Parichay – Pehchaan Khud Se: How One Coach Transforms Lives Through Self-Awareness

I’ve had the good fortune to have worked with Premsai. I was her mentee/ coachee while she was my coach. Having worked for over 20 years, I had reached a dead end in my corporate career. There was no joy, no scope for growth, and the office politics were draining me out. I had to make a change, but like most of us, I needed some clarity on ‘what next’.

I always knew I had to go back to what I did best – revive my writing mentorship programs – but I was so beaten down by the corporate life that I had little to no self-belief that I had it in me.

That’s when I approached a dear friend of mine, Sarita Mehra Pandey, the Co-Founder of Skillentials, and she guided me to Premsai Samanatary, one of the best mentors and coaches she had known. Apart from being a Founder of Enhance LifeSkill, Premsai is an ace Corporate Facilitator, a Training Workshop Facilitator, a published author, an Odissi dancer, and an artist, among other roles. I got to know how amazing a person she is during my mentorship journey with her.

Truly, Premsai has been too kind to be both nurturing and strict, while maintaining a delicate balance in my coaching and mentorship journey. She was patient while I dealt with work, my health condition called Fibromyalgia, which had almost crippled me with pain, immobility and brain fog.

At the end of almost a year of slow and steady coaching with Premsai, here I am now: bidding adieu to the corporate life, launching my new brand, The Write Compass, and reviving my love for writing, mentoring, and creativity through my 14-year-old website, The Lifestyle Portal. I have found my joy again in just being and relishing life for what it is!  

So, here’s my interview with Premsai for The Lifestyle Portal, as I believe a fabulous coach —no, wait, an incredible person of her calibre — needs more limelight. This is my humble Guru Dakshina to her.

The Turning Point: How Pain and Purpose Shaped Premsai’s Coaching Philosophy

Premsai’s journey to becoming a coach began in pain. So, when she mentors and coaches her client, she understands where it’s arising from and gently leads the way. Her coaching journey was never a straight road—it was born out of pain, searching, and the need to make sense of her own life.

She recalls, “Years ago, I went through depression, the loss of my brother, and even a disc prolapse that left me bedridden for months. In those moments, I realised how fragile life is and how often we live disconnected from ourselves—our emotions, our needs, our true voice.”

That’s when she began exploring yoga, Vipassana, and later trained in NLP, Gestalt, and Cognitive Hypnotic Coaching—not because she wanted to build a career, but because she wanted to heal and understand herself. In her words, “Slowly, those practices became less about me and more about serving others.”

Being an Odissi dancer and an artist has always kept Premsai rooted in expression, presence, and the beauty of slowing down. Writing helped her process and share her reflections. Coaching became the space where it all came together—the rigour of techniques, the grace of awareness, and the honesty of human connection.

What Makes a Great Coach? Premsai’s Approach to Mentorship and Healing

Coaching is highly personal —why not? This is a space where the mentee/coachee puts it all on the table for their mentor/coach to lead them through an empowering manner. Finding the right coach is key, and I’ve been fortunate to find one.

When clients come to Premsai, they often carry overthinking, self-doubt, or emotional overwhelm. Premsai explains, “What they discover through our work is not a ‘fix’ but a new way of seeing themselves—learning to pause, breathe, untangle what’s within, and make choices from a place of clarity and balance. Many have told me that what shifted for them was not just a professional skill or habit, but the way they relate to themselves and their world.”

For Premsai, that’s the most fulfilling part—that her own struggles could be transformed into a path that leads others to clarity, confidence, and a sense of inner steadiness. “Coaching, for me, is not a profession—it’s an ongoing practice of living awake and helping others do the same,” adds Premsai.

Meet Premsai Samanatary: Coach, Healer, Artist, and Founder of Enhance LifeSkill

What inspired Premsai was life itself—how it can swing between extremes. She had lived both ends of that spectrum. She shares, “I know what it feels like to be hale, healthy, bubbly, running around with joy. And I also know what it feels like when my back gave up on me—when I couldn’t even turn to the other side in bed, when walking for five minutes felt impossible, when I had to sit down every few minutes because my body couldn’t carry me further.”

And it wasn’t just the physical struggle; it was also how people ostracised her when I was physically not able to do the work easily, how people taunted her when they found me dependent on them/others.

“I remember not being able to carry my toddler—the worst feeling for a mother—and that broke me more than the pain itself. To feel dependent, to feel less than, to feel like I am failing at the simplest roles of life—that was the hardest wound to sit with,” recalls Premsai with a soft smile.

Living through both these zones made her realise how valuable life is and how we contribute to making it the messiest out of all the beautiful things we were given to take care of by the Almighty. So, knowing self is the first of all wisdom and it’s a journey—and Premsai, in fact, calls it Parichay – Pehchaan Khud Se.

This was how Enhance LifeSkill and Coaching with Premsai were conceived, long before, while I was on my healing journey. However, it took shape, crawling, walking, and running in the last few years.

Coaching Challenges: Why Most People Wait Too Long to Seek Help

One of the biggest challenges Premsai faces in her line of work is during the very first Discovery Call—when people don’t even realise that what they are carrying needs healing. Many feel that just talking or sharing will heal them. And yes, it might help to some extent, but if the trauma has sunk deep into the body — into the muscles and the nervous system — then it needs deeper work than just a conversation.

Another challenge is the conditioning that keeps people from investing in themselves. They will stretch their budget for a new phone, car, or house, but when it comes to investing in their own growth, clarity, or healing, it becomes the last thing on the list. Often, they come only when the concern has worsened, when it has become impossible to ignore.

“I’ve also seen how people try to self-heal, which in some cases works beautifully. But in many cases, when it doesn’t, they still hesitate to seek help—or even pause long enough to sit with their feelings and explore what might truly work. Many don’t even know that they don’t know. That unawareness itself is the biggest block,” explains Premsai.

Sometimes there’s also fear—fear of facing what might come up, fear of being judged, fear of being “too broken” to be fixed. Social conditioning, stigma around mental and emotional well-being, and the belief that “time will heal everything” make people postpone what their heart already knows they need.

But once someone crosses that threshold—once they give themselves permission to receive help and are willing to do the inner work—that’s when the most crucial breakthrough happens.

Premsai further adds, “I have witnessed many willing clients experience this, and they have evolved—being, doing, and achieving so much that once was only their dream, and today they are living it as reality. And after that, life is never the same again. They rise, they shine, and they begin to live from a place of clarity and freedom.”

It’s not that they don’t have any issues now—it’s just that they know where to put their energy, what to carry, and what to leave. They know the magic. And throughout the journey, they have empowered themselves by integrating the tools they experienced. Now they know how to help themselves—using those tools as conscious rituals in their everyday lives.

From Blame to Breakthrough: How Premsai Healed Herself First

“My first challenge about my own condition was that I was operating from a space of blame. The easiest way to avoid taking ownership and responsibility is to blame others—and I, too, did the same in autopilot mode. When I was bedridden with back and spine issues, I realised for the first time that it was only I who had contributed to this. I hadn’t respected my boundaries; I hadn’t listened to my body. And it was also only I, again, who had to help myself out of this”, shares Premsai.

That one realisation shifted everything. Premsai adds how that realisation helped her decide to seek help—and that mindset led her to meet the right people who walked into my life. Ayurveda, yoga, and a mentor who worked with her on her core strength—a myofascial expert—helped her heal, and from there, Premsai’s life began to change.

“I learned to connect with my own rhythm, to notice what my body, my mind, and my emotions were playing together. To listen to that rhythm, to understand and feel my inner world that I had been deaf to for so many years,” admits Premsai.

Over the years of healing, Premsai realised one simple truth—knowing the self is the only wisdom. The rest we can always figure out. We can play the life game well if we function from a space of being ourselves and not pretending to be someone else.

“This is the essence of what I now call my Signature Coaching Space—Parichay – Pehchaan Khud Se. Knowing self is the first step to awakening,” smiles Premsai.

Whole-Person Coaching: Tools, Modalities, and the Power of Inner Wisdom

Premsai doesn’t work on people in fragments. Her work is indivisible, whole. Her approach is not about solving problems; it is about working with the person. She believes every individual carries the potential to access their own insights and wisdom, which opens up many choices, helping them discover the one that feels most aligned.

Premsai further explains, “Using modalities like NLP, Gestalt, and hypnotic suggestibility, I simply create the presence and space where the client can access those potentials within themselves. And when that happens, subtle shifts begin to fall in place. The person as a whole starts functioning from a space of acceptance, with an inner knowing that no matter what challenging situation they face, they can figure out a way forward.”

Through this journey, clients have explored and transformed experiences of anxiety, self-doubt, procrastination, fear, shyness, anger, lack of clarity, confidence dips, grief from losing loved ones, being stuck in past incidents, confusion about career transitions, and even the emptiness of not having a sense of purpose.

Parichay—Pehchaan Khud Se is an extension of this philosophy. It’s not about fixing, it’s about reconnecting. It is about guiding individuals to see themselves as whole, not broken; capable, not lacking. And as they integrate tools and insights from this journey, they don’t just resolve issues—they begin to live with rituals of self-awareness, empowered to help themselves, again and again.

Real Impact: 19 Years, 35+ Corporate Clients, and Lifelong Transformations

Over her 19-year journey as a coach, facilitator, and mentor, Premsai has worked with 35+ corporate clients and numerous individual professionals across industries. She further adds, “What truly humbles me is that many of these clients have returned for repeat engagements over decades, which speaks not just to trust but to the sustained value they’ve experienced through our work together.”

Premsai has also received 50+ testimonials and LinkedIn recommendations, reflecting the practical transformation, clarity, and empowerment clients experience through one-on-one coaching, workshops, and leadership programs. Many speak about how sessions like Parichay: Pehchaan Khud Se, emotional intelligence workshops, conflict management labs, and manager and leadership development programs have helped them navigate challenges, gain confidence, and step into their potential.

“These experiences have taught me that real transformation is co-created: I provide the space, guidance, and tools, while clients bring their presence, willingness, and courage. Seeing clients return decade after decade reinforces that the work we do together creates lasting impact, trust, and meaningful growth,” adds Premsai.

Vision for the Future: Conscious Living, Emotional Intelligence, and Inner Clarity

Premsai’s vision for Enhance LifeSkill and Coaching with Premsai is to create spaces where people can truly reconnect with themselves—beyond titles, roles, or expectations. She wants to continue guiding individuals and teams to move from surviving to thriving, to navigate life with clarity, confidence, and emotional balance, and to cultivate the inner tools to respond rather than react.

“I see a future where coaching and facilitation are not just interventions, but transformative journeys that empower people to live consciously, embrace their potential, and integrate practices into daily life that honour their rhythm, energy, and values. Through workshops, reflective journeys like Parichay, books, and online programs, I hope to help people discover their own answers, trust themselves, and carry that clarity forward, creating ripple effects in their work, relationships, and personal growth,” adds Premsai.

Ultimately, her hope is to normalise self-awareness, self-care, and conscious living—so that more people choose to step into their own Parichay, experience their inner wisdom, and lead lives aligned with their most profound truths.

It’s not about how tall you climb or how much you accumulate toward the end of life—it’s about what you feel when you’ve accumulated it all. If you feel miserable, then the energy spent along the journey was not well invested. True fulfilment comes when the journey and the feeling of being fully alive are in harmony.

Premsai’s Top 5 Life Skills for a Fulfilling Life

According to Premsai, the 5 most important life skills we should cultivate are:

1. Self-motivation & gratitude – Being motivated from within and appreciating what you already have creates a strong foundation for growth, resilience, and conscious living.
2. Listening to your inner world – Your body, mind, and inner self speak to you every day. Learning to truly listen, sense, and reflect allows you to notice patterns, understand emotions, and respond consciously.
3. Curiosity & the “I don’t know enough” mindset – Life is an endless classroom. Embracing the student mindset keeps you open to learning, growth, and discovering new possibilities.
4. The ability to pause and do nothing – In today’s fast-paced world, being able to be with yourself, without restlessness, is a vital skill. It helps you reconnect, recharge, and access clarity from within.
5. Conscious choice & ownership – The ability to pause, reflect, and choose your actions rather than react automatically empowers you to live in alignment with your values and purpose.

My Guru Dakshina: Launching The Write Compass and Paying It Forward

With my mentorship journey with Premsai, I discovered I had a coaching talent and that I was already practising it through my writing program. She guided me on taking courses in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), spotted my talent for art and creativity, and egged me to get certified as an Art Therapist too. So now, after quitting my corporate career, I have embarked upon a slower pace of life, pursuing what I genuinely love – mentoring and coaching individuals through my writing mentorship programs.

The Write Compass was born after a series of brainstorming, reading, researching and ideating. Premsai kept pushing me out of my comfort zone to a place where I had stopped believing I was good enough, even though I had an impressive 20-year career to back me up. I realised I was judging myself by the toxic corporate culture, while I was capable of so much more. If you’re in a similar space and want a mentor/coach to guide you toward empowerment, now would be a good time to invest in a coach who wants the best for you and helps you take flight.