“To all your questions, you are the only answer. To all your problems, you are the only solution.”
– Unknown
If there’s one lesson life has taught me over and over again, it’s about turning inward to look for what I am seeking.
From confidence to professional fulfillment to meaningful relationships to profound peace, happiness, and contentment, things have worked out when I have stopped looking for answers outside of me. And I see the same thing with my clients over and over again.
In my work, I don’t have a “niche” or an “ideal customer avatar.” I am not interested in decoding your psyche so that I can convince you to buy something from me. The main thing I care about is whether you have the hunger to transform your life by doing inner work.
Because if you do, you’re my kind of person 🙂
My Values and Beliefs
Life experiences (which you can read about in the “My Story” section below) have brought me to my core values and beliefs.
- The purpose of life is to learn and grow: I strive to constantly learn and grow in life – as a person, a professional, a mother, a wife, a daughter, and a friend. For me, life would be pointless if I wasn’t evolving.
- Inner work leads to outer transformation: When I find a situation or a person challenging, I ask myself: what needs to shift inside of me for me to handle this more effectively? Life experiences have taught me that thriving through challenges is all about inner work.
- Our response to a situation is always in our control: One of my biggest guiding questions is: What, about this situation, is completely in my control? More often than not, I don’t entirely control anyone else, or my circumstances, or even my thoughts and emotions. What I do control is how I respond in any given situation.
My Story
Here’s a snapshot of my life through five defining experiences that have brought me here.
1. Me, at 19.
The Context: I was an insecure, under-confident, “average” high school graduate who had failed every single one of her engineering entrance exams. I was ashamed of having let loved ones down and terrified of what seemed like a bleak future.
The Turning Point: Fortunately, a kind remark from a wise teacher (who called me “impressive”) flipped a switch in my head. Almost instantly, I went from being an “average” student to excelling in all my academic pursuits for years to come. Notice: the only thing that had actually changed was how I saw myself.
Lesson #1: Our minds are incredibly powerful. What we think, what we believe, and what we say to ourselves can actually change the reality that we live in.
2. Me, at 28.
The Context: I was a successful, somewhat fulfilled, definitely burnt-out corporate professional. My health was crumbling, my relationships were a mess, and I had begun to question the point of my existence.
The Turning Point: A life-changing book (Conversations with God Book 1 by Neale Donald Walsch) helped me realize that I was caught-up in a vicious cycle of unproductive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Instead of taking responsibility for my choices and actions, I had made up a story about how I was a victim unfairly wronged by the world. This approach was keeping me helpless and disempowered. I ended up seeking professional help, owning my mistakes, and completely transforming my life.
Lesson #2: We have the power to choose how we respond in any given situation, and play a conscious, active role in writing our life’s story. We don’t have to be at the mercy of how others behave or what cards life deals us – we can choose to thrive.
3. Me, at 30.
The Context: I was a happy, healthy, newly married person. Yashi Version 2.0. But this state didn’t last for long. Soon after I felt stable in my personal life, I started to feel dissatisfied in my professional life. I wanted to do something where I would look forward to Monday mornings while having a positive impact on the world.
The Turning Point: A TEDs talk by Scott Dinsmore showed me the possibility that work could be so much more meaningful, joyful, and energizing. Within a few months of watching this talk, I left my corporate career in search of something more meaningful. In the two years that followed, I had moved to a new country, done immense inner work to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and discovered the fields of positive psychology and coaching. The journey led me to entrepreneurship and I haven’t looked back.
Lesson #3: Living a happy, fulfilling life is a process – perhaps a life-long one. It is not a permanent place where you can arrive and stay. And also, that self-awareness is essential in crafting a life with intention.
4. Me, at 37.
The Context: I was a busy entrepreneur, spouse, and mother to a little girl. On many levels, things were great. But deep down, I had become aware of new insecurities, fears, and doubts. I was more aware of them this time and hired a coach to help me work through them. But that didn’t help.
The Turning Point: What happened was that I became aware of a larger purpose I had in my life: to bring peace with my presence. For a while, this purpose helped me drive forward despite my fears.
Lesson #4: There is no single path to peace. Sometimes, peace comes when we overcome our fears and insecurities. Sometimes, though, peace comes when we transcend ourselves, when we are pulled by a purpose, a vision, to create a bigger impact on the world.
5. Me, at 39.
The Context: I was an even busier and not-entirely-at-peace entrepreneur and mother to two little girls. I knew my fears were holding me back from the life I was meant to live. The fuel my purpose had given me had started fizzling out because it felt hypocritical: how could I help anyone be at peace when I was not at peace in my own life? When I was not being the spouse, the mother, the entrepreneur I wanted to be?
The Turning Point: I felt called to work with a somatic and spiritual teacher. The tools I had acquired so far in my life were not working anymore. And I knew deeper transformation was possible. Working with my teacher led to inner work that went beyond the mind. It moved my heart, healed my body, and awakened my spirit. The work is ongoing and always will be. But there’s no going back and a spiritual lens now informs how I look at all areas of my life.
Lesson #5: We are more than our minds. We have a body, a heart, a soul. Being in a loving, healthy relationship with all aspects of ourselves important for lasting happiness.
So, there you have it. Seeking peace, happiness, and contentment has always brought me back to myself, to more inner work, and I have come to accept this as a life-long journey.
My Formal Bio (in case you’re looking for one)
Yashi Srivastava is a writer, coach, and teacher helping people evolve into a calmer, braver, truer versions of themselves using self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-acceptance.
Yashi’s unique approach combines the extensive study of the science of happiness, a spiritual lens, and exceptional coaching skills. Her passion for this work comes from her own life experiences and a life-long commitment to personal growth, evolution, and intentional living.
Yashi has helped numerous clients learn to be confident by being more compassionate towards themselves, effectively manage their challenging emotions so that they can show up more calmly in their relationships with others, and become authentic, effective leaders and parents. After working with Yashi, her clients report experiencing greater self-awareness, confidence, and an increased sense of peace and happiness in their lives.
Yashi’s formal qualifications include a Master of Applied Positive Psychology, an MBA in Human Resource Management, and ICF as well as CPCC coach certifications. Yashi has worked in the corporate world, academia, as well as in the non-profit sector.