At Brilliant Read Media, it is our constant endeavour to identify and share some of the unique and compelling stories from the startup ecosystem. As part of this, we invited Dr. Divya Kishor for an interview with Brilliant Read Media. To say further, Dr. Divya is an Entrepreneur, Iconic Business Coach and Founder of The Next Circle. Let’s learn more about her background, inspiring journey so far and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Dr. Divya:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
From the dental chair to the boardroom, my journey has been anything but conventional—and that’s exactly what shaped me. I didn’t start with a five-year plan. I started with confusion, self-doubt….
Becoming a dentist was supposed to be the “safe” choice. But the more I succeeded clinically, the more something inside me whispered, “This isn’t it.” I was obsessed with the bigger picture: how businesses run, how people think, and how purpose shapes profit.
So I pivoted. Boldly. Uncomfortably. I also started working behind the scenes as a business head in healthcare, where I helped clinics move from scattered systems to 7-figure growth. But even then, I felt caged.
Because I wasn’t meant to just support systems. I was meant to transform them. Not just businesses, but mindsets, identities, and lives. That’s when everything changed.
Today, I lead a Business & Lifestyle Coaching empire built on one powerful truth: Your business will only grow to the level you do.
I work with ambitious service-based solopreneurs and entrepreneurs—especially women—to disrupt their survival-driven patterns, scale their revenue with energy and execution, and step into a life of emotional and financial freedom.
How did you discover your passion?
I didn’t wake up one day knowing this is what I was meant to do. No.
I reached here by walking through years of “almosts,” “not-quites,” and “something’s missing.” I followed the rules, ticked the boxes, but deep down, I felt like I was silently screaming inside a system that didn’t feel like mine. It was the quiet discomfort of doing things the usual way.
My passion revealed itself when I noticed how naturally I could spot what others couldn’t—in business, in behaviour, in mindset.
I realised that transformation is my playground. Whether it’s redesigning a business or helping someone unlock the next version of themselves, this is the space where I shine the brightest.
Despite the challenges, what keeps you going when things get tough?
I’ve had moments where I wanted to burn it all down. There were moments I was ghosted by potential clients…
Moments, I questioned if I’m really cut out for this. Times I gave everything—energy, time, heart—and still felt unseen. You don’t hear about those parts often, right?
But they’re real. And they’re part of my story too! What keeps me going … is the knowing. The knowing that I was never just building a career.
I was building a movement. That someone’s breakthrough is waiting on the other side of my consistency. That someone’s freedom begins the moment I choose not to quit.
Every woman who’s been overlooked. Every entrepreneur is stuck in survival mode. Every person who’s secretly wondering, “Is this all there is?” That’s who I show up for – even on the hard days. Especially on the hard days. Because I’ve walked that path. And I’ve become the guide I wish I had back then.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned in your life?
1) Self-trust is the real strategy – I spent years outsourcing my worth to others’ opinions, waiting for validation, waiting for someone to tell me I’m doing okay. But the biggest breakthroughs happened when I started listening to my own inner voice, even when it made no logical sense to others.
2) Your triggers are your teachers – Every time I felt unseen, rejected, or undervalued, I used to spiral. Now I pause. Because of those moments? They’re invitations. To look deeper. To heal what’s hidden. To lead from a place of grounded power instead of wounded urgency.
3) Alignment > Approval – I have had to let go of people, titles, comfort zones, even parts of myself to stay true to this path. But every time I chose alignment over approval, life met me with more clarity, more flow, and more impact than I could’ve ever imagined.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
Success is not a formula. It’s who you become. For me, it is definitely not ticking off checkboxes. It’s the one who rewrites the checklist.
If I had to name the keys that changed the game for me and my clients:
a) Having the guts to outgrow people, plans, and personas that no longer serve your next level.
b) Owning your story, especially the messy, chaotic, imperfect middle.
c) Taking bold, uncomfortable action before you feel “ready.”
d) Decisiveness over delay.
e) Progress over perfection.
f) Execution with consistency, not when it’s convenient, but especially when it’s not.
Oh, and let’s not forget:
Knowing when to burn the rulebook… and write your own.
Because the moment you stop playing by someone else’s success story. That’s when yours begins!
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
Here’s what no one told me, but I wish they did:
Your degree is not your destiny.
Your first job won’t define you.
And success? It isn’t linear. It’s layered.
Your career doesn’t begin with your resume.
It begins with your relationship with yourself.
Learn how to lead yourself before you try to lead others.
Ask better questions. Trust your instincts. Take bold, aligned actions.
Drop the obsession with being impressive.
Focus on being impactful.
Don’t fear reinvention.
Who you are at 25 doesn’t have to be who you are at 35.
Most people find their path by walking into it, messy.
And please get yourself coaches and mentors. You don’t need to figure it all out alone. Someone else’s hindsight can become your fast-track forward when you’re willing to stay open, humble, and guided. Evolve. Expand. Be unapologetically YOU.
Last but not least, what about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
Seeing the spark in someone’s eyes when they finally believe they can.
Whether it’s a woman stepping into her power and launching her business…Or that moment when a client messages me saying, “I didn’t think this was possible, and now I’m living it.”
I live for those shifts. Every time they win, I win along. And it’s the greatest leverage I hold the ability to contribute to someone else’s success and transformation. That’s not just work. That’s legacy for me!
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
