June 6, 2025
I landed in Sydney in 2014 with a suitcase full of dreams and a body still healing from cancer. After surviving thyroid cancer the year before, I knew this move wasn’t just about changing countries — it was about choosing
Born in a middle-class family in Nagpur, Maharashtra, I was raised by strong parents—my mom, a cancer survivor who fought her battle when I was born, and my dad, a self-made man who built a business from scratch. At age 4, I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome and couldn’t walk for a year. That’s when I learned to fight early.
My parents, despite all odds, ensured both their kids received a good education. I pursued dentistry and was a bright student, topping my class, winning awards in elocution, and serving on the student leaders’ panel. I graduated in 2011, ranked 3rd in my batch and 16th in Maharashtra University. Education was my escape and power.
After getting married in 2012, I moved to Melbourne in 2013. A new country brought new challenges. My husband lost his mining job and took on odd jobs. I worked as a Dental Assistant while preparing for the ADC exams. I got pregnant in 2014, worked until my 9th month, and returned to work when our baby was just 4 months old.
When I couldn’t clear the dental exams, it broke me. But I didn’t stop. I pivoted to Clinical Research in 2016. After many rejections due to a lack of local experience, I finally got into GSK in 2017. That same year, we bought our first home, by saving every penny. I juggled full-time work, motherhood, and building a new life with no domestic help.
We had our second child in 2020. In 2022, a big wave of stress hit, and my husband was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome. That experience broke and rebuilt me.
It also fueled my growth at Thermo Fisher Scientific and later at ICON Strategic Solutions in 2023, developing cancer drugs, a full-circle moment.
Alongside, I launched my Etsy store, ‘My Little Craft House,’ in 2020 and sold 500+ handcrafted greeting cards. In 2024, I began sharing our culture, rituals, and authentic recipes online. Over seven months, my Instagram grew from 2K to over 100K, building a heartfelt community.
From being a dentist to now wearing many hats—clinical Researcher, artist, creator, and occasional home chef—my biggest win has been staying rooted while building a new life miles away from home.
I landed in Sydney in 2014 with a suitcase full of dreams and a body still healing from cancer. After surviving thyroid cancer the year before, I knew this move wasn’t just about changing countries — it was about choosing
I come from a small town in Punjab called Rajpura, and my journey to Australia has been nothing short of an adventure. I started my Bachelor’s in computing at Manipal University in India, before transferring to the Australian National University
I grew up in Sydney with a single mother and spent most of my early years immersed in wrestling and boxing. School, on the other hand, was never my thing. I struggled with dyslexia, couldn’t focus in class, and changed
Why I decided to design my life: Like many people, I grew up with lots of messages that told me what to believe and how to live. It felt easy for me to default to following the crowd and the
