“When my friends were all going out and still doing Contiki tours, I was navigating a divorce.”
Growing up in a traditional Fijian-Indian family, Shivani Gopal was given the message that women should be nice, they should serve others, that a woman’s value came from kindness and doing the right thing by others.
So when Shivani fell in love as a teenager and her family arranged for her to be married, she tried to be the perfect wife who gave up her hopes and desires for others. “I really did try to be the good girl, the good wife, the good daughter-in-law, to be accepted and loved,” she says. “But then my personality would just burst out. Voicing my ambitions certainly went against the fold.”
So, Shivani did the unthinkable. In her early 20s, despite the opinions of her traditional family and in-laws, she divorced her husband and super-charged her career in financial planning.
Her climb to the top wasn’t without a few other obstacles, including one potential mentor who told Shivani she was “too young and pretty” to be worthy of his time.
Find out how Shivani Gopal channeled her determination into a fundraise of $1 million to start the Elladex app, empowering women to reach their leadership potential.
+++
Curveball teaches you how to thrive when the chips are down! It’s a production of Deadset Studios.
Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.
Want more leadership lessons from the brightest minds out there? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! And suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com
This episode was produced by Grace Pashley. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kicking goals — Peggy O’Neal stares down the competition
A new season of thrills and spills from top leaders
INTRODUCING — How I Work, a podcast where leaders talk about how they structure their day
Tough calls — How good leaders make the right decisions when everyone’s a critic
Forged in fire — how great leaders use personal adversity to become even stronger
Crazy brave — How to channel your inner warrior
Think again — Adam Grant wants to change your mind about leadership
Dropping in — Andrew Stark rescues a world surf tour in record time
Turning the tide — How Andrew Stark transformed a crushing wave into the ride of his life
Staging a comeback — Jeremy Fleming’s show-stopping pivot from sets to desks
You beauty — Kate Morris on taking her online cosmetic company from her garage to stock market float
Testing times — Justin Langer on truth, tough love and making cricket great again
Lead your team like a MOFO
I get knocked down, but I get up again!
Mind games, set and match
If you didn’t pivot did you even 2020?
Start-up rollercoaster — Michael Fox on winning and then failing with women’s shoes, and re-emerging with a vegetarian VC success story
School of hard knocks – Dr Briony Scott on shutting down schools and firing up online classrooms
That’s Entertainment — Comedy boss Kevin Whyte on going broke, bouncing back, and shifting the laughs from stages to zoom screens
Cereal-ising success — setbacks, comebacks and taking risks with Carman’s muesli mogul Carolyn Creswell
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Organic Marketing Simplified: Master podcast marketing, fuel podcast growth, and make money podcasting!
THE GO BIZ GUY
The Sigma Femme Podcast
The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
The Tim Ferriss Show