Avantika Tokas Interview
Beyond all these titles, I would describe myself as a person who is deeply curious about life. I like to learn, I like to question, and most importantly, I like to evolve.
I am a daughter, a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend, and simply a woman who has experienced different phases of life and learned something from each one of them. My professional identities are important to me, but they don’t define the entirety of who I am.
At my core, I am someone who believes in purpose. Whether it is law, business, conversations through my podcast, or the work I do for people, I want whatever I do to have meaning. I don’t want to just occupy space; I want to add something to it.
Q. People often choose one field and spend their whole lives in it, but you have explored law, business, podcasting, and more. What gave you the courage to keep exploring different paths?
I don’t think I ever consciously decided that I would do ten different things. Life simply kept opening different doors, and I had the courage to walk through them.
I have never believed that we have to put ourselves inside one box. We evolve, our interests evolve, our circumstances evolve, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Law taught me discipline, logic, and the importance of having a voice. Business taught me responsibility and leadership. Podcasting gave me the opportunity to listen, learn, and have meaningful conversations with people from completely different walks of life.
For me, exploring doesn’t mean that I am confused about who I am. In fact, it has helped me discover who I am. I think sometimes the biggest risk is not taking a risk at all.
Q. Everyone has their share of challenges, and building the life and career you have must not have been easy. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced, and how did you overcome them?
There have been many challenges, both personally and professionally. But the biggest lesson has been that life doesn’t always give you a choice about what happens to you, it gives you a choice about how you respond.
There were moments when I had to rebuild my confidence, rethink priorities, and continue moving forward even when things weren’t easy.
What helped me was discipline and the ability to keep showing up. I also learned not to compare my journey with someone else’s. Everyone has a different timeline.
And I have become very comfortable with the fact that strength doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes strength is simply getting up in the morning, doing what needs to be done, and continuing to believe that better days are ahead.
Q. You have spoken about overcoming a significant health challenge in your life. What advice would you give to someone going through a difficult phase of their own?
The first thing I would say is: don’t lose hope.
When life puts you through something difficult, you suddenly realize how precious the simplest things are, your health, your family, your time, even an ordinary morning.
I learned to take life one day at a time. You don’t have to figure out the entire future when you are going through a difficult phase. Just focus on today.
Surround yourself with people who give you strength, listen to your doctors and your body, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. And most importantly, don’t allow a difficult chapter to convince you that it is the entire story.
A difficult phase is a chapter. It doesn’t have to become your identity.
Q. Can you share a moment in your journey when you paused, looked back, and thought, “I’m proud of myself”?
There have been several, but the moments that make me proud are not necessarily the ones associated with a professional achievement.
I feel proud when I look at the person I have become despite everything life has given to me. When I see my children, when I look at the work I have built, when I sit across from someone on my podcast and realize that I have created a space where their story can be heard, I feel proud.
And perhaps the biggest moment was when I realized that I had stopped waiting for someone else to validate me.
Today, I know my worth. I know what I bring to the table. And I think that self-belief, which comes from within rather than from applause, is one of my biggest achievements.
Q. Beyond your work, what is something you can happily lose yourself in? Is there a book, movie, or series that has stayed with you or changed the way you see something?
I can happily lose myself in conversations, actually. I genuinely enjoy understanding people, their stories, their journeys, what shaped them, and what they believe in. Perhaps that’s also why podcasting feels so natural to me.
I also love reading and stories that make you think beyond the obvious. I am drawn to books and films that explore human nature, resilience, relationships, and the choices people make.
I think the stories that stay with us are the ones that make us question something about ourselves. And perhaps that is what I enjoy most, not simply being entertained, but coming away with a different perspective.
At this stage of my life, I value anything that makes me think, makes me feel, or makes me a little more aware of the world around me.
Bio
Avantika Tokas is a multidisciplinary business leader with an extensive career spanning luxury hospitality, legal practice, media, and strategic brand collaborations. As the Managing Director of Brio Hotels & Resorts, she drives the brand's vision for destination development and high-end hospitality. She is currently leading the flagship project of luxury cottages in Chail, Himachal Pradesh, designed to blend local culture with contemporary elegance. Her contributions to the sector have earned her industry accolades, including recognitions associated with the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI). In the legal domain, she serves as a Partner at Midha & Midha Law Offices as well as Mittal & Mittal Law Offices, providing strategic and legal counsel across a range of professional matters. She is also the founder and host of Bharat Charcha by Avantika Tokas, a prominent podcast where she engages diplomats, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and public figures in dialogues covering leadership, governance, business, culture, and contemporary India. Alongside her primary roles, she frequently collaborates with overseas luxury hospitality brands, fashion labels, and retail destinations on high-impact brand campaigns and curated experiences.
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