[100 Emerging Women Leaders] Sahiba Singh Dhupar wants to rewrite the way we see self-positivity

Sahiba Singh Dhupar is a vocal proponent of creating a good personality. As a personality and body positivity coach, she feels there is unnecessary noise in society that being good will lead to exploitation.

“I want to rewrite history and make future generations believe in being a good person. Because at the end of the day, what matters is how you make others feel in your presence,” Sahiba tells HerStory. She is the Head of Training and Development at GenLeap—a self-discovery and career lifecycle management platform.

Sahiba’s journey as a personality coach began when she was struck with an epiphany — that she did not have an ambition in life.

“I was never a career or goal-oriented person. I just wanted a job that sustained me. After landing a job as an HR in a big company, I was married off at the age of 23, because in India, if a girl doesn’t have a set career path, she is better off married,” she recalls.

However, she felt that without ambition, she was restless and unsatisfied. Around the same time, she got introduced to a Canadian training company that helped people improve their personalities and lifestyles. Sahiba joined the company as a personality coach, and from then on, there was no looking back for her. 

“For the first time, I realised the true meaning of job satisfaction. I found my true calling as a personality coach. It has liberated me and honed me into a better person,” she says.

Lifestyle and personality coaching requires a mature and nurturing person. Sahiba says this is the very reason why we see more female lifestyle coaches than their male counterparts.

“However, I feel this is a fault of our societal conditioning. We need to understand that men and women might be wired differently in terms of physical attributes, but things that come naturally to women like care and nurturing behaviour, are because of our conditioning. If we condition our men and women equally, I would not say that there are more women than men in my line of profession, 20 years later,” she adds.

Sahiba recalls that besides facing gender biases, she also had to overcome biases related to her appearance. As a personality coach, she also helps people manage their images and appearances. However, nobody expects a plus-size woman to be an appearance consultant. 

Sahiba says, “I want to point out how people are conditioned to see the word ‘fat’ as a vile way to describe a woman. But, just like the word ‘thin’, ‘fat’ is also an adjective. And I am not ashamed of saying that I am fat because that is the truth.” 

At the age of 16, when she was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, Sahiba’s body took a heavy toll. She was dependent on steroids and medications for almost a year. Having gone through a dark phase, Sahiba learnt to be more kind towards herself.

“I had a lot of faith and confidence in my abilities and skillset, which helped me cope with all the body shaming that came my way. I always believe that I am a beautiful human being, and that’s all that matters,” she adds. 

Sahiba wants to continue learning and growing in the future while helping others become better versions of themselves. 

Advising women leaders, Sahiba says, “The only thing that defines you is your self-image, and it is the only thing that will push you forward. The key to our happiness and success is not relying on external validation.”