- Are you expecting a child and apprehensive about how you
would sustain your career and still raise your child after your child is born?
- Are you struggling to complete your daily tasks and seem to
have a never ending list of ‘to dos’?
- Do you believe you need to slow down and make a career
shift? Are you ready to become an entrepreneur but have no clue how to go about
it? Do you want to get back to work after a long break and are unable to do so?
Meet Namrataa Arora,
founder of Life Beyond Motherhood,
who is a certified coach, and promises to help you from any or all of the situations
above.
After spending over 14 years in various leading MNCs in
India, while specialised in learning and development, Namrataa did very well
for herself. Working with some of the best Fortune 500 companies and holding
coveted roles, after having a child, seemed futile. “Suddenly, I found myself
amidst very uncomfortable questions and I realised it was my urge to spend more
time at home that was driving me to ask these questions. I happened to meet a
Master Certified Coach (MCC) while I was still at work and was fascinated with
the field of coaching. On exploring further, I decided to get certified as a
coach. Coaching is not about telling people what to do and hence is different from
training or mentoring. It is about helping them define their goals and then
working with them to help them accomplish their goals. It is about the client
and how she can reach her potential. Simply put, coaching is about moving from
where you are to where you want to be,” she says.
“Pursuing a coach training certification from International Coach Academy, Australia,
demanded a lot more time than I had estimated so decided to give away my corporate
career. I took the leap of faith and decided to become a coach. After a few
coaching assignments, I realized I was able to relate a more to women,
especially mothers and issues which relate to them as compared to any other
group. I wanted to reach out to mothers and share how I could help them. I had
been through a tough phase in life, trying to juggle between work and
motherhood. For the longest time, I had no time for myself and it was through
coaching that I realized the need to put myself first. It is the ability to
prioritize one’s own needs over one’s responsibilities, which has led me to
where I am today and through Life Beyond
Motherhood, I wanted to do just that,” she adds.
Namrataa loves being an entrepreneur, since she can create
her own little world, the way she wants to. “I do not work when my daughter is
around, unless it is by exception. I have designed my work around my life and
not the other way round. I had a wonderful experience finding this balance for
myself and I it was almost like what a child might feel when she learns to walk
for the first time. Once I had found my balance, I knew I just had to help
others around me find their balance. That’s what I do. I am a Life Balance coach for women,
specifically, for working mothers. The best part of my work is my experience in
corporate, my family values, my love for coaching, have all found their place
in this beautiful blend which I have created in the form of Life Beyond Motherhood. I feel complete
and fulfilled – everyday,” she elaborates.
“I remember one of the instances when a male client asked me
to coach him. As an entrepreneur, I was faced with a typical dilemma - to go
ahead or to deny myself the opportunity. I could easily coach him and earn some
money; instead I decided to collaborate with another coach who was open to
working with men. I was proud of myself for making that decision. It made me
believe I was focused on my niche (that is coaching women) and as a result of
many such choices, I am already establishing myself as an expert in the area of
coaching women and working with various corporates in the area of diversity,”
she remembers.
One of the very special things that happened when Namrataa
started her coaching business was rediscovering her passion for writing. She started
to blog one day and encouraged by the following and the response from her
friends and family, she started to write a column for a newspaper as well.
Today, she writes about twice a week – for her blogs, a guest blog for a parenting
magazine, Parent Edge, a bi-weekly column for SHE, the women’s section in The
Goan and some guest articles interspersed in between. “Just the thought
that I might be able to reach out to so many more people through my writing is
inspiring enough for me,” she explains.
“When I started coaching, I was not even sure if I would be
able to get any work. Today, I am working with leading corporates, coaching
women as a part of the organization’s diversity agenda. I don’t know where I
want to take my business, but I know for sure I am headed in the right
direction. My intention is to establish strategic partnerships and find ways of
maximizing my reach, to help as many women around the globe that I can,” she ends.
