Akshara Damle,
Founder and CEO, ManoSamvaada and Vishisht Wellness
Could you share
a brief introduction about yourself for our audience?
I am Akshara, a celebrity psychologist with over a decade of experience in the field of mental health. My journey has been about breaking stigmas, empowering individuals, and fostering growth. Alongside my role as a psychologist, I am a TEDx speaker, international trainer, author, NLP coach, graphologist, and a professional tarot reader. Each of these roles allows me to connect with individuals on a deeper level and inspire meaningful change.
What truly drives me is seeing people transform—not just in their careers or relationships, but in their overall sense of purpose and well-being. From individual therapy to corporate wellness programs, my mission is to empower individuals to navigate life's complexities with confidence and clarity. I believe that every challenge holds the potential for growth, and I am here to help people tap into that potential with empathy and innovation. I also believe in blending science, empathy, and innovative methods to create meaningful transformations in people’s lives.
Could you tell us about your ventures and the services they provide?
My professional journey has evolved into multiple ventures, each aligned with my passion for mental health, personal growth, and empowerment.
As a psychologist, through ManoSamvaada, I provide individual and corporate counselling sessions tailored to address mental health challenges, work-life balance, and overall well-being. My practice combines traditional therapeutic techniques with innovative approaches like Inner Child Healing, NLP, graphology, and so on to help individuals unlock their potential.
Through my training and workshops, I work with organizations to enhance employee wellness and productivity. These programs focus on stress management, leadership, emotional intelligence, and team dynamics.
Additionally, as an author and a public speaker, I aim to create awareness and spark conversations about mental health on a larger scale. My writing and speaking engagements focus on making mental wellness accessible, relatable, and actionable for diverse audiences.
Recently I have
also started Vishisht Wellness, which is focusing on corporate wellness and
employee assistance programs, and we have also come out with some of the finest
wellness products to address issues like migraine, sinusitis, insomnia,
negative thinking, and so on.
My ventures are
rooted in a single vision: empowering individuals and organizations to thrive
mentally, emotionally, and professionally along with the power of holistic
wellness.
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur, and how has your leadership approach driven your success?
The journey to entrepreneurship wasn’t something I had clearly planned from the beginning. However, the desire to create something of my own was always there. Before establishing ManoSamvaada and Vishisht Wellness, I ventured into a couple of other businesses, which didn’t succeed as expected. Those experiences, though challenging, provided invaluable lessons that shaped the foundation of ManoSamvaada.
Launching ManoSamvaada wasn’t easy, especially since mental health wasn’t widely embraced at the time. However, my conviction to prioritize mental wellness became the driving force that helped me overcome those initial hurdles. As I grew in this space, I realized the importance of addressing holistic well-being rather than focusing solely on mental health. This realization led to the creation of Vishisht Wellness, in partnership with my friend Ms. Yogitha, a pharmacist and fashion designer. Her shared commitment to holistic well-being and alignment with the ethical values I uphold made her the perfect collaborator for this endeavor.
As a leader, I
am self-driven and believe in fostering a culture where team members are
empowered to take ownership of their roles and responsibilities. I encourage
decision-making and am comfortable with occasional failures as part of the
learning process. However, I strongly value decisiveness and initiative.
We are fortunate to have a vibrant team of young, talented individuals who contribute significantly to the growth of our organizations. Together, we are building a future grounded in mental wellness and holistic well-being.
Could you walk us through your professional journey, highlighting significant milestones and achievements?
I began my journey as a freelance psychologist in 2014 while simultaneously pursuing my aspiration of becoming a civil servant. During 2014 and 2015, I cleared the UPSC prelims and mains twice and reached the interview stage, but unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to the final list.
In 2016, I founded ManoSamvaada, focusing on mental health and leveraging the power of technology early on by offering tele-counseling and online therapy services. This was a pioneering step in making mental health services more accessible.
In 2017, I was honored to be invited by the TEDx organizing committee to deliver a talk, marking a significant milestone and recognition for my work in mental health.
In 2019, I was felicitated with a Leadership Award for my contributions to mental health.
As the Chief Counsellor at Sahay, a mental health helpline in 2020, I had the opportunity to extend support during a time when mental health challenges were at their peak. During COVID, many celebrities began seeking my guidance, which led me to work closely with prominent figures across industries, enhancing their mental wellness.
I’ve also collaborated with various NGOs, spreading mental health awareness and training Mental Health Facilitators to serve as the first point of contact within communities.
In 2023, JioChat recognized our work and empaneled me as a mental health expert on their platform, enabling us to reach a larger audience.
In 2024, we launched Vishisht Wellness, providing holistic well-being services to organizations across Bangalore. This partnership-driven venture reflects our commitment to addressing mental health and overall wellness comprehensively.
With a vision to expand, we aim to reach more people and drive transformational change in mental health and wellness for individuals and organizations alike.
What are your areas of expertise, and how have they played a role in your success?
In individual therapy, I specialize in inner child healing, a transformational approach that addresses deep-rooted mental health issues. By integrating coaching with therapy, I help clients not only resolve past challenges but also create a brighter future. This approach ensures tangible outcomes from therapeutic interventions, encapsulated in our signature program, "Life Full of Freedom."
A lot celebrities from the film industry and modelling industry, sports personalities, celebrated entrepreneurs have taken the benefit of this methodology to make their life much more qualitative and they have also grown in their profession / enterprise by many folds.
To foster mental health from an early age, we’ve developed the "Conscious Parenting" program, empowering parents to provide a nurturing childhood and prevent potential mental trauma for their children.
In couple therapy, we apply the TUFF formula, which I shared in my TEDx talk, offering a structured approach to resolving relationship challenges. This method enables us to deliver quicker and more effective solutions for strained relationships.
On the corporate front, we offer two flagship programs:
1. Netrutvam – A leadership
development program focusing on balancing empathy and assertiveness for
effective leadership.
2. Core Training Modules – Covering stress management, conflict resolution, team building, and emotional intelligence.
For entrepreneurs, our signature program, "Business Bloomer," combines classical psychological principles with an understanding of psychological shadows. It has helped many entrepreneurs achieve exponential growth, scaling their ventures by 5x to 10x in a short span.
Additionally, we conduct webinars, public lectures, and seminars to raise awareness about mental health and its importance in personal and professional life.
How do you manage to balance your personal and professional commitments effectively?
I firmly believe in maintaining a balance between personal and professional life. To ensure this, I schedule even personal time in my calendar, protecting it from being overshadowed by work. Every morning, I dedicate time to myself for reflection and recharging, which sets a positive tone for the day.
When someone says, "Let me know when you're free, I have something to discuss," I politely respond, "When I’m free, I value being truly free and prefer not to engage with issues during that time. If you'd like to discuss something, let’s schedule it during my working hours." This practice not only safeguards my personal time but also ensures I can give my best attention to both work and personal commitments.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own business?
As an entrepreneur, clarity of vision is absolutely crucial. It's not just about having a great idea—it’s about identifying the real problems you’re solving and being clear on how you will tackle them. The ability to implement ideas effectively is what truly sets successful entrepreneurs apart. Too often, entrepreneurs have grand visions, but without clear goals, actionable steps, and a way to measure progress, these ideas remain just that—ideas.
I strongly believe in the power of mentorship. Entrepreneurship requires a unique mindset, and the journey is full of challenges that don’t always have immediate feedback. Without a mentor, it’s easy to make costly mistakes, only realizing them after a setback. But with the right mentor guiding you, course corrections become much quicker, and your path to success speeds up significantly. Having someone experienced to help you navigate the ups and downs of business can make all the difference.
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