We had the good fortune of connecting with Vaishali Patel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vaishali, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I strongly believe that when you remain connected to your roots, where you come from then that anchor allows you to fly high in this world no matter where you are. I was born and raised in India and came to the US when I was 16. I got the best and worst of both the worlds as teenage years are rough no matter where you are. I wanted to assimilate badly in my new world and didn’t want to have anything to do with my roots, culture, food, traditions or things that made me different. For years I tried hard to blend in, got colored contacts, colored and permed my hair, mastered the “American English” accent and partied like others my age did. After all of that I still felt empty. I got married and had kids and bam! things changed for me. I realized on day to day basis how important it was to me that my children and family learned the value of what makes us who we are and one of the ways this was possible was to surround them, teach them the language and culture of their ancestors. I want all the young “desi” Indian families to see the value of their language just like we value other foreign languages. This is where Sanskarteaching was born and boy am I having a blast sharing my love for everything that uniquely makes me “desi”. My background is in Biology so I had to learn everything about business and am still learning and I love this process of growing and sharing.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Getting to share what makes me who I am is one of the blessings of this lifetime. I love everything about being a Gujarati American and passing down my love for everything Gujarati with others who value this culture and language. Was it easy or is it easy to run an online language school? Not at all, but as my mentor Marie Forleo says everything is figureoutable. Some days are really hard and some days are smooth but if I approach everything as a student who is willing to learn things become easier. I have learned along the way that I don’t have to know everything, it is ok to ask for help and hire people when needed. I want all of us to know that it is ok to fully embrace yourself just as you are and where you come from. There are so many life lessons and wisdom we can learn from those who came before us on how to be and how not to be.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love love living in San Diego so picking few favorite spots here is hard. I love sunset cliffs, coronado beach, seaport village, hikes in mission hills. If it was a week long trip here is what I would do. I am gluten free and Vegan so my suggestions for restaurants would be along this side.

Visit: I would go spend a day in Coronado, at the beach, a picnic at the ferry landing, visit Hotel Del. Eat at The henry, Il Borneo(Italian) and have Gelato at Nado gelato. I would find a yoga class not the beach. Visit the library and find some unique books here on the island.

Encinitas is my other favorite place. I would visit the beach, the SRF meditation gardens, eat the Plummeria Thai Vegetarian restuarant and explore the downtown with crystal shops and unique clothing.

La Jolla is a great place to spend a day at as well, with some kayaking in the caves, tide pools, water splashing, watching the seals and eating at places like the green door, trilogy, the shore house and better buzz coffee.

Otay lakes reservoir near the olympic training center in Chula Vista is also a special place for a walk, hike or boating or fishing.

Shopping at One Paseo in Del mar, Fashion valley mall or UTC and if you are into Outlets the Las Americas outlets by the Mexico border is fun as well.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
For sure, I couldn’t do what I do alone. First I found Brandon Burchard, attending his high performance coaching seminars with my best friend Siri Jostad is where the seeds for this business were planted. He also had experts academy where I learned more tricks and tools. What pushed it full force was Marie Forleo’s program called B School. This made me believe in myself and this passion of mine. Of course my faith and my family’s support is priceless, without that I couldn’t do any of this. My best friend and our COO Siri has been by my side from day one and knows me when my energy or intentions are off. She constantly reminds me of my Why.

Website: www.sanskarteaching.com

Instagram: sanskarteaching

Linkedin: sanskarteaching

Facebook: sanskarteaching

Youtube: sanskarteaching

Other: Tiktok : Kamalamasi Pinterest: Sanskarteaching

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.