This International Women’s Day, Fresh Gravity hosted a session with two power-packed women – Vahbiz Bharucha, Former Captain of the Indian Women’s Rugby Team, and Aishwarya Phadke, Founder of Travel Dirty. The session was moderated by Preeti Desai, Senior Manager, Client Success, Fresh Gravity who facilitated the discussion with insightful questions.  

This year’s theme, #AccelerateAction, resonated throughout the discussion as our speakers shared their journeys, challenges, and triumphs. Their stories were not just inspiring but also packed with practical lessons on resilience, self-growth, and taking charge of our lives. 

This session was even more inspiring because both speakers have taken unconventional paths to success. 

For Aishwarya, the journey into the travel industry was not a straight road. She explored multiple avenues before realizing that travel along with its business aspect was her true calling. Today, she is building more than just a travel company – she is fostering a quiet community with the philosophy of “alone but together”.  

For Vahbiz, sports has always been more than just a hobby – it has been a source of motivation and self-improvement. From a young age, she was drawn to the competitive spirit and personal growth that sports offered, constantly pushing herself to be better than she was the day before. Vahbiz is also a physiotherapist. She mentioned that since childhood she wanted to serve the community and that’s how physiotherapy became the perfect bridge between her love for sports and her desire to help people. 

Their paths may be different, yet each puts out valuable life lessons. Vahbiz’s journey highlights how passion, discipline, and persistence can shape both personal and professional success, while Aishwarya’s path focuses on the importance of exploring, adapting, and ultimately finding what truly drives us.
This led to some powerful takeaways from the session, reminding us how we too can #accelerateaction in our own lives. 

Here are some key takeaways from the session:  

Take Risks to Discover Your Potential 

One of the strongest messages from the session was the need to take risks. If we never step outside our comfort zones, we may never realize where our true potential lies.  

Accelerate Action: Take Charge of Your Life 

The theme #AccelerateAction isn’t just about movement – it’s about ownership. Our speakers highlighted that real change starts when we decide to take charge of our own lives. No one else can shape our future for us; we need to be the driving force behind our growth and transformation. 

Work-Life Balance is Non-Negotiable 

We tend to forget work–life balance at times but as our speakers indicated, work is a part of life, not our entire life. Achieving a healthy balance allows us to be more effective, engaged, and happy—both personally and professionally. 

The Power to Create Change Lies Within Us 

We tend to wait for external circumstances to improve, but actual change begins with us. Our speakers stressed that while challenges are inevitable, the power to adapt, evolve, and overcome lies within us.  

Planning is the Key to Moving Forward 

While action is important, planning is what makes it successful. Whether it’s in corporate, sports, or personal goals, having a structured plan helps in making informed decisions and staying focused on the bigger picture. 

Listen: Inspiration is Everywhere 

Often, we seek inspiration from books or podcasts, but we forget to listen to the people around us. We should pay attention to conversations, experiences, and stories shared by those in our daily lives—you never know who might inspire you in ways you never imagined. 

In Tough Times, Create Space to Introspect 

Life is not always according to plan, and we are bound to face setbacks. Instead of reacting impulsively, we should give importance to pausing, introspecting, and approaching problems with a calm mindset. Every challenge carries a lesson – accept it, learn from it, and move forward. 

Focus on What’s in Your Control 

In difficult situations, it’s important to distinguish between controllable and uncontrollable factors. Wasting energy on things outside our control only leads to frustration. Instead, we must channelize our energies toward what we can change and take purposeful action. 

Accept Positive Criticism, Ignore Judgment 

Feedback is essential for growth, but not all criticism is constructive. Our speakers advised keeping an open mind to positive criticism while filtering out unnecessary judgments that do not contribute to personal or professional growth. 

This session was more than just a discussion – it was a powerful reminder to take action, take risks, and take control of our own lives. As we move forward, let’s embody the spirit of #AccelerateAction by making bold choices, embracing challenges, and continuously striving for growth. 

Want to be part of a firm that fosters equal opportunities and an inclusive culture? Join us in creating a workplace where everyone thrives! Send us your resume at: careers@freshgravity.com.  

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I, Almas Jaipuri, have been with Fresh Gravity for five years. During my interview, I was deeply impressed by the strong presence of highly influential women leaders in technical and management roles—a key factor in my decision to join the firm. Five years later, this commitment to diversity continues to grow, with women making up 40% of the workforce, 100% pay equity, and 50% of leadership positions held by women.

When I, Falguni Deswal, joined Fresh Gravity, I had no idea how enriching the experience would be. When I relocated to the Pune office, it was the first time I had stepped out of my comfort zone. However, from the moment I arrived, the support and encouragement from everyone was unwavering. My colleagues went above and beyond to help me settle in and their constant support made me feel included and valued at every step of the way.

This blog is a deep dive into our experiences at Fresh Gravity—experiences that have shaped our outlook towards the firm and have brought to light the diverse, inclusive, and talented pool of team members that have helped Fresh Gravity become a pioneer in the industry.  

But first, let’s get the basics out of the way. 

What is DEI and what does it include? 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are three distinct, yet interrelated concepts that are fundamental to creating a positive work environment.   

• Diversity refers to the presence of differences in the workplace, encompassing a wide range of factors such as gender, race, ethnicity, religion, language, age, marital status, sexual orientation, physical/mental ability, socio-economic status, and even cultural perspectives. It’s about bringing together individuals with diverse backgrounds, each contributing their unique experiences and viewpoints. 

• Equity goes beyond equality by ensuring that all individuals have access to the same opportunities. It involves recognizing that people have different needs and, therefore, may require different support structures to achieve equal outcomes. 

• Inclusion is about creating an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported. It’s about making sure that diverse voices are heard and that individuals are not only present but also actively participate and thrive within the organization.

At Fresh Gravity, we proudly foster an environment that embraces gender diversity, intergenerational equity, interdisciplinary inclusivity, and the absence of organizational hierarchies, regional dominance, or any other sectional biases. 

When I (Almas) set out to pursue my ambition of moving overseas, Fresh Gravity provided me with the incredible opportunity to join its North America-based team. This opened new professional paths and connections for me. My colleagues here went above and beyond to make me feel welcome; they even attended my wedding in Toronto and celebrated with the rest of the firm by sharing precious moments on our internal communication channels. This made my day truly special as we transcended social and geographical barriers. 

From the very beginning, I (Falguni) felt empowered by my team at Fresh Gravity. I have never felt that my age or level of experience would limit my potential here. In fact, during my very first week, I was entrusted with managing a team of five and had the opportunity to directly engage with stakeholders. That responsibility boosted my confidence and solidified my trust in the team I was about to work with.
Since then, I’ve never hesitated to dive into firm-wide activities, and recently, I had the chance to share my thoughts on Why is Fresh Gravity the Best Place to Work. This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible leadership and the welcoming, inclusive culture at the heart of the firm.  

How does Fresh Gravity promote DEI? 

At Fresh Gravity, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment in all aspects of our work. Here’s how we integrate DEI into our practices: 

1. Unconscious Bias Training: We offer necessary trainings through our HR & Training platforms to raise awareness of unconscious bias and provide actionable steps to address it, ensuring that bias doesn’t impact our team in their decisions or interactions. 
2. Diverse Recruitment Partnerships: Our recruitment team actively collaborates with universities, coding boot camps, and organizations that connect underrepresented talent with tech opportunities. We also participate in job fairs specifically aimed at attracting diverse candidates, which helps expand our talent pool. We take a proactive approach in engaging candidates from various backgrounds and ensure that our job descriptions are inclusive. 
3. Women in Leadership: We’re proud to have a significant representation of women in leadership and executive roles, demonstrating our commitment to gender diversity at all levels of the organization. 
4. Support for Working Mothers: We provide strong support for women throughout their motherhood journey with a 26-week maternity leave and flexible work hours to help them transition back to work at their own pace. Don’t believe us? Hear from a new mom at Fresh Gravity about her experience. 
5. Global Inclusivity: To ensure our team is diverse and inclusive of different regions, we offer work-from-home options, allowing us to tap into talent from all over the world while maintaining flexibility for our team members. 

Through these initiatives and others, Fresh Gravity has achieved near gender parity and takes pride in fostering a genuine commitment to inclusive growth, without relying on enforced quotas. 

Key Benefits of Our DEI Commitment 

Our strong commitment to embracing diverse talents and creating an inclusive environment has generated many valuable outcomes such as –   

1. Empowered Decision Making: A diverse group of people brings different experiences and outlooks. This has helped us identify challenges and present unique solutions that have led to better decision-making.  
2. Improved Innovation and Creativity: A diverse team brings a variety of perspectives, leading to better problem-solving and more creative ideas. This diversity enables Fresh Gravity to be innovation-led and drive meaningful advancements in our industry. 
3. Enhanced Employee Satisfaction: An inclusive environment ensures employees feel valued and respected, boosting morale, engagement, and retention.  This was reflected in our recent off-site event, which stood out as one of the most memorable and impactful company-wide events we’ve experienced. 
4. Better Recruitment, Talent Retention: Our top-notch recruitment team’s dedication to hiring the best talent through diverse channels has built a strong, multifaceted workforce. Many team members have grown and evolved with Fresh Gravity over the years, including me (Almas).

DEI is an Ongoing Journey 

DEI is an ongoing journey, one that needs to be adopted every step of the way. At Fresh Gravity, DEI initiatives are not just a priority but are woven into the fabric of our daily operations, helping us cultivate a workplace where equity, inclusion, and a genuine sense of belonging thrive for every employee. 

For the past 10 years, we’ve prioritized fair, unbiased recruitment, focusing on the qualifications and potential of each candidate.
Our commitment to providing equal opportunities drives our success and helps us build a team where everyone can thrive. 

If you’re looking to join a company that genuinely values DEI and embraces it in all aspects of its culture, we’d love to hear from you! Please send your resume to careers@freshgravity.com and take the first step toward making an impact with us. 

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June 23 marks International Women in Engineering Day, a celebration launched by Women in Engineering in the UK in 2014 to highlight the achievements and accomplishments of women engineers. Since gaining UNESCO support in 2017, this day has grown into an international annual event, recognizing and encouraging women engineers to realize their full potential. 

At Fresh Gravity, we understand the incredible contributions women engineers make to the business world by the virtue of which they inspire more women and young girls to pursue careers in engineering. This week, we organized a special event to celebrate some outstanding women engineers in our company. 

Our event featured a dynamic panel discussion moderated by Aditi Acharya, an engineer herself who facilitated an engaging and free-flowing conversation. Our inspiring panelists Lakshmi Vivek, Monalisa Thakur, and Naini Raju shared valuable insights and experiences. Here are some key takeaways from the session: 

• Evolution of Engineering: The panelists discussed how the field of engineering has evolved significantly over the years, creating more opportunities and a more inclusive environment for women. Technological advancements and progressive workplace policies have played key roles in this transformation. Today, engineering careers offer greater flexibility, diverse specializations, and supportive networks, making the field more accessible to women. In today’s world women are setting an example as leading the engineering domains.  

• Balancing Work and Family: The panelists emphasized the growing recognition of the need to balance professional and personal responsibilities. They highlighted how modern companies are increasingly promoting policies and practices that support a healthy work-life balance, such as flexible working hours, and remote work options. This approach not only enhances employee well–being but also boosts productivity and job satisfaction. 

• #EnhancedbyEngineering: In line with this year’s theme. Our panelists discussed how their engineering backgrounds have equipped them with some valuable skills, enabling them to tackle challenges both in their professional and personal lives. They also emphasized the importance of creating solutions that improve the lives of others, demonstrating how engineering contributes to a better, more efficient world. 

• Advice to Younger Self: Reflecting on their journeys, they encouraged young women to believe in themselves, pursue their passions, seek help when needed, and never doubt their capabilities. 

 At Fresh Gravity, we are proud of our diverse leadership team, which includes a balanced mix of women and male candidates. A beautiful narrative that came from the discussion was women that while balancing biological and career clocks can be challenging, Fresh Gravity fosters a collaborative and supportive environment that provides equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of gender. 

International Women in Engineering Day is a reminder of the progress we’ve made and the work still to be done. We remain committed to supporting and empowering women in engineering, ensuring they continue to make significant impacts in their fields. 

If you’re looking to work in an inclusive work environment, please send your resume to careers@freshgravity.com. 

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