Human Design and Gene Keys with Pavithra Banavar (Part I)

Nicole:  Welcome back to Multitudes Podcast, with conversations meant to add another layer to your life and introduce new insights for you to experience new perspectives and realities you may want to create. And today we are speaking with Pavithra Banavar.

Pavithra is the owner of FlowinShakti and is a spiritual healer and has a background in Reiki and Human Design and Gene Keys. 

And today we are specifically talking about Human Design and Gene Keys, an introductory conversation on what they are and how they can add meaning and perspective about you and your life. And we also talk about Pavithra’s really interesting background from working with her brother in a construction company to becoming a nurse during the height of COVID and then pivoting to creating her own business, FlowinShakti. 

And I really enjoyed speaking with Pavithra. I feel like our conversation really felt like speaking with an old friend. And Pavithra is so chill and open and honest about her experiences. And I also have really enjoyed Pavithra’s writings and her podcast. She has a podcast called The Divine Rebel, and she also has a Substack, as well as an Instagram FlowinShakti and you can find those links in the show notes. 

And as you can see, this is part one of our conversation. This conversation is more about an introduction to Human Design, Gene Keys, Pavithra and in part two, we continue talking about Human Design and Gene Keys, but also how she is evolving beyond these systems, how she's thinking about systems in general, and her business and her relationship to religion and spirituality. She is a practicing Hindu, and I just found this conversation to be so warm and inviting with Pavithra. And I hope you enjoy. And as always, you can find me online on Instagram @Multitudes.podcast and you can also find me at multitudespodcast.com. 

And before we start, I'm going to read the latest review. I love this one. It's from Andy, Andy K says: “Dig it. I didn't expect to like this show as much as I do. Great interview style, so chill and pro. I really dig the show.” Well, thank you, Andy. I am glad that you like the show more than you expected to. If you would like to rate and review the show and I can read it on the next episode, go to my website, multitudespodcast.com and click ‘Rate show’ and you can do it from there. So, thank you so much and I hope you enjoy my conversation with Pavithra Banavar.

 Pavithra: Oh, my gosh. I'm so excited to be here. Thank you for having me on. 

Nicole:  Yes, It's so great. I'm really looking forward to speaking with you on Multitudes. And I would love to start with a little bit about your background. 

Pavithra: Yeah. Hi everyone. So, I'm Pavithra Banavar. I currently am the owner of FlowinShakti LLC and so I was born in India. I was born in Bengaluru, India. I came to the US when I was five years old, so I pretty much have grown up here. I moved to Virginia when I was a kid and so I pretty much have grown up on the East Coast. I do go back and forth to India. I've been back a couple of times since I was a kid, and so I sort of consider myself like multi-lingual, multicultural, as I think a lot of people in the US are. 

Nicole: I would love to know: First, I think for those who are listening, who don't know what Human Design is, if you could share a little bit about that and how that tie into your journey of spirituality and practicing religion as well. 

Pavithra: Yeah. So Human Design: it's a modality that is basically kind of seen as your energetic blueprint. So, it's based on a bunch of different practices and which would be like astrology, the Chakra system, Kabbalah, the Etching and Quantum physics; like it all comes together in this system that was basically channeled by this man, this white man in the 1980s, kind of brings all of these different practices together, and it has five different types. 

And with it, it's like all about how you're meant to make decisions and kind of how you are seen in the world. And it's also about like how you interact with the people around you. So, it's all about how our energies interact with each other when they come in close contact. And so, it's really interesting and I think I found it back in, man, I don't know what is time anymore, but I want to say towards the end of 2020, it’s kind of just came to me and I think you'll hear a lot of people talk about how like Human Design sort of found them and not the other way around. 

But now it's more prevalent. I think you're hearing about it more in spiritual circles, obviously. But back then I think it was; people were talking about it. It was kind of coming up, but it wasn't maybe everywhere at that point. So, I had heard about it on a podcast, I think, and I was like, “Oh, what is this?” And I looked it up and, you know, it did speak to me right away because, I saw, I found out I was a projector. And projectors are seen as sort of the guides, and we're here to guide other people and kind of see the bigger picture of situations. 

But all of that sounded amazing, right? It was like, “Oh my God, yeah, this is what I do. This is exactly how I am.” And you are kind of told that, you don't have the energy and you're supposed to only work a couple of hours a day. And like, all of that sounds incredible, right? But the minute you find it, you're like, “Oh, yeah, sign me up for that. That sounds great.” And so, when I found it, I definitely fell down the rabbit hole really quick. 

I was like going around just telling everybody I knew. I was like, “Have you heard about this system?” and, “Can I look at your chart?” And so, it was it was something that I really fell into fairly quickly. And then kind of from there it was like going deeper into it. And I will say that I think that so many people who find it, do resonate with it on some level. And I think it is so interesting because it’s, kind of it does include astrology and things like that, but it's a very different type of system than astrology, like in terms of the way your energy works. And so, I think in that way people may sometimes relate to it more than maybe even astrology, where you kind of have to go real deep with it to kind of understand where the planets are and all of that. 

Nicole: Yeah, absolutely. So, I'm curious about; in terms of when you saw your chart for the first time, were there things about it that was like, “This really resonates with me and I'm already doing this” and were parts like, “Oh, I haven't been doing this, I haven't been making decisions this way. So,” 

Pavithra: Yeah, so I should preface by saying that Human Design itself, is meant to be an experiment that we're supposed to be doing. So, it's like when you find your Human Design, it's actually meant to be this; like seven-year deconditioning experiment is what we call it, because it's all about everything you've taken on, everything you've learned from the outside world. We're meant to be releasing that to become more our design and to really follow, our authority of the way we make decisions, the way we're meant to really operate in the world. 

So, I think that there's always that element of it that's like some of the things you may have been doing all along, whether consciously or unconsciously. And then there's things that it really might take you that seven years or however long because the me for example, like, the splenic authority. So being a splenic authority, it's like, yes, there is the element of the intuition or like the intuitive hit that comes. But then because it's supposed to be so quiet and so quick, it may only come that one time. 

So, all of it is meant to be in the body, right? That's the whole point of Human Design and it's meant to be from your body and not from your mind. Because the whole point is that your brain is really not meant to be making the decisions. It's supposed to be how your body is doing it. And so, a lot of times I'll say to people, if you're not really connected to the body, then maybe take some time to first connect before you even try to make the decision, because then you'll really be able to hear it rather than your brain coming in and trying to overtake everything, right? So that's sort of just a little preface to it. 

But yeah, I would say for me, I think I related to being a projector and I related to everything that was said about that. But then I think the part that I really like when I read it and I really resonated, was my profile. So, your profile is kind of how you're seen in the world. So, it's two numbers. You'll see like there's two numbers that are before your: I'll say I'm a 2/4 splenic projector. And so, the first number you have is like you're conscious; how you probably see this about yourself, how you show up in the world. And then the second number is unconscious. So, you may not notice this about yourself, but other people will notice it about you. 

So, the two line is that they call it the hermit, and it's all about sort of being the natural, those things that when you find it, or things that you're good at, that you'll just naturally do it. Like, you don't need to really spend a ton of time learning it or having to take all the classes. It's just something that will come naturally to you. This is also the one where it's like the things that you love doing, you may need to spend some time by yourself, sort of like working with it and perfecting it. And then the four line is the opposite. It's the opportunist, which is all about the network. So, it's all about your people, your community, getting opportunities from them. Sort of like you need to build up that community. 

So, I think when I found this, it was like the perfect introvert-extrovert, which is kind of how I am, because it's like; as much as I love my community, love people and want to be out there doing things, there's a lot of times when I'm like, “Oh, but no, I can't do that anymore. I need to just be by myself, kind of doing my own thing.” And so, I think it's like when I found the profile, is when I was really like, “Oh, this is me, this is exactly how I am.” So that part, I think, was when I really was like, “Human design is like onto something.” 

And then I would say the hardest one for me to work with and still is, is my splenic authority because of how quiet it is. I think that this one does require you to really drop into your body at all times because of the way that the intuition comes in so quiet and will lead you even in those moments when it can be something as simple as, ‘oh, turn left instead of right here.’ And it's so easy for your brain to be like, “But no, we have to go this way because we've got to go.” It's like you have to really be in your body to listen to that and to follow it, because whatever is, if I turn left, there might be something there that I need or there might be a person I run into or something, right? So, I think that one is still something that I struggle with sometimes because even if my body says, ‘go this way,’ I think a lot of times I'm still in my mind of wanting to talk myself out of it. So, I think for me that one is still the hardest one to work with. 

Nicole: Yeah, that's fascinating. And that's a really good point about the seven-year journey. So, it's the moment you discover Human Design is not a moment that it'll all click into place. So, would you say the idea for you has been like you're on this journey to becoming more like your chart and within seven years you'll be kind of more in alignment with your chart? 

Pavithra: Yeah, I think for myself and maybe for other people too. It's sort of like an on and off thing. Like I haven't spent the past three or four years just looking at my chart deeply and being like, okay, I need to work on this today and that tomorrow. So, it hasn't been like that. But when I first started looking at it, yes, I was very much trying to be like, okay, we need to decondition all the things now, that would be what I've been taught. But I think it's also very interesting because as projectors and I know you're a projector as well, I think that there is that element of it that’s like we are sort of here to usher in this new paradigm. 

There's a thing in Human Design that says, like in 2027 will be this new paradigm that we're like shifting into where things will change and you can kind of see it right? You are kind of seeing the changes in society of like where we're moving towards. Different ways to work and different social structures; like all of these things. Pluto just moved into Aquarius and I think that will be a huge shift that we're all going to see. So, there is this thing where it's like; as a projector you're maybe seeing what's coming and you've already sort of noticed that there's a shift and there's still so much work because projectors can also be very, very conditioned, right? Because we like are told, okay, we need to work so much and we need to be productive all the time, like all the things. So, it's sort of like, you know, that you don't want to be doing this anymore, but then you don't really know how to get there yet. And there's nobody here to guide you because we're here. 

We, as the guides are meant to have all these answers that, I mean, I'm like still looking around for the answer from somebody to tell me what to do. But I think if there's nothing else that you really get out of it, it's whenever you start. So, whenever you find human design, the real thing that you're told to focus on the most, is your strategy and authority. So, strategy is another part of it. What you'll see when you look up your design. So, it's not making decisions, but it's how you're meant to accept opportunities. So only one type; the manifestos are really here to initiate new ideas, new projects, like they're the ones who are kind of here to take charge, if you will, and they can initiate. And while the rest of us are not meant to do that. 

So, it's like the generators and manifesting generators are here to wait to respond to things. So, it's like one day when somebody comes to them with, “Oh, do you want to do this thing, then they can respond to that and say yes or no, “Yeah, I really want to do it,” or “No, I'm not interested.” Projectors are here to wait for the invitation. So that's really about being seen by other people, getting that recognition from others that like they're really seeing you for your gifts and calling you in to share those gifts. It's like waiting for that invitation. And then the reflectors are here to wait for that lunar period. So, they actually are meant to wait like 28 days to make a decision to really kind of accept in new opportunities, new things. So, in that way, so, if there's nothing else that you focus on at first, it would be that strategy and authority. So, really by the end of that seven-year period, let's say like you should be more comfortable in making decisions based on the way that your body feels rather than from the mind. 

Nicole:  It's such a complex system and I definitely remember when I discovered it. And when you look at the chart, it's like there's all these like numbers and gates and but at the end of the day, there's always like a starting point, which is the strategy and the authority. And that in itself can be like a long project to uncover. I would love to know; I know we've been talking about Human Design and it has definitely helped me and I've loved hearing about how it's resonated with you. And also, there are other systems that you have been delving into; Gene Keys I would love to talk about. 

Pavithra: Yeah. So, Gene Keys is based on the etching only, whereas Human Design is based on a bunch of different systems that come together. So, the Gene Keys is just based on the etching, but it again was channeled by a white man and he kind of not really made his own definitions. I guess he made it more like more palatable, more, easier to understand, because I've tried to look into the etching itself and it can be a little more difficult to read, I guess, if you haven't been trained in it. 

But it's sort of the Gene Keys is imprinting on your DNA, so it's like really about going more into like your own genetics. It's like a sister system to Human Design in that it uses the gates. So, like when you look up Human Design and you see all the numbers within each of the centers, it's like it's still using that like those 64 numbers, but it has its own profile that you can look up. So, it's based on kind of the same system.

 So, I think the thing I like about Gene Keys is that it's a much more open system, like in terms of you can sort of choose to work with it in whatever way you see fit. It's not so much like Human Design where it's, “Oh, I need to learn every bit of my design in this and really go into every aspect of it. In order for me to be operating at my optimal level.”  With Gene Keys; it's like you can literally choose to just get the book and just read a random Gene Key every day if you want and just get information from it. 

So, it can be very open, which I like. As someone who doesn't always love the rules, I love that I can just sort of like play around with it. And on some days, I'm very much like, ‘okay, I want to sit with my profile, read into like my own gene keys.’ And then other days I'm like, ‘Oh, let's just pick a random gene key and read about it.’ And I think they all can fit right, because it's all the way that it's meant to be. As even if you don't have that particular gate defined in your design, it's still a part of you. It's still something that you just don't maybe don't have it consistently, but it can still be a part of you. So, it's sort of like you can still choose to read every Gene Key if you want and gain the insight from it. So that's why I kind of like working with Gene Keys. I have brought it into my work, but I don't necessarily say and do readings on it because I actually think it's very much like a personal system that is like, great to just sit with on your own. 

Nicole: Yeah, that's fascinating. So, is it that your DNA has imprinted, like whether you have these one of the 64 gene keys, yes, or no? And then that kind of shapes like your personality, your energy, the way you make decisions, what you're here to do on the planet, that sort of thing?

Pavithra: Yeah. So, it's basically that, yeah, all of your DNA is imprinted from your experiences, from even like your ancestors’ experiences, right? Like we all carry all of that in our genetic material. If you look at the hologenetic that's what they call it, the hologenetic profile. And so, what that's based on is that the gates in your in your Gene Keys or the gates in your Human Design are all based on a planetary alignment, right? Like wherever it was at the time of your birth, it will fall into one of the planets. And then the hologenetic profile then takes like certain planets and says, ‘okay, this is what this one means.’

 And so, it has three different sequences. So, one of them is the Activation sequence, which is like where you're supposed to start with Gene Keys is like your conscious and conscious or unconscious. So, if you go back to the Human Design body graph, if you're looking at it, there's like the two rows of planets on either side and it's those top two on either side is what makes up the Activation sequence. So that's in Human Design, that's also your incarnation cross; Which is like what your purpose is supposed to be here on Earth. And that's not purpose in terms of like you're meant to be a lawyer in this lifetime. No, it's like you're just sort of like, how you are meant to kind of use your gifts in this lifetime as sort of that purpose.

 So, you can see how they interact with each other but don't necessarily have to be used together. So, from the Activation sequence, you then go into the Venus sequence, which is all about like more of the emotional side. So, that can really be like, well, how did the relationships you had with your mother or your father or any of the things that you went through from 0 to 21 in your childhood? Like, how is that impacting you now? And then from there goes into the I believe it's called the Prosperity sequence. And that's if you in your business and work, it's kind of how you're really meant to sort of like run a business, like how big of a group should you have? And like, what kind of branding and like, how are you meant to make money? So, they all kind of build on each other, if you're really working through the sequences, it's like they kind of build on each other. So, but you're really meant to start with that Activation sequence. 

Nicole:  Wow. Yeah, that is fascinating. And yeah, I found both Human Design and Gene Keys to be like really informative and like reinforcing, but also very separate in their own ways. And yeah, I would definitely encourage people to look up online. Like you can type in Human Design chart and find your chart and also Gene Keys, right? 

Pavithra: Yeah. Gene Keys, you can just go on their own website and I think there's like a tab for free profiles; so, it uses the same information. They both are based on your date of birth, time of birth and location. 

Nicole: You had a career before having FlowinShakti and you actually became a nurse. 

Pavithra: So, I kind of, I've had multiple careers, so yeah. So, I actually started out I worked with my brother. We owned a construction company for about 10 years. So, I was the vice president of that before I even got into nursing. So, I kind of have this very roundabout career. So yeah. So, I got into nursing, it was, I believe I started nursing school in 2017, and so I graduated in 2018 and then began my first job in 2019. So yeah, it was just the way it all came together; I mean, I look back and I was just like, it's so funny to me how it all came together because I had no idea that I was ever going to go back to school or change careers so drastically. I had been working with my brother for 10 years before that. 

And I kind of knew it was sort of a career that didn't really have much growth potential for me. But at the same time, I had never really thought about what was going to be next. And then one day it's kind of a crazy story. I took my dad to the hospital one day for cataract surgery, and as I'm like sitting in pre-op with him, I'm kind of looking around at all the nurses and what they're doing. And I was like, ‘I could do this.’ I just was like, I thought I had I was like, ‘I could do this job.’ And then I think later in the day I had been talking to a friend and as we kind of were talking about it, I was like, “Oh, well, yeah, if I didn't have to go back to school for like four years, if there was just something I could do for maybe a year or two and then start this new career.” 

And yeah, when I looked it all up, it was totally doable. And I think I had enrolled in my pre- reqs by like the next week and it was so fast. Yeah, it was like, that's something that when I look back now, I'm like, it all flowed together so easily that it was almost like, yeah, like it all came together synchronistic, that I didn't even really have time to think about it. I was just like, “All right, well, I'm going to go back to school.” And then and I did my pre-reqs for about I believe it was like almost a year. I think I had a couple of prerequisites to do. And then I applied to nursing school for the following fall of 2017. And so, yeah, I had already enrolled by 2017 and yeah. And so, it's been quite a journey. 

Nicole:  I'm curious, do you normally make decisions that quickly? Like how did you feel about deciding this new life path so quickly? 

Pavithra: You know, when I look back, I do tend to make decisions pretty quickly. Sometimes it feels almost like an out of body experience of like, how did I just kind of make the decision? Even starting my business, like, was just a very quick decision. I mean, it's something I think there are times when I'll sit and sort of like contemplate things for a long time and kind of be like, “Oh, I'm not ready, I'm not ready.” And I'll sort of go back and forth. 

And then when I actually make the decision, it happens pretty quickly. Just having a splenic authority is just that intuitive hit that you get. It's just like a quick knowing of something. And so, for me, I feel like a lot of times when I will just make a decision, it kind of seems to come out of nowhere. And so, a lot of times it all kind of surprise people because I'll sort of be going on a path and then all of a sudden, it's, “Oh, I just made this decision out of nowhere.” So yeah. So, it is kind of crazy how things all kind of fall into place that way. 

Nicole:  Yeah. And I'm curious about the idea of starting construction with your brother. How did that happen? And I’d love to know about that experience, like 10 years working with your brother. Like, that's pretty unique. 

Pavithra: Yeah. So even that I kind of fell into because I really had no intention of working with my brother after I was done with college. So, it was like something where he had started the business because he's a few years older than me. So, he had started the business and had just kind of put me down as like a vice president of the company, just the way that it broke down. And I had no intention of actually working with him. But when I was done with my master’s way back in the day, I was like taking a little break when I was looking for jobs. 

And so, I was like, okay, I'll just go work with him part time, kind of just do this thing, help him out with the office stuff and just one thing led to another. And it was like before I knew it, I had been there for so many years and I was actually an active part of the business at that point. And so, yeah, so it all just kind of happened. I won't say it happened out of my control because the whole time I was sort of like, “All right, I'm still trying to look for a job.” And so, I had done International Relations and Conflict Resolution in school. So, I was still sort of looking for jobs, but I was like, ‘Well, this is working out.’ And the business was growing at that point. So, it's something I just sort of stayed with him and then was still doing this, like still looking for jobs and nothing was working out. And now when I look back, I'm like, ‘Yeah.’ 

But it's so crazy how staying with him sort of helped me to kind of also be financially stable and everything at that point and then kind of led to other things like when it was the right time to leave. So, it is kind of funny, I think. I think we all probably have that. Like when you look back at your life and how everything fell into place, you're like, “Oh, okay, yeah.” Like at the time I had no idea how things were going to go, but it's kind of interesting looking back now. 

Nicole: Yeah, absolutely. And what was it like to work with your brother, like managing that relationship of; this is my older brother, my sibling, and managing boundaries and like having your older brother tell you what to do. How was that in the workplace?  

Pavithra: Yeah, yeah, that was probably the hardest part, honestly, of working in that kind of business because, yeah, I am obviously the younger sister and so there was like a lot of that sort of. There were times where it was very contentious and like, but it's also really funny because in a lot of workplaces you don't get to fight with your boss and you don't get to have arguments and do all that. But it was just like, it was really interesting to have that sort of in that, I guess, formative time of my career where I was like, I was just out of school and this was sort of my first job out of school and it was really interesting. 

And when I look back now, it's so funny because obviously at the time I hadn't found Human Design or anything. And so, I didn't have the language for that working relationship. Because I think like now looking back, I'm looking at Human Design and sort of what he's like and what I'm like. I'm like, If I had had that language back then, that maybe would have made it a lot easier to work together because we're very different in the way that we operate. 

And so, it's and I can see it now. Now I'm sort of like, ‘Oh, okay, this is how he is, and.’ But at the time it was not always easy, but it was also just a really fun workplace. We were all fairly young people in our twenties and thirties at that time, and it was just a really fun workplace as well. But I don't know that I would have really gotten in another place. So, it was in some ways it was like really great to work there when I was in my twenties. 

Nicole: Yeah, absolutely. Did you read your brother's chart and you were like, “Oh yeah, if I had known this before, when we were working together,” did that happen or?

Pavithra: Yeah. So, it's like, when I went in and looked at his chart, it was like the thing that stood out to me the most was: so, in Human Design, your authority is how you're meant to make decisions. And so, I'm a splenic authority that's like in the moment, intuition. Like just hear this little voice that tells you like, okay, do this thing, right. 

And I'm supposed to move very quickly with that; where my brother is the opposite and he's an emotional authority and emotional authorities are told that they should kind of give themselves some time to make decisions because that initial yes or no might not be the same a day or two from the time they make the decision. So, they should kind of wait to see what their emotional wave says. And so, my brother being an emotional, I believe, he’s an emotional manifesting generator. 

But yeah, so it's like my brother is meant to take his time to make decisions. And I would always notice that we would sit in a meeting and he'd say, “Yeah, okay, let's do this thing.” And we'd all agree and then be like, “Okay.” We'd go off and then a day or two later, he would come back and go, “I don't want to do it that way. Let's do it this way.” And it was like a source of frustration for everyone in the office because they'd always be like, “Why can't he just make up his mind? Why is he always changing his mind?”

 And so, then it was like when I found it, this is years after I stopped working with him. I was like, “Oh my God, that makes so much sense.” Because it's like, he would always do that where it would take him a day or two to really figure out what he wanted. And at the time we were all just frustrated. And I think maybe the other people in the office, I think I may have been the only projector. I think the other people were all either generators or manifesting generators, and they may have all been sacral. 

So, it's like they may have all been like quick to make decisions as well, where he had to take his time. And of course, because he was the boss, we would just listen to what he had to say. And so, I think it was like finding out that, that made me be like, “All right, I can give him some grace because this is how he's meant to operate, and we just didn't know it.” 

Nicole:  Absolutely. That's, fascinating. And I love that, that you have that example, and especially after you've worked with someone over such a period of time and know your brother so well. So that's fascinating especially having that juxtaposition with people you're meeting for the first time, so you're really kind of trusting. Okay, does this resonate with you and in which way? And yeah. 

Pavithra: Yeah, I think that's why it's great to kind of look at it with people you know, like your family or friends you've known for a long time or just your partner or somebody that you can you can say, “Oh, yeah, I know that this is what you're like.” 

Nicole:  That's so fascinating. And yeah, and I would love to know; so, you're making this decision to go back to school to do nursing. So, then you have this transition from out of the construction company to nursing school. 

Pavithra: Yeah, yeah. So, I went to nursing school for about, I believe it was 16 months was my program. So, once I was out of nursing school, I began my first job in 2019, which was full time, which full time for us as bedside nurses, it's three-day shifts or three-night shifts. And so, yeah, so that was sort of like a hard transition to make. I didn't actually think about how hard it would be to go from like kind of having a little more freedom in terms of working with my brother and being a boss for myself, kind of which at the time I didn't even appreciate that that's what I was, was my own boss, right?

 So, going to working as a nurse, which in some ways was great because it was like, “Oh, I only have to work like three shifts a week. And if I plan it right, it's like I can have all this time off.” But I just didn't anticipate sort of the toll it was going to take on my body, even just working those three shifts. Because as a new nurse, I had to, you know, I was working days and then we had to transition to nights. And I did that for about a year. And so, I didn't even really think at the time how that was going to affect me, because obviously I had never had to work like those type of hours and shifts and stuff. 

So yeah, it was a lot to take; it was a lot more than I had even anticipated when I went into nursing. 

Nicole:  Yeah. And how long were you in nursing having to do those hours and realizing this is not sustainable? How long was that period? 

Pavithra: So, it actually wasn't that long for me. The way that it worked out for me, which is so funny, is that I only really worked that bedside nursing job for about a year. So, I had started in postpartum, I did it for a year and then I could tell I was already burnt out, but the way that I work is that instead of being like, “Oh, let's make it easier on myself,” I tried to make it harder on myself by getting a new job that was in an ICU. 

So, it was going to be way harder. And so, I made that transition right before COVID started. I was starting this new job. And it was just; it’s so funny when I look back because I'm like, I already knew I was burnt out. I already knew even in that one year that I was like, “I don't know how long I can do this for.” I was like, I don't feel like I'm old. But at the same time, the older you get like into your thirties and forties, it's okay, your body is just different, you just need different things. 

And so, I was already burnt out and then I tried to go into this new job that just it was not a good fit. I was only there for a couple of months before I think my boss and I came to the realization that I was like, “Yeah, this isn't a good fit for me.” And so, I ended up leaving, which at the time was just like the most devastating thing that had ever happened to me. 

I felt like a failure, all the things. But then now I look back and I'm like, ‘I actually just think that, that needed to happen.’ I feel like I wouldn't have left unless something drastic happened because, I'm the type of person who's just going to stay and try to make it work or push myself to the limit. And I think at some point, universe, God, whatever, had to step in and be like, “Okay, we're just going to help you out by just removing you from this.” 

Nicole:  Yeah, totally. I'm curious about the transition from leaving nursing to your new business FlowinShakti, if you could talk about what you were thinking during that time and how FlowinShakti came to be. 

Pavithra: Yeah. So, during that time, so like I said, so I started that job in March of 2020 and so it was literally like probably a week or two before COVID, everything happened. And then I stayed in that job till about May. And so, when I left that job, like I said, it was so hard for me, like I knew I didn't want it and I could instantly feel that when I left it was like this weight had been lifted off of my chest. I felt so relieved and I knew that it was the right thing. But I was also just completely lost in terms of, ‘okay, now what?’ 

Because I had thought that that's what I wanted that whole time, right? I had just left a job in postpartum that I liked. I mean, I really liked working in postpartum, but I also didn't feel necessarily challenged. So that was why I decided to go to an intensive care unit. But then that was like too much. And so, at that point I was just sort of like, “Okay, so what do I do?” 

Right, and so, I just, and I was seeing a lot of my friends in postpartum that were leaving the bedside because that also wasn't great. I mean, as everybody knows now, like looking back, it's like there was just a lot of stress on everyone at that point. So, I was just sort of like, okay, I'm just going to take my time, kind of see what comes. And I was sort of looking around at different units, different types of jobs, like what do I want to do? And but at the same time, it's like COVID was going on and people were kind of, I would see people out during the day, with their families and just having these like leisurely days. And I was like, “I want that too.” I want to be able to enjoy this time. 

So, for me, on a personal level; so my parents had been in India for that time from January. They were supposed to come back in March of that year and COVID happened and so they were stuck in India till like June. And so that was also really stressful on my family because my parents are over there and we don't know what's happening and all these things. 

So, I just sort of, I think without even realizing it, I just was taking the time to just be by myself and sort of come back to myself. It's like I was spending time just sort of going out and spending time by the water and just like taking like nice leisurely mornings and like all the things. And it was just really nice. But in the back of my mind, it was always like, “Okay, but, what's next? You know, what should I be doing?” 

And it's funny because like, for a long time, I don't know why this thought would come to me, but I'd always be like, I'm not going to start my own business. I don't want to go into business for myself. And I don't know where that thought would come from because it's not like I had any ideas about things. But then slowly it's like this idea started creeping into my head of, “Oh, you could start a blog or a podcast and talk about spirituality.” And that’s sort of how it came in. But then I was like, “Nobody wants to listen to me talk about spirituality, or nobody cares about my opinions on things, right?” But it just kept on coming into my mind. And then just one day out of the blue, like everything else in my life, I went online and was like, okay, I'm going to start this business. And I started. 

So, it started with me just like getting the Instagram handle. And then I just started it out of the blue and then was like, okay, I'll kind of like look into doing Reiki and that kind of stuff. And so that's kind of how it started. And then from there it was like I got the LLC. And the people around me were so surprised because it was like I just one day was like, “Oh, I started this business.” And, and they were like, “Okay, why did you do that?” I was like, “Well, I don't know. I just had this idea.” So, it just like everything else was just a very sudden decision. 

So, from there I got certified in Reiki and just kind of went from there and I didn't really have any sort of big plan. And it's kind of funny because it's like even the podcast idea, like it took me months to be able to get up the courage to even start the podcast because I was so scared. And when I look back, I'm like, “Yeah,” it's like everything else in my life where I went from, I'm not going to do this thing to just one day I did the thing. And so, it's just it's kind of I think that is the theme of my life, basically. 

Nicole: Yeah. Wow. Yeah, absolutely. And how did you decide on FlowinShakti and starting with the blog and then deciding, okay, I want to do a podcast. Like, how were you thinking about creating the business? 

Pavithra: Yeah. So, I didn't even end up starting the blog. I just. Yeah,

Nicole: That’s hilarious.

Pavithra: Yeah, yeah. I just went straight to okay. I would go get Reiki certified and then I started doing sessions with people and doing Reiki, and then I started the podcast and so yeah. Sometimes I look back now and I'm like, remember when splenic was giving you the plan and you just totally went in a different direction because that's how I do. So, it's kind of funny, but yeah, so I did finally start the podcast the following year and then. 

So, the FlowinShakti was; I was looking for a name that did have some cultural meaning to me as an Indian and as a practicing Hindu. And so, Shakti is the divine feminine. And for me, it's I'm always in my divine masculine. That's how I've always been, it’s like, push myself, do all the things right, make it happen. 

And I was really coming to a place, I think like after kind of seeing people slow down and really seeing how COVID had affected people that I was like, yeah, I really do feel like I want to slow down and be in the flow of things. Now, I was really coming to that realization that I needed to slow down and I needed to just really examine what are the things I want in my life. And so, I think FlowinShakti was just the perfect name that came to me when it was like, okay, something that I can relate to on a cultural level, but also relates to what I'm going through in my life currently.