Modern-day “wellness” refers to holistic healthy living characterized by physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being — and the buzzy trend is gaining traction across multiple industries.
CPG corporates like PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, and Campbell, for example, have invested in and acquired a number of brands focused on healthy snacking, while personal care incumbents like P&G and Unilever have backed natural and organic beauty brands.
But wellness initiatives go far beyond the food and personal care industries. The wellness trends is affecting everything from the way gyms operate to how retailers design clothing to how smart cities are designed.
In today’s article, we look at how Dipika Trehan founded H.O.W (Health of Women) Forum, and the challenges she faced.
Who is she?
Dipika is the founder of H.O.W (Health of Women) Forum, an organisation to promote and ensure the holistic fitness and health of a woman. It is built on the three pillars of fitness, wellness, and stress management, H.O.W platform encourages women to put themselves on their own priority list. She strongly believes that the wellness of a woman directly impacts not only her household and immediate ecosystem, but also society at large.
She is a graduate from Delhi University and an MBA in HR from IMT Ghaziabad. She began her career in training and development with American Express. Having stayed abroad for close to a decade she understands the nuances of cross cultural barriers. Dipika started practicing yoga 8years ago and got certified as Patanjali Yoga instructor in Mumbai.
Before embarking on her entrepreneurial journey, Dipika worked as an HR and Training and Development professional at GE Capitals and American Express. She is also a member of the Advisory Executive Council of WEF(Women Economic Forum).
She was the recipient of the Iconic Women making the World a Better Place for All award in the Innovating for health and wellness vertical at WEF 2017.
How H.O.W started
After delivering her second child, Dipika weighed 94 kg. While the joy of motherhood knew no bounds, the nagging thought of getting back into shape was always on her mind. Despite suffering from hypothyroidism and PCOD, she began her weight loss journey which became the inspiration for founding the H.O.W. Forum.
With sheer determination and hard work, Dipika knocked off 30 kg in 36 months. During this period she came to realise that there is much more to fitness and wellness than just losing weight.
“What’s really important is the way one feels about oneself. Self-acceptance and loving oneself leads to a feeling of self-worth and a disciplined lifestyle,” she says.
The H.O.W. Forum was born out of this very idea.
Dipika wanted to create a platform for women that enabled holistic wellness of women and encouraged them to put themselves on their own priority list.
Her advice: “The best project you will ever work on is YOU!”
H.O.W
The forum is about her journey from a young girl to a woman to a mother to finally ‘Finding HERSELF’. A story of self-belief, falling, rising, realising and making her dream come true of being Physically-Emotionally and Spiritually FIT. The H.O.W. Forum is a community in the making to promote and ensure the holistic health and fitness of a Woman. Our Motto: “Making a Woman fall in love again… This time with HERSELF!”
Challenges she faced
Dipika’s path to success has not been without challenges. As a working mother of two, with a much travelling husband, and no support system, she often relied on friends to lend her a helping hand.
“When the going gets tough I just look back at the path I’ve traveled, where I’ve reached, and the gorgeous destination ahead. It takes away the impact of setbacks, picks me up and gets me going right back to that path that I chose for myself!” she says.
As a woman entrepreneur, she feels that women embrace entrepreneurship inherently as multitasking is imprinted in a woman’s DNA.
If you would like to know more about how to maximize one’s mental, physical and holistic health, do join us in our next “Let’s Talk Health” event on 26 June.
For more information, visit our event page @ https://herhealth.peatix.com/
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