3# - From Blowing Up on Insta to Landing a Hay House Book Deal: Leading a Soul-Led Tantra and Yoga Business Revolution With Henika Patel

Henika. so much for coming onto the Asian female entrepreneur

podcast. How are you? Yeah, I'm good. Thank you. It's really, really good to be here. And I think being here right now is like really a moment of self reflection from like, obviously we met a few years ago and kind of where my business has been.

from then to now. So yeah, it's really good to be here.

Oh, so great to have you. So Henika, do you want to do a quick little introduction about who you are and what your business is?

Yeah, sure. So I'm the founder of the School of Arts, and we help individuals and couples to transform numbness, boredom, shame, into deeper connection into deeper intimacy with themselves, with their relationships and with their work as well.

and we do that through the ancient Indian arts of Tantra and yoga, two very misunderstood concepts. but I weave that in with Western therapeutic frameworks that we're holding people in safe spaces that they can explore themselves. Yeah,

I love it so much. If for those of you that don't know, like Henneka, your business has blown up like over the last few years.

, end of: 2020

And now obviously you're leading like, you know, fully booked workshops. You're doing such, such like big collaborations. You're going to be a Hay House author. Your book's coming out next year.and obviously you've done, Incredibly, incredibly well in your business. And I'm just so proud of you. but I wanted to get into, you know, what your business is and how you just show up so authentically, because if anyone goes on your like Instagram page, obviously I know you and I know the work that you do and it's so important, but like, they might think, especially as like an Asian woman, like I've not really seen that online where.

You know, Asian women are openly talking about, you know, tantra, sex, you know, people struggling, in intimate relationships, you know, and obviously it's like, it's common knowledge that people really are like, a post pandemic and probably even before, like really struggling with intimacy in their relationships, men and women.

So let's just, first of all, go back to like, how did you start your business and like, why did you start it?

nt. So it actually started in: 2017

Like I used to be in law. and I just started, I kind of already realized I didn't really enjoy that environment, like the nine to five, but I was in it. I'd like studied for years to be there. I'd got there, I'd got the job, I'd got the apartment, I was in a relationship. and yet I was really deeply unfulfilled.

So I started creating these programs in my office. I've always worked in programs because I believe that's the way that you really get change like consistent practice. so that was kind of the first, avatar you could say, like the first, way that my business ran. It was just in house programs that I was running for my work.

And then I was like, Ooh, this is kind of working. Like it's getting good feedback. And. And so I was replicating that for like different governments. I was working abroad. So I was doing that in different embassies at that point. And then I was like, once my, once I kind of, I went part time then. and then I got to the point where I was like, why am I still here?

Like I was living in China and I was like, why am I still here? I'm like, my brother's about to have a baby. I want to be there for that. So I moved home.and then a few months, I mean, when I got home, you know, it was a completely new industry for me then. So I was like running around trying to get to know the wellness industry, teaching in people's back gardens, teaching for schools, teaching for corporates.

Like I was spread so thinly because I was trying to get any work that I could and be everything for everyone. And I think when the pandemic hit, it actually drew me back into, why am I doing this? Like, what is the actual reason I'm doing this? And, that's when I realized actually, like, My journey was combating numbness.

So all the numbness that I felt from, being unfulfilled at my work, ignoring all the sensations in my body, feeling unfulfilled in my relationship, not knowing where that spark had gone. That's why I was doing this work. And so I realized like, Actually, I don't want to be working for everyone. I want to be working towards the person who's looking for those answers.

And I think that's when I realized like a rebrand really had to happen because I was just tagging my, services onto a blog that I used to write Lessons Learned Daily.

And Lessons Learned Daily actually started as a news resolution where I was like, Oh, I was learning these techniques and I was like finding results. And I thought, let me just kind of start sharing them. And I didn't share it with anyone. at first. Like it was just me and the page and writing, and then slowly like the services started to kind of get added onto it, but it just, it wasn't a brand at that point.

Yeah. and then, yeah, that's when the school of central arts was born and I really got clear and that's when the mastermind really helped me to really, really get clear on who I am, what I wanted to stand for, what I wanted to share, and how I wanted to share it. And honestly, just changing the name of what I did was one of the biggest, biggest transformations in my business.

Yeah. I think that's just so symbolic, isn't it? Like when you change your name, your brand name, and like, it's almost like stepping into like a different energy and going all in. Yeah. So how So like, how did you, cause obviously if you look at your Instagram now, like you're so confident in the work that you do and like, how did you have the courage to be so authentically you?

And I guess a practice that's really, cause there's obviously a misalignment there because it's a practice that's deep rooted in kind of, you said like, Indian ancient like practices, but then it's like, how did you have the courage to just be fully you? Because I, I can imagine like a lot of people are just a bit like, Oh my God, like, what is that?

Do you know, especially when you see an Asian woman I've never seen before. So, yeah.

And that's, that's the crazy thing because Tantra comes from India. and yet most practitioners are not Indian. And one of the first things people think about when they hear the word Tantra is sex. And that's just one, As one percent of the entire ocean of Tantra that has been cherry picked through colonization and sold in the West the same way that yoga has been cherry picked.

Yeah. And when you think of yoga, you think of postures and exercise the same way when you think of Tantra, you think of sex. And I think the reason why I feel so confident in speaking about it is because I've embodied its practices. I know it goes way through and way beyond sex. Absolutely. It invites sex, to be a part of natural life because it is a part of natural life.

Yeah. And that's what I think is so transformation about it. Like, ancient Indian civilizations did not repress this energy. And one of the biggest reasons for violence, you know, violence against women, violence in general, is because there is this repression, deep repression in society of our sexual energy.

that it can't be spoken about, like you said, that it can't be expressed. So a lot of my work is demystifying Tantra, and creating safe spaces in which you can talk freely about these really taboo subjects because they just don't exist. Even sometimes with our friends, even sometimes with our partner, we can't have those conversations.

and one of the reasons why ancient civilizations gave these tools to harness sexual energy, which by the way, doesn't only have to be a performance for someone else. It's actually this incredible energy that is. The energy of creation, right? We're all born from sexual energy. Yeah. It's threaded through our entire being.

so ancient people said, well, what else can we do with this energy apart from make children? Yeah. we can actually use it to channel inwards and we can use it for our creativity. We can use it for manifestation. We can use it for healing our body. Like there's so many other ways. that we are not taught, that we can use this energy for our own self nourishment.

so yeah, that was, that's, that's me in a nutshell, really. That's really what I stand for and expanding the subject beyond

what we know it. And were you really scared to show up authentically as like the, I suppose, like the Tantra expert, really?

Yeah, yeah, I was. And I think, When, after Black Cloves, matter movement happened, I think it opened up a lot of conversations for people of global majority to speak what was in their hearts.

And one of the conversations that I started having on my social media platform was about cultural appropriation of yoga and of Tantra. and how, when I was going into studios, I was bringing been asked to cut out the alms and like leave the spiritual stuff out of it. And it's really not as simple as that because you're actually asking someone to edit out their culture.

It's not as simple as a practice because it's so imbued in, you know, what I grew up seeing that that's not right. And I think once I started speaking up about that, actually, So many people started resonating with it that I got a lot of courage, but I also got a lot of hate because it was triggering a lot of people because it was something that they were unconscious of that was being brought to light.

Yeah.

and that they were perhaps part of the problem existing. and so, yeah, it's been a real journey. Like I think I've changed the tone of my messaging from pointing fingers to taking a more educational approach. Mm-Hmm. And so my account is Mm-Hmm. Is a, is a space where you can find a lot of information rather than like pointing fingers at what's wrong.

And I do think that there's a place for that, but I think I've just learned how I want to contribute to what I see as a problem in my industry. Yeah. Is through providing education. 'cause I don't think people wake up and think I'm gonna absolutely pillage yoga and tantra today. I think they're just unconscious of what it actually is.

Yeah. and so yeah, so I just provide the education and hope that that makes a

change. Yeah, I love that so much. And were you ever worried like what other people would think?

Maybe at first, I mean, it does come into my mind every now and then, but I know some people go around like the way of like blocking people that they don't want to see their account.

I don't do any of that. Like, I feel deeply embodied in the practices that I share and I feel proud of them. I feel, rounded and rooted in them. And if I was, editing out who could see my content, then that's more work for me to do. Right. Like I, I need to be grounded and rooted in the people that I'm showing up for and unafraid because I want the people who come to the school to feel unafraid and grounded and rooted in what they're exploring in their bodies and their sexual energy and their expression.

so my mom follows me, my dad follows me, my cousins follow me, my aunties and uncles in India follow me. And I'm just like, if anyone's got a problem, you can come to me, but no one has, so. And what do your parents think, Henika, about this? Well, interestingly, like when I, when I was rebranding, I was living at home at that time, and, Everything was happening under their roof.

I was teaching under the roof. I was building my, my new brand under the roof. so they knew what was happening from the conception. They can see the messaging that I'm sharing, but I think being Asian, obviously, we don't get the talk about the birds and the bees. Never. Never. We just had to work it out for ourselves.

Yeah, exactly. And that's one of the problems. It's like we have to work it out for ourselves and make so many mistakes along the way and be really vulnerable in that process. So, I mean, I think they've seen me go from being quite unhappy in my corporate job to being really fulfilled in what I do now.

And so the question of are you doing what's right for you is It's on my face, like I wear a smile and I enjoy what I do so they don't have a problem with it.

Yeah. I love it. I love it so much because I know, I know, I know that if I was to ever do like the work that you're doing, like obviously I come from quite a strict Sikh family.

and they would just be like, yeah, but I think the work you do is so important and I think it's because of our, like you were saying, like the way we've, been brainwashed to think that it's over sexualized or, you know, it's our own kind of like unconscious bias when we look at that stuff rather than just looking at it for what it is really.

and do you find like. Obviously, with like women, do you feel like they're really disconnected, like high achieving women from their like sexual energy?

Yeah, absolutely. And I can confirm that because that was me. Yeah. Like I studied law. I was operating from my neck upwards. Actually, I wouldn't even say from my neck because I wasn't really expressing.

So I'd say from my head upwards. I was really disconnected from my intuition. And even if If there were sparks of intuition or sensation happening in my body, I was very good at disconnecting from them because you just, you buy the book, you know, when you're in the law, in, in the corporate world, you have to turn up a certain way, you have to look a certain way.

And I very much fitted myself into that mold. and in that process, very much disconnected myself from who I was, and that part of me that is Indian, that is creative, that, is daring, you know, and I was not fulfilled because I wasn't connected to any of those parts. So I really, really understand people who are in those kind of high achieving roles and what they have to do in order to survive as a woman in those spaces.

Yeah.

and it got to the point where I had been ignoring the sensations in my body for so long that I turned numb. And at that point I was like, Why am I doing this? Like if I've ticked all of the boxes, the career, like the flat, moving abroad, living abroad, the expat life, the relationship, like why am I really unfulfilled?

and that's when, yeah, that's when I set out to, to learn a lot more of the tools to turn my own body back online. Yeah. And I realized, gosh, there must be other people out there that are looking for these answers. And I think at that time, like, Instagram wasn't a huge thing. You couldn't go on a Zoom call and connect with a teacher for a course, the way that you can now.

You had to go into the countries and like sit with those teachers. And I had to leave my corporate job in order to do that. So it was a really big risk. not knowing what was happening on the other side, leaving the security. And I think one of the most, what I realized in that process was one of the most addictive things that exist is a paycheck because we will, We will allow people to treat us in certain ways.

we will like stand for something less than we believe in just like in order for that paycheck. And it is a risk. It's so scary going out there on your own, isn't it? I know you've done that. Oh my God. Yeah. but it is possible. And I think like what you're creating shows people that it is possible.

Yeah, absolutely. And I think, you know, Also, Henika, I was going to say, like, I feel like a lot of, women just don't take that jump and just don't take that risk, and I think it takes a really particular type of person to actually be like, actually, I'm quitting my corporate job. Like, I definitely did that when I was in my, like, final corporate job and I just quit like during my lunch hour because again, like people were deciding, you know, what my value was, people were deciding if I'm worthy of a pay rise, people were deciding my holidays.

Like it was ridiculous. I had no control over my life. And I think with Asian women, like, because we're taught that, you know, go to uni, get a good job, get, you know, all these like stereotypes, which I'm so glad we're all breaking now, but I do think a lot of Asian women do struggle. to, you know, quit their jobs and go all in on their passion and their purpose.

Was there anything in particular that just really helped you, make that decision? Because the other thing is like, I think a lot of people think, Oh, I'll just quit tomorrow. I work on my business and it's going to be like, Butterflies and unicorns, like straight away. No, don't do that. Yeah,

I have done that.

Don't do that.

Cause even me and Dav were talking about it, my husband last night, and we were talking about my toxic corporate jobs. And I was saying to Dav, like, you know, since I quit my corporate job. And for me to make, be like really, really financially stable just myself, it took like, and my business to be like, you know, making the money it's, it's doing now, it took a good couple of years.

Like it took quite a bit of time and some people just aren't willing to Yeah. Ride it out for that long, you know, which I, I really did ride it out. So was there anything that really helped you just make that decision to like quit? And then was there, obviously you, I'm assuming you had like bridge jobs as well.

Yeah. So there was, kind of two phases. So I explained there was the lessons learned daily phase and then there was a school of central arts phase. So for the lessons learned daily phase, this was pre pandemic and I mentioned I was doing these corporate gigs, right? So I was creating these programs.

I'd actually learn. this model that I could start to use to approach. I had content, I had teaching, I felt confident in doing it and pitching it. So that was my plan when I was coming back to the UK and I'd started to gain contracts that way. So for me leaving my corporate job, it wasn't just, you know, I wasn't just diving straight into it.

I'd actually sidestepped and before I did that, I went part time and I'd made sure that my, the stuff that I was doing outside my corporate gig was equivalent to half at first when I went part time. And then when I left, I was like, okay, now it's actually exceeding what I'm earning. like full time. So that's when I went and did that, but then the pandemic hit, right?

So nobody had any idea that that was going to happen. so when the pandemic hit, I think I did six months of like sitting around like everyone else did. And then I was like, okay, let's go back in, like, let's get back into the government. And I actually just signed up for a year contract. So I gave myself a year.

and I think providing that route, like providing that grounding. was really, really helpful in actually growing my business because if you're worrying about how you're going to eat that month, you're probably not going to be that creative. So I gave myself a year and it was so crazy the timing. I started my job in December and I think, my content started to go viral from January that year.

So. I was then doing almost two full time jobs again for that year, but, it was, it was quite helpful in a way because, you know, sometimes if you've got, an infinite amount of time, you'll take an infinite amount of time to do something, but when I was doing this job, I remember I was creating my content on the train to work, checking my emails in that hour, like using my lunch break to take calls with people, like when I was going home, posting that content.

And then that was it. I had three hours in the day to do everything and having like actually having that consistency, posting the same time every day, like getting back to people was really, really good. and then once again, I waited until my, my business was exceeding stably for like six to 12 months my other income and then I quit.

So I always made sure then that I was kind of set up to be comfortable.

And was that during the mastermind time? Were you working then? I can't remember.

So no, I joined, I think I joined mastermind and then I Because of government, it takes a long time for clearance and things like that to go through. So, I started in December and I think I finished Mastermind in January.

Yeah. And then, yeah, so I was like working for the first year and running the business, which is crazy.

And how, because I think again, like, I think we all make excuses. We've all been there and we all take infinite amount of time if we've got all the time available. How do you find I suppose that how did you find those pockets of time?

Do you think it was just like a lot of discipline, your end? Yeah, for just like when you were working and then obviously creating your content, like packing it all together, I guess.

Yeah. Yeah. So, having a structure in the day really, really helps. Like that is something I struggle with more now that I do this full time.

Yeah. If you have a nine to five job, you have a certain amount of you know, time before work, lunchtime and after work. Yeah. Yeah. And the way that I was creating my content at that time, I was running two Shakti circles online per month. Yeah. And the pandemic was rife, so everything was online. So I was already kind of like ready, like I was, I felt energized after I, held a Shakti circle.

Yeah. And then after that I would spend one hour creating content for two weeks.

Yeah.

so then I had like batch amounts of content and I would just post it same time every day. Yeah. So it kind of became a system that operated within School of Central Arts. that ensured, yeah, I had consistent content.

I had the same times as posting them every day. Yeah. And I enjoyed doing it. Like I was so riled up from the people that I was sharing work with in my circles, that actually what was coming across was from a place of genuine enthusiasm. Yeah, it's passion, isn't it?

Absolutely. And I think you're so right about quitting your job and Then just, I think if you quit your job and then you're just relying on your business to bring in the income, I think that's such a dangerous place to be because you just get very, very needy, in terms of like money energy, I think.

And I think sometimes it's just best to have either a full time job or a part time job. Cause I remember when I first started my business, like I was like, yeah, I'm going to have all the time in the world. It's going to be epic. And I had like so much marketing experience at that time, but it took like, You know, it took a while for my business to get off the ground.

And I remember like six, I think it's around six, six, seven months in, I had to go back to like a marketing role, work at that for three months, invest in a mentor. Cause that's another thing, like with your business, like. you know, you do have to make investments, like even if it's little things like zoom or a website or a coach or whatever.

And then I remember thinking, Oh my God, like I, I can't, I can't just sit at home and not make this work. Like I need to, you know, I think it was really good that I went out and worked and then had that money to reinvest back into my business.

Cause

that's another thing I think. And do you think Henneka, like Asian women are like disconnected from their like sexual energy?

Yes, and I think it's, it's unique to each like race. It's unique to each community. but I think one of the things that upsets me most in like Indian women is that actually we come from a land that has always been pre colonization embraced sexuality. And if you look at, you know, ancient texts, you've got obviously the Gama Sutra, but there's so many other Vedic scriptures that actually share that Gama, pleasure, is a part of a happy and fulfilled life.

And one of the reasons why those ancient civilizations did that is because, if you are happy and stable in your relationship of which sex is a part, then that makes for a happy and stable society, right? So it provides tools and education and, to then go through this huge process process of colonization of lands has also meant that there's been a colonization of our bodies.

And we've been told where it's okay to feel pride, where it's okay to feel shame, where, you know, and those lines that were drawn across lands have also been drawn across our bodies. And a lot part, a lot of the work is decolonizing our bodies, right? And the history that we have been through, and that is in our genetic DNA.

so. It's incredible because when Indian women come to my workshops, there's an ancient part of them that remembers and they're like, yeah, like this This feels familiar, even though I may not have, like, heard it in this way, it feels familiar to them because it's in there. so it's really nice connecting that, like, binding that bridge between the old and, making it relevant to what exists

today.

And in terms of like the colonization, like, how did that happen? Do you have, obviously, I know that could be a whole different episode, but how did that happen to us?

Well, I think when like the British came into India, of course, they were bringing with them the values of that time. So this is like Victorian values.

Yeah. And a lot of, like the rituals that are happening in India, a lot of the thought processes, you know, even courtesan culture was a very, very normal thing. rich, wealthy families would have courtesans who were sacred dancers. they were very, very highly skilled women. They were very educated women.

and they were really an integral part of Indian culture. Like women were actually, seen as Shakti manifestations of the goddess, right? With this divine status. And there was a lot of respect and, When a different culture comes in and they see this, it, it doesn't translate. There's nothing that, seems similar in their own culture apart from prostitution.

So a lot of these women were forced into prostitution. a lot of like the rituals and the practices were made illegal. And so, yeah, a lot of, you know, a lot of shapeshifting have had to happen through our cultural practices. and with that came like repression and shame. And that still exists in India today.

That's why there is this huge problem of sexual abuse in India today. And it's, it's, it's really horrible to see that that is a legacy of what. you know, what has happened. And there are many wonderful things that have happened, but they're also really, really devastating, long lasting impacts of, of it. And we still see it happening in different places in the world today.

So, yeah, it's just being aware of that, that we are part of this lineage that has, has really been through a lot of stuff.

Absolutely. And I think, I think also with India, just absolutely, you hit the nail on the head with like, you know, the rape culture and everything like that. It's just, yeah. Absolutely terrible.

And now you, you know, I've always wondered, like, why is it like that? You know, why is such, it's sexual violence, but on a completely different level. I'm sure this happens all around the world, but I think from what we've witnessed out of India in recent years, it's just really, really disturbing. And I think when it comes to Indian women as well, Asian women, like there is a lot of shame around sex.

like sex as well.

And

I guess maybe feminine energy. Yeah. Do you, do you definitely find that right? Yeah, yeah, definitely. It's

one of the biggest blocks to ity. It is without a doubt. And, you know, as I've been writing, I've been doing a lot of research around like the reason why we feel shame and we, You know, we eat because we're hungry.

We drink because we're thirsty and we feel shame because we have a need to belong. So anything that we feel that goes against a cultural norm, whether that's from our families or society or our friends, anything that we feel or think that we think won't be accepted, actually on a nervous system level starts to release this feeling of, I'm going to be left out of the cave.

I'm going to die. Like it is. It is like that. and although we've evolved to not live in caves, like that feeling of being ostracized from your own community, is a really, really painful and scary experience that often overweighs, outweighs your need for authentic expression. And so a lot of that, yeah, a lot of how we want to move in our feminine, a lot of how we want to flow in our feminine, which is cyclical, is not expressed,

and

is not allowed.

so yeah, there's a lot of shame and that's one of the reasons, like one of the other combatters of shame is creating spaces where you realize other people are going through the same thing as you are. and that is one of the most powerful ways to uplift and uproot shame when you're like, I'm not alone.

Like I'm not going to be

left out of the cave. There are other people here with me. Absolutely. I really do. I really feel that. And I guess like when like you're building a business as well, like a lot of people because of, again, our culture and the way we've been taught how things are built, we are in a lot of our masculine energy.

So obviously with my parents, like I saw them doing like three jobs at once. So for me, I took on the belief that I have to work extremely hard, in my business for it to be successful, but actually. The way business is going now, because you have to have that balance of get, getting shit done, but also being creative.

And if you don't have creativity in your business, because you do need it for things like content and reels and big projects, It's just so, so difficult, I think, if you are disconnected from your feminine energy, because it is feminine energy, I guess, one part of it is creativity, right?

Yeah, absolutely.

And I think understanding that we are cyclical beings, like we're asked in the masculine society built on patriarchy to show up the same way every single day. and Cyclical bodies don't do that because we have a cycle. actually all humans have a cycle, like we all belong to the earth that has a lunar cycle as well.

So whether you menstruate or not is, is, is irrelevant. Actually, we're all cyclical beings. We don't all show up the same every single day. And actually being able to infuse that into your business and understand at which periods of my cycle, am I more creative? Is it right before my menstruation where I'm feeling rage?

And I can actually channel that into something. Is it, in my ovulation where I actually have a lot of energy, you know, like the moon is bright, the egg is full and you're actually full of a lot of energy or do you tap into the more administrative tasks at that time because that's what you've got the capacity to do or do you do public speaking things at that time because you're feeling like connecting.

so I should be able to connect to those cycles. allows you to build systems. and yeah, taking breaks, taking space is actually where creativity exists, right? Not being in the system of the business, being able to actually take a step back and think, okay, this is what exists, but where am I going to go next?

And how, how am I going to

flow with that? Absolutely. I completely 100 percent agree with all of that. I've been on such a big health journey myself as well because, I think I, along, like in my early thirties, I was in my masculine energy a lot. So it was all like, cause obviously I was in the wedding industry and it was like, do, do, do.

But I think that had a big impact on my body, like my hormones. And what I've realized over the last few years is like, I have to now cycle sync. so, you know, my period when I'm going to come on is all in my diary. And I know day one and two, I just, I think, I think it's meant to be that you're meant to feel quite good.

But I know for me, like day one and two is like a company right off. Like I just feel so terrible. and then yeah, you're right in the ovulation stage. I feel a lot more creative, a lot more happier. But on day one and two, I'm just like a crying mess. And I need to just sit on my sofa and sit in my combo and watch like Netflix and that's okay.

But I think so many of us, especially Asian women, like We're just like, no, no, like that's just, you know, cause of with our periods and stuff like again, we've been taught by culture and society like, Oh, is it that time of month or, you know, are you on your period? Like cause it come early, all of that stuff.

And I think as women really to honor, especially like when we're building a business, like we can't just. disregard like our health, our feelings, our cycles, because long term it, I do believe it does have an impact on you in terms of like hormones and things as well.

Yeah, absolutely. And kind of pushing through, like pushing through how you feel, sedating yourself with things, you know, whether that is your defenses come up and you're like gouging, you know, junk food or you're taking pills or whatever it is, like whatever you need to push through in like that masculine way of working.

You'll do it. But actually, when you come back to the feminine, you give yourself those two days and you know yourself, you know, like that's something I write about in the book, . you know, your own cycle. So you can actually build in that space and taking those two days is actually going to make the other 26 days of your cycle more productive.

Yeah, right. 100%. So, You know, you're looking at the reproductive cycle, but you're actually impacting your productivity in other spaces. So it's all very, very interconnected, even when you look at the word productive, reproductive.

Yeah. And

how can you use that to your

benefit? Yeah, completely agree. And Henika, let's come on to your content because it's absolutely incredible.

ent is the way to go for like: 2023

So do you, because I know that you, film after your call. So I guess like your setup is already done, right? Cause you've got this beautiful setup, which everyone needs to go and check out. It's not just like Henika doing anything in her bedroom. It just looks on brand. So just talk us through like, what is your kind of real creation?

strategy, like how do you come up with the ideas? How do you execute? Like, do you just use your iPhone? That kind of stuff?

Yeah. Yeah. I actually, yeah. For content, I just use my iPhone. We have these incredible things in the palms of our hands that have like these amazing capacities for us to, to grow in ourselves and our businesses.

So I just use what I have. and I suppose before. I create content for the weeks onwards. Like whenever I'm scrolling, if I see something that catches my eye, I save it in a folder of like ideas. or if I see that there's a trending audio, I'll save it. So actually when it time comes to the time of creating things, I'm not then looking down to research cause then I'll be there all night.

but I actually have like a folder of things that. Oh, that worked well. I'll use that audio. I also go back and reflect on what has worked well previously for my own reels. So, I look at what performs well, what people are interested in. I also ask people, like I always put on my stories every month or two months, what are you interested in learning?

So

it's not me like predicting what People are interested in, but it's actually based on questions that people have. another really good tool is, oh, I have to remember the website. there's a website that you can go on that's based on AI that you can put in, like your industry or like, like keywords for your industry and find up on Google the most searched questions.

Yeah. You know, the one that, I mean, I think

it's, called. ask, ask Republic or answer the Republic or something like that. Yeah,

yeah, yeah. So that's another really good resource. Cause then again, you've got some structure to what you're creating. and what I'll say as well, if you don't feel like you want to go on like video, carousels are working really well as well.

So. If that's not, if you don't feel embodied, like flowing, free, creative, when you create video and you feel more comfortable sharing your message in another medium, do that. Because I think it's the energy behind what you're doing, not just doing like, it will come across. If you feel awkward, it will come across.

and I'm not saying like, of course it feels awkward for anyone, but there has to be this kind of, like. spot that you work with that it's maybe outside of your comfort zone, but not so much that you're actually, it's stabbing you in the back. Yeah. And the

intention is so important as well.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I love that. And in, so do you still create content like just one day normally? Yeah, actually whilst

I've been writing like this whole past year, my, all of my creative energy has been into writing my book. Yeah.

And

so creating new content has not been on my priority list. I've been repurposing my content.

I've been like using past videos and putting like new text over it. So I have still been showing up consistently. I know where I need to put my creative energy at the moment. And that was into my book. So, Yeah. Once you create content, it's there. You can reuse it. It's no, no one remembers.

I know, I reuse No one remembers.

so repost what works well and it will probably work well again.

Yeah, absolutely. And Henika, I've just been watching you like over the last year and you have done some amazing things. Obviously you've got your Hay House book deal. You did a retreat. internationally, a couple of them, I think. I know you're leading like amazing like circles for like some really big influencers.

How, like, I know everyone always says, like, how did it happen? And I know the answer to that. It's, it's putting in the work consistently. There's no magic formula. There's no kind of overnight success. But if there's been things that you feel like you can really pinpoint your current success towards, like, what do you think it is?

I think it's showing up

consistently with, a consistent message that when people think of ity, when people think of Tantra, they think of me, right. And I haven't chopped and changed my business. So, so like, sometimes you'll go on profiles and like one day they're a money coach and another day they're something else.

And, you know, it's hard to pinpoint someone when it's changing a lot. And I think showing up consistently with the same similar message with the same mission, has really been the key to it because, I have been very my feminine, like all of these things have come to me. I've not actually gone out actively in my masculine and perhaps that's something that I'll do next year because it's not something that, Yeah, I've had to do so far.

but yeah, I was approached by my publisher. I was approached by the Channel 4 documentary. Oh yeah. I was approached by like, a lot of like the other big things that I do. and. Yeah, I think, I think it's just been showing up consistently and believing in the work that I do and having that message.

And also, I will share, you know, when I started School of Central Arts and I was doing my tantra yoga classes online, I was teaching three times a week. We're in the pandemic at that time. And sometimes I'd show up and it would just be my mom and my sister in law who were literally in my house, two rooms along, but I would still turn up and I'd do the class.

And I really believe in just turning up and doing what you're doing anyway, just creating the space for people to arrive into it. so don't be disheartened if no one signs up for your program, like still create the content, still do what you need to do because you're putting that energy out there. And that's that, that invites stuff back in, right?

That invites opportunity

honestly, like in, you know,: 2023

We've had, you know, I think a lot more people are depending on like, obviously what your branding and messaging is. And obviously your price point, like this is all nuanced, but you know, some businesses have been impacted. and the online space is. Very different to what it was like in 2020 and 2021. but that's not like a reason to give up because people are still spending money, you know, they're not, they're not like not spending.

And I think that, you know, if you're not getting the client, the right clients or people I just, you know, have haggling or you're not getting this kind of premium clients, like that's normally a branding and messaging. thing that people need to look at, rather than like no one's buying because I don't really believe that, you know, but you do absolutely have to keep going.

Like, you know, when there's no one showing up or no one listening and that those are the times that matter the most. I think it's really, It's really easy to show up when things are going so well. but I think we all have, times, even when we've reached a certain level of success when things don't go so well.

And I think you're constantly learning as well. And I think especially with Asian women, like people are so scared to fail. but I think, if you're doing bigger and bigger things in your business, like you're gonna, you're gonna fail. It's, it's inevitable, isn't it? Yeah. I

think if you want to grow and you have to try new things, like inevitably you're going to fail at it because you can't be amazing from the first day.

Yeah. And you know, we, I think as Asian women, you go home with an A and you're told, why haven't you got an A star? Yes. So there's this intrinsic, like, I can't even get an A, like I have to begin with an A star, but you also have to learn how to Like read the alphabet and you also have to learn like how to do simple maths.

So you just have to start. and you know, I've learned also like going back to the cycles that there are cycles in my business where, like people are out there on holiday, they're doing things, that's a quiet period in my business, right? So I'm not going to push selling at that time. I'm going to work on things internally.

So kind of understand. Yeah. Every. time that happens each year. I'm like, Oh my God, my business is failing. You know, that comes up and then I'm like, Oh no. Yeah, it's this month again. Okay. And it has to happen a few times for you to realize like, Oh, it's the same time every year that this happens. So What else am I going to do during this time?

Oh my God. I love that so much. It reminds me of like, last September, I was doing, a launch and obviously this launch was happening when the whole Liz Trust drama was happening. The Queen had died. I was in the middle of a launch and my launch just was not, like people were signing up, but I'm, you know, I've got high standards when it comes to a launch.

And I remember literally being like, right, this is the end of my business. Like, I'm going to have to go and get a job. Like, that's it now. It was good whilst it lasted. It was great whilst it lasted. Dab. I'm going to have to get a job. Like this is the end. And then it was so funny because I just surrendered and just thought, you know what?

Like I've got people into the program. We're got a really lovely group. It's fine. Like it's going to, and it turned out to be an incredible group. And then I had, then I just had like loads of one to one clients book. And then I remember, I was like thinking, okay, like what else can we do this month? Like, it's not that like, you know, it wasn't because, it's anything like, Oh, I'm on the breadline.

I need to bring money. But I do like to, you know, You know, bring in money like each month because I'm like, okay, like we should be just thinking of different ways to generate cash into our business. And I remember, okay, well, I'm just going to sell some exhibitor spots at my event. Like, I can just do that.

ng this obviously in November: 2023

And I think taking into account, like, cyclical, like, seasons is just so important.I was going to ask you, Henika, just two last questions. What are like, The kind of spiritual and energetic practices that you use in your business to keep you grounded, really, and connected to your creativity.

Yeah. So this is one of the reasons why I think I was so attracted to the work that you do, because you totally embrace that and, you know, abundance, money is energy.

Right. Like if you even look at a coin, it goes through a pressure, like high pressure compounded against metals to create this piece of value. And, when you start to look at that in your own body and you start to understand your own energy is part of that abundant cycle, then. you start to do things to clear those channels, right?

So a big thing that we share at the School of Central Arts is Tantra yoga. one of the, key frameworks in Tantra yoga is the chakra system, and doing practices that consistently clear knots and tangles known as granthies, in the energetic body so that you start to feel a free flow of yes, ity, but also free flow of energy.

And I've lived in China. China is all about energy and tea, right? And they have flowing water outside the front of every home to symbolize free flow of energy and might invite abundance into the home, into the family. So, yeah, practices I have are tantra yoga. I'm also in regular and consistent therapy every single week.

I have been for three years and, I think because therapeutic frameworks are weaved into the work that I do, it's important for me to be in therapy at the same time.

and also I guess while I'm here to share the message that you don't need to have hit rock bottom to be in therapy the same way that you don't go to a dentist when you've lost a tooth.

you go for a regular like six month checkup. It's the same thing. with your mind, right? If you have this consistent place that you're actually not repressing things, you're sharing them as they come up and making links, then you can, yeah, you can use that to, to flow with your energy. And, yeah, so I'd say Tantra yoga, we work a lot with goddesses as well.

So connecting into the divine feminine, and the beautiful sensations that are so abundant in our body. and the intuition that, guides you to where you need to go in connecting to those sensations. yeah. So I'd say like, those are my two kind of main go tos. Sometimes, and I know I've asked you for recommendations, like if I'm in a, yes, I've messaged Sian sometimes and I'm like, I'm looking for someone, do you know, like a psychic or, whatever.

in certain times where I feel like, okay, I've got to my capacity of. Not knowing what to do. And now I'm going to leave it up to higher power. Right. And, going to someone else is it took me a long time to get to that point, like to get to the point where I don't know what to do now. going to someone else to actually reflect back to you what might already be there.

Whether that is a psychic or a tarot reader or whatever it is,

has also been

really

valuable for me.

Yeah, I love

that. Yeah, I'm really into, I always have a reading once or twice a year. I love it so much. So I remember we were exchanging messages like, oh,

is this person good?

Yeah. I thought, who will know, Sharn?

and that is just incredible. And, I think, yeah, therapy is just so important. I go to, I've been in therapy most of this year and I think also like when you're like a space holder, like us, it's just so important to, because I think sometimes like we can't really, you know, other than our kind of close family and friends, and my husband who knows everything that's going on.

Like this, I have definitely found like a responsibility, but also, you know, I, I don't feel like I can share everything that's going on with certain people. I have found that difficult. I think maybe something that I need to work on in terms of trust, but I think just having like a therapist, like somebody who's going to listen to all parts of you because we're not all perfect.

And we all have like, we're all working through stuff, I think. And just your own shadows and triggers. And I think it's just so helpful to have someone trusted that you can go to every week and they're just not going to judge you. And you can just talk through everything. and lastly, Henika, obviously you were in my mastermind like a couple of years ago now, and probably at the time of releasing this, they're probably my mastermind probably will be actually, enrolling clients.

So how do you feel like Specifically, the mastermind really helped you. Yeah. So,

Oh, it's so nice thinking back to that time because I remember for me, one of the biggest things was being in a community of other Asian female entrepreneurs who were just going for it in their businesses. Like that was such an empowering space to be.

having a space that I could, I remember I actually put in the group, what should I call my rebrand? Like Henneka Patel yoga or school of central arts. And everyone was like, school of central arts, school of central arts. And, having that space where you can go to and get like validation on your ideas.

and I've, I've. I've said how big an impact like that name alone has been on my business. And that really came from Mastermind and a lot of like the work we did on, yeah, just getting clear on the mission. A lot of like the, like energetic clearing exercises that we did were really, really helpful for me at that time.

and I think also, You really taught me about investment, like in terms of don't try and do everything yourself. Like I'm such a visual person that I really had a hard time trusting web designers, trusting content, like copywriters, things like that. I wanted to do everything myself, but actually I'm a specialist in what I do and there are other specialists in what they do for a reason.

And it's gonna, that's something that really blocked me before. never getting started because I didn't have like the website perfect or whatever. and I actually connected because you said just invest in like a website designer, just do it. Like you really encouraged that. And I actually connected to someone who is my best friend now.

Yeah. Yeah. I connected to her through Instagram because I liked her visual feed. Yeah. She didn't say that she was a website designer at that point, but I messaged her and I was like, Do you by any chance do website design? And she said, yes, I do. Cause she had a jewelry brand at that time. and she's, yeah, she's been a key part.

Giran, her name is, and, she's been a key part of building the School of Central Arts brand. We've hosted retreats together. Like our relationship has really evolved since then because there's someone who understands your brand from like the base key conception, right? Yeah. so yeah, I think investing in.

mastermind investing in, like you said, small things like zoom, but also big things like a website designer. once you start investing in your vision, I think it starts investing back in you. Like I don't do things for free because I really believe in that energetic exchange. And when I even sign up to do something for free, my heart, my heart isn't fully in it.

So I really think that energetic exchange is really, really important and we come from a culture where like this haggling culture is like, it really like, I get it, like it works in markets. It works in like getting yourself a pay raise, but like when you, you have to start applying that to yourself and like hold your own value.

and yeah, investing, investing in yourself.

Yeah. I love that so much. And I remember like one of your quotes, like in the testimonial, it was like something like, I invested in myself and my dreams invested in me. Yeah, I remember. I always remember that. Like I always see it and I'm like, Oh my God, that is like so key.

Cause I think again, as Asian women, we're taught to do everything ourselves and be a savior and be a martyr and never, you know, Just be these hyper independent women that never rely on any support or help. But I just think that's just a recipe for disaster and burnout because I just think you can't do everything on your own, whether it's life, whether it's business, whether it's your relationships, like you have to get that support.

And I think feeling supported and receiving that energy is just, oh, it's just so important, I think. Yeah. And. Oh, that is, I think that's all we've got time for today, Henika. I feel like there's gonna be a part two because there's just so much to talk about. But where can everyone find you if they want to connect with you?

Yeah,

so, you can find me at theschoolofcentralarts. co. uk. I'm taboo busting all the time on my Instagram, Henica. x. and my book, , will be out in May, the end of May. So do sign up to the pre order on my newsletter.and yeah, I'm really, really excited to share that with you. So we have like an online Tantra yoga community, online Shakti circles, but we're also moving offline now.

So you can find us in London, sharing like monthly circles and couples, date nights and things like that.

Oh, Henica, thank you so much for coming. It's been an absolute pleasure. Absolutely. Joy to have you. Yeah.

Thank you for having me. It's

so nice.