Episode 15 - Empowerment Through Balance with Puja Shah

By Jessica Garrison

I get so excited when we have other writers on the podcast, and this week, Melissa speaks with Puja Shah, a very accomplished author and ingenious woman. Puja describes herself as balanced, heart-balanced, and a truth-seeker, which she explains in further detail during her episode.

As a first-generation immigrant from India, to say there was a lot to balance in Puja’s life is an understatement. She had to balance two different cultures and languages, as well as her professions in yoga, teaching, and writing. It sounds overwhelming to begin with, let alone if you aren’t taking proper care of yourself. However, Puja has exemplified the importance of self-care, whether it be a major event or something small to honor yourself.

To Puja, boundaries are about what’s making her happy and what isn’t. When her boundaries come from a place of truth, they don’t seem as unmanageable or hard-hitting. If something doesn’t align with her happiness or truth, she’s learned that it’s okay to say no because it can be detrimental in the long run.

While most of the women on her mother’s side are in the medical field, which can cause a lack of physical or mental wellness, Puja’s grandmother set a great example of nourishing her body and soul. Puja mentions the importance of addressing the emotion you’re feeling before acting upon it, otherwise, you won’t be tackling what is most important. Women should feel the freedom to trust themselves and their bodies without thinking they’re “too emotional.” Emotions are completely normal, and we should permit ourselves to immerse ourselves in them.

When it comes to supporting women, Puja is interested in creating a dialogue, having meaningful conversations, and creating a community of like-minded women to support one another. She also wants to share the message of expressing emotions to her children. Even as adults, we sometimes act out in anger or frustration, but we get angry at children for “throwing tantrums.” Sometimes they don’t have the right words to express what they’re feeling. So, she works on allowing them to express what they are feeling and share it in a way that works best for them.

Puja’s why and values are very important to her, which leads her to the answers to some difficult questions. One example she shared of this comes from publishing her book, and her publisher wanted her to write a sequel for it. However, this particular project wasn’t calling out to her. Rather than agreeing to something that didn’t feel right, Puja stayed true to herself and worked on the book she wanted to write.

Being a first-generation immigrant comes with a lot of expectations, and they’re not necessarily your own. As most of us do, Puja wanted to please everyone, but she found that what others wanted was not pleasing to herself. She was trying to prove not only her worth but her parents’ worth as well. Living in a country that is critical of immigrants is a challenge already, let alone when you’re not white or a man. It’s a lifelong journey for Puja to live based on her own expectations, but we can see she is constantly raising the bar for others to follow her lead.

While on the journey of accepting her layers, different identity questions, along with certain adjustments as life changes, would come up. An example she shared came from becoming a mother, and this allowed for more layers to be uncovered. Reminders of the past may not always be the most pleasant, but learning from them can help you continue to grow. Living out F.E.E.L. helps Puja be a better wife, mother, daughter, and friend. Living life as her authentic self has helped her get this far, and it will continue to reward her as her journey continues.

Puja has her own website if you’re interested in learning more about her and her award-winning book. Puja’s episode is full of so much wonderful content, I hope everyone else enjoys listening to it as much as I did!

Ways to Engage: It’s so important that Puja mentioned the expectations that fall on her shoulders, especially as a first-generation immigrant. What are some expectations that have fallen on you, maybe even because of a stereotype? How do you defy these expectations and live out of your own? Think about the expectations you set for yourself and how you’ve come to set goals for yourself. Feel free to share your experience with us, along with the ups and downs of your journey.