New Delhi, Delhi, India:
The seven acts showcased in the event were:
Act 1: Home and Work-life balance: Is it Possible?
This conversation was moderated by Nina Kler. The experts on the panel were Sunita Wazir, senior manager- Global Wellbeing at Unilever; Neha Kirpal, mental health ambassador, social entrepreneur and co-founder, InnerHour, and Diya Kapur Misra, leadership advisor, coach and DEI Champion.
The panel discussion involved the impact of the pandemic on work-life balance and thereby on the mental health of women. Speaking on the impact, Neha Kirpal, Social Entrepreneur, Mental Health Ambassador & Co-founder, InnerHour, said, “When playing multiple roles, women are often harsh on themselves. They forget that they also need some time off. Balance is essential to help them complete their tasks, structure their life around them and feel comfortable. A mantra that can help them strike the balance is: It is about the here and now.”
Further, Nina Kler said, “There is no shame in tapping into the support system to help gain the balance. The boon of the pandemic is the fact that more people are talking about mental health and organisations are offering support systems that help women navigate challenges and foster wellbeing.”
Act 2: Womanhood – What Defines It
The second panel moderated by Parthavee Singh Assistant Editor – Audience Engagement, Quint Fit involved an unfiltered discussion around what it means to be a woman and who decides what a woman should be like. The experts on the panel were Jyotsna Kaur Habibullah, founder, Lucknow Farmer’s Market & FICCI FLO, UP; Nikki Gupta, marketing and business strategist; and Jyotsna Siddharth, country director of Gender, Work India, actor, artist and writer. Experts shared astute observations about transwomen, women from different castes and how the diatribe is still strongly against them.
Sharing insights on how women need to introspect, Jyotsna Siddharth said, “Women should learn more about themselves to understand what they want. They should maintain high standards and not settle for anything less.”
Act 3: Wellbeing Secrets: Mind, Body & Soul
The third panel focussed on the main fulcrum that all aspects of wellbeing teeter on—mindfulness. Mindfulness in eating, thinking and moving. The panel moderated by Nina Kler featured Sumaya Dalmia, fitness and wellness expert, founder, SUMAYA; Pooja Makhija, celebrity nutritionist, author and entrepreneur and Debasmita Sinha, psychologist and clinical director, Manah Wellness.
Speaking on mindfulness and wellbeing, Sumaya Dalmia said, “Wellbeing is an amalgamation of how well we eat, how active we are and how we handle stress.”
Pooja Makhija, added, “We wear multiple hats and we know how to juggle them well. To strike the balance, we should have practical meal plans that feature Indian food – our Indian thaali is great. Consider food as a source of nurturing and not get caught up with calorie counting. Learning Portion control is what I do highlight.”
Act 4: Owning trauma and pleasure in relationships
The fourth panel moderated by Nina Kler featured discussion on relationships and trauma. Neha Bhat, licensed art-focused sex & trauma therapist and writer; Varun Mathur, artist, filmmaker, writer and director; and Teya, fashion stylist, blogger, poet and performer were experts on the panel.
Speaking on relationships in the era of online dating, Neha Bhat said, “Each time you find yourself getting too serious for every second connection on dating apps, calm yourself down. You cannot give your time and energy to everyone. If it is not fun, then drop it.”
Sharing her journey of dealing with trauma after her past relationships, Teya said, “It is important to maintain self-confidence and individuality in the trying times of separating from a toxic partner.”
Act 5: What Does Parenthood Look Like In the 21st Century
Chiara Nath, a single mother and multi-disciplinary designer based in Norway moderated a discussion on parenthood in the 21st century. Experts on the panel involved Saraswathi Laxman, founder Lighthouse, life and leadership coach, a professionally trained life coach; Vikram Aditya Bhatia, zealous fitpreneur with over 35 years of experience in health and fitness; and Vaishali Sood, health editor, The Quint and Editor, Quint Fit.
Talking about how parenthood is changing, Saraswathi Laxman said, “Spending time with a child in their formative years was not possible for working parents earlier. This is changing now as organisations become more cognizant and offer flexible work models.”
Act 6: Gift of the Gab – The Art of Storytelling
In the sixth panel, Nina Kler spoke to Seema Anand, mythologist, storyteller, author and Kama Sutra expert about the power of storytelling in the age of social media.
Speaking on how can women harness social media to share their story, Seema Anand said, “You can use the 30-second videos to build curiosity and lead your viewers to listen to longer talks. You can also use your body language to invite people to listen to what you are saying.”
Act 7: Women’s Health – Anatomy and more
The last panel involved busting myths and sharing facts on female anatomy. The panel moderated by Nina Kler featured content creator Dr Tanaya Narendra ( A.K.A. Dr Cuterus) – Oxford trained doctor and gynaecologist in training; Dr Prateek Makwana, embryologist and content creator; and Dr Laxmi Sukumaran, cancer survivor and cardiac anaesthesiologist.
Sharing an interesting fact about the female anatomy, Tanaya Narendra said, “The clitoris is not just the little nub you see on the outside, it can be as large as the size of your palm on the inside.”
The event aimed at celebrating women in all their glory. It presented a woman’s life as a theatre that features many acts. Speaking on the event, Nina Kler said, “Women juggle many acts in the theatre of their life, often at the cost of their own health and wellbeing. Through the 7 conversations over two days with more than 20 strong voices of women and their allies we aim to ignite change in this narrative.”
Links to the event:
Day 1: https://youtu.be/fP_3bKeQ_PY
Day 2: https://youtu.be/P7gWW2jRanY
To know more about the event, contact Nina Kler 9818050983
Nina Kler is a powerful voice in the well-being space and shapes profoundly engaging conversations and outcomes around mental health & wellbeing. In her previous avatar she anchored the pivotal role of Editorial Lead–Well-being for BW Business World where she launched the new vertical ‘BW Wellbeingworld’. Through this, she led print, digital content, and events in the well-being space.
Since then, her experience in the well-being space has grown to include content curation, speaking opportunities, and event production. She is also the ‘Key Contributor’ for Deepak Chopra’s film “The Mindfulness Movement,” (which premiered in April 2020) by virtue of being an initial supporter.
Her mental health journey drives her advocacy for the cause and has led to her own platform, Pursuit of Balance with Nina Kler, where she is creating content and doing events on all aspects of well-being with major leanings towards mental health, sexuality and relational dynamics.