Pooja Kharbanda — empire coven

AGE || 41

COMPANY NAME || nadii

JOB TITLE || Founder

YEARS LIVING IN NEW YORK || 20

SOCIAL HANDLES || @Nadii_wellness

COMPANY WEBSITE || nadii

How did your background lead you to starting Nadii?

I was born in Indian and lived there for one year. Then because of my dad’s job we moved to Hong Kong and lived there for 10 years. Then we moved to Panama and that’s where I had my junior high, high school, and first two years of college. We would frequent India pretty much every year. My parents were always very spiritual but not really temple goers, so that was my background in spirituality. I learned a lot of the mantras and Sanskrit when I was around three-year-old. I wasn’t really into what we call meditation, I knew the mantras, but I wouldn’t call myself spiritual through college. I moved to the states to finish my last two years of college. I went to Florida State and graduated in finance because my dad being a banker and Indian wanted me to do something that was more practical. Then I moved to New York and I worked in technology at a bank for about ten years.

Where did your connection to meditation come from?

I had been dating my ex-husband for about eight years and when we formed a tech company. So I was already very business savvy. We got married and the universe was telling me not to do it they even locked up my wedding outfit. I was like, no I’m going to make this happen. I was that typical New York woman that thought she could control everything. Long story short that marriage lasted about not even a year and it was very traumatic for me. Not only was there betrayal but he had a child out of wedlock. It was a lot of trauma in that one week. My mom got diagnosed with very severe mouth cancer in the same week. So, I didn’t open up about my separation because I didn’t want to take precedence over the cancer that would leave her on a feeding tube for life. That was another trauma because I couldn’t share what was happening.

At the time a lot of the Indian community, I wouldn’t say all of them stopped talking to me overnight because they thought that divorce was contagious. I was really surprised by that. At that time my mom was done with her radiation and she came home from the hospital. I ended up telling them what had happened. The took me to an Indian teacher of spirituality and he taught me meditation. True meditation. It was transcendental meditation based off of mantras. I was the last person to be able to sit for like 20 minutes in one spot.

How did you tackle these obstacles in such a turbulent time?

It was kind of coming full circle because my name means to meditate. My anxiety and depression were severely minimized. At that point I had started an apparel company and it was perfect at the time because what I didn’t realize was that the mantra meditation had helped but I still had PTSD. I was not vocal. I went from being a very social person to being like don’t talk to me. That lasted for quite some time because I was avoiding what I was going through.

About four years ago there were a lot of spiritual podcasts coming out of LA. I started taping into that and I realized they were just like me, Modern woman talking about meditation and yoga and all the holistic stuff that has helped them heal. So, I started going for Reiki and these various practices and I noticed it help me. I stared to see the transition and my friends were seeing my transition. Last year my nurse that was giving me my shots was pregnant through IVF and she had a scare and she wanted to ask me how to meditate. Things like that were coming up a lot where I was telling friends and even acquaintances how great meditation and yoga are and so on. With last year and turning 40, I really need to bring this to more women and especially women in New York. A lot of these services are so expensive so I wanted to start educating them about the different practices there are.

So late last year I launched my brand. The mission is to be able to support women’s mental health through meditation and mindfulness practices. We created it for the modern woman because we have modern day choices and we’re bringing together a community of holistic services that have been taken cultures like India and certain Spanish cultures. We really formed it into something a girl from the states can relate to.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned since starting your company?

The physical connection with people.

It’s just unbelievable when we share our stories how empowered the person telling their story is and how empowered the person listening becomes. It could be anything from my divorce to someone having anxiety at work through a coworker. I’ve just seen these stories that I think we tend to move away from. With so much social media and technology that actual human connection was being lost so I felt that was a huge take away.

How did you make the decision to commit fully to making this your next phase and beginning Nadii?

I feel that actually a lot of people do this. But I feel that when you give space in your life that the universe gives you signals and you start to recognize them and the universe signals you if you are on the right path or if you’re not on the right path and so that was one of the key components. I just knew that this was the direction that I want to go to but also [cared about] the accessibility. There are so many women that are interested in this but there isn’t really a modern approach to it. They feel that it’s either too expensive or the format is a little to hippie. What I wanted to do was bring an honoring approach to it.

Which women inspire you?

Mindy Kaling in all aspects. Greta Thunberg, Arianna Huffington, and Maria Shriver.

How do you define success?

I define success when you are fulfilled. For me, when I can see that I am inspiring others.

How do you balance running Nadii and your other work? How do you pick which areas to focus on and grow for Nadii?

I have actually moved away from what you would call the spreadsheet plan. I am always listening and tuning in and using my intuition to guide me. What is interesting is that the more spiritual or the more in a meditative state I’ve become over the years the more I can really tap in and understand things that come up. So, for instance when I actually started thinking about Nadii I would think beyond an online community, but I gave it space and I gave myself space for things to come up and one of the things that came up were actually in person community events. Then that lead me to the next level and doing a chain of events.

What is your creative process when you’re really taking that time to dive in and figure out what you want to do next?

I’m a manifest generator so that combined with my astrology and my meditation. I really know how to tap in and the past six months I have never meditated so much. I always meditate at least 25 minutes a day but really tapping into my intuition again and giving myself time. Giving myself space alone, that’s the way I let things come up or I formulate or create.

What kind of experiences have you had with this brand in terms of people’s support?

Certain people have kept their distance but a lot of women from the Indian community have come up asking me for support. It’s been really great. When I was going through my divorce I myself had shadow around it, so you know it’s been great to see these women come up and there have been men supporting it. I’ve seen that outreach.

What advice would you give to other women trying to make a difference in their field?

The younger me never understood this but you have to be authentic. You have to be true yourself, but you have to deeply go inside. Understand what authenticity means and it could be a blend of numerous things. But really understanding authenticity and that authenticity voice is where people are going to relate with you.

What advice would you give to women that might need support with their mental health but may not find it financially viable to seek out cost resources?

We’re pre-launch but what we’re going to do is bring these services, so they are accessible from a cost and time perspective. Right now, we’re doing it through our community events and they’re either free or they’re $45 depending on what session it is. Mainly just coming to those events and being able to talk to the practitioners and talk to myself or other people in the community. That’s the first step and even just from that first step you’re going to feel so much of a difference.

What are some of your goals moving forward?

To continue opening up the conversation on mental health and specific issues that effect our mental health. Whether it’s fertility or anxiety at work or PCOS. Just really opening up that awareness. Not only being able to talk about it but also enjoying the process and feeling that the person is not alone in what they’re feeling.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.