Founder and CEO of Inspire Yoga, wellness ambassador offering customised solutions.
Born and brought up in Hong Kong, Neelam excelled as a student graduating with Honours from the London School of Economics. She began her career in investment banking and realised her passion was helping people. She pivoted to wellness and today is a wellness ambassador in Hong Kong. As a founder and CEO of Inspire Yoga, Neelam has 15 instructors hosting classes throughout Hong Kong in yoga and mindfulness.
Today she deals with private and corporate clients, helping them to find the problem and offering a customised solution through the philosophy of yoga. She conducts one on one classes for personalised practice, speaks at conferences for mindset changes within companies and teaches the technique to pivot in times of change. Highly acclaimed online courses to provide digital solutions and transform stress to success are some of the high-quality services her company offers.
As a mother of two young children, she faced numerous challenges, plagued by guilt and felt compelled to check up on the children; this affected her productivity at work. However, she soon realised it was not a trade-off; 100% attention and effort in her professional and personal life were all she needed; it made her efficient. Neelam believes in delivering the best quality service to her clients, and this strategy has multiplied the growth of her company, because a happy client will recommend others.
In this chaotic world, creating a framework to attain contentment empowers her clients to make choices that serve them rather than being pulled by various temptations. This helps them maintain their peace and physical well-being in the long run. Focusing on mindfulness and meditation is a way she helps her clients release stress and tension they carry in their bodies. She equips them with options on how to return to a more balanced lifestyle with practical techniques and tools.
The pandemic gave them an opportunity to scale the business offering corporate workshops around the world, taking private classes through their online programme, especially for clients going through quarantine and countries in lockdown. Having returned from India in March 2020, Neelam was quarantined and faced anxiety. She practised the techniques that made her relaxed, helping her to reach a state of calm without external stimulus. At this point, she decided these techniques are a gift, and they must be shared generously with the world. So, anyone curious about yoga and mindfulness had access to all the knowledge without depending on other resources. This indeed is true empowerment.
She runs programmes in schools locally to empower young adults as they enter the labour force. This created employment for the team to operate the business in Hong Kong. As an advocate for female empowerment, Neelam runs many workshops to train leaders in allowing equal opportunities and providing an environment for physiological safety.
The YES mindset, which helped her to take on every opportunity, witnessing the success of saying yes, has benefitted Neelam phenomenally. Letting go of expectations and breaking the mould has been freeing, allowing her to think outside the box, and going with the flow has been a fun and adventurous journey.
Over the years, Neelam has achieved a lot professionally, and she’s the Corporate Wellness Ambassador, Liv Media, published co-author, My Voice – Amazon bestseller, Diversity List Spokesperson, Empowering women and ethnic minorities, Awarded by the government of Hong Kong. She was also featured in Vogue, Tatler, Asia Entrepreneur, and South China Morning Post.
Neelam says, if you feel passionate about something, commit to it fully, your sincerity when open doors. Being 100% focused on your cause will pave the path. Things happen organically if you are willing to accept and adapt to circumstances – it’s her message of hope.
Often, we hold ourselves back the most, we doubt ourselves, we don’t celebrate our achievements, and we run after specific results. She believes that success is not in the large mansions or the fleet of jets; it is measured by the ability to wear a smile on your face, your sense of contentment. Operating from this space creates a perfect balance of ease and effort. Enjoy the little things in life and be grateful for each day. Believe in your capability, don’t stifle your own talents before they’ve even sprouted with doubt, fear and frustration. Her message to everyone is, be kind to yourself, and people will gravitate to be on your side and support your cause.
