interview is a part of Startup Terminal interview series to mark the occasion
of ‘International Women’s Day’
Please tell us more about yourself.
Shikha Sharma: Hailing
from Kashmir, I am a medical doctor by training and completed an MBBS from
Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi. My organization, Dr Shikha’s NutriHealth,
is a platform offering comprehensive health and diet management programmes. It
is a professional and scientific preventive healthcare system. The organization has ayurvedic doctors and
nutritionists who run various programmes for individuals. I have pioneered the
concept of Nutrigenetics which combines modern medicine techniques and the
principles of Ayurveda. As part of my profession, I have advised many
celebrities, hoteliers, and chief ministers of Indian states, one ex-Prime
Minister, among others, on diet and health management. It was with the idea of
helping the masses that I shifted focus from working single handedly to having
a group of intellectuals.
Dr. Shikha Sharma, Founder, Dr. Shikha’s NutriHealth
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Award by FICCI and the Gr8 Indian Women Award. I have also been the recipient
of the Women Achiever Award by the Bharat Nirman Society. One big honor that
came my way was in the form of an award in preventive healthcare, by the former
Union Health Minister of India, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad. I have also had the
privilege of being listed as one of the Top 50 Young Achievers of the Country
by India Today in one of their articles. I am a fellow of the BMW young
leaders, a non-profit foundation run by the German car company, BMW.
booklet on the scientific effects of Bharatanatyam on human health. I started
learning Bharatnatyam at the age of 45 as I saw that this to be a combination
of exercise, meditation and dance. When I started, I was not very good at it.
But, gradually I started noticing changes in my body and felt very energised
and active. I was feeling very positive and my memory also improved. The same
set of problems that would bother me earlier, stopped bothering me now. Thus,
‘Natya-Yog’ has turned out to be a great stress buster for me.
Who is your
biggest influence in life?
Shikha Sharma: Besides my mom, some of the books I read at an early age have influenced
me. Henry Ford’s “Maker of the model T” and Lee Iacocca’s
Autobiography are to name a few gems.
What
challenges do you face in your day to day professional life, if any?
Shikha Sharma: Managing my own self is the biggest challenge because business throws
challenges at you every day – high stress day/ low stress day, etc. So it
becomes hard to stay optimistic, manage emotions, and impart knowledge,
experience and positivity to the team.
Where do you
want to see yourself in next 5 years down the line?
Shikha Sharma: In the next 5 years, I hope to help younger people climb the
professional ladder by sharing experiences, enhancing their skills, etc as per
my capability. Another goal of mine is to be fitter and healthier because, I
want to set an example that health should not suffer because of work. Coming
onto career aspirations, I want to enlist my company as the most trusted brand
in the healthcare space and make name for technology innovation in healthcare
segment.
What is your
message to the readers on ‘International Women’s Day’?
Shikha Sharma: On International Women’s Day, I want to advise women out there to have
more faith in their abilities. They always feel that someone is better than
them and hence they give up on the situation easily, do not let this feeling
get you. Make yourself an asset and invest in your skills. Many women
consider this task a waste of money or keep it on a lower priority.
women because their style of networking, handling situations etc. are different
from men. Women are good at setting up complex networks. They are good in
relationship building, people management so they should invest and improve
these skills further. Moreover, trust yourself in financial decisions because
we are naturally good at getting returns on investments and avoiding risky
endeavours.