Interview with Shweta Saxena
In this episode, we will uncover 3 keys:
- Key to Empowering Women Globally
- Woman TV’s Annual Awards Redefining Female Empowerment
- Digital Content Mastery for Global Success
A Podcast Transcription
Episode 39: “There is a little bit of me in every SHE” Meet Shweta Saxena~Founder of the non-profit Woman TV
Intro
Odiva Vasell: (00:34)
Welcome, my fabulous fempreneurs! I am so excited. So excited, I can’t even talk! I am here with Shweta Saxena, and she is the entrepreneur behind Woman TV. Woman TV! And she allows women to have her TV program as a platform to empower them and get visible and really just encourage them to brand themselves and really show up in the marketplace. So she’s a woman after my own heart, and I just want to welcome you here today, Shweta.
Shweta Saxena: (01:16)
Thank you. Namaste. Thank you very much for having me.
Odiva Vasell: (01:20)
And we’d like to hear a little bit about your journey. What was it that encouraged you to create this program?
Key to Empowering Women Globally
Shweta Saxena: (01:30)
To be very honest, the credit goes to my mother because when I was very little, my mother taught me one powerful thing, and that was, there is a little bit of me in every she, and she told me that, “Shweta, if you live by this sentence, you will never see another woman as a competition. You will never enjoy when she’s falling down. In fact, you will go out of your way, give her a helping hand, and straighten her crown,” and that’s how Woman TV came into the picture. I tried to live by that pledge which I had taken along with my mother, that because there is a little bit of me in every she, I will make sure that she is seen, she is visible, just like the amazing work you do as a visibility mentor. And she is celebrated by the world out there.
Odiva Vasell: (02:26)
Yes. In this world, we have so many unsung heroes.
Shweta Saxena: (02:30)
That’s true.
Odiva Vasell: (02:32)
It hurts me to see that our news media, even our social media outlets, are focused on the negative. And even people, I think their lives, their spirits get full of so much negativity that when they go and they see somebody doing something good, they look for that one thing that they can criticize. And that’s hurtful to just me in the background just watching it. So I can imagine how women entrepreneurs who are doing the best they can with what they have, and then someone on social media might, it may not even happen, but might say something negative and they take it too hard. And so I think that prevents a lot of us from showing up and getting visible. “Oh, I must have it perfect first before I can just press record.”
Shweta Saxena: (03:30)
That’s true.
Odiva Vasell: (09:31)
Yeah. And what you do and what I try to do is create that safe space, because your journey, no matter how hard it is, and especially if it’s hard, is something that’s going to encourage the next woman. How do you feel about that?
Shweta Saxena: (03:49)
I think you have really rightly put it out there that we women need to talk about our stories, and we need to come out of that bubble in which we are so comfortable of being in the role of a mother, a wife, a partner, a daughter, that we forget that what I am, that as a woman, what I want to be seen like maybe as an entrepreneur, maybe as an artist, for example. And there are so many things. So as far as we are comfortable to come out of that bubble and be proud of our journey ourselves first, only then we’ll be able to talk in front of the camera about it and make the world feel proud about it. So that’s what I think you and I are doing.
Odiva Vasell: (04:33)
Excellent. Having that authenticity and having that self-love to show up as who you are. And sometimes it takes the journey of finding out who you are. I’m not just so and so’s mom or so and so’s wife. I am this unique and individual.
Shweta Saxena: (04:51)
Yeah.
Odiva Vasell: (04:55)
So we credit that to your mom. And now you have this program which highlights women entrepreneurs, and you also have a branding business. Teach us a little bit about what branding is, because I think we get mixed messages sometimes. What is branding to you?
Shweta Saxena: (05:16)
Branding, in simple terms, is giving a personality to your brand, understanding what your brand, your business is all about. I unfortunately see so many women entrepreneurs who start their business journey without completely doing the research of what they want to do. Secondly, when they realize it’s too late, this is not what they wanted to do, they still continue doing it because, okay, now I don’t have any patience and time to go back to zero and start over again. And thirdly, they are not flexible when it comes to the brand, which they want to create for their businesses. They are comfortable studying their competitors or the like-minded people in the market with the similar business patterns and to follow their footsteps. But it’s very important in branding that you understand your brand. Give time for it, give the right plan to it to grow and then make it visible in the right market at the right time. For that, you need to sit down with your business plan, give it good thought, expand your research areas, and then do a shout-out. Then do a launch of your startup or business. And this is what is branding. Branding is not something that will happen quickly, like overnight magic. It is a process. Just like we bring up a child, you bring up your brand, you help the brand explore its personality and then strengthen it. So as a psychologist, I try to explain entrepreneurs that.
Odiva Vasell: (06:48)
Okay. And I love what you’re saying about branding because we, in this social media hamster wheel, sometimes get caught up with all the shiny objects that are out there, and we buy this and we buy that program, and they say you have to be like this or you have to show up or do it like I did it. But here you’re saying, start with you. Start with who you are authentically and who you want your brand to be. Meaning that it all comes from you, your personality, your drive, your desire. And that doesn’t have to change; that can stay. And all the other things that you add onto it, the external things will just highlight you as a brand. I see what you’re saying. A lot of fempreneurs may jump into this and start following and trying to be like someone else, and then they find out they’re exhausted and they’re not really feeling the brand that they’ve created. Okay.
Shweta Saxena: (07:51)
Yes. And I always say that allow some good amount of time for your brand to breathe. You don’t have to hurry up with the results or hurry up with profits. And also very importantly, do not spend too much on creating this so-called image of the brand, which is not required, which is not what you want as a brand owner. So you make sure your definition about your business is clear, your aims and where you want to see yourself with that business is clear, and the USPs are clear. I see so many women when I interview them, they don’t know the USPs of their businesses. Like, okay, is this something? Let me research and come back on this. You know, you don’t have to hurry up with launching a business before even knowing what it is all about. So branding is all about making or creating strong pillars for your business on which your empire can stand and grow.
Odiva Vasell: (08:50)
I love that. And I think it’s important to start with some part of the business that you enjoy doing or that you love doing. And I can relate to that because that’s where I started. It’s like I just want to have a conversation with these amazing women and learn about what they’re doing. And I want to show other people, hey, look at these amazing women in my network and their beliefs and their impact that they have on communities. This is what needs to be in the news. This is what people need to see more of. And you’re doing that with Women TV. When did Women TV start? Women.
Shweta Saxena: (09:34)
Woman TV started in almost 2010 when videos were not so popular back then and people were really like, are you crazy? Who wants to watch videos? This is the era of photographs. Just put some pictures, add some text and you’re done. And I had this strong vision that there will be an era where videos will be live, and post-pandemic, it did pick up very well. And thankfully now after so many years, people are understanding that photographs cannot speak, videos can speak, and that’s what is required to tell your story. That’s why Woman TV.
Odiva Vasell: (10:10)
and I feel very strongly about making videos. You and I know that that’s not an easy process. We even had some on this call when we started. But it’s worth it because I know even myself when I was going through the shiny object syndrome and lots of people were coming at me with, this is what will grow your brand, this is what will make your business. And I did not know that these were real people until I saw videos of them. And when you see a video of a woman and you hear her story and you recognize yourself, as you say, see yourself in every woman, then you realize, okay, she did it. She can help me do it or inspire me to be more of myself and then create a brand around that. This is awesome. Yeah.
Shweta Saxena: (11:10)
Well said. Yes.
Woman TV’s Annual Awards Redefining Female Empowerment
Odiva Vasell: (11:12)
And now you’ve expanded that to different countries. You go to different countries, and you do the interviews and the award show. Tell me a little bit more about that process.
Shweta Saxena: (11:23)
So what we as a channel do is we go to various countries. So we do proper research before we choose a country to go ahead with. And we shortlist the women entrepreneurs who are doing some amazing work in their spaces. So we go to that country, we do an event of two to 3 hours and do a live interview on stage in front of a live audience and also do non-commercial felicitation of that woman. So this not only boosts up her self-confidence but also boosts her business. It gives more visibility. Okay. This person in this particular city is selling this or creating this or doing this handcrafting product and so much more. So this is a good shout-out to the entire country through this event. And we did in Thailand, UAE, Switzerland recently. Next is Australia, the US, and so many more.
Odiva Vasell: (12:16)
Yes, I remember you told me that you were heading off to Switzerland to have the awards program. And so now I’m hearing more about it. And I understand that you’re interviewing these women live on stage in front of other entrepreneurs. So that is so inspiring and motivating for the women to keep doing the work that they do. Because one of the missing pieces is for us as women to kind of take a moment, breathe, and say, hey, I am doing a good job. I’m doing a great job at this. It’s easy to just get caught in the hustle and never even recognize or acknowledge our own progress.
Shweta Saxena: (12:58)
That’s true. And many women as I carry on with this journey, they actually cry. They actually burst out in tears that nobody asked me, how are you doing? How did you reach here? Because everybody was so busy telling me, take care of me like this, or mama, do for me this, or, hey, my partner, can you do this for me? But nobody really sat down with me. Okay. You are doing amazing, and I want to really appreciate that. So, yeah, this is very important for women that we come forward and pat each other’s back, if not anybody else.
Odiva Vasell: (13:34)
Excellent. And I think you’re based in India, but you have been to all these different countries. How many countries has Women TV gone to for the awards ceremony again?
Shweta Saxena: (13:45)
We have been to Thailand, then UAE, Switzerland, in Paris. And now upcoming is Sydney, then London and New York.
Odiva Vasell: (13:55)
Oh, and I really support this mission to be international because a lot of women do not recognize, like, I’ve talked to the women in the US, and they have similar stories, but I want them to understand with Fempreneur International that there are women in the UK and Europe and South Asia and Africa and all these countries that have the similar struggles and have overcome and created businesses, and not just to have financial freedom, but to have an impact on their community. It’s happening around the world, and we need to see that. We need to see more of that. And when I say see more of that, I don’t mean that they need to start it. I mean that we need to create the awareness that it’s happening. Yeah.
Shweta Saxena: (14:57)
True. And the beauty is, more and more multicultural women are coming together. So my vision really is that being the mediator, I know there are amazing women from Europe. I know there are amazing women from Australia, the US. And we can bridge the gap in between them, bring them together as one common community, which will help their businesses also to step up. You never know which buyer is sitting to buy your products in bulk from which country. So that could be a business connect for her.
Odiva Vasell: (15:58)
Exactly. And press of a button like you and I are connecting here. Limit your market or your brand. It can be global.
Shweta Saxena: (15:37)
A global brand.
Odiva Vasell: (15:38)
Yeah. And you talked about being a psychologist, which has helped you become a good listener. My background was teaching English as a second language. So I had, and still do have contacts in Asia and Europe. And right now, the terrible things that are happening in the Middle East and other countries. I have contacts that are right in the middle of that, and also, in spite of all the bad things that are happening, there are women there that are fighting to change, fighting for change. And I just want more to empower them more to do that kind of work that they do because this is what’s going to take the world to a place where we’re not just fighting and killing each other, but we are actually supporting each other and understanding that their story is our story. Yes.
Shweta Saxena: (16:41)
I totally agree and respect you for that. You’re doing amazing work. Thank you.
Odiva Vasell: (16:46)
Thank you so much. That means a lot coming from you. And I just want to say how hard it is because I notice that what women come to me for is they say they don’t have that confidence, and they have all the degrees and all the accolades from their companies, but they just don’t have the confidence to show up and show off a little bit about what they’ve done. How do you do that in your Women TV? How do you get women who have done amazing things to show up for their brand?
Digital Content Mastery for Global Success
Shweta Saxena: (17:27)
So when it comes to women entrepreneurs and they come for the interviews, first is we help them understand the questions we are going to ask them, then do the mock sessions with them so that they rehearse well. They understand what they want to share and what they are not too keen on sharing. And they present the USPs of their businesses very well. We also encourage them to bring on stage or in front of the camera, their products, if they are into product services product businesses, or their handouts, their brochures, if they are into service industries. So they can actually, on camera, show their products, talk about it. That makes their content very interesting and very easy for them. And one important thing is when women talk about themselves, they really forget talking about themselves. So it’s very important for them to focus and talk about their journey and just forget about the rest of it. Just focus on you as a woman, you as an entrepreneur, and talk. You don’t have to deviate. You don’t have to this one, that one. So it becomes very difficult for a woman to talk about herself. So I just say that, forget everything, tell me about yourself. And she’s like okay.
Odiva Vasell: (18:45)
I love that. I love that. And that’s what it’s all about. Creating that safe space where she doesn’t have to show up like some celebrity, but she can just be herself, talk about herself.
Shweta Saxena: (18:57)
And we also create a small room where she can sit in front of the mirror, calm down, see herself very proud, and then come back and give the interviews. And it’s very interesting that as she starts opening up one by one in the questions and in the interview, she starts feeling that, yes, this is my journey. And hey, I’m proud of it. And that transformation, that sudden realization on her face, in her body language is amazing.
Odiva Vasell: (19:30)
Can you share with us the story of one of the women that you recently awarded in Switzerland? The Woman TV award.
Shweta Saxena: (19:37)
Right. So this woman, she has a blog, which is My Swiss Story. And she came as an expat in Switzerland. Then she had her family to take care of all the home chores and all that. And then one fine day, she realized that this is not me and I want to do something more better and what can I do? And she said, I love blogging. So I just picked up my laptop and started typing My Swiss Story. And now she’s so popular that people google her and ask her about Switzerland. If they have any challenges in settling down in a new country, they seek her help. So this has gone more than blogging. She has actually gained that confidence that I can be on the other side of help. And that really makes her happy.
Odiva Vasell: (20:29)
She has a voice now.
Shweta Saxena: (20:31)
Yes, she’s a voice now. You’re right.
Odiva Vasell: (20:33)
Yeah. And she’s giving other women a voice and courage to make that move. I’ve been an expat in several countries, and I always prepare before I go. I’ve been in Japan and I’ve been in Italy and other parts of the UK. And the experience of being an expat is nothing you can 100% prepare for. It’s totally different.
Shweta Saxena: (21:01)
That’s true.
Odiva Vasell: (21:02)
From going there as a tourist. I’ve been to places and said, oh, this is awesome as a tourist. And then you go and live there, and then there’s all these other factors that you have to adapt to. So I think what she’s doing is really courageous and amazing. And I would say that that gave me the courage to recognize if I can make it in another country when I don’t even speak the language. I have that empathy for women who come to the US and they also feel silenced or don’t have a voice because it’s not their first language or culture, and they’re missing family members and things like that.
Shweta Saxena: (21:45)
And that’s basically the social loneliness.
Odiva Vasell: (21:48)
Yeah. These women forget how powerful and how amazing they are, and it’s up to us to kind of remind them.
Shweta Saxena: (21:59)
Just shake them.
Odiva Vasell: (22:01)
Come on, ladies, you got this.
Shweta Saxena: (22:05)
I love that.
Odiva Vasell: (22:10)
Well, we can talk for hours, and we probably will be talking again. I am so happy that you made the time in your busy schedule to join me today. Is there anything else you’d love to add to our viewers?
Shweta Saxena: (23:28)
Yeah, definitely. One quick message is that become the brand ambassador of your own brand and feel proud about what you have started. I see so many women entrepreneurs; they are not too happy, they are not enjoying their journey. So it’s really important you enjoy what you have created and started. Only then you will start going to the next level. If you don’t enjoy, you will be all the time frustrated, upset, not happy, and that will make your life more miserable. So as an entrepreneur, it’s extremely important that you allow that space for yourself to also take a break and enjoy that business. So talk about your business, be proud of it. Wherever you find amazing platforms like Fempreneur International, connect with them and request a story to be told about your journey and so on. So be the first person who is the brand ambassador of your own brand.
Odiva Vasell: (23:23)
Yes. And that comes along with being authentic, and that really helps women connect with their audience, because for me, when I see somebody on video, that’s when I say, oh, this is a real person that I am in business with. And she has a story similar to mine. Seeing myself in her, it’s really something that is going to change the world. I’m so glad that you are on this pathway and that we have connected. So thank you.
Shweta Saxena: (23:58)
Me too. I’m very glad. Thank you. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity. Thank you.
[music]
Conclusion
In wrapping up our exploration of global empowerment, Shweta Saxena shines as a driving force for women’s support and celebration through Woman TV. Her dedication to fostering collaboration, seen in recent award ceremonies in Switzerland, underscores the real impact of creating a supportive space for female entrepreneurs. With expertise in Digital Content Creation, Shweta not only enhances business visibility but also ensures their competitive edge on the global stage. Her journey is a testament to the transformative power of collaboration, breaking barriers, and uplifting women worldwide.