Heroines for the Planet: Inspirational Bella Nitika Chopra
Nitika Chopra’s bubbly persona and positivity shine brightly, but this girl is tough as nails, too (in the most hippie, loving way of course). She battled a debilitating disease as a young girl and found herself divorced at 25, with no where else to turn but inward. Nitika dug deep– and her personal exploration eventually brought her the inner peace she lacked for so long. This quarter-life epiphany inspired her to create YourBellaLife, an online magazine that empowers its readers to maximize positivity in all aspects of their lifestyle. Readers are privy to inside tips from today’s top experts in fields like healthy living, love and life, food, fashion, beauty and many others.
On a recent rainy Spring day, Nitika and I talked about why she strives to add color to the world despite unpleasant outer circumstances, how she finds balance in her life (she works three jobs!), and how you can get going on a vision board, STAT!
Lindsay: Like so many of us, you suffered through a very difficult time in your life. Can you tell us a bit about that struggle and what the experience taught you?
Nitika: When I was only 10 years old I was diagnosed with a severe case of Psoriasis that over time ended up covering my body from the tip of my foot to the tip of my head and also had me develop a severe case of Psoriatic Arthritis. It caused me to grow up feeling alone, isolated, incredible physical and emotional pain, and had me question life, God and everything in between. Somehow in the midst of all of that, I also ended up marrying a divine man with hundreds of people watching us in the middle of New Delhi, India. Sadly the marriage ended only four short years later. That brought me to about 25 years of age, where the questions in my life had me look more inward then ever before. There came a point in all of these challenging years where I allowed myself to believe that I am NOT meant to suffer. My life’s purpose is NOT so that I can be miserable. Once I realized that, I went searching for what my life’s purpose was, and that allowed me to open up a beautiful world of divinity, color, exploration and true joy. I now focus on finding the lessons through life and focus on inner peace in the midst of outer chaos.
Lindsay: Yourbellalife.com is such a vibrant space filled with positivity. I absolutely love the mantra of your site: “adding color to your world.” What do you mean by that?
Nitika: “Adding color to your world” means that you do what it takes to live a vibrant life every single day. While going through the various challenges of my life, I became very passionate about not running to a quick-fix solution but allowing your wounds and struggles to heal completely. With that being said, I also realized that as much as I could produce enough tears to do so, time wasn’t going to stand still and give me the chance to cry all day, every day! So I started getting clear on the simple things I could do at any moment to light me up from within, and that’s where adding color came from. It is my duty to add color to my own world every day and help others do the same!
Lindsay: You juggle a full-time gig as well as yourbellalife.com. How do you balance it all?
Nitika: Well I am not going to say it is easy, because it certainly is not. I have two other jobs I am working on outside of Bella Life, and some days I get downright nervous with all that I have on my plate. But I do find that being busy and proactive about making sure I am in a good financial place has also given me a lot of confidence to feel that if I can do this, I can do anything! Over the last year, I have also become more aware of over-packing my schedule, and I make it a point to always plan something self-care related as well as FUN like cooking with a friend, watching a movie and hanging with my pup on the couch. I make time for these types of things everyday, even if it is just for 10 minutes.
Lindsay: I hear you’re throwing these rad Colorful Conversations events in New York City that are bringing women together! Please tell us a bit about what you hope to achieve with each event.
Nitika: Our Colorful Conversations events allow women to have fun while connecting with each other in a safe and nurturing environment. They are designed to bring like-minded women together with no pressure to do anything but be yourself, and you usually get pampered, eat yummy treats and learn something new all at the same time. We went from having eight of my friends in my girl Toni’s apartment to having over 50 women at a sponsored venue – they are so much fun, so if you are in New York City you do NOT want to miss them!
Lindsay: You can count me in for the next event! Since we’re on the topic of women supporting one another, how important is it for women to find a mentor? Who are your mentors?
Nitika: I think having mentors is one of the most beneficial things you can do for yourself. I also think that women need to be selective with this process. Just because someone has a following or has a book and you want those things too, doesn’t mean that they are necessarily the right mentor for you. In addition, I feel that mentors aren’t only public figures but also individuals in your life that you learn from such as your friends and even family. Some of my mentors include but are not limited to best-selling author Shakti Gawain, my dear friend Jess Zaino, who is my mentor for all things media, my incredible friend Jill Brack, who inspires me to dream big in business thanks to her Glow Gluten Free cookie company, and honestly every single one of my contributors on Bella Life teach me so much every day and have all become great friends of mine.
Lindsay E. Brown
Lindsay has spent her career at the intersection of media and social change. In her role at Eco-Chick, Lindsay has established partnerships and campaigns with some of the world’s most-recognized companies committed to sustainability and CSR. She co-created the popular interview series “Heroines for the Planet” that features groundbreaking women who share courage and a deep passion for protecting people and the Earth. Lindsay is the Marketing and Sustainability Manager at Health-Ade Kombucha and previously served as Director of Communications at the social enterprise CBS EcoMedia. There she directed corporate advertising dollars to the nation’s most effective non-profits tackling urgent social issues in local communities and was awarded CBS Corporation’s prestigious Share-the-Vision award. She has written for Whole Living Magazine, Edible, Cottages & Gardens, From The Grapevine, EarthHour.org, Eco-Age.com, and for environmentalists Laura Turner Seydel and Susan Rockefeller. Lindsay holds a BS in Global Business Studies and Marketing from Manhattan College, and received the 2012 Honors Award at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
