My journey as a Communication & EQ Coach has been hugely gratifying having worked with over 3000 individuals from the age of 6 to 60 year
1. Tell us about your company and your journey.
I began my journey in Brand Management after my MBA from IIFT, Delhi. Thereafter I had varied experiences in Business Development, Student & Faculty Training, voiceovers and EQ coaching. In all of these roles, one thing that remained constant was my passion for Communication and observing how it conveyed our emotions.
This led me to undertake certifications in Communication & Emotional Intelligence, NLP and Extended Disc International.
My journey as a Communication & EQ Coach has been hugely gratifying having worked with over 3000 individuals from the age of 6 to 60 years! All these positive experiences and the desire to reach out to more individuals, led to the launch of our online training venture, The 5th Mantra.
2. How did you come up with this idea and go about executing it?
In the initial years of my career, I had witnessed the struggle of individuals in expressing themselves and connecting with others. This helplessness was even more evident in the case of children.
They would choose to remain silent rather than be mocked for their lack of confidence. This led to a dream to help people become more effective communicators.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and when like-minded people get together, the step becomes easier to take and the journey a lot more meaningful.
That’s how, The 5th Mantra was born by the coming together of 3 women with a similar dream to empower students, women and professionals with stronger communication and rapport building skills.
3. What has been your biggest challenge that you faced and how did you overcome that?
The fear of doing things wrong used to be my biggest emotional challenge, holding me back. Constant transfers, owing to my husband being in the Armed Forces, was also a huge challenge in networking and sustaining career plans.
I was able to handle both these challenges better when I became more open to exploring different opportunities and doing the best I could with what I had. That along with some amazing connections I met on LinkedIn, helped me focus more on constructive action and worry less about outcomes.
4. What inspired you to become a voice over artist?
My experiences as a trainer for Trinity exams in Communication, hosting several high profile events as an MC, my passion for enactment and positive feedback about my voice encouraged me to explore the creative field of Voiceovers. It’s been a fascinating journey so far with several interesting projects.
5. Do you often have to keep upskilling yourself?
Yes, certainly. Every skill gets more refined when it is consistently used and developed. There is no other way to get more confident as a communicator other than by communicating! The more I train and interact with people, the better I get at observing nonverbal cues, understanding behavioural patterns and expressing myself.
6. What is your mantra of success?
Keep exploring and handle all relationships with empathy and respect.
Our openness to new experiences can surprise us with what we discover about ourselves. We often rely too much on our past experiences or opinions of others to judge our abilities and potential.
It helps to be willing to learn new skills, accept new responsibilities and meet new people. It’s a powerful way to evolve as professionals and individuals.
7. Which is your favourite book and why?
This is a tough one as I have several favourites! Books by Malcolm Gladwell, Paulo Coelho, Daniel Kahneman, Daniel Goleman and Joe Navarro are terrific with great insights into Thought, Behaviour and Communication.
I often revisit The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, Sufi poetry by Rumi and Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom for a deeper understanding of empathy and power of human connection.
- Junie George Varghese
Junie George Varghese is a Communication & Emotional Intelligence Coach and the Co-Founder of The 5th Mantra, an online training forum for effective communication skills. She is also a Trust Member in the EvXprts Foundation, Bangalore.
Having been a communicator for over 18 years, she has worked with leading organisations like Dr.Reddy’s, T.I.M.E and ETL Learning (TIME-Warner Group).
She was chosen as the Top 10 Communication Coaches to follow in 2021 (Yahoo Finance).
Her coaching sessions in Verbal & Nonverbal Communication and Empathy have truly helped individuals break through their barriers in communication and rapport building. She has also trained over 1000 students and faculty members for Trinity College, London Exams in Communication. She has conducted highly appreciated sessions in Body Language as guest faculty in several institutions.
She is certified by the ICF (International Coaching Federation), Extended DISC International and Dr. Richard Bandler’s Society for NLP with a Masters in International Business from IIFT (Indian Institute of Foreign Trade), Delhi.
Being a trained musician, singer, writer and voiceover artist, she keeps exploring creative ideas to help students and professionals strengthen their communication skills through a deeper understanding of emotional states.
- LinkedIn: Junie George Varghese
- Instagram: Junie George Varghese
- Interviewed By Anamika Ajith
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