With the support every step of the way of her loving parents, Neha Vatsala has basically been mentored and developing her soft skills since she was a child. Now she is out there building communities, mentoring others, and applying her considerable hard skills and professional knowledge to her work in marketing and branding. She has no doubt that her future self will be happy with the path she is taking.
Showing no signs of slowing down when she recently turned 40, Neha wrote a book to share her life experiences with the world. Have a sneak peek of Neha’s personal journey below.
GLEAC: Who do you have to thank for a decision that you made that got you where you are today?
NEHA: I have to thank my parents for being the cosmic powers who know their way. The ones who always motivate me for the correct things and de-motivate me for things that will waste my energy. Even at 41, not a single day goes by without me talking to them. We discuss all my new ventures, ideas, and crazy projects. Their response means a lot. They never say “No” to me. If they don’t like something, the tone of their reply gives me all the necessary input to decide if I should proceed or not
GLEAC: If a future version of yourself had to thank you for something you are doing right now that will contribute to your future, what would it be for?
NEHA: Listening to my heart and having no regrets. Also, the future version of myself will love to access the network that I have built over the years.
GLEAC: What is your superpower soft skill (it can be one or a few)? How do you use it in your job in your sector?
NEHA: Now this is something that triggers my most sensitive chords, and I could talk about this all day. In fact, it is my weakness, love, and craziness for soft skills which brought me so close to GLEAC. So first things first – my favorite soft skill superpower is communication, and as obvious as it sounds, we really need to work on this from day one of our existence. God gave us enough ways to communicate, but we as humans really need to fine-tune our communication skills. My other favorite super skills are emotional intelligence, collaboration, self-management, and empathy.
GLEAC: In 5 years from now, who do you want to become? Describe in detail 😉
NEHA: Wow, I love this one. I just did this analysis last year on my 40th birthday, and I asked myself the same question. I never hesitate to hear from people who have impacted my life, hence I asked them too. One thing that everyone agreed on was that I will be in and around some community. Being a people person, that comes naturally to me. So yes- I will be building some more communities, bringing the correct people to the correct places, and learning from each and every experience. I do have a personal health goal too. Due to various obvious reasons, we all have given less importance to our health – me included, and hence a few years from now, I want to re-activate my athletic history and see myself running again, competing, and training my son
GLEAC: With all the changes happening in the world, is your sector going to survive, and if yes, why? If it won’t be viable anymore in its present form, how does it have to change to survive and evolve?
NEHA: I think my sector, marketing, and branding, may not die so soon. Yes, there may be possibilities that many may feel are not necessary for them or for their brands, so we as service providers have to keep on the watch and keep providing unique ROI-centric scenarios to companies. The bottom line of any business is to make money. Marketing and branding is an essential pathway to reach that end goal and drives sales. So, we need to keep creating awareness of the same, create demand and then fulfill the demand.
GLEAC: If the 80-year-old version of you had to give advice to the 8-year-old version of you, what would she say you need to change/buck up on right now?
NEHA: I think – I can say this proudly, that I have no regrets or advice or “Gyan “ as we say in India for my younger self. Thanks to my upbringing, we were taught to always follow our hearts, and hence at all stages of my life, I did the best I possibly could and felt happy about it always. I am a very firm believer in destiny, and I feel that everything happened to me for a reason. Now as a human, it’s my job to smile, accept and enjoy it.
GLEAC: Are there any soft skills you need to work on to better yourself?
NEHA: Oh yes!! Conflict management!! I just don’t know why I get cold feet if there is any conflict in and around me. I am still working on this and hope to become an expert at this skill too.
GLEAC: What is the one thing you learned on your professional journey that you would like to share with the world?
NEHA: I would really like to share with young professionals that they should never ever hesitate to ask and find good mentors. It’s very important that we find some guiding light individuals in our lives. It is helpful to read books, research and experience our own falls, but you really become a smart individual if you have mentors in your life, and you can talk to them and hear their experiences and then make your decisions.
GLEAC: Every career has its pros and cons. What are the good and bad aspects of your career?
NEHA: My career requires a lot of time interacting with people and helping them grow. The good aspect of my career is that I get a sense of satisfaction and impact on others’ lives. However, the cons are that, in this unbalanced world, this task is humongous, and many times I feel restless that I can’t impact more people. Hence I have the desire to do more and more. Sometimes it becomes tough and time-consuming.
GLEAC: What are you most proud of so far on your journey?
NEHA: I am very proud of the company and the book that I have launched. My company was in my mind for a long time, but the birth of my son just triggered that desire. Unbelievably, many clients come to us for branding boosts now. The book was also in my mind for a long time, and my 40th birthday triggered that desire too. I ended up writing a book that was purely dedicated to my parents, and I published it. Many people have been buying it on Amazon.
The #GLEACMentorCommunity enables its mentors to network with like-minded individuals from over 47 countries through sharing knowledge, unlocking business opportunities, access to all of GLEAC’s monthly events, and much more! Interested in being part of our expert mentor community? Email us at: mentor@gleac.com or apply through this link. For more awesome content from our other mentors check out our blog (www.gleac.com/blog). Visit our website (www.gleac.com) and also for our NFTs head on over to Lovely Humans (www.lovelyhumans.io) to learn more!
