My story: We all want to be seen.

I remember being a little kid at school seeing other kids sitting alone at lunch. I can still picture the cafeteria, so many tables full of kids laughing together while eating, but other tables with just 1-2 kids sitting across from each other in silence. I always felt this urge to sit with the kids who seemed isolated and make them laugh. I'd wonder if they were maybe too scared to approach people they didn't know. Or felt different because of what they were eating, or where they were from, or how they were dressed. Even though I always felt so loved by my family, I certainly remember feeling squeamish and like an outsider at times because of my big lunchbox, homemade Indian vegetarian food, and my complete lack of fashion sense (to be honest, my fashion today still needs help).

Maybe some of these kids just wanted some alone time or quiet between classes. Regardless, I still wanted to reach out, to connect with them, to learn their names. But at the time, I was too shy myself to walk over and say hi. In retrospect, I know that each one of these kids was brilliant in their own unique way and had something beautiful to share. And if I could've summoned up the courage to introduce myself and give them a smile - even for an instant - maybe I would’ve gotten to know them. Maybe they would’ve told me their stories, and I could’ve listened with curiosity, to help them feel included and seen. Maybe I would’ve made a new friend. My mom and I always joke that she asks 100 questions to every new person she meets, from a place of genuine interest. I wish I had been bold enough to do  the same back then.

Even as adults now, in both personal and professional contexts, we all know what it's like to feel lost, alone, afraid, judged, ignored. It's difficult. Uncomfortable. Painful. And in the world we live in today, with so much division and anxiety, we have an even more powerful opportunity to connect with each other, understand each other's gifts, and support each other by tapping into what makes us feel alive. I’ve always wanted to foster this connection between people. To help people feel seen. I still get emotional talking about it.

Over time, I've noticed that a lot of people either (a) don't have an environment where they feel like they belong, (b) don't have a mentor to help them flourish, (c) don't focus on cultivating their strengths and inherent gifts (and instead follow what they're "supposed" to do), or (d) don't have actionable, practical advice on how to pursue what really matters to them. This prevents people from growing in their careers, especially if they lead teams. Talented business professionals need regular practice with a coach to perform at their best and achieve collective success – just like athletes.

Given this, I decided to focus on helping individuals find the natural spark within them and share it  with the world. I love helping others find joy, belonging and purpose -- whether through coaching, leading organizations, being part of sports teams, or generally providing a safe space for people to be themselves. In a professional context, if we cultivate our greatest strengths and follow what energizes us, we naturally radiate this energy outward to others, and we can build world-class teams that achieve incredible results.

I’ve now had a variety of experiences which help me do this work. I grew up in sunny Tucson, Arizona, a place with incredible natural beauty which helped me feel connected to our planet. I studied Mathematics and Biology at the University of Arizona, with a scholarship funded by the Flinn Foundation. As a Flinn Scholar, we were asked to travel, to try new things, to disturb our equilibrium. We were taught that leadership requires both analytical thinking and creative vision, both scientific rigor and artistic sensitivity.

To date, I’ve lived abroad in Brazil, Peru, Singapore, Spain, Kenya, India, Australia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, doing everything from language study, to medical and behavioral economics research, to management consulting with McKinsey. I've served as an executive at a Silicon Valley education-technology startup. I’ve received a coaching certification from New Ventures West and taught numerous workshops for global organizations. I share all of this because while on paper this all sounds amazing and I do have credibility to do the work I do, a lot of my experiences were also extremely challenging in their own way. I had to learn how to cook because I couldn’t find enough vegetarian food in a couple countries. I got cheated out of some rent money by an unfair landlord. I felt sad that I wasn’t fluent in my native Tamil language, and that my own relatives and friends would make fun of my accent. I put insane pressure on myself to get good grades. I got into a motorcycle accident in a beach town. I was nearly kidnapped by a taxi driver while rushing to the airport for a flight. I even once got robbed at gunpoint while walking home (fun fact: the robbers even stole my shoes and the groceries I was carrying). And while painful, each of these experiences made me stronger. They showed me that all of us can rebuild our lives, adapt to new environments, and find a way to create community and peace no matter what happens. Thanks to all of these wonderful and difficult experiences, I now have the courage to do what I felt too scared to do as a kid - to walk up to and connect with people, no matter who they are, learn about what makes them special, and help them cultivate their gifts. I bring a sense of authenticity, a magnetic presence, and an empathetic warmth which helps people feel at ease, inspired to grow, and excited to be part of incredible teams.

Through my programs and workshops, I aim to help each of us feel special and alive, and in turn, create teams and organizations which achieve greatness. If every individual is authentically motivated, energized, and putting their full focus and passion into what they're doing, we naturally build beautiful things together.

In the ultimate analysis, I care a lot about this work because I hope we can all experience what it’s like to be in an environment where we feel like we belong, where we have something to offer, where we can be ourselves, and where we feel safe and are welcomed by the people around us. It’s like being in the sunshine together with a group of people we love. It makes appreciate being alive.

Onward. Forward. (Thank you, Ted Lasso)