Hey!

I’m Sonali.

“I believe in the power of coaching, ‘no excuses’ and taking a ‘no bullsh*t’ approach to nurture our personal brand, network and wellness.”

As the Founder of No Excuses and Global Brand Ambassador of  F.I.R.E, global training organization at the forefront of the new era of Firewalking, I wield 25+ years of corporate experience, most recently as a Partner with Deloitte, world’s largest Professional Services Firm to my leadership and coaching roles.

My life’s theory? To make no excuses and work towards becoming the best version of myself every single day – and to help others become their best selves, too.

During my career, I’ve learned from and teamed with the best – most notably with GE, Dell and most recently as a Partner with Deloitte in Australia. My experience has mostly been in client-facing roles, building close relationships with senior CEOs and their leadership teams to solve their most complex problems. Clients I have proudly served include: American Express, British Telecom, Cargill, Citibank, Cochlear, DuPont, GE, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever and Walmart.

 

 

What makes me, me.

Born in Delhi, I have travelled to 33 countries and am now a proud Australian citizen. I live in Melbourne with my husband Vivek and our sons Atharva and Rex (Saint Bernard). Coming from a middle-class family, becoming financially independent at the age of eighteen and striving to reach the top of corporate ladder have made me both resilient and confident. During my career I have navigated all possible ups and downs and made deliberate life choices to live a life that is well-balanced and fulfilling.

A life-changing event can alter our perspectives and priorities. For me, it was a car crash in 2011 that made me question the constant hustle and bustle of daily life. Same year, a trek through Nubra Valley and crossing Lasermo La Glacier (5400m) in Ladakh (India) gave me the opportunity to disconnect from technology and connect with my own self. As I hiked through the breathtaking mountain desert, I realized the importance of nurturing ourselves and found my grounding through yoga. Today, I prioritize starting my day with a workout, my fitness regime is a mix of Yoga, Reformer Pilates, and Barre. Melbourne is surrounded by beautiful parks and beaches so regular walks are a must during dog walks or just catching up with friends.

I also love the thrill of adventure sports. Think scuba diving, sky diving, bungy jumping, swimming in coyotes, mountain trail biking and hiking across high altitude glaciers, world famous frozen river trek. I say YES to almost anything that I haven’t done before!

People who know me describe me as confident and authentic with a ‘can do’ attitude – I always see the best in myself and those I am working with. It’s become my second habit to always tell it like it is. No excuses, remember?

Three lessons I’ve learned that will benefit you.

‘Become a Partner with Deloitte.’

In 2008, I scribbled these very words on my vision board. At the time, I was working in middle management, leading the National Talent, Diversity and Community programs for more than 10,000 of Deloitte’s employees located in India’s growing offshore delivery centre. I knew that becoming a Partner for one of the Big 4 professional services firms was going to be very challenging given my internal-facing role at the time. Some would even say unrealistic! I also didn’t have a clear roadmap on how to make my goal a reality …

  • Did I doubt myself? Yes!
  • Did it stop me? No.
  • Did I face roadblocks? So many …
  • Did I succeed? Of course, yes!

So, what did I do? I reflected on my personal journey and realised that the below three success factors – life lessons, if you like – stood out:

First,
fearlessly be my best self

I considered the life choices I had made that truly gave me the peace of mind to be fearless, never make excuses and be myself. Most of us undermine the importance of having peace, love, health and happiness at home – but it’s the most important thing we should all strive towards
I have a 100% track record of being non-judgmental, kind and authentic in every interaction with my stakeholders. I make no excuses, deeply invest in my clients and always tell it like it is to deliver the best outcomes. My mantra is ‘I will not waste your time, and please don’t waste mine’ – and it has served me well

Second,
build my personal brand

Third,
nurture my global network

It didn’t matter how much I knew, but who I knew. This is where my superpower came in – my global network – which I could lean on to solve both client and personal matters. Most of us don’t even use this superpower, but it has made me unstoppable. I kept nurturing my network, day after day, year after year, breaking global boundaries to never give up, deliver exceptional results and achieve new milestones.

Having fulfilled my ambition to become a Partner, I reached the point where I asked myself ‘What’s going to be my next big challenge?’. That’s when the electrifying vision struck me: Fortify Brand India by creating a global network of Indian-origin CEOs and Executives to amplify their leadership influence across the global business landscape.” As Ekhart Tolle said,” If not now, when?”

I realised that I have a lot to offer others – and am passionate about sharing my life lessons so anyone can reach their full potential – no matter where they are in their journey. I thrive on helping established and emerging leaders transform their life, personal brand and global network – just like I have done.