Released on: March 30th, 2022
KARISHMA UDIT CHHATRAPATI CO-FOUNDER - FITZA Mindset Transformation Coach | Spiritual Wellness Advocate Mentor
Talk us through your background and your journey as an individual /entrepreneur/Coach
I started working early in life. While my friends were out and about socializing, I would have to be at work, as soon as my lectures were over. Straight after my 10th standard my father told me that I would not be getting pocket money from then on, but a salary. So, during the vacations began my internship. For everyday I did not appear at work, my salary was cut. To be honest, I loved it. Very rarely did I feel I was missing out on the joy of living, especially when my friends would be giddy about their social outings.
So, right through college it was academics and work. This kept me disciplined and nurtured ambition. I wanted to strive for excellence. Even though my father has always been highly critical, I have appreciated the fact that I would not be who I am if he had not tapped into my potential and pushed me.
Even though I was involved with my father’s business, I knew that would not be my future. He knew that too. My dream was to become a lawyer. However, that dream shattered when my parents separated. They waged a bitter battle, and I lost my passion to pursue my dreams. I was lost. I was angry.
I chose to get into the media – production, direction. I pursued a certificate course. I worked for about a year, till I was completely disillusioned. There was nothing intellectually stimulating, and rewarding. It was draining me. In the meantime personally I had hit a low. I was devastated, heart-broken.
I did not allow that to keep me down for too long. I rose like the phoenix and joined a school as a pre-primary teacher, as well as I got a job as Co-Editor for a graphic magazine. I was also moonlighting as a web content provider. For me the best escape from the my personal challenges was professional pursuits.
I took to studying Psychotherapy, quit the school teacher job and went on to work in and for publications. I enjoyed the thrill of multi-tasking. Then in 2008, after my health took a sever beating, I decided to give up a multi-dimensional career and focus on fulltime Psychotherapy Counselling. I pursued courses in various therapy modalities, and was also conducting training programs for various companies.
In 2010, I read about Coaching, and was intrigued by it. I started Coaching clients towards the end of 2010, and found the my clients arrived at amazing breakthroughs. I became passionate about Coaching, but never gave up Psychotherapy Counselling. I felt wear varied hats in the space of mental and spiritual wellness would help clients.
While immersed in my profession, I never let the crown of mastership adorn my head. In fact, learning has been a constant and through the year I pursue various certificate and diploma courses in order to keep upgrading myself.
In 2016, when I got married I went on sabbatical. After all, I too needed to experience life and fun. Then came the pandemic, and I felt I needed to get back to Coaching. Things had changed, and I was forced to create an online presence and virtually coach people. I started my career’s second innings offering free coaching and guided meditation sessions for a year.
I had worked on creating my online presence, and things started falling into place, just like that. A dear friend from school offered me to join Fitza as Co-founder, and Chief Mindset & Wellness Expert. I was over the moon. Along side my client base for Coaching kept expanding.
Fitza is dream project that landed in my lap, and is a culmination of all my hard work and experience. It is something I believe in, and live by.
What is the hardest challenge you faced in your career and how did you turn it into an opportunity?
Way back between 2004 and 2008 I was working for a major publication. It was the most thrilling and yet devastating experience. Along with managing copy-editing for three of the magazines, I was mandated the responsibility or setting up their in-house book publication department, as Editor. I was handed this responsibility in January 2007, and they wanted to take 42 books for an international book exhibition to be held in October that year. This meant I had to have the books printed and packaged by September.
I took this challenge head-on. A different kind of fire was in my belly to achieve this humongous task. With this I was also a consultant trainer for various Call Centres, which meant, on Friday evening till 3.00 am I would have to conduct a training session for their teams. In the midst of this I got cerebral malaria and lost almost a month.
I still remember, I had chills and fever. My Doctor came home, injected me the previous evening. The next morning I was promptly back at work. Two days later I collapsed and had to be rushed to the hospital. I was delirious and still wanted my laptop to work. The company’s owner spoke to me and said I would be sacked if I did not stop calling the office regarding updates and tasks that needed to be done. The hospital was so boring. Seven days later I was discharged, and was told I could not go back to work for at least three weeks. Well, as long as I had my laptop, I was technically back at work without much ado.
In spite of every challenge, I managed to give in 38 books for the international exhibition. I was upset as I wanted to give all 42. However, the company was more than happy as they expected me to do about 15 books. Tops they expected was 20.
That entire year I gave more than 100 %, and yet I was not given enough credit. In fact, things got messy eventually, and I decided to hang up my boots and shift gears and take to Counselling, full time.
I came through that phase, because I have always been solution-oriented. I would always look for the lesson in every challenge. My father was a huge support and ha always been my first Guru, helping me dispel the darkness of ignorance and see the light within.
Tell us about the uniqueness of your brand /startup/institution ?
Fitza – Your Digital Wellness Buddy is built on the need to align one’s mind, body and spirit in order to bring about a complete transformation to thrive in health and wellness. We suffer pain and disease, because we are out of sync with our mind-body requirement. WE lose ourselves in everything unhealthy, sabotaging ourselves. Team Fitza aspires, through our Integrative Wellness Intervention System (IWIS) to help people lead a healthy lifestyle, preventing and/or managing chronic ailments.
People, in general, find it difficult to adhere to a transformative lifestyle, because they are overwhelmed by how much money, time and effort they need to spend. We understand that. We built a platform where one has access to a nutrition plan that is customised on the go with a curation of close to 2000 recipes. Stress-management is such an important part of one’s healthy regime. Understanding this we have guided meditations, journaling, expressive art therapy, and mindfulness prompts to address mindset transformation. We have also curated exercise flow videos by experts.
Every aspect of Fitza is built by experts. It is inexpensive, all-encompassing as an Integrative Wellness Intervention System.
My husband and I contribute as and when opportunities come up. We primarily believe that charity begins at home. Keeping this in mind, our staff’s families are our priority over all else – their health and well being, and childrens’ education. WE take immense humble pride in the fact that udring the peak of the lockdown phase, we retained every staff member at the same salary. We gave them their full bonus during Diwali. Along with that we contributed to various social organisations. We believe in gifting smiles.
What is your business / success mantra that you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
There will always be problems, however meditating on the problem at hand, or the possible solutions is a choice. If you enlarge the problem you’ll miss the solutions. And if you focus on the solutions, the problem is minimised. Where attention goes, energy flows. There is a lesson in every challenge, obstacle, failure. Learn the lesson, emerge wiser and walk on!
One special Quote/message for all communities/brands.
Your purpose is larger than you. Serve your purpose passionately, and thrive!
Any other Happy moments /achievements you would like to share with the world.
Her first published work was a short story, which was included in Royal Book at Bedtime, United Kingdom, when she was at the tender age of just 8 years. She has also been nominated for inclusion in the Who Will Be Who in the 21st Century by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge.
She has compiled the acclaimed series, Precious Gems of Wisdom, as well as a coffee table book on Sri Sri Ravishankar, titled, New Age Wisdom from Ancient Knowledge, by Magna Publishing Company. Filmy Chick, was a passion project written in collaboration with Shweta Rohira.
Karishma is known for her literary prowess, flair as a wordsmith, experience as a psychotherapist & counselling psychologist and her spiritual awareness bringing about transformations to many lives, by empowering them to discover their Light, love, courage, power, faith, peace, happiness, through guided meditations, and group healing sessions.
Other Links:
https://linktr.ee/KarishmaUC
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