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From Doing the Work to Owning the Room: How Neeti Keswani Helped Anjali Become a Respected Leader

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Introduction: Good Work Isn’t Always Enough

Anjali was known for getting things done. Give her a deadline, and she would meet it. Hand her a problem, and she would solve it. She was the one others turned to when they needed help. But while her work always spoke volumes, her presence in meetings remained quiet.

Anjali wasn’t seen as a leader.

She was never asked to lead presentations. She rarely spoke in team discussions. Senior management praised her results but overlooked her when promotions were on the table.

Anjali was doing the work. But she wasn’t owning the room.

This is the story of how Anjali went from being the quiet achiever to becoming a respected voice of leadership — with the help of Neeti Keswani, a business storytelling coach, mindset mentor, and host of the Luxury Unplugged Podcast.

Chapter 1: The Hardworking Professional No One Knew

Anjali had worked in her field for over a decade. Her job title changed, but her responsibilities kept growing beyond it. People relied on her to organize teams, fix client issues, and create systems that worked.

But at town halls, team huddles, or review meetings, she stayed in the background.

Her colleagues got applause. She got silent nods.

“You’re amazing behind the scenes,” one colleague said.

But Anjali didn’t want to be behind the scenes anymore. She wanted to lead.

Chapter 2: The Wake-Up Moment

One Friday, Anjali found out that a teammate she had trained and supported for years had been promoted to team lead.

That teammate had presented Anjali’s work as their own in a recent strategy call. And they had spoken with more confidence, even though Anjali had done the heavy lifting.

That evening, scrolling through Spotify, Anjali came across a podcast episode titled:

“Luxury Unplugged: The Power of Your Presence with Neeti Keswani.”

In that episode, Neeti said:

“You can either be the engine that drives or the driver who steers. You choose.”

That was the line that shifted everything.

Chapter 3: Working with Neeti

Anjali signed up for a one-on-one coaching session with Neeti.

In their first session, Neeti asked a simple question:

“Do you believe your voice adds value in a room full of leaders?”

Anjali hesitated.

“I think my work adds value. I’m not sure about my voice.”

Neeti replied:

“You can’t separate the two. Your voice is part of your value.”

And so, they began.

Chapter 4: The Inner Work Begins

Neeti helped Anjali look at the beliefs that had kept her silent:

They weren’t just thoughts. They were blocks.

Anjali began journaling about moments when she felt small. Moments when she had something to say but held back. Slowly, she began to see how often she had minimized herself.

Neeti helped her replace those thoughts with new ones:

Chapter 5: Claiming Space at Work

The next challenge? Applying it.

Neeti gave Anjali a goal: speak once in every meeting. Not just to answer, but to add value.

In one meeting, Anjali offered a fresh idea for improving internal workflows. To her surprise, her manager said, “That’s a great suggestion. Can you lead that project?”

It was the first time she had spoken up and been immediately trusted with leadership.

From there, her confidence grew. She practiced:

She wasn’t just present anymore. She was influential.

Chapter 6: Building Her Personal Brand

Neeti taught Anjali how to build a professional brand inside her company and online.

Anjali updated her LinkedIn profile to reflect her leadership traits, not just her tasks. She began posting short, simple reflections about leadership, empathy, and teamwork.

Her posts were honest and easy to relate to. One post about “why quiet employees often have the best ideas” reached over 10,000 views.

Coworkers from other departments started reaching out. People were seeing her in a new light.

Chapter 7: From Worker to Voice of Strategy

Anjali began getting invited to higher-level meetings.

At one strategy call with the company director, she suggested a change in the way customer feedback was handled. Her idea sparked a new process that reduced complaint resolution time by 30%.

This time, she didn’t wait for someone to mention her.

She documented it. Presented it. Owned it.

Her director sent her a message later: “That was strong leadership. Keep showing up like this.”

Anjali was no longer just doing the work. She was driving it.

Chapter 8: Helping Others Rise Too

Seeing her own growth, Anjali felt called to help others like her.

She started a weekly lunch-and-learn session called “Quietly Powerful”. She invited her colleagues to talk about confidence, communication, and leadership.

She encouraged her team to share their wins, speak in meetings, and support each other.

Within weeks, the sessions became popular across departments. Anjali had gone from invisible to an inspiration.

Neeti reminded her:

“Owning the room doesn’t mean being loud. It means standing in your truth.”

Chapter 9: The Promotion That Felt Aligned

A few months later, Anjali was promoted.

Not just in title, but in how others saw her. She was now consulted for key decisions. She was invited to strategy sessions from the start, not just asked to execute later.

Her input shaped the direction of projects.

She walked into meetings with confidence. She held the room with grace. She no longer waited to be asked. She contributed because she believed in her value.

And others did too.

Chapter 10: The Difference Neeti Made

Neeti Keswani didn’t teach Anjali to perform. She helped her rediscover who she already was.

With Neeti’s help, Anjali:

And she did all of this without pretending to be someone she wasn’t. She stayed true to her calm nature, her thoughtful ideas, and her quiet strength.

Neeti’s coaching works because it goes deeper than tactics. It helps you see your identity differently.

Conclusion: From Doing the Work to Owning the Room — Your Turn

Anjali’s story is the story of many professionals.

You work hard. You deliver. You make everyone else look good.

But when it comes to visibility, influence, or leadership? You stay quiet.

Let this be the moment you stop doing that.

You can still be kind and own the room. You can still be humble and show your brilliance. You can still be yourself and be a leader.

With support from someone like Neeti Keswani, you can:

You don’t need to wait for permission. You don’t need to become someone else.

You already have what it takes.

Like Anjali, you can do more than just the work.

You can own the room.

About Neeti Keswani

Neeti Keswani is a Business Storytelling Coach, mindset mentor, and host of the Luxury Unplugged Podcast. She helps professionals and entrepreneurs rise into leadership with their authentic voice. Through coaching and storytelling, she helps people turn invisible effort into visible influence.

Let’s Connect with Neeti

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