Simran Sondhi

Ancestral Healing & Decolonization: Reclaiming Our Roots for True Liberation

War is not just a modern-day calamity; it is deeply rooted in the history of colonization. The ongoing struggle in Gaza and the Palestinian fight for independence remind us of the enduring impact of colonization—a mechanism of Western supremacy that has exploited and divided us for centuries.

Colonization has severed us from our indigenous roots, leading to a disconnection that manifests as the mental health crises, stress, illness, and wars we see today. This separation from our ancestral heritage and inner selves breeds external disarray and conflict.

It's a strategic separation used as a means of control, a way to subjugate by keeping us from our collective power. Healing begins within, but it's incomplete without integrating the Shadow—both individual and collective.
Western therapy often overlooks our connection to the land, our collective history, and our ancestry, focusing instead on the individual over the collective. But how can we access the gifts of our lineage if we're unaware of our roots, if we haven't addressed the pain of this profound disconnection?

Join me tomorrow on Instagram (link in comments) for a live talk with where we will delve deeper into these themes. And keep an eye out for our upcoming course on ancestral healing starting March 23. DM for more information.

It's time to heal the wounds of the past and embrace the wisdom of our ancestors for a more connected and liberated future.
Join the movement towards wholeness and reclaim the legacy that is rightfully ours.

Last year, I found myself in a place I never expected. Overwhelmed, burnt out, and hustling towards goals that weren't truly mine. I was so caught up in chasing someone else's definition of success that I nearly crashed my business... and my nervous system took the hit too. I lost my spark, the drive to share my magic online.

But this year, everything's changed. I've taken a step back from all the noise. I stopped seeking guidance from every coach, healer, and mentor out there. Why? To hear my own voice. To reconnect with what's truly important to me.

And here's the truth I've uncovered: my business isn't about hitting that next 10k month, amassing a huge Instagram following, or being fully booked. No, it's about supporting the life I dream of. A life where my business aligns with my deepest values—authenticity, independence, and taking the time to truly live.

Success isn't about the hustle. It's about enjoying a beautiful steak frites with my partner and our dog, savoring the simplicity and abundance in my life. It's this gratitude that fuels me now, to share, to grow, and to serve in a way that feels right to me.
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What I wish my 22 year old self had known working in banking

I started my career at one of the top blue chip investment banks. I had hustled thorough school to get the grades, be on every committee, volunteer, be on the tennis the, swim team and also be a Girl Scout. I experienced my first adult life “failure” when I didn’t get into Oxford University. Like my Dad had done.

When I landed the job at this prestigious bank - it was against all odds. No one thought I could do it. They said my maths wasn’t good enough, that I wasn’t technical, that I wouldn’t last in the cut throat environment.

That was fuel for me. To prove everyone wrong. To actually do what family, peers, others believed I couldn’t.

The next ten + years of my life this motivation of proving myself fuelled me. I put myself through the hoops physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually (though the latter I had no concept about till my late thirties). There were times I would cry in the cubicles at work because my boss at the time was such a bully. I just didn’t have any outlet for my pain at the time that could help. I felt I had no choice but to push through.

When I look back at the 12 years I spent in finance and then the 5 more years in and out of corporate gigs, I wish I had more compassion for myself.

Here are some of my most important lessons and what I would say to myself back then, knowing what I know now:

If any boss doesn’t have your back as a woman in the industry, having to handle sleazy clients, sexism and inappropriate behaviour in the work place- that’s on them. It’s not because you are weak and can’t “handle the heat” - he’s just an a**hole. Moreover if you are ever coerced into dinner or drinks or anything else that makes you feel pretty much stripped bare and vulnerable- you are not too sensitive and nor is it in your imagination. This is misuse of power and chauvinism. You did your best and I’m sorry you went through that. (This was way before the whole Me Too movement)

If a company or boss hire you under contract for one particular role, but they change that role once you have signed and accepted that job - that’s unethical. It doesn’t mean you are difficult, it doesn’t mean you are not a team player if you stand up for yourself. You learnt hard lessons about who is really in your corner when the chips are down, but you were right in feeling the injustice of the situation. Your sense of justice and ethics is one of the great things about you. Don’t change for people or institutions that don’t value their word.

On the subject of trust, it’s totally normal to think people will stick to promises. Let them put that on paper. If they don’t- it’s not real. Be prepared to have your own back because unless something is on paper, the promise didn’t exist.

Speaking up for yourself doesn’t make you a trouble maker. You were learning how to have healthy boundaries in the face of corporate bullying. It is scary. But you survived and are wiser for it.

Just because a head hunter or recruiter doesn’t understand your career path, because you moved products, companies and jobs when it was time to go - doesn’t make you “unemployable.” You learnt that people in your network: your bosses, co-workers, clients know what you’re capable of. And that’s your super power. Your network is golden because it’s personal and that’s where your opportunities come from.

You don’t need to put in face time to be successful. Sadly many companies still operate this way, and you did your 16 hour days like a boss. Well not really like a boss, more like a co**se walking through Hades at times, but you are RESILIENT AF. You survived all of that and still remember the many good times.

In my mid 40s, through delving deep into my Human Design and doing a LOT of healing and self development, I now have so much love and compassion for my younger hustler self. I am not made to work like a robot. Being a motorless Projector (a human design archetype) I don’t have the sacral energy to keep relentlessly putting in the hours. I see things to be corrected and how to guide people and resources before even the manager/boss realises. Being a Projector and highly intuitive I see things before they happen: I can see when things will work or not. I just need to be around people who recognise my skills and shouldn’t waste my time conforming. Finally, I’m not there to prove myself. All that fuel for motivation was not coming from a healthy place. It was coming from lack. From feeling I am not good enough so wanting to “prove myself.”

I can see how for many people reading this it may sound like I am complaining or not relating to the “real world”. I’m not here to convince anyone. I am writing this for myself and for the thousands of women who may resonate with similar experiences. I don’t believe in proving one’s self worth. I believe trust goes both ways and an employee is a value to the company when doing the role they are naturally suited to. This doesn’t apply to people who slack off or don’t fulfil their job function. That was not my case.

My purpose in sharing this is to remind those of you who have experineced something similar, to have grace and love for the journey you have been on. Don’t let anyone dampen your fire, don’t let anyone tell you - you can’t. Also don’t feel you have to suffer to prove your worth.

As I enter another chapter of my own career evolution, I am keeping these lessons very close to my heart. If they don’t see your value. Move on. Find something better. If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, speak up. If they still don’t make amends - leave. Nothing is worth your self respect and health. Look in the mirror: be able to hold your head up high. That’s all that counts. The right opportunity is there. With the people who share your values. Because you are more than WORTHY.

I had plenty of amazing times in my finance and corporate life. I cherish the relationships I built. The skills I learnt. The mandates I delivered on. It just didn’t have to be that hard. And given my experience and what I know now - I won’t repeat the same lessons.

I help people navigate scenarios like this all the time. Because I have been there.

✅How to stay in a tricky situation, without losing your mind and your health -because you choose that.
✅How to see your inherent value and communicate that with grace and a solid grounding in your self worth.
✅How to know when to transition careers and how to even discover what it is you really want to do.
✅How to set up a passion side hustle that can turn into your main career while you ease out of your current gig.

There is help out there. If you feel resonance with these words, drop me a line or check out my packages. Link in comments.

People often ask me how my “woo” and esoteric side can have practical applications in the corporate world.

It is literally my north node to be of service: in making the esoteric - very practical and down to Earth. This means using concepts that may appear “airy fairy”, very concrete, so it gets you results. The tools change your life. They get you that job. They show you where you have been playing small so that you get that raise, ditch the toxic boyfriend, upgrade your social circle.

Let’s take my client J who is a successful C suite banker. She kicks a** in her career but still she was playing small. She gave everything to building her career, excelling in each and every task and going beyond the call of service to her employer( a blue chip investment bank). She was passed up for promotion a few times for partnership despite doing better than her peers, who got the promotion in front of her.

When we started working together we uncovered some deep seated beliefs about people pleasing, appeasing people to her own detriment - never really seeing how precious she was. By using some of my excavation tools for uncovering what lay underneath these tendencies, she discovered that as a child she was petrifed of letting her mother down for fear of reprisal: being ignored, shunned, punished. This little girl grew up to succeed, be a hard worker and team player. She always put other people first, was a great manager and delivered results.

What was the issue? Her motivation. How she saw herself. Even though she had the clippings of success - she was being taken advantage of. This was not an isolated incident just at work. It permeated every aspect of her life. The men she dated, her friends, her general overgiving nature. The motivation of people pleasing and being “the good girl”” never complainging, working harder, doing better - came at the expense of her boundaries and self worth. She was motivated by fear of not belonging, of being outcast, of being unloved. As a child she learned to get these things by allowing her own needs to be secondary to geting her mother’s love. As an adult though this behaviour was not serving her: she was not speaking up for herself, she was allowing people to stample over her boundaries, take advantage of her and leave her feeling angry, frustrated and confused.

When J understood where this behaviour was coming from, we set upon building up her self image and releasing these old patterns. The result? She left the job that didn’t recognise her contribution and found one where she is valued for who she is. She left a very narcissistic partner who also took advantage of her generosity and kind heart. She noticed who in her friends circle was really there for her vs what she could give to them. Usually in life there is a spilllover. How you do one thing is how you do everything. The “good girl” syndrome had repercussions not just at work but in other areas too.

J worked with me for 3 months. She came to me at a time when she realised she just could not continue the way she was going. The therapy wasn’t helping. The meditations were not shifting the needle. The pain of going round in circles was enough to get her to try something radical. That is when she came to me.

This is often the case with many of my clients. They come to me when others things they have tried have not worked. A last resort of sorts. These are the clients ripe for my containers. J was ready. She knew she had to change because she realised she was the only one who could make the change (life was not happening TO her) When she took responsibility for her life, when she was willing to see herself deeply and do some repair work, she released the behavior and beliefs that were keeping her in a looping cycle of frustration and being the under dog.

She is now a valued member of a another huge top tier bank, she has another job offer on the board of an exciting related business, she has moved on from the toxic partner and also newly redecorated her home. She has friends around her who love her and support her and she can keep at arms length those that drain her life energy.

Valuing who you are, speaking up for what you deserve and being willing to release eveything that is dragging you down is the secret sauce you need to uplevel your life. I don’t have conventional tools. I don’t speak to conventional people. I am not conventional. But if you want radical change in a way that fits your unique personality, style and aspirations - I may just have that secret sauce for you too.

Let’s chat and see if my kind of magic fits your particular needs. If you already know this feels right for you - go ahead and book in link comments below.

Above all, remember you get what you allow. If you want something to change, it starts with you.

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