Over Conversations, Chai & Coffee: Lessons in Storytelling from 21st Century Women Leaders in India

Over the last few months, I’ve been on a quiet quest, meeting them wherever life would place us. Sometimes over coffee, sometimes chai. In spiffy offices where everything matched, and in co-working corners where nothing did.

I showed up as a listener first. Some days, a therapist friend who simply holds space. Other days, a kindergarten teacher who lets you colour outside the lines. They spoke of their battles, the late nights, the almost-wins, the dizzying highs, and that persistent pulse beneath it all: the need to prove yourself.

I began documenting these stories, not as data points but as living, breathing portraits. It was enriching, it was nostalgic, taking me back to when research wasn’t just a tool, but the very heart of building something new. And yes, there were moments when the neat discussion guide on my laptop was useless. The best parts happened when the conversation forgot it was being documented at all.

Moments That Stay With You

One rainy morning in a French café in South Delhi, a founder, once a client, now a friend, told me how she had built an entire offering, almost a whole new category, without ever telling her own story.

“It’s not about me,” she said, almost apologetically. “I want the work to speak for itself.”

She had even pivoted to a new offering to serve the category better. In my eyes, she was nothing short of a category expert, a woman with an insider’s view on pivots in India’s entrepreneurial landscape. And yet, she wasn’t ready to talk. Or maybe she didn’t know how to.

The truth is, when the work is good, investors, partners, and customers do want to know the person behind it. That’s the missing piece, visibility. Especially before every launch and through every pivot, your name carries the new brand before the brand can carry itself.

Another young social impact entrepreneur told me about a struggle I hadn’t quite heard framed this way, how her own authentic voice was sometimes used against her cause-based organisation. The organisation works deeply with marginalised women in urban areas.

It made me wonder: what happens when those who have painstakingly built their visibility muscle are suddenly made to rethink it, simply because the world isn’t ready for authenticity? Because honesty is seen as bold. And bold is seen as unnecessary.

Somewhere in that logic hides a strange belief, that brands can be bold, but founders, especially women, are safer without being anti-establishment (read: bold). I’m not sure I agree. But I know something in that equation feels amiss.

On another day, an experienced corporate leader, on a rare, guilt-free break, confessed that speaking about her own achievements felt “tough,” especially in meetings where other people seemed more intent on impressing her than listening.

It was as if there was no space for women to speak openly, let alone proudly about their accomplishments. Yet, in the same breath, she told me how she had always championed her colleagues and collaborators, seeing their value with absolute clarity.

What struck me was how rarely she extended that same generosity to herself. She could advocate fiercely for others, but hesitated when it came to championing her own story.

Not Isolated Stories

These weren’t isolated stories. Again and again, I met women who had done the heavy lifting, building careers, businesses, families, and networks — yet found it hard to step into the light. Even after their best efforts, they hesitated to bring the spotlight onto themselves.

India has over 15 million women-owned enterprises, according to the Sixth Economic Census, yet women make up only 13% of total entrepreneurs. In leadership roles, the numbers drop even further, women hold just 18% of senior management positions. Visibility isn’t just a personal choice; it’s a leadership gap we urgently need to close.

The Quiet Realisation

I didn’t always believe in ‘personal branding’. For most of my career, I built brands out of products and services, not people. I went where the herd went, thinking I didn’t need to stand out. For years, I believed good work spoke for itself.

I’ve learnt it often doesn’t, not loudly enough, not to the right people, and not soon enough to open the doors you need it to.

Branding is not a logo, a tagline, or a perfectly curated feed, but the way you make people feel when you’re not in the room. It’s the sum of your voice, your values, and your presence. And for women leaders in India’s competitive ecosystem, that presence is often the first thing we compromise.

Your Story is the Foundation

Your story isn’t an afterthought. It’s the foundation people trust, remember, and root for, long before your venture takes shape. This isn’t about self-promotion; it’s self-representation. Because if you don’t tell your story, someone else will, and they may not get it right.

I’ve learnt this not just through others, but in my own journey. After two decades in advertising, and now through my work with women founders as part of LSE Generate’s Women Founders Program, I’ve seen how visibility builds leadership. Every time I write, I sharpen my thinking and invite conversations I didn’t know I needed.

Voice and visibility aren’t extras; they’re leadership in action.

So, when you’re not in the room, what do you want people to remember about you? That, more than a business card or pitch deck, is your brand.

About the AuthorParoma Ganguly works with women founders, small and mid-sized enterprises, and change making organisations to help them find their voice, frame their story, and step into visibility with confidence. Through her practice, she’s on a mission to make communication a tool for leadership, not just marketing.