Interview with Ms. Vaishali Wagle | Founder | Executive Leadership Coach | CEO of Zenesse
We always strive to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this endeavour, we invited Ms. Vaishali Wagle for an exclusive interview with us. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, her background and her advice for our growing community.
Tell us a little bit about your start-up and your journey, please
Hi, I’m Vaishali Wagle Founder of Zenesse & Executive Leadership Coach to global leaders of Fortune 500 companies. I’m a keynote speaker and columnist & my weekly vlog FridayMusings serves as bite-sized learning for new-age leaders.
I founded Zenesse to coach individuals who value self-reflection and learning, and thereby improve themselves and the society.
My professional journey has been a story of 4As; the first 7 years of Adventure, the next 7 of Ambition, then 7 more of Awareness, and now I’m on to Advocacy.
10 years ago, I came across a new term called image management. My curiosity led me to find out more, and eventually i joined the learning program to become an Image Partner. This was for self-development, and through that phase I realised the answer to a question that I was searching for over 10 years.
The story goes back to 2002 when I used to work for Citibank at the Wall Street office in NY… and post an incident, I had experienced a dramatic change in people’s perception about me. I didn’t know why and kept looking for the reason for many many years, until I realised that it was my image and personal brand that people were experiencing and respresponding With this new found realisation, I decided to start my own firm, Zenesse, with the intent to spread this knowledge so that everybody could do their best and be their best… over time, I built the service offerings to include Executive Presence and Transformational Coaching.
Zenesse is a safe space to uncover your inhibitions, understand your tendencies and re-evolve to unleash your excellence. It’s also a blend of Zen and finesse, which is a participants journey to finesse in a zen like environment.
I come from a family of educators and entrepreneurs, so I guess Zenesse has been a natural harmony of education & entrepreneurship. The key driving force to start Zenesse was the belief that I could positively impact many more people through this compared to my corporate job.
My corporate experience of over 22 years has been with JPMorgan and Citigroup, across Investment Banking Technology and Leadership Development. Having lived and worked in US and UK, helped me experience cultural diversity and developed my inclusive leadership style. My coaching practice is governed by the ICF code of ethics and i practice the unique Awareness-Clarity-Choice method of transformational coaching, to help my clients find what they are seeking.
What service(s) or product(s) do you offer/manufacture?
Holistic development for Executives & Entrepreneurs through a powerful combination of Personal Branding, Executive Presence and Transformational coaching.
Why should people choose your product/services?
Zenesse is the only leading international firm which has programs designed on the core principles of image management, positive psychology & transformational coaching; which help in bringing about a change that the client is seeking.
How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?
I like to share about Zenesse through my articles, vlogs and nuggets of experiences using LinkedIn primarily and more recently Instagram.
My clients also speak about my work and have helped in spreading my business across multiple countries through sheer word-of-mouth.
I’m a member of WICCI National Coaching council, and that has helped build a beautiful network of coaches and alliances.
What risks are you facing? Did pandemic (COVID 19) affect your business? if yes how?
The pandemic has affected all of us, either positively or negatively. I remember my master coach saying that in this pandemic there is a hidden opportunity for those in the field of coaching and education… so, I’ve been able to tap a little of that opportunity simply because people are more open to online learning… the challenges have been enormous since its become increasingly difficult for sales and marketing and getting new clients.
What piece of advice would you give to college graduates who want to become entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurship is a very humbling experience… be prepared to learn, to fail fast, and to truly bring in this world the best service or product that you can….
Please share with us a unique challenge you faced in your early career?
My biggest challenge when I started Zenesse was that I was a technologist and not a trainer. So, curating content, designing programs and facilitating workshops or 1-1 sessions was not just new to me but also scary !
How did you discover your passion?With so much going on, how do you start the day to keep your passion alive?
These 3 things keep me passionate –
- Meditation and yoga to feel grounded
- Long term Vision and quarterly goals to map my path
- Family support and encouragement to dream big
We know that you are continuously engaged in helping others achieve their goals. Why do you do that?
I do that because it gives me happiness… its funny how one feels energized in the success of others.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
Its super critical for students and young professionals to unlock the code to their personal brand. It’s a powerful tool for self discovery and will help them to boost their income and impact.
Brutnow Media is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at brutnow4@gmail.com, we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
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