Today we’d like to introduce you to Pritha Lal.
Hi Pritha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello I am Pritha, and I am a mom before all else. I also am a global citizen. Born in Kolkata, India, I have lived, worked, and been educated in various cultures and countries. From selective mutism as a child to a short bout of PTSD as an adult, from cross cultural experiences as a teen, to global perspectives as an HR professional, from conventional family backgrounds to unconventional choices in life, the search for my authentic self remains a meaningful journey of passion and purpose.
My journey continues to span some long and amazing miles of change, courage, and constancy. Discovering my authentic self at each fork in the road, has been both terrifying and rewarding. This process of inward reflection, makes me incredibly passionate about empowering individuals find the best version of themselves in their own journeys. This is why I became an Authenticity Life Coach.
I launched Be The Sequoia Coaching LLC about 2.5 years ago after getting certified by the Jay Shetty Certification School. With every new client I am privileged to help, I learn more and more about human behavior and am constantly amazed by how similar we are at our core, no matter how different we look on the outside. My diversity of background and culture, and years of living here, make me equally accessible to individuals of different nationalities. This is probably what I truly pride myself in and feel confident in making those connections.
LESSONS FROM CORPORATE LIFE
15 years in Corporate HR and Organizational Development allowed me opportunities to grow and develop talent across the globe. Leadership and Team Development, Knowledge Management, Succession Planning and Change Management, were some of the areas where I found authenticity of individuals was critical to both their personal and the organizational success. I moved to Utah from India way back in 1998 with my husband. I pursued my second MBA ( in Organizational Behavior ) at the Marriott School in BYU and then went on to work for Nu Skin Enterprises and IMFT ( now Texas Instruments ) in Lehi. Working with individual contributors, leadership teams across the board, C-Level Leaders, etc gave me a wonderful platform to explore what really guides and motivates individuals to do their best. This learning helps me currently in my role as a life coach.
LESSONS FROM MOTHERHOOD
12 years of being an exclusively stay-at-home mom taught me more about authenticity than I can comprehensibly articulate. In my daughter, I have found my greatest cheerleader, my most captive audience, my worst critic and my most guileless advocate. The honesty of a child is so disarming, that you cannot help but question yourself each time, you stand in the way of your own authenticity. My daughter Parijat is now an 8th grader at Springville Junior High School and she remains my compass as I navigate this journey as a life coach. Children bring a perspective that is so unfiltered, that authenticity takes on a whole new meaning.
The lessons from these two mutually exclusive chapters of my life have created my playbook as a Life Coach. If you choose to invest in becoming your best self, I can assure you of all the tools you will need to make your goals manageable and measurable. From customized worksheets and workbooks, to self development tools to align with your learning style, I bring it all to the table.
As an Authenticity Coach with a vision to empower men and women find their true, authentic selves, my life coaching approach is inspired by a few simple, but powerful words of one of my all time favorite authors – Paulo Coelho.
“You are what you believe yourself to be.”
I help individuals move through life’s transitions with authenticity, clarity, and self‑trust. Whether you’re navigating a change you chose or one that chose you, I guide you back to the grounded, powerful core that has always been yours. I offer both 1-1 personal coaching sessions, and group life-coaching workshops for corporate and non-corporate teams. My approach is rooted in the theories of Neurolinguistic Programming, Motivational Interviewing, Change Management Theories, and Positive Psychology . I believe lasting change can occur only when it is holistic and transformational.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have lived in Utah the last 27 years. My husband and I have traveled a lot across the country and outside, but Utah as been second home, and Springville is my sanctuary for two decades now. When I think of struggles, I have to say the blessings have far outweighed the roadblocks. I have found even if I was the only Hindu in my entire MBA class at BYU in 2001, it was never a reason for me to feel I didn’t make a difference or didn’t belong. I think when you are young, you try to fit in, you second guess if you are accepted, you draw comparisons, and carry the Imposter within you. But time, age, experience, and particularly motherhood, teach you to be a lot more compassionate towards yourself. The truth is, if you are not, you are unhappy, and are subsequently creating a toxic environment around yourself and those around you.
My biggest shift happend in my late 30s with 3 car accidents that left me both physically and mentally injured, and the healing helped me rediscover the Pritha I was meant to be. Trauma induced PTSD lead to a mild bout of clinical depression for which I sought the help of medication and therapy. Added to this was months and months of physical therapy as I healed from several back injuries. Long story short, that one year taught me, who I am, and could become, if I started to make some changes in my mindset, behaviors and expectations of myself and others.
I learned to prioritize myself, hold space for my feelings, give myself permission to be who I was, and not seek external validation, take the reins back to finding my joy, my peace, and myself. It was after I weaned myself off the medication and was done with therapy, my husband and I felt it would be a good time to think about parenthood. the 12 years of exclusive stay at home mom was pure heaven.
In my present day, the struggle is basically getting clients for my business. It is something I am learning and the curve is steep. Being present at all times, making sure I have things to offer through my podcast, 5 Minutes of Authenticity with Pritha, through my website, workshop, etc, is a lot of work. It is also very fulfilling because I am constantly putting myselt out there with thoughts on authenticity.
The struggle is when the returns aren’t even a fraction of the energy you put out constantly and consistently.
There are various reasons why “life coaching” isn’t totally mainstream yet, and people take a while before they decide if at all, it is for them.
1. Life Coaching is not prescriptive like therapy, you have to do the work. Unless people feel the need, they won’t make the effort or take the time.
2. It is not covered by insurance so the cost isn’t worth the time
3. It is not instant gratification, hence, individuals will rather use that time and resources to purchase something more “tangible”.
4. Very few people get what a life coach does and even if they do, it is too much work to start to think about self reflection. Why fix something that ain’t broken?
5. Confidentiality and trust are huge elements in this business. Unless you can establish that with consistency and authentic presence, you cannot really have people believe you are credible.
As you know, we’re big fans of Be The Sequoia Coaching LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Life changes us — sometimes gently, sometimes all at once. I support adults of any age who feel disconnected from their worth or identity during these transitions. I enable them to release old narratives, reclaim their true voice, and step into their next chapter with grounded self‑trust and unconditional self compassion.
Like the magnificent Sequoia trees, your authentic self is resilient — even when life strips away your outer layers, your inner core remains strong, evolving, and ready to rise.
Be The Sequoia Coaching empowers you to embrace this growth.
To stand tall amidst life’s fires.
To grow stronger through change.
To reveal the most beautiful, enduring, authentic version of yourself — the one that has always been there, waiting to be reclaimed.
This is the heart of my work, my storytelling, and my podcast.
Change is not the end of who you are. It’s the beginning of who you’re becoming.
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I do what I love, I love what I do.
I help individuals move through life’s transitions with authenticity, clarity, and self‑trust. Whether you’re navigating a change you chose or one that chose you, I guide you back to the grounded, powerful core that has always been yours.
I offer both 1-1 personal coaching sessions, and group life-coaching workshops for corporate and non-corporate teams. My approach is rooted in the theories of Neurolinguistic Programming, Motivational Interviewing, Change Management Theories, and Positive Psychology . I believe lasting change can occur only when it is holistic and transformational.
My modality involves 4 main questions
WHERE ARE YOU HEADED ?
This is your journey, and my role is to be your tour guide. I want to enable you to discover the best version of yourself, as you take on this magnificent trip. I believe every single individual on this planet, is here with a purpose. The difference lies only in why, when, and how, we find it. Once you know where you are headed, getting there is a lot easier and much more meaningful.
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?
Sometimes a destination is ascertained only when we have looked back on what our previous trips have taught us. Where were the bends on the road? What routes could you have avoided? What were some of the views you still cherish? You will spend time retrospecting and gain further clarity and conviction on your journey and destination.
WHY DO YOU WANT TO GET THERE ?
This is very critical question that only you can answer for yourself, if you want to experience long term positive change. Whether it was my 15 years in the corporate world, or my 12 years as a stay at home mom, I can tell you, in either case true change, is transformational. However such change only occurs when there is a strong felt need to see the desired results. The “WHY” is very important.
HOW DO YOU WANT TO GET THERE ?
This is where you decide your vehicle of choice, finalize your route, assemble your toolkit, and configure your GPS settings. What are some habits you want to create? What are some beliefs you want to let go? How are you going to hold yourself accountable on this trip? The rubber hits the road on this remarkable journey, and you find your authentic self waiting for you, at your destination.
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My offerings:
PICK YOUR MILESTONE
1-1 Coaching Sessions
Not sure where to start? Something specific weighing you down? Or do you like to work on one thing at at time?
Let’s do exactly that. What is the one thing you want to talk about that will open a bunch of other doors? Start with a Single Session following your Discovery Call and see where the path takes you.
OWN YOUR MAP
1-1 Coaching Sessions
This is a 10 Week Program where we will meet weekly once. Following the Discovery Call, you will have the option to prioritize the areas in your life you wish to address. This is done through a comprehensive process of building awareness, assessing the current state, and then taking focused steps towards your desired outcome, Throughout the 10 weeks you will have access to me via email. You will also have the opportunity to work through various tools and assessments customized to fit your needs. Following the 10 weeks we will meet once again on a complimentary call to see how things are going and assess things accordingly.
TAKE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
In Person Authenticity Workshop
Authenticity begins when “fitting in” ends is the theme of the workshop that I offer corporate and non corporate teams. The 6 sessions, each an hour long, are aimed at enabling participants focus on themselves in a mindful and intentional manner. The sessions involve hands-on activities, and interactive discussions, in a safe space of positivity and focus.
Topics range from self compassion, authenticity and mindset, to boundaries, habits, locus of control, barriers, enablers and goal setting. Participants can share their own life experiences in an environment of growth and learning, thus working on discovering their authentic selves. They leave with a tangible outcome after each session, and a self paced workbook to continue their journey at their pace.
BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY TODAY
Online Authenticity Workshop
Want to begin on a journey to discover or rediscover your authentic self from the comfort of your own home, and yet have interactive sessions with focused discussions in a small group setting? I have that option available, no matter where in the world you reside.
Authenticity begins when “fitting in” ends is the theme of the online workshop. The 6 live sessions on Zoom, each an hour long, are aimed at enabling participants focus on themselves in a mindful and intentional manner. Topics range from self compassion, authenticity and mindset, to boundaries, habits, locus of control, barriers, enablers and goal setting. Participants can share their own life experiences in an environment of growth and learning, thus working on discovering their authentic selves. You will leave with a tangible outcome after each session, and a self paced workbook to continue your journey at your pace.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Two of the biggest anchors in my life are my mother and my daughter. My husband is a constant support in every which way. The two ladies however lead by example. My mother is an epitome of strength, resilience, faith, and fortitude. At 74 years of age, the woman’s childlike spirit and timeless wisdom are a constant reminder of the power of living an authentic life. My 14 year old daughter Parijat, like I mentioned is a compass that guides me to all things good. She has the biggest heart and the most beautiful mind. She is creative, compassionate, and in her own way teaches me to be a better listener, give credence to feelings first than get into the problem solving mode, that we as moms are forever use as a default. She teaches me to judge less and accept more.
My clients are a constant source of inspiration. In fact, it is the conversations with them that have inspired my podcast – “5 Minutes of Authenticity with Pritha”. It is incredibly inspiring to see them work through their limiting beliefs, vulnerabilities, insecurities, and different mindsets, and trust you to help them through their journey. That feeling is so humbling and empowering at the same time.
When I look back at life, one of my greatest inspirations was my 2nd grade teacher one Ms. Fatima Joy. I used to suffer from selective mutism then as a child and wouldn’t speak a word. But she trusted me to take care of the class when she had to step out. That was the first time I felt truly seen and heard, despite my silence and subconsciously it shaped me to be the incurable Pollyanna I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.BeTheSequoia.com
- Instagram: @bethesequoiacoaching
- Facebook: Be The Sequoia Coaching
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pritha-lal-2525ba3/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Prithatutah
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/1RudZhMbCfWvpnGxC0a1FK
