Ms. Kanchan Rai, Mental & Emotional Wellbeing Coach, Founder – Let Us Talk

Ms. Kanchan Rai, Woman Entrepreneur, Founder – Let Us Talk

This is the interview of Ms. Kanchan Rai, Woman Entrepreneur, Mental & Emotional Wellbeing Coach, Founder – Let Us Talk.

Tell us a little about yourself

Kanchan Rai: My foray into counseling can be traced back to the time when I lost one of my close family members. In the midst of dealing with this personal loss I decided to fly overseas to pursue a course in authentic leadership which exposed me to the highly significant yet often side-lined topic of mental health.

The belief that seeking professional help should be prioritized, inspired me to conceptualize Let Us Talk Foundation to enable people with a reliable source to let their emotions flow out.

I am an Alumni of Harvard Business School and have done a specialization in authentic leadership development. I have also been accredited as a globally certified coach from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). At the organization I play multiple roles as a therapist, coach and speaker. 

How did you get your idea or concept for the business?

Kanchan Rai: Although a challenging ride, I feel, therapy is a journey of courage with an ability to form a reassuring and a mutually respectful relationship with clients. I wanted to be a reliable source and a guiding force for my clients.

My true calling to bring in this concept came when I was pursuing a course in authentic leadership. It thought me that mind health needs to be equally nurtured just like physical health.

This was like a wake-up call for me to create more consciousness around this space. Hence, I started Let Us Talk to enable people with a dependable source to flow their emotions out. Alongside being a guiding force for my clients my aim is to lend mental health all the awareness it deserves.

What services or products do you offer?

Kanchan Rai: Let Us Talk Foundation follows a wide-ranging approach that focuses on human-centred and compassion-based approaches to maintain a sound mind health.

The organization’s two-way engagement platforms facilitate my clients to break through the unseen layers that mask their weaknesses and embrace their anxieties with courage.

What is unique about your business?

Kanchan Rai: As individuals, we often tend to embody ourselves as a spectrum of those surrounding us. We hide our inmost desertion, embarrassment, helplessness and loneliness with a few façades to camouflage our true self.

Let Us Talk Foundation’s, compassion-based methodologies and collaborative engagement platforms help in creating a secure space for individuals to breakout of these veneers and embrace themselves for who they are.

We encourage our clients to identify their unique strengths and empower them to take forward their journey. This approach facilitates them to open up and discover themselves.

What made you choose this type of business?

Kanchan Rai: I am a firm believer of the fact that our mind well-being is at the heart of how we function. Although there is a lot spoken about mental health, this space still lacks the attention and awareness it deserves.

It is time, emotional health needs to stop being the elephant in the room because it is as significant as is physical health. I choose this career due to my belief that society must overcome the stigma and embrace inclusivity of every individual even the ones with mental illness.

I feel by being more vocal about our emotional illness, we as a society can certainly reveal the untrue notions that have long been troubling this topic.

What was your mission at the outset?

Kanchan Rai: I thought of embracing the path of counselling to help people prioritize on their mind health. Hence, I conceptualized Let Us Talk Foundation in order to enable conversations around mental illness to significantly open up. With a mission to mindfully heal people, our aim is to standardize therapy as a way of life. 

How many employees do you have in your organization? 

Kanchan Rai: We are a dedicated team of 20 professionals coming from diverse backgrounds with each one having embraced their past to surface as the determined and authentic individuals they are today. 

What are your company goals?

Kanchan Rai: Receiving guidance for one’s emotional state of mind still continues to be a neglected topic. Hence Let Us Talk, is on a mission to normalize therapy as a way of life.

The organization believes that each one of us deserves to hold on to and celebrate our uniqueness, without disgrace or fear.

The organization’s collaborative engagement platforms enable users to dive deep within and resolve their anxiety and past resentments. 

How did you build a successful customer base?

Since mind health is still considered to be an afterthought, I started off with a limited base of clients.

Today my clientele has diversified and I have clients from various backgrounds coming to seek guidance from me.

This makes me really satisfied as an emotional coach. Till today, there has never been a single day that I regretted being in this profession, instead choosing a topic which has long been considered a taboo is in itself an achievement for me. 

What have been some of your failures and what have u learnt from them?

Kanchan Rai: Failures are a stepping stone towards success. Failing at something is an indication that know you are not perfect and that there is room for improvement.

An unsuccessful attempt enables you to dig deeper and instead reach new understandings. The key to achieving success is by developing new strategies to push through the current obstacles and finding new ways to approach old challenges.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Kanchan Rai: The most inspiring personalities in my life, would be my parents, my husband and children. My mother inspires me in many ways than one and her confidence in me has always helped me excel in whatever I do.

She has been a guiding force through thick and thin. My husband and children have always been a solid support system who have thought me that developing a never-give-up attitude is the key to success. 

What are some of the biggest mistakes you have made?

Kanchan Rai: Performing mistakes can help to embrace your learning process. It is ok to commit mistakes what is more important is how you learn from your errors and extemporize yourself.

If you had one piece of advice to someone who is just starting out, what would it be?

Kanchan Rai: Someone who has just stepped into the field of emotional counselling must first and foremost encourage clients to give the past the respect it deserves and let it go, and simultaneously empower them to embrace life’s new narratives.

Does your company help the community or society? 

Yes, the organization is into community services and CSR activities. During the lock down, we conducted a program with Delhi Police for rehabilitating the children in juvenile.

We have also tied up with an NGO to provide them training, enabling them to be self-dependent.

This whole initiative is known as Project Paras and I was the one who was leading the whole program by providing mentor ship.