“I came with a suitcase and a few degrees. But none of those opened doors. What did? My confidence.”

What happens when everything you worked for—your titles, your degrees, your reputation—doesn’t travel with you?

That’s what Radhika Raizada discovered when she moved from India to Dubai to the UK, armed with a decade of professional experience… and a whole new identity to build from scratch.

Like many high-skilled immigrant women, she did “all the right things.”She earned the qualifications. Climbed the corporate ladder. Adapted.Only to find herself in a world where those achievements suddenly didn’t hold the same weight.

Sound familiar?

You walk into a room where your accent makes you second-guess your own fluency.You submit applications and wonder if your international MBA means less here.You sit quietly in meetings, afraid that being “too much” will cost you the chance to belong.

And eventually, you begin to wonder:Maybe I don’t count here.

That’s the quiet heartbreak so many high-skilled immigrant women carry.But Radhika did something radical:She stopped waiting for the world to validate her—and started validating herself.

🎧 In this episode, Radhika shares:

– How she rebuilt her confidence after realizing her qualifications alone wouldn’t open doors– The surprising strength that came from starting over, again and again– Her struggle with asking for help (and why that shifted everything)– The difference between adapting and belonging– How leadership became more authentic once she stopped chasing perfection

And this line stayed with me long after we hit stop on the recording:

“I’ve learned to show up with what I know and what I don’t know. That’s confidence too.”

💬 We don’t talk enough about this:

That for many immigrant women, reinvention isn’t a bold leap—it’s a quiet negotiation.Between what to keep and what to let go.Between what still serves you and what doesn’t.Between who you used to be and who you’re becoming.

It’s the confidence to be seen.Even when you feel invisible.Especially then.

💡 Toolkit:

Radhika’s 3 reminders for thriving through reinvention:

🪙 Confidence is your true currency.In systems where credentials may be dismissed, confidence is what gets remembered.

📣 Ask for help.Not because you’re weak—but because connection builds momentum.

🌱 Stop trying to fit.You’re not here to blend in. You’re here to belong. On your own terms.

📚 WanderWomen: How High-Skilled Immigrant Women ThriveRadhika’s story is one of many featured in the book—raw, wise, and wildly relatable.If you’ve ever felt like your qualifications vanished at the border, this book will remind you:You never lost your brilliance. The system just wasn’t built to see it.

👉 Pre-order here: shivangiwalke.com/wanderwomen

🎧 Watch the full episode now

And share this with someone who’s in the middle of starting over.You never know how much they need to hear:You’re not behind.You’re just beginning again…with more power than before.

With love and fire,Shivangi

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