Bringing Their A-game

Arianna Huffington and Anita Dongre have both tasted success—and then decided to reinvent what that word meant to them. In an intimate chat in New York, they trade notes on business and philosophy and share their biggest learnings for a new generation of women. Parizaad Khan Sethi listens in

After creating iconic companies that bear their names, Arianna Huffington and Anita Dongre decided to veer off the beaten path and re-evaluate their definition of success. For both these entrepreneurs, it was letting their inner voices guide them to roles that put women’s betterment at the front and centre.

Huffington, the creator of the media juggernaut Huffington Post, left her eponymous business to found Thrive Global, a wellness platform aimed at a cause she believes deeply in: combating the stress and burnout epidemic that’s rapidly depleting us (that too in the city that never sleeps!). Dongre leveraged her position as one of India’s leading couturiers to empower rural Indian women. Her contemporary ready-to-wear line, Grassroot, provides steady employment and a living wage to skilled female artisans and aims to bring work opportunities back to the villages.

As expected, thoughts really flew when they sat down for a heart-to-heart at the Thrive Global offices in New York City. Excerpts from their conversation:

Arianna Huffington: Anita, I’m so fascinated by your journey of becoming the first female entrepreneur in your family. Was it difficult from a cultural perspective?

Anita Dongre: It was extremely difficult. Thirty years ago, I was the first girl in my family to get a job. I graduated from design school and wanted to work, but my father put his foot down, because “girls in our families don’t work.” I had to stand firm and I told him I wouldn’t get my degree without the work experience. That wasn’t true, but it was the only reason he allowed me. When the year was over, he asked me why I was still working. It was a big blow to his male ego because people were gossiping that he couldn’t financially support his family. I convinced him with love and determination.