At StartUp Terminal, we believe our diversity is our strength. Today, on the occasion of International Woman’s Day, we celebrate the achievements of women around the world.
To kick off our celebration, we’ve asked New York-based Ritika Jayaswal, Founder and CEO of Nourish Mantra (Originally from India), few questions on her experience achieving success in the field of entrepreneurship, and what advice she has for women entering the workforce today.
Excerpts:
ST: Please tell us briefly about you.
Ritika: I’m Ritika Jayaswal, Founder and CEO of Nourish Mantra, born and raised in Central India, currently living in New York. Whatever I do, I do with a lot of passion and dedication so while I own a skincare brand, which is very close to my heart, I am also a filmmaker. Our movie Saving Chintu is made on the lives on a queer couple who are wanting to adopt a child. The movie is now running for Oscars which is a big moment for myself and my team.
ST: Who is a woman that inspires you the most and why?
Ritika: Lily singh, an Indian Origin comic, born and raised in Canada. She is a true content creator who stays true to her art form. Through her art, she has tried to spread social messages as and when she can. I think her resilience is impressive, starting from no where to where she is now, she has achieved a lot and has put a lot of hard work in it.
ST: How are you celebrating this year’s International Women’s Day?
Ritika: On this year’s International Women’s day, our brand is recognising women who have marked their presence in their industry. We aim to celebrate woman from all walks of life and wish to communicate their journey and inspiration, that drove them to where they are today.
ST: What is the most important message you want to send out to all the women around the world on this occasion?
Ritika: A lot of times we look for outside validation, so other people thinking or justifying how successful we are or how good we are, how good of a wife or mother we make, but all of those feelings should be internal and we should stop looking for validation outside.
ST: What according to you is ‘women empowerment’?
Ritika: Women Empowerment to me is having the choice and power to take your own decisions.
ST: What would you say are the main challenges facing women at present globally?
Ritika: The main challenge women are facing globally, I believe, is stereotyping, if some women did something incorrectly, then it is stereotyped that the other women would also do it that way. I think, everyone is put in one bucket of being a woman and having certain weaknesses. Even men feel weak at some point but that does not define who they are as people so why should it be that way for women, I wonder.
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