How Pain, Healing, And Neuroscience Are Fueling a New Kind of Entrepreneurship. Karishma Valliappan, Founder Of MindTalks, Shares
Karishma is someone who’s taken life’s hardest moments and turned them into something meaningful, for herself and for others. She has walked through anxiety, bullying, and a late hearing loss diagnosis. Instead of letting those things define her, she’s chosen to accept and understand them, leading her to then share that understanding to help others feel less alone. Curious by nature, she questions how the brain works, how emotions shape us, and how we can heal, not just survive. That curiosity led her into neuroscience, psychology, and eventually into building MindTalks—a space where brain and mental health are made simple, real, and useful.
Karishma has this beautiful ability to blend science with soul and tends to make complicated ideas easy to grasp. At its core, Karishma is someone who believes healing is possible. That we can rewire, rebuild, and reconnect—if we’re given the tools, the guidance, and a little compassion. She is not here to be perfect. She’s here to be real. And in doing so, giving others permission to do the same.
You’ve turned what most people would hide, which is failing in school, burning out, battling depression, into a core part of your story and brand. Was there a specific moment when you decided to stop hiding and start building from it?
Yes, it was a series of moments that slowly built up and led me to that shift! It was back in 2019 when I was watching a lot of YouTube videos by famous motivational speakers like Jay Shetty, Simon Sinek and later Mel Robbins. I realised that for me, if I want to help people, I need to help myself first. So I got into fitness, meditation, and constantly having to tell myself that I want to make a difference in people's lives. For me to do that, I have to gather the courage to also share my vulnerability.
The biggest shift happened when I realised that vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s the bridge to connection. I kept telling myself, “If I can be honest about where I’ve been, maybe someone out there will feel less alone in where they are now.”
That intention became the seed for everything I’ve built since—MindTalks, the classes I teach, the content I create, even how I show up in conversations.
Sharing my story didn’t come easily. It took (and still takes) courage. But it’s also what gave me my voice. Not the voice that says, “I’ve figured it all out,” but the one that says, “I see you. I’ve been there. And we can get through this together.”
Most people build businesses from a place of ambition. Yours feels like it was built from pain, healing, and a kind of personal reckoning. How has that emotional foundation shaped the way you run MindTalks?
I started MindTalks with one clear intention: to guide, educate, and coach people through the lens of brain health, so they could improve their overall well-being, not just mentally, but emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
It began with pain—the kind that lingers quietly in the background: I didn’t launch MindTalks because I had everything figured out. I launched it because I wanted to—because I knew what it felt like to struggle in silence, and I didn’t want anyone else to feel that alone.
That pain eventually led me to healing. I studied my MSc in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, started learning how the brain works, how trauma shapes our behaviour, and how we can rewire ourselves—not just through therapy or medication, but also through simple tools like breathing, movement, daily routines, and mindset shifts. The more I healed, the more I realised that this knowledge shouldn’t be locked away in textbooks or clinical spaces. It should be something everyone can access.
The personal reckoning came when I recognised that vulnerability wasn’t my weakness—it was my power. That’s when everything changed. MindTalks became less about teaching and more about connecting. I wasn’t just trying to “help others” anymore—I was building a community, a safe space, a resource for people who’ve walked a similar path and just needed the right tools, language, and support to move forward.
So yes, while ambition drives many businesses, for me, pain, healing, and personal reckoning became the fuel that made my ambition sustainable and meaningful. They shaped how I run MindTalks—with empathy, intention, and a deep respect for every individual’s story.
It’s also why MindTalks is built on real conversations, not quick fixes. Why do we create tools like brain health card games and host classes that are deeply human, not just educational? Because I know firsthand that when someone feels seen, understood, and supported, that’s when real transformation begins.
Neuroscience is hot right now. Everyone’s talking about rewiring habits and rewiring brains. But you’ve actually lived through the rewiring. From your experience, what do people still get wrong about the mental side of entrepreneurship?
I wouldn’t say people get it wrong—it’s more that there’s a lack of awareness and education around what rewiring your brain actually means, especially when you’re building something like a business.
We hear all the time—rewire your habits, rewire your mindset—and yes, neuroscience backs that up. But living through it? That’s a whole different experience. For me, rewiring wasn’t just about waking up earlier or having a morning routine. It was about facing the parts of myself I spent years avoiding—the fear, the burnout, the self-doubt, the stories I told myself from when I was younger.
As an entrepreneur, your mind is your workspace. Your thoughts, your emotions, your nervous system—they’re all part of how you show up every day. And most people aren’t taught how to manage those things. We’re taught how to hustle, scale, sell—but not how to regulate our nervous system when we’re overwhelmed, or how to sit with discomfort when nothing’s going to plan.
The mental side of entrepreneurship isn’t just about being motivated. It’s about emotional resilience. It’s about knowing when your inner critic is running the show. It’s about learning how to pause, breathe, and reset when things get heavy—because they will get heavy. And no amount of to-do lists or podcasts can replace doing the inner work.
That’s why I care so deeply about bringing neuroscience into this space. It is not a buzzword. It’s a tool for self-awareness and healing. Because when you understand your brain, you understand your patterns. And when you understand your patterns, that’s when real change can begin—not just in business, but in your life.
You’ve had to be the strong one in a lot of rooms, both personally and professionally. But when you’re the coach, the founder, the mental health expert, who is your strongest supporter holding space for you, and please share more about the person?
I love this question—because it gives me the chance to brag about my husband, who truly is my biggest supporter and the most grounding presence in my life.
When you're the coach, the founder, the one holding space for others, people sometimes forget that you need holding too. For me, that person is him. He’s the reason I can manage my anxiety on most days—not because he "fixes" it, but because he sees me fully, even in the moments when I feel like I’m falling apart.
One of the earliest things he ever did, long before we were married, still stays with me. I was born hard of hearing—I can’t hear with my left ear. And without even having to ask, he always made it a point to sit or stand on my right side so I could hear him clearly. Whether we were at a loud café, on a walk, or in a crowded room, he just instinctively knew how to make me feel seen and supported in the smallest, most thoughtful way. That tiny act said so much—it told me I was safe, I was heard, and I mattered.
Another moment that speaks volumes about him happens every time we watch movies or series together. You know those scenes with high-pitched ringing or sharp frequencies? I'm hypersensitive to those sounds—they trigger anxiety and sensory discomfort in a way that’s hard to explain. And without fail, the second he hears those sounds coming, he gently reaches over and covers my ears—no drama, no fuss, just quiet protection.
These may seem like small things to someone else. But to me, they’re everything.
He doesn’t just support me professionally. He cheers me on when I’m creating something new, or reminds me why I started MindTalks. He supports me emotionally and physically, in ways that remind me that I don’t have to be the strong one all the time.
He’s helped me soften, slow down, and receive, which, for someone used to carrying so much for others, is a gift I never knew I needed. He reminds me that vulnerability isn’t something I have to manage alone. It’s something that can be shared.
And that, to me, is the most healing kind of love.
