Carrying forward a common dream, Shalini and Divya connect over wellness and spirituality
The entire concept of wellness has caught up with a large population in India over the last decade or two. Soham Wellness Clinic started by Divya Ohri and Shalini Shetty aims to provide an individual with a holistic approach that combines, health, beauty and fitness.
Established in October 2015 and based in Gurgaon, it is not the result of a brainstorming session but a well-thought-out implementation of experience and knowledge.
A successful partnership
Shalini and Divya were neighbours and good friends. Since beauty was a passion for both they decided to create a wellness centre where individuals could look good externally but also feel beautiful from within.
Shalini hails from Delhi. She completed her graduation from Delhi University and her post graduation in finance and marketing from Bently College, US.
Not new to entrepreneurship, Shalini set up her own CRM business in 2000 and in 2006 she started an IP and file-based media processing solutions and software-defined workflow management technologies company in Gurgaon which is headquartered in Canada. She has also worked as a director for reputed organisations and has delivered pioneering solutions to digital content creation, design, analysis, consultancy, project management and planning.
Divya too is an entrepreneur and comes with over 20 years of experience in health and wellness, television and event management industries. Her first entrepreneurial venture was the launch of an event management company, Catwalk, in the US. It has been successfully operating and organising media and fashion events for more than a decade. She has also helped launch a global magazine ‘Tathaastu’.
In October 2002 Divya finished as second runner-up in the Mrs. India Contest and in 2003, she joined the largest Indian television broadcaster in the US as the host of their media show.
Divya went to the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute, New York University, New York. She also earned a degree in acting from New York Film Academy, New York and pursued Fashion Merchandising and Management at Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. She has a BA in English Literature from Delhi University and a degree in hotel management from the Institute of Hotel Management, India.
The formula behind the duo’s successful partnership is trust and mutual effort. “We both are patiently impatient and carry the same dream forward,” shares Divya.
Wellness the Soham way
The duo has adopted a holistic way rather than a component-based approach for their venture. “All our treatment methods are formulated to achieve maximum harmony, metabolic balance and total wellness to our patients. We also interact with people on Facebook and offer daily dose on wellness, nutrition, weight loss tips and lifestyle management.”
The others in this space are the Med Harbour Family Clinic, Dr.Shalini’s Diet & Wellness, The Wellness Clinic and VLCC.
Divya takes care of customer experience and satisfaction, while Shalini handles the finance and management of the firm and makes sure everything works in harmony.
Challenges
One of the challenges they face is hiring since they require specialists and highly experienced individuals.
On the personal front Shalini says one of her toughest challenges was moving to finance after a major in arts from Delhi University to a degree in finance and marketing from Bentley College, USA. “I had to start from scratch and come up to speed with the classmates who had a clear edge as they were from commerce background. I have overcome this through a lot of hard work and focus,” she shares.
Work-life balance
On the subject of work-life balance, Divya makes a good observation – “Work and life balance is like doing the right math between theory and practice. As the company grows pressure builds up too. I make a list of things to do and delegate them. This helps me create the balance. I spend quality time with my kids and travel a lot.”
On the other hand Shalini believes that organising things is the right way to balance work and life. “Many a time work asks for extra hours, thus one needs to be very efficient in prioritising the tasks. It is vital to figure out what is important and what is urgent both in work and life.”
The year ahead
The major trend Shalini sees in this sector is a greater adoption of wellness by the hospitality industry, especially resorts and hotels. According to Divya what will gain popularity is luxury-redefined wellness clinics, beauty and anti-ageing products. She adds, “People have also accepted nutritious food irrespective of its taste. This is a positive trend to appreciate.”
Divya’s understanding of wellness is, “If you are aware of making right choices for a fulfilling and healthy life, you have achieved wellness. It is crucial for higher quality of life.”
This is an exciting time for Soham and going forward the duo plan to expand their branches to other parts of Gurgaon as well and to establish themselves in the wellness space, especially among the corporates and younger people.