Jealousy/ negativity normally stems from an inferiority complex and low self-esteem. People become jealous of you when they feel that they aren’t as good as you or can’t have/ achieve what you have/ achieved.

Here are some tips to deal with jealousy/ negativity.

1. Tell yourself it’s them not you.

Take a breath and remind yourself that it’s not you who has a problem, it’s them. People’s jealousy and negativity are based on their own underlying issues and sadness. You can try to disarm them by making a positive comment or giving them a compliment. If that doesn’t help, then it’s best to ignore and avoid.

2. Don’t tell them about your goals and plans.

Don’t ever tell jealous and negative people about the goals and plans you are currently working on. They may try to mock and de-motivate you. They might even use your plans to try and copy and out-do you. So keep your plans to yourself and keep working on your goals without sharing them with jealous people.

3. Set boundaries

Don’t think that you have to continue to listen to a jealous and hateful person. Set boundaries to distance yourself from such people and make a mental time limit of how long you will engage with a jealous/ negative person, then make some excuse like ‘I have to check on something’ or ‘I have some work to do’ and end the conversation.

4. Be yourself and be positive

No matter how people behave with you, keep being you and doing what you are doing. Keep continuing your life as you are leading it and don’t change to suit others or try to placate them. Stay positive.

Meet our featured beauty with brains Kristy Lee, a HR professional and health coach based in Newcastle, Australia. Here is an interview with her.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a busy mum of 2 healthy beautiful girls 7 & 13. I work full time in HR and have recently turned my new found health and weight loss into an amazing business mentoring & supporting many people through their Gut Health journey. 

2. What are your goals in life?

My biggest goal is to teach my girls to be KIND, to always pay that kindness forward. To show them that we as women can achieve great things if we find something to be passionate about. 

3. Have you achieved them? 

I am certainly on my way to achieving great things with mentoring. Being a Social Marketer and promoting CLEAN LIVING & GUT HEALTH leaves me waking up revived and excited for each new day.

Meet our featured beauty with brains, Shilpi Shah Gupta, a nutritionist and model based in Sydney, Australia. Here is her story.

“I am Shilpi. I am a Registered Holistic Clinical Nutritionist, Entrepreneur, Blogger, Model and Mum. I have a son who is very technology advanced and hubby who has a great sense of humour. My parents are in Nepal and in-laws are in India. We relocated to Sydney in January 2019 from New Zealand.

I am from Nepal but I have always lived in India for my studies which has helped me to learn different languages and being in Boarding school since age of five has helped me to easily adopt to all places and people. I have completed Bachelor in Science from Pokhara University and then studied in Auckland Well Park College to become a registered Holistic Nutritionist (Clinical Nutrition Association) in New Zealand. Recently I have specialised in ADHD and autism from Skills Academy and also completed leadership and Management course from Barrington.

I can speak Nepali, Hindi, Bengali and lived in Darjeeling, Bangalore, Melbourne and New Zealand which was for 8 years of my life. My adventures in “healthy” eating began when I moved to New Zealand mainly because I had severe digestive problems, leg ache, body ache and fatigue throughout my childhood. I was taking quite a lot of medication which didn’t deal with the root cause. The part I really enjoyed most while studying was that we followed several diets (as part of learning) such as dairy free, sugar free, gluten free and I started healing myself naturally, I became so empowered that I felt compelled to help others. The thing I am passionate about in life is helping others to live healthier and happier. I feel I am so lucky to connect and inspire people all around the world just by implementing simple changes to feel their best. I started helping my clients during clinical practice, parents, family members and their feedback had boosted my confidence to start my business. I was running my own business which was a retail health store with clinic, where every day I was seeing many clients for their health conditions and helping them by identifying their food intolerance and providing them with nutrition consultations that made me happy when clients started feeling better. I have been practising for almost 7 years now.

Holistic Nutrition is based on integrating the physical, nutritional, environmental, emotional and spiritual components of someone’s life. I believe it has to be balanced so that your hormones are balanced and you feel greater with less mood irritability and capable to cope with life challenges, releases from craving and balancing all parts of your life work, family, relationships, children etc.

Here is an interview with her.

1. What are your main goals? Have you achieved them?

My goals as a Nutritionist is to educate clients about health by creating learning environment in order to improve their well-being. I hope to achieve this by starting a business including a consultation clinic and also keeping myself up to-date with knowledge by reading more books, articles, getting training and attending learning seminars and courses. I would like to incorporate my business which should be learning hub in health store, education relevant to their health condition and experiences, and that should provide confidence and trust to our clients. By achieving this goal, it will give me immense pleasure and satisfaction. I wish clients are educated on their health. My knowledge and experience could help them to see changes in their health. I could provide the resources and guide them what they need to do by just simple changes in their diet and also by incorporating supplements.

2. Is there any special story or experience that you would like to share?

During my Second year of Nutrition, I got a call from my dad asking that I have to come to Nepal as mum is not well. Usually I have never received that kind of call to come home urgently. I was scared and worried. I took flight next day and I was so worried and stressed out. When I reached home, I saw mum half paralysed which was diagnosed by doctor as bilateral paralysis and later on it was unilateral paralysis. She had lost the ability to breathe, swallow and move for several seconds. It looked like seizure to me. She also experienced symptoms like tremors, numbness, tingling and muscle weakness. I broke down, seeing my mum in that condition.

After looking at all the reports I was not convinced that she was diagnosed that well as first allopathy thought, stroke, bi-unit paralysis so we took her to Delhi to get second opinion and she had to go through the same process of diagnosis with MRI, Biopsy and ultrasound etc and the conclusion was she has Multiple sclerosis. It didn’t make sense to me at that time as I knew MS gets diagnosed at early age however my mum was in 50’s. The doctor prescribed her injection to be taken every month which we don’t get in Nepal so it used to come by Delhi flight every month stored in ice pack and cost of each injection was Rs, 50,000.

I wore my nutritional cap and started looking at the root cause. I knew mum’s diet and lifestyle. She has a personality of worrying and spent a lot of energy to please everyone that made her immunity weak. Healing an autoimmune condition such as Multiple sclerosis doesn’t happen overnight and there is no magic pill but it is possible to control multiple sclerosis through lifestyle changes and changing food habits and sticking with them. She had to change her lifestyle and started avoiding sugar and also avoiding food that exacerbate and consuming ones that decrease it, restoring gut flora, gut repair (leaky gut) vitamin D, B complex, vitamin C, coq10 lots of green veggies. It was a long road to travel but she now has her multiple sclerosis under control. Most of the symptoms including tremors, weakness, tingling and others gradually disappeared.

She went for another visit to doctor and they went through all the tests again. MRI showed no incurment of spot on her brain. Doctor was surprised to see it was in control and now she can stop taking all those medications which was prescribed by him.

She feels so much better that no more medication, no more side effects of those meds and now she eats healthy food and no doubt she balances that with eating junk food too.

With this experience I have learnt that following a healthy balanced diet brings so much difference in our life so we should look after ourself before it’s too late.

3. What’s your advice to women who are very busy juggling home and work and don’t have much time for health/wellness? Do you have any quick tips?

It is important to have well-balanced diet. A meal should include a carbohydrate, a protein, a fruit/vegetable and healthy fat.

• Eat three main meals and 2-3 snacks in between meals. Several small meals enable our body to process carbohydrates, fat, and protein throughout the day, supplying your brain with the steady stream of glucose it needs.

• Each meal and snack must include some protein and small amount of good fat.

• Use complex carbohydrates; Try to avoid refined carbohydrates.

Eat high protein breakfast. Never skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast will be detrimental to any attempt at stabilizing blood sugar throughout the rest of the day. Proteins are essential for growth, repair, and detoxification processes. Protein provides the building blocks for our cells and need to be replenished.

• Eat 5+ servings of fresh vegetables and fruit daily – choose lots of colour and variety to provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes and phytonutrients. Eat at least 50% of your vegetables and fruit raw as cooking destroys enzymes and many vitamins

• Eat a wide variety of seasonal, whole foods – foods that are in their natural state or as close to their natural state as possible are nutrient dense and better for health (the more processed a food, the less nutritious it is). Emphasise free-range, organic, spray-free and locally grown produce as much as possible

• Choose food high in fiber, especially soluble fiber. Sources of soluble fibre include oatmeal (soaked overnight then cooked increases digestibility and reduce phytic acid content), chia seeds (also soaked in water. This makes them more digestible), seaweeds such as kelp, dulse or karengo.

• Exercise every day, Exercise helps to improve blood sugar balance.

• Read food labels – if you can’t pronounce the ingredients or if it contains a lot of E-numbers, it is highly processed and probably lacking in nutrition. This may ultimately be more toxic than nutritious for the body – why eat it?

4. What does wellness mean to you?

Wellness, the state of experiencing balance through mind-body-spirit connection. It’s holistic food for every part of yourself. There are different ways of living with wellness. Wellness for me is being in balance in emotional, physical, social, spiritual, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational which may mean something different to each individual. It is food for the soul. Wellness means creating time for things I like to do. It is up to each of us to create harmony between our life responsibilities while finding time daily, or weekly, to participate in activities that bring us pleasure, personal fulfilment, and rejuvenation. Eating healthy and finding time to do some form of physical exercise on a routine basis creates physical balance in our bodies.

Wellness also means making time for friends and family. This is part of our emotional balance. Having a support system is important and makes us feel cared for and loved, knowing there is someone else that cares about our wellbeing. It is also a good feeling to be supportive for another person that you love and care for. It becomes an equal relationship of giving and receiving, offering equal emotional balance. When a relationship is in balance, the circle of giving and receiving is complete. When this happens, you know you have been blessed with a loving and caring person in your life that also recognizes the need for balance.

Wellness happens by making small changes that doesn’t take place within a day it adds up over time. Some of these changes can be just like eating more vegetables compared to meat or swapping coffee for green tea. Some of them can be very challenging preconceived notions about how we should think, feel, act or simply be – like letting go of negative self-talk, feeling guilty, saying YES more often than saying NO.

Meet our featured beauty with brains Mala Kanwar, a Businesswoman and Project Management professional based in Sydney, Australia. She holds MBA in International Business and Strategic Management from University of Technology, Sydney. Mala works full time with NSW Government, and juggles multiple roles on a given day – a professional, a businesswoman, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, a friend and more.

Here is her story.

“I’m Mala, I’m the face behind this little biz Velvet along with my very stylish mother in law. I have 2 little guys – 6 year old and 2.5 year old, their daddy, their granddaddy and 1 furry canine Cavoodle.

I’m definitely outnumbered in this house so I make up for the lack of girly-ness by selling dresses! These dresses are channel to my own inner Madame Macron. Don them on and you instantly feel that lift in the way you walk and talk! I share this passion with my mother in law. Doing what we love doing we are a mother in law – daughter in law duo. We are like two beads on a string. We love the same man and we both share panache for styling women. A passion that turned into a business a while ago has dressed many lovely ladies over the last four plus years. We keep getting recommendations and our client’s word of mouth makes us very proud! It helps us do what we love doing.

Velvet initially started for the girls of the house and close friends. The word spread fast and we kept our first ever Velvet sell-out event 4 years ago and there has been no looking back since! Along the way we’ve made many wonderful friends and created our own ever growing velvet family.”

Here is an interview with her.

1. Do you have the secret mantra that you work with when recommending your clients what to choose?

Over the years helping women with different body shapes, I’ve decoded the style principles that apply to and empower women of different age, shape, style, lifestyle or occupation. Whether you are petite or plus size we help you find your own personal style. I personally don’t believe in rules or trends. I simply believe getting dressed should be easier and more joyful everyday activity. So if I may use Marie Kondo’s words here “Does this spark joy?” if it does then wear it with your heart on your sleeve. Velvet’s mantra is “Be inspired, Be Bold, Be the new you!”

2. How do you juggle so many roles in your everyday life?

At least once a week I am asked that magic question “How do you juggle it all?” I usually shrug my shoulders and smile while saying something like “I have no idea, you just do!” Like so many of the women (and men) around me I am ‘juggling’ many aspects to my life- mother, wife, friend, daughter, daughter-in-law, business owner, and professional. Between my husband, in-laws, friends and colleagues there is an amazing village who all play a part, make it possible and I couldn’t do it any other way. I prefer surrounding myself with positive, kind and trusted core who add so much to my life. Life is so short and those closest to us need our support, love and care too so why not fill your days with people who will hold you up rather than pull you back down. My very own village helps me every single day to provide for everyone I love, and I’m indebted to all of them and they know who they are.

3. As a business woman and as a mom is there ever self-doubt?

When it comes to being a mum, running a business and everything else in between, I have come to conclude that believing in yourself is an absolute key. In business, particularly as an entrepreneur, you have to back yourself even when you are not quite sure if you should! I have found the same with motherhood. It is hard (but fun!) and tiresome (but rewarding too) and I have found myself questioning regularly whether I am doing enough or the right thing for my family. In those moments of self-doubt I stop, take a few deep breaths and remind myself that as long as I am doing my best in that moment, that is all I can do. We must believe in ourselves before we can expect anyone else to. So next time you questioning your worth, stop, breath and remind yourself that your best is all you can do.

4. Tell us more about your business, what kind of dresses do you sell, what is your USP?

At Velvet we stock brands like Karl Lagerfeld, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Ivanka Trump, Cynthia Rowley, Tahiri and more. People ask me – why Velvet when they can go out and buy from big retail stores. My reason is –each dress at velvet is unique, and these flattering dresses are exclusive, hand-picked and offer sharp silhouette & classic colours making impact with structured shapes & clean lines, making an impact à la mode! All the dresses are genuine designer dresses and are sourced directly from USA keeping our prices low, and we love to pass on the savings to our customers. All these dresses are under $95. So that’s our biggest USP competing with the retail giants J

5. If you could choose any one female celebrity to dress up, who would it be and why?

I’d rather dress an everyday woman than a celebrity.

I’d love to provide guidance and honest feedback regarding finding her dream dresses/outfits. I’ll provide styling tips for easier joyful everyday dressing and help create looks to add to her wardrobe, tailored to different occasions, figure and taste in line with Velvet’s mantra – “Be inspired, Be Bold, Be the new you!”

Feel free to check out her Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/velvet.dresses.au/

Meet our featured beauty with brains, Harinder Kaur. She is the owner of the Harman Foundation Charity Organisation. Here is an interview with her:

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you started the Harman Foundation.

My name is Harinder Kaur. I am an Educationist, social counselor and registered Sikh Chaplain. I am passionate and compassionate, working as an education coordinator for Justice since 1993. I am a mother of three including Harman, wife, and most importantly a survivor.

In 2012 I lost one of my beloved children Harman in a tragic accident; he was the purest of souls and had the biggest of hearts. Through this tragic event we as a family and friends decided to continue his legacy through the founding of the Harman foundation.

2. You are doing a lot to help the less fortunate. What inspires you and motivates you to keep going?

It’s the smile and appreciation on people’s faces that gets me every time, the feeling that you have done something even though may not be big, it’s all about contribution to the community. I feel that this country has given a lot to my family and myself in ways you cannot imagine therefore, I want to give back to those that are in need or need support. I feel that we as a member of society should also adopt that charitable model as a united and diverse community and help those in need like Australia has gifted to us.

Just being able to be there for those that are in need that’s a reward in itself.

The more I indulge into this kind of field, I find that we can do a lot for people in our community. I feel that I haven’t done enough, it is imperative to reach out and encourage others to help towards volunteering to organisations that assist those that are in need.

3. What are the foundation’s goals? Have you achieved them?

Our main aim is to grow further across NSW especially those in remote areas and eventually reach out to other states through our support lines. We also want to strengthen our relationships and collaborate with other organisations both government and non-government sectors to achieve better outcomes.

Yes and no.

Yes because we are working with more than 25 organisations, NGOs and government agencies and continue on a regular basis and develop these other relationships as well.

No, as we are a young organisation that has a lot more room to grow. In each and every aspect, I also believe that no matter how old anything is, it is never too old to learn and evolve.

4. What is a typical day in your life like?

I like to wake up before sunrise, do my prayers, this helps me summon that inner strength through my passions to power on and do as much as possible within the day to help those that are in need. Helping others around me and developing the Harmon foundation in its growth sets an example to others to offer their helping hands towards building a more united community.

5. Are there any major changes in Harman Foundation’s work?

Since its formation in 2013, the foundation has continued to evolve into a web of cost-free community support services, delivered by a committed group of volunteers, to address a range of individual and group needs, issues and concerns. This includes:

2013 to 2019

· Chaplaincy in hospitals, prisons etc. (30+ people a week in hospitals and prisons)

· 24 x 7 helpline (More than 6000 calls of needy people in the last 5 yrs)

· Direct counseling through professionals (Referrals , Telephone conferencing and direct one on one support groups )

· Setting up and provide welfare schemes and financial assistance through fundraising for various reasons which has resulted about $130,000 of funds raised to assist individuals in a crisis. (see below for intricacies of assistance)

· Collaboration and partnership with other organizations more than 25 Govt and NGOs

· Seminars and workshops (organized more than 70 seminars/workshops and 10 health expos)

· Free Food Services for the Homeless which allows HF to provide for 7000+ meals annually at Blacktown. 75-80 needy or homeless people are benefited

· Grief and Loss Program/ Funeral Assistance more than 25 families assisted

· Free meditation/ Yoga Classes four years free meditation classes every week 2015 to 2018

· Two yoga workshops( two days ) every year from the last 3 years

· Assists individuals affected by Domestic Violence (currently supporting 85+ women and men who suffer from DV)

· Establishment of a Safe Home Project/ Women’s Shelter- HER housing since July 2018

Feel free to check out their FB page

https://www.facebook.com/HarmanFoundation/

1. Tell us a bit about yourself – what you do, your hobbies, goals etc

 

I am a co-owner of a boutique and independent real estate and finance agency that provides property management, sales and mortgage services.  Our office is based in the Hills District of Sydney. We list, sell, rent throughout Sydney and can finance any type of purchase throughout Australia.

 

Prior to this, I was a marketing professional at some of Sydney’s leading Large Format and Sub Regional Shopping Centres such as Rouse Hill Town Centre, Chatswood Chase, Supa Centa Belrose & Supa Centa Caringbah.

 

My husband Gurdev and I together launched this agency a year and half ago named after our two boys – Paras & Baz.

 

Being a mortgage broker, he had a number of clients that had an unmet need of selling or renting out properties that they owned. This led to the formation of our real estate division and is the prime reason why our listings are throughout Sydney.

 

After graduating from UTS with Property Economics and electing to sub-major in photography, my hobbies are all things creative. Being a visual person, I admire everything that meets the eye and enjoy graphic design, videography and photography. All of the branding aspects that you’ll see within our business are personally crafted.

 

My goal is to share my knowledge and experience to the community and clients I serve whether it be property related or beyond.

 

From a business point of view, our goal is to build a first-class reputable brand where we provide a memorable customer experience and make clients for life.

 

 

2. Who or what inspires you?

 

Being an optimistic person, I am naturally drawn towards industry thought leaders that project positive energy and motivate you to always be learning and developing. On top of this list is the real estate coach – Tom Panos – who is the third most influential and engaging real estate based speaker in the world.

 

In addition to this, I am honoured to be mentored by Manos & Maria Findikakis, the founders of E-view Group – Australia’s first multi-brand real estate group and aspire to build our brand like these leading property agents in Australia: Lisa Novak from Novak Properties Dee Why, Marty Fox from White Fox Melbourne and Gavin Rubenstein from Ray White Double Bay/ Woollahra.

 

3. Can you give some success tips to women who want to start or have just started their own business?

 

My tips would be as below:

 

– Never underestimate your potential and surround yourself with people that bring out the best in you. For me, this is my family – especially my Husband who encouraged me to go beyond my comfort zone and instilled confidence in me to become the person I am today. Being opposite in personality and interests, my husband and I complement each other and together we are a stronger force in business and in family life.

– Visualise your end goal as law of attraction states that the energy you draw or think about is what you are served in life.

– Follow a motivational speaker that inspires you and spend at least 30 mins a day on self-development. As they say, just like bathing, motivation doesn’t last and that’s why it is recommended daily.

 

4. What do you want to achieve in the next few years?

 

On a business front, I want to create an effective and efficient business unit that works together to help achieve our client’s property goals.

 

On a personal front, I would like to play an active part in the community by giving back and adding value to those that are less fortunate.

 

On a mindfulness front, I’d like to connect with and learn from authentic inspirational figures and pass on my learnings to my kids who can then continue the positive legacy.

Feel free to check out their Facebook page and website:

https://www.facebook.com/parasandbaz

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Empowered Beauties With Brains was represented by Tiya Gorain along with Allure & Attitude (https://www.facebook.com/allureandattitude/) and Women In Business (https://www.facebook.com/womenInBusinessWIB/) at the ‘Queens of India’ event, organised by Mansi Khanna Bhatia, owner of Mash Accessories (https://www.mashaccessories.com.au)

Tiya participated in the Velvet Dresses Fashion Show at the event. Owned by the lovely and humble inspirational entrepreneur duo Mala Arya Kanwar and Dr. Suman Kanwar, Velvet (https://www.facebook.com/velvet.dresses.au/) has elegant, classy and unique dresses which turn heads in the crowd. The gorgeous Manisha Sharma from Manishaz Glamocracy (https://www.facebook.com/manzglamocracy/) and stunning Kelli Wilkins (https://www.facebook.com/Kelliw.IndependentConsultantArbonne/) did amazing makeup on the models. The fashion show was a great success and the dresses, styling and makeup were as dazzling as the women who modeled. Talented photographer Nancy Shah from Mitcy Photography (https://www.facebook.com/mitcyphotography/) captured the moments with great skill.

The event itself was spectacular. Mansi did a wonderful job organising and bringing everyone together. Kudos to this amazing lady for executing everything so beautifully and seamlessly and for helping the less fortunate so passionately. The event raised money for the Aasraa trust (https://aasraatrust.org) who provide education, shelter, nutrition and healthcare to children from the economically weaker section in Dehradun (India). The decor (https://m.facebook.com/jashnevent/), the food (https://m.facebook.com/tajbhavancatering/) the ambience, everything was splendid. A very classy and sophisticated event overall. All the guests went back satisfied with happy and pleasant memories.

We would also like to thank the beautiful Alpana Srivastava and charming Reetika Bhalla (co-owners of Women In Business) who weren’t able to be physically present at the Queens of India event but encouraged Tiya to represent ‘Women In Business’ at the event as they are always supportive towards charitable events.

Meet our featured beauty with brains Aman Preet, a celebrity portrait artist based in Sydney, Australia.

For Aman, art was a journey which started from the day she could first hold a pencil. Her journey started at the age of 3 as a mere hobby until the age of 11, when she entered her first art competition. She continued to do art as a passion up until year 12 when she decided to make it a career. In college she did a diploma in arts and a bachelors degree in fine arts. In 2007 she moved to Australia with her husband and 2 kids. Since she started working full time, she had to put her art journey on hold until 2016 when she started again after having her third kid. Being a mother meant working part-time, that is 9am-3pm (school time) and nights. That’s the only time she had to do her sketching. Each artwork takes up to 20 hours to create, depending on the amount of detail in it and what she is making. Her aim is to introduce the Indian culture to the new generation. She has done sketches of famous Indian celebrities such as Miss Universe 1994 and Actress Sushmita Sen, Singer Sonu Nigam, Poet and Film Director Gulzar, Actress Divya Dutta, Actress Diya Mirza, Actress Shabana Azmi, Actor Amrinder Gill and many others and have presented them with the drawings which they have appreciated a lot. She has participated in many art competitions and won several awards and prizes.

Feel free to check out her Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/amanpreet1204/

We women entrepreneurs often feel we lack the support and motivation we need to establish and grow our business and the platform to showcase and promote our business. Also, women business owners who work from home often feel isolated. The ‘Women In Business’ group was born to address these issues. An initiative by Alpana Srivastava, Tiya Gorain and Reetika Bhalla, it’s aim is to provide a nurturing and supportive group to women entrepreneurs as well as women who want to start their own venture. It’s a platform for women to showcase their skills, talents and products.

“We aim to provide a non-judgemental support system to women where they can share anything and everything comfortably without the fear of negativity or trolling. Instead of competing we want to complement each other and instead of pulling each other down we want to help each other grow.

We organise meetups at various days, times and locations so that everyone can join and we also provide businesses the option to host one of our meetups if they want to.

We provide various promotion, advertising and publicity options to businesswomen without burning a hole in their pockets. Our rates are very reasonable and budget friendly as we understand how women often struggle with finances when they have to juggle many things in their businesses.

So if you are a businesswoman or professional and looking for motivation, support, help, advice, mentorship, uplifting and understanding, don’t hesitate to join us.”

– Women In Business Team

Check out their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/womenInBusinessWIB/

Meet our featured beauty with brains Asima Sen, an eighty year old wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother based in Purulia, India. She is a truly inspirational woman who never gave up hope and courage despite facing many trials and tribulations in her life. She never let the problems in her life change her positive and cheerful nature and always tried to help others no matter how needy she herself was. Here is her story.

“I was born in 1937 at Pabna (which was a part of India at that time, then became a part of Pakistan, and is a part of Bangladesh now). My father was a landlord who owned acres of land there. I was one of seven siblings. Tragedy first struck our family when I was 8 years old. My 6 year old brother died from Typhoid as his illness was misdiagnosed as Malaria due to the lack of advanced medical facilities at that time. We siblings used to share a big room and have so much fun together. His passing left a void in my life which nothing seemed to be able to fill. I remember crying myself to sleep every night. It took me a few years to get used to life without him.

India gained independence from the British in 1947. My eldest sister who was 14 at that time was already married by then. I was 10 years old. India was divided into two countries – India and Pakistan. Pabna became part of Pakistan – a different country! We were told that we Hindus have to go back to India or we will be killed. My parents didn’t know where to go with five kids. My uncle (mother’s brother) used to live in Purulia, India. So my parents sent us kids to live with him while they themselves decided to stay back and brave the circumstances.

My uncle was a builder. He used to build train stations. I was one of hundreds of people living in his palatial mansion, as there were many relatives, employees, poor villagers etc living there. I felt lost in the crowd and felt lonely despite having so many people around. I had to work hard to earn my keep, had to help in cooking, housework etc. It took me time but I slowly got used to that life.

When I was 15, my uncle told us that he was moving to another town and couldn’t support us anymore. I was homeless once again. We siblings were separated and sent to live with different relatives. I was sent to live with my eldest sister and her family, who also lived in Purulia.

I got married when I was 17. It was an arranged marriage. I loved my husband and finally found the happiness I was looking for, after all these years. My first daughter was born a year after my marriage. After that I had three more daughters. My husband badly wanted a son but I couldn’t give him one. The doctor advised me against having any more children after my fourth daughter was born, as I had some health complications. Society started looking down on me as I couldn’t have any sons.

When my youngest daughter was 2 years old, my husband had tuberculosis. He couldn’t work for a long time. Our savings started dwindling and we lived hand to mouth. I didn’t know where the next meal was going to come from. We had to sell land and jewellery. I have always helped the less fortunate and continued doing so even in these difficult times. One of our tenants couldn’t pay rent for a few months as they were going through hard times too. I never pushed them for payment or asked them to leave, as I understood their situation.

When my eldest daughter was 23, she married a boy of her own choice. My son-in-law turned out to be a very nice and generous man who helped us a lot. Then within a few years my other daughters got married too.

When my youngest daughter was 15, she eloped with a boy. That was a big blow to our family. I was worried about her as well as worried about what would people say. But luckily they came back after a few days after getting married to each other. He turned out to be nice and she was really happy with him so I was happy for her.

I don’t have any regrets in life. Now, I consider myself lucky to have four daughters instead of sons. They all love me and look after me. I have five grandchildren and one great grandchild. I am grateful to both the positive and negative experiences of my life, as together they have made me who I am today.”