When pursuit for peace takes over!

Hello! 👋

Welcome to the third edition of She Got You!, a newsletter in which I share my conversations with women who create, make a difference, and are building the workplaces of the future.

Today's conversation is with Mohana Talapatra, an executive coach and a sustainability and ESG consultant with over 20 years of experience. I first met Mohana at The Himalayan Writing Retreat in 2017. Although I was the youngest writer in a group of highly accomplished professionals and seasoned writers, Mohana never made me feel like I was any less. Perhaps she was one of the reasons why I felt less anxious after reaching the retreat! 

Over the years, Mohana and I have often shared our opinions on books, shopping, and life on Instagram. She is one of the kindest people I know, but she is also firm, respects boundaries, and shares thought-provoking opinions that I enjoy reading and listening to. 

I'm so glad she agreed to chat with me, and here's why she's got you! 👇

Sunaina: Please tell me about yourself and what you do.

Mohana: The part of me that is out there in the world is I am a left-brained banker turned management consultant turned sustainability evangelist turned executive coach and mentor. Having made big money for giant corporations all my life, now, as a coach, I want to make a real dent in the world by positively impacting the lives of people who are just like me — busily navigating their careers, families, finances, and the hot beautiful mess of it all. 

The part of me that is more private would say I am essentially a creator and curator of beauty — of words, images and all that grows around me. I crave a just, kind, beautiful and simple world. And tranquil, above all. I find words magical and how one can enter absolutely strange and ever-new worlds through words and temporarily make a home in them. That’s why I am also a stealth-poet!

Sunaina: You've had such a fabulous and illustrious career. What made you switch from a demanding, fast-paced work culture to a slow-paced one?

Mohana: For one, it was too fast-paced and demanding! I had worked for 23 years straight out. Burnout had started to set in, and you get to that stage and age in life when you begin to look for personal fulfilment and societal impact over professional achievements. The pursuit of peace takes over, and you realise that workaholism is basically a form of success addiction, not expansion addiction. 

I am now totally focused on "expansion" addiction, where I grow spherically — in all directions, all at once; into things which are meaningful to me whilst simultaneously being impactful for society at large. And what better way to find meaning in one's life than to know that one could shift others' lives into high-growth trajectories of fulfilment, happiness and success — hence coaching. In parallel, I have also started conversing with social sector entities that work hard to effect transformative change around the key SDG themes of equity and diversity. 

So, transformation, planet and people. That's my focus now!

Sunaina: You do diverse things. How do you maintain a balance between all that you do?

Mohana: I am organised and disciplined, which helps. But balance, to me, is mostly about feeding intellect on one hand and interest and passion on the other; it is about harnessing both your left and right brain equally. And if purpose meets love, the concept of time and balance somehow fades into grey, doesn’t it? So, I focus on the external world activities over the weekdays (on coaching, sustainability work, etc.), and on weekends, I furiously swivel around to putting words on paper (still diligently working through the book of poems and being too self-critical!) and dipping paintbrushes into watercolours. 

Also, I am a massive recluse, which helps with time and balance. I have a very dear friend from whom I would like to borrow the coinage of “People-vegan” — I don’t do “meet” much if I can help it. I have regularly started saying no more emphatically to people and things than ever before — replacing FOMO with FOGO (Fear of Going Out).

Sunaina: Has your gender ever been a disadvantage at work? If yes, can you share an incident and how you dealt with it?

Mohana: I wouldn't say it has been a disadvantage in a pronounced way. But like all other women leaders, I have not always received credit for what was due to me, or where I was subtly sidelined from prestige projects (as soon as they turned "high-value prestige" projects), even though I was the one to have landed those projects in the first place, based on my sales proficiency and/or domain-expertise. 

My sense of agency is quite strong, and my fear of being ostracised is very low! I have ALWAYS, ALWAYS spoken out about gender inequities at work. While that hurt my career several times, it altered people’s behaviours and improved the culture of women who came after me, and that is my consolation prize.

Sunaina: What's your number one priority in life today?

Mohana: Living a purposeful, meaningful, intentional life where I can bring my bouquet of skills to create a positive societal impact is my number one priority today. And for that, I consciously seek out people, cultures, and communities who embody integrity of character and purpose. I need people to walk their talk — say what they mean and mean what they say — just as I do. And not just lip-sync their way through life. So, I prioritise peaceful, harmonious and joyful co-existence with all sentient beings. I intend to keep walking away from toxicity and keeping non-sentient beings at bay.

Sunaina: Can you recommend a book every woman should read?

Sunaina: Sometimes it's true that we shouldn't know our role models all too well. Have you ever experienced your role model passing chauvinistic comments? Can you reflect on it?

Mohana: This is such an interesting question, Sunaina! And it makes me think really hard. Interestingly, I haven't experienced this because just as I choose my inner circle and friends with a lot of care and deliberate discretion, I am equally careful who I elevate to the status of a "role model", after having interacted with them and observed them over a long period. So, my role models have, thankfully, stood the test of time and character!

Sunaina: It's 2024, and workplaces are still not inclusive. Do you think they'll ever be inclusive? 

Mohana: They may be; they may not be — at least, I do not foresee it in my working lifetime. Like all else in life, this is a game of chance and deliberate action. Only policies on paper won't cut it; we will need both men and women to champion the change and act as stewards of a new, inclusive world. You might think we need the men to come around, but let me tell you, most often, we also need the women to come around. The women who do make it to the top are careful and protective about securing their own currency (the "Queen Bee" syndrome). So, the onus of an inclusive world rests on all of us playing our part and collaborating, not competing against each other.

Did you find this conversation insightful? I recommend following Mohana on LinkedIn and Instagram. I’ll be back with another conversation soon.