[100 Emerging Women Leaders] Meet Namrata Purohit, one of the leading lights in the fitness industry

“My journey—at least in the fitness field—started with a fall,” says fitness entrepreneur Namrata Purohit.

A bad fall from a horse resulted in a knee injury. Post-surgery, Purohit began trying different forms of exercises and Pilates was what came to her rescue.

She participated in a Pilates course her father was hosting in Mumbai and that’s where her journey started. “It kind of cured me. I was absolutely pain-free for the first time in an entire year,” she recalls.

Over time, she began practising Pilates along with other activities she was fond of. In 2011, she founded The Pilates Studio with her father, Samir Purohit, to offer Pilates classes and a simulated altitude training room.

“I am very passionate about everything, be it Pilates, business, dance, music, or even horse riding. I am someone who likes to live in the moment and give everything the best shot,” she says.

Her journey reflects this. She started taking Pilates classes at the age of 15. At 16, she became the youngest trained Slott Pilates Instructor in the world. By 19, she had completed all the Stott Pilates courses.

Yet, biases would often influence people's judgment, she says, adding that they would be skeptical of her qualification and ability to train.

“The first challenge was to break that barrier. A lot of people were not comfortable coming to classes, but those who did never looked back. I just needed to be given that one chance to prove myself but getting that initially was challenging,” she says.

“I had to be there when the client came in, talk to them, show off my knowledge so that they trust me a little bit more, and then they would do a class with me,” she says.

This shows discipline in the professional space, and Purohit says she’s an ardent follower of a disciplined lifestyle, in general as well.

She says, “One thing my parents always taught me is that it is most important to enjoy what you are doing and give it all the time and effort you can. If you manage your time well, everything is possible.”

“I am an early riser. I start my day by five or six in the morning, and I feel that because of that I have so many more hours in the day. I can do so much more. It is all doable because it is planned,” she says.

Reflecting on her experience in the field so far, Purohit says, “I am not very authoritative. I tend to ask rather than demand, so sometimes that can be a little bit of a challenge.”

When it comes to dealing with challenges, she believes that one must put themselves out there and constantly prove their worth.

“Do not let the noise or anybody's judgements about you affect you. At the end of the day, you know who you are and what you can bring to the table. You just have to go and sit at the head of the table and do what you can without worrying about everybody else's opinion," she says.

Purohit adds that women tend to be “more judged than others”. “If you are comfortable and confident in your skin, nobody is going to judge you because you have not given them that power. So let's uplift ourselves and uplift other women,” she concludes.