Ep : 215 - Be The Obvious Choice: Purposeful Brand Strategy & Conscious Leadership with Aarti Parmar

Show Notes

What truly makes a brand powerful?

What does your personal brand say about you?

Are you living in alignment with who you really are?

How can you align your personal mission with your business?

In this episode of the Fearlessly Curious Podcast, our special guest is Aarti Parmar, a brand strategist and qualified coach from the UK who shares her journey from a graphic designer to a brand strategist, highlighting the significance of defining and clarifying one's purpose, mission, vision, and values.

She emphasises the importance of authenticity, emotional connections, and the mindful practices that contribute to a thriving brand.

Aarti also shares a deeply personal story of adversity and resilience, making this episode a testament to the power of authenticity and mindful brand strategy.

Aarti guides growth-stage business owners in aligning and activating possibilities, specialising in working with aspiring legacy leaders & visionaries who feel a deep calling to create meaningful impact.

If this episode taught me anything, it’s that there’s nothing more empowering than a woman who knows where she’s headed because she’s in tune with her core.

Connect with Aarti :

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aartiparmar

Website: https://www.aartiparmar.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aarti.parmar

Highlights from this episode:

00:00 Introduction

01:27 Understanding Personal Branding

02:07 The Emotional Connection to Brands

05:09 Building a Brand Identity

09:46 Aarti's Business Evolution

15:43 The Importance of Purpose and Mission in Business

24:11 Steps to Clarify and Create Your Brand

33:42 The Importance of Brand Strategy

39:26 Building Confidence and Self-Trust

43:30 Personal Adversity & Disrupting Stereotypes in Branding

54:06 The Power of Collaboration

57:08 Final Thoughts and Reflections

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About Me:

I help you lead with fearless authenticity by smashing the self-imposed heteronormative stereotypes that keep you playing small through emotional healing inner child and inherited intergenerational trauma. Create a purposeful life of your unique design by disrupting societal norms and expectations of who you should be. Explore mindfulness, fearless curiosity and loving kindness through the lens of Human Design to thrive as the person you are born to be.

Learn more about my coaching method and join my emotional healing, mindfulness, and music community at melissaindot.com.

TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:01] Melissa: It's official and welcome to another episode of the Fearlessly Curious Podcast. Today, Zooming in from the UK, I have none other than Aarti Parmar. Aarti, thank you for joining us today. thank you for having me. What's the weather like over in the UK? I've got to ask the question because when it's anything to do with Britain we have to ask questions about weather.

[00:00:20] Aarti Parmar: Yeah, no it's, right now it's cold, it's splitting at the moment tiny bit of sun ray coming in yeah, typical, 

[00:00:27] Melissa: yeah. It's typical British weather. That's it. So you're used to it then. Just a normal day. Yeah. I'm super grateful that you said yes to be on the Fearlessly Curious podcast.

[00:00:36] I mean that the whole point, purpose of this podcast is to ask questions, to learn more about what your purpose and mission is in life. Why you're doing what you're doing, like what your biggest inspiration is. Because. There's no greater purpose that we have in life than to share what our gifts are and to help each other in this life.

[00:00:56] We work so much better as a community. So thank you for saying [00:01:00] yes. And so that I don't mess things up, Aarti, could we start with me asking you very small question, what's your purpose? 

[00:01:08] Aarti Parmar: Oh, the smallest question that everyone's just figuring out that, that question. Yeah. That one.

[00:01:12] My purpose is 

[00:01:13] to help other people find their purpose. Short and sweet and succinct. There we go. To purposefully impact. That's my purpose in a very short, succinct way when we can elaborate more on that. 

[00:01:26] Melissa: Yeah, sure. People are talking more and more in the business world right now and online about the Building a personal brand.

[00:01:37] Okay. Now I know brands as being products that I buy, Nike, Adidas Lululemon, Mac those are just a handful of the brands that I buy. Why do we, I know I buy a brand because I like the styling. I like the colors. I like the fit. But I also know that's what I, that's what I think [00:02:00] is the reason why I buy into a brand.

[00:02:03] Why do people really buy brand, buy into brands, Aarti? 

[00:02:06] Aarti Parmar: Oh, that's such a great question. And I love it. It's actually everything to do that make what it makes them feel. And that's probably one of the key things, because if any of these brands that you just mentioned didn't make you feel anything, there is no chance you would have parted with your money.

[00:02:24] To buy what it is that you bought for yourself. So actually, let me just, I'm going to reverse the question in the sense of when you buy Nike, something from Nike, what is it that it's, let's go beyond the actual product. What did it make you feel? Who did it, what was the sort of.

[00:02:40] association or emotion that you connected with yourself by purchasing Nike or any of the other brands that you mentioned? 

[00:02:48] Melissa: Yeah. I love that. 

[00:02:48] Aarti Parmar: I love this play. 

[00:02:49] Melissa: Action, like I am taking action on making something happen and really it revolves around what I feel to be one of the most genius taglines, [00:03:00] just do it.

[00:03:01] That's what it does. It makes me feel like I am taking a step towards achieving a goal. Yeah. And that goal is about being better, feeling fitter, feeling good about my body, moving my body. Yeah, that's it. 

[00:03:15] Aarti Parmar: I love that. And that, that, that's, it's, that's how it genuinely makes you feel.

[00:03:21] And this is the power of a brand. And in fact, I've got a little Nike story. I've been wearing Nike trainers since I was like, I don't know, since I was a kid. And then it's only in the last I've come across another brand and I've seen the instructors where I go and do my boxing classes and hip classes and stuff wearing another brand.

[00:03:40] And I was just like, Oh, they're wearing it and they're wearing it. And, it started to come more and more in my radar. And I'm like, The fact that these guys, and they're, they seem really comfortable. I actually felt I do actually want to try that brand out, but I've been so loyal to Nike.

[00:03:55] I actually felt like I was betraying Nike, right? And this is that, what [00:04:00] brand can actually do. You start, it creates this kind of association and connection with it that emotively You start, you feel part of it, it starts creating a little bit of part of your own identity.

[00:04:15] Just I do it, when I close to the, when I'm doing my classes and I got my, big sign there, just do it. It makes me feel amazing that, when, even like when I'm just seeing when I'm like, yeah. Subliminally, it is in my mind of just do it. Yes, you can do it.

[00:04:31] That kind of thing. The excuses turns into, who are you being and what are you going to be? What are you just going to do? So in terms of coming back to that, yeah, this is the power of a brand. And I always like to say a brand is a combination of created perceptions and it is those perceptions That form beliefs, create associations and emotional connections to your brand.

[00:04:57] There are many definitions out there about what is a brand and [00:05:00] all of those kind of things. And when I say that also comes on the back of Jeff Bezos's, very famous saying your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room. But as business owners, brand owners, we have to think about, and this is already what the big brands are doing, and it applies to even one person businesses and any thing in between, we now have to get really, think about actually, what perceptions am I creating about my brand?

[00:05:30] So when other people do walk out the room, they are saying what it is that I would like them to be saying. They are feeling what I would like them to be feeling. What associations are we creating to make those connections? So how do we do that? Oh, we need to get clarity first. We need to understand and, get, then get really intentional.

[00:05:50] We need to understand first and foremost as business owners, we are people who are representing our business. There's the. business aspect and the whole point of a [00:06:00] business is that it sells products and services, correct? That's the whole transactional thing.

[00:06:05] That's the, that's one of the roles of the key role of a business that it sells products and services. Now we need to also think about there's loads of other people that might be selling products and services as well. And then there's, Different people to appeal to, all of that kind of thing.

[00:06:20] Now we also need to think about, that's the business, sell products and services. Now we need to think about actually, what's the identity of my business? How am I going to attract people to me? My products, services. That's where the brand piece comes in, because your brand is the identity for your business.

[00:06:40] Melissa: Okay. So it's what sets me apart from other people who are selling, offering similar, or maybe even the same, essentially at some level, the same, like it's shoes, or in my case, I'll just say a form of life coaching, or even in your case, as someone who is a brand [00:07:00] strategist, what sets you and me apart from our contemporaries?

[00:07:04] Aarti Parmar: Exactly that, because, we've got, we're in, some of us are in very saturated markets and it's just they are doing similar things. You've got accountants at the end of the day. It's very you know what you're going to get, what kind of products and services that you're going to get with an accountant and they'll all be delivering probably more or less the same things.

[00:07:21] But now we've got to think about in how are they delivering it? What's that brand experience? Who are they delivering it for? So this is where you can then have start getting, having a bit more fun with it and getting more aligned to what feels right and in tune with you because you are not for everyone and everyone isn't for you.

[00:07:40] And I see a lot of business owners making that mistake of just trying to be so generic. Then it just gets very vanilla, the messaging gets very vanilla and then they just get lost and blend in With everything, with everyone else. And it's just what does that person even do? That kind of thing.

[00:07:58] And then this is where business owners [00:08:00] then start feeling like, Oh, I'm just going around in circles. I'm hitting brick walls. I'm throwing spaghetti at the wall, that kind of thing. And that's because there is, when you have a business, you absolutely must understand. Who are you as a brand?

[00:08:17] Because that's going to help other people understand who you are. And if you are not clear with that, I always like to say, if a brand isn't clear on the inside, it's not going to be clear on the outside. So who do you want to be positioned to? What kind of, who is that audience? Is it a certain, is it a certain age range?

[00:08:34] Is it a certain mindset? Is it a certain location? Is it a certain like a luxury premium? Is it cheerful? There's many different ways to look at positioning. That's just, a short way, a small way of just giving an example in that sense. And then, looking at the audience profiles, because you really do not need to be everything to everyone.

[00:08:55] And you can't 

[00:08:56] Melissa: really, can you? 

[00:08:57] Aarti Parmar: Yeah, I've, I know this because I've been there [00:09:00] myself, initially when I first started out in my business as a graphic designer and I was just like, literally I do logos and, business cards and blah, blah, blah.

[00:09:08] And I can do it for everyone, everything duh, kind of thing. But it's only when, as my journey went on and I qualified as a personal performance coach. And then in that same time, I was also starting to do some brand courses and then eventually became certified as a brand certified brand strategist, having my own epiphany moments of actually there's many more layers before you even get to logo, website, marketing, and social media and all of those kinds of things.

[00:09:34] And that comes back to, who am I as a brand? What is my purpose, mission, vision, values, all of those different things. What is it that Coming back to what really does set me apart and that is coming back to our own journey. 

[00:09:47] Melissa: Okay. Speaking of our own journey then, you mentioned that you started as a graphic designer.

[00:09:53] So how did you end up where you are today? If you started your journey, just making logos and websites for anybody and [00:10:00] everybody. What were the, what were, and I'm sure there were many pivotal moments, but since we're jamming today, can you take us on that journey and share a little bit of those light bulb moments that you've had?

[00:10:11] Caused you to shift the trajectory of your life? 

[00:10:16] Aarti Parmar: Yeah. Sure. Sure. I'm just wondering how further back do I go? I'll start off firstly with how my business probably got started here in, in UK.

[00:10:26] I lived in Malaysia for 10 years. Yeah. Yeah, that, that was something we definitely had in common when we were speaking and, just exchanging stuff around that. When I moved back from Malaysia, I stepped into my father's business. What I realized that in his business actually first before, when I came back from Malaysia, I realized that I had no network.

[00:10:49] I didn't know anyone apart from my friends and cousins, and I knew no one in the business world. When I was in Malaysia one of the things that I learned and found really valuable was the power of networking. [00:11:00] So when I came back from Malaysia, now this was about 12 years ago I thought, actually, nobody knows me.

[00:11:06] I know no one. Let me come into my father's business. He had a TV, Bang Olufsen TV audio store. Running it for 30 plus years. And great because, it was very much word of mouth. That kind of, traditional. Old school. Yeah, old school and stuff. But we were also stepping into this era of, Social media, networking and that kind of thing.

[00:11:24] And I thought, actually, what I need to do is build up my network, great platform to, use it as a stepping stone, because one, him and the team can run the business. I can then just do this part and help with the footfall and visibility and all of that side of it. So did all of that and it was great.

[00:11:40] And then. We rebranded the shop and then one year later, we got taken over by a bigger TV audio company, which left me at a crossroad because one, I didn't want to run a TV audio business. I enjoyed the brand marketing and that side of things. And we had, some great successes. And again, this was understanding the power of [00:12:00] building meaningful relationships.

[00:12:02] So now I'm at this crossroad, wanted to work in a London, really wanted to work in a London agency. applied for loads of jobs and I just kept getting rejected. You don't have London agency experience, the, that was the key, main key thing. But I also at one point in an interview, I actually, no, it's with an agent, I started to, hear the conversation that was going on with the person who was speaking to me, and she was just like, you'll be doing this, and this would be a particular kind of role and this is the kind of things you'd have to do.

[00:12:32] And I remember zoning out of that conversation a little bit and thinking, Aarti, do you really want to be pigeonholed? into a, day in, day out. This isn't just one, one or two days doing the same thing when I have had all of this different freedom, flexibility, creativity that I could play around with before that.

[00:12:51] And I just made a decision and I was just like, you know what? Actually, I don't think I want to, go into that. I'm going to start my own business. So it was an element of [00:13:00] rejection that actually me starting my own business. And then that's how I then started off as a graphic designer first, and then coming across coaching accidentally.

[00:13:11] And it was one of those epiphany moments of Oh my goodness, people don't need logos and websites What they really need is that internal understanding and clarity and alignment, because how are they meant to represent their brand and their business if they don't know what it is? And it's much more than, a logo and color palette.

[00:13:30] Melissa: It's not what or what you do, but who you are and what you bring. I say what you bring, because then I could, what you bring isn't, is also a product and a service, but. I guess it goes back to the, who you are. 

[00:13:43] Aarti Parmar: Yeah. Yeah. I always like to say a personal brand is the stamp of value. That you bring to others.

[00:13:51] There's a misconception sometimes about personal brand. It's about exploiting all your private life. No, it really isn't. It really isn't. It's about [00:14:00] understanding the stamp of value that you bring to others. Because when you really think about what is a personal brand actually made up of, it's your own values.

[00:14:11] experiences, your personality, your expertise, your knowledge. When you combine all of these things together, along with your own ethos, and now this comes back to, your purpose, mission, vision, and all of those kinds of things. 

[00:14:24] Okay. Now 

[00:14:24] you're setting yourself apart because there's something else that's fueling you.

[00:14:29] And when you understand what that thing is, that's really fueling you. That's where that energy comes in, and this is another thing that then sets you apart from others. You may go into rooms and stuff, and you will notice it when you go into networking rooms. There'll be the people that are like, Hi, this is what I do, and they are so damn bored about even saying it, and, don't go to my website, it's really rubbish, and I don't, and they're slouching over and you're just like, and then you'll go in and then there'll be some [00:15:00] people who are talking with so much passion and conviction and, that you can, they love what they do. And genuinely, you can feel the energy, a brand is an energy.

[00:15:09] It is felt and it is experienced. And that for me is again, what something that sets people and businesses apart because they really have got to their core brand identity. And with that comes magnetism. 

[00:15:22] Melissa: It's like you talking about this right now, you are so alive and on fire. So what, so I'm going to go back to, to, to the why.

[00:15:30] Why, what is it exactly or combination of things that, that has driven you and continues to motivate you to help other people find the why behind their business? 

[00:15:44] Aarti Parmar: Yeah, no it's, it is a combination of different things. Personal things that I've also gone through in life, ultimately it is about helping people to recognize their worth and own their value.

[00:15:55] I've been through situations and stuff where I've been bullied at school and stuff like that. [00:16:00] And you know what that does, it strips away things from you. And then I've had multiple other Situations and circumstances, again, where it starts to question, your own identity and worth and all of those kind of things.

[00:16:15] And it's only when, through different times in my life and different people that I have met, that has helped me to understand this and get more mindful with it. And I'll come back to the whole mindful piece and where this has actually come from. Only when I started understanding this more for myself, was it a game changer, really delving into actually what's really driving me and then see the results of that and the outcomes and what it's doing for my clients.

[00:16:46] That's the thing where people are taking more ownership and turning up some of those adversities. In fact, every single majority of the clients I've worked with have had Some sort of adversity, some major, some not [00:17:00] but that's really something that then has fueled everything else that comes in.

[00:17:04] So for me, it is very much about educating and activating business owners to mindfully define their brand and use it with intent, joy, and effect. And I say, and I also like to call them, my clients like aspiring legacy leaders. Simply because, they do have a bit of a calling in this life of actually, there's more to me than just selling a product and service.

[00:17:28] That with the journey that they've gone through, they can bring a lot more to the table, but they just don't know how to create this identity around it. They've got great products and services and all of those kinds of things, but it's now about getting really mindful, intentional. So coming back to where did this kind of Earlier question, journey, and what's driving this.

[00:17:50] So when I was in Malaysia I met my spiritual mentor, my late spiritual mentor, who's now passed away. And this was in my 20s, and his [00:18:00] mentors were monks that would come from Tibet and Thailand and stuff, that was my first taste of mindfulness and meditation, so yeah, I was very fortunate to be exposed to that, to the teachings and the learnings from them, which now is something that I bring into what I'm doing now, and getting, helping people become more mindful.

[00:18:22] more conscious and mindful about when they're building their business and brand and helping them to understand actually why are we really doing this because this isn't just about the money because you know there's and if that's if you're if somebody's a business owner it's only about money that's fine that's for them you know in that sense i work with people like i say who also want to Create a meaningful lasting impact.

[00:18:45] And yes, that is purpose and profit as well, because you can't just be in business and not make money. That's not a business, right? Yeah. So it is, these different elements and teachings that I've got, I now bring that into. what I can see for people, bringing out their greatness.[00:19:00] 

[00:19:00] Because, sometimes it's that whole thing. We're sitting inside the jar. We don't see the label outside of the jar. 

[00:19:05] Melissa: Sounds similar. I need to book a few sessions with you.

[00:19:08] But really what it does sound like is that you are more than What your outside title says, Brad, I see here on the screen, brand strategist and coach. It sounds to me like you also help people, guide people to in a way, unpack who they are, their experiences, what makes them who they are. And what under what the undertone is behind that's driving them.

[00:19:35] On whatever their mission is, a lot of people do what they do because it feels good. I'm one of them. I'll self confess and say that, based on everything I went through in my life, I was like, I just want to be the person I, with fairy lights, I want to be the person I needed when I was going through my toughest times.

[00:19:50] And I now know what I went through in my toughest times and I have all the tools. So I want to give that to people so they don't have to go through what I did in the same way. And that's not [00:20:00] avoiding pain or conflict because. We're not here, and we just mentioned this earlier, we're not here to exist. If we were here just to exist, we wouldn't feel anything.

[00:20:09] We're here to live and in order to live, we need to experience. So it sounds to me like you really guide people and create that safety for people to self explore and harvest that magic, that wisdom that on maybe on an unconscious level is actually what's driving them towards their purpose already.

[00:20:28] But finding the language. 

[00:20:29] Aarti Parmar: Exactly that because it's already within them. It's just that we are not equipped. Even myself, I work with others. To help bring this out because we are not equipped to be able to do this just for ourselves in a very powerful way, nor will any checklist and template on LinkedIn do it for you.

[00:20:49] Do you know what I mean? It is about having deeper conversations, quality questions, powerful quality questions that really digs [00:21:00] into these things and gets to. Layers that you may not even realize. And, I've got to admit it. I've had my clients in my sessions feel really uncomfortable and challenged and, and I can see it because I know when they're answering from their head.

[00:21:21] And they're like, yeah, it's this and this and I can also tell when they're bringing in things into the conversation that they've heard before, they've read before, that kind of thing. It's very much coming from their headspace and, I'll be like, look we need to take a moment because the, these feel like they're not even your words.

[00:21:36] They're, it's, you've seen them, you grasp them from somewhere else. When I've taken them then more into their heart space. Oof, the things that they are now even coming out with, and again, layered with these questions and intuitive conversations. Some of the things that they say, Melissa, sometimes they feel like they're just, it's throw away comments and, they're [00:22:00] just saying it and I'm like, that's the thing.

[00:22:03] That's your USP or one of, that kind of thing. That's what we need to be hanging out. That's what you need to be hanging your hat on. For someone. But then I can share, for that particular client I'm thinking of right now, as I'm sharing this, she was like, but that's just the kind of thing I do every day.

[00:22:19] And it's really easy for you, but the people who want to work with you and want to have. Pacific transformational outcomes, they cannot do it without this piece of you, or the one that brings it and does it so well that, again, this is all through my framework that we unpack and unravel and explore this, and when we actually, and I love this moment because when we get to.

[00:22:44] This moment of Oh, that's my purpose. And then, and it's landing and penny drops. We may not get the, the full purpose statement in that moment, but the essence around it, and you can just see something just, it's almost like your [00:23:00] background. It's it's Oh, I've arrived.

[00:23:02] I know why I am really doing what I'm doing and how it can help on a bigger scale. This isn't about the products and services. This is about. My business becoming my mission. And having a heart centered approach that actually feels so aligned that when I'm writing content, when I'm putting offers and stuff together, it feels good.

[00:23:24] It doesn't come from a place of dread and Oh, I've got to do content. I really don't. This is your way of being able to serve and get people to get to know you. And, so I've had people are like, Oh, I don't, I hate doing social media. And I did it. And then going through my process, they're like, I love being on social media.

[00:23:42] I use your brand narrative guide every day and I take inspiration from it. And now I'm going to launch my podcast. I'm going to deliver a TEDx talk. And that transformation I see in them because they've now taken absolute alignment. They've got alignment and ownership. Of who they are, what they're [00:24:00] doing, why they're doing what they're doing, who they're here to serve, what's their positioning.

[00:24:04] So now getting into back into those practical things, positioning, USP, all of those kinds of things, but now bringing it all together under one brand narrative. 

[00:24:12] Melissa: Is there, can you give us a little bit of an insight into your framework, even if it's, like what the chapters are, what the modules are for want of a better word, or.

[00:24:22] Like an overview of the steps so that our viewers can get more of a feel of the journey. Yeah, I'll 

[00:24:29] Aarti Parmar: give you the sort of overall step one, two, and three, because step three is where a lot of business owners. start from or they're so excited to get to and I get the excitement because we all want to make money.

[00:24:41] We want to make sales. We want to make impact. We want to be, influential in some way in other people's lives and stuff like that. So they feel like step three is the place to be. Actually it's not in step three is actually communicate, promote and grow, but to have more of an effect. You need to start at step [00:25:00] one, which is clarify, and that is discover and define.

[00:25:05] So in the clarify section of step one it's, really getting clear on what are my brand fundamentals? What's my ethos? What's my personality, the essence behind the brand? Who am I here to serve? Because once you've got that, All of this understanding what are my values, purpose, mission, vision, all of these kinds of things.

[00:25:26] And, we hear it all the time, don't we? Your business needs to have a vision, your business needs to, mission and all of that kind of thing. And it's a very, again, easy statement to make, but a lot of people don't know how to actually get. To purpose, mission, vision in a way that feels heart aligned and also business related, in, in that sense.

[00:25:46] I'm just going to actually share some things that I've heard before. And I know, and it's like hand on my face Oh, don't do that. Because I 

[00:25:53] Melissa: was going to ask, what are your, what, how do you define purpose, vision, and mission? Cause I know people can go and Google it.

[00:25:58] This is how 

[00:25:59] Aarti Parmar: I don't [00:26:00] do it. Let me go with that first. Okay. So I've been, in, in delivering my brand maximizer with a team and the CEO as we, as always taking him through this process. So I've got certain questions that I'd be taking them through step by step. So then we can one, set the table.

[00:26:22] set the scene in that sense to dig deeper, but not go straight to here. That there is a process that I take people through. Otherwise it can feel a bit like, I don't know what it is. It's overwhelming, to get to each of those steps. So when I did this for him he just, he had tears in his eyes and he was just like, I'll do, I've just realized how incorrectly I've been running my business for 13 years, how incorrectly I've been doing things and where I've been coming from all this time.

[00:26:53] He goes, just to give you an example, I hired some fractional people, [00:27:00] different, different positions. And we had a meeting about vision and mission and stuff. And basically they came up for it for me in about two minutes. Wow. And he goes, having now gone through this, exercise process, and there's mindful practices that I bring into what I do that helps people to really embed and embody what it is that they believe in, where these, beliefs are coming from and all of those kind of things.

[00:27:27] He's just I've been hiring the wrong people. And I thought I was, and I was blaming it on my team, why things aren't working out. And that he's I wasn't leading them. I didn't have a true heart aligned vision that I even believed in, and a purpose and a mission. And I was expecting it for it to come from outside.

[00:27:45] Melissa: They were expecting somebody else to give it to him. Yeah. Give it to him. 

[00:27:50] Aarti Parmar: Yeah. And it's not, nobody can give you a heart aligned, centered vision and purpose and mission. It's got to come from within you. [00:28:00] Yes, we can then work on what that looks like in wording and a succinct narrative, but it, it's really, cause that's the thing that's going to fuel you.

[00:28:07] That's the thing that people are going to truly coming back to feel. 

[00:28:11] Another example is somebody who's like talking about his new business and he's like I've got a and we start talking about purpose because yeah I've got mine and he pulled it up and I was just like Sorry I've got to, I've got to swear, I was like, this is bullshit.

[00:28:25] I called him out on his bullshit and that, that's the other thing. I will be, I will call things out because I can, I can just tell. 

[00:28:30] You can 

[00:28:31] smell it. Yeah. From a mile off, right? I was like, you've got this from chat GPT. Oh. He looked at me stunned and he was just like, how do you know?

[00:28:39] I was like, everything you've just told me and the energy behind it. These words don't have it. 

[00:28:44] It really doesn't. This is. 

[00:28:46] It's not aligned, it feels just mediocre, there's no energy behind it, there's no authenticity behind it and genuinity from what I'm just hearing from your mouth right now and I could see his body language and again, the energy behind [00:29:00] it.

[00:29:01] And he was just like, yeah, you're right. I got, I just typed it in, I typed a few things in and that's what it gave me. I was like, yeah, you and the other hundred thousand business owners who Wipe things in, and then you wonder like, why are people not buying into my vision? Why am I not attracting my aligned audiences?

[00:29:17] Why am I not the obvious choice? It's because there isn't a truth behind this.

[00:29:24] Melissa: So anyone who takes, brings you on board Aarti isn't just getting a brand strategist and coach. I'll be on a journey with me, put it that way. And it's a personal, it's a very personal journey. And I think I knew this when I first got to know you because people talk about life and work or personal and work, and really for me, at least, and this could make for an interesting conversation. The magic happens when we don't draw the line between the two. Would you agree? 

[00:29:54] Aarti Parmar: I do. I do. And that's simply, I think I feel like my business is, it's a mission. I [00:30:00] don't, I can't, even if I try to separate it, I just can't, and because I love what I do.

[00:30:06] I love helping and guiding people. business owners to give them this awareness so they can have this alignment and then activate and make the difference that they are here to make in other people's lives and businesses and stuff like that. And, Imagine if all of us were doing this as business owners, the kind of world we'd be living in.

[00:30:25] Melissa: Yeah. 

[00:30:26] Aarti Parmar: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, 

[00:30:26] Melissa: sorry. Go 

[00:30:27] Aarti Parmar: ahead, go ahead. I was just 

[00:30:29] Melissa: going to say, I'm just conscious 

[00:30:30] Aarti Parmar: I've said step one, I'll move into step two, shall I? Yes, please, yeah. So that's step one, clarify, discover, and define. So really getting clear on those fundamentals I mentioned, purpose, mission, vision, values understanding who your audience is, positioning, all of those things.

[00:30:45] different thing, your tone and voice, because that will also help to pull this together in your own sort of essence and personality. The next step is step two, which is create. So now this is design and develop. So many [00:31:00] business owners go straight to, oh yeah, and I've had these calls before, and they'll be like stressing, I don't have a logo and I'm really stressing about my color palette.

[00:31:07] I'm like, that's not the thing you need to be stressing about at all. And it shouldn't be stressing, if you're doing this and you're doing it with love and passion and stuff, it's not about stress, enjoy the process, enjoy building and curating a brand that's going to make a difference in other people's lives and for yourself.

[00:31:23] And it's exciting. So anyway, People really, are like, oh, that. So step two actually allows us to help to design and develop a visual identity system, the logo, the color palettes, the fonts, and all of that actually leans into what the brand represents, its energy, its personality. So if it is bold and energetic, Then, so will the visual identity be that.

[00:31:48] And I always like to say it is a brand that gives a logo meaning, not a logo that gives a brand meaning. 

[00:31:54] Melissa: Yeah. And a lot of the focus is misplaced in that sense, people are. 

[00:31:58] Aarti Parmar: Yeah. And a simple [00:32:00] example of that is Google, right? If we didn't know anything about Google. That logo name means nothing to us, it's everything that they've associated, same with Apple, same with Nike.

[00:32:11] Words 

[00:32:11] actually mean, they could be meaning other things, so that's one of the things, it then starts helping with the visual identity system. It then also starts to inform how you will then start creating your products and services. So if you've got service, for example, you've got a membership group or a program or, One to one high ticket offer.

[00:32:30] Now you know who you want to speak to and what they are going through. And because you've understood the psychographics behind the audience profiling and the customer journey and all of these kind of things, it then helps us to really actually curate something that's really needed. Because sometimes, and I've done this before, just guessing games and, alright, I'm going to put that out, I'm going to put that out.

[00:32:50] And it's okay, let's do this. It's because we haven't understood who really needs it and why they need it. What do they want? What do they really want? Because people buy what they want, not what they [00:33:00] need, right? It's that whole thing. 

[00:33:02] Melissa: Yeah, that's true. 

[00:33:03] Aarti Parmar: And that 

[00:33:03] Melissa: Sorry, just a thought there. How do you deliver To people what they want and have what they need embedded in it.

[00:33:12] Aarti Parmar: Yeah, 

[00:33:12] by understanding what it is that they want, have conversations with people the people that you, you feel actually understanding your own strengths and what you're bringing to the table. Okay. You can do, own strengths and if it's coaching, gifts and that kind of thing, having conversations with, actually what did my ideal clients look like?

[00:33:30] What did they really want out of that? Maybe their life, maybe their business, in my case, are we.

[00:33:37] Melissa: I'm a bit frozen, hang on here. Clearly going to have to edit this part out. Hang on a second. Sorry. There you go. Sorry. 

[00:33:43] Aarti Parmar: No, it's in my case, nobody ever, Melissa has said to me, Aarti, I need to work with you on my brand strategy. What they want, that's what they need. What they actually want is, I want to have more confidence showing up online.

[00:33:57] I want to be able to go into a networking room [00:34:00] and feel seen. I want to be able to articulate what it is that I do in a way that lands with people. I want to be able to talk about my my, my services in a way that, people buy and, I want to make more money. I want to make more impact.

[00:34:17] These are the things that people actually want. And where does that come from? By having a clear understanding of your brand through brand strategy 

[00:34:24] Melissa: and coaching. What you said there is absolutely key. People. Don't know, don't always know what they need. They know what they want. Let me just make sure that I phrase that the correct way.

[00:34:36] So that, for example, they come to you, Oh, I want a logo. I want to work with a brand strategist. Or they think that I'm confusing myself right now. You said it far more eloquently. It's about, it's what people, how people want to feel as well. Like you said, I want to have more confidence. I want to be seen.

[00:34:53] I want to hurt, be heard. I want to communicate in a way that's going to magnetize and draw in the people that I can serve [00:35:00] best. So it's not just the title again. It's not just what you do, but it's the embodiment piece, yeah. I'm struggling myself to find the languaging around this.

[00:35:08] Definitely need a brand strategist, aren't I? 

[00:35:11] Aarti Parmar: And this is it, it's that whole thing as well. They want to be the go to person. It requires work. It requires effort. It requires clarity. Yeah, that requires work. Yeah. And effort, cause it doesn't mean and this is the other thing, another thing that they want is a website that's going to.

[00:35:30] Okay, great, you've got a website, but then how are you getting people to the website? What conversations are you having? To whom are you having those conversations with? Because I see a lot of people even going to networking events and they're not really leveraging it. And then they're like, Oh, networking doesn't work for me.

[00:35:47] I don't get any business. And no, okay. But how many one to ones did you do? Who did you connect with? What conversation, what conscious conversations were you having? What seeds were you planting? So I've had, worked with clients [00:36:00] who before were those people that just go into a room, have a bit of a chit chat here, chit chat there, that kind of thing.

[00:36:05] And then they've seen some friends and then they just end up chit chatting with their friends. And I'm like, Oh, Okay, how did that how's your business growth from your chit chatting with your mates, kind of thing? Not saying don't chit chat with your friends in the networking room, but you're also there, you've paid to be in that room, you've traveled to be in that room, that kind of thing.

[00:36:20] So how are you going to make it effective for you and leverage some of those people's relationships and vice versa? It's not just about coming in and, receive, it's also what are you giving in that space? 

[00:36:32] Melissa: Yeah. 

[00:36:33] Aarti Parmar: I've had clients who were the before and then they've come out of, they've then worked with me, gone into networking rooms and they're like, I've got invited onto a podcast.

[00:36:42] I've got, invited for, does somebody wants to have it, tell me an inquiry call. Somebody wants to do a collaboration. I'm like, this is it. This is when you know your brand is working for you. Your brand narrative is working for you. Because you can then have a conversation that just lands with somebody.

[00:36:57] Because you're talking you're [00:37:00] peppering in what your vision is, what your mission is. And you don't need to know it word for word for even like your positioning. You don't need to know everything word for word. But knowing the essence of it. And bringing it in consciously into conversations in different contexts because sometimes I'll get from clients like, Oh, I need to have this elevator pitch.

[00:37:19] And I know you don't need to have an elevator pitch, the one elevator pitch. No. Because You're always going to have different conversations with different contexts, with different audience profiles. What you need is to know what to say in those moments. That's something again, that, that comes through in when I'm working with my clients.

[00:37:37] Melissa: This is a huge journey. It's a very deep journey, but what they, what people get from it is. All the different strategies in a very detailed very detailed strategies, as you mentioned. It's not just like this one elevator pitch or one script, but it's also building that confidence to to, on how to [00:38:00] show up as you, to share what it is that you're offering in the right context.

[00:38:07] And 

[00:38:09] Aarti Parmar: it comes with, I've tried and tested this, I've been networking for 20 over years. And, being in business spaces for around that kind of time as well. So honestly, I can tell you the things that have worked really well and, has helped me, my growth, business growth in my mindset, how to show up, what works, what doesn't work.

[00:38:30] So I'm bringing that to the table because I don't want, I don't want people to. Faff around and waste time, like I did probably in the first two years of my business, and I went from this free workshop and there and there, and I was like looking for this, silver bullet kind of thing.

[00:38:47] And I wasn't, and I was just like, there's more to this. And as I was going through my own journey, I was just like, Oh. It's called brand strategy, it's the fundamentals and then adding the elements of me bringing in the coaching [00:39:00] as well as the mindful practices, as well as me doing my own personal development, spiritual work and all of that kind of thing, and peace.

[00:39:07] I've been piecing and still, as I evolve and bringing more and more of what works and because I want my clients because I can see their greatness. I want them to be impacting, accelerating their impact rather than wasting time of okay, I'm hitting this brick wall, going around in circles.

[00:39:24] They can just, get on with it, get on with what they're here to do. 

[00:39:28] Melissa: What is the biggest block that you notice in the people that you work with on this personal brand journey? 

[00:39:35] Aarti Parmar: Self belief. I would say self belief. And the other one, what I call is also, and this is all of us as a human race.

[00:39:42] I've spoken and coming, you've got the word there. I'm very curious. And I've been in rooms where there are eight, nine figure business owners. And then, and anything in between from the 50k to, to that. And I'm just really curious and I'll have [00:40:00] conversations, like what's helped them and all of those kind of things as well.

[00:40:03] The other thing I would say is self trust. 

[00:40:08] Melissa: . Because that's what we're sold. Yeah. And it happens at very different 

[00:40:11] Aarti Parmar: levels. As you're growing, whatever growth means, that's the other thing, is knowing what growth actually means for you. Don't take it as an external look, because somebody else's growth may not be your growth.

[00:40:21] So it's really important. to know and understand what that means. But that self trust bit as people evolve it's that new level, new devil, right? We're we're, nobody comes into this life knowing every single step. We're so unfamiliar, but we want to be so familiar. And when we get, when we grasp onto, but I want certainty and I want familiar, 

[00:40:42] Melissa: I want to know it all before I do anything.

[00:40:44] I need to know it all. And then 

[00:40:45] Aarti Parmar: what happens that then starts diminishing that self trust. because we're so unfamiliar with it and then it's but can I do that? Do I have the confidence to do that? All of those kinds of things. It's actually when you break that down and this is, I'm not massively keen on this word imposter [00:41:00] syndrome because all that for me means is that you are unfamiliar with something.

[00:41:04] Therefore, it's making you question your confidence. Therefore, what do I need to do? Oh, I might need to then speak to somebody who does. You know that on investing somebody that I can learn that expertise from, or you know what resources do I need to make myself more familiar with something and then that turns into familiarity.

[00:41:25] So yes it's, it is. Doable. But we will face those things, and yeah, 

[00:41:30] Melissa: and it's learn a lot of the time. We want the fix, right? Oh, I feel this. How do I get rid of it? When really the remedy a lot of the time is, okay, how do I leverage on this? Like doubt, okay I always, which is, which leads to self-trust.

[00:41:44] If you're doubting yourself all the time, you don't trust yourself anymore. So how do I get rid of my doubt? Maybe if you lean into the doubt, not ask it what it needs. 

[00:41:52] Aarti Parmar: Then you 

[00:41:53] Melissa: get, and what it needs is an answer. Okay. How do I find the answer? Like you just said, go and ask for help, do your [00:42:00] research reach to someone who is modeling how you want to be.

[00:42:03] And it sounds to me like these are some of the strategies. That you provide your clients, right? 

[00:42:10] Aarti Parmar: Absolutely. And these are the mindful practices because I've experienced them myself with my spiritual mentor. So I know what it did for me and who I was 20 over years ago, when I met him, now I'm telling my age, which is not 46.

[00:42:22] I'm proud. But, I've seen the transformations I've had and I'm like I want to bring these transformations into other people's life. These practices and, little nuances and stuff that we can be getting really conscious about. So then we have these mindful practices, which we then start embedding and embodying, which then allows us to become the person that we need to in order to serve the people that we want to.

[00:42:46] Melissa: Living and breathing real human beings with. Feelings and experiences and emotions because we're not separating business from life. We're not, we're bringing energy, the energy of who you are [00:43:00] into what you do, as opposed to I am a person doing this which makes all the difference. And going, circling back to the beginning, cause we don't buy into brands.

[00:43:08] We don't buy products and services because of what it does. We buy into it because of how it makes us feel. And who was it Maya Angelou said, people will forget. What you said in what you did. But they'll always remember how you made them feel. 

[00:43:25] Aarti Parmar: Absolutely. And that feeling creates your identity.

[00:43:28] Melissa: So tapping into that, getting clarity around that. Aarti th this is a question I ask all my guests on here because you talked about, personal brand and experiences, right? That the magic and the wisdom in our personal experiences. Is there a compelling story of struggle and adversity that you've been through that guided you, that helped you, that led you towards what you do now, pivoting into what you're doing now?

[00:43:56] Aarti Parmar: There's probably multiples and I've touched on [00:44:00] some of them. 

[00:44:01] Melissa: One particular event that you could maybe go a bit deeper with us. Like really, get, basically I'm asking you to get personal. 

[00:44:07] Aarti Parmar: Yeah, personal, get personal. Okay. Okay. What I'm going to share is, This is this has happened actually as part of whilst I've been running my business.

[00:44:19] But also what it did for me, it really reaffirmed the importance of having brand fundamentals and, having these foundations in place. Because, life, it's a quote that I came across life is a workbook of problems to be solved. And then it's about then who are you being in between that time?

[00:44:39] This is, this is after I've started my business journey and then even became a certified coach and qualified coach and stuff like that. I, fell pregnant and we ended up having a miscarriage with twins. By the way, I've never mentioned this on any social on, on, on any podcast ever before, but I just, in this moment, it just feels, [00:45:00] there's an importance to, to share this just because of the conversations we've had, because everybody that's running a business has.

[00:45:06] has a life, this isn't, it's not, they're not separate, but they, they're interconnected and they do, have an effect on each other in, in, in that sense. And, who you are being in the business and things you are experiencing. So with that as you can imagine, it was just like it was a really low point in my life, and there was moments of me questioning my own identity, and where am I heading, da, all the despair and all the feelings, that's, the sadness, everything that comes with it.

[00:45:38] Also, in that sort of period of time, what also was happening, I was getting invited on to talk, to deliver talks, and People wanting to work with me and stuff, and obviously I hadn't announced this on my social media or anything like that, but this is, when I reflect and, have had conversations with other people and stuff around this, what kind of kept me going, because in, [00:46:00] in business, because, when we have these moments, it's like, what do I do with my business?

[00:46:04] What's going to happen? And, those kinds of things. I'm not showing up and people will forget me and all of those. However, what. really came to light for me. Even though I didn't have to announce anything, didn't feel like I wanted to, and that again, personal brand isn't private life.

[00:46:20] What came to me was like, actually, because I've got these strong fundamentals, and I love what I do, and, I feel so much joy, and I feel so fulfilled in doing what I do. I was still able to, some, when I felt it was right show up and go and deliver those talks. I was still able to when, again, when it felt aligned for me to show up on social media for things that I still wanted to share around brand and personal development and those kind of things because it felt so aligned for me.

[00:46:49] You're so connected 

[00:46:50] Melissa: to it, 

[00:46:50] Aarti Parmar: it's part of 

[00:46:51] Melissa: you, 

[00:46:51] Aarti Parmar: part 

[00:46:52] Melissa: of you. Yeah. 

[00:46:53] Aarti Parmar: Yeah. And that for me drives me even more because I was [00:47:00] still able to, make an impact in other people's lives. I was still able to make money in my business. I was still able to process what I was going through and get the relevant help and support that I needed.

[00:47:15] And when I needed to take time away and just have space, I was able to do that without worrying Oh my goodness, is my business going to fall apart? It didn't. I'm still here, and I'm still building my personal brand and my business and having some amazing, amazing wins in different ways, be it through impact, influence or impact income.

[00:47:35] Melissa: Thank you for sharing that. So I was dancing around that question a little bit thinking, okay, we've heard a lot about what you do and the power of how you do it and why you do it. And I, for our viewers, Aarti and I have connected before the podcast obviously, and I have been privy to you sharing this experience with me.

[00:47:54] Thank you for being so open, for digging deep and sharing that story with us. What we can [00:48:00] do, and I think it's something we underestimate what we can do when we're really connected to our truth and our heart and we lead from the heart is beyond our imagination. So thank 

[00:48:13] Aarti Parmar: you. Yeah, absolutely.

[00:48:14] And it comes back down to, recognizing your own worth and owning your value. Claiming risk. Sorry, I don't know how to say that, and claiming it, because if you don't claim that, internally, then, things can just feel hard and difficult and all of those kinds of things. So that's, unshakeable weight and wavering belief in self.

[00:48:34] It takes work. It takes work. It doesn't just come. 

[00:48:36] Melissa: Yeah. It takes work. It takes patience. And tenderness. I imagine you gave yourself a lot of tenderness in those moments too. 

[00:48:43] Aarti Parmar: Look, fortunately, and this is again, the power of having meaningful connections and networking and all of those kinds of things.

[00:48:49] I never did. I think in some of these networking rooms, the people that I had met they were the ones reaching out and saying can I help you with this? And, sending beautiful gifts and messages and [00:49:00] stuff like that. And I was just felt really supported, that's beautiful.

[00:49:03] Melissa: In this journey that you've had, Aarti, what kind of. What kind of stereotypes did you disrupt? Have you had to disrupt any stereotypes? Let me put it that way. 

[00:49:14] Aarti Parmar: Yeah. Yeah. It comes back and I know it sounds a bit of a cliche, but it's surprising because it's still conversations that are going on. My, it's about my logo and the color palettes and that, that side of things.

[00:49:26] Even when I've spoken to, I'm talking medium sized businesses, we need to get our. Visual, the logo and that side of, we want to rebrand for that. No, actually what you need to do is really come, coming back to how are you going to make yourself distinctive? What is it that you really bring to people that really need you?

[00:49:46] So it is changing those conversations. The other thing is this whole thing of I can I only big businesses can be brands. No, as soon as you start a business, you already are a brand. And I often get [00:50:00] questions about when should I start building my personal brand? No, that's not the question.

[00:50:04] What the question should be, how do I get intentional about building my personal brand? What do I need to do to become more intentional about building my personal brand? You already As soon as you are sending emails about your business, newsletters, writing content on social media, you already are a personal brand.

[00:50:22] People see you as an identity. You are building your reputation. Gosh. Not, and it's not just for the big businesses. It's for us one person, businesses and in between as well. 

[00:50:36] Melissa: Especially, I guess now in the age of AI, right? When things are being so automated and becoming more generic in a way. Building your personal brand, getting in tune with truly who you are.

[00:50:50] It matters more and more. 

[00:50:53] Aarti Parmar: Absolutely. AI makes, can make everybody an expert, but behind the scenes behind that is, [00:51:00] you, the test is when you really put somebody in a boardroom and start delivering that, that brand strategy workshop, when they've put a. Checklist and a template out of and this is how you build your brand, kind of thing.

[00:51:10] And you're like, Oh, I wonder if that person was, they were really put into a boardroom. And this is why it's so important to, I'm saying it again and again, I've been saying it for years, but really 2025, not just double down, triple down on your personal brand, because the more, and by the way, I do love AI and the, what it does and all of that.

[00:51:30] It's function, right? It's 

[00:51:31] Melissa: function. 

[00:51:32] Aarti Parmar: But. At the end of the day, what is it that's really going to differentiate you that, cause you can get all the knowledge from AI now anyway. So now we've really got to start thinking, why are people really buying into me when they can get the knowledge that, I can share from chat GPT, this is the question that we need to be really honing in on, especially as service based businesses.

[00:51:56] We have to be refining. Want to buy into, [00:52:00] what it is that we do and help them on their journey to where it is that they want to get to. 

[00:52:05] Melissa: And refining on that word, personal. Yes. Refining your personal brand is essentially getting to know yourself. Personally and not who you think you should be or, I know for me personally, I'm, comparisonitis is a big thing and it happens a lot of the time unconsciously, I get very distracted by what other people are doing and how they're doing it.

[00:52:28] And it confuses me with my own personal brand. So really finding an anchor for me has been. Is, I'm going to say has been because I know I'm still not there yet, but it's definitely helping me and following the stuff that lights me up. Writing the content, like you say, not because it's, if I'm writing something because it's draining me, then I'm like red flag.

[00:52:49] Where's my intent? What's my intent here? Am I trying to impress? Am I trying to, what are some red, I'm just wondering if there are any sort of red flags you could just also share with us before we wrap up for [00:53:00] today. 

[00:53:00] Aarti Parmar: Actually, I just want to touch on that comparison because this is the thing as well.

[00:53:04] And what I've noticed with real examples of what clients have gone through and even, before what I would go through in that sense. That comparing with others and I've had clients come in and they're like, do you know what? I keep looking at my competitors. It's making me feel shit.

[00:53:19] I'm losing my confidence. They're doing so much better than me. I'm not making enough money and they're smashing it. All of those kinds of things. I don't even know if I should continue my business. Yeah. And that is not a place to be running a business from. That is not a state to be running a business from.

[00:53:38] And that is, it is, it's in our feeds and it's very easy to get drawn into that and then going into that rabbit hole of what they're doing, what they're not doing, all of that kind of thing actually. And it comes back down to when you really get a true connection and understanding and alignment of who, what you are as a brand and why you're doing what you're doing.

[00:53:57] You then just start staying in your own you [00:54:00] create your own path and you're so excited about your own path, the infinite possibilities, the, the, where this can actually go. You then even may even be going to your competitors and saying, actually, can we collaborate? I, right now I'm collaborating what would one would see as a competitor we're collaborating where we're about to work with a new client because we know bring to the table collectively stronger, make our visions and missions align.

[00:54:27] And that's what happens when you really get clear on your overall brand narrative. 

[00:54:33] Melissa: I love that. I also, for me as well, I noticed that when I'm, when I suffer from my version of comparison, I just, I'll call it, I'm focusing on myself. I'm not focusing on who it is that I'm helping and who it is that I'm serving.

[00:54:47] And I, in that you just, brought to light when you said you are collaborating with someone or a company that other people would think are competitors, you're not making it about you and them. There's enough for [00:55:00] everybody out there. It's about how you help someone else bring that vision to life and serve and create impact in the best way.

[00:55:07] in the highest possible way. That is beautiful. I 

[00:55:10] Aarti Parmar: really truly believe this, there's enough cake for everyone, and then some more. And the more people who are doing things, in our same space or similar space, and doing it well, I'm like cheering them on because I know the transformational outcomes and it comes back then to what kind of world would we be living in if everyone was purpose led and mission driven and, brand led growth in that sense, heart centered, they're really coming from that space.

[00:55:37] Melissa: And they'd be collaborating more. They would literally be focused on how do we each bring what is unique to us. Uniquely to the table and the impact we create when each of us are specializing, so to speak. Maybe specializing is not the right word, but bringing what's unique to the table.

[00:55:54] Oh my gosh. This is 

[00:55:55] Aarti Parmar: why I absolutely really only love working with business owners. I [00:56:00] don't want to go into the corporate space because it is us business owners that, can be really fueled with passion and purpose and make an accelerated difference much quicker. Much more efficiently in that sense than some of these, bigger constitutions who have all these layers and, people are just there maybe just for the salary.

[00:56:19] No, with us business owners who are, who I call, like I said, my aspiring legacy leaders, change makers, visionaries, they've got this ah, something wants to unleash out of me and, I want to make a difference in other people's lives and all of that kind of, they will be fueled.

[00:56:33] To take aligned action. And when aligned action is taking place, that's when changes are happening. 

[00:56:40] Melissa: People who are on the ground, fired up, as you mentioned, aligned action. And really want to get involved, lead in an embodied way. That means living and breathing it, bringing the energy, feeling the energy.

[00:56:55] Gosh, like you said. I'm all for this new world. Yeah, exactly. This new world [00:57:00] Aarti. Thank you. And this is, 

[00:57:01] Aarti Parmar: makes a difference in industry, society, and humanity. Yeah. That's it. 

[00:57:05] Melissa: At every level. It, it opens up. It opens up and if, and impacts every level. It's been amazing having you on on the podcast.

[00:57:12] I know that I could talk to you for a lot longer, but you have given us so much and broken things down with such clarity. And I love. How passionate you are about the work, the curiosity, the depth of this work and how unafraid you are of risks and uncertainty and encouraging all of us to open our eyes and open our hearts to not what is scary, but what is possible.

[00:57:38] That infinite possibilities, as you mentioned, and the limitless potential that lives within us. To be together, create together and work together from our unique space. It's been amazing, Aarti. And again, thank you again for sharing, that the adversity that you've been through most recently and how that's, how living and breathing what you do has made a difference to that [00:58:00] experience.

[00:58:01] Before we wrap up, I want to remind all the viewers. You want to follow Aarti, continue to be inspired with her, even better work with her, all the details you'll find in the caption, please reach out to her. As you can see, she's passionate and very personable. That's what I love most about you, Aarti. We can talk to you.

[00:58:19] You feel like a friend, like on the from the first, from the get go. I can't talk to you or finish talking to you today without asking you one question that's music related. And of course that is. If you were a song, or if your personal brand were a song, no difference there because as we've mentioned, you're living and breathing your mission and vision and your legacy.

[00:58:40] If you were a song, what song would you be? 

[00:58:42] Aarti Parmar: That's a really good question. 

[00:58:43] Melissa: I'm putting you on the spot. I recognize that . 

[00:58:45] Aarti Parmar: Yeah. No, I'm just trying to think what's on my Spotify, what do I love listening to? What kind of boosts me? And also when I'm in a good place, what do I, there's a song called Unstoppable see, yes.

[00:58:57] See, yeah. Because that for me [00:59:00] is there's a story, there's a journey, there's resilience, there's courage. It's, a bit of everything. And it. Yeah, that, that song, is a little bit about probably my life, a bit of everyone's life in that sense. So yeah, that, that's probably the one that right now absolutely comes to mind.

[00:59:14] Yeah. 

[00:59:15] Melissa: All right. Viewers go and have a listen to Unstoppable by Sia because that is right now, at least the soundtrack behind Unstoppable. Aarti's vision and mission for herself, for you, and for humanity, for now. And before we go I can't help, but feel like I want to share this part.

[00:59:35] We've come full circle cause I'm here, I am, I'm getting to talk to you, Aarti, about your journey and I'm talking about music, mentioning about the song, and we met. For the first time in Malaysia when I was singing on stage. And I love how serendipitous, how magical life in the world is that we should meet again online and then in person very briefly when I was in the uk.

[00:59:58] And to see [01:00:00] you doing such important, powerful and impactful work, it's truly an honor to have you on the podcast. Thank you so much. 

[01:00:07] Aarti Parmar: Pleasure. Thank you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share and yeah. What are the chances, I came into that place hearing you sing amazing, amazingly beautiful voice.

[01:00:17] And then, yeah, you know how we met. Yeah, now I'm here on your podcast. It's just oh, this is the beautiful thing about life and, universe and stuff doing its thing. And, even more important to, play in the playground of possibilities. 

[01:00:33] Melissa: Yeah, we can't take life too seriously.

[01:00:34] We've got to, we've got to sometimes let go and go with the flow as cliche that is, as it sounds, but it really is. Cause that uncertainty you mentioned earlier is full of possibility. It's full, life is full of incredible surprises. If only we allow ourselves. To see it and to feel it. One golden nugget.

[01:00:53] Cause I know you have so many cause, and I feel like I'm being greedy cause you've really given us so many, but one golden nugget, [01:01:00] one, one thought or idea to leave our viewers with.

[01:01:03] Aarti Parmar: Oh, gosh, I don't know, brand related or, whatever's on your heart. Okay. So what comes to mind right now is go inwardly for clarity, to go outwardly with certainty, with more energy and expression and authentic expression. That's the one. Authentic expression. 

[01:01:22] Melissa: Let that land. That's like a, that's like a transmission, frequency of transmission.

[01:01:28] I'm going to ask for more cause I'm just greedy. Only because I'm remembering this, Aarti. When we chatted, I think it was when you'd just come back from Costa Rica and that retreat, you had, it sounded like a quote. It sounded like a tagline. It sounded, do you remember that? I do. Are you open to sharing that?

[01:01:48] Aarti Parmar: Yeah, absolutely. Because that was something that came to me in that space very clearly and just an embodiment of who I want to continue to be. And that is a space [01:02:00] for hope, aliveness, and a new way of being. 

[01:02:02] Melissa: That's it. A space, aliveness, and a new way of being. Aarti, it's been an absolute pleasure.

[01:02:11] Thank you so much for joining us. I'd love to have you on again sometime. Anytime, 

[01:02:15] Aarti Parmar: happy to. Happy to. 

[01:02:17] Melissa: Loved it. Thank you. Thank you, Aarti. And for our viewers, don't forget to stay fearlessly curious and see you on the next episode.