Dr. Swati Lodha, Founder – LifeLemonade
A Coach, Corporate Trainer & Author, Dr. Swati belongs to Rajasthan, a traditional & desert province in North West India. Brought up in the city Barmer from where she did her schooling, her dad was a doctor serving in Rajasthan Govt. as a Pathologist. Her journey is an interesting and enriching mix. Starting from tent classrooms in the schools to Harvard classrooms, Swati has trained more than 10,000 young minds through her organization SWASH PD Pvt Ltd in 17 years. Swash started functioning before Swati finished her MBA and the journey so far has been very interesting.
With SWASH, Swati was founder Director of first private management institute of western Rajasthan – Jodhpur Institute of Management which turned into management faculty of Jodhpur National University in 2008 and she worked with them till 2009. Swati is married to poet-actor Shailesh Lodha who plays Taarak Mehta in the famous TV show ‘Tarak Mehta ka ooltah chashmah’ on SAB TV. As he got busy with his assignments in Mumbai, Swati finally moved to Mumbai in 2011.
Swati took a one year break from work and joined Aditya Institute of Management Studies and Research as Director and worked with them till 2015, before venturing to launch Life Lemonade in July 2015 to utilise her training experience.
LIFE LEMONADE is an initiative to help professionals, youth, homemakers and students to keep their life — simple and refreshing like Lemonade. Life Lemonade offers customized Training Programs to Corporate Houses, Social Organizations & Individuals. Using her 18 years of vast experience as a Life Transformation Coach, Author and Academician, Dr. Swati offers executive coaching including Self-Management & Life Transformation Skills to anyone who cares to change for better. Life Lemonade offers creativity and innovation workshops for enterprising youth and start-ups as well.
Dr. Swati has also authored some best sellers including Don’t Raise Your Children, Raise Yourself (Amazon Bestseller); Why Women Are What They Are and Come On! Get Set Go.
Here are some interesting views from Dr. Swati Lodha as shared with team ABT.
What is that one milestone in your life that makes you happy?
Life is a combination of so many milestones which seem the most important when they happen while they become ordinary in retrospect. The biggest milestone right now is my latest book titled “Don’t Raise Your Children, Raise Yourself” turning into No. 1 Amazon International Bestseller.
Who is your role model as a leader?
I am inspired by many leaders from the fields of business, sports, community, service and art. There is no single role model. I respect so many of them like Mr. Ratan Tata, Mr. P. Gopichand, Ms. Sudha Murthy and Mr. J. Krishnamurthy.
Which has been your most challenging assignment so far?
I have been active in formation of various B-schools. It is very challenging to be at the helm of affairs when an institute starts from scratch. I have been instrumental in making two B-schools run successfully, one in Rajasthan and another in Mumbai. I enjoy the process of nurturing a new venture like a baby and then move to the background when it reaches the auto mode of growth.
How would you describe your leadership style?
My leadership style is authentic. I believe in self-awareness, motivation, teamwork and empathy to build an organisation as well as relationships for lifetime. I value people more than processes.
Do you feel being a woman entrepreneur is an advantage?
Being an entrepreneur is an advantage irrespective of the gender. Being in the role of an influencer and decision maker leads to fulfilment and satisfaction which is difficult to get in a job.
If you could do one thing differently, what would that be?
I would have scaled up my first venture but the business environment five years ago was not conducive to the idea. I wish to revive SWASH in an online avatar now.
What advice would you like to give to your younger self?
I would advise myself to be a little detached from my work as I get too involved into whatever I take up. I am learning to be more objective and dispassionate to some extent.
What would you like to achieve in the next 5 years?
There are many dreams that I wish to realise because I am an author, entrepreneur and an academician. I wish to dabble into fiction writing in next few years apart from finishing two “work under progress” manuscripts right now. I wish to expand the gamut of my training workshops under “Life Lemonade”. I am working on initiating a mental wellness program which could help distressed individuals to come out of their helplessness and give them immediate support.