Nirupama’s talk explores the evolving meaning of success through the speaker’s personal journey. As a child, success meant parental approval through good grades; as a teenager, it became popularity. In adulthood, it was wealth, career, and family. Though she achieved these, she soon felt unfulfilled, prompting a shift from banking to learning and development. Later, stepping away from work to raise her daughter initially felt like failure, but it led her back to writing, consulting, and discovering her true strengths. Over two decades, she authored four books, coached 35,000 people, co-founded a nonprofit for girls’ education, and pursued diverse passions from yoga to travel. She realized that success is not universal but personal. Her formula—Own your strengths and values, Nurture yourself and others, and Eradicate comparisons—guides her “Powerfulife.” True success lies not in external approval or milestones but in aligning with purpose, growth, and authentic joy. Nirupama Subramanian is a multifaceted entrepreneur, leadership coach and speaker. She is the Founder and CEO of Powerfulife Solutions which provides leadership development interventions for personal growth and organizational impact. She has over 30 years of work experience across banking, learning & development and professional services She has enabled over 35000 people across 60+ organizations to enhance their potential. Nirupama has also co-founded the non- profit initiative- My Daughter is Precious that provides scholarships and mentoring to girls from underserved families to complete their college education. Nirupama is the author of 4 books – including Powerful, the Indian woman’s guide to unlocking her full potential and The Nurturing Quotient which was published in June 2025. She is the creator of the Powerfulife Assessment, the only validated researched assessment for women in South Asia which has been used by 4000 women to empower themselves. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx