[WATCH] I am a changemaker, not a victim; I write my own story

Every woman’s success story is phenomenal. As poet-author Maya Angelou puts it succinctly, “I am a woman, phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that’s me.”

HerStory has been chronicling the success of women from India and across the globe, bringing to the forefront stories of failure, hope, determination, grit, and their fight against all odds.

Each of these stories is special because they are deeply personal. They tug at the heart-strings, they make us cry and they also make us proud. They are both revelations and insights – of lives lived under niggling self-doubt and extremely mitigating circumstances to rise to the top in whatever they choose to do.

Watch this video featuring 10 phenomenal women and their life-changing stories. 

These are but drops from our ocean of stories of incredible women we have featured over the years. 

Say hello to Vandana Shah. She was thrown out of her house at 2 am with only Rs 750 in her pocket and nowhere to go. She became a divorce lawyer in her 30s and now helps other women get justice. 

Deepa Aathreya sold balloons and told stories on a Chennai beach to make money after she went bankrupt. She scripted her own success story with her School of Success, which she started to teach young people the value of perseverance.

Techie Samyuktha Vijayan is helping other transgender people like her by employing them at her boutique Toute Studio. She was recently recruited by Swiggy as Principal Program Manager and also became the first transgender employee in the company.

Then there’s Arulmozhi Saravanan who pawned her jewellery for Rs 40,000 to start an office supplies company. She was also mentioned by PM Narendra Modi on his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio show.

Or Shanmuga Priya who is earning millions by selling sarees through WhatsApp.

These and other stories exemplify that the only limits are those we place on ourselves. 

And we can choose to be either victims or change makers.  

We are asking you. Are you a change maker (or know anyone) who has overcome the odds to make an impact in your field of work? Have you gone the extra mile to make a difference?

If you have, we’d love to hear your personal story of change. We’ll tell it like it is so that others learn from your life and turn theirs around.

You can share your stories here.

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