Today we’d like to introduce you to Mrinal Gokhale

Hi Mrinal, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?

I come from Indian parents who immigrated to the Midwestern United States in their twenties. I grew up in a non-diverse, highly segregated suburb until I became an adult and went off to college in the city. Growing up, writing, reading, and language were my talents, and I dreamed of becoming an author since I was little. I was also always fascinated by human behavior and developed an interest in psychology and the DSM-5 in my late teens. When I was in high school and took a class writing for the school newspaper, I considered a career in reporting. I ultimately earned my Bachelor’s in marketing and journalism, pursuing reporting on the side for about five years. Today, I am a corporate professional by day, specifically in project management and business analysis. I have been a self-published author. My first of two books was published in 2021, and since then, I have taken pride in not just impacting readers, but discovering joy in public speaking, which I was terrified of for most of my life. The interviews and panel discussions I’ve been in featured topics like model minority myth, neurodiversity, and overall mental health & wellness in the South Asian and broader Asian-American communities as a whole. I am currently looking into opening a small business to offer my services and am even pursuing fitness instruction on the side.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

I feel I had privileges that not everyone around me did, but also some unique challenges. On the privilege side, I was blessed to come from a family that valued education and could help send me to college. I completed my undergraduate career in four years. In our early adulthood, we are still self-discovering. We are still learning what we want in life, in a partner, in our inner circle (or not), We are still exploring the world. We are still figuring out who we are. I never changed my major in college, but I struggled to figure out what I wanted after graduating, being that I studied marketing and journalism. On the one hand, reporting was my passion. But there was little availability and pay in the field. So I worked in marketing full-time and journalism on the side. Besides choosing a career, I was also learning about balancing two cultures as an Indian-American woman. There was also the factor of undiagnosed neurodivergence until my mid-twenties.
I did a lot of exploring, or what others may call “job hopping”, to figure out what I wanted to do. I worked in freelance reporting for five solid years, enjoying my time interviewing politicians and public figures, attending local community events, and writing about social justice. But I would learn the financial consequence of this, and eventually decided I wanted something more stable. I explored web development college courses, worked various side gigs and contract roles over the next few years, and also attended therapy and worked with career counselors. Over time, I discovered that I simply need to feel purposeful in my career. It doesn’t have to be in a field I’m highly passionate about. The pandemic was my blessing in disguise when I got a role in the operational side of technology. I have not looked back since and have worked in business analysis and project management. That same year, I published my first book while on lockdown.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

As an author, I don’t have a healthcare background as one may assume. But I do have a journalism background, and several case studies about South Asian mental health that are in both my books. What makes me unique as a brand is the many intersections I represent- neurodiversity, BIPOC mental health, and wellness on the author side, along with my creative consultancy services in writing and editing, book publishing, and marketing. And then we have my second brand, which is the corporate professional in the field of IT.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?

One of my favorite cliches when it comes to productivity is that progress is more important than perfection. That said, take the time to figure out what you’re passionate about, what you’re good at, and what your mission will be. Know that things won’t always be linear.

Pricing:

• 20 USD

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/mgohkale
• Instagram: mrinalg_
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrinal-gokhale-14a19b46/

Image Credits

1. Ashley Richole
2. Creative Mornings Milwaukee
3. Holly Schisler Photography
4. UW Madison