5 Quick Questions with Rasi Gupta
1 April 2021
In anticipation for our upcoming In Conversation with author Yumiko Kadota, the She Leads team sat down with Rasi Gupta, doctor-turned Public Servant and lifestyle blogger to chat about career changes, toxic workplaces, and pursuing her dreams.
Rasi was on track for a successful career as a medical doctor, but after years of workplace discrimination, stressful colleagues, and long hours that tangoed with burnout, Rasi changed her career path. As an avid aesthete, making a switch from pursuing a full-time clinical practice to a desk job was a choice Rasi made in order to better balance her life and passions.
Rasi has found success in her choices because she has experienced reduced stress, fixed work hours, and a comfortable work environment, that have left her with both financial security and enough free time to chase creative projects. One such creative project is Rasi’s lifestyle blog called Wacky Vanilla, where she dabbles in a number of DIY projects related to fashion and interior decoration. “An added bonus”, says Rasi, “has been having the freedom to learn more about social issues and educate myself and others to be more sustainable.”
In our In Conversation on 4 May, Rasi and Yumiko Kadota will cover topics from toxic workplace cultures to how ‘ordinary people’ can go forward to create tangible change in society. For Rasi, leadership comes in all forms, and taking charge of her own life and happiness, and on her own terms, has been the most important step in her leadership journey she has made.
To learn a bit more about Rasi and why she does what she does, we sat down and asked her five quick questions:
Describe yourself in 30 words or less.
Creative soul still exploring what my purpose is, but in the meanwhile, trying to spread kindness and positivity whenever possible.
Tell us about a moment in your life that kick-started your leadership journey.
Realising and accepting that one path chosen by many is not the ONLY path to happiness in life; moving away from being a full-time doctor was the best decision that opened up time and opportunities for me.
What are the questions you’re tired of hearing about gender equality?
– What kind of woman doesn’t want children?
– You know how men are, but women need to be more understanding, so why don’t you adjust?
– Women are emotional and dramatic and since they have to handle housework too, don’t you think they are unable to do their best at their jobs?
– What wage gap?
What is a personal challenge you have had to overcome for your leadership goals?
To be taken seriously as a young woman of colour. Old age and experience do not equate to better skills as a leader, but the system is rigged to believe otherwise. Similarly, women of colour are always outsiders no matter how tolerant the society here may seem most of the time.
Imagine yourself in your 60’s. What leadership advice would your 60-year-old self-give to you right now?
“Even if you feel your anxiety is getting the best of you, go and give it your all and give it a try anyway. You always know when you haven’t given it your all, so muster courage and don’t give up till you have.
And do not back off if anyone tries to gaslight you into thinking you are too demanding, too unreasonable, too ambitious, or too anything; don’t take it from any man or woman, period.”
Watch this space to keep up with Rasi’s leadership journey. If you are interested in attending She Leads In-Conversation with Rasi Gupta and Yumiko Kadota – visit the event page for more information.