#TCMxTTH - From HR Leadership to Executive Coaching: My Journey of Driving Behavioural Transformation

My journey didn’t begin with coaching.It began with achievement.

Topper in school. Merit list in 12th boards. Economics Honours from a premier institute in Mumbai.Then breaking into the highly competitive MBA space, selected in not one, but two of Mumbai’s top institutes, in a pool dominated by engineers.

Early career? Fast-tracked.The only woman in key roles. International exposure early.By 35, I was a Senior General Manager and CHRO in one of the world’s largest MNC shipping companies, leading cross-border teams, reporting to the CEO, operating at the highest level. The only woman in the Board room.

From the outside, it looked like success.But inside… something felt incomplete.

I realised more titles wouldn’t create meaning and more money wouldn’t create fulfilment.

So I made a decision at the height of it, I walked away. What followed was not clarity… but uncertainty.

I stepped into the world of behavioural science, psychometrics, facilitation and even business development…. an entirely new domain.Trained in the US under leading scientists. Later, across countries in Europe under some of the finest coaches and facilitators. Then came my first real test.

A large global client. A room full of senior professionals.I gave it everything I had.

The result?Average ratings. NPS: 50%.

I had failed I said to my self. The perfectionist in me took over and crowded my mind with negativity. With a lot of support from my mentor who refused to give up on me or let me give up on myself. Then the turning point happened.

Through deep reflection, feedback, and relentless coaching, I realised:I wasn’t there to perform, rather I was there to transform.

I shifted: from instructing to facilitating,  from managing to guiding,  from proving to listening

I stopped working for the room… and started working with it. Suddenly my world exploded

Subsequent sessions got me a straight 5-star feedback and NPS 98%+

But more importantly, I could see real behavioural shifts. Mindsets changing. Leaders evolving.

Over the years, I’ve worked with CEOs, leadership teams, managers, and emerging leaders across industries.

And one insight stood out: Organisations want transformation. But transformation begins with the leader.

The most powerful moments weren’t when leaders instructed change. But when they embodied it.

When they stepped into the room as learners. Dropped their guard. Allowed themselves to be challenged.

That’s where real transformation begins.

Today, as the Founder of HiPower Leadership Tribe, my work is anchored in one belief: Behavioural transformation is not taught. It is experienced, practiced, and embodied.

I’ve seen what happens when leaders move from intention to action. When they create safe spaces to experiment, fail, and grow. When they choose awareness over assumption.

Because in the end.  We judge others by their actions… But ourselves by our intentions.

And leadership begins the moment we close that gap. So the real question I ask is Which way do you want to go?

Curator’s Note

This article captures a powerful evolution from achievement-driven success to purpose-driven transformation. It highlights a key consulting truth—real impact is not created by expertise alone, but by the ability to facilitate behavioural change and lead by embodiment.

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