We recently connected with Sneha Sabu and have shared our conversation below.

Sneha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I would like to be known as someone who made a difference in the lives of people I interacted with. For children across the world, I want a world free from child sexual abuse and my book Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben aims to create that awareness. My book My Lost Pages appreciates the mundane and yet prompts people to think and reflect on social issues. Amidst busy schedules I would love to spend quality time with people to listen to their stories – celebrate their success, be there in sorrows and grief. Celebrating humanity and being human is part of what I want to be. We have only one life and we want to live it to the fullest. I want strategies to make a difference in the lives of people – alleviate poverty and transform lives. This is what I want to be remembered for.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I began my career as a journalist and transitioned to a new career in strategy planning in 2006. When I began, I was unsure of what corporate planning was all about. But I believe human beings have the capacity to embrace and learn new things. During my work with World Vision in India, I was responsible for preparing country strategy. The role demanded me to travel to multiple states in India and experience poverty in rural and urban India. It taught me how strategies and community-based development can transform lives. I was part of the evaluation team in Ballia, Moradabad and Lalitpur districts where World Vision’s work led to reduction of maternal mortality rates. It was my visit to Baran district in Rajasthan that changed my strategic perspective towards development. Malnourished children and poverty impacting their families changed how I envisaged strategy. I have also worked for Habitat for Humanity International and was responsible for preparing country strategies for 18 countries in the Asia Pacific region – An opportunity that helped me understand multiple local contexts.
I have also worked with multiple local councils in Australia in a corporate planning capacity and also developed a pandemic prioritisation matrix to help councils consider community issues during the pandemic while making decisions that impact the community.
I hail from a small village in Kerala called Kangazha. From a microenvironment-based girl who explored the paddy fields and rubber plantations to a macro strategist who has lived and worked in multiple countries, my life is a humble testimony of the endless possibilities we have today. While strategy is my full-time job, I am an author and researcher. My books Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben and My Lost Pages won 15 international awards. While Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben was written to create awareness among children on good and bad touches, how to be safe while going and coming back to school and while in school and during sleep overs; My Lost Pages, the poetry collection is reflective in nature.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I come from a separated family and my childhood has not been easy. In a patriarchal society, where women’s view didn’t matter much finding my voice was not easy. When you face difficulties from an early stage in life, you learn to work around your challenges. I spent most of my childhood in my village where nature and plantations taught me real life skills. The pace of life is very slow in the village – a farmer waits for each season to complete a crop cycle. You learn patience and realise that nothing happens overnight. All it takes for the crop to die is a flood or drought. But we replant and bounce back. To buy something that we cherish, we had to travel 25 kms to reach the nearest town. When nothing you desire is easily accessible, you tend to appreciate small things in life and everything you get in life becomes precious. You do not take your circumstance for granted, rather tend to appreciate everything in life. The cultural background and social system that I lived in did not promote a culture where girls were liberated or could travel to other states to pursue higher studies. It was months of negotiation, advocacy and disagreements that could lead to a decision that would help you achieve what you want in life. What I found in my journey is a constant battle of trying to do things, negotiate and influence to get I want as a person. In this course, I failed 1000 times but constantly bounced back again and again.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

As an author, I keep it simple. I am not as profound as Chaucer or Shakespeare. I want to be a true masterpiece of myself in everything I do. I like simple, easy to understand language in my writing style. I do not want it to be too high end to the degree that a layman will have to keep a dictionary next to them every time they read my book. This has helped my readers understand and connect with me better.

As a strategist, I would love to see the world beyond theory. Well, models and theories are great. But if we need to prepare plans that are effective, we need to listen to our people and the issues that impact them. Customised and tailor-made solutions that cater to the local context is my mantra.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.snehasabu.com