Is Physical Illness Tied to Spiritual and Emotional Health with Komal Minhas

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Komal Minhas is a first generation Indian-Canadian immigrant who, in just the past two years, was invited to the White House to premier her documentary ‘Dream, Girl,’ was named one of Oprah’s Supersoul 100, and was on the cover of Power & Influence Magazine. Her passion is fostering the advancement of women and girls, especially women and girls of color. We got so lost in our conversation that we hardly got past the first question. There is just so much to share!

Working For This Life

“My parents were able to build this huge life for me from scratch and I’m not gonna waste a second of it.”

As a first generation immigrant, Komal is so grateful to her parents for setting herself up for success, but she recognizes that she has work to put in still.
Her parents are supportive of everything she does in life. They have led by example and encouraged her to work hard.

We Are Not Invincible

Right at the time when all of these tremendous accomplishments were happening in her life, she was hit with a diagnosis of a rare form of melanoma and the subsequent surgeries needed to remove it.
As a first generation immigrant and woman of color, Komal has always felt the need to push through everything, but this was not something she could push through on her own.
Komal opens up about her vertigo and partial vision loss she woke up with one morning and talks about her healing process.

“There Were Whispers”

“I had developed a version of myself that only knew how to run.”

Looking back, she sees warning signs that she was on her way to that breaking point.
She sees connections back to her past, including witnessing abuse and violence as she was growing up.
She recognizes that she can’t place blame on herself for any of it. “ I did not do this to myself, but I can recover from it in the ways I can.”

The Healing Process

We talk a lot about something that I relate to personally: the connection between the physical, spiritual, and emotional health.
Komal found healing by practicing self-care: meditation, using a mindset coach, and seeing her doctors. “Doing the really tough things that build a strong foundation in our lives, within which, once that’s done, facials and manicures can actually make you feel good.”
We discuss the idea of cutting out the bad in life. While that’s a good practice, you have to make sure to have the hard conversations where needed.
She emphasizes that you have to allow your self to feel all of your feelings (especially the bad ones), because they are valid and you need to understand them in order to move through them.
“What different perspectives can we give to the memories that are haunting us?”

Komal’s Favorite Things

Castor oil packs are a recent discovery for Komal but she swears they have done wonders to alleviate menstrual pain. You can even leave them on overnight!
Indie Apartment Party playlist on Google Play. The perfect playlist for work and play.
With a background in political science and journalism, Komal loves listening to the Pod Save the World podcast.

Komal’s vision for herself and for the world is helping people realize all of the potential they have. So here is something she shares that will help you do just that: “There is a resilience that exists in all of us.” I am so inspired by this wonderful woman and I hope you are too. Who wants another episode with Komal? (Me!)

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XO,

Kat