Hello! I am Anuja Dani, a female entrepreneur. I am from a family in which education and a well settled job matters a lot. I was not a good student till my HSC. My family wanted me to do engineering, but I was not at all interested in doing the same and ended up taking the admission in BSC Home Science. My only goal was to complete my graduation in Nutrition & Dietetics but somehow, I ended up completing it in General Home Science. It was not because of my academic performance; it was because I never attended college for my 2nd semester. I was actually just roaming around in the Pune city with my best friend. After completing my graduation in Home Science, I had two options: one was doing an MBA and the other was searching for a good University for my MSC in Nutrition & Dietetics. I chose the latter.
So, to get admission in the Master’s in Nutrition & Dietetics, I had to clear the entrance exam and that is when I approached one of our nutrition faculty members to guide me so that I can get the admission. That day was hard for me! She just said that I will not get admission for MSC because for that one needs to work hard, study hard and stay focused. And that's when I decided to work towards getting a master’s degree in Nutrition & Dietetics and studied a lot to get admission for MSC.
There were only 20-25 seats for the MSC in Nutrition. After the entrance and interview I still did not get selected in the first list for the admission. And as mentioned, my plan B was to pursue MBA. I took admission for MBA thinking that my name will not be there in the second list. After 10 to 15 days I just checked the University’s website for the second list randomly and found out that I had got admission! Despite my not being serious in studies earlier, my family has supported me a lot.
I was confused about what I wanted to do after MSC; a full-time job, start my own venture or work with a hospital, because these were the only options we knew. Then, I came across NEP (Nutrition Entrepreneurship Program) and the journey of my brand (Harmony Wellness) started.
In 2018, I had completed my MSC and started taking baby steps towards my dream which is Harmony Wellness. But, at the same time, I did not want to be dependent on my parents anymore and so I opted for a full-time job in a supplement industry and thought that I would be able to handle both the things. So, I got a very nice experience working as a full-time nutritionist and simultaneously got admission in NEP.
I enjoyed these three months to the fullest because I was working on my own brand. After thinking about many names for the brand I finally locked Harmony Wellness. And then the real struggle started - making a logo, social media presence & website.
In October 2018, I launched my Brand Harmony Wellness - Where You Can Feel the Change! It was a rollercoaster ride for me to make my own website, to market myself and everything. But I was able to make that happen.
The motto of Harmony Wellness was to simplify nutrition & fitness for busy people. Slowly it shifted to helping people have a healthy lifestyle as well as spreading body positivity. Because I know how it feels when you are judged because of your physique! I have been a chubby girl since my childhood, and I know how hard it is to deal with the people who judge you. I totally understand how people lose their confidence and the ability to love their own body. I found myself in the same situation and realised that eating healthy and working out are not the only important factors. Your mental health contributes and plays a major role even in your weight loss. I started ignoring those people and started meditating and focusing on myself. I started reading books which motivated me and started helping the people who feel the same way about themselves. Anyone and everyone can lose weight and be healthy. We all need to believe in #BeHealthyAtEverySize!
In 2020, I left my full-time job to achieve my ultimate goal. After leaving, I didn't know where to start from. I worked as a freelancer for various start-ups, making advertisements for my services - many of which didn't work as I expected. Slowly, I started making good content for my Instagram profile and then people started loving the content. I almost gained 700 followers in less than 3 months. I was loving that people appreciated my work and started believing in my services.
Now, I am working as a successful freelancer nutritionist. This is just the beginning of my dream. I am yet to achieve a lot!
No matter what, self-confidence is really very important. Self-doubt can make your journey worse. So, overcome your self-doubts. Be healthy at every size - Because size does not matter what matters is your health.
