The economy of the new world is shifting from material to experience. Entrepreneurs need to learn to develop their story compass and weave their narratives in order to nurture the growth and impact of their work, and we cannot afford to compromise with that.
Meet Sinjini Sengupta – erstwhile Actuary turned award-winning Storyteller, Author, Speaker & Columnist. Her mission is to help people find and empower their voice and create a story impact in their life and work. A Distinguished Toastmaster with multiple international awards, she has been featured on TEDx talks multiple times. She is also the National President of Mentoring & Soft Skills at the Women Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries. Sinjini is the founder of Lighthouse – where she reimagines Storytelling for the needs of the evolving world.
She helps leaders, founders and speakers create a lasting impact with a range of experiential & transformative online courses, story circles, and retreats.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Sinjini Sengupta: At Lighthouse with my Storytelling journey, I combine the corporate with the creative! But, how come? Well. For a large part of my life and until a few years back, my LinkedIn profile read: Actuary & Alumnus of Indian Statistical Institute I have rediscovered my life since. I went on to become an award-winning author, columnist, international speaker, storytelling coach, Distinguished Toastmaster, NLP practitioner, and founder of Lighthouse. Oh, and an ardent spiritual seeker. Personally, I owe this transformation to storytelling. I have known what our stories can do to us – internally and externally. The rewards are many. I’ve seen that magic with my own life and figured the process for others. My mission in life -thus – is to share that process and help people discover their voice, tell their stories, shift the narratives of their lives and outgrow themselves.Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up?
Sinjini Sengupta: I didn’t wake up one fine day and realize I wanted to do something else. It took funny, futile attempts. Many. I had no idea this was another path, even. It was just a desperate silent cry that had no language and no canvas. And yet there were so many early steps to allow me to take a risk and say, so what if people get shocked, surprised, judge me? When I look back at myself at that time now, I see myself being broken and brave. As I often say, I didn’t pick up the pen (or the mic) – it was the pen that picked me up. The year would be 2013. That was when I was a qualified Associate Actuary, working with a multinational, nurturing and growing a pretty huge team and several financial projects under relatively frail wings. Mortally addicted (read–dependent) to my reasonably healthy pay-check, and haven’t a clue that I can write anything other than PowerPoint slides for business presentations or bullet points on meeting room whiteboards. On the personal front, every other identity was shadowed by the newly acquired identity, which was of a mother. My daughter was two then. She’d leave for playschool in the morning and wouldn’t be back by the time I’d leave for work, and when I’d be back from work past 11 in the night she’d be asleep. Come 2014, and a little way into it, something happens. The car starts to need servicing. This doctor and that, MRIs, bone scans and blood reports, scary numbers and long medical bills that threaten to beat, and finally does hands down, the grocery bills and more. 2015, well, becomes the year of acceptance, that I am unwell after all! Falling ill face down. The nerve medicines, analgesics, antidepressants, and alertness boosters act upon the liver and more. Doctors, over a dozen of them, hand out a sentence that it’s either a work-break or a complete break-down – you choose! Somewhere around this time, phased out in depression and severe body aches from fibromyalgia and several other conditions, something happened that got me writing. Frankly, I cannot exactly say if I picked up the pen or the pen picked me up, but something like that happened in between analgesics, physiotherapy sessions, and long hours of medicated sleep. Come 2016, a funny thing happens. A few of them, actually! Somehow – I land up with several national as well as international awards for my writing, as well as for my speaking endeavors on social issues. Social columns that once blogged start getting featured on leading national media houses and bringing in some tangible returns, etc. And then… Well, Elixir happens! A story made into a short film selected to be screened at 69th Cannes film festival, resulting in a book offer back in India, the book launch, a few social recognitions including multiple TEDx, and so on… On the inside, this is coupled with a deep inner journey made of five times Vipassana, a rigorous self-education model and constant learning of psychology, philosophy, leadership and management, creative writing and public speaking, NLP, and many allied subjects. They come together into storytelling workshops at Lighthouse, combining the best of both worlds – corporate insights and liberal arts education. The rest – touchwood – is history.What are the most common mistakes you see entrepreneurs make and what would you suggest they do?
Sinjini Sengupta: For the entrepreneurs, I work with, I keep reminding them to remember to discover and tell their stories. It is easy to overlook that in the hustle of other things or to put it aside as marketing work – dispensable or outsourceable. It is not! In today’s time and age thought leadership and trust-building become critical in the journey of a venture, and what matters is the value system, inner why, and customer insights – all of which need empathetic storytelling from the horse’s mouth especially for newer ventures in early years of operation. More specifically for social entrepreneurs, owning their inner why and impact stories are crucial. Even for manufacturing, stories can make your products value like heirloom if you can weave them into good stories. Not to mention the role stories can play in investment opportunities and grant applications. The economy of the new world is shifting from material to experience. Entrepreneurs need to learn to develop their story compass and weave their narratives in order to nurture the growth and impact of their work, and we cannot afford to compromise with that.Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Sinjini Sengupta: To me, resilience is a gift that takes labor pain to birth, but then becomes the source of unconditional shelter. I honed my emotional resilience over my many years of spiritual practice, but yet the entrepreneurial stint has put it to the next gear of challenges. I would define resilience as the act of being able to take a deep breath, throw arms in the air and say: wow, now this! Another chance for me to grow and learn. And then, use the opportunity to grow and learn.In your opinion, what makes your company stand out from the competition?
Sinjini Sengupta: Competition is healthy. Competition assures you that there is a market out there. And it also tells you that your job is not to grab a share of their pie but to bake pies as many as you wish to. The world is very big, and we have never needed stories and narratives to reconcile our personal, professional, and social lives more than now. The economy is shifting in favor of heartful communication with stories. Most Storytelling programs either develop skills or develop data narratives for business, but only a few like Lighthouse go deeper into the very way we think (and discover) stories. I combine my public speaking and creative writing and bring in my corporate insights as well as my liberal arts practices into the experience, which goes far beyond the style to tap the intellect and wisdom that good stories demand of you. We apply Storytelling to catharsis and healing, and to social change-making with the principle of “personal is political”. These are concepts that need character building and deep people understanding, something which mass-market programs often overlook. In short, we combine the knowledge of the industry with the wisdom of creative arts.You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?
Sinjini Sengupta: My passion, first. I feel that stories can truly shift the narrative of the world. Stories can change the way we look at the world. And stories can change the world. The very possibility keeps me fueled up even after a 14 hours day, and if you ask me I’d jump into work even at that point. Second, the realization that my ego and success is a much smaller part of the entire game – this is bigger than that. I am here to serve a purpose and am playing the role of an instrument. It helps me look beyond myself and take quick conscientious steps without cyclical indecisions I used to nurture before I became this person. I am also a more emotionally resilient and a clarity-driven person – I communicate in a way so both parties can see each other’s perspectives, which helps me minimize friction and clear small roadblocks better than before. Finally, I have been broken, and I have rediscovered the very sense of me. If I did it then, I can do it again if need be. This makes me feel brave and secure.What have you learned about personal branding that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
Sinjini Sengupta: An old African proverb goes like this – Until the lion learns to tell its story, history will always glorify the hunter. It, therefore, becomes important to own up, show up and be willing to be seen, heard, and understood for who you are. This isn’t a choice anymore nor an indulgence. If we want control over our lives, we need to learn how to tell our stories well so we are recalled and remembered for who we want to be.What’s your favorite leadership style and why?
Sinjini Sengupta: Authentic leadership. It also makes me reflect on the current times when we can no longer look up at leaders (or for that matter, teachers, parents, or mentors) for answers anymore. The world is unfolding and shifting fast right before our eyes, and in these times the only way to stand tall is to surrender to the realization that we do not know the answers, and be comfortable with that. We can only stay open, honest, and true to our cause. I use a lot of Maya Angelou quotes in some of my story circles, and here is one that comes to mind in this context: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”What advice would you give to our younger readers that want to become entrepreneurs?
Sinjini Sengupta: On the outside, the career landscape is shifting very fast and by that I mean – the future favors the bold entrepreneur. On the inside, there are few careers that can keep you hungry, alive, and awake, and use as many of your faculties as the entrepreneurial journey would. It demands of you free thinking, quick confidence, creativity, and logic, and asks you to constantly learn and grow. It helps you make meaning of your journey that is uniquely yours. Stay open, stay willing. Know that nothing would go to waste. Take calculated risk. Develop knowledge and expertise, and try to establish yourself as a thought leader in your space. And finally, show up and tell your stories. As the saying goes – they won’t believe what you do until they know why you do so.What’s your favorite “life lesson” quote and how has it affected your life?
Sinjini Sengupta: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” —Mary Oliver. This interview was originally published ValiantCEO.
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