"She Struggled for 15 Years. 2 Months at CSH Changed Everything." | Vansh Jyoti | #28

My journey started when I realized that words can either create distance or they can build deep connections. So I realized this during the journey. Earlier it was not there. I didn't realize that confidence is a skill. So eventually with the challenges, I realized that the less I speak, the more powerful I am. Have you ever noticed that the most confident person is the one who doesn't speak with a lot of words, but the one who speaks with clarity. I was too much into that perfection mode, but eventually, after every challenge, I realized this last video only, only took me like 15 minutes. That moment I started recording video, and for the first time, like, I felt that grounded energy within me which I was trying for, say, 15 years. You won't believe it, Haritosh Srivastav. It's been 15 years I have been struggling with this and trying to be into that groundedness. The best part is just showing up. Yep, just showing up. Nothing else. No overthinking, no nervousness, no fear of failures. Just being yourself and one step at a time. Because your voice doesn't doesn't become confident by waiting, it becomes confident by being used.

The only thing that came into my mind while you were sharing all of this is that your story is actually your gift to the world, right? So if you have a beautiful gift, but if you don't give it to anyone, it will lose its value. Hey everyone, welcome to another finisher interview. This is probably our 26th or more such interview where members of Confidence Storytelling Hub have come through a journey, have got amazing breakthrough, and more importantly, they have completed a challenge. And in the community, when somebody completes the challenge for the very first time, This is my offering to them that I love to interview to know about their journey, to know about what they went through. So in that series, I have another of the member who's been doing amazing work. So we have Vansh Jyoti. So hi, Vansh, how are you?

Hi, I'm fine.

Awesome. So good to have you. So I love to hear a little bit about yourself. So tell us about yourself in a minute or so.

Have you ever noticed that the most confident person is the one who doesn't speak with a lot of words but the one who speaks with clarity? Hi, my name is Vansh Jyoti. I'm a public speaking expert on Planet Spark, and I help teens and adult teens to build confidence and to come out of their self-doubts. So I help them to create that confidence for themselves and overcome stage fright. Thank you.

Amazing. Amazing. So good to have you in the community. So tell us a bit about, uh, how did you come to know about Confidence Storytelling Hub and when and why did you join and how long have you been part of the community?

My journey started when I realized that words can either create distance or they can build deep connections. So usually I was too much into like saying, talking too much. I am a talkative person that way, but eventually I realized there is some gap. I'm not able to connect.

Mm-hmm.

That deeper connection is not felt. So I realized it happens through stories. But now where to learn the storytelling technique? So I was discussing with my personal coach, Manasa. She told me about there is this Haritosh Srivastav. He teaches that there is this confidence storytelling, how you can work on it. Because at the time I was working as public speaking expert, but I can feel that gap even after the training on Planet Spark.

Right.

So I thought, why not to, uh, like upskill myself? So she gave me that idea. I joined you as a Silver membership on my— in Feb, but I started my challenges in the month of March. There were many tasks and I realized that confidence is not something you are born with.

Yes.

It is something which you have to practice day by day and eventually halfway or the other way you are there. So I realized this during the journey. Earlier it was not there. I didn't realize that confidence is a skill. Thank you, Haritosh Srivastav, for letting me in and teaching me all the techniques and giving me the platform where I can grow safely. And confident.

Thank you so much. Yes. And I can see that you are one of the, you know, excited member who was always ready to take up the next challenge. And when is the next challenge coming, which is a mark of an achiever. So thank you for that. So I want to know, you joined the community and you joined in the March, you joined the challenge as well. You became a finisher. So what was that experience like being part of a challenge, the video challenge that we do? And what were some of your learnings from the challenge?

The best part of the video challenge was that every time we got a challenge in a like small way, not a big thing. Every time we have to focus on just one little thing.

Yes.

And it was not about perfection. Uh, not about like, you have to be this, you have to wear this, you have to present yourself. It's just about showing yourself. Every time, every single time the task comes into the WhatsApp community, and then I was like, okay, I have to think about it. Okay, now what I have to say. Many a times I juggle in between what I have to say earlier, but eventually I realized in the community, ekhi badi was sharing their own story, especially Dinesh ji and Shivangi Chandra. Shivangi is a very good example. By her, I learned that I can be myself. I really need not to be someone else. So this platform gave me that idea. And top 3 challenges were, I was too much in hurry and always in that panic and rush mode. I don't know like where to give that like break, where to take that pause and then how to be just being myself. So eventually, with the challenges, I realized that the less I speak, the more powerful I am. Secondly, when I learnt to reduce the fillers, I get to know that I have to take pauses. So I started taking pauses. And eventually the fillers reduced and I let the message lean in rather than rushing it every time.

Right.

Overthinking and like what to prepare about the thinking about the failure, thinking about the nervousness, I will not be able to like what to say next. I left all of that. Yeah, first two challenges were a little bit different. Like I was thinking what to write, what not to write, and then juggling between like half an hour or 1 hour, like writing about the script, like what to think, or even the ChatGPTs were not helping, seems like that. But eventually I remember the, uh, like 21 days courses which you have given us during the, uh, with the help of that membership, right? I have gone through that by listening different people, and especially you talking to them, felt that I can do it too. It's okay. So when I looked at conversation, I've won eventually one by one. I was trying to inculcate, take into action about that. This time it was not just reading, reading, reading, nothing going on, no action coming in. But eventually one video, until I take that one action into my challenges, I won't move to the other one. So confidence building is more about that one courage before that, that one courageous step to take yourself forward. So, and eventually it builds. So every confidence is just like that big bubble in which you, there are like a tinge of nanoparticles there and combining themselves and making that beautiful bubble, which eventually fades out. So the beauty which it's been there for a few seconds, it creates that small, small nanoparticles like confidence, like pauses, like speaking without— just speaking, not thinking about perfection, removing the failures, like every bit of that. And eventually it turns out to be beautiful just for a moment even.

So amazing. So amazing ones. Yes, I can see that. I can see from your journey also, when you started, you were going like Rajdhani so fast and trying to do it. And now there's a bit of what you call in Hindi, tera, right? There's a little bit of grounding, which I think is very much required for a speaker. A speaker is not always supposed to go like on a highway, but sometimes you need to take a break in terms of pauses. Sometimes you need to slow down while you're trying to emote that. So I can very well see a lot of changes in the way you speak, and I can see you are becoming more and more an authentic speaker and storyteller. I think that is what the aim of Confident Storytelling Hub is. So I want to ask you one cheeky question, and that is, uh, be honest and tell me how long or how many takes it took for you to create that first video. And how much time it took for you to create the last video of the challenge? We're talking about the March challenge. Yes.

Okay. When we talk about the March challenge, usually it takes me like 2 hours, like 1.5 hours or 45 minutes up to like thinking about the script and like what can be the best. I was too much into that perfection mode. But eventually after every challenge, I realized this last video only, only took me like 15 minutes.

Wow.

I was even surprised. Like, uh, yesterday the story huddle was about to start and I was like, it's about to start. Just, I have 5 minutes. I just recorded into that 5 minutes and that 10 minutes I was preparing the script and just that. Because this time I was working too much on the hook because as a public speaking expert, I think that that hook should have the like on aura. The moment the hook is created, halfway you are there.

Yes.

So I was too much working on it. Now, now there are not many things like how I will be there, think this and that, what people will think. Nothing is there. It's just I have to show up the way I am.

I love it. Love it. And yes, I'm not surprised because that has been typical, the experience of members. Uh, since the time I started asking this, yes, people said that, okay, it used to take 4 hours, 6 hours to come down to like 10 minutes. 50 minutes, including coming up with the idea, scripting, recording, and sometimes even posting as well. So awesome. So my next question to you would be, during the challenge that you have participated, what has been your aha or breakthrough moment? Like we always have this one moment you're like, wow, I never expected this. Oh wow, this was the biggest breakthrough I received. What was that for you?

I have two, two of them, like every month. First of all, I will tell you about my favorite task of March challenge.

Yes.

When I was juggling between many things, I don't know, like what, because every time there was one major challenge that I have to learn it and then I have to speak it. So I wouldn't able to do that. Even I will take my phone and just look at it. It will remove that eye contact in the camera. And then it will not be natural. So what I did was, there was this one challenge of yours where there we have to think about the situation, tension, actionable steps, and the impact it creates. So while I was doing that task, I felt not even a single challenge. I don't know why. Like, it was so beautifully designed. Like, my mind was working naturally. Okay, the situation, the tension, And this time I have, I really need not to learn word by word or think that particular script. I was just being in that flow. I just looked at the script once, like, okay, this is the situation. This is the, um, um, tension and the actionable step and the impact it will create. So I was more focusing on that, those things, and eventually the words were coming out. So that was the first breakthrough moment for me.

Like, wow, I couldn't feel that I'm doing this and I'm not reading word by word and script by script. I'm just going with the flow.

So this time, eventually, the nervousness and that guilt and everything, failure and overthinking, everything just diminished. I didn't felt it. So it is the major thing for me where I'm not feeling all of a sudden any of these, and that boosts my confidence to the next step.

Amazing.

Second breakthrough moment or aha moment was in the month of April. Like last week, I was just recording this video of, uh, Stance, where we have to stand and say. So earlier I was again very nervous and overthinking how would it go. Like, I'm not able to set the camera even the horns are honking. What should I do? I tried to set like for 5 minutes in different rooms, but every room has certain— then I thought, leave it. I just have to record. I just have to show up. That's it. The moment I decided, I put the camera and I looked at the script with the first breakthrough moment, that situation. Tension, actionable step, and the impact. And the moment I did, everything just feels easy to me, like effortless. I don't have to put that effort to be something else. It naturally feels so me. So that moment I started recording video, and for the first time, like, I felt that grounded energy within me which I was trying for, say, 15 years. You won't believe it, Haritosh Srivastav. It's been 15 years I have been struggling with this and trying to be into that grounded energy. Like my grandfather and everyone in the family says, be like that, be calm and composed. I never understood because everybody says that you have to be like that, but you don't know how to. And sometimes you just have to sit surrender yourself so that you can be into that natural calm state. This surrender mood was also not coming into the picture from so many years. I don't know how you design and how you have created this community, but it feels very comfortable. I have joined other communities as well. I have started my journey somewhere else, but I haven't I have ever felt that groundedness and calmness because I think this comes with the coach. This is what I have felt.

Thank you, Venali.

I'm so thankful to be in your energy. I'm so thankful that somehow we got connected to the universe and everything coming into the picture that finally I believe that there are certain coaches where I can connect with them feel comfortable, be into my energy, and can be truly myself. I can see you when there are 15 members in the community. Everybody has their own unique ideas, challenges, and you take it so calmly that everyone is coming out their best self. That is something which is very rarely seen in my just 7 years of experience. So thank you so much. Thanks a lot.

Thank you so much, Vansh, and I'm gonna pass it on to all my mentors and coaches from whom I learned. I think it's their energy that is passing through, and my mentor says that, no, my real success is not your success, but your student's success is my success. So that is where I would pass it on to my mentors, say, then others who have been really guiding me. And yeah, I'm so grateful that Yes, members are realizing because I have learned over the years that you don't need to be somebody else. All of us are unique gems. You don't need to compare one gem with another. Everyone is their own gem. We all need polishing, but not with somebody else's layer, our own polishing. Amazing. I love that. Both the breakthroughs of realizing that you need to, don't need to go script word by word. And more importantly, finding your grounding energy and how you can build gravity. Like we say the word gravity or gravitas, that comes when you are able to ground. Yes, you should be able to go up and down, you should be able to speed up and slow down, but the grounding energy is the mark of a confident speaker and storyteller. Awesome. So now I want to talk about the impact. So yes, You became the member, you participated, you, you have the breakthrough, but the most important thing is the impact that happens afterwards. So if I may ask you, what has been the impact of completing the previous challenge, or you're also already participating in the next challenge, what has been the outcome or impact of, uh, of participating in these challenges?

Okay. Then I was participating in the challenges from the month of March till now. Is I can see many turning points, like one step, two step, three step, four step, and coming up to like nine step now. It feels like I am now ready to create that change in the lives of my other teams where I teach. Earlier while teaching them, I was thinking, how should I teach them this confidence? Is our training happened like for 40 days and everything they taught us, but there were some gaps, as I told you earlier. So when I came here, I was able to fill up those gaps. And now eventually in my mind, ideas are coming in, like how should I teach them this?

Right.

Okay. What? One activity I can give them so they feel confident. And you won't believe it. Now my students are waiting for me, like, when she will come. And they are very excited. There are two students, they are unidentical twins, Isha Ladkat and Ira Ladkat. Ira is just so like us, like, ambivert kind of person with full of energy. Yes, I have done. And I can't believe that she's turning out like so So beautiful that whatever I teach her, she eventually grabs it up.

Wow.

I can tell, I don't want to tell her mother now, but she can be best speaker I can ever see at such an age. She's in third class only. Wow. And the way she take the pauses and the way I'm teaching her voice modulation these weeks, past week and this week, and she's always so much waiting for the class, when the class will be. And rushingly she will come and then she will sit and she will read and whatever 2 major words I will give her, she will learn it and this work wonders. So that was the impact I want to create in the lives of teens or adult teens or some kids per se. So by that I feel that what I am teaching them is so effortless now. That their lives are also changing, where they are discovering their voice, how to be themselves, whatever they want to. I don't discuss about only the topics which are there. I discuss out of the context. And sometimes parents said, hey, you can start the class. I told them, I have already started the class.

Very nice. I love that. I love that when you are able to create impact for for the young generation. Yes, it's, it's only in the years and decades to come that we'll see the actual result, but you can see the future. So in a way, you are helping build the next generation and next future. Great job and kudos to you. And, uh, yes. So my next question, I think I've got a couple more questions. Uh, maybe I can combine that question, both the questions is what is your message for Number one, somebody who part of the community, but still thinking about, should I participate in these challenges or not? And the other part of the challenge is people who are not yet member of Confidence Storytelling Hub. Maybe they're watching this interview, maybe they'll see this after some time. So what is your message to those who are not yet part of Confidence Storytelling Hub? Would you recommend people to join and participate in these challenges?

First of all, I would like to share like one of my experience too. Like when earlier I started teaching, I was not that confident. I couldn't put that energy into minds of learners. Yeah, that I really wanted to. And after joining these only, the second month is not even complete, and in past 2 weeks have been really amazing where there I am able to create what I wanted, like say 5 years ago. So within 2 months and that 5 years gap I have covered, so I'm feeling confident already. So one thing which has helped me a lot, which I really want other people to understand, that is only one simple step where you have to be— at first it will be a little bit of effort the courage to take that step. And confident storytelling is not about just professionals. It's just about any random person. When you are talking, whether you want to create impact in your life or not, whether you want the other person to hear you, whether you want to be seen, whether you want that one thing which you say be implemented quickly in the life of the other,, or even if not that, at least if the other person is understanding you or not. So if any of the question you want to resonate with, I really want you to join Confidence Storytelling Hub so that you will understand the idea and the real meaning behind it. It will help you eventually to do it because I can see many people even if they are not working, struggles to say their part and make other person understand it. So it just, uh, is just not up to professionals. It's more than that. And the main challenge is people are not realizing it even. They need that breakthrough moment for themselves. So the best part is just showing up.

Yep.

Just is showing up, nothing else. No overthinking, no nervousness, no fear of failures, just being yourself and one step at a time. Just participate in all the challenges Haritosh Srivastav is giving and then you will be wonders. Trust me when I say this, like I have felt that change.

So thank you.

Being in the energy of such a coach can eventually change things. Because the other person feels safe and comfortable to be themselves. That feeling is the one thing which really not everyone can create. Even I am myself a teacher from like, say, 4 to 5 years, but I was struggling with these things, like how to create that change. And many don't even want to try, and they put that blame on the learners that they are like that, they don't want to learn. No, it's not that. We have to keep learning. Second thing is that we have to keep learning in our life. And finally, I will say, don't try to sound like someone else. Yeah, your story, your tone, your pauses— that's your power. Yes, the moment you embrace yourself, your authenticity, confidence flows naturally. So just Begin. See. Learn. Share. That is the most important thing. The moment we share, we get connected to people even we don't think we would be connected with them. Because your voice doesn't become confident by waiting. It becomes confident by being used. So, Thank you so much, Haritosh Srivastav, once again. Thank you so much.

Thank you, guys. That was so powerful. And the only thing that came into my mind while you were sharing all of this is that your story is actually your gift to the world, right? So if you have a beautiful gift, but if you don't give it to anyone, it will lose its value. So I urge everyone to start honoring your story, start honoring your gift. And give it to the world, because the more you give, the more you get. So thank you so much, Vance. You have been a massive action taker in the community, and that's why you have experienced so much of transformation. And yes, it's just like my mentor says, we are just getting started. So you are also just getting started. We have many, many, many milestones to cover. So, so excited to have you in the community. And yes, looking forward to more such interviews in the future as well. So thank you so much. Wishing you all the best.

Thank you so much, Haritosh Srivastav. Without you, it wouldn't have been possible.

Thank you. Appreciate that. So yes, friends, this was Once Jyoti, a teacher who has learned that her story is her gift to her student, to her audience. So if you are somebody who wants to honor your gift of your story, consider joining Confident Storytelling Hub, where we have 160+ members from different cities of India, even different parts of the world, all with one common purpose. And, and the purpose is that we need to be authentic. We need to share our voice. We need to share our gift with the world. So I invite you to be part of it and I'll be back with another such amazing interviews. More than anyone else, I like interviewing them because I get to know their jebi, I get to learn from them. So looking forward to. So stay tuned. And if you have not yet subscribed to the channel, go ahead and subscribe because this is just getting started. Remember, you need to keep learning, keep growing, and most importantly, keep going out of your comfort zone. Story power to you.