We recently connected with Ballori Sengupta and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ballori thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Absolutely–in fact, I’d say I do many things differently.
One of the most unique aspects of my practice is how deeply I integrate astrology into transformational coaching. What began as a personal tool to make sense of my own life has become a cornerstone of my work with clients. Astrology helps people understand not just who they are, but when to act, rest, reflect, or take a leap. It brings a level of clarity and timing that most coaching approaches overlook. So often people are pushing, trying all the right things, and still not seeing results — and they internalize that as failure. But what if it’s not time yet? What if you’re in a season of deep internal re-alignment? That awareness alone can be incredibly liberating.
This brings me to my identity-first approach. Most coaches will start with surface-level fixes–habits, business tactics, relationships–I begin by helping people remember who they truly are. We identify their conditioning, the trauma, and their survival mechanisms. We don’t chase quick wins because we’re rebuilding the foundation of their house as it’s crumbling. We build an unshakeable foundation rooted in self-trust, purpose, and truth. Because if your identity is built on survival strategies or societal expectations, no amount of goal-setting will bring real fulfillment. Once you start elevating your consciousness, you become much more aware of how the world works and you can’t unsee things anymore. I’m sorry to break this to your readers if they don’t realize they’re on this path yet — the things that used to work before and you were successful at, don’t continue to work because in the new paradigm it’s about alignment. That’s why law of attraction doesn’t always work. But the more aligned you are, the more liberated you are. The weight of the world lifts off your shoulders. You start moving around in the world that either people fear your power or they are in awe.
Most of the challenges my clients face — whether it’s a lack of confidence, stuckness in their careers, or relational patterns — trace back to unresolved trauma, inherited beliefs, or internalized conditioning. Until those roots are addressed, real transformation is nearly impossible. So many people get stuck on the hamster wheel of healing. They have the therapists and coaches and are “doing the work” but stuck in the same trauma responses. Over the years, I’ve collected an arsenal of tools–from astrology to somatic breathwork to ancestral trauma healing–and most importantly, I know when to use each one to accelerate the process. It’s not about throwing techniques at the wall. That’s how I learned and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. It’s about weaving them together to help people break cycles and fully embody their power, so they can finally move forward and live a limitless life.
I believe this approach of identity-first is the future of transformation work to truly experience lasting change. It’s about adding aligned intention to what already exists in the industry. The world is waking up to the reality that we can’t keep treating symptoms while ignoring the root causes of suffering. People are craving depth, truth, and healing — not just productivity hacks. As more individuals experience spiritual awakenings and identity shifts, they’ll be drawn to modalities that honor the complexity of the human experience. Approaches that integrate both the mystical and the practical — like mine — won’t just be seen as “alternative.” They’ll become the new standard for real, lasting transformation.
So instead of pushing people to “succeed” based on external standards, we identify what their unique success blueprint is so they can build an unshakeable foundation rooted in self-trust, purpose, and truth. It’s not a quick fix — it’s deep, transformational work.
We’re not just changing one person’s life. We’re changing the energetic blueprint for generations to come.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Freeing the world of suffering, one soul at a time
My name is Ballori Sengupta. I am the founder and transformational coach at Journey Home with Ballori, a speaker, and author of the upcoming book The Mass Identity Crisis. My coaching practice is rooted in the belief that we don’t need fixing–we need remembering. My work is about helping people release the weight of false identities they’ve inherited or internalized to survive, and guiding them back to their authentic self to live a soul guided, fulfilling life.
How I Got Into This Work
For years, I followed the “right” path–science and engineering degrees, a successful career in product leadership, patents, all the external markers of success. But the more I climbed the ladder of success, inside I was unfulfilled, disconnected, and lost in the deep abyss of the void. I felt trapped. I was suffocating.
The truth is, I didn’t choose this path — this path chose me.
My life seemed like a constant uphill battle. The middle of three sisters, I was the ultimate black sheep. From a young age, I was pressured to be perfect. I was consistently compared to my older sister, who was the golden child. My creativity, my sensitivity, my questions — the very things that made me me — were treated as flaws. I wasn’t praised for who I was. I was praised for how well I could perform.
I graduated from undergrad during the recession in 2008. I did all sorts of jobs, but none that were considered “respectable” for the family I came from. My confidence was crushed and I started to have suicidal thoughts.
But everything changed in 2011 and those thoughts were history. Writing an application essay about why I wanted to get an MBA played a huge part in what I now know was my first spiritual awakening. I asked myself some questions that changed my life forever. “When was I happiest? What was I doing? Who was I with? Who was I BEING?”
These questions triggered a memory from when I was 20. I used to work at an Orthotics and Prosthetics practice. Most of the prosthetic patients had been wearing prosthetics for longer than I was alive. Then one day, a woman walked in, pushing her son on a wheelchair. It was more like her lifeless son. He was just two years older than me. He looked like one of those guys that played multiple sports, but all of his dreams had been shattered and his life was over in a split second. A few weeks before, his right leg was amputated because of a car accident. It was the first time I met someone who was still in shock of losing a limb.
I still remember the day he came back for his fitting. There were no other patients. Just me, my boss, the two women in the office, his mother, and him. He sat in the wheelchair in front of me. My back against the wall. I put the leg on him. He put one hand on the bed and one on my shoulder. And as he pushed himself up, I saw a man come back alive from the dead. The whole room was in tears and for the first time I felt what it really means to have a chill down your spine.
I don’t remember what made me think of him that day when I wrote that essay, but I thought, wow! I’ve been given all these talents and heart and resilience despite all the challenges. I had the opportunity to give someone a second chance at life! At that moment, I realized that “my life is about more than me.”
I got accepted for the working professionals program, which didn’t economically make sense for me. My parents made me apply for a Masters in Computer Science program, as well–no matter how much I resisted it, I seemed to be getting pushed into it. Fees, essays, exams, everything just got waived. It was like the universe just kept opening doors for me one way and closing–even though not completely–others. I figured this was the universe’s way of guiding me that this is how I would get myself unstuck. As soon as I made that decision, everything took off. I got a full time job offer for my first tech job at a company I had interviewed with 5 times before. For the next two years, I went heads down. Working full time and going to school full time. My days would start at 4am so I could beat commuter traffic and I would get home at 1am after class and study groups, only to start again at 4am the same day.
I changed companies just as I was approaching graduation and went through a quick succession of promotions in the next few years. For someone who didn’t really want to do computer science, I was doing great! I moved into the business side within a few months and started to build a confidence that I never had.
In 2018, it was time to spread my wings. I decided to move across the country to New York. Around the same time, I met someone I fell in love with for the first time. He was everything society would tell me I shouldn’t be with, but none of it seemed to matter, until he said he just couldn’t commit. When we parted ways… I spiraled.
And in that spiral I remembered my epiphany from 2011. I was about to get redirected.
That pain ignited my healing journey. I began studying astrology, human design, trauma work, and divine feminine embodiment. Running in masculine energy was burning me out without me even realizing. I uncovered years of suppressed emotion, inherited wounds, cultural conditioning, and ancestral trauma.
And in that messy, mystical process of unbecoming everything I wasn’t — I finally came home to who I AM.
What I Do Now
From 2020, I started getting the feeling that the universe was pushing me out of Corporate America after a series of unexplained illnesses that would appear when I joined jobs and disappear as soon as I decided to leave them. I leaned into what was calling me the most. In my latter years in Corporate America, my focus was shifting from product to processes and structures that would empower the team to do their best work. I was stepping more into the role of a mentor and thought leader in these spaces than doing the product visioning. It was all about how do we bring the best out of people and play off of each other’s strengths?
Today, I’m a transformational coach, speaker, and spiritual guide. I guide soul-led leaders, women in tech, creatives, and changemakers through deep identity and purpose work so they can finally feel free — emotionally, spiritually, and energetically. Although I started my work in navigating career transitions (since I was the queen of that), as I grew, my work shifted to focus on understanding an individual’s true identity and inner world to let them shine and live their purpose.
I offer:
Coaching Programs: Becoming You 2.0 (6-month personal transformation container)
Speaking & Thought Leadership: I speak on identity, authenticity, healing family trauma, and the collective crisis of self we’re facing — what I call “The Mass Identity Crisis.” I’m also writing a book by that name.
Podcast & Content: My podcast Becoming explores what it really means to shed false identities and embody your truth. I also create content on identity, healing, and leadership across social platforms.
The Problem I Solve
Most people today are suffering — not because they’re broken, but because they’re buried. They’ve been conditioned to perform, conform, and suppress who they really are. This shows up as burnout, relationship struggles, health issues, financial issues, and a deep sense of misalignment. And on the world stage, it shows up as wars, massacres, divorces, suicides, serial dating–the list goes on.
I help people excavate their truth, reclaim their power, and create a life rooted in soul integrity. Whether they come to me for personal liberation or leadership clarity, my work always brings them back home — to themselves. To their soul.
What Sets Me Apart
I’m not just a coach. I’m a transformation guide forged through real-life fire. I’ve walked the corporate path and the spiritual path. I’ve navigated family trauma, cultural pressure, chronic illness, and identity death. There’s a time between who you were and who you’re becoming that can be very confusing and frustrating without guidance. You’re removing all the limitations and conditioning that society and life has put on you and you’re moving into a limitless life where anything is possible and you don’t even know how to imagine what that could be. I’ve been where my clients are — and I’ve emerged with tools, wisdom, and frameworks that are rooted in both the mystical and the practical. This isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve done this before. In a different lifetime. On a different timeline. And I’m just here to continue that work.
I blend:
Spiritual modalities (astrology, intuition, ancestral healing)
Nervous system + trauma-informed coaching
Feminine embodiment practices
Executive-level leadership development
Cultural and identity reprogramming
My approach isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s tailored, intuitive, and radically honest — because transformation isn’t clean or comfortable. It’s sacred, messy, and wildly worth it.
What I’m Most Proud Of
I’m proud that despite walking through the fire without any real guidance in the physical, I found the strength and resilience to keep going for the people I’m here to serve. It was NOT easy. I’ve never given up on my purpose. My integrity has been tested over and over again. But I’ve trusted the divine, built a business and embody what I teach, and helped others rise — even while rebuilding myself.
But more than anything, I’m proud of who I’ve become. Not the roles, but the soul. And I hold that same vision for every person I work with: that they, too, can return to their truth, and live free.
Final Message
If you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong… like you’re meant for more… like you’re tired of performing and ready to be real — I see you.
You’re not broken. You’re buried.
And it would be my honor to help you come home to yourself.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Resilience isn’t about being bulletproof — it’s about being rooted.
It’s about creating a foundation that is unshakeable — one that allows you to return to your center, even when the world around you feels like it’s falling apart. When you build that kind of foundation, no matter what happens, you have the ability to bounce back and stay grounded.
Life taught me the art of agility.
Be like water. Move around the columns and rocks. Fit into any space. Take on any shape. But no matter where you are or what you encounter — you remain water. You remain you.
For years, I adapted — I succeeded in high-pressure environments, navigated complex family dynamics, and made myself small to meet expectations and make sure everyone else felt comfortable and was happy. But when everything fell apart — career, health, identity — none of them were there. I realized that resilience wasn’t just about how much I could endure. It was about how deeply I knew myself beneath it all.
My transition from a “comfortable”, steady, six-figure income to starting over at zero – with a lot of inconsistency – was nerve wracking. I had to learn how to get comfortable in the uncomfortable. I didn’t think I was ready, but I didn’t feel like I was getting much of a choice. Between the job market during COVID and getting sick, I knew it was time to pivot. But I was still sitting in the eye of the storm – healing and grieving the life I had built, even though it wasn’t working for me anymore. I was rebuilding from the inside out.
To do that, I had to get clear on why I was doing it in the first place. You need a strong enough why — a reason that matters more to you than the pain you’ll face along the way. A why that pulls you forward when everything else tries to pull you back. I knew that every challenge I was facing and was overcoming was so I could help people get through it who didn’t have the willpower I do to get through it alone. “The more the challenges, the harder the lessons – the more people you are here to serve and the bigger impact you are here to have.”
In stillness, there is power.
We live in a world that rewards doing, chasing, and proving. But constantly trying to prove yourself is exhausting. To keep up with one lie, you have to tell a thousand more. That requires so much more energy.
But when you ground into yourself, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. You simply be – and what is meant for you will magnetize towards you.
I always have clients ask if they should create custom resumes for every job. Honestly, I never liked that strategy. The approach I found more effective — and far more empowering — was this: know who you are and what you bring to the table. Get clear on the role you want and write your resume to tell your story. You might get fewer interviews, but the ones you do get will be high-quality matches. And soon, instead of you chasing opportunities, recruiters and hiring managers start reaching out to you.
But how do you even find the stillness? Start by cutting out all the noise. Limit your exposure to the news and social media. Cut out people who pull you down instead of lift you up because they project their limiting beliefs and stories onto you. If you can, surround yourself with people who will empower you.
Once I did find comfort in the stillness, I was able to recondition my mind, my beliefs and rediscover what is truly possible. For the first time I could hear myself. We are often surrounded by so many people who are louder than us and we value more than our own divine knowing. I got curious about any dis-ease and resistance I was feeling.
And slowly, things began to shift. I was less triggered, I cleared ancestral trauma. I healed relationships with my family and friends that I never thought would change – because I had never known anything different. I just assumed that this was my life and this is just how it was always going to be. I learned the art of letting go of things and people who were no longer serving me without resistance, guilt, or shame
There’s a saying: “When you heal yourself, you heal seven generations before and the seven after.” I never understood that, but now I have experienced it.
What I discovered is that most people try to build resilience by pushing harder or pretending they’re okay. But real resilience comes from unlearning. From stripping away what isn’t yours. From remembering who you are underneath the masks.
Life stops being about doing – and becomes more about being. It shifts from resistance to flow.
That’s when everything changed.
I wasn’t just surviving anymore — I was becoming. I rebuilt my foundation based on alignment, not obligation.
Rooted in purpose, not performance.
I healed generational trauma. I redefined my blueprint for safety and success.
And I learned that freedom doesn’t come from holding it all together — it comes from letting go of who you’re not.
Resilience is a muscle you build every time you bounce back
— not by doing what others would do, but by tapping into your natural superpowers.
It’s knowing that even if everything crashes, you won’t.
Because your power isn’t in what you have — it’s in who you are.
Here are the truths that helped me bounce back stronger:
Don’t fear stillness. That’s where clarity lives.
Let go of what no longer serves you — even if it’s familiar.
Learn to live in the unknown.
Trust yourself more than the noise outside you.
Know the consequences of your decisions, get okay with the worst that could happen, and move forward anyway.
Keep learning and growing.
And remember: not trying is the only guaranteed way to fail.
When you build your life from the inside out, nothing outside of you can break it down. That’s not just resilience – that’s what it means to be unshakeable.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first started coaching, I focused on career transitions. I had done it several times before in my own career, and I had already mentored many people through changing job functions, getting promoted, or returning to work after a long gap. I had the frameworks, the strategies, and the templates.
But something felt… off.
I was attracting clients who wanted the $300K job at a FANG company… mainly for show. It was against the very value system I was stepping away from. It wasn’t that a $300K job is bad. It was the intention behind it that was out of alignment.
It was hard to say no to a paying customer. But it felt like the only option if I wanted to stay in integrity and embody what I was understanding about life.
To make space for what is right for you, you have to learn how to say “no” to what isn’t.
The truth was: I was feeling more called to support personal transformation. But I didn’t know how much of a market there was for it. Would people pay for this kind of work? Would they get it?
Then, I noticed a shift.
From mid-2023 on, more and more people came to me for help finding their next job — but it wasn’t in what they had been doing “successfully” for 10, 20, even 30 years. These folks were only a few steps behind me. They were unfulfilled at work.
They were questioning everything — their identity, their values, the pressure to follow a path that no longer fit.
If I had a dollar for every time someone said, “I don’t know what makes me happy anymore,” or “I don’t even know who I am,” I’d be making at least half my old corporate salary.
COVID woke people up. It shifted something. I wasn’t the only one sensing there was more to life — a whole collective was rising to that awareness.
But they didn’t know where to go from there.
“Can I even survive doing something I love?”
“What if I waste years chasing a dream that doesn’t pay off?”
“What will people think?”
“Am I too old to start over?”
“Will I lose everything?”
Key Lessons from This Pivot:
Follow the pull, even if it doesn’t make sense.
Clarity often comes after the leap — especially when you’re here to create a new paradigm, not just fit into an existing one.
You’re not abandoning your past — you’re evolving it.
What you used to do gave you credibility and skills. Now you’re taking it deeper.
The market catches up to alignment.
It might feel quiet at first. But when you’re doing aligned work, the right people find you — because your resonance is unmistakable.
You’re not for everyone — you’re for the ones who are aligned to what you have to offer.
And that’s more than enough.
That’s the thing about pivots.
They rarely make sense while you’re in them. You feel like you’re walking away from everything you’ve built — when in truth, you’re walking toward what you were always meant for.
It takes courage to leave behind the known, especially when it pays well, looks good on paper, and impresses your LinkedIn feed.
But the cost of staying misaligned is far greater than the risk of leaping into something true.
And the worst thing you can do is pivot to something new — but hold onto the old “just in case.”
Burn the bridges.
Put all your focus and energy on where you’re going, not where you’ve been. You’ll get there faster.
We’re not just here to build careers.
We’re here to build lives that make sense to the soul.
And if the path you’re called to doesn’t exist yet?
Maybe it’s because you’re here to create it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.journeyhomewithballori.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachballori
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachBallori/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ballorisengupta/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@coachballori
• Other: www.themassidentitycrisis.com (book)