Living Life with a Laugh

From Wall Street to comedy street and now the happy lane, this Delhi-based life coach has made the right turns

- By IRAM ARA IBRAHIM

You can either be in love or a riot." This line has stuck with life coach Rasik Chopra since primary school. Chopra, with his life choices, has simply said yes to love. Born and raised in a family of doctors, the 47-year-old has navigated through life on his own terms. From working as an investment banker in the US to hosting his own TV show and giving stand-up comedy a shot, he is now a life coach. A man of many talents, Chopra wears them easy.

As a young adult, it took me some time to gather the courage to tell my family I wasn't interested in medicine. Then I worked as an investment banker and made decent money. It was a safe choice. It was almost after a decade of living abroad that I began to pursue dreams I held in my heart. I feel people who loved me could see that I wanted to experiment and not stick to conventional career choices," says Chopra.

But switching careers didn't come easy. Chopra believes that starting something from scratch and committing to it full-time takes hard work and resilience. Again, the decision to become a life coach didn't happen overnight. Chopra spent a decade in therapy, and that's where he realised the importance of mental healing.