My Story - Uma

Hello, I'm Uma

The youngest daughter of four children, born and raised in an Indian Air Force family, I was always the one with starry eyes and big dreams. My father’s work constantly moved us to new places, and I fell in love with every new culture and habitat.

Before I even reached an age where I could judge people, I began to have an understanding of them, their personalities, and their nuances. I could tell how confidence and meek manners shapes people, and the people around them.

I developed a profound understanding of how each of us creates our own future with our beliefs, our behaviour and most importantly with our habits.

My journey in the spotlight began with the prestigious Gladrags’ Mrs India 2005 title. I started a television production house ‘Queen Bee Production' and under this banner, I launched the first-of-its-kind lifestyle show ‘High Life Dubai’ which soon made me a household name in the Middle East. I’m proud to have pioneered the local television content production for South Asian TV channels. Living the high life was my dream; the awards and accolades that followed definitely added a silver lining. My company grew exponentially, producing more than five successful shows across channels. And the awards continued. As my career took a mercurial flight, I fell into an unsuspecting trap. Burn out, stress and overwork which silently crept into my life, affecting my physical, mental and personal wellbeing. Like any good friend would, my friends and well-wishers also advised me to hang in there while I was at the top of my game. But somewhere in the midst of this frenzied glory, I knew something was wrong, and it had to be fixed.

I longed for time away. I longed for caring conversations and a warm meal eaten slowly without rushing back under the arc lights. It was not an impulsive decision but one that called me from the deepest pit in my gut. If I didn’t have a moment to nurture myself, then nothing on the outside was relevant. From there, my path took a deviation.

I was ready to leave everything that I knew, right from red carpet walks to being on one of the region’s most loved shows, it was time to break. I risked my highly public career as I stepped back to nurture my soul. I took all the time I needed and looked into my chaotic lifestyle. At a time when society was fame and success-obsessed, I was ready to sink my head into the study of inner wellness. I could finally see that whatever goes into our body reflects on what comes out of it. The glaring connection between emotional and physical health is so easily overlooked.

What no book or course taught me, I learnt by nurturing my face and skin. My skin had once told the story of burn out, quickly eaten meals, late nights and lack of nourishment. I had decided that this wasn't the story I wanted to tell.

So I wrote a new one.

I went onto a mission of mastery, wanting to learn everything there was out there about good mental and physical health. I learnt about the power of digestive enzymes and knew that the only true beauty elixir was self-care. I became a certified Holistic Health and Beauty Coach, a holistic beauty entrepreneur, educator and a digital content, online course creator, passionate to reach out to every person who was seeking a better, a healthier way of life. Everything you consume, shows up on your face; poor diet, emotional stress, sleepless nights.

My journey took a full circle and brought me back to the simple routine of self-care. It became more and more obvious to me that if we don’t care for what we put into our bodies, we cannot complain about how our bodies and skin show up for us. Holistic self-care and holistic beauty is not a quick fix solution to great skin. It is an integrated approach of mind, body and soul and it thrives on good lifestyle habits. I am committed to teaching others what I learnt along the way, empowering women to say no to self-neglect, burn-out and the ghastly comparison trap. And my journey has only just begun.

More of me on www.theumashow.com