Raising teens can be challenging and stressful because parents are required to develop skills for insights and practical wisdom apart from doing the expected housekeeping tasks. The path gets trickier when you are a mom, historically ignoring your burnout, and have a daughter to raise who is overwhelmed by technology and societal pressures.
Dimple Arora summarizes the help that many mothers like you need today. As a life coach, nutritionist, podcaster and author, she guides moms and teen girls “towards self-love and taking inspired action to be the leaders of their own lives…one thought, one emotion and one choice at a time.”
On International Women’s Day, she came across as a passionate empowerment coach for women and teen girls- when Oakville News caught up with her.
Stay with us to know more about her insights and journey of healing. The interview is edited for length and clarity.
ON: Can you tell us about your life-coaching program?
DA: Mindful Evolution offers life-changing empowerment programs for families, and teenage girls so motivated parents can raise positive and resilient children. To begin with, I started group workshops on teen empowerment for girls in 2018 and then realized coaching parents as well, especially mothers, is essential.
I tell moms to be cognizant of the home environment because it impacts the children’s stress levels. Regulate your nervous system first, so the future generation doesn’t need to spend their adult years healing.
ON: Did your childhood have an impact on the programs you run?
DA: Today, I have made peace with my childhood. But, back then, I was always a sick child. Eczema, asthma, allergies, bronchitis, frequent infections, daily vomiting and diarrhea- name a childhood ailment, and I had them all! My early-age situation led to a 32-year dependency on prescription medications.
It was also stressful because my parents were first-generation immigrants struggling to survive and care for three children. As you will see, my childhood experiences and determination to heal have formed the key learning objectives of my signature programs.
ON: Can you share more about the journey that motivated you to start Mindful Evolution?
DA: By the time I was in my 30s, I had a sugar addiction, a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and a broken mind, body and spirit. On my last day of teaching at an Oakville high school in 2009, I collapsed in the staff room.
By then, it was taking me hours to get out of bed. I also required two hip surgeries. That was enough! I was determined to return, be active again and enjoy the bliss of motherhood.
While researching paths to recovery, I stumbled upon the mind-body connection for the first time. Through a mindfulness program, I discovered multiple layers of healing. I realized that having a healthy body is much more than nutrition and cleansing your gut. Once I focused on emotional healing, I got pregnant in 2012.
During this phase, I birthed the mission of engaging and empowering families in the practice and science of wellness and healing generational patterns so that we can raise healthy, happy, confident and resilient kids.
ON: What is the main lesson teen girls can learn from your one-on-one coaching?
DA: Let me first explain where I draw my lessons from! Oldest of three siblings, I always lived up to my parent’s expectations. For example, I was always a top student in school and a popular community helper. Pursuing mathematics and technology in university was also part of the same process.
Even later, when I left my corporate job and started teaching, I thought managing a corporate career and motherhood would not be possible, as we are often told!
Living your life to please people and performing to gain approval is dangerous. I always tell the girls, “In order to be your most authentic self, use your head, follow your heart, trust your gut and nourish all three. The combined wisdom and intelligence is there to guide you.”
ON: How did you come up with the idea of a podcast?
DA: I have so much to share, and that’s how I co-founded a podcast on parenting with another expert during the pandemic in 2021. After a brief hiatus, I am rebranding I AM MOM in April and bringing it back to help moms because they are usually the primary driver of family dynamics.
ON: Apart from the podcast, how do you reach out to families who need help?
DA: Moms find me through my podcast, social media and referrals. Interestingly, most of my clients are from immigrant communities. They feel that being a woman of colour, Canadian by birth, and a mom, I can relate to their experiences and their daughters.
These families for whom mental health challenges are still a shame to discuss find it easier to open up to me about matters happening behind closed doors. I guide the moms to understand their daughters’ lives better so that the girls can achieve from a healthy and joyful premise.