I’ve always been interested in how ethnicity impacts the way people are in the world. I’ve observed clients and friends from strict cultures with very defined family roles, especially for women, struggle with integrating the traditional and modern parts of themselves.

With this in mind, in today’s episode, I’m diving into managing parental approval, and how to balance individual identity with family (aka tribe) identity.

Today’s guest, Vasavi Kumar is a kick-in-your-pants life coach, with a solid media presence and a robust, in-your-face brand. She and I would see each other occasionally at events and connect over what was happening in the world of coaching, and then last year she just disappeared. Today, she and I are talking about what happened in her life that inspired her to shut down her business and take a break from it all.

It came down to not offending her parents, her culture, and her family or not abandoning herself. I think you’ll find her story compelling and maybe even learn a thing or two about how to make difficult decisions that are aligned with your soul.

Terri Cole is a licensed psychotherapist, transformation coach, and an expert at turning fear into freedom. Sign up for Terri’s weekly Newsletter, check out her blog and follow her on Twitter.

Image courtesy of Hamza Butt.