Tanvi Patil, MPH, PharmD, BCPS, DPLA

My success has really been my journey itself, which is a testament to the power of these practices. For example, my first day in HR when I started at this work, I was hung up in anxiety. I had a migraine and had to leave half day from work. About two or three years later, I was also going through a traumatic marriage and separation, so it was a hard time in my life, and I was just a very anxious person where even the smallest things stressed me out. Two to three years down the line, when I had already started working my way into yoga and other practices, within a year I already saw myself holding myself together so much better that I started climbing up the ladder from program manager to supervisor to now the associate director. I can hold a very stressful conversation without losing my calm. I can be in a table full of white male, middle-aged men, where I'm normally the only woman, and the first time I was intimidated and felt unseen and invisible, but I carved my place with my work and with my voice. I positioned myself through how I showed up and how I was able to be confident without being pushed away. That made a difference, and that happened because I was very grounded in myself. I was very confident. Small things didn't sway me. I did not react from my limbic system or amygdala but from a very rational, problem-solving mind. I've been able to incorporate tons of projects, work through difficult people, change management, and convince people to be on the team and be a player, which I think is very important in leadership roles. That change, that ability to communicate, hold the room, and get my voice across was a big change and an achievement that was a testimony into the practices that I had invested my time in for myself.

The most important lesson I've learned is that it has been an inward journey first before going outward. We live in a stimulated world where our kids first learn how to play video games before they learn anything else, and with this new generation that is so stimulated, and even us now with AI and technology, it's very hard for the majority of people to sit still without an anchoring point and meditate. Having a multimodal approach that helps your nervous system to anchor upon really allows people to access some of these tools without feeling like they're out of reach. For me, learning different ways of delivering to meet the needs of the community and generation and what's coming up in the world is important. I love to learn, and I love the credentials, which also positions me as an authority. However, I also contradict myself because a lot of women, including myself, struggle with imposter syndrome and feeling we're not enough and need more credentials to be better. Sometimes it's important to pause and say, hey, I already have so much, can I start giving before thinking I need more? I think it goes kind of both ways, and you need to see where you're at, who your ideal audience is, what you're showing up in this world to do, and make that decision for yourself.

First of all, don't give up. You are more capable than you think you are. Find your community and get help if that is what you need. There is so much out there, and so many women are willing to help and share their journey, but take charge of your life. You know, we have just one life to live, and let's make the most of it for ourselves and for the people around us. When you feel better, we bring ourselves in a way that makes everything around us better. I think believing in yourself and not giving up with grit and persistence, especially if you know it in your gut, is essential. We women know it in our interior. So trust yourself and take that step forward, even if that feels scary or tiring. Have that courage, and you're gonna find and carve your niche for yourself.

I'd say there is a lot of saturation in this field, so you have to position yourself, identify your ideal client, and put yourself out there. I think one of the biggest challenges I've seen with women, including myself as I start this journey, is we are so afraid to put ourselves out there. But blowing your own horn is the biggest important thing, and that can still be done with humility. You don't have to be fake, you can be true, you can be authentic, but your people are not going to know who you are if you don't put yourself out there. That was one of the hurdles I had to get over as an entrepreneur and somebody who's building a business. That's also true in professional career, which I had to go over. I was like, no, I'll do the work in silos, I don't need the recognition, that kind of attitude, and I was like, no, it's okay to take credit for the work you've done. It's okay to show up. The challenge is there is ample abundance, I'm a true believer of that out in the world. You really have to carve your niche and keep pushing. Entrepreneurship and business building is not easy in this market, but there is tons of opportunities, and I think one step at a time, we're all going to make it there. You need to find what's your niche, what's your strength, and your story to tell.

The values that are really important to me are transparency and trust. Safety in this health and wellness sector is critical, especially where that has been violated multiple times historically. For me, creating safe space where I am very transparent about what is known, what is unknown, what you need to be cautious about, and what can come up with you, and using that as a way to build trust with the women of the community that I'm holding space for is what I operate by. That is very important to me. I also prioritize self-care because when I started doing this work, I was getting exhausted, and I quickly realized that the last thing I want is getting burned out from something that should be helping people heal from burnout. As an empath, I absorb a lot of energy around me, so I had to make sure to protect myself before I go into sessions. Now I have a ritual where I do my breathwork either before or after, take a shower, go for a walk, and do something that's grounding for me. Anytime I have time off, I travel. I'm a scuba diver and a traveler. I just recently went to a yoga retreat in Nicaragua and basically blissed myself out, receiving breathwork, receiving sound healing, cold plunges, doing all the things that my body needed. I continue to do that and prioritize that because the goal of building a business is not to destroy the health that I've worked so hard for.