Discovering Dharma: Aligning Authenticity with Business Purpose | EP250

Ever wondered how merging your personal authenticity with your business could revolutionize your life? Join us as we sit down with Nikita, a holistic health, wellbeing, and personal development coach who discovered her true calling during a decade-long journey in India. She shares her fascinating transition from an ambitious youth to understanding her Dharma—an ancient Sanskrit concept meaning life purpose. Nikita's compelling insights underscore the importance of breaking away from the traditional separation of personal and business lives, advocating for a new age of authenticity. Through inspiring stories and practical advice, learn how aligning your business with your Dharma can unlock unprecedented freedom, creativity, and deeper connections with your customers.

In this thought-provoking episode, we also delve into the profound concept of purpose and how it intertwines with our unique gifts and passions. True purpose is more than just a set of skills; it's about delivering something deeply resonant that aligns with our core essence. Nikita emphasises the significance of mindfulness, meditation, and intuition in this journey of discovery. Drawing contrasts between the natural presence of children and the fragmented attention of adults, she highlights the transformative power of being present. To aid you on this journey, we introduce a free seven-day guided meditation program designed to help you connect with your core and cultivate mindfulness. This episode is a treasure trove of insights for anyone eager to bring personal authenticity into their business endeavours.

Connect with Nikita - Website
Instagram

Join me and other podcast hosts as we get candid about the realities of podcasting - Join Here

www.donnaeade.com

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:40

You're listening to the Mindset in Action podcast, the place to be to grow and streamline your business. I'm your host, donna Eade. Let's jump into the show. When you're living in alignment with your dharma, you stop engaging in drama. Sahara Rose. Welcome back to the podcast, everybody. I am so glad to have you here today and to introduce you to my guest, nikita. Welcome to the podcast, hello, thank you for having me.

Speaker 1: 1:16

I am really excited for this conversation because it's an interesting one. I think it's one that a lot of business owners wouldn't think is something that they need to consider when it comes to their business. So I'm really excited about our conversation and just to lead people down a path that's maybe a little bit off their beaten track and get them to open their minds a little bit and think things through which is always sort of one of the pillars of my podcast is to make business owners stop and think. So, Nikita, why don't you take a moment to introduce yourself and let the listeners know a little bit about you?

Speaker 2: 1:54

Thank you again for having me. I'm really passionate about the topic we're going to be talking about today. I'm a holistic health, wellbeing and personal development coach and I take people on a journey from where they are now to where they want to be Now. That's a personal journey, a business journey, a spiritual journey. I believe that it's all part of the same thing, and I think this is where some people may find this topic a little bit surprising, because we've almost been conditioned to think that our businesses and our private lives should be kept separate, and you know that famous saying that don't mix business with pleasure. And actually I'm here to say that I believe that we're entering a new age and this age is all about authenticity, it's all about being real, it's about showing up and being who we are meant to be, and that means merging elements of our personal life with our business life.

Speaker 1: 2:53

I love that. It's so true. It's one of those sort of key words that's been thrown around over the last few years, isn't it? Authenticity and people wanting to just sort of get to know the real person behind the business. So tell us a little bit more about your business journey, because obviously you're here to talk to us about a particular topic that you work with in your business. But, as business owners, I think it's always interesting to hear a little bit of a backstory about people's businesses and how they got in there, because you can speak although you're talking about well-being, you run a business, so you can speak to that merging of the two. So tell us a little bit about how you got into your business and your business journey.

Speaker 2: 3:38

I was very ambitious growing up. I remember being a child and asking my dad, how many zeros does it take to get to a million pounds? Because I was always very driven. I was always the one at school that was asking questions and speaking out. And when I was 18, I decided, instead of going to university, to go on a quest of self-development and soul searching. So I decided to go on a journey around India. I took a gap year and I went for six months by myself and that gap year ended up being 10 years and I ended up staying there and really finding out who I am. And this was through periods of solitude and meditation, but also through learning yoga and mindfulness, and it was through that period that I really got this fascination with the word Dharma, and that's what we're going to talk about today.

Speaker 1: 4:34

I love that Fantastic. So tell us first of all what is Dharma, because I think it'll be a word that not many of my listeners will have heard of before.

Speaker 2: 4:46

Yeah, the word Dharma. It's an ancient Sanskrit word, so Sanskrit is the oldest language in the world, it's older than Latin and it loosely translates as life purpose. Now we hear a lot nowadays about people talking about life purpose, coaching and this. You know our soul's mission, and I guess it's this spiritual idea that we're all on earth for a reason, and so earlier on I said it's time for us to merge our business with our personal lives, and so it's thinking about my business is a medium through which I can express myself. I can express my skills, my expertise, my experience and, most of all, I can bring all aspects of my personality together.

Speaker 1: 5:38

That's so interesting. I actually spoke with Viv about how people start working for themselves to earn money, you know, and she was just like no, they don't, they do it for freedom. Freedom is like the number one thing is freedom. Yet we actually work way more than we did if we worked a job and things like that.

Speaker 1: 5:58

But it's that autonomy I think that people crave, and I think people don't realize how much you can actually mold your business to you and who you are and what it is that you want, versus when we're in a job, we're trying to squeeze ourselves into this box that the employer wants. We have so much more freedom with our businesses to make it that thing that brings both the personal and the business together and to showcase who we are, just like you were saying. So I think that's a fantastic take on it, to just sort of think of it, as actually we've left the corporate box and we now have that freedom to design our businesses the way we want them to look, which is fantastic. So why do you think we need to sort of start thinking about Dharma in that way as looking at our businesses? So how would we sort of go about looking at that? What would it look like?

Speaker 2: 6:57

So, as you said rightly, people buy from people and people customers want to know who's behind the brand. You know I loved it during COVID when so many new innovative businesses came out. I remember this guy called Oliver in my area he created a pasta kind of product and he was starting to make pasta dishes at home and selling them and he called his business Ravi Oli and I love that because it was just great. And that's what this is about. It's about bringing yourself into your brand. So one way of looking at it is what you just said, that actually my brand can work around me, my lifestyle, my children, my holidays, my preferences.

Speaker 2: 7:44

Another way of looking at it is that I can contribute my expertise, of course, but also my experiences, into my brand. For example, I went through a period where I was diagnosed with a very serious health condition. Now, rather than putting that to a side, I actually weave that into my offerings, into my marketing, and I make it a part of my business, if not directly, then indirectly, of course, only where it's appropriate. So it's about you know if you've got children and you've got an experience with your children. It's about how can I bring that in to what I'm doing, because that's only going to make you more relatable. Do I bring that in?

Speaker 1: 8:26

to what I'm doing, Because that's only going to make you more relatable. Yeah, and I've got a fantastic example of this. I think A friend of mine, my business bestie you all know Carly on this podcast. If you don't, I don't know where you've been but Carly spoke in her group about going to a concert and the experience she had at this concert and related it back to how we deliver customer service and the customer experience in our own businesses.

Speaker 1: 8:54

So she bought something that was really personal to her, something fun that she did with her husband, and thought about it and I was just like, yeah, she's sitting there at this concert. She's got business on her mind because she's going. Oh, you know, they got the VIP package for this concert, Yet nobody knew where the VIP station was, where they could go and collect this goodie bag that they had and all of this stuff, and she was just like it was a bit of a mess and you know making sure that those things are good. So she was able to bring something from her personal life which made her relatable, because we can all relate to sort of going to concerts or festivals and things like that. So that's relatable and then how to apply it to your business and how to sort of take learnings from it. And I think, like all, life is a learning, isn't it? And what you learn in one place you can bring over to the other. So I really enjoyed that, that sort of bringing them to both together like that.

Speaker 2: 9:51

I think we're so used to wearing so many different hats. And again it goes back to what I said about being conditioned. You know we were used to. You go to school, you wear one hat. You go home, you wear another hat. You're with your friends you wear another hat. And actually the time is coming or perhaps it's even come for some of us where we remove all of our hats, we let go of everything. And so someone asked me the other day so do you just wear one hat the whole day? And it's like actually you just wear no hats the whole day you just like, like a relief.

Speaker 2: 10:26

It's a relief. It's actually really liberating, because you're no longer having to wear masks or having to be different people. You know you can be the same with your children as you can with your friends, you can be the same with an older person as you can with your customers, and that's really what I think. The next stage is for people's businesses to flourish, for their customers to see them in their real authenticity yeah, yeah, I agree, I agree, and I'm seeing it more and more.

Speaker 1: 10:58

Now we're speaking about it. When I'm thinking about the people that I know and the businesses that I've seen, I see it coming about more and more. So I think, even subconsciously, people are doing this. But if we want to be more conscious in our efforts to kind of start this process of bringing everything together, can you sort of give us three steps that we can start taking to move us along on this journey?

Speaker 2: 11:24

Yeah, so I've broken Dharma down into three stages. So the first stage is your personality. So, as we said, understanding who am I and this is not. Who am I as a business owner, who am I as a mother, but who am I as a person? So, when I remove all my roles and my responsibilities and all the labels that I associate with, what am I left with? And so that's a real journey for some to go on and to really understand who am I behind my brand, behind this kind of persona, if you like, that I've built up, kind of persona, if you like, that I've built up.

Speaker 2: 12:12

And then the second stage is passion, and this is going back to why did I start what I started? You know, you said that some people start businesses because they think it will be lucrative, they think it's a way to get out of the corporate world and to have freedom. Well, actually it's more than that and it's like what is it that I'm so passionate about? And it's not the product, it's not the service, it's what's behind that. And once you start exploring that, you may actually think do you know what? There's certain services within my business I don't really enjoy doing anymore. They don't light me up from within. I don't really enjoy doing anymore. They don't light me up from within and, yes, okay, they're making me money, but I need to let them go, and that's sometimes a tricky thing to do. But I believe that when you let something go, you create space for something else to come in.

Speaker 2: 13:00

And then the third part is purpose, and this is where it all comes together, and so it's about understanding that, as I said earlier, we're all here for a reason. We're all here to express something that we are all uniquely gifted to express, and it's not because we've gone to, you know university and learned those skills or we've done the courses, but but it's more than that. Sometimes you hear somebody say something, and you may have heard the same thing being said by other people, but actually it really lands when that one person says it, and it's because that person resonated with you. And so purpose is about realizing that I'm here to deliver. Whatever it is that I'm delivering, because it's my passion, it's part of my personality and therefore it's my purpose to do so.

Speaker 1: 13:57

I love that, I love that and that's something. This isn't something that you're going to do in a weekend, guys. This isn't something that you're going to sit down with a journal in a journal about it for an hour or two, do a bit of meditation and then all of a sudden you're going to be in it, it's going to be there, it's going to be realized. I mean just that first point, the you of it, is like that could take a very long time. You know that could be something that you actually need to look at, working with a therapist or working with a counsellor or a coach, to actually really dig deep into what that is. And especially, I think, the older you get, because when you're a child you just have so much freedom.

Speaker 1: 14:41

You're not, and I was watching something the other day that said that parents give up their time so that children can have the time, and it kind of gave this analogy of you know, telling a child you've got 30 minutes to go somewhere and the child just starts, yeah, ok, it just starts playing and is doing all of these other things and you know, it's OK, it's only been a minute and they're still playing and they've got loads of time, whereas the adults like, okay, we're leaving in 30 minutes. And you blink and all of a sudden it's a 30 minutes later and you're like where did that time go? And it's because, as humans, you know, as we get older, time seems to just move faster for us, whereas children have got that freedom they have that, you know, they're not bogged down with the mundane of the got bills to pay, I've got to go here. They're just all exploring and just really living life, which is amazing for them. But the older we get, the more we step away from that and the more these hats start to come in. So you get your first one when you go to school. So that's already starting to bring the children into this box of what the government want their country to look like in the future.

Speaker 1: 15:52

And then we get, you know, you go to college and you get a job. So now you've got your hat for your job and you've got your college one and you've got your one for at home. And you know, all of a sudden you start hiding things from your parents. So there's a mask you have to wear when you're at home because you don't want them to know all your business. And it gets more and more and more and we move further and further away from who we really are at our core and more into whatever situation we're in, presenting ourselves how we feel we need to in that situation, and it's a little bit sad really, isn't it? And it's, uh, something that I think people would have to really sort of dig into, and, you know, not for the faint-hearted this work, I think definitely, and you mentioned children.

Speaker 2: 16:37

that's such a good example, because the biggest difference between children and adults and not all adults, but some children are present. They're always in the moment because, as you said, they've not got as many responsibilities, they don't have the emotional intelligence, they don't overthink situations and therefore they can just be in the moment. If they're playing, they can play. They're eating, they can eat, whereas with adults we're kind of a little bit all over the place. I can speak for myself, you know, I'm doing one thing and my mind is like racing around thinking of 10 different things, and that's why we believe that time goes so quickly and so fast and we're like thinking, gosh, we're already in July. And it's because of this being present. And so mindfulness is very, very important, and that's one of the tools I teach.

Speaker 1: 17:32

And you actually have a free meditation channel that people can go to, don't you?

Speaker 2: 17:40

Yeah, so a way of training the mind and it does require training, as you said. It's not going to happen overnight. So one of the most powerful ways of making this a habit to be mindful is through meditation, and so I have a free seven-day guided meditation program on my website that people can go to and, every day, just listen to 10 minutes, and it's not just about listening, it's about really connecting with their core, really understanding who they are. There's a third eye meditation on there, for example, and I always say to my clients every decision that I've ever made, whether it be personal or whether it be professional, has been made from my third eye.

Speaker 2: 18:25

Now what do I mean by that? That it's been made from a place of intuition. Now that doesn't mean I don't apply logic later on and I make sure that it's a practical thing, but at the same time, I go with my gut, if you like, I follow my calling. So one of the things that I did is I published a book called Meditation Through Poetry. Now, that idea came to me when I was in a state of meditation and it was just so clear. You know, you may have had moments like that where you just get this brainwave and you think, wow, where did that come from? And then some of us execute those ideas and some of us procrastinate. But I believe if the idea was given to you, then it was given for a reason.

Speaker 2: 19:10

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 19:11

And that's a really interesting one to think about as well, because you said that that came to you in meditation, and I think exactly what you were saying earlier, like when you're eating, your brain's thinking about 10 other things, and we constantly think like that. We're always on the go, the brain never stops. So you have to actually give your brain the space and the time for those ideas to come in. So regular meditation, regular, you know walks with no devices, where you're not actually sort of got anything with you, where you can maybe start focusing on the nature rather than letting your brain run wild with all the things that you feel you have to do when you get home, and things like that really open up that opportunity for God, the world, nature, mother nature, whoever, to come in and give you those ideas that are waiting for you.

Speaker 1: 20:04

And it's's like, it's almost like this huge traffic jam that you've got going on in your brain. You're like, imagine I've just been to Paris. So I've just been to that, the Arc de Triomphe and that crazy roundabout in Paris, and I'm just like. That's like your brain, just ideas coming from every direction and there's no space for anything else. But if you could just put lights on each of those 12 entrances and just put them all on red for five minutes. Oh, the peace, the peace. And you can through meditation, exactly, exactly.

Speaker 1: 20:38

So we'll make sure that that channel is linked in the show notes for you so you can go and look at those meditations with the keys, because she's got a beautiful voice for meditation, absolutely. So I can imagine they are lovely to listen to. So that was brilliant. I love, I love the conversation. I think it's a really important one to have, because I think a lot of people are often fighting this visibility in their business and feeling like they have to be a certain way if they're going to be the face of their business, and feeling like they have to be a certain way if they're going to be the face of their business and just bringing it back to that more personal touch of actually no, this is your life and we're looking at your passion and your purpose here and what you need to give to the world, and you need to be able to step out as you to do that.

Speaker 2: 21:22

so if you think about when you first started your business, when you were designing your logo, when you were choosing your colors, when you were thinking about the layout for your website, deciding which platforms you wanted to show up on, so building a brand is exactly the same as building your identity. And when I was born, I wasn't born with the name Nikita. I was born with a different name and I actually changed my name when I was born. I wasn't born with the name Nikita. I was born with a different name and I actually changed my name when I was 16. And what this enabled me to do was define, or create, if you like, a brand new personality. So I could be anything I wanted to be. Nikita could be confident. Nikita could be, you know, bold. Nikita could be anything, because she was somebody that I created, but actually she was the real me. I felt like I wasn't living the real version of myself.

Speaker 2: 22:15

So I'm not encouraging people to change their name, but what I am suggesting is that the time has come now for us to take off all of our masks, take off our hats and really ask this question who am I? And, more than that, who do I want to be. That's where it's exciting. You can be anything or anyone that you want to be. You don't have to. If you've been an introvert all your life, but actually now you want to try out being an extrovert, go for it, you can. You can experiment in your business. You can experiment with your clients. Treat your clients like your friends and when the two start to merge, that's when things get really exciting and that's when I believe you'll show up and it won't even feel like you're working yeah, I love that.

Speaker 1: 23:07

I love that. Thank you so much thank you so much thank you for this conversation.

Speaker 1: 23:11

I think it's a really important one. Um, guys, go back and listen to it again. It was, it's a, it is, it's so good. Go back and listen to it again. I have some quick fire questions that I like to do with my guests at the end of every episode, just to get to know you a little bit better, nikita. So if you're up for it, I would like to ask you some questions, of course, okay. So the first one is what is your favorite podcast to listen to and why?

Speaker 2: 23:38

Okay, well, I love spiritual and positive mindset podcasts, but I think one of my favorite ones is Stephen Bartlett the Diary of a CEO simply because he offers very tangible, very practical solutions to running a business. It's very inspiring. His personal story itself is really remarkable how he's achieved great success from where he started, and I think he's very relatable.

Speaker 1: 24:04

So I love that one. Yeah, he's very inquisitive. I love the diary of the CEO because he asks all the questions that I want to ask. He gets really into the nitty gritty and you can see him thinking about it. It's not like a scripted podcast where he's got set questions and those are the only ones he answers. He like goes through and then somebody will say something and he'll go oh, let me just, let me just scratch that, that itch a little bit more, and he really doesn't shy away from asking those questions, which I love, love.

Speaker 1: 24:31

So that's a great one, yeah. So the next question is what is your favorite book that has made the biggest impact on your life so far?

Speaker 2: 24:40

Oh, do you know what I love? The book called Ikigai, and it's a really small book and I carry it around with me and I take it away when I go on holiday and I think I've read it so many times. So it's Ikigai I-K-I-G-A-I and it's the Japanese secret to a long and happy life. And one of the things that I'm actually researching is parallels between Dharma, which is the Sanskrit Indian concept of life purpose, and Ikigai, which is a Japanese concept.

Speaker 1: 25:11

I love that. We shall link it in the show notes guys.

Speaker 2: 25:20

And then, what is your go-to snack? When you're in a hurry, I try not to eat on the go, but if I am peckish I try to grab a smoothie. Anything with greens in, so like spinach, kale. That just keeps me full and makes me feel like I've had my nutrients for the day.

Speaker 1: 25:32

That's a good choice, actually, isn't it? Yeah, so you can feel like you've had my nutrients for the day. That's a good choice, actually, isn't it? Yeah, so you can feel like you've been good, even though it tastes delicious, yes. And then, finally, what is your favorite me time thing to do?

Speaker 2: 25:44

Oh, do you know? Because I'm a holistic therapist, I do Reiki treatments myself. So for me is I love nothing more than having a treatment, whether that's reflexology, a massage, a facial. I just love scheduling that time for myself once a month where it's just about me and I can just lie on the treatment bed and be pampered.

Speaker 1: 26:05

Yeah, oh, sounds amazing. Love that. Thank you so much for your time today. Nikitaita, where can people find you?

Speaker 2: 26:13

on the internet. So I'm on facebook, linkedin, instagram under journey with nikita and I've also got my website with the free guided meditations on journey with nikitacom brilliant.

Speaker 1: 26:26

I'll have all that linked in the show notes for you guys. Please head over and say hello to nikita and let her know where you came from, and we will see you in the next one.

Speaker 2: 26:35

Bye for now.