on stilettos” and this is where I document each and every attempt in my life when I, too, like a salmon fish, go against my grain. Breaking out of my comfort zone, I see myself breaking ceilings on inhibitions that I had set for myself. I visualise myself soaring, rising because I know if I will believe it, I will receive it.