My Story
As cliché as it may sound, my life has revolved around service. I began my career as a pilot in the Indian Air Force. During a time where seeing women in the cockpit was a rarity, I worked my way up from being one of the first women cadets to a full-fledged pilot and a commissioned officer. My aspirations became my reality. Everything I had been dreaming of since I was a six-year-old witnessing my first air show had come true. A few years later, I met my husband. Soon, I was married, had a child, and was living the life I had always wanted.
Then, my life took a turn for the worse. My husband, a fighter pilot, died in a plane crash. Everything came crumbing down. I was left in anguish with my five-month-old son in my care. While dealing with the wave of emotions that came with such a tragedy, one thing never slipped my mind – I had to stay strong and stay focused to give my son the life he deserved. Until I was put in this situation, I never knew that I had the level of inner strength to pull through. With each passing day, I learned how to fulfill my role as a single mom and continue to focus on giving my son the best upbringing possible.
A few years later, I retired from the Air Force to pursue other goals. My son and I moved to the United States of America to begin our new lives in the Silicon Valley. There, I was immediately drawn to learning and development. I chose a position where I could support the growth and development of others – mainly those in the Engineering departments of various high-tech companies. I became a corporate trainer in the Agile leadership area, helping organizations shift their mindset and workflow to the Agile philosophy. During this time, I discovered personal coaching. I realized that giving clients the clarity and motivation to take the next step and helping them achieve what they have been striving for, gave me great joy and satisfaction. The experiences that life had put me through in years past all led up to this, giving me the ability to use my talents to successfully help others. Becoming a full-time coach was the next natural step!
I can say with certainty that I am doing something I love – helping others, enabling them to achieve their dreams, to have a direction, to wake up every morning and feel good about themselves and where they are going.
I currently reside in the San Francisco Bay Area, and live with my husband, our son, and three pets.
DEGREES, CERTIFICATIONS, EXPERTISE
Coaching: I received the Certified Professional Co-active Coach (CPCC) certification through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and am a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF).
Business and Leadership: My other professional certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) via the Project Management Institute (PMI), Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) both via Scrum Alliance, and Certified Multipliers Practitioner (The Wiseman Group). I have over 20 years’ experience in Agile/adaptive leadership, building high-performance teams, and Learning and Development.
Physical Fitness: I am a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) via The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). I teach or have taught group fitness exercises classes, such as indoor cycling/spinning, step aerobics, circuit training, and Bombay Jam.
Formal Education: Masters in Instructional Technology from San Jose State University, California, USA; Bachelors in Physics from the University of Pune, India.
Languages Spoken: Fluent in English, Marathi, Hindi, and German.