Bhavna Pandya-Barratt is the Founder of Successful Superwomen. She is a Mindset and Transformational Mentor who helps Indian female entrepreneurs face their limiting beliefs and strategise their passion into successful businesses. Besides her rich experience in telecommunications and media, she is an award-wining multi-cultural wedding photographer.
iGlobal caught up with the business mentor to understand the mindset and challenges faced by ambitious women, her mentoring styles and how to be self-disciplined for the iMoney Show at iGlobal Radio.
Here are some highlights from the discussion:
How do you mentor women who want to get back into business?
It’s very much a mindset thing. This is an observational statement: In the Indian culture, I have seen it in my own family even though we are so liberal, there is a bit of suppression. Stereotypes that you will get married, you will have children, you will be the house person, you are not going to be the businessperson, you’re not going to be the CEO of a company. The moment you say you want to start a business, there are a lot of questions – who is going to look after your children? How will you manage the housework? What about the food?
We have a lot of emotional loads that we carry with us as moms, as women, in general. It becomes a mindset issue and all of a sudden you start believing the things that you have been told your whole life. You start believing that “I’m okay where I am and this will do” and, we break this statement. It’s the limiting belief, the barrier.
I help mentor women to work through the mindset, identify the things that are blocking you from success, stopping you from really getting out, and doing the things that you really want to do.
How do you go about preparing people for a particular mindset?
We have weekly sessions where we talk to the clients. They know from the go that these are the sessions they have to attend and what they need to do. I have an online system; everything is on there. I can see what they are accessing and what they are not. A part of my job is to say, “are you okay?”; “haven’t seen you a lot lately”; and for them to have that discussion with me. If you have got a mentor that you can’t speak to openly, you can’t feel comfortable with, then there is no point having that person.
For me, you are my client but first and foremost, you are a person. You are a woman that I want to be able to have a discussion with. So, if there is something that is bothering you, I want you to feel comfortable enough to come and tell me. For me the preparation starts when I have a three-hour call with my clients at the beginning. In those hours, I cover everything, so they know that they are ready for the next months of coaching. The first exercise is mindset. I give them meditation, books to read, lots of stuff to prepare them.