At the age of 40, Shivani Agarwal, an advertising consultant who brushed shoulders with top minds and leading stars for ad films, suddenly yearned for a deeper sense of purpose in her life. Stars aligned soon and her interest in visualisation, manifestation and pranic healing suddenly saw her connect with people around her in a different way and fill them with positive energy. And before she knew it she was a motivational speaker. As she puts it: “It’s like Shah Rukh Khan’s dialogue… Kisi cheez ko agar tum shiddat se chaho toh puri qayanat tumhe ussee milane mein lag jati hai. I think the universe has given me my purpose and the best thing is, it is at my pace.”
An otherwise shy and reserved person, Shivani honed her newly found skills with certificates and she is now a motivational speaker, a certified belief clearing practitioner, angel coach, law of attraction coach, pranic healer, diamond feng shui advisor and Kon Marie enthusiast. Originally from Kurseong, a soft-spoken Shivani, proud mother of two sons, who speaks with calmness and a deep sense of conviction that’s naturally contagious, tells us more about her newfound purpose in life.
Tell us about your journey from being an advertising consultant to a motivational speaker.
I have had a great career in advertising and on a personal front too I am a proud mother of two sons who are working in the US. So, as I entered my 40s I suddenly had an urge for more in life. I had been inclined towards practices like affirmation and visualisation but had never thought that this could become my purpose in life. My conviction in what I was doing grew stronger during the visa process of my son. His name featured in the third list but with a clause and all of us had given up hope but to our surprise he got the visa. The positive response got me charged and I wanted to share what I had learnt with others. So I started doing Zoom calls during the pandemic and now I have been going to different cities for talks like SpaceDelhi, FICCI Flo Indore, YFLO Ahmedabad, FICCI Flo Calcutta, CC&FC, and Rotary Clubs. Corporates are also taking interest in me and very soon I will be speaking to employees of Dell.
How has it been exploring this new dimension of your life and doing something that’s totally different from advertising, which was a creative process?
I feel it’s not very different. Both the fields are ultimately ruled by softer emotions. I am an emotional person and I feel people have a lot of facets like though Einstein was a scientist he played violin. All geniuses have a different side that balances them.
What is your style?
I am very honest, straightforward and transparent. People know that I am talking from the heart and when I share my personal experience it clicks at a personal level. For instance, I have just one active vocal chord and I need to keep drinking water to keep my throat from drying. So, I am an example of a miracle and hence I ask everyone not to just believe in miracles but expect miracles to happen. Mentally I make a few points but I don’t follow a script; I just go with the flow.
Do you conduct personal sessions as well?
Not at the moment. From Zoom calls I have graduated to physical sessions but not individual sessions.
Any session which was challenging for you?
I was extremely nervous when I started my physical sessions. I was a very shy person right from my school days so I couldn’t sleep for two nights before the session. But when I took the stage and started talking I realised that I was so natural. And then the talk went on for an hour!
What are the different modules that you practice?
I deeply believe our Indian culture has a lot to give. I think people in general are very receptive and the new generation is very intelligent, they do research and have their facts right and are open-minded. My programme is called A Journey with Gratitude and I do affirmations, visualisation, law of attraction and law of resonance, how to make and use a vision board, manifestation blocks, brain training programme, release work, water power, moon magic, wealth and richness programmes to name a few.
Is it activity based?
Some are activity based and are limited to writing things down.
Quotes that Shivani swears by
- Nobody knows enough to be a pessimist so expect miracles
- The universe is very benevolent so don’t focus on the negative
- Whenever your attention goes, your energy flows
- If you give out positivity, you will get positivity
- Make gratitude your guiding light