← The Spiritual Hustler
The Spiritual Hustler
Accepting Your “Suck” and Watching Just How High You Can Bounce Back with Dr. Neeta Bhushan
01:01:36
Loading summary
Transcript140 lines
- [00:02]
Jessica Zweig
Welcome to the Spiritual Hustler podcast. I'm your host, Jessica Zweig, multi seven figure serial entrepreneur, best selling author and branding and business coach. And this is a show where we are redefining the word hustle. Reclaiming our true feminine nature of magnetism and putting down the self judgments and shame around loving to work and making a lot of money at it. On this show, you're going to learn how to stop hustling and start spiritually hustling. By pressing play, you are now part of a new movement of women who don't hustle for money. We hustle for meaning. We don't hustle from lack. We hustle for love. We don't hustle from survival. We hustle for humanity's thriving. We hustle toward healing the ancestral programming of fear and step into a new understanding of safety in the body to receive this shift isn't going to only heal your life, it's going to make you a whole lot richer too. This is the Spiritual Hustler podcast. Well, hello my beautiful spiritual Hustlers and welcome back to the podcast. I hope that wherever you are listening to this, this is coming at you smack dab in the middle of the holiday season. At least if you're listening to this in real time. And this is always such a complex time for so many of us. We are finishing the end of the year. We're gearing up for maybe extra time with family. Maybe you, like me, are hitting the downshift, is what I'm calling it December, where things actually slow down and you have a lot more space or maybe things are just absolutely insane for you. But I hope that no matter what, you take some time this month to just really take in and reflect all of your expansion this year. No matter how good or challenging and illuminating or incredible 2024 has been for you, and I often believe that it's usually all of those things. And many things can be true at once. That's a phrase I learned years ago. And I, I really gotta say, it changed my life to say to myself many things could be true at once. I can be deeply grateful and deeply sad. I can be deeply in love with my life and deeply longing for more. I can be deeply exhausted and inspired. Right? So just taking in these last, gosh, almost 12 months and giving yourself just a big squeeze because you did it, you did it. You grew, you expanded, you learned, you found parts of yourself that you didn't have in 2023 or 22 or five years ago, 10 years ago. We are in a Constant state of evolution and expansion at all times. That's a universal law and that includes you in your life as much as anything. And I just am personally embracing all of that as I am going through. Yeah, a pivot point in a personal and professional way. And many things can be true at once. Speaking of being many things and evolving and expanding and finding more and more of the truth of who we are really meant to be, especially as women on this planet at this time, especially as female entrepreneurs, I have created something exclusive and absolutely free for all of you. It is called the CEO Feminine Flow Experience. And it's an hour with me, plus a whole handful of worksheets and templates and tools to really set you up to scale your business, to earn more revenue, to get into fuller alignment with your purpose in a feminine vibration, which really is. I have so much to say about this and we'll probably do many episodes on what's happening next year in 2025 when it comes to the Feminine Rising. But this is a five stage experience where I take you through an identity unlock where to shift your focus so that you have the most ROI on your time and frankly, profitability. I gave you a whole new roadmap on how to structure not just your business, but your life. How to create better boundaries. And that's a word that I use very intentionally. I, I don't always love to use that word. I give you a whole new reframe on establishing just better systems and structure in a holy capacity. I have shared with you my incredible 10 by 10 framework so that you can manage your time differently. We often hear you should be on your business, not in your business. That's the real sweet spot. It's like, well, what does that even really mean and how do we get there for real, starting right now? So this is, like I said, totally free. It's called the CEO Feminine Flow Experience. It's some of the best teaching education I've ever created and it's totally free. And I'm going to leave a link to go get it in the show notes. So enjoy these five stages of the CEO Feminine Flow Experience. Come find me on Instagram, leave me a dm, let me know what you're working with, how it's working for you, what shifts you're seeing happening right away. Because this is going to be an instant quantum change in, like I said, the way you see yourself, the way you move through the world, the way you grow your wealth and create more time to enjoy your life. That's the whole point, right so let me know. Come find me on the dms. It's really me in there, if you ever want to know. DMs are my happy place. I don't have my team manage those parts of my platform. For me, it is me in my Instagram. And I really love Instagram.
- [06:12]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
I do.
- [06:12]
Jessica Zweig
I think it's such a beautiful portal to truly connect and to create community and to connect one to one. Personally, with all of you, I often leave voice notes. I try to respond to everybody. I take it seriously. My community, you're not just a number to me, you're a real beating heart. And it is my highest intention to show up for all of you, the best that I can, given the craziness of schedules in life. But it is really an intention of mine and a priority. So would love to know how you're flowing with the CEO feminine flow experience. All right. Speaking of the challenges of life, speaking of having things maybe happen to us that we weren't expecting, and how to maintain our flow, yes, with it all, but how to really embrace the suck and to use it to find more of our power. You know, I have a whole chapter in my new book, the Light Work, on Radical Responsibility. It's chapter four, called Power Claiming Radical Responsibility. And I've talked about this on the show before, but that is really when we look at the. The space of personal growth and growing our consciousness and becoming more embodied in our power and our authenticity. The real Flex is tapping out of any sort of victim consciousness and claiming our assignment and ability, I should say, to choose how we respond. Life is not happening to us. It is happening by us. It is happening through us. It is happening as us. And everything, no matter how good or bad or expected or unexpected, is all part of the curriculum. And that is not to spiritually bypass anything and to say, oh, everything happens for a reason. It's. It's really to say, what is this here to teach me? What is this here to show me? How can I surrender more deeply to life? And that choice point is what I call our activation into our true message for the world. Because our message, yes, we've heard, comes from our mess, but our message is our medicine. And we can't serve our medicine and have an impact and create a life of our dreams unless we're willing to take the medicine first, to be willing to swallow the hard, the suck, the pain, really, because in that pain is our expansion. When we really lean into grief and sorrow and shadow, we have more capacity for the magic. That's really what it's all about this adventure called life. And not just the adventure called life, but the adventure called the dance with life. And there is no one that comes to mind more clearly when I think about the bravery that this truly takes. To dance with life, to surrender to life, to embrace life, to bounce back from life's suck. Then My guest today, Dr. Neetha Bhushan, she and I go way back. We're going to talk about our history as friends on the podcast today. But she is one of a kind speaker, teacher, lightworker, spiritual hustler. And she's come on my podcast today to tell her story of overcoming some of what I would consider to be life's most challenging obstacles and how she has paved a path for others to really find their own courage and honestly their own style in creating a one of a kind life. Career, marriage, family, lifestyle. She is a former cosmetic dentist turned bestselling author, an international educator, a speaker and investor, an emotional health advocate and a serial entrepreneur. She's host of the podcast the Brave Table. She founded the Global Grit Institute. She co founded the Dharma Coaching Institute with Sahara Rose. She's the co founder of the School of Woman and author of the best selling book emotional eight steps to master your emotions and author of her new book that sucked. Now what? And she's going to talk about the inspiration behind her new book and really her entire platform. And there is really just no one like Neitha. She's a real activator, an example of what's possible when we don't allow ourselves to become a victim to our lives. But a true co creator with life and the responsibility and what happens when we claim radical responsibility for our lives and just how truly limitless we can be and how magical our life can look and feel when we embrace the suck and bounce back with so much personal empowerment. So without further ado, here is my amazing conversation with the incredible Dr. Neeta Bhushan.
- [11:40]
Co-Host
Oh my gosh. Neetha Bhushan, my sister from another lifetime ago.
- [11:45]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Oh my gosh.
- [11:46]
Co-Host
Seriously, thank you for being here on the Spiritual House of podcast.
- [11:49]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
I am, I'm so excited. I feel like this is, yeah, I.
- [11:52]
Co-Host
Think it's going to spend the whole conversation just catching up on life and people can listen in, I think. So I, I, my first question for which I ask every single guest, which is what are you spiritually hustling for right now?
- [12:06]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
I think right now just inner peace, like inner calm amongst a lot of the noise. A lot of the to do is a lot of the what ifs a lot of the kind of uncertainty like that is present right now, like, outwardly and maybe globally, but also kind of that old mirror and reflection of, like, motherhood and, you know, all things end of year and just what I'm expanding into next. But I think. I think it comes with that inner calm, because sometimes things can be so outwardly noisy.
- [12:48]
Co-Host
I want to talk about what you're expanding into next, but first, let's go back.
- [12:51]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Yes, let's go back.
- [12:53]
Co-Host
I met you. I met you not too long after you had left dentistry.
- [12:58]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Woo. I think. Yeah. Right in the rows of it. Or like, we were both kind of, like, we gravitated towards each other because we were like, oh, we kind of don't fit the narrative of scene.
- [13:10]
Co-Host
And we were like, totally. We didn't. We were, like, figuring out what really was in alignment, like, in real time. And then we found each other.
- [13:18]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Oh, I see you. I see you. We don't know what we're doing, but we know we're doing something here in Chicago. Yeah, exactly. That was fun.
- [13:25]
Co-Host
Take us back to that inflection point. Because, I mean, what you have built and your coaching business and your beautiful podcast and your book, but, like, it's been a journey for you in.
- [13:34]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
A journey. Yeah. You know, so it's easy because dentistry was like, all right, you just get the grades, you do the thing, you graduate, and then it's like, okay, you can work for somebody where you do your own thing. And so that was kind of my natural hustling abilities back then. And so once I started to step out into kind of like starting from ground zero, I'm like, okay, wow. I know business building, but I don't really understand, like, the. Where I'm at personally. And I had to confront a lot of different shadows and a lot of, you know, I'd also left a marriage, too, at that point. And so my soul was being barren in many ways for the first time. And I think I hid a lot under the guise of what I was really good at, which was business building in the traditional sense.
- [14:37]
Co-Host
Yeah.
- [14:37]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
And this was completely different because it was kind of, you know, all the boxes were open. Yeah. And I know you talk a lot about chakras and for, you know, vata energy, because I was totally in my head and totally in my, like, all right, I have, like, a thousand ideas that I can execute now because I have a blank canvas. And, you know, the. The biggest one for me was, okay, I think this is time. Like, I have space. People have always told me to Write a book, and maybe. Maybe I'll go ahead and explore that. And so on that journey or that road to becoming an author, I had to, you know, confront all of the shadows around that.
- [15:23]
Co-Host
Writing a book is like, colonic for your soul. Like, you go. You go so deep.
- [15:28]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
You go deep into the areas where you're like, oh, okay. Oh, there's perfectionism. Oh, there's imposter. Oh, hi. You know, not good enough, not worthy. I see you back there. And so all of these different mounds and different mountaintops are kind of there for you to, like, jump over and keep jumping over. And so. So that was kind of. That first iteration for me is. Is kind of going through those loops, because the modeling that I had before that was get good grades, be the top of the. You know, be the star of your class, be the first one or one of the first females to get your own pract. Like, be with one with the guys who play golf when you don't really like the sport, but that's just what you have to do. So it was kind of a lot of that. And then when you're writing a book, it's kind of like, oh, oh, shit. Yeah. No, you're not comparing yourself to anyone else, because you're the one that's doing this. You're the one that's forging this new path that really hasn't been done before, and what's kind of the outcome? So then, you know, this. This kind of whole new canvas can take several different shapes. Yes. And. And, yeah. Did I struggle a lot? Oh, yeah, because I was also, you know, I think for the very first time, I had to also heal what I had in terms of, like, relationship patterning, which was, for me, overlap relationships ever since I was in high school. And so there was a lot of things simultaneously happening all at the same time. And while, you know, I'm trying to build this new identity for myself. And so, you know, needless to say, there was a lot of that sucked now. What moments, you know, alluding to now my latest book, but definitely many dark nights of the soul, for sure. In that process.
- [17:33]
Co-Host
You know, what really strikes me about you? I mean, I love you on many levels, but you really have such a positive, effervescent spirit despite a lot of things that have sucked for you. And you talk a lot about emotional grit you had. And I. I would love for you to share with my audience, you know, what happened when you were younger with your. With your family, because I just think being in your energy, and I know they're going to listen to your energy and watch this. It's amazing the way you show up for life given. Given what sucked.
- [18:12]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Yeah. So I feel like going all the way back, you know, what kind of transpired. My biggest dark night of the soul, which was kind of recognizing that, you know, dentistry wasn't the path for me anymore. And my full on relationship that I was in had kind of the big fat Indian wedding, you know, that wasn't the thing for me anymore. So a lot of those things that started to unravel really took me to those dark places. And those dark places, I thought that, you know, accolades, achievement, and all of those things would just hide all of the shadow that I had buried in a closet for many, many years. And so it took me back to my childhood, you know, growing in Chicago. And I had to grow up early. You know, at 10 years old, I became a caretaker to my mom who was diagnosed with breast cancer. And then over the course of. So this is during my adolescent years, during the prime, you know, between 19 or between 10 and 18, I would lose my mom, my brother and my dad within three years of each other. And so it's, it's definitely a lot of sucky moments that, that during that time, I mean, it was just like unfathomable loss and unfathomable grief. And it was so much in survival mode that now I think there was a time where my nervous system was primed for just like, all right, we can thrive through chaos. And I even write about that like, I'm good when things are kind of like, yeah, bouncing in the air and, and I had to re pattern myself so much for that. But that didn't come until my actual dark night of the soul when I got married. And it was, you know, this was at the end of my twenties when I became a cosmetic dentist. And I, despite all odds, I was the, you know, model for my Filipino Indian family. And, and you know, all of the things were just really shiny on the outside, but on the inside I was definitely crumbling. You know, I had all of the seven figure business and kind of all of the accolades and all of the things that I'm like, oh, yeah, that's what I thought I wanted. And that's what this one mountaintop, you know, tells us, that we have to kind of strive for and achieve for and I've made it. But on the inside I was so. I was spiritually dead. I was emotionally numb. I was also scared for my life because I also chose a partner that would teach me what it would take to actually be completely convicted to your own self. Love, where I in many ways lost myself in that relationship. And it was a very tumultuous, toxic relationship. And so getting out of that, it was obviously around my Saturn return. So for those of you astrology girlies out there, it was definitely that time. And then it really shined a light on. All right, what's next, Neitha? You're gonna come back home to yourself. You're gonna reclaim who you are internally, but then you're gonna. There's gonna be a spotlight. And, you know, kind of even in your book, the light work, it's like that light that shines for you to say, okay, well, you're gonna start attracting a lot of people that you could probably help if you share your voice, if you are okay to share, if you are okay to share the deepest, darkest parts of you that you probably don't want to. And for a while, I did not want to. For a while I was like, nope, okay, that happened to me. I'm just going to lock it up in a closet. And, you know, I think that's when you and I had crossed paths.
- [22:38]
Co-Host
Exactly right.
- [22:39]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
And that's when, you know, meeting you and doing that first event with you was probably one of the first times that I actually spoke. I remember about, you know, what I had gone through. And it was, you know, it was not like I was a seasoned professional speaker at that point, but that was one of the earliest times where I'm like, oh, okay, I can do this. And, you know, and every time after that, the more and more I would go on stages, I'm like, oh, okay, this. I can actually do that for a living. I can. And so in the. And the coaching part came after that. Wow. Right. And so, and I, of course, as I would as a vata and as a somebody, as a natural entrepreneur, I started a bunch of different things. Yeah. So from, you know, I started an NGO called Independent Awakening, which is one of the things we kind of collaborated on a lot in Chicago. And, you know, from that point, it started to really take shape and form. And I think for anybody that's listening, if you are in that crossroads of there is kind of a flashlight or a light that's kind of illuminating from within. It's one of those things that you can just say, okay, you might resist it, but what you resist persists. And it or they or them still might be knocking on your door to say, hey, I need your help, or I need you to talk about this. And so once I embraced that and accepted that and accepted, all right, that is my story, and that's who I am, and that's how I have kind of grown to be. And it added to my emotional grit and it added to the levity of, you know, that sucked now. What. And a lot of the other things that I do today and having brave conversations and that's made me who I am. And so there's. Can't. Can't deny that part.
- [24:37]
Co-Host
Thank you for sharing all of that. It's so inspiring.
- [24:41]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
It.
- [24:41]
Co-Host
It's just. It's every time. I mean, I know your story, but I haven't heard you tell it in a minute. And to look at you now and all of the impact that you are making is a testament and a permission slip to anyone listening that your story is needed and that other people need.
- [24:59]
Jessica Zweig
You to tell it.
- [25:00]
Co-Host
And you've built a really beautiful platform and business around it, which I want to get into. But I really do want to talk about, like, that sucked now. What? And this message and this mission, because you can hear a story like yours and that. That sucked. I mean, that's real tragedy. And yet the average person, you know, wakes up every day with their own micro tragedies like the client canceled, or, you know, my. My partner is. Is cheating on me, or my best friend is, you know, not talking to me, whatever it might be. My body is giving out, my health is struggling, whatever it might be. What is the process, like, when it sucks? Like now.
- [25:46]
Jessica Zweig
Now what?
- [25:47]
Co-Host
Neitha, can you talk us through your process?
- [25:50]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Yes. So, you know, I think that a lot of times we can sit in the suck and we can actually say, okay, this sucks. And there's one of the reasons why I did not name the book this Sucks now what? Because obviously, if you're in it, you know, I think a lot of times in the spiritual world, and I, you know, did this as well early on in my healing journey, is like, okay, I know better. I know better. My. I know better. I'm not going to get upset over this. Or I know that I should probably meditate more or only look at the bright side and only look at the positive side. But when we're doing that, we're actually bypassing a lot of the. Of the energy in the feelings. And I didn't really recognize how important. Like, theoretically, I knew that from my very first book. Yeah. And, you know, and I think that when you get into motherhood or when you've been betrayed or when you've gone through some breakups, Maybe friendship breakups or even regular human breakups, whether it's with partners, business partners, friendships, love, relationships. There is that just dire feeling of like, oh, shit. Like, I don't feel good. My body doesn't feel good. My nervous system doesn't feel good. I just. And there were moments during that grief process where, you know, because I was a. I was a boss handling that and just, you know, sitting on it and shoving it under a rug when I was in my early 20s. But after that big, powerful divorce, there's no way I could sit on it anymore. I mean, there were days and months and moments where I was still a dentist, and my process literally was forming because I would just sit in the parking lot of my own office, and I would just. You know, I would set the timer. And it's. This is literally one of the exercises that I talk about in my book of. All right, setting the timer for 15 minutes, and I'm just gonna play whatever, you know, 2000s, like, heavy metal. I don't even jive to heavy metal, but, you know, or like, some Tupac, like, hardcore rap. And I would just rage, and I would scream, and I would yell until I would start to cry. And just, like, a lot of the powerful rage of, you know, like, how could you. Or just, like. And even allowing yourself to be in that victim. Because I think a lot of times we have to have compassion for the parts of ourselves, and I think we get shamed either as women or even in motherhood. You know, you see those memes of, like, oh, yeah, she just went batshit crazy. Or, oh, she just went crazy on her kid at the grocery store. And, you know, mamas, if you're listening, you know, that happens. And can we normalize that? Maybe sometimes we're just feeling the feels. We're just having that day. We're just having that moment and to allow ourselves to fully break and fall. And, you know, that is one of the processes, is to be able to accept the bigness, to embrace the fact that maybe we need to say these three words, because those three words helped me during, you know, the roughest days of my life, which was, I need help. And so often, you know, we think that working in a silo is. Is great, or working by yourselves on this is great, and we don't reach out. And what saved me was actually being able to reach out and tell other people, hey, I'm struggling. I can't. I don't think I can be in this marriage anymore. I don't think I can cope with all of the shit that I've been trying to brave, you know, a stoic face, because I am actually, I'm not okay. And I think that has so much reverence to allowing ourselves to heal. And so the process of that sucked. Now what is to be able to give reverence to where you're at in the process to embrace and even just put your hand over your heart and say, okay, this is hard to actually acknowledge where you're at because so often, you know, we might be in our head ruminating, oh my gosh, I think she said this, or she might think, you know, this thing, or she didn't text me back, or I felt slighted at this thing. But then we're thinking about it in our minds instead of just, you know, one of my girlfriends has this phrase called say it out loud.
- [30:29]
Co-Host
Yes, Vas vasami, shout out to vaas.
- [30:32]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
And so. But we have to be able to say it out loud. We have to be able to kind of release the pressure valve in our little pressure cooker. Otherwise we're gonna constantly keep thinking that people are out to get us or the world is out to get us. And when we actually acknowledge the fact that, that we're feeling slighted or hurt or jealous or insecure or unworthy or whatever the case is, rageful, angry, sad, overwhelmed, depressed, then there's a path forward. Then there's a path to saying, okay, all right, so that's released. And many times all we needed to do was just accept it and say it, give voice to it, and kind of see that part of ourselves where it's like, oh, that just that part of myself just wanted to be acknowledged because that was that 10 year old part that got made fun of, or the nine year old that got left on the playground, or the seven year old that didn't get picked to be in the school play or whatever, is to have that reverence for the younger parts of ourselves. And I know that for me, as a young girl who had to grow up at 10, who lost her mom at 16, who lost her brother at 17, who lost her dad at almost 19, you know, it's. It's healing not only the inner child, but also that inner teenager that we, all of us have those patterns and those triggers totally, I sometimes feel like.
- [32:01]
Co-Host
My inner teenager is more wounding than my child. That was a real traumatic chapter of my life that I've had to work harder than I thought I would in my adult life to really look back on and love on her. And I love your. I love Your process. Spoken like a true, true pro. Truly. Hire Neitha. She's a coach. You know, you talk about bouncing back, so we. We acknowledge. I love what you said about, like, honoring the victim in us. Like, there's so much, you know, projection around that word being so. So negative and low vibration. And how we manifest is by acting, activating ourselves out of that consciousness, which is true. But loving ourselves in the dark is so. So incredibly important to the process. And I love the way you walked us through that. Then what's next? The bounce back.
- [32:57]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Yeah, so there's. There's a concept that I. I call, you know, the bounce factor, where we are bouncing back because when we think about, you know, the word, and people are always asking, like, okay, neither. You're so resilient. How are you this resilient? And, you know, when we. When I was kind of going through the process of even writing the book and. And going through my own journey of what it means to tea, to master our own emotions and really connecting the dots in this work, I wanted to reframe and normalize what resilience could actually be. And when I'm looking, or when I was looking up, the. The actual root word of resilience is resiliency, which means to bounce back in Latin.
- [33:48]
Co-Host
No way.
- [33:49]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Yes. Beautiful. And so. So just think about that. We're taught. Because when you think of the word resilience, we think, okay, she's strong. She's got it. But if you actually think of the root word or the definition of the word, it means to bounce. And are we really bouncing? What does it take to actually bounce if we're supposed to be so strong and so stoic and, you know, this mentality of like, yeah, I got this. Or, you know, you get this picture in your mind of, you know, these warriors going out to fight, or, you know, like, to so kind of like the gladiators going so masculine. And then you think of to bounce. Okay, well, what is bouncing? Well, it's. It's agility, it's the softness, it's the compassion, it's the feminine. And so really thinking around, how can we be soft with ourselves? Because if I take that glass, right, I have this glass right here of tea, but if I just let it go because it's strong, it's sturdy, I let it go right here, it's probably gonna shatter into a bunch of pieces, into a hundred pieces, probably. But if I took, you know, maybe, I don't know, a ball, one of those bouncy balls that we get or Those stress balls. And if I let that go, okay, sometimes it's gonna bounce a little bit, but maybe sometimes it'll bounce really high. And what are those properties? Well, it's to be soft, it's to be agile. It's to be accepting of change. It's to accept maybe your current environment. It's accepting, you know, the things that maybe you can't control. It's accepting, you know, you in the darkest moments, to have grace for where you're at, to have grace in the process, to accept that, okay, this is how I'm feeling right now. Maybe tomorrow is going to be different and to honor that. And, you know, so often we don't give ourselves grace in that process. And so the bounce factor is kind of your little trampoline. It's your foundation to actually bounce back during tough times. You're also building that inner resilience. It's that inner peace that I was talking about. But there's four parts to it. And the first part is that big acceptance that we're talking about. It's that awareness, your radical self awareness of like, ooh, do these people align with me? Does. Does that decision align with me right now? And where is that? Where am I feeling that, you know, to really kind of go inward. And then the next, you know, step to that is really understanding, all right, you know, in my current environment, who am I hanging out with? Where am I working? Is this inspiring to me? Or do I have to make a move? Do I have to make a change? Am I cocooning in this, you know, space and time? Should I go and work from a coffee shop? Should I go and get the help or the support that I need, or the therapy that I need, or the body work that I need, or the healing that I need, or should I go to Bali or wherever to heal? You know, what is that in our current environment that we can actually shift and change? And the third part of that is, are we okay with good stress? Like, how are we rewiring some of the neurons in our brain? And are we actually still stuck in the suck? Or are we actually making those micro movements and moments of change, even if it's celebrating the one thing that you did well in that day or the one person that you feel really safe to actually emote or cry or let it out or scream? Because so often, you know, we maybe tend to hold it in because we weren't given that safe space, that safe space to cry, grieve, rage, allow. And. And so, you know, it's. It's so beautiful to then have that awareness and to be able to then bounce because you have all of these tools, and it's. It's. It's beautiful because you're also recreating those. Those patterns for yourself. And it starts with you. Yeah.
- [38:16]
Co-Host
You're recreating a new identity, a softer identity, a more healed identity, A softer identity. Yeah. I love it. You just brought up a memory I have of you, actually, that I'm. I'm now called to ask about you. I just think it's going to be so inspiring for women to hear, because I know you've been on a long journey of your own healing. You're married to a beautiful man. Ajit, I want to talk about your relationship in a second. But before you met him, you traveled the world and you went to Bali.
- [38:48]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
I sure did.
- [38:50]
Co-Host
And you had a ceremony there.
- [38:54]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Can you share that story? Oh, my goodness. You know what's so funny is it's. It. It was such a full circle moment because it was that year that I had said, okay, I am gonna, like, I'm. I'm ready. I'm ready to call in my person. I don't know who, what, where, when, how, but I'm gonna call it in and I'm gonna say yes to going on, I don't know, lots of dates, and I'm going to do all of the apps, and I'm going to. I'm going to. I'm going to go and do it. I'm going to. I'm going to do it. I'm going to just say yes. This was my, like, year of yes. This was. This was 2016, actually. No, this. 2015. 2015. And I. So I went to Bali and I had my own. I was doing a lot of different healing ceremonies, and that's how I got into somatic healing and kind of the raging, shaking, all of it. Screaming, yelling. So that was, you know, one of the. One of the processes and of course, a lot of plant medicine, but one of the things that I wanted to reclaim and reclaim the power back within myself, to feel safe within myself, to feel safe within. Just kind of a lot of the constructs around women that I grew up with. Right. Yeah. And. And just. And really thinking back for myself of, okay, how can I create this in a ceremony to honor me? Because for the longest time, I was in overlapped relationships. Well, I decided to marry myself. And this was the southernmost tip of Bali. And it was one of those things that I really wanted to not only pay homage and really honor the Land. But there was. It was also next to this Hindu temple. And I grew up, you know, going to temples and really not honoring so much that side of my roots. But it was this time of my life that I wanted to also reclaim that as an ode to my dad, who kind of gave me all of that part of my lineage. And so was very close to this. It was like the monkey temple that was. There's lots of monkeys there, but. And so it was so beautiful because you had the ocean, you had, you know, the mountains in the background. But on the southern tip of Uluwatu, I'm there, and I have, you know, all of the five elements, so honoring, you know, the beauty, the. The spirit, the. The ground, the earth, the water. It was during sunset, so it was just, like, so magical. And that was, for me. And it was kind of putting myself first in a way where, you know, so often, especially in the culture that I grew up with, you know, happiness is meant when you're serving other people and you're kind of. Your needs are last. And so this was really reclaiming that for myself and saying, all right, no matter what, no matter who I meet, no matter, you know, where this is going to take me next, I'm always gonna have this, the ceremony that honors me. And. And so I remember the photos.
- [42:26]
Co-Host
Oh, I was such. I was in such awe of you doing that. It was like an activation, really, truly witnessing you as a single woman at the time. Marry yourself. I remember your. Did you have, like, things on your head like you had.
- [42:39]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Oh, yeah.
- [42:40]
Co-Host
You were wearing, like, some sort of. You know, I had flowers.
- [42:43]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
I had the whole dress.
- [42:44]
Co-Host
I remember the sunset. And I'm so. I'm so happy that you. You shared that story, because no matter whether we're in a relationship or not, that relationship to self is always, always number one. And you called in a jit not.
- [43:00]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Too far after that, right? No, because we. We. So I was in Bali, and we had met the following month because I was then in Kuala Lumpur and we had reconnected. I mean, this was after meeting him at a fest a couple years before that in 2013, and we had reconnected, and he was, you know, I was kind of. I was open to exploring, kind of meeting people. And he was newly single at the time, and so that's kind of when we initially had reconnected, so no sparks were flying yet. But then a year later, we got. Got together.
- [43:41]
Co-Host
And. You had, like, seven weddings across, like, seven countries.
- [43:44]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Oh, yeah. It was. It was more like, I don't know. I think now we're like at 10 or 11 now. I think it's 10 officially. It's 10 officially. And it was across. It was across. Can you talk?
- [43:54]
Co-Host
Like, what was the decision?
- [43:56]
Jessica Zweig
I love it.
- [43:56]
Co-Host
I think it's so beautiful. Like, what was the inspiration behind having that many weddings?
- [44:02]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
I think that because I've seen so much darkness and I've seen a lot of. I've seen a lot of dark, I've seen a lot of death, I've seen a lot of sickness. I've seen a lot of people, you know, be sick and ill and unwell and you know, when you meet me, when you're around me, I feel like I am the joy bringer.
- [44:24]
Co-Host
You are.
- [44:24]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
You emanate life in many circles. You know this, a lot of people know this. And so I'm like, why not turn this into a celebration? Why not? He was also getting married for the second time. Like we both were having our second marriages and it was kind of an ode to like our communities in different parts of the world. He's originally from India, but he was living in Kuala Lumpur for that period of time. And so. And we just had our global communities everywhere and we're like, why not celebrate in the big and the small? So don't get me wrong, it wasn't like, you know, 10 lavish big weddings everywhere. No, no, no. It was more like intentional, you know, kind of ceremonies. Some were, you know, bigger, of course, for our Indian sides of the family. You know, we just had to do that. But then there were some smaller ones. Like he and I went to Burma and we just had a traditional ceremony, you know, with kind of in front of one of the ancient temples in, in, in Burma. And so it was just, it was so beautiful to just have us be there in an. In a time where like maybe that was going to be our only time in that country together. So we did do a lot of that exploration. Another one was in Spain, our first time, you know, sitting with dmt. And so there was a lot of these. We got married at Burning man during sunrise with a lot of our friends. So there was just a lot of these, like, smaller intentional moments that I think we can, you know, allow ourselves to give ourselves permission to celebrate and to celebrate the iterations of us as also works of art and that we're just constantly evolving.
- [46:16]
Co-Host
I'm so happy I asked that.
- [46:18]
Jessica Zweig
That's such a gorgeous part of your story.
- [46:20]
Co-Host
You two are a beautiful couple and you went into business together as well. Didn't just Raise a family and, you know, are not traveling the world still to this day. Your big update for me. But you recently sold your business.
- [46:36]
Jessica Zweig
Yeah.
- [46:37]
Co-Host
To mindvalley.
- [46:38]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Yeah. What was that?
- [46:39]
Co-Host
I mean, I sold mine business. I'm so curious to know what that experience was like from one entrepreneur to the next. I think it'll be so helpful for people to hear.
- [46:47]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Yes. So I think that, you know, it's. And, like, there's been so many iterations of different business building. And this was. I have to say, this was kind of like his baby for the longest time. Like, he. This was like he. This was his kind of full vision from its inception of wanting to create a platform for coaches, even when it didn't exist, like, seven years ago. And, you know, not to speak so much on his behalf, but he loved and believed in that idea so much that he stepped down from being CEO to then stepping into a role that was like, all right, we're going to do this. And I just happened to. We just happened to get together during that time. And, you know, I think for anybody who's doing business with their partner, husband, lover, significant other, I think the biggest thing is really understanding and knowing your roles. And many times, Ajit and I, the reason why we work so well together is we understand our roles. He's a Virgo.
- [48:05]
Co-Host
What are you?
- [48:06]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
I'm a Cancer, but double Capricorn.
- [48:08]
Co-Host
Oh, that tracks.
- [48:09]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Yeah, that totally tracks. Yeah. So, I mean, you've got two of the organized zodiacs and I. Big Mom. Yeah. Cancer energy. Yes. All feelings.
- [48:20]
Co-Host
All of.
- [48:22]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
But then, yeah, my rising and Moon is Capricorn. And so you leave him in a room and he's going to organize and do all the processes and all the systems, and everyone loves him for that. And I'm the one that's kind of the talent scout and building those big relationships and making sure everybody feels like Mama Bear. And so I think, you know, it was. I think for anybody who is either thinking about selling a business, thinking about where they're going to be in the next three years, first think where you're going to be in the next three years. And. And for us, we do this three year envisioning exercise every year, and it's kind of like, okay, where do we see ourselves in. Because it's not just. We don't just have the one business. We have several different projects and businesses that we kind of hold at once. And for each and every one, it's all right. Where do we see this going in the next three years? Does this feel Exciting. Does this feel in alignment? And if it doesn't, then what do we need to do to make that vision happen in the next three years and work backwards? And so, you know, I think for us, we were super excited because, you know, it's been such a great partnership over the years. And, you know, like, mindvalley is like family at this point in many ways. And so I think for anybody who is looking. What is that next iteration of yourself to really be. To really be so honest to and to have open dialogue with whomever to say? This is what I'm thinking.
- [50:16]
Co-Host
Yeah.
- [50:17]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Where. Like, where are you at? Because I think, number one, having that open communication, and number two, really aligning and seeing, okay, what is really true to my heart at this season and stage of life. And it's okay if things change, but to have that open communication because then we know where we're walking towards.
- [50:38]
Jessica Zweig
Yes.
- [50:38]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
And, you know, for us, that was a. That was kind of, you know, a season of life where we're like, all right, that's where we're at. And kind of everything, you know, unfolded in all of the ways.
- [50:52]
Co-Host
Congratulations.
- [50:53]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Yeah.
- [50:54]
Co-Host
It's so exciting. You have, like, a whole new chapter ahead of you. That's my next question. What is next for you? What are you expanding into now?
- [51:03]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Ooh, you know, I. So I'm. I'm honestly, I never thought I would say this, but I'm loving the mama era.
- [51:12]
Co-Host
I'm sure you are. It's beautiful. You wear it well.
- [51:16]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Yeah, I mean, I wear a lot of hats today. I forgot my hat. I'm like, oh, my gosh, I'm in Nashville. Why didn't I bring my hat? It was too early this morning. But, yeah, I'm really expanding into that role. You know, my kids are now older. They're, like, out of this baby bubble. And it's really interesting to see the just kind of like mini humans kind of expanding into their own light, and it's real time, like, walking the talk.
- [51:48]
Co-Host
Yeah.
- [51:48]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
You know, it's one thing to say, but you're like, all right, let's preach. If I'm teaching emotional mastery, all right. I've got my little teachers at home on the reels, no doubt. And so that's been really great because, you know, they're like my check in system for sure. But it's also like, how can I have. Have the most amount of time with them? And. And what's, like, fun and exciting and nourishing and, you know, I still love helping people step into their dharma. I Have a Institute.
- [52:22]
Co-Host
Yeah. With Sahara.
- [52:23]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
With my co founder, Sahara, and we built this incredible platform for women to step into the highest version of themselves. We just rebranded last year and yeah, we have three certifications and so amazing. That's fun. And, yeah, I think I am all about, you know, in this era having brave conversations. I love my podcasts. So good. And so, you know, expanding into that. We're. I'm starting out a couple of other ventures. I might be starting my own chai at some point. I'm stuck in your Instagram, like, okay, that track. So it's. It's honestly been a process because stepping into cpg, or consumer product goods, is.
- [53:10]
Co-Host
A whole new world.
- [53:12]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
A whole new world. And, you know when you're so used to, like, there's a lot of that suck now. What moments? And when you're so used to building brands and you're like, I've got all of these things. And I'm like, okay. And so it's. And I. I'm totally open to kind of share all of the, like, pitfalls and failures. I've had to go through different formulators, and it's been a whole journey. I thought I was gonna launch it in May, and so had a whole team working on it and then. But when you're working on something that is really proprietary to your soul and your love.
- [53:53]
Co-Host
Yeah.
- [53:54]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Because it's your love of community. It's how you bring community together. It's how you corral people together. It's how people are coming, you know, to. To. To hang out and be vulnerable other. And that's when, again, we talked about, like, the mountains of, like, oh, the perfectionism, the. Is this good enough? You're. I'm entering kind of this other, like, foray in this other world where there's a lot of things you don't know. And so I'm, you know, as a. As an entrepreneur now, it's kind of like, all right, I'm just. I want to have this very open process and everyone's gonna watch me build this thing. I haven't. I think you're the first podcast that I've shared this with, so besides my own. So. Yes.
- [54:43]
Co-Host
Wow.
- [54:44]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
So, yeah, so I'm. I'm building this, this, this thing, and it's not where I want it to be at. And, you know, I'm. I'm okay with that.
- [54:53]
Co-Host
Yeah.
- [54:53]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
I'm okay at, like, this is. This is what I'm. I'm judging. I'm, like, brewing, literally. And. And it's exciting.
- [55:03]
Co-Host
I'm excited for you. Multi, passionate entrepreneur over there doing all the things. It's so. That's so impressive. And I. I love that. I often think, what if I wasn't in marketing or on, like, coach, like, what would. I would, like, open up a boutique, you know, with, like, the best crystals. And, like, I feel like.
- [55:21]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Well, I. I can so see you doing, like, a style line or something like that.
- [55:24]
Co-Host
One. One piece. Yeah. I just love. I love that you're. That that's the direction that you're going. Congrats, girl. That' thank you. I want to. Before I ask you a few Quick Fire questions, I want to come back to your book. It's a beautiful book, and I think what you've offered your community and the world is so big. And to the person reading it, when they're done with it, what's the one thing that you really want them to take away?
- [56:00]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
So the last part of my book is called Fly Forward. And, you know, for. For anybody that's listening or picking the book up, while it has levity and it's really written, I. I thought I was a, you know, a comedian in my past life. And so there's a lot of wit and wisdom, and it's for the light, because I think a lot of times we have to go through the dark in order to find light. And so when you actually find your wings and you go through all of the tools, it's up to you then to take those wings and fly forward and fly forward in your communities and to expand and spread your wings into whatever the next iteration, the next expansion of yourself, the next version of yourself that you're calling in. And that's. That's what I want people to leave with, is that this is not only the next chapter in your book, but it's, you know, you're becoming the next version of yourself with your, you know, beautiful, amazing wings that are uniquely yours.
- [57:18]
Co-Host
Thank you for walking it.
- [57:21]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
See you.
- [57:22]
Co-Host
Really, I see you. Okay. I have some Fun Fire questions for you.
- [57:26]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Quick Fire.
- [57:27]
Co-Host
Actually, I don't even know how Quick Fire they are because they're kind of. They're kind of esoteric. Some of them are bigger than others. But do you have a favorite spiritual.
- [57:35]
Jessica Zweig
Book that shaped your life?
- [57:36]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Oh, gosh. Literally, before I left the house today, I looked at Marianne Williamson's book, Book of Miracles.
- [57:43]
Co-Host
She's gonna be a dinner tonight.
- [57:45]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
I saw that.
- [57:46]
Co-Host
I'm like, ah, I love her. She's amazing.
- [57:49]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Still on my nightstand. Honestly, that's so good.
- [57:51]
Co-Host
She's the og of them all, do you have a favorite or particular, like.
- [57:58]
Jessica Zweig
Goddess or archetype or deity or angel that you work with or feel close to?
- [58:04]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Oh, right now in this season, it's my. It's my Shakti.
- [58:10]
Co-Host
Yeah.
- [58:10]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
The sensual. The sensual prowess. I've been taking more sensual dance and in. In Austin. So. Yeah, shock these kind of.
- [58:20]
Co-Host
I love that for you and your husband. So. Okay, next question. Do you believe in aliens?
- [58:28]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
I do.
- [58:29]
Co-Host
Yeah.
- [58:29]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Yes.
- [58:30]
Co-Host
Say more.
- [58:31]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
I. I do. I don't know. I've been going into the depths of it. I was just at a Joe Dispenza event and we were. Yeah, seven days. We did the whole thing and we both connected. My husband and I both did connect with. You know, we might be other starseeds in different places, but I don't know which one. I haven't gone down the rabbit hole.
- [58:54]
Co-Host
Yet, but yeah, I can.
- [58:55]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
You're.
- [58:56]
Co-Host
You're absolutely a starseed. And you're the second person that I've talked to that went to a Joe Dispenza event that had a starseed. Like a galactic experience.
- [59:03]
Jessica Zweig
Yes.
- [59:04]
Co-Host
Like in the last day.
- [59:04]
Jessica Zweig
That's wild.
- [59:05]
Co-Host
I gotta go to one of his.
- [59:07]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Yes, gotta go. It's. There's nothing more wild than meditating with two or three thousand other people.
- [59:16]
Co-Host
Yeah, I've heard. I've heard. Yeah. Final question. What does it mean to you to be a co. Creator of the new Earth?
- [59:31]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
I think you have to be brave, to be misunderstood, to be disliked, to really unapologetically own your own truth and walk your path no matter what and, you know, spread those wings because pretty soon people are going to be following you and they're going to be. They're going to be saying, all right, she's paved the path. I think I want more of what she has.
- [60:05]
Jessica Zweig
I love.
- [60:05]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
So there you go.
- [60:07]
Co-Host
I love that answer. Neitha, where can everyone go find you? Buy your beautiful book and all of the places they can get involved in your work.
- [60:15]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Oh, yes. Well, if you are looking to step into your Dharma All Things Highest Self institute, we have amazing programs from spiritual life coaching to dharma coaching, to embodiment as well. And for my book, you can get it. That sucked. Now what? Dot com. All things, including all the merch. And you can follow me at Neethabushan and also on. We're on YouTube, the Brave Table.
- [60:47]
Co-Host
And yeah, thanks for being here, girl.
- [60:49]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Oh, my gosh.
- [60:50]
Co-Host
You're a true embodied manifestation of everything that you teach. And it's just so good to see you again.
- [60:56]
Dr. Neetha Bhushan
Full circle, full circle. Thank you for all of the light that you bring to everybody. I'm so glad we can do this in this cozy space.
- [61:05]
Jessica Zweig
I know what a gift you are.
- [61:06]
Co-Host
A gift to my audience today. Thank you again for being here.
- [61:24]
Jessica Zweig
Sa.