Hall of Fame Winner - Confident Storytelling Podcast | Beena Srivastava

Moment of change that was for you can be the moment of change for so many others, and that is your story. Every big decision that we take in our life comes from an emotional space. So when Haritosh Srivastav came and he started talking to me about my entire story, so I actually had a lot of tears. I cried in two sessions.

Okay, hello, welcome everyone. I am so excited and yeah, you can, you can blame me for not doing this for so long, but I am back with another Hall of Fame interview. So in one of our values of Confident Storytelling Hub is to celebrate our members. Every week when we have mastermind session, we like to talk about our weekly wins. But there is another level to that where we want to recognize people who have gone on to do some amazing things, have achieved something when it comes to speaking and storytelling. And that is why we are having this video. And it is my honor and pleasure to interview our latest Hall of Fame winners, which is Beena Srivastav. Welcome, Beena. So excited for this interview.

Thank you, Haritosh Srivastav. Thank you so much for inviting me. It's really a pleasure always connecting with you and learning. Thank you.

Awesome, awesome. So before we move on to the interview, I'm gonna give a formal introduction of Beena to— and so that you understand who Beena is, and then we are going to talk about her backstory and a lot of other things. So an author, Reiki Grandmaster, life coach, NLP Master Practitioner from American Board of NLP, Yogic Breathwork Coach, High Ticket Organic Master— Organic Marketing Business Coach. Beena is on a mission to help women create a new career as life coach and healer and step into— I love this— emotional and financial freedom. Before starting her freelance work, she's worked in corporate for a decade with some of the biggest brands in the world. With half a decade of her coaching business, she has grown her coaching business to over 15 cities. She's got clientele of over 5 countries, and she's got over 3,000— this is so important for everyone to know— over 3,000+ of coaching hours. So, so, Beena, welcome once again. Tell us about the Beena before all of these grand Titles, grand achievements. I want to know— I, and I know your backstory, but this is for your— for our audience who's gonna watch, and also for especially for our community members, because I want them to get inspired. Tell us about your backstory.

So I think, Haritosh Srivastav, I'll start with saying that actually you don't change, you just get exposed to who you are. So before, Meena was also the same, and today I'm also the same, and I think in future also I'll remain the same. What has happened in the journey is that I have evolved. I have become more aware of who I am, and I've started consciously evolving myself and believing more in myself and accepting my flaws and knowing that it's a journey. Everything that we achieve in life, who we become in the journey, is most important. So essentially we are the highest, grandest version, but we don't know that. It is only when we get to meet some mentors like Haritosh Srivastav and some of my mentors, they tell us. And when we hear that from our mentors, that this is something you can do, I think a lot of times this is only what we are waiting to hear from someone to make us aware of who we really stand for in this world.

Amazing, amazing. I love that. And, and the moment you said that we don't change, I was like, okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna point out that we actually evolve. But I love the word because this is how our thinking matches, or we are kind of synchronized in the way that I also feel that yes, the core or the essence of what we are don't really change. But yes, we as humans, we as living beings keep on evolving and yeah, amazing. So the next question to you is why did you choose to join me and Confident Storytelling? And you joined, for people who do not know, directly as a Diamond member. Why did you choose to do that?

Yeah, for two reasons. One, because I was in a journey as a coach and I had some ambitions to, uh, be in certain places and give keynotes and when you came as an opportunity, I felt why not learn from an expert and deliver the same thing. Maybe he can give me a better perspective of putting the same thing across. See, we were given Bhagavad Gita once, but so many people have given their own, you know, ways of explaining the same thing. So when there is a mentor, he is there to give us a new fresh perspective of looking at our own journey. And that is when I thought, why not have a fresh perspective, put things down in a more effective way. And yeah, this encouraged me. And when I connected with you on a call, you just felt to be a person whom I can trust. I would feel that, and I just gave it a shot. And I'm glad that I did it because it came out to be really beautiful for me.

Thanks so much. Thank you for your trust. Let's go a little bit deeper. What has the process of this story discovery and crafting and then practicing the delivery done to you?

Yeah, so it is quite a journey, rollercoaster ride. See, as healers and life coaches, you know, we, everybody feels that we are there to help others, but while we are helping others in so many ways, we are helping our own self. And we are just exactly like you. And sometimes we are not directing the questions onto us, and we kind of leave the wounds in the past, and we are busy creating a new life for ourselves. And whichever phase we are in, for example, I'm in this business and I'm doing all of that, the pain that I had which made me reach here, sometimes I forget that because I'm so involved in handling my present moment. So when Haritosh Srivastav came and he started talking to me about my entire story, so I actually had a lot of tears. I cried in two sessions because I was taken back in those days where I was really struggling and I was really challenging to bring myself out. And I think it is the same for everyone. You know, there are those moments of decision. And when I was talking and he was probing me with my story, you know, you're like, You are in an operation theater and you're, you like, actually first, you know, you have to get into that cut table where you cut apart and that is where the treatment happens. So, so while the journey of going back was happening, I was kind of into introspection that which were the moments that really made me shift, which were the moments which really triggered me to become who I am today. They encouraged me. Keep going, even though at that point I just could feel sometimes that I don't know how to do, and I didn't know how to challenge, I didn't know where to start from. And I honestly feel, when I look at people now who were exactly where I was, I just can connect so much with the pain. And I feel that, yes, there were those moments. And I think now I can bring my own story more effectively bring those analogies more effectively, and that story of mine helps some other woman to get up strong and take a decision for herself. And I think this is very beautifully— I think Haritosh Srivastav helped me because he told me that, Meena, the moment of change that was for you can be the moment of change for so many others, and that is your story. So the words could be anything, but the emotion remains the same, the moment remains the same. And I know it is a common story for so many other women, not just women, I would say even men, because we are all emotional beings and every big decision that we take in our life comes from an emotional space. So how can I be independent of people, situations, and things, and yet take that decision. This is what is coming so beautifully out of the keynote that Haritosh Srivastav helped me to prepare, and I'm very grateful to you, Haritosh Srivastav, for that.

Awesome, thank you so much. And I do remember those sessions, and, and if you remember, I said that I'm sorry but I'm not sorry. I'm sorry that you're having this pain and you're having these tears But I'm not sorry because somewhere it has to come out. And, and I knew beforehand that this happens. And many times this has happened, that people get emotional, which is— which I feel is nothing wrong in being emotional, whether you are a man or woman, doesn't matter, or whoever gender or the way you identify yourself. Sometimes getting to the core is an emotional journey, and it is okay to have those tears. But what comes out after that is the beautiful journey. So Haritosh Srivastav. Once again, amazing journey that you have. I want to know, and, and this is where you were talking about little bit about, but I want you to go little bit deep and give us more examples of how going through this journey has impacted your own journey. We, we worked on your keynote, we worked for weeks, and you then prepare the content and practice, and then you delivered at few places. Tell us about the impact and effect it had on you, but also on the audience and people who reached out to you afterwards?

Yeah, so at first, you know, I was very apprehensive about sharing my own story so openly. So at first, I was very apprehensive to share my own story, uh, and I would feel that, you know, would it be really— would I be comfortable to be vulnerable in front of others? And somewhere the universe was already showing me this thing that your story can move other people, your story can move other people. And this is exactly what happened when Haritosh Srivastav came and he helped me to put everything together. So when I delivered the first time my keynote in front of a lot of women, I just would see that from a space where when we go out on stage and we are in a so-called sophisticated world, people do not open up. There is so many layers on top of an authentic conversation. That the reality dissipates away. That day when I became vulnerable, I could see so many people becoming vulnerable.

Beautiful.

So one person dropping that, you know, mask of a fake smile made so many other people drop that face. Not just that, the chief guest of that whole, you know, the space where I went, she was in tears and she openly shared her story authentically in front of everyone. And that is what made me so proud of this keynote, because that is where from change happens, that the space where we just want to, you know, we, we are so open to share our story, that is when somebody can handhold and tell you, see, I am here to help you out. Okay. And, and that authenticity was something I was looking for, which I saw, and That made me feel, oh my God, this is the power of a right story. This is the power of you coming up with the— using your life in the right way. Because of course it's all temporary. We think that we are living in this infinite world, but COVID took away so many people. So I was so happy that I dropped the mask and I could be vulnerable. And this is also a kind of muscle. So everywhere I go, the only question I ask myself is, yes, I'm scared of people judging me, but what if my story changes one life today? And that answer, when it comes, yes, it can change one life, that inspiration itself is so big that I don't feel fearful in being judged myself. So people can judge you even if you don't do that. So that made the entire journey very, very effective, and people have given standing ovations and everything. But that's not really so important. What is important is that the, the vision which, which, with which we moved forward in the first place, that came out and that became a reality. So I'm very, very, very grateful to Haritosh Srivastav for all his effort and unconditional giving. Every time you send a message or you're confused or you need help, he will be there personally to handhold you, to guide you at every step. And I think that is really what I like about him, and that is what makes me feel that you really truly need to be like a person like him if you want to go and serve the world. So I have learned this beautiful thing from you, Haritosh Srivastav, apart from all the work that we did together. So thank you so much for being so patient and helping us out.

Thank you. And I love that, that is beautiful, because when you were talking about that, putting that mask, that thought that came into my mind, that deep inside all of us are like kids, child. We all are like child, but we're not— we are putting that mask because we don't want that child to come out. We are so vulnerable. But when we see that, oh, that is also a child, my child can play with that child. Maybe we can have a good vibe. That's when this mask drops and we become who we truly are, the, the real vulnerable open self. And that's where the beauty of storytelling lies, because it directly impacts your limbic brain, which allows you to take those emotional decisions which you wouldn't do otherwise. Now let's move on. We did something together, amazing, interesting, in the month of April, and which we are so proud of. Which was we did this Thrive Fest event, 3-day event for coaches and healers. And you had a chance to give your keynote again. How has this whole process of organizing a 3-day event and, and doing all of this impacted you and what were your learning?

Yeah. So the biggest learning for me was that we, we so many times feel that we are doing it, everything for others, but The reality is that even if we evolve so many times, we have to clean up ourselves at every moment. Understanding that whenever that speck comes where you start feeling, 'I'm doing it for others,' you have to really reflect and see and think that, 'Am I really doing it for others, or is it for myself?' If I'm doing it for others, then there should be no space of hurt, anger, resentment, grudge, pain, and holding back of anything from anyone. So honestly, it was an opportunity where organizing everything was one thing which I just knew that I would be able to do. The kind of bond we created was really amazing, and I also learned in a way that some things I need to drop in myself, from myself. So, so that cleaning went to the next level for me where, you know, I had to be in a space where I also did not like a few things. And of course, when you're handling like so many people and, you know, things, things don't happen sometimes the way you want it to happen, but that's the beauty. How do you gracefully walk out of a situation even when things don't happen the way you expected it to happen. How can you still love those people who didn't create a great, you know, experience for you? So whenever I'm put in this situation, the only thing I ask myself is, was I unconditional in my giving? So it really brings me back, it makes me centered. And, and I think it's, it's something very small we did. There's so much to do, and this is just the beginning. That was just the first step, we had our learnings. And also, since you were a part of that, Haritosh Srivastav, that added massive value. And I thank you deeply from the bottom of my heart that you could make it. Um, everybody got so much of value in the audience because of your presence. That was really special for us. And yeah, because of all the exposure of various events that you've been going to, we later on sat together and we fast. So many brainstorming happened, and you gave us some very, very, very valuable pointers for the coming time, and I'm sure they will be implemented in our next events. So thank you so much for your beautiful presence in the event. It made it so special for us. Thank you.

Thank you. And I must say that, no, thank you for making me part of the journey, and, and not a single second I felt like, oh, this is not my community, or this is not my people. For me, what was more interesting was being a storytelling coach, I'm always looking for stories. And when people open up, when people honestly share their journey, that is where like the light bulbs go on moments happen. And like, wow, this is where— so I remember when I was taking the session, after the session, when we had a couple of people come over and share their story That was the most, one of the most beautiful moments for me. And yes, we have set a vision to make it grander, bigger, and amazing for the next Thrive Fest 2, whenever that happens, hopefully in coming months. And yes, we'll go about that. Now we are coming towards the last couple of questions because we cannot go on forever. You have a lot of things going on and I need to also carry on. So my second last question to you is if you look at your journey, and I'm not talking about this storytelling or Thrive Fest journey, but your overall journey, what do you think are the 3 factors that has helped you in this journey?

I think the first thing was that I understood my own self really clearly in my journey. That, see, a lot of people, uh, have different, you know, we all work on different values and at some point I took decisions based on how we are— should we are perceived in the world to be. Like, you know, we women carry a lot of this thing that, oh, I want to be a greater mother, wife, and this and that. And in that process, sometimes we forget who we are as people. Okay, so sorry. So, so yeah, so when we are in this journey of developing ourselves, sometimes we just take societal conditioning so deeply within us We feel, oh, this is how a great wife has to be, this is how a great daughter has to be, a great mom has to be. And we are trying to put ourselves in that perfection boxes. And in that process of being this person for the world, you really forget who you are. And this is exactly what happened with me. So what I learned in my journey is that you don't have to prove yourself to anyone. You just be authentic in your space. Be authentically good to everyone, but don't lose yourself in the process. Because losing your own authenticity as a person, your truth as a person, will only make you miserable. And a miserable person can never make anyone happy in the world. So ask yourself, what do I want in my life? And go and do it in your life. If you do it, you become happy. That is when you spread happiness in the world. And this is— I something I really very deeply understood in my journey. So I decided to take decision, I decided to take risk from that place, I decided to drop this norms of being great, and, and I was okay to be imperfect. I was okay to ask for help from my kids on days I could not do. I was okay to be guilty of the fact that some days I'm not a great mother. I was okay to be— to accept the fact that it's okay to be a normal wife sometimes and ask your husband to help you in different things, but not taking everything on yourself. So this was quite a journey for me. So that was number one. Number two is take decisions. And yes, in the beginning, nobody knows where you are going to go. Failure is nothing but a feedback only. And the faster you fail, the better it is. So fail fast and fail forward is what one of my mentors would say, and this is what I really believe now. So honestly, if you ask me, are you really scared of taking challenges and risk, I would say no. It is now that I have started really enjoying taking risks, and I, I can really challenge myself to do some things which I I have never done ever in my life. And now, because I'm in the state of mind, if you really ask me, nothing feels very difficult. So, and I just say, oh, it's a journey. Yeah, maybe this is— I haven't reached there yet, but I'm in the process of reaching there. That's number 2. Number 3 is I had been a very hardworking person and, you know, very sincere child since I was a little girl. But one thing that I did majorly wrong in my life was I never celebrated my journey. Every time I was being a good daughter, I would do 9 things correct, but for one thing that I did not do correctly, I would pressurize myself a lot and I would say, oh, I didn't do this well, I didn't do this well. So in spite of being very good in so many ways, internally I was never a happy person. So I, I realized that it is very, very important to celebrate every moment. If, if I got a chance to be here with Haritosh Srivastav today and we are doing this, I am going to just celebrate this moment. And even the days when I could not do anything, I am ready to celebrate. So there is, there is so much of a component of joy and celebration in my life that work does not feel work. I always say, oh, we are having a great time, okay? Because really, when, when we do our work with this energy, everything changes. Your chemistry with your work changes. You are flowing, you are enjoying, and people can really sense that energy in you. And they, they feel, oh my God, look at this person, she is working and she's so happy doing this work, and that is what is most important. So really reflect on what really brings that true light, that true spark in you, and just go and do that work and keep celebrating yourself every moment as much as you can. And that is what will take you really long in your journey. Thank you so much.

I love that response and authenticity. I always say that, no, if I I'm making you a copy of me, I'm actually failing as a coach. Because as coaches, our job is not to make our copies or clone, but to let the authentic person come out. Let Beena come as Beena, not as Haritosh Srivastav, or let Sunny come as Sunny, not as Beena or Haritosh Srivastav. And that's where we really— first we need to be authentic, and then we need to make our coaches, clients, mentees as authentic people. So amazing. And yes, failure, fail often, fail fast. I love that quote by Abdul Kalam, who says that fail is first attempt in learning, and that has like ingrained in my brain. So love that. And yes, celebrating our journey. One of the values that I already started the interview is celebrating the journey of the member. So, and that's what we are doing here, celebrating your journey of achieving Hall of Fame. My last question to you is What would be Beena's advice to anyone who wants to really learn this magical power of storytelling? How should they get started?

It would be go, come fast, grab this opportunity and learn from this great person, Mr. Haritosh Srivastav. He's a gem, not only as a coach, as a person. He will handhold you. He will give you not just the system, the structure, the flow of how it should go, but he will expose you to your true self. So be happy that you are getting an amazing person in your life who would not just guide you as a storytelling mentor, but also he will guide you as a coach. So grab this opportunity. We don't get such coaches very often.

Thank you so much, Veena, and really the kind of work that you're doing, the kind of impact that you're having with people from different parts of the world. That is truly incredible. And it was my honor and pleasure to keep this as a surprise, to have this Hall of Fame Award. And you and Sunny both had absolutely no idea. And thanks to Archil for arranging all of this to give award on your Thrive Fest. Not your, on our Thrive Fest. Sorry for my language, on our Thrive Fest. In front of our community, and, and it was such an incredible moment. So thank you so much. Thank you for what you do. Keep doing the amazing work. Keep inspiring hundreds, thousands, and millions of people. Really appreciate your work.

Thank you. Thank you so much for inviting me, and thank you so much everyone for taking our time to listen to both of us. Thank you.

Thank you. And until next time, as I say every time, Keep learning, keep growing, and keep going out of your comfort zone. Watch out for our next Hall of Fame interview, which is going to be equally amazing and interesting.