Celeb Talk :Navya Naveli Nanda is making a difference!

An entrepreneur at a very young age, Navya Naveli Nanda is more focused on enjoying the simple pleasures of life away from all the media attention and is flying high with her voice. The youngster spoke to The Pioneer’s Shikha Duggal about her podcast, female entrepreneurship and others.

Shikha Duggal

She’s classy, she belongs to a legendary family, and she’s proud about it — she’s none other than our next guest for the celeb talk segment named Navya Naveli Nanda. In spite of belonging to B-town’s biggest family, what sets Navya apart from other star kids is that she saw the beauty behind everyday life. An entrepreneur at a very young age, she is more focused on enjoying the simple pleasures of life away from all the media attention and is flying with her voice. Yes, she is an influential figure today because she had the guts to enunciate her thoughts about women’s health openly.

Her next step was to launch her own podcast, reintroducing her grandmother Jaya Bachchan to the public eye. The podcast titled What the hell, Navya? saw both her mother and grandmother undisguisedly talking about taboo topics. And now, we see Navya partnering with Aromatherapy Candles for a cause of her own. Let’s not delay any more and dive deep into our exclusive conversation with the co-founder and CEO of Aara Health.

“Entrepreneurship is the pinnacle of progress and growth. This plays an important role for women today as we push boundaries and get recognised as leaders and innovators. However, if we women work together and support each other, we can reach our goals even faster. It’s shocking for us to see women’s sectors such as menstrual hygiene and sexual wellness still led by men or by gender marketing that makes simple things like shaving cream for women more expensive than a man’s shaving cream!

For the most part, we have lived in a patriarchal society, and women were merely “supporting” the economic environment. Over the last few years, we have seen women making massive strides in the realm of business, and we think that you only connect best with the people who can identify with your struggles,” shared Navya.

Three different generations with three different opinions made Navya start a podcast of her own. She added, “Since the podcast industry is booming now and is the most intimate form of storytelling, I decided to launch a podcast of my own. You can’t fake it on a mic! When all three of us used to sit down for a deep chat, we were actually recreating our everyday living room scenario. My mom is an avid podcast listener herself; she said yes immediately because it was perfect for her since she is not camera friendly at all (Navya laughed).”

On a key note of branding together as women, the youngster is adamant: “It’s high time we redefine how business is done. We can usher in a new era of innovation and female leadership by supporting one another and forming a sisterhood. Let’s work to inspire the young girls of today to dream bigger and let them know they have an inclusive sisterhood to join when they choose to become entrepreneurs.”

She also revealed, “My mom is the best conversationalist — she’s so well informed, just like my mamu. And Nani is unfiltered, a trait that I really admire in her. My mom totally disapproves of being my best friend; she once announced that I am not your best friend and a parent. That’s just my family; each one of them knows where to draw the line.

Because of her simple agenda, we are open-minded individuals who are willing to hear anything and everything. My mom cannot compromise on my financial independence! She taught me very sternly to not even think of starting a family if I don’t have enough money in my bank account or if I can’t pay my own bills.That sensibility brought me here. For example, I recently made a massive purchase on my own; my mom was willing to get it for me, but I politely declined. By the way, my purchase was work-related (she tweaked in the middle). I had another thing in mind with the financial independence taught to me: I would like to give back to my parents. My first pay checks were for my mother and father, obviously.”

Talking about her baby, that’s Aara Health, so close to her heart, she expressed, “I consider myself extremely fortunate to have brilliant doctors assisting my team with our content and brands willing to collaborate to provide women with the products they deserve. I believe our most important piece of advice for anyone working in a male-dominated industry is to never give up hope.

There could be people who question your place or underestimate your abilities, but use that to your advantage. Most roles in business still, inadvertently or not, follow the traditional social construct, and while we are developing our own companies, we are also working to change this perception along the way. I am now developing an online marketplace for female entrepreneurs to promote their products and broaden their reach in an effort to inspire and support women in their business endeavours.”

Aara Health was co-founded with one common objective: women’s wellness. “Even today, we believe that investing in women’s healthcare extends beyond physical well-being but also to economic prosperity, stronger communities, economic development, and social change. Both Mom’s Therapy and La Fragrancia are significant brands in this space, and our audiences resonate with their values too. Most importantly, their stories really inspired me; their products are handcrafted, the formulations are based on their family’s DIY skincare and haircare practices, and they work for the good of their consumers,” shared Navya. It was so empowering for her that she collaborated with this unique line of products.

She also revealed, “My mom is the best conversationalist — she’s so well informed, just like my mamu. And Nani is unfiltered, a trait that I really admire in her. My mom totally disapproves of being my best friend; she once announced that I am not your best friend and a parent. That’s just my family; each one of them knows where to draw the line. Because of her simple agenda, we are open-minded individuals who are willing to hear anything and everything.”