My name is mona, but most people know me as haute mona
I’m an Entrepreneur, Investor & Philanthropist
I knew I had more to offer the world, and I wanted to serve. This drive and determination led me from a small-town in India down an atypical path.
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I knew I had more to offer the world, and I wanted to serve. This drive and determination led me from a small-town in India down an atypical path.
HAUTE MINDSET
In 2017, researchers from NYU, Princeton, and the University of Illinois collaborated to present findings from their ground-breaking research, revealing:
By the age of five, girls quit dreaming and stop believing they can be anything they want to be or do anything they set their minds to. By contrast, boys in this age range are not experiencing the same things.
They also reported that by the age of six, girls stop associating brilliance with their gender. They start avoiding activities that require what they perceive to be high levels of intelligence.
The heart-breaking reality is that when these gender stereotypes regarding a lack of intellectual ability in females take root early, they are believed to have life-long negative impacts on their interests, choices, and career paths.
While women have made consistent and impressive gains in education attainment and the workplace over the last 50 years, men still outnumber women in high-ranking leadership positions by large margins across many industries.
Women are much less likely than men to be in leadership positions. In universities, businesses, courts, unions and religious institutions, male leaders outnumber female leaders by wide margins.
Being a tomboy made me an empowered woman.
Growing up in India, I couldn’t understand why only boys could do certain things. When I asked why, I was told that men dominated society and business, women were domesticated.
For an independent, high-achieving, driven girl like me, that didn’t sit well.
I found an ingenious workaround to rebel against this culture and antiquated thinking: I’d become a “boy” by dressing in my father’s clothes, quite literally wearing the pants.
That was the first time I challenged the norms of what a female could do, but certainly not the last.
I grew up around people who were striving. Striving to make the most of what they had and striving to give their children better opportunities than the ones they grew up with.
Even as an elementary school student, I sought to do well at school. However, given my circumstances, it wasn't always easy to shine.
Growing up in India, I couldn’t understand why only boys could do certain things. When I asked why, I was told that men dominated society and business, women were domesticated.
For an independent, high-achieving, driven girl like me, that didn’t sit well.
I found an ingenious workaround to rebel against this culture and antiquated thinking: I’d become a “boy” by dressing in my father’s clothes, quite literally wearing the pants.
That was the first time I challenged the norms of what a female could do, but certainly not the last.
Since arriving in the U.S., I’ve earned a graduate degree and founded eight companies in industries ranging from Healthcare to AI to Real Estate.
Often called a Renaissance woman, I possess the unique ability to integrate multiple industries to create strategies for success. I easily navigate between being an abstract thinker with a maker’s mindset to an operationally-driven CEO, which allows me to see things others may miss.
This approach has served me well and led to exponential business growth. It also helped me explore haute couture, whose transformative designs resonated with my creative side and my belief that one shouldn’t conform to preconceived notions but instead aspire to be their “haute” self or highest and best version of themselves “high” standards and values.
But I’m not all tenacity and drive; my spiritual upbringing stressed the qualities of humility, empathy, compassion, and kindness.
A few years ago, despite my tremendous material success, I still felt unfulfilled. I was looking for purpose and found it after a soul-searching conversation with my mother, who helped me realize I needed to return to my values and what mattered most: giving back and creating a legacy of positive impact.
And what better way to do that than by sharing my story to remind other females that they could be whatever they want to be.
Today, I’m an advocate for gender equality and an investor in girls’ education because I understand first-hand how to transform your life from enforced powerlessness to a position of strength.
I believe empowered women empower women, and I’m on a mission to be a voice of positive change to inspire and mentor young female entrepreneurs, especially immigrant women of color.
In 2017, researchers from NYU, Princeton, and the University of Illinois collaborated to present findings from their ground-breaking research, revealing:
By the age of five, girls quit dreaming and stop believing they can be anything they want to be or do anything they set their minds to. By contrast, boys in this age range are not experiencing the same things.
They also reported that by the age of six, girls stop associating brilliance with their gender. They start avoiding activities that require what they perceive to be high levels of intelligence.
The heart-breaking reality is that when these gender stereotypes regarding a lack of intellectual ability in females take root early, they are believed to have life-long negative impacts on their interests, choices, and career paths.
While women have made consistent and impressive gains in education attainment and the workplace over the last 50 years, men still outnumber women in high-ranking leadership positions by large margins across many industries.
Women are much less likely than men to be in leadership positions. In universities, businesses, courts, unions and religious institutions, male leaders outnumber female leaders by wide margins.