I Can’t Get No Satisfaction: Prerika Agarwal Of Inspiration Careers On Why So Many Of Us Are Feeling Unsatisfied & What We Can Do About It
An Interview With Drew Gerber
Share and talk about how and why you feel abundant with friends, family, or colleagues.
From an objective standpoint, we are living in an unprecedented era of abundance. Yet so many of us are feeling unsatisfied. Why are we seemingly so insatiable? What is going on inside of us that is making us feel unsatisfied? What is the brain chemistry that makes us feel this way? Is our brain wired for endless insatiable consumption? What can we do about it? In this interview series, we are talking to credentialed experts such as psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, brain science experts, as well as spiritual and religious leaders, and mind-body-spirit coaches, to address why so many of us are feeling unsatisfied & what we can do about it.
As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Prerika Agarwal.
Prerika Agarwal, MBA, is a certified Executive Coach with18+ years of leadership experience at Fortune 500 companies. She transitioned from her executive leadership career in management consulting and technology to helping women in leadership become the CEO of their lives.
This includes career pivots and career success coaching. She has helped hundreds of clients using her unique “mindset meets strategy” methodology. Her core philosophy is to empower women to design careers that light them up, write books, start their own businesses, and make more money than they had ever imagined.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to know how you got from “there to here.” Inspire us with your backstory!
I was always a “good kid.” I had good grades all through school and graduated college in 3 years. I worked in the corporate world for about 9 years and then decided to get a prestigious MBA. Subsequently, I spent 9 years in management consulting and stepped into leadership roles. I noticed stark differences between men and women during this time. This was not new to me; however it was less noticeable to me until I reached senior levels in my career.
I observed those who were successful and moved up the organizational ranks quickly and those who seemingly had the same qualifications and background but didn’t enjoy the same promotions.
I also saw the different communications patterns between the men who worked for me (and with me) vs. the women. Men, in general were more sure of themselves and did not hesitate to self-promote or speak of their accomplishments. Women, for the most part, were much more apologetic, they were very humble and did not speak up about all their accomplishments. This was a construct of learned behavior, social norms and other conditioning.
I became curious about the world of coaching and self-development. As someone who was accomplished and self-assured, I didn’t fully believe that coaching could help, but I decide to give it a try. I went to a 3.5-day self-development seminar and that started my journey into this world. I became aware of all the thought patterns (that I believed to be true) that were running my life. I learned that I had the power to change these thoughts and that alone I could change my life and all that I believed was true about myself.
This one course was so transformational for me that I broke up with my Fiancé, moved to a different part of the country and was promoted into a more senior, higher paying job, all in a span of a year.
I wanted to help others recognize who they truly were and step into amazing potential. This is how I stepped into being a life coach.
What lessons would you share with yourself if you had the opportunity to meet your younger self?
As I look back on my younger self, I feel so much compassion. I would tell myself 3 things:
- So much is going well for you right now. Appreciate all the skills, experience, and knowledge you have and everything you have ALREADY accomplished.
- Stop comparing yourself to others, only compare yourself to the past version of yourself.
- It is ok to rest. You don’t have to spend every minute scheduled or doing something.
None of us can experience success without support along the way. Is there a particular person for whom you are grateful because of the support they gave you to grow you from “there to here?” Can you share that story and why you are grateful for them?
I am thankful to those middle and high school teachers who helped me embrace my intelligence, poise and speaking abilities. I also had a few amazing managers in the corporations I worked for that encouraged my creative skill sets and ideas.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think it might help people?
Yes, I have just launched my career lab which takes all my career coaching advice, methodology, templates frameworks and tools and combines it into an on-demand package for professionals. If you are at least 5 years into your career and looking for a change, it will help you develop more confidence as well as figure out what is the next best path for you.
Ok, thank you for sharing your inspired life. Let’s now talk about feeling “unsatisfied”. In the Western world, humans typically have their shelter, food, and survival needs met. What has led to us feeling we aren’t enough and don’t have enough? What is the wiring? Or in other words, how has nature and `nurture played into how humans (in an otherwise “safe and secure” environment) experience feeling less than, or a need to have more than what is needed for basic survival?
Our ancestral brains had to worry about meeting these basics and this kept our brains occupied. As this is no longer the case, human beings now have a lot of free “bandwidth” in their brains. This concept is also echoed by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
In addition to this, we spend so much time indoors, connected to devices, staring at screens, and watching TV. This focus on consuming rather than creating or doing leaves the brain without any complexity of challenge. It’s at this point that the feeling of boredom sets in. We try to satiate this with more consumption of work, going out and drinking or eating, etc.
In the corporate sense, we are becoming even more disconnected as work focus on following certain standard processes and procedures, there is less human engagement and less creation or innovation. Most of us, even in leadership roles, end up being order takers and doers, rather than creatives.
How are societies different? For example, capitalistic societies trade differently than communists. Developed nations trade differently than developing nations. In your opinion, how does society shape a human’s experience and feelings of satisfaction?
In any environment that you grow up in, there are shared beliefs that are predominant. You will mix what you have learned withing your family unit growing up with how a society is structured. In extreme cases where nations experience lack of goods and there is famine or shortage, of course this will impact the individual.
However, even if you do live in a society or country where there is perceived abundance, the comparison could have you feeling lack and affect how satisfied you are.
With a specific focus on brain function, how has the brain and its dominion over the body and beliefs been impacted by the societal construct?
Whatever our brain believes or thinks, our body will register this as the truth. By the time we are 8 years old, our brains have absorbed everything that our parents believe, what we see and hear in media, schools, etc. All of these elements are a product of our societal construct. We don’t think to question so much until that age because that’s again how humans are designed. For most people, their values and beliefs are constructed simply by the world around them, and not with individual autonomy. As we go throw life, these same beliefs that our brain has constructed and our body has taken to be true, run our lives. This is why I have invested in coaching and shifting mindset; you are NOT simply a product of the 8-year old’s parental or familial learning.
Do you think the way our society markets and advertises goods and services, has affected people’s feelings of satisfaction? Can you explain what you mean?
Yes, most advertising is anchored around making your life better by using a particular product or service. This advertising is so omni present across your laptop, TV, billboards, phone etc. that there is no escaping. There is such a pervasive reminder that things could be much better, and you could look better, feel better, have more energy, have more fun that it leaves even those that are content with a feeling of lack. It makes people feel like what they have is not good enough and hence their dissatisfaction.
How is the wiring of the brain, body, and beliefs shaped by marketing, language, and how humans trade?
I believe that any “messaging” we get whether it is from advertisers of products (missing end of sentence/thought).
I work in marketing so I’m very cognizant of this question. In your opinion, how do you think marketing professionals can be more responsible for how their advertising shapes humans’ health and experience of happiness overall? Being careful about the “after” effects that you say your product or service will have. Are the results something that are not true and farfetched or maybe only happen for less than1%.
For you personally, if you have all your basic needs met, do you feel you have enough in life?
Absolutely not. Despite knowing clearly about how we are wired; I always strive for greater success and impact. My mission is to empower 100,000 women in their career.
Okay, fantastic. Here is the main question of our interview: Can you share with our readers your “5 things we can each do to address the feeling of not having enough.”
- Have a daily practice of listing out at least 3 accomplishments or what is going well. I call these celebrations. This forces us to feel abundance and puts us in a positive mindset and starts re-programming us AWAY from our sense of lack.
- Share and talk about how and why you feel abundant with friends, family, or colleagues.
- Have a purpose, a “why” that drives you. This serves as an anchor for those days when you experience challenge and helps you to keep going.
- Be present, in the moment and enjoy what you have-when you are experiencing the moment, whether that be travel, going out with friends, buying something, etc.
- Make a list of all the things you do have. Put this list in a place where you will see it often.
Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or resources that have inspired you to live with more joy in life?
Yes, I enjoy listening anything from Brooke Castillo and the Life Coach School. Brooke is an inspiration for me because she is an example of what is possible. She is not shy about living an abundant life and that abundance is built on her programs and coaching that has helped thousands of people manage their minds and create the best life for themselves.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I am in the process of writing a book about always supporting yourself and being your number one promoter. It is about celebrating oneself and, learning to speak about yourself like you are your biggest cheerleader.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
I post articles, thought leadership and other advice on LinkedIn.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About The Interviewer: For 30 years, Drew Gerber has been inspiring those who want to change the world. Drew is the CEO of Wasabi Publicity, Inc., a full-service PR agency lauded by PR Week and Good Morning America. Wasabi Publicity, Inc. is a global marketing company that supports industry leaders, change agents, unconventional thinkers, companies and organizations that strive to make a difference. Whether it’s branding, traditional PR or social media marketing, every campaign is instilled with passion, creativity and brilliance to powerfully tell their clients’ story and amplify their intentions in the world.
