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 Sunali Gupta for an interview with Brilliant Read Media. To say further, Sunali is a Certified Life Coach, NLP Practitioner and Licensed Emotional Intelligence Coach. Let’s learn more about her background, inspiring journey so far and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Sunali:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
My journey is one of finding myself after feeling completely lost. Like many women, I found myself as a housewife struggling with who I really was. I felt stuck, undervalued, and honestly, I became bitter. I wasn’t the mother or wife I wanted to be, and I had no clarity about my life’s direction. Deep down, I always wanted to teach and help others, but I didn’t know how.
Then I discovered something that changed everything—and that’s when my real journey began. I promised myself I would become a lifelong learner. The more I learned about emotional intelligence and coaching, the more I healed.
And the more I healed, the clearer my purpose became. My relationships transformed—with my husband, my son—and my self-confidence grew in ways I never imagined possible.
Today, I’m a Life and Emotional Intelligence Coach. I work with women who are struggling to find their identity, their self-worth, self-confidence and manage their emotions—women like I used to be. My own painful journey gave me something valuable: I truly understand what they’re going through.
What drives me is simple—helping women realise they’re not stuck forever, and that they have the power to create a life filled with purpose and peace.
How did you discover your passion?
My passion didn’t find me in a moment of clarity—it found me in my darkest moment. I was struggling as a housewife, feeling lost and bitter, when I came across life coaching. Suddenly, everything made sense. I realised that my struggles, my desire to teach, and my love for helping others could come together in a meaningful way. I could help women who felt exactly like I once did.
That discovery was life-changing. I saw that I didn’t just want to teach in the traditional sense—I wanted to guide women through their emotional struggles, help them find their identity, and support them in managing their emotions. This wasn’t just a career choice; it became my calling.
What sealed my passion was seeing the transformation in my own life. As I learned about emotional intelligence and life coaching, I watched my relationships improve, my confidence grow, and my purpose become crystal clear. I experienced firsthand the power of this work.
My pain became my purpose, and that’s the most powerful passion of all—one born from genuine understanding and a deep desire to lift others up.
Despite the challenges, what keeps you going when things get tough?
Honestly? I remember where I was. When things get tough now—when I doubt myself or face a difficult day—I think back to that woman who felt so stuck and lost. I think about how hopeless I felt back then. If I could come out of that darkness, then I owe it to other women going through the same thing to keep showing up.
The other thing that keeps me going is my clients. When a woman messages me saying she finally stood up for herself, or that she didn’t lose her temper with her kids today, or that she’s starting to feel like herself again—that’s everything to me. Their small wins become my fuel. Seeing them transform reminds me exactly why I do this.
And here’s the truth: I’m not perfect. I still have tough days. But I’ve learned that challenges are part of life. If I teach women to manage their emotions and face their struggles, then I have to do the same. I can’t ask them to be brave if I’m not willing to be brave myself. My pain has a purpose now.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned in your life?
1) Change starts from within, not from thinking about it. I spent years thinking about how I wanted my life to be different, but nothing changed. That’s because real change doesn’t happen by just wishing for it or planning it in our heads. It happens when we change something inside ourselves first—our thoughts, our beliefs, how we see ourselves. Once I started working on myself from the inside, that’s when everything outside started to shift. My relationships improved, my confidence grew, and everything changed. The lesson? Stop overthinking and start doing the inner work.
2) Age is just a number—it’s never too late to start. I started my coaching journey at 45. Forty-five! For years, I told myself I was too old, that I’d missed my chance. But then I realised—so many successful people started late in life. And if they can do it, why can’t I? Why can’t we? Now I’m one of them. Starting something new at any age is possible. The only thing stopping us is the story we tell ourselves about being “too old” or “too late.” That story is a lie.
3) I am 100% responsible for my life—and that’s actually freeing. This was the hardest lesson but the most powerful one. Every choice I make (or don’t make) is mine. If I choose to stay stuck, that’s my choice. If I choose to change, that’s also my choice. People will judge me either way—that’s their perspective, not my reality. Their opinions don’t define who I am unless I accept their judgment as truth. Once I understood this, I stopped blaming others, stopped waiting for permission, and started living life on my own terms. That’s real freedom.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
In my opinion, the key to success is simple: showing up and putting in the effort, no matter how hard it gets. That’s where your resilience is built, your willingness to grow is tested, and your character is shaped.
Success isn’t about being perfect or the most talented person in the room. It’s about being consistent. It’s about showing up on the days when you’re tired, when you’re scared, when you doubt yourself. It’s about doing the work even when no one is watching, even when results aren’t coming as fast as you’d like.
I’ve lived this. There were so many days when I wanted to quit, when I felt like I wasn’t good enough to be a coach, when I wondered if anyone would ever take me seriously. But I kept showing up. I kept learning. I kept helping one woman at a time. And slowly, things started to happen.
Here’s what I’ve realised:
Success isn’t this big dramatic moment. It’s built in all those small, unglamorous moments when you choose to keep going instead of giving up. It’s the daily decision to not quit on yourself or your dreams.
So if you want to succeed at anything—whether it’s building a career, fixing a relationship, or becoming a better version of yourself—just keep showing up and putting in the effort. That’s really it. That’s the whole secret.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
First, don’t let people judge you based on a couple of performances. Everyone has off days. A few mistakes or failures don’t define who you are or what you’re capable of.
Here’s something I heard once that really stuck with me: we’re all already awesome at something, but we’ve been doing it for so long that it comes naturally to us. So we don’t even think of it as a skill. But it is. You’re already good at things—you just don’t realize it yet because it feels easy to you.
My advice? Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Yes, it’s scary. Yes, it’s uncomfortable. But that’s exactly where growth happens. Learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable—that’s where you discover what you’re truly capable of, that’s where you build confidence, and that’s where real success begins.
If I had stayed comfortable being a housewife, stuck in my routine, I would never have discovered this whole new version of myself. I would never have known I could be a coach, help other women, or build a career at 45. The uncomfortable moments are where the magic happens.
So take risks. Try new things. Fail sometimes. It’s all part of the journey. Your career isn’t built in your comfort zone—it’s built when you’re brave enough to step beyond it.
Last but not least, what about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
Honestly? Everything about it still amazes me. The most satisfying part is the transformation itself—I went from being that bitter, lost woman who didn’t know her worth to someone who now helps other women find theirs. Some days, I still can’t believe this is my life.
But what really excites me is watching other women change right in front of my eyes. When a client tells me she finally spoke up for herself, or that she’s learning to manage her anger, or that she’s starting to feel hopeful again—that feeling never gets old. I see myself in them, and I get to walk with them through the same journey I took. That’s powerful.
And here’s something that still blows my mind: I started this at 45. Forty-five! I proved to myself that age really is just a number. Every time I doubt myself now, I remember that. If I could completely change my life at that age, what else is possible? That excitement of proving my own limiting beliefs wrong—that never goes away.
What makes it deeply satisfying is knowing my pain wasn’t wasted. All those years of struggling, feeling stuck, being bitter—they weren’t for nothing. They gave me the understanding to help others. My mess became my message, and that gives my whole journey meaning.
Plus, I’m now living life on my own terms. After years of feeling like I had no control, no identity, no voice—I’m finally free. I make my own choices. I follow my passion. That freedom is something I never take for granted. I worked very hard to achieve it.
And I love that I’m a lifelong learner now. Every day I’m growing, learning something new about coaching, about people, about myself. I’m not stuck anymore—I’m constantly evolving. That keeps things exciting and fresh.
This journey has given me everything I didn’t even know I needed: purpose, confidence, freedom, and the chance to make a real difference. How could that not be exciting?
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.
