Started out as an intern in one of the biggest diamond trading companies in the world, Rapaport Group, Pooja Sachin Duggal slowly escalated her way up to become the MD of the company’s operations in India.

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Pooja launched her career at a very young age of 17 as an intern for an advertising agency while she was still in college. Curious much to know about diamonds, Pooja went on to study them at the prestigious Gemological Institute of America.

After graduating, she worked in a Diamond laboratory for a year before joining Rapaport. A male-dominated industry, Pooja had to fight all the sexism and strive really hard to reach the top of this game.

However, after 11 years at Rapaport, Pooja left the company to pursue what she says was her ‘forever calling.’ She then searched within on how to impact the world and hence, Healthhunt was born.

In an interview with IWB, Pooja tells that the main aim of Healthhunt is to disrupt the current idea and understanding of daily well-being across Asia.

Intrigued much about the ‘disruption’ concept, I ask Pooja to explain it further to which she says, “According to various surveys and statistics, 25% of Indians may die at the age of 70, on account of lifestyle diseases resulting from their unhealthy lifestyle. That’s shocking right! We need to reconsider our idea of health and fitness and should aim for a holistic approach of body and mind.”

“The first fully integrated mind-body wellness platform, Healthhunt is a content-led marketplace with a wide listing of health and wellness experts and counselors, as well as service providers, makes us a one stop shop for a healthy body, mind, and soul,” adds Pooja.

Healthhunt currently has its head office in San-Francisco, California, U.S.  where Pooja is settled with her husband, Sachin Duggal, who’s also a serial techpreneur. Another office of Healthhunt is in Delhi, India and they also have freelancers contributing to the content from all over the world. Healthhunt has a huge database of health counselors from 17 countries guiding people on the right approach towards health and well-being. Interestingly, most brand partners associated with Healthhunt are from India.

“We are seeing this tremendous shift towards organic products in India and there are so many suppliers of authentic organic products. We are giving them the platform to showcase their products to the global audience,” explains Pooja.

Before we divulge into greater details of her work as the new techpreneur, we also chat about her experience and her journey as one of the very few women in the big league of the male-dominated diamond industry.

“When you started out as an intern at Rapaport Group, tell us about the incidents when you had to work harder because you were a woman? How did you fight such sexist challenges?” I ask.

“I think it’s not about the diamond industry. All the industries are deep-rooted-ly sexist. While working at Rapaport, there were these instances where the diamond prices were misquoted to me, believing that as a woman, I wouldn’t know the trading systems and pricing. There was always this doubt amongst all as to whether I would be able to spearhead the operations in India,” reveals Pooja.

“And, Jayati, unfortunately, the situation has remained unchanged for most industries till now. There are a lot of stereotypes attached to women. The only thing we can do, as women, is not to give in. For me, it has always been this way that if someone challenged me that I cannot do it, I’ll do it to show that I very well can! To make something possible, the key is to believe in self,” she continues.

Me: You started off with Healthhunt during your pregnancy. Tell us about the apprehensions that other people had regarding your decision and how you overcame them?

Pooja: Initially, I did receive apprehensions from few people who kept saying, “You don’t know how you’d feel,” “You’ll have no energy to do anything,” “It’s a very difficult time,” etc., and for a brief moment, I did get swayed away. But, then my ‘Why not?’ mechanism kicked in. I’ve always been up for challenges and if I believe that something might work out, I always have this attitude, ‘Why not?’ In this case, too, I went ahead to just experience how it would feel! And, trust me, it has been extraordinary!

Me: Sharing your own experiences, advise women on why they should not back off from work opportunities during pregnancy?

Pooja: If you have a healthy pregnancy then trust me, there’s no better time to take up any opportunities that come your way in terms of work, startup, or in any other way. Yes, your body will change, but, think about it this way: If you are busy doing something then you’ll be distracted and think about it a little less. The key is not to overload yourself and grow a little, each day!

Pooja wth her husband Sachin and baby Aramnaya

What role has your husband played in making you a successful ‘pregpreneur?’ How do you both share the household and baby-care responsibilities?

Pooja: Oh, Sachin’s support has been unconditional and massive! A serial techpreneur himself, Sachin served as my mentor, my guide, and my pillar of strength. In fact, he’s so into details that he did an extensive research into pregnancy and baby-care. From how to put on nappy to how to make your child sleep, etc., he researched and read about it all so much that he could probably write a thesis on it. *laughs*

We both accommodate each other whenever required and, to be honest when I am away, Sachin tends to Aramnaya better than me. Of course, as we both are working, we need to have a strong support of help. We are blessed to have a good help who takes care of our baby boy when we are away. As we have started with Healthhunt, I have chosen to work from home and so I have worked out a schedule for my work time and play time with him.

Me: One entrepreneurial lesson that motherhood taught you?

Pooja: It taught me that you are way more capable of managing multiple things than you think!

Me: And, what content on Healthhunt did you contribute from your motherhood experiences?

Pooja: If you see Healthunt’s content, it’s dedicated to holistic solutions for the well-being of body and mind. From my experience, I think emotional wellness is very crucial for the health of the baby as well as of the mother. So, a lot of content on pregnancy is around the nutrition and emotional wellness of the mothers.

Me: Few everyday things you follow to keep your mind and body healthy.

Pooja: For my overall well-being and health, I follow ‘B.E.S.T’ approach. Breathe.Eat.Sleep.Think! I have realized that deep breathing can tackle any negative situation and when you are calm, you won’t binge eat. When you eat right then you sleep right and if you have eaten well and slept well, you are in a better head space and you can think right!

Healthhunt Team

Me: As a leader, what one mantra do you follow?

Pooja: LISTEN! We confuse listening to feedback or input. Amazing ideas can come from anyone and so listening and paying attention is such an important quality for a leader to possess.

I also fire a few fun questions at Pooja and to my delight, Pooja answers them with promptness and wit!

So, what does your typical day look like?

When you are a new mother, every day is a noble adventure! A typical day doesn’t exist for me! I ain’t getting a fixed schedule for quite a long time, I think.

What are you currently hunting for?

Ahh, such a long list! But, urgently, I’m hunting out for authentic organic baby products and a new laptop!

Your biggest myth around health that was busted during the research for Healthhunt?

DETOX! It’s the biggest sham and has been created by the marketers just to sell their products. Body, in itself, is capable of ridding itself of all the toxins. Our body is in a constant state of detox if we eat right.

Your workout fashion style?

Gym leggings with a pair of a tank and a hoodie!

If we come around hunting for health in:

a) your home, what 5 things we’ll find there?

 Avocados, nuts and seeds, fresh vegetables, all sorts of berries, and a lot of water.

b) Your office, what 3 things/strategies/policies we’ll find there?

 We encourage everyone to have healthy meals and to take small walks or do some stretching during the office hours. And, most importantly, we ensure a transparent working environment.

P.S. To know more about Healthhunt and how it can help your daily well-being, visit their website, here.