Embracing the Suck with Dr. Neeta Bhushan

“You can be scared and do it anyway.” – Dr. Amy Robbins

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EPISODE SUMMARY:

 

How do you respond to challenges in your life? Many of us turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, and then eventually fall flat on our face and have to actually acknowledge what we’ve pushed away. The depth that we are able to meet ourselves and then others with vulnerability and authenticity drastically affects our healing path.

 

Today we talk with Neeta Bhushan, co-founder of the Global Grit Institute, a mental health training platform for leaders and coaches, co-founder of the Dharma Coaching Institute, training thousands to live their best lives, and a thriving coach in her own right.

 

Neeta went through the depths of the most unimaginable grief and eventually met herself and soared to great heights. She’s helped thousands of people move past their heartbreaks, failures, and disappointments, researched human behavior, and fallen more than a few times herself, so she knows what it takes to get back up no matter what took you down.

 

Listen in to hear her incredible story and how you can apply the lessons she’s learned about resilience, falling apart, vulnerability, and healing in your own life.

Topics We Discuss:

 

• [3:02] Neeta’s story. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when Neeta was 10. She had to grow up early and take on a lot of responsibility as the oldest daughter. Her parents were also tiger parents and she was expected to perform at a high level in school.

 

• [8:16] Neeta’s younger brother passed away within a year of her mom passing. Two years later, her father also passed. She fell into victim and survival mode, overwhelmed by grief. Her extended family stepped in to help her and her remaining brother.

 

• [15:45] The family support also fed her coping mechanisms in her 20’s. She didn’t rock bottom until 29. Up until that point, she became an overachiever and just tried to push forward and “be okay”. Education and success were her addictions.

 

• [20:20] Neeta had the “perfect” marriage in her 20’s… but it was all a lie and she eventually divorced because the relationship was tumultuous. This was the beginning of her spiritual awakening.

 

• [26:09] “Fly forward.” Neeta talks about this concept in her book - when we experience a fall we are faced with a decision to take responsibility and change or not. She dove headfirst into therapy and healing. 

 

• [29:30] The meaning that you make about your experiences changes everything. Neeta calls this “the bounce factor”. The in-between stage between a sucky thing happening and moving forward requires vulnerability. You have to let go of any judgments you may have about the meaning you made.

 

• [33:45] Positive psychology has turned into a way to deny “bad” feelings and make everything positive. Toxic positivity became one of Neeta’s coping mechanisms. She is naturally optimistic and clung onto that during hard times. After her brother died, she experienced survivor’s guilt and the opposite of this positivity.

 

• [37:05] Where Neeta is now. After her divorce, she walked away from everything she previously knew and began saying “yes” to everything that she possibly could to push herself. She went on spiritual pilgrimages, started a nonprofit called “Independent Awakening”, began taking classes at Stanford business school, and became an angel investor - all while her dental practice grew.

 

• [43:20] Neeta eventually sold her practice because her ego wanted to expand it, but her heart was pulling her elsewhere. She moved to the Bay Area on a mission to interview 500 leaders and founders, and with that published her first book, “Emotional Grit.” She met her now-husband at multiple conferences over a few years until they decided to be together despite him being from Kuala Lumpur.

 

• [46:53] Neeta and her husband put their core values at the center of their relationship, something that couldn’t have been done without each of them doing the work on their own. She was afraid but open to trying. It reminded her of the slivers of joy that she had while going in and out of hospitals and grieving. hings can suck and you can still be okay. There is often a duality.

 

• [52:15] Neeta has received signs from her mom, dad, and brother. She’s seen them in spiritual journeys, worked with mediums, and had many dreams about them. They are her angels.

FOLLOW NEETA BHUSHAN:

Find Neeta and the programs she offers on her website.

 

Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube.

 

Neeta’s book, “That Sucked, Now What?” is available on Amazon. (affiliate)

 

Life, Death and the Space Between is brought to you by:

Dr. Amy Robbins | Host, Executive Producer

PJ Duke | Executive Producer

Andrej | Podcastize | Audio & Video Editing

Mara Stallins | Outreach & Social Media Strategy

Claire | Claireperk.com | Podcast Cover Design