phenomenal woman

This is my dear sweet friend Indrani. I was lucky enough to meet and get to know Indrani in August during my yoga training in Asheville. Let me tell you, she is a force to be reckoned with. I can't even imagine the mark that she is bound to leave on this earth. She's a mother of two, a wife, a triathlete, a marathoner, a yoga teacher, a life coach, an inspiration, and one of the best storytellers (don't worry Indrani, your stories and secrets are safe with me ;-) you'll ever meet. Oh yeah, and she's in the process of building a retreat center in the Himalayas and she's a faculty member for Martha Beck. That's why I chose her to be the very first Barefoot Works Phenomenal Woman...the first of a series to come. If you know a phenomenal woman...you know the one that's making a difference, a daydreamer and an achiever, living life by her own set of rules, going for the gusto, and living life to the fullest, drop me an email at barefootworks@hotmail.com and let me know who this phenomenal woman is.

I hope you enjoy learning more about Indrani.


Indrani's journey has taken her across oceans from her country of Trinidad and Tobago to her adopted country of the United States of America. She has called the USA home since 1974. She did her undergraduate work in communications at CUNY in New York City.

Her graduate studies in public speaking and interpersonal communication were done at Kent State University. She has held management positions at Lazarus in Columbus, Ohio and at Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New York City, NY. When she and her husband relocated to Houston, Texas in 1985, she decided to start her second career as a full time mother.

1. How do you define phenomenal woman? Any woman who is willing to investigate her present situation/life/circumstances and ask herself if this is where she wants to be. She does not have to know how to make changes, just whether she has a desire to make changes or not. If the decision is not to make any changes, then there can be no complaining. I must emphasize that these changes always involve the individual not the people surrounding them. For instance, if I am thirsty for compassion and empathy, do I give compassion and empathy to others in limitless quantities?

2. Can you think of one magical moment that led you to believe that you were destined for greatness (because you and I know that you are ;-) I knew that I was headed towards great things at the end of my triathlon as my physical body was ready to die right there on the spot but my spirit was soaring to heights I never knew existed. I realized that I had been living a life of limits and boundaries that I allowed others to impose on me. So at the ripe age of 50 years, as I was declared an Olympic distance triathlete, I knew that I was never going to go back to limits and boundaries. Stepping out of that self-made prison was the magical moment.

3. Why do you want to build a retreat center in the Himalayas? I have asked myself this question so many times and the answer is the same, because it's at the top of the world where heaven meets earth. So if I going to ask people to reclaim their divinity, they may as well do it close to the heavens.

4. Since you are a life coach, what advice would you give to women about creating their own success? It is very important to know where you are headed. You must have some general idea of a destination; otherwise you don't know which way to turn. Imagine if you got into your car and were stopped at a light. Which way would you go if you had no idea where you wanted to go, left, straight, right. You could figure this out by taking each turn individually, and that may be ok for you. My personal philosophy is that at this stage of my life I really want to have a clear destination, regardless of whether I know how I'm going to get there. I encourage my clients to dream a big dream and together we can figure out how to make it come true.

5. What do you find yourself most thankful for these days? For the ability to look for the gift in all of the challenges that life sends my way. I know that if I don't get the lesson/message the first time I am destined to keep getting the message over and over.

6. What is your mantra? Every body is doing their very best.