Meet Charu Seth, a Transformational and Transitional Life Coach and CEO of “Thrive Transform.” Her journey of divorcing a long-term marriage after 20+ years has shaped her in profound ways. The emotional pain, social upheaval, and mental challenges she faced were immense, but they presented an opportunity for growth and positive change. Through self-awareness and therapy, Charu overcame depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, emerging emotionally resilient and mentally focused.
Therapy played a pivotal role in her transformation, providing a safe space to explore her feelings and develop coping mechanisms. Charu’s journey of rebuilding and transforming her own life significantly influences her approach as a Life Coach and CEO. Her struggles have given her empathy, resilience, and problem-solving skills, enabling her to connect with her clients on a deeper level and inspire them not to give up on their own journeys.
As a woman disrupting the notion that life ends after divorce, Charu faced challenges, including financial instability and societal expectations. However, she defied stereotypes, empowered herself, and incorporated boundaries to create a successful new chapter in her life. She uses her personal experience and certifications in NLP to help individuals reach their full potential, foster healthier communities, and encourage continuous learning and personal growth in both her life coaching process and her own life. Charu’s story serves as an inspiring example of how transformation and self-belief can lead to a fulfilling and purposeful life.
Can you tell us about your journey of divorcing a long-term marriage after 20+ years and how it has shaped you?
Divorce after a long-term marriage can be a very difficult and challenging experience. It caused a great deal of emotional pain, social upheaval, but at the same time it gave me an opportunity for growth and positive change. Emotionally it was a draining experience: that caused feelings of anger, guilt, grief, sadness and loneliness. Mentally it led to severe anxiety (fight or flight mode) , depression, and post- traumatic disorder. Being a stay-at-home parent for a long time had its own ups and downs. As much as I cherished the experience of nurturing my kids,and family, upon divorce I was reinventing myself, and challenged to rebuild my life. Prior to divorce, my priorities were always my family, my partner’s success, and growth. Upon divorce I had many discoveries, that it no longer had to be that way. I wanted to create and carve my independent space, and build a new ME. I began the journey of self-awareness and growth, by introspection, and questioning my life’s purpose. This journey led me to a wonderful therapist in my life, with whose support and encouragement, I began studying Positive Psychology, Cognitive Behavior, Organizational Behavior, Entrepreneurship program, and finally NLP Life Coaching all in the hopes to be a Life Coach.
Today emotionally, I’m resilient, stable, assertive and stronger, mentally. I’m more focused, and passionate about my purpose. Physically I’m taking care of my health by leading a healthier lifestyle: at gym, or exploring outdoor activities towards a new Charu 2.0 version.
The failure of my marriage has further deepened my belief in building healthier strong communities for our children and youth, by focusing on work life balance and choices that determine our lives.
What role did therapy play in helping you overcome mental, and emotional stresses during your darkest phase?
Therapy provided me a safe and supportive space to explore my feelings, emotions, thoughts and experiences. It helped me in developing coping mechanisms to deal with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and improving my mental health overall. My therapist identified my low self- esteem, and confidence whilst I also possessed the traits of being a highly intuitive, and empathetic person ready to transform. My fear of “ what’s’ next”, “how will I do it”? shifted to :” I’m looking for a new beginning” “ I want to make a change”, and “I want to grow from within”. Therapy brought a self- awareness within me wherein I began to understand myself, and this helped me have a better relationship with myself. My fears gave birth to curiosity and the desire to surprise and challenge my older version of me that was built on low self- esteem, confidence and self- doubt while I was married. I realized my long term marriage didn’t provide me a nurturing environment to THRIVE and with therapy, I redefined that as one of my biggest goals in life.
What inspired you to pursue a career as a life coach, and how did you recognize your superpowers of intuition and empathy?
It wasn’t just the collapse of my partnership, but the end of a friendship that impacted me and my young children. Emotionally, and mentally it was the biggest life altering experience. I started recognizing not constructive patterns, and behaviors and wanted to make a positive change in my life. The journey of self- introspection that led me to a therapist was a game changer. My initial purpose was to understand my triggers, and modify my behaviors all in the hopes of salvaging my marriage. During that process I realized that it wasn’t my responsibility to change someone, or be accountable for their actions/choices. I couldn’t help them if they didn’t want to be helped. I learnt that making a choice or a decision undoubtedly shapes one’s life. This was my aha! moment “We’ve to live with the choices we make, good or bad, that determines the quality of our lives”, became my mantra.
My therapist encouraged and motivated me to pursue Life Coaching since I had evolved and healed myself from many traumas in life with a deeper understanding and self- awareness. During my sessions with her I relied heavily on empathy and intuition, and that became my anchor, and could be well utilized as a Life Coach. I channelized my disappointment, anger, frustration, rejection from my failed marriage to being more empathetic, for myself, and my ex. My self- doubt, and low self-esteem gave rise to a more confident woman, who used her instinct to guide her.
Covid hit, and tore apart many families. Teens, and adolescents took the brunt of it with changing family dynamics. Families were struggling: mentally and emotionally. During that phase I began coaching teens and adolescents to help them navigate a tough time and guide them mentally and emotionally to become a better version of themselves. Empowering youth and families with my superpowers: intuition and empathy restored my belief that I was best suited to be a Life Coach.
Can you share your vision as the CEO of your company and the steps you are taking to build stronger communities?
My vision as the CEO of my company- “Thrive Transform” is to help people reach their full potential, by fostering and building healthier communities. I want to see families, professionals, and youth achieve their goals: both personal, professional, academic, mental, and emotional by being the drivers of their own transformations. To empower them to navigate through various transitions in life by providing them with necessary NLP techniques/ tools, and required support. As a coach and a CEO I am taking the necessary steps as follows:
- Help them with goal setting
- Provide accountability
- Help them overcome challenges
- Bring self-awareness
- Help them with confidence
Coaching helps me fulfill my passion to help build healthy communities: educational institutions, parents, children and youth by being the bridge and the facilitator. I believe we can reach the full potential of our communities if we can support, encourage and openly discuss issues/ challenges faced within them, and create supportive and non judgmental ways to build healthy emotional, and mental individuals.
Some of the ways to achieve healthy communities:
- Help individuals make positive changes
- Promote healthy relationships
- Building social capital
- Advocating for social change
By taking these necessary steps as a Transformational and Transitional Life Coach I can make a real difference in the health and well-being of my communities
How does your certification in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Practices) contribute to your effectiveness as a Life Coach?
NLP is a set of techniques that can be used to improve: communication, change behavior, and achieve goals.
Effectiveness of NLP certification:
- Improved Communication: How to communicate effectively with clients which entails: Active Listening, (RAS) Reticular Activating System, build rapport, and deliver feedback in a way that is both supportive and challenging
- Increased self-awareness: NLP helps me to understand how my clients thoughts, feelings and behaviors impact their interaction with others This can lead to more effective coaching and responding to my clients needs appropriately
- Enhanced problem- Solving skills with NLP to identify and solve problems, learn how to reframe, generate new solutions, mindset change, and overcome limiting beliefs
- Improved Motivation: Motivate my clients to take action and achieve their goals
How has your personal journey of rebuilding and transforming your own life influenced your approach as a Life Coach and CEO?
With my personal struggles, and challenges it gave me an opportunity to connect and understand my clients challenges better. My struggles have helped me build self-awareness, critical thinking and problem solving skills. I can empathize with my clients’ challenges by providing them a safe and non judgmental path to shift. Goal setting and making right choices was a part of my rebuilding and transformation. My childhood struggles, and experience as a single parent has taught me to be resilient, perseverant, and create a positive and healthy work life balance. As a Life Coach and a divorced single mom I possess: Empathy,authenticity, and inspiration to show to my clients that anything is possible, if they are willing to work hard, never give up, and make the right choices. These are also the qualities that I have as a CEO who has worked on herself to transform, begin a new chapter, motivate and lead with example.
What challenges have you faced as a woman disrupting the concept of life ending after divorce, and how do you plan to overcome them?
Divorce is a very challenging experience, and I’ve not been an exception to it. There were unique struggles I faced not only as a woman but also as a SAHM ( stay at home) parent for long. This meant the threat of financial instability, because I had made a conscious choice to be the caregiver to my kids: emotionally, mentally and physically.
Emotional, mental distress and depression took a strong hold of me, where I had low self-esteem, confidence and self-worth. To be surrounded with family and friends who were leading normal lives, led me to social isolation for a while, but I overcame that by working on myself: emotionally, mentally, by seeing a therapist. I wanted to be a stronger and better version of myself and began learning and researching about psychology, cognitive behavior, and other aspects that led me to NLP certification.
My emotional well-being was connected to my physical fitness. I chose to associate and participate actively with groups that led a healthier lifestyle in outdoor,and other fitness activities. The transition from a SAHM mom to a single parent and the transformation that came within me was a new journey as a woman. It had its challenges, and sometimes my status quo was questioned with “Am I good enough”? “Am I a good single mom”? “Can I do it”? These nagging fears and questions, along with my boys going through their inner struggles themselves, was at times daunting. I was rebuilding my life, transitioning to a new role.
Balancing my inner struggles with my family’s expectations “ role of a mom”, to society’s expectations, and stereotypes : “ it’s tough after divorce” “how will you manage as a single mom”? This narrative needed an overhaul. Better equipping myself with studies, and skills was the key to success. Believing that “I could do it too” was my first deliverance. The mindset change: “I can have it all” without feeling guilty, was the next shift.
At home I started incorporating boundaries with my teen boys, and began integrating it in my life. This certainly was confusing to them, it brought defiance, behavioral differences, about “mom’s boundaries”, because now I was repositioning myself as a working mom. To them mom’s duties and responsibilities were static, and her priorities: “FAMILY comes first”, because I had modeled that. I had to break that glass ceiling to “what women can do”, and not feel guilty about. I was evolving from a SAHM to a working parent, and so were some of my values in the process. I no longer felt the need to please, be validated for my choices and decisions. My modeling behavior included : Equality in gender: mom can have her dreams just as dads do, and respect for time & boundaries.
Gender biases as working women are real, and I’ve had to deal with it at home, but it’s my responsibility to model the right behavior, and reframe the right message inside out. Life for me didn’t end after my divorce if anything I began to thrive. I grew in confidence, that came from my self-worth, and self- belief, I had an amazing mentor in life who helped disrupt this concept that life as a divorced woman was a stigma. I’m surrounded by empowered positive people, who have been a source of constant encouragement, and women who have been my strongest advocates, and cheerleaders in this beautiful fulfilled journey.
How do you inspire and empower others to believe in themselves and not give up on their own journeys?
I began my journey through introspection, self-awareness, and then began rebuilding and transforming my life. From SAHM- a single working mom, it has been a yo-yo ride with teens and I’m learning in this process. To acknowledge, accept, and evolve is growth. Working on myself through internal engineering: self- realization, goal setting, setting realistic expectations, boundaries, and above all working on my relationship with myself, and my kids has been an eye opener. My connection with my children had to be reestablished and synced with a new role of an ambitious woman wishing to fulfill her goal with some support from her family and tribe.
- I’m learning it’s ok! To fall, and make mistakes, for then I will truly understand growth. To persevere in the face of adversity/challenges opens many doors of self-awareness and confidence
- By being authentic, empathetic, and focused on my learning and growth has been instrumental in shaping who I am, and eliminating what I do not want to attract. It’s important to know how and what we attract through our energy, action, and our mindset thinking, and that became the pillar of my identity
- Our values, and core beliefs, become our foundation, that needs to be strengthened with the right kind of people who support, encourage and believe in the same. If we communicate to be heard and understood, we will always receive the same. This will enhance our personal and professional relationship
- Life is all about alignment: personal and professional life. Prioritizing your family and loved one’s over work. Nurturing those relationships, gives you dividends and fulfillment that no job can provide for a lifetime. After all “a job is a job” you are not indispensable. The sooner one learns, accepts and balances between both one is ready for success, and leads a purposeful life.
- Never compare our journeys to other’s, because our challenges are never going to be the same, and we are the authors of our stories
Being empathetic, assertive, self- assured, confident and resilient has been my weapons for self- growth and an authentic self. I believe if I can do it, so can others by following their dreams, recognizing their authentic self, and not comparing their lives to others. I strongly believe that “right choices, and decisions determine the quality of our lives”, and every single day I choose the path that’s “the road not taken” to discover myself.
Can you discuss the importance of continual learning and personal growth in both your life coaching process and your own life?
Continual learning & personal growth are important in both areas of life: life coaching and personal life:
- Develop new skills and knowledge: With constant change, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve, and learn the trends and patterns. This has helped me in my personal life : building confidence, and as a Life coach: learning new technical skills/ studying an entrepreneurship program helped me with my life coaching business plan
- Improve problem solving skills: This means learning new ways to think, out of the box, that I’m employing personally and professionally
- Increase self-awareness: Self realization leads to inner growth and self-worth. New skills helped me build confidence, and growth.
- Become more adaptable: The ability to change, along with continuous learning, growth and adapting to deal with challenges, and the transitions has become pivotal in my life. To know when to pivot, and shift internally in alignment with external growth has been very significant in my life as a working woman and a mom
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
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