At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this endeavour, we invited Senator Shalini Diwan for an exclusive interview with us. Senator Shalini Diwan is a Social Entrepreneur, Change Maker, Visionary, Image Consultant, Wellness Coach, Mentor, Advisor & Leader, Influencer, Environmentalist, Author and Motivational Speaker.
She is the Founder and President of the Global Fighters Foundation, an NGO that works to educate village children and underprivileged children. Global Fighters Foundation also runs a Women Education Plan (WEP) to help women in villages learn to read and write, as well as understand their household finances.
GLOBAL FIGHTERS FOUNDATION INITIATIVE: Global Fighters Foundation ( GFF) believes that “Education is very important for a country to progress “Adopt a Child for Education for a year and help him develop a positive perspective and opinions towards life. A sum of Rs. 1000/- per month will help him realize his dreams. We have 12A and 80G certificates from the government to help you with a tax exemption for the total sum of money you donate to the organization.
Looking forward to your #support in our endeavour.
She also Co-Founded Shashakt, a platform that facilitates networking amongst women and encourages them to run small and medium-sized businesses within the group and in the larger society. They have become financially stronger and more self-sufficient as a result of this platform. She is also a renowned wellness consultant with a homegrown organic custom brand (Lucido Skin and Hair Care) for radiant skin and gorgeous hair.
Among her many other interests and activities are:
– A motivational speaker is well known for her one-minute videos connecting nature and life.
– An author with a travelogue “Safar-e-Zaika” to her credit.
– A fashionista and a grooming consultant, who guides people to become a “better version” of themselves.
– A talk show host called “Shalini Diwan Talk Show”, curated on YouTube famous for its motivational content.
– An Influencer with the Womennovator Platform meant for an innovator in various walks of life.
– She is the State President of Haryana for HOMEPRENEUR segment with the Women Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI)
– She has received numerous awards and recognition from various organisations and platforms for her inspirational work and contributions to society.
– For the last three years, she has been named one of the country’s 100 most inspiring women in India (2017-20).
– In 2021, she was named one of the winners of the 1000 Women of Asia awards. She is also a Board Director of two organisations, Paradigm Consultants and Resource Management Pvt. Ltd. and Nano Bio Pharma Pvt. Ltd.
All in all, she is a versatile performer with a multifaceted personality. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, background, and advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Senator Shalini Diwan:
We are aware of your contribution to the ecosystem as an entrepreneur and a leader, can you talk us through your journey and your background please;
Life began in a beautiful town Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) and meandered through different states. My parents Mrs. Pushpa Gupta and Mr. Rameshwar Gupta laid down a very solid foundation in their early years. Mom with her strength, elegance and grace set a benchmark for my style quotient. She was always an inspiration to reckon with and her “never say never” attitude became my motto.
Dad was always on the go and shopped across the world to give me the best. This inculcated a strong fashion statement in me and made me understand fashion closely. His optimism and enthusiasm are infectious and it rubbed on me to proudly quote that ‘I am his daughter’. These beautiful moments gave me confidence and chartered my path to become I have always been a visionary and a dreamer with a purpose and turning my dreams into reality is my passion. Being an Image Consultant and Fashion influencer is my first Love.
With a textile designing degree to my credit designing new patterns in different hues and colours gave me immense pleasure to create my own style statement. We are all born beautiful but at times in enhancing our beauty we go overboard creating a mess and it falls flat. Here are steps in an Image Consultant who helps in giving the right advice, direction, ideas and etiquette to improve our public image.
Fusion fashion is my forte and goes best with Indian culture and body type. Mix and Match within our wardrobe helps create magic and enhances our personality. My vision is to help teenagers/women bloom with their personality and rejoice in their beauty.
A positive and confident body language comes with a little grooming and inner strength and this is what is my mission as a Consultant. A woman with traditional values and a modern mindset sets out the best example to reckon with. Let’s be the best version of ourselves and an inspiration to inspire others. Don’t follow the herd blindly… Be a showstopper.
How did you discover your passion? What are the various initiatives and projects that you are currently working on?
My career is my passion and it was always in the back of my mind since childhood. But it took shape at various stages like: GLOBAL FIGHTERS FOUNDATION started way back in 2012 when my children moved out of the country to pursue their studies and careers. That’s when I registered it and started on my path of creating a positive impact in Rural India with Education, health, hygiene and sanitation.
Also, we started WOMEN EDUCATION PLAN (WEP) to help them embark on their day-to-day life with confidence. LUCIDO BEAUTY CARE WELLNESS started during the time of COVID-19 when formally, I launched my brand and put my ideas of creating natural skin and hair care products.
As a Wellness Consultant, I help people understand the simple formula to live LIFE by connecting our inner Universe with the vast Universe and aligning our Mind, Body and Soul to lead a holistic life with a positive outlook.
That’s when I launched my YouTube channel “Tete-e-Tete with Shalini Diwan” Being an author of the travelogue SAFAR-e ZAIKA this beautiful book was published in year 2015 which brings to you authentic MUGHLAI recipes from the gone era.
Creating Butterfly Garden, House Sparrows Canopy and Squirrels House started in 2019 with our love for the Conservation of the Environment. As a Fashion Consultant, it was an ingrown love since childhood to combine the right colours, cuts and accessories and create a WOW LOOK. This also leads us to create a platform for artisans doing hand embroidery on fashion accessories and household products.
What keeps you motivated and successful? What is your mantra?
Success is a benchmark and achievement is a goal. Today when I see myself I often look back to my failures as they gave me the motivation to succeed and create my niche. It’s always about how you see yourself and how much you value yourself. Today I feel very fulfilled as I followed my heart and achieved What I Believed In.
What keeps me motivated is my positivity. I see myself as a Beautiful, Positive and accomplished person who always believes in my inner self to deliver the outcomes that I set out to achieve. People know me as an Inspirational person and look up to me in their times of help. They see me as a Vibrant person with soulful Energy, Positive Outlook with a sunshine aura.
Fulfillment has no boundary and the more we achieve the hunger continues. so my motto is “Give as much as you can till your last breath” Dreams have wings to touch the sky which is limitless and expanse. Thus I feel that I will walk on all paths that cross my way which will be beneficial to one and all.
Do you have any role models? Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
I don’t follow any film star as I believe that we are all unique in our own way and each of us has our own Unique DNA. But I would still say that I admire WOMEN who have exemplary courage and resilience to reckon with.
Motivation is from within and I strongly believe that “We are the best Motivators to Ourselves ” but to reach this level it’s important to grasp all the positive aspects from the people we meet and even more importantly to shield out things that you don’t relate to.
Both my Dad & Mom (my father and my father-in-law, my mother and my mother-in-law) have taught me to be a fighter with a soft heart.
Then comes my husband Dr. Parag Diwan who always motivated me to move ahead without fear. My Family is like a “Gibraltar Rock” to lean on. They are our biggest support system and our strength.
My husband Dr. Parag Diwan is my biggest anchor and guiding star. My children, parents, and brother have always stood by my side and are my Lifebuoys. Friends are extended families who are always around through your thick and thin. My kids Prateek & Prachi have motivated me to touch new avenues in life and find ways to accomplish them.
What are the key success mantras that you would to share with others?
As a celebrity, the person who motivates me is Lionel Messi whose attitude towards life is to accomplish the best without being bogged down by negatives. I am a follower of my heart and do things “DIL SE”.
I follow the 3 D’s in life: Discipline, Dedication and Determination and I believe that if you can Dream your goal then it’s very easy to accomplish it. Your imaginative power has to be very strong and walk backwards after imagining it ( as the road is much easier)
Also, I believe in the famous quote “Work Hard & Party Hard”. Focus on what you are doing wholeheartedly and the “Stage is Yours “.
The key to success is to see things with open eyes and be well-read. Read as much as you can, be aware of your surroundings and act promptly. Success is a result of small efforts day in and day out with a new dimension.
Let your failures be your stepping stone to get closer to your goals .. that’s being Successful. Success should teach you to be humble, grounded and learn more.
Success is a positive reminder to keep moving forward.
What advice would you give to our readers?
My message would be:
– Follow the 3D’s in life: Discipline, Determination and Dedication.
– Be Open to new Ideas and Experimentation.
– Life is full of surprises and Challenges so be Confident enough to to face them.
– Let your failures not bring you down but be a learning experience to move forward.
– Life is simple don’t complicate it with Overthinking.
– Be focused Work hard and Party hard
– Dream with open eyes and work efficiently towards it
– Let not critics analyse your life instead be strong enough to prove them wrong
– You have just one life .. live it to its pinnacle with a beautiful smile and a tender heart
– Never say never and learn to handle situations with a steady mind and strong heart
– We all have a Universe with us and a bubbling fountain of energy… connect this energy and your soul to the Universal Energy and see the magical manifestations happen in your life.
– Don’t be too analytical about everything. KUCH LAMHO KO BAS BEET JANE DO
As I end it my 2 quotes I love –
1. Gautam Buddha says “You can’t serve from an empty bowl so fill your inner cup with Joy, Peace, Compassion & Empathy and spread it across”
2. As Charlie Chaplain says “Love is enough to rule the World.. we don’t need Power for everything”
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.
Do you have any role models? Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life? 
