As part of our ongoing quest to get you meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world, we invited yet another passionate Entrepreneur and Coach – Neelima Sonkusale for an exclusive interview with BrilliantRead Media. She is an Entrepreneur, Coach, Author, Speaker, Trainer, NLP Master Practitioner, Mentor and Change Enabler. Neelima is the Founder of AIM Edutech Solutions. Let’s read more about her inspiring journey and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Neelima:
Talk us through your background and your journey, please;
Let me begin by stating my educational background: I am an engineering graduate who went on to earn an MBA in Human Resource Management.
I spent almost eight years in corporate HR before moving into training, coaching, and counselling. I never saw myself going into training because I am a really timid person.
To improve my talents, I enrolled in a personality development programme, where I was identified as a potential life skill trainer, and I haven’t looked back since. Following that, I became a qualified career counsellor, a speaker, an anchor for the famed Kala Ghoda festival, an NLP Practitioner, and eventually a Purpose Coach. Professionally and personally, I’ve been learning new things every day as a Coach.
The achievement of my greatest goal was to become a published author. Dear Zindagi is a book I recently created for teenagers to help them understand their inner value.”
I’m also a choreographer and dancer, and I’ve recently started learning Kathak. My energy and passion levels are maintained through dancing.
What made you passionate about ‘Coaching’?
I believe coaching as a process was always present in me. I’ve always enjoyed conversing with others, resolving their problems, and guiding them through life. The only difference now is that the procedure is structured.
My thoughts have become creative and aligned and now I can help people in a better way to identify their paths. This whole process makes me feel happy, contented and satisfied. It gives me a new lease on life.”
I believe that we are all capable of bringing about any change we desire in our lives. I strongly believe that change is the only constant thing in life. The sooner we accept this the happier we become.
As a coach, my responsibility is to bring about that CHANGE and assist my clients in realizing their potential.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
My urge to make a difference is driven by my enthusiasm, my unrealized ideal, and my desire to make a difference. Challenges are unavoidable in our lives. In fact, I approach each challenge as a learning opportunity and a stepping stone to success. I’m motivated by challenges.
We passionately believe in “Will 2 Skill” and “Together We Can Achieve Extraordinary” at AIM Edutech Solutions. Success has always hinged on self-awareness. Through self-awareness and self-worth, we at AES help people achieve the remarkable. We believe that if you have the Will2Skill, we can work together. Situations, circumstances, and experiences in our environment assist us in becoming a better person and understanding people.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
I won’t say it as a motivation, but my friends have been my strongest support system in all my decisions and actions.
My family- my husband Sandeep has been there with me throughout and my two daughters Avni and Meha are my sources of enthusiasm and energy.
The trust, the confidence these people have shown in me, have got me at this position. I have challenged myself to uplift their trust and prove myself to them.
What are some of the strategies that you believe has helped you grow as a person?
I won’t call these as strategies but I strongly believe in these values:
(1) Being mindful
(2) Being Committed
(3) Self-awareness and identifying your core
(4) Positive Approach
(5) Time Management
(6) Being Independent
(7) Growth Mindset
You are always positive and motivated, what keeps you going?
My positive outlook on life, as well as the desire to live life to the fullest, keep me going. I am convinced that we must make the most of this one life that we have. We must be special, and in order to accomplish so, we must go above and beyond. This concept motivates me to keep going.”
My buddies, as I have stated, keep me going. They see themselves progressing with me. I am an enthusiastic dancer. My dance helps me stay energized. I enjoy pampering myself, which includes my workouts, ME time, walks, SPA time, and other activities. The desire to master my skill and continue learning something new drives me to work hard, practice, and stay disciplined.
By providing an example, my disciplined attitude and ability to properly manage time keeps me motivated. And yes, when my work speaks for itself — my clients, my students – their gratitude is the most motivating factor, and yes, it increases my own bar.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
There are numerous things that can contribute to your success. These factors, in my opinion, are entirely dependent on the individual.
Every person, in my opinion, is unique in their own way, and their perspective on success is no exception.
I truly feel that
(a) Self-awareness
(b) Knowing and working on my strengths and weaknesses
(c) Positive Approach
(d) Commitment
(e) Effective Time Management
(f) Continuous learning
(g) Attitude to try something new
(h) Listening and Understanding are the keys to my success.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
It’s crucial to figure out what your basic values are. I only met them later in life, but I would highly advise young people to learn about their basic principles and work with them to attain their goals. Whatever career path you pick, work with zeal, and love what you do, and do what you love. Keep your ambitions high and work hard to achieve them.
You will only be able to strive towards your dreams if they are quantifiable and not merely random. Continue to improve your abilities. Knowledge is never wasted. Time management and a rigorous approach have always worked for me, so I would advise young people to make the most of their time. Always keep in mind that time is money.
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.
