"Fashionably Optimistic": Nandini Kashyap Reflects on Inspiring Weight Loss and Pageantry Journey
“Being disciplined will win over being motivated.” Today’s woman dreamer, Nandini Kashyap, is a pharma scientist, content creator, fitness enthusiast, and pageant winner (Ms. India New England 2021). Quite a multi-faceted woman! For this week’s Women’s Health Wednesday, Nandini reflects on her career in pharma, her weight loss journey, and how pageantry helped her learn to live authentically and say yes to opportunities. We are excited to share her inspiring story!
1. You are in the pharma space, and was recently in the Miss India USA 2021 pageant. Tell us more about your journey and what made you the woman you are today?
20 or 30, years ago I could have never imagined that I would be asked about these two things in the same questions but I am glad you did. I strongly believe when we decide and commit to turning our dreams into vision and vision into a reality, everything is possible! I was born into a very humble family. My mom wanted to be a doctor and my dad wanted to be an actor but they couldn’t fulfill their dreams so they made me. Some of my early childhood memories are of me dreaming about having my lab, getting inspired by sci-fi movies, and imagining myself creating new species.
Growing up, I saw my father and several relatives suffer from diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases and have a poor quality of life and that fueled my desire to work in diabetes research. I finished my bachelor’s in pharmacy and then decided to pursue a master’s in Pharmaceutics. My lab focused mostly on nanoparticle research but I convinced my professor that I want to work on smart insulin delivery systems. This work brought me recognization from national and international peers. In the summer of 2006, I was invited to present my research at a conference in Vienna, Austria, and at this conference, I was offered a position in a biotech company based in the US to continue my research. This was a turning point in my life and everything happened quickly. I was the first person to have ever left my hometown to pursue higher education and now I was getting ready to leave the country. It was big deal for a girl coming from a conservative background where many girls weren’t even given proper education. I was scared as I did not know anyone in the USA but I was excited about the possibilities and door it would open for me to be the torch bearer for my cousin sisters, women from the community, and a generation of women following me.
Unfortunately, my dad left us suddenly at age of 53 due to a stroke and diabetes complications. Like I mentioned earlier, my dad was an aspiring model, actor, and very fashionable so I inherited a bit of that too from him in addition to insulin resistance. I always loved dressing up, dancing, and posing and I remember from my lab days that I would pose with the instruments, and glassware saying “science with glamour”. I couldn’t pursue modeling in my 20s but they say better late than never so finally some of our shared dreams are coming true even if it means 20 years later. It was a great pleasure and honor for me to represent New England as Mrs. India New England 2021 at the prestigious Miss/Mrs/Teen India USA 2021 National pageant. I met so many wonderful women and came back home humbled with so many beautiful memories that I will cherish forever.
2. You also had a weight loss journey, and are passionate about health and wellness. Tell us more about this?
I am a mom of 3 adorable kids (twins +1). Between the two back-to-back high-risk yet successful pregnancies, I put on a lot of weight. I suffered from a bad case of gestational diabetes during my second (singleton) pregnancy. I was aware of my genetic predisposition to diabetes, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. Even though I was overweight, I was kind and patient with myself, gave my body time to heal and adjust and finish breastfeeding my kids.
On one summer afternoon in 2018, while picking up my youngest son from the crib, I cried due to back pain. I have a history of spinal disease and slipped discs from my mid-20s and the lack of exercise was making my muscles weaker and having extra weight was adding to the problem. I didn’t want to feel disabled or limited in the ways I am able to interact with kids or use my body so I decided to make my health and fitness a priority.
My kids were 3 under 3 at that time, I had no help, a full-time high visibility job so even taking out 10 minutes for myself seemed so hard, especially coming from a south Asian background where once you become a mother, self-care is hardly given a priority. The goal was to build a habit be active 5-6 days a week. My focus was on building discipline and consistency. I did not go on any diets or was seeking any short-term solutions because I knew the results wouldn’t be sustainable. I followed my healthy eating habits and an active lifestyle which includes playing with children, intentionally doing housework, dancing, and of course a variety of enjoyable workouts. It took me about 1.5 years to hit my goal but I am delighted to say that not only have I dropped 14 dress sizes but consistently maintained my fitness lifestyle. I would like to remind you that if I can achieve my health goals with so many issues and during covid, anybody can. So you got this!
3. What were some of the biggest lessons you learned in your pageant and weight loss journey that you would like to share with us?
Lessons from Pageant:
To live authentically and be yourself
I always had this identity crisis about whether I am a geek or a glamorous and after some serious soul searching I have settled on that I am a glamorous geek.
To learn to say yes to opportunities when they knock on your door and figure it out later
I was sitting in bed trying to decide if I should go for the pageant or not, should I rather go next year, and then I said to myself either I can continue sitting here and miss both the opportunity and experience or I can take a chance, enjoy the experience and see what happens.
To be brave and confident even when you are scared
I didn’t have much time or resources to prepare for the pageant. I really wanted my kids to be present at the Miss India USA 2021 pageant but it was not possible so all those things were affecting my confidence. I always say beauty is not in being flawless but in being fearless so I wore all my flaws confidently and showed up.
Value experience over outcomes.
Mrs. India New England 2021 was a great learning experience and it groomed me quickly in so many ways such as soft skills, presentation style, confidence, poise, and elegance. I was lucky to work closely with our state director Ms. Ruchika Arora. When I went to participate in Miss/Mrs/Teens India USA 2021, I was delighted to meet the organizer Mr. and Mrs. Saran, Miss World 1st runner-up Shree Saini and so many wonderful and exceptional women from all walks of life, and learn about their journey was such a memorable experience that will always stay with me.
Lessons from weight loss journey:
If you have to choose between spending on an expensive accessory/clothes or fitness, I would recommend investing in fitness and wellness.
Invest in developing skills, invest your time in learning, invest in personal training, better gear that makes you want to work out, the right shoes, high-quality food, or high-quality experiences.
Who you surround yourself or associate with matters.
Surround yourself with like-minded people rather than those who will drag you down, never hold you accountable, or simply keep saying “it’s ok” when deep down you know it is not ok.
Your fitness and wellness are not just about you.
The effect of your physical, mental, and emotional health both positive and negative spread beyond you. My lifestyle and weight loss transformation have inspired my kids, my mother, and a lot of friends and family but when I was surrounded by people who didn’t have the same lifestyle, I was struggling to achieve my health and fitness goals and keep falling off track.
Being disciplined will win over being motivated.
Motivation can only take you so far but discipline will get you to put in the work even on the days when you don't feel like working out or eating healthy. Discipline builds a sustainable lifestyle.
4. As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
My dream is to be able to advocate for equality, health, and wellness for all, especially for moms. I dream that ordinary women like me will continue to choose to make their days extraordinary. I want to use this platform to say to women who may feel stuck or do not know where to start that keep believing in themselves, take the first step, fight a little harder, and never give up on their dreams.
Thank you Nandini for sharing your story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
Bio: Nandini Kashyap is a pharma scientist, pharma conference professional, content creator, and fitness advocate. Her research focused on diabetes and insulin delivery systems. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy and a Master's in Pharmaceutics. Nandini is social media enthusiast and certified in Social Media Strategy and you can see her using those skills on LinkedIn for her conferences and her personal blog on Instagram “fashionably optimistic”. Nandini also holds the title of Ms. India New England 2021. She is a brand ambassador for several fashion, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle brands. She is also a mom to three young kids (twins +1) and some of her favorite everyday family activities involve dancing, playing, cooking, and being a human spinner to never-ending requests of “mommy spin me”.
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