Meet Raina Gandhi

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Raina Gandhi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Raina below.

Raina, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

My strong work ethic stems from two things. First, my immigrant parents led by example and taught me about the importance of discipline, determination, and resilience. They navigated life in the US with courage and optimism, taking risks, and gracefully managing setbacks. They also provided me with emotional security which helped to build my confidence in both myself and my work. The many relatives living with us at different stages of my childhood taught me about the importance of showing up for my family, how to share my space, and how to communicate with others not only in different languages but also with very different mindsets.

The second biggest influence on my work ethic was my first full-time job out of college as an investment banking analyst. I worked in a small group that was top heavy so I learned to navigate a certain chain of command and present myself professionally while working directly with my managing directors and c-suite clients. I honed my analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills by synthesizing and presenting vast amounts of information to various stakeholders. The high pressure environment and tight deadlines required strong attention to detail, teamwork, and accountability, all of which has continued to drive my work ethic.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a solopreneur who helps women who feel stuck in their careers to overcome their limiting beliefs so they can feel respected and valued, and get paid what they’re worth. Growing up as a first-generation American, I had a lot of conflicting messages about what it means to be successful in my career and in life and it took me a long time to change my self-concept and begin to thrive.

Women face many structural barriers that prevent them from moving forward at work, so many either stay stuck or drop out of the workforce. This results in fewer women in leadership roles, which then perpetuates the structural barriers we continue to bump up against. My coaching is specifically geared towards women – we go deep quickly because we are willing to do the work. Once my clients learn how to reframe their negative self-talk and better advocate for themselves, they are unstoppable!

My goal is to help women feel fulfilled in their careers and then lift up other women to do the same. When we show up to the proverbial table as the only female in the group, we tend to bring our masculine energy so that we fit in with the rest of the team. This means organizations miss out on our unique perspectives, empathetic approach, and strong listening skills. This also means we burn out quicker because we are showing up to blend in rather than be ourselves. Nobody wins.

Once we have more women in leadership positions, we will be able to tackle more of the structural barriers including not competing against each other for that one coveted seat and we will show up as our authentic selves!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Curiosity has played a big role in my journey because thinking critically and wanting to know more has allowed me to ask the right questions and find solutions where others might see problems.

Surrounding myself with positive “lifters” over the last few years has had a tremendous positive impact on my morale and mental health. As an optimist with a happy disposition, I show up with a lot of energy and a big smile. Working in a toxic environment really impacted my energy. But I bounced back, know my worth, and have a much better sense of what I’m willing to tolerate.

Codifying what I (don’t) want in life has really helped me hone in on my personal and professional goals. Knowing myself well, doing the work to dig deep and understand what motivates me and brings me joy has translated into waking up every morning excited to start my day and get to work.

My advice is to take the time to REALLY understand what’s important to you. Your priorities will continue to change as you navigate different stages of your life, so focus on what makes you happy now. If you focus now on what will make you happy in 15 years, by the time you get there you might discover you’ve changed your mind. As life happens, our interests continue to change and evolve along the way.

How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal client is a professional woman who wants to progress in her career but feels stuck. She is willing to do the work to make a transformational change that will cause a shift at the core level of her self-concept and through which she will create new mindsets and expectations. She is someone who wants to understand what is holding her back on an internal level and learn how to break free from it. She wants to feel empowered to have the courage and self-belief to step into a growth mindset and create a different outcome for herself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.risingtideconsultingllc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rising.tide.consulting/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rainabgandhi/