We recently connected with Neha Lohia and have shared our conversation below.

Neha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Me
When I was about nine or ten years old, something happened that quietly, profoundly shaped the way I live and create to this day.

I had just finished a painting for the Camlin Colors contest. The theme was the Ganesha festival, and I had poured my little heart into it—my brother and I dancing with joy, my father holding the idol of Ganesha, and my mother offering a prayer with a lamp in her hands. It was our family, in celebration and devotion. I remember finishing the painting with so much pride, and then, shyly walking up to my father—who was deep into his newspaper and some important phone calls—and asking, “Dad, can you please take me to the post office to send this?”

He looked at my drawing, then at me, and simply said, “Go get dressed.”

What happened next will forever stay etched in my soul.

We left the house, and instead of stopping at the neighborhood post office, we kept walking. I didn’t question him; I just followed, assuming he had some other errands. We got onto a bus, and I was too young to resist the delight of a surprise adventure with my dad. The breeze, the hum of the city, the comfort of sitting next to him—I dozed off. When I woke up, we were in a busy part of the city, far from home.

We entered a big building. I followed him into an office, and he asked the receptionist to see the manager. Then, he handed over my envelope—not to a postal worker, but directly to the Camlin Color Company itself. My little jaw dropped. My sleepy brain finally understood what he had done.

The manager opened the envelope, smiled, and pinned my painting onto their company board. Then, he handed me the most magical goodie bag—filled with paints, crayons, art supplies I could only dream of. I was standing on the waiting room bench, looking down at my father with awe, with tears almost forming in my tiny eyes, realizing he hadn’t just helped me submit my entry—he delivered it. Personally. With love, with effort, and with faith in what I had created.

On our way back, I asked him, “Dad, why did you bring me all the way here?”

He replied, “Had I posted it, it could have gotten lost. You made the effort to paint it. You came to me. I had to do my part—to make sure it reached the person who was meant to see it.”

That moment became one of the most formative lessons of my life. My father—while in the middle of important work—left everything to show me what it means to go the extra mile. To not just support someone’s dreams, but walk them all the way to the door of possibility.

Today, when I make films, when I push through obstacles, when I feel like giving up, I remember that day. I ask myself: What would Dad do? And I try to walk the same path of devotion, love, and wholehearted effort.

Recently, I made a short film as a tribute to him. It’s called “Hello, Dad.” It won Audience Choice Runner-Up at the CUNY College of Staten Island Film Festival and received the Green Seal for sustainable practices from the Environmental Media Association of America.

It’s a simple film with a big heart aiming to heal a few aching ones like mine in the process of watching. I would feel if I can carry forward even a fraction of the kindness my father showed me that day, then maybe, through my films, my art, I can pass that light of kindness on to others too.

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?

About Me, My Art, and the Mission Behind It
I’m Neha Lohia, a filmmaker, storyteller, and conscious creator whose work is rooted in the art of transformation. I create films and creative works that serve as vessels for healing, awakening, and remembrance—focusing especially on untold stories of epic women, soul journeys, and moments that move us from grief to grace.

My path into this work has been anything but linear. I began in advertising and global cinema, working with major studios like Disney, Fox, and Sony. But life had other plans for me—after experiencing two near-death experiences, I couldn’t go back to business as usual. My creative compass realigned. I felt called to tell stories that mattered, stories that healed, stories that uplifted consciousness. I stepped away from commercial comfort and into the wild unknown of purpose-driven storytelling.

Today, my creative work includes short films, documentaries, children’s books, brand films, and conscious campaigns. I direct and produce stories that don’t just entertain—they stir the soul. Whether it’s a poetic short film exploring grief (Hello, Dad, Masked and Breathless), a spiritual narrative about enlightenment (Yashodhara The Buddha’s Wife, Rengetsu – The Lotus Moon), a self-inquiry based documentary (Who Am I?, An open mind) or a whimsical children’s book on heart and mind integration (Sam and His Two Birds), all of my work stems from the same mission: to help people remember who they truly are beneath the noise.

I also collaborate with nonprofits and purpose-driven organizations to bring visibility to causes like the Meatless Movement, Forgiveness Day, and spiritual wellness. My goal is to use media not as a distraction, but as a bridge—to inner peace, to courage, and to connection.

What sets me apart, I believe, is not just what I make—but how I make it. I infuse every project with integrity, intuition, and intention. I go the extra mile, because the stories I tell are not just content—they are prayers, offerings, and thank-yous to the wisdom that carried me here. My style is poetic, emotionally resonant, and often draws from ancient wisdom and everyday humanity.

I am most proud of staying true to this path, even when it’s been difficult. I am proud of the small films that found big hearts. And I am proud that my work has become a mirror for others to see their own strength, softness, and soul.

If you’re someone who believes in the power of story to heal and transform—whether you’re an audience member, a collaborator, or a soul just passing through—I hope my work speaks to something real inside you. Because that’s all I’m here to do: to tell stories that remember the love we all carry within.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist is the alchemy—the sacred process of turning something deeply personal, even painful, into something universal and healing. It’s being able to take moments of silence, sorrow, joy, or revelation and shape them into stories that touch someone else’s life—someone I may never meet, but whose heart recognizes something in the work.

Art has been my way of making sense of life’s biggest questions. As a filmmaker, I get to live many lives, ask unspoken questions, and explore unseen corners of the human spirit. But the deepest reward is when someone watches a film or reads a story I’ve created and says, “I felt seen,” or “That helped me heal.” That’s when I know it was worth every bit of the journey.

I also find deep fulfillment in the transcendence art allows. It lets me connect with something greater than myself—call it Spirit, Source, or Soul—and channel that into something tangible. The blank page, the quiet edit room, the set—each becomes a temple where creation unfolds.

Art is my offering. My thank you. My way of honoring the people, experiences, and unseen forces that shaped me. And knowing that I can leave behind stories that might uplift or touch open even one heart—that’s the most beautiful reward I could ever ask for.

One time I was invited in Nepal with my film Yashodhara The Buddha’s Wife by the Shyalpa Monastery as it was the first time there was a celebration for women in Buddhism – A Dakini Day being celebrated. The Head monk Rinpoche Shyalpa had met me in New York during his tour and we spoke briefly about my film and he remembered it so he invited me to this festival and mine was the only film as part of the days plan in addition to thier own celebrations, a huge hall filled with students of school, people from monastery, poltical dignitaries, guests of the event, local Nepalese people and media from Nepal too, the hall was full, they all saw my film and gave me and my family who joined me a very warm reception, after the screening there was a huge queue of people wanting to meet me and talk to me in person, towards the end of the queue was a little girl she was tiny, must be 9 years old, i had not seen her ealier else I would pull her forward in the queue, she waited her turn and then she came upto me and said, in thier school, they have been taught all about the buddha, books upon books but nearly nothing on his wife and her contribution, her skills, achievements in life, her transformation of suffering to enlgihtement, her taking on the reins of the kingdom when all men decided to leave after the buddha leaving a village of women, children and ageing people, she stepped forth and there was nothing, no literature on her being taught, that little girl told me, “this year my school project will be on Yashodhara”, I remember i broke down in tears, a seed is planted, my job is done, the work will be carried forward. Thats all the reward I needed. It is these moments that keep me going even when at times I want to give up.
or another thing that happened recently with my first screening of my short film “hello dad” at my film schools community film festival, I did not give my final film to the team until 2 hours before the festival as it is very personal and until the last minute I was thinking of pulling out as i was very vulnerable but I finally took the leap of faith and gave it, they played and I could hear people crying in the cinema hall, nobody could clap for a good 1 minutes after the film completed as it created a gap in the minds and they clapped over the film that followed mine almost blanking on the next film that started to play (i felt bad for that following film actually). When the award nominations were being announced my film was not nominated as the jury had not seen it before at all and the audience sitting on the tables said “what about hello dad?”… I broke down in tears, this is all the reward I needed, the audience speaking for ones work is all that any artist can ever ask or dream of. So these stories, these little moment, these mean everything to me.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I’ve come to believe that resilience isn’t just about strength—it’s about the willingness to begin again, even when everything falls apart.

For over 18 years, I had a thriving global career in media and entertainment. I was Associate Vice President at 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures, working with major studios like Disney and marketing incredible films like Avatar, Ice Age, The A-Team, and the X-Men series with Hugh Jackman. I’ve collaborated with iconic stars—Priyanka Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan—and directed campaigns for titles like Frozen 2. By every external measure, I had “made it.”

But my soul longed for something deeper. I wanted to tell stories that healed, asked meaningful questions, and uplifted consciousness—especially stories of epic women and inner transformation. So, I made a radical choice: I walked away from everything I had built

A few years ago, I moved to New York with my partner of almost five years. We had plans to build a life together in the U.S.—a new beginning, where I would eventually restart my production company, pursue filmmaking studies, and bridge my work between India and America. But life had other plans. Our relationship ended suddenly and painfully, and I was left devastated—heartbroken and alone in a foreign country during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I returned to India, quietly grieving, questioning everything. In that emotional fog, I did the only thing I knew how to do—I created. I wrote 16 books in those months, not for publishing, but as a way to untangle the grief and hold myself through it. And then one day, I made a decision: I will not give up on my dream. If my personal life had fallen apart, I would still honor the life I had envisioned.

So I returned to New York, enrolled at Digital Film Academy to pursue an Associate’s in Cinema with a promised 3+2 year STEM extension. I gave it everything—three years of my time, my savings, my heart. And then I found out the STEM promise was false. Over 22 of us had been misled. I was thrown out of legal status, risking my career, my reputation, and my life’s path.

I had just three weeks to save everything.

And I did.

I applied to the City University of New York, College of Staten Island, and was accepted into their Bachelor’s in Cinema program. I began again—again. I dove into new technologies, learned 16mm filmmaking, explored emerging mediums like VR and XR, and created deeply personal films that reflected my truth.

One of them, Hello, Dad, a short film tribute to my late father, recently won the Audience Choice Runner-Up Award at the CUNY CSI Film Festival and received the Green Seal from the Environmental Media Association. That film was shot in the same city where I once lost everything. I had written two original songs for it back in 2018—and finally brought them to life in 2025. Sharing it was a deeply vulnerable act, and also a full-circle moment of healing.

What I’ve learned is this: Resilience isn’t loud. It’s the quiet decision to keep showing up. To rise when your world has burned down. To keep creating, even through heartbreak. And to trust that every time life closes a door, it might just be making space for your soul to walk through a better one.

I had an illustrious career. I lost myself. I broke apart. And now, I’m rebuilding from the ground up—not just a new career, but a more whole, more healed self and be able to create from this space.

It hasn’t been easy. Not by any means. But I believe it’s these moments of undoing that call forth who we really are. Resilience is the power of songs, stories, prayers, and lullabies our parents, our loved ones, our ancestors, whispered into our names. It’s the strength of the ones who came before us, who wanted to give up—but didn’t, for our sake.

That same power lives in all of us. It only needs to be remembered, reawakened, and brought to the surface—so we can live the truth of who we are and create something meaningful with our one, precious life.

Resilience, to me, is not just endurance. It’s choosing faith after failure. Choosing truth after illusion. Choosing to create—even when the world collapses around you.

2–3 Line Bio
Neha Lohia is a conscious filmmaker and storyteller bringing untold stories of epic women and soul journeys to the screen. Her work celebrates resilience, transformation, and the quiet power of grace. With every film, she aims to heal, uplift, and leave behind a luminous legacy of awakening.

Full Bio (CanvasRebel version)
Neha Lohia is a conscious filmmaker and storyteller devoted to telling untold stories of epic women and soul-led transformation. With a background in global cinema and a heart attuned to the unseen, she creates films that ask important questions, stir healing, and raise consciousness—one story at a time.

Her personal journey through two near-death experiences and profound life shifts led her to embrace storytelling as a sacred offering. From that crucible emerged a commitment: to honor the stories that healed her by sharing them forward as a legacy of light. Her recent short film Hello, Dad—a heartfelt tribute to her father—was honored with the Audience Choice Runner-Up Award at CUNY’s College of Staten Island Film Festival and the Green Seal for Sustainability from the Environmental Media Association.

Beyond the camera, Neha supports nonprofit movements aligned with conscious living, including Meatless Day, Forgiveness Day, and initiatives that help individuals align with their soul’s purpose. Her path is not defined by past pain, but by the strength to transform it—and the joy of creating stories that do the same for others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nehalohia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nehalohia_creatrix
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lohianeha
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nehalohia/
• Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/NehaLohiaCreatrix
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/nehalohia
• Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4594797/
  Filmfreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/nehalohia
  Amazon Book: https://www.amazon.com/Sam-His-Birds-Neha-Lohia/dp/1838753311
  Amazon Other books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08LYPVNQL

Image Credits

Photo credits: Rob Klein (New York), John Pina (New York), Several Other Photographers (India, and New York)