This was unheard of for South Asian women 20 years ago.

“Pull yourself up by your bootstraps” was the message I was told.

(Especially when I left India for the US, then the UK)

So I did.
I worked hard and had comfort + achievement.

But I yearned for authenticity, peace, and flow.

So I set off on a journey of self-discovery…
Only to be disappointed.

As a first-generation ladder-climber I experienced unique challenges + complexities often overlooked in conventional personal growth advice.

It ignores:
✅ South Asian survival-oriented parenting means we often become adults before we’re ready
✅ We might have experienced shaming as an over-used tactic within parenting and communities
✅ The heavy emphasis on performance and achievement
✅ That we grew up in a culture of comparison
✅ We’ve had to adapt to a second culture

Our experience can cause brain areas associated with presence + focus to disengage as a form of self-protection…

Also leading to high achievement as a fawn response.

No wonder stereotypical personal growth advice doesn’t work.
It hadn’t been created for us!

Now I know the chronic stress from survival-based parenting is held in your nervous system and drives your behavior and actions.

(Many of my clients seek nervous system work after years of therapy, meditation, and other spiritual practices.)

We're all bound by our biology.

So when we align with it, this is how we can achieve health, well-being, and restoration.