"The real challenge is to bring awareness about Ayurveda, the benefits that it can bring to everyone's lives."
Today, we are excited to introduce you to Simmi Chopra, an Ayurvedic doctor based in New York City.
With a background in Molecular Biology and Biostatistics, Chopra’s path to Ayurveda was unconventional, but it ultimately found her when she was seeking treatment for her daughter’s insulin resistance.
Combining her medical knowledge with the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, Chopra has created a unique healing experience for her clients at her company, SIDH Ayur.
Offering traditional Ayurvedic therapies, diet and lifestyle advice, and Panchkarma (deep cleanse) treatments, Chopra has helped clients find relief from a range of chronic health issues, such as arthritis, sciatica, hormonal imbalances, and mind-related problems.
Her passion for education extends beyond her practice, as she is also an Executive Director of a non-profit organization that brings Indian classical music to New York.
Join us in our exclusive interview with Simmi Chopra, where we delve into her journey, the benefits of Ayurveda, and her plans to make a significant impact on the health and wellness landscape.
Through her dedication and innovative approach, Chopra is breaking barriers and transforming the lives of her clients by offering a holistic approach to well-being that empowers them to lead more balanced and fulfilling lives.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Simmi Chopra: I am an Ayurvedic Doctor, practicing in NYC. I have a background in Molecular Biology and Biostatistics. My journey to Ayurveda has been very interesting. The saying that ” You don’t find Ayurveda, but Ayurveda finds you” is so true for me, as I chose Molecular Biology during college even though I got admission in a Medical College to study Ayurveda in India.
But after 30-plus years, when my daughter was suffering from insulin resistance that I plunged into studying Ayurveda. I have taken care of my severe side effects from the intake of tamoxifen by Panchkarma (detox). This was after I refused chemotherapy but was forced to take tamoxifen due to family pressures.
For the readers who are not aware of Ayurveda – It is a holistic medicine from India which takes you on a journey of self-awareness, to be mindful of one’s affinities, tendencies, and nature, so that one can optimize the inputs, to create a balance in body, mind and soul.
Besides practicing, and teaching Ayurveda, Yoga therapy, and Pranayama (breathing exercise to detox and calm the mind), I also am an Executive Director of a non-profit organization which brings Indian classical music to New York.
SIDH Ayur, my company, offers Ayurvedic therapies and offers the right tools to educate clients on the correct diet, lifestyle, herbs, seasonal cleanse, and Panchkarma (deep cleanse) to bring balance to their system.
They find relief in chronic diseases like arthritis, sciatica, hormonal imbalance, metabolic syndrome, mind-related problems, IBS, Crohn’s, migraine, etc
If you were in an elevator with Warren Buffet, how would you describe your company, your services or products? What makes your company different from others? What is your company’s biggest strength?
Simmi Chopra: I would tell him to get Ayurvedic consultation from me, as he is in his vata stage of life, which starts after 40 years of age. In vata stage, signs of degeneration start showing up, which could manifest as aches, pains, numbness etc.
I would tell him about the therapies like shirodhara, which is very effective in mind-related problems. I would tell him how my company SIDH Ayur which is based in NYC, is able to provide authentic panchkarma from Kerala, India, which is 6-7 weeks of intense detox, clearing toxins from deeper tissues.
What advice do you wish you received when you started your business journey and what do you intend on improving in the next quarter?
Simmi Chopra: I wish I had taken the time to introduce Ayurvedic protocols to my clients. As I was used to Ayruevdic Doctors in India who used to only give formulations (Ayurvedic medicines) which helped with serious health issues, but never or hardly advised us on diet and lifestyle. Initially I did the same.
I realize that in India, for my generation as well as previous generations, we were following an Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle, so we did not need advice on diet and lifestyle. I realize that we have to go slow with the clients in the USA as the diet and lifestyle have become the main cause of health problems.
So start them with 5-6 things to change in their diet and lifestyle and slowly introduce therapies and herbs for their chronic health conditions.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Simmi Chopra: Zoom consultations have opened so many doors for us. Now I can have clients for Zoom consultations from all over the world. I am able to teach, do webinars, and workshops on Ayurveda with a much wider audience.
It also has benefitted me to learn more advanced protocols and concepts in Ayurveda by learning from senior Vaids (Ayurvedic Doctors in India) using Zoom.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Simmi Chopra: The real challenge is to bring awareness about Ayurveda, and the benefits that it can bring to everyone’s lives.
Another challenge is to remove the negative publicity on Ayurveda due to misinformation, and lack of information.
Lastly, to convince people to have patience for the protocols to show results as it takes years to reach a chronic disease, so it would take a few months to reverse the effects.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
Simmi Chopra: For a small business, where we are managing admin work, reaching out to clients, checking the inventory, sending recommendations to clients, marketing, and maintaining the office space is hard work, to begin with, but among all of this, the most underestimated for my company is making sure the clients come for followups.
The reminders via text/email seems easy but usually takes a lot of time. In my case, I have had this problem with 2 clients in the last few months, who failed to keep their followup appointment. Not only do I lose time, but the protocol gets disrupted, and one needs consistency in their protocol to see improvement in their condition.
What does “success” in the year to come mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Simmi Chopra: In 2023, I would like to reach out to more people by giving more talks on Ayurveda in hospitals, universities, and yoga centers and also get more clients who will keep their followup appointments and follow the protocol diligently.
By the end of 2023, I would want a community center that would not only have a facility for Panchkarma, but will offer space for yoga, music, and a cafe that would serve freshly cooked Ayurvedic food.
The center would provide rejuvenation for the mind, body, and soul using all 5 senses- sight (artwork), sound (classical music), taste (food), smell (aromatherapy), and touch (panchkarma).
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Simmi Chopra for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Simmi Chopra or her company, you can do it through her – Facebook
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