Hi, I am Mridula Agarwal, Director & CEO at iReAwake.

My name is Mridula Agarwal, and I am 38 years old. As I sit down to write this introduction, I can’t help but marvel at the absurdity and irony that life has thrown my way. I was born into a middle-class family in New Delhi. My father is a chartered accountant, and I have two brothers—an elder one who’s an engineer, and a younger one who followed my father’s footsteps into accounting. Both are now married. 

I, too, followed a well-planned path. I graduated from Delhi University with a degree in Food Technology, completed an MBA from Symbiosis College in Pune (where I met my husband of 15 years), and went on to work at Axis Bank in credit risk management, handling loans worth over ₹20 crores. But I hated that job. So, I started my own venture—a central food kitchen in Mumbai providing calorie-counted meals for homesick people. In seven years, I grew that business to an annual turnover of ₹2.5 crores, entirely on my own.

On the outside, my life looked perfect. I had a successful business, a loving husband, our own home, and a beautiful baby boy. But as life loves to remind us, appearances can be deceiving. Beneath that seemingly perfect surface lay struggles that would unravel everything. Financial collapse, a deteriorating marriage, unexplainable health issues, and the heart-wrenching diagnosis of my son’s borderline autism—it all came crashing down. In my search for answers, I ran from pillar to post. Doctors, counselors, astrologers, tarot card pullers, NLP experts, spirituality and what not. Everywhere I only got court-room case style future dated assurances of some relief, which never was found, and every fiber in my body became permanently touted into a state of emergency, that something needs to be done soon. 

Strong willed and desperate, I had no other choice, but to take matters into my own hands and delve into ancient sciences and modern psychology, seeking to understand the root causes of suffering and disease to heal my son and myself from the dark abyss.

Now, nobody grows up planning to become a healer. People plan to be doctors, engineers, or teachers—and I was no different. From a young age, I was the \”smart kid,\” always excelling academically. My parents encouraged me to pursue biology, with the ultimate goal of becoming a doctor. But destiny, in its infinite irony, had other plans.

It all started when I was 15 years old, during my preparation for medical school. Out of nowhere, I was introduced to Reiki, or \”touch therapy,\” by my aunt, who had recently learned it. Intrigued by the idea of healing someone with just a touch, I jumped at the chance to learn it. My father, ever supportive, sent both me and my brother to learn Level One, followed by Level Two the next year. Looking back now, I realize that this was the moment the universe started laughing at my meticulously laid plans.

As I dabbled in Reiki in an attempt to Manifest my positive result for pre-medical test exam, two profound realizations hit me during healing sessions. 

First, medical science didn’t seem to have the answers to life’s deepest problems. Most of the time, doctors were just treating symptoms, not the root causes of illness. 

And second, I discovered that I am a deeply sensitive empath who absorbs everything—people’s emotions, diseases, even their past traumas. The idea of becoming a doctor and being surrounded by patients every day felt like it would overwhelm me. But I didn’t fully understand the weight of those revelations back then, and, seeking approval from my parents, I continued pursuing medical school.

And here’s where life played its most ironic joke. I attempted the medical entrance exam twice, only to miss the cut-off by just *one mark* each time. One mark! It was as if the universe had stamped \”not your path\” in bold letters across my forehead. 

The divine play was so hilarious that I would only remember the time of exit from the exam hall. At the end of every exam, students used to be frenziedly discussing the question paper as all their life’s fate hinged on the results., and I would be telling all the correct answers to others, with a stark heaviness in the pit of my stomach signaling, that perhaps I myself have not attempted this question! 

Full marks to divine circus on creativity 👏 Make the lead character zone out in some parallel world when they need to be absolutely focussed! 

Needless to say that after missing the exam twice,I abandoned the dream of becoming a doctor and moved on to do Food Technology from Delhi University, then an MBA from Symbiosis University, Pune, and eventually business. 

Life seemed to be going along just fine—until, 24 years later, I found myself back on the same road. Except now, I was healing people through Reiki, only this time, I understood the depth of what I was doing. I wasn’t just addressing symptoms; I was healing the root causes of suffering. And this time, the divine made sure I was protected, both physically and spiritually, so I could help others without losing myself.

In the process, I overcame schizophrenia, rebuilt my finances from bankruptcy to a multi-crore net worth, healed my body from arthritis and spondylitis, and reversed my son’s autism. My husband and I transformed our once crumbling marriage into a beautiful, loving partnership. Along the way, I’ve pulled myself out of the deepest depressions imaginable.

The truth is, life’s journey is rarely a straight line. We are all playing different roles—sometimes the hero, sometimes the villain, sometimes the victim. I’ve played them all. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that we are all capable of healing, of evolving, and of transforming our lives in ways we never thought possible.

So, if you believe in the circle of life, in magic, and in the strange, hilarious ways the universe works, my story just might interest you. This journal is not a story of triumph or defeat, but of relentless pursuit—of uncovering truths, healing deep wounds, and navigating the roads few dare to travel. It’s a testament to what’s possible when we embrace life’s ironies and allow the divine to guide us. May my experiences serve as a beacon for anyone seeking their own healing and transformation.