"A health and fitness coach by day and a model by evening, I help many to achieve their fitness goals. But there was a time when I was criticized and ridiculed for having a thin and unhealthy body frame. Today, the same critics come to me for fitness advice and are inspired by me.

I had always dreamt of being a model - to walk the ramp looking my best. However, I never thought it would come true and brushed it off as a childhood desire. Studying, helping my mom with the family business and marrying my college sweetheart became the priority. My dream took a backseat.

Because of pressure to achieve the ideal weight, I started binging on junk food to put on weight. In a short time, I put on a lot of weight. The girl who was earlier criticized for being thin by relatives and society was now being asked to lose weight as she had become 'fat'.

That’s when I realized that society would never be happy. It is more important to accept yourself and respect your body than waiting for others’ validation. Loving and accepting oneself is all that matters. I started working out religiously and taking care of myself. I lost a drastic amount of weight.

It was later, during a trip with my friends to Goa, that one of my friends, a model herself, told me that I should try modeling. The thought stayed with me. Once back home I told my mom about this who said I should go for it. In fact, it was my mom who called up my friend and asked her how to go about it.

My mother is my greatest inspiration and has taught me the power of self belief. It was she who taught me that it is more important to be healthy than to have an ideal body shape. I owe my passion for fitness to my mother. ”