“When my friends were all going out and still doing Contiki tours, I was navigating a divorce.” 

Growing up in a traditional Fijian-Indian family, Shivani Gopal was given the message that women should be nice, they should serve others, that a woman’s value came from kindness and doing the right thing by others. 

So when Shivani fell in love as a teenager and her family arranged for her to be married, she tried to be the perfect wife who gave up her hopes and desires for others. “I really did try to be the good girl, the good wife, the good daughter-in-law, to be accepted and loved,” she says. “But then my personality would just burst out. Voicing my ambitions certainly went against the fold.” 

So, Shivani did the unthinkable. In her early 20s, despite the opinions of her traditional family and in-laws, she divorced her husband and super-charged her career in financial planning. 

Her climb to the top wasn’t without a few other obstacles, including one potential mentor who told Shivani she was “too young and pretty” to be worthy of his time. 

Find out how Shivani Gopal channeled her determination into a fundraise of $1 million to start the Elladex app, empowering women to reach their leadership potential.   

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Curveball teaches you how to thrive when the chips are down! It’s a production of Deadset Studios.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more leadership lessons from the brightest minds out there? Sign up toCurveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! And suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com

This episode was produced by Grace Pashley.  Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

“When my friends were all going out and still doing Contiki tours, I was navigating a divorce.” 
Growing up in a traditional Fijian-Indian family, Shivani Gopal was given the message that women should be nice, they should serve others, that a woman’s value came from kindness and doing the right thing by others. 
So when Shivani fell in love as a teenager and her family arranged for her to be married, she tried to be the perfect wife who gave up her hopes and desires for others. “I really did try to be the good girl, the good wife, the good daughter-in-law, to be accepted and loved,” she says. “But then my personality would just burst out. Voicing my ambitions certainly went against the fold.” 
So, Shivani did the unthinkable. In her early 20s, despite the opinions of her traditional family and in-laws, she divorced her husband and super-charged her career in financial planning. 
Her climb to the top wasn’t without a few other obstacles, including one potential mentor who told Shivani she was “too young and pretty” to be worthy of his time. 
Find out how Shivani Gopal channeled her determination into a fundraise of $1 million to start the <a href="https://elladex.com/">Elladex app,</a> empowering women to reach their leadership potential.   
+++ 
Curveball teaches you how to thrive when the chips are down! It’s a production of <a href="https://www.deadsetstudios.com/">Deadset Studios</a>.  
Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on <a href="https://twitter.com/_deadsetstudios">Twitter</a> and @deadsetstudios on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/deadsetstudios/">instagram</a>.  
Want more leadership lessons from the brightest minds out there? Sign up to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/curveball-6745938675223425024/">Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter</a>! And suggest a Curveball guest by visiting <a href="http://www.curveballshow.com/">www.curveballshow.com</a>   
This episode was produced by Grace Pashley.  Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.

The human experience is all about adapting. Whether it’s a CEO trying to ride out an international travel crisis, a surfer struggling against a monster wave while his floatation vest fails, or a media star whose whole life changes in an instant, rarely do you get to glimpse what’s really going on during a someone's darkest hour.

In these revealing, personal conversations with a range of successful people, Curveball host Kellie Riordan gets the lowdown on how people grow in extraordinary times. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios.com on Twitter and @deadsetsetstudios on Instagram. Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com

Curveball is also now a LinkedIn newsletter! It's a weekly top-up of the best advice our guests have to help set you on the right path. Subscribing is totally free.

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How this financial guru went from good wife to good life.

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