Every dream has to start somewhere, and for some, life has a way of leading down the road where we are actually meant to follow. It was through a desire to become a doctor that Dr. Chinu Agrawal started with psychology and psychotherapy. But fate took her on a path that would one day enable her to mend not only physical bodies, but mental and emotional ones as well. Today, she is a well-known psychologist, psychotherapist, researcher and the Founder-Director of Feeling Minds®, an organisation dedicated to ‘taking psychology out to the public’.
Dr. Chinu’s career journey is an excellent mix of strong academia, field work and social good. Trained at the best institutions in India and abroad, she is one of a handful of psychologists in India trained at Level 3 in Gottman Method Couple Therapy (considered the best in relationship counselling). She is also one of the earliest trained Indian Psychologists in Rational Emotive Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (RECBT) for children and adolescents under the esteemed Dr. Ann Vernon, then President of Albert Ellis Institute.
Leadership, Impact Through Feeling Minds®
Dr. Chinu’s passion for learning and teaching has led her to wear many hats. She is a Diamond Leadership Coach, guiding individuals and organisations in enhancing leadership capabilities and power intelligence. She also serves as Director of Adolescent Mental Health at WHEELS Global Foundation (USA) and as a Professor of Psychology at SAM Global University, where she actively shapes the academic and research ecosystem.
Through Feeling Minds®, she has created and executed national and international programs on emotional education, mental wellness, value-based education, and resilience. Her initiatives have reached more than 4 lakh students, trained over 5,000 teachers, and supported thousands of parents in nurturing emotionally healthy environments. Beyond her professional engagements, she has involved herself in philanthropic initiatives, assuring that mental health awareness and resources reach underserved communities.
Defining Moments of Leadership
No leader’s journey is without defining milestones, and for Dr. Chinu, these moments have been deeply transformative. One such moment came when KHDA, Dubai, officially approved her Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program. This validation on an international platform was not merely a professional honour; it was an affirmation of her vision to bring emotional education into schools, to nurture children in ways that would empower them for life.
Another turning point in her journey was her collaboration with HEMA Foundation, where she designed and led large-scale national programs on emotional wellness and values education. These initiatives reached lakhs of students and thousands of educators across India, showing the enormous power of psychological tools when applied at the grassroots level.
Equally important was her invitation by the University of Cambridge to speak on School Mental Health. Standing at a global platform, she represented not just herself but also the evolving narrative of mental health in India. It was both humbling and empowering, offering her the chance to contribute to global discourse while learning from the experiences of practitioners worldwide.
Perhaps the most heartwarming praise was when the former President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, personally acknowledged her as a renowned psychologist. Such moments reaffirmed her belief that the path she had chosen, often challenging, often strange, was truly worthwhile. Each defining moment brought with it renewed clarity, confidence, and responsibility, reminding her that leadership is not about titles but about impact.
Principles that Guide the Journey
For Dr. Chinu, decision-making has always been docked in principles rather than comfort. Three guiding philosophies illuminate her path: empathy over judgment, prevention over cure, and science with soul. These values shape her approach not only to her clients and students but also to the larger mission of her life.
Empathy, for her, means truly listening, seeing beyond the surface to understand human emotions without judgment. Prevention, she believes, is the real solution to mental health challenges. Why wait for breakdowns when strength can be built early on? And science with soul reflects her unique ability to combine evidence-based psychological methods with the wisdom of Indian philosophy, creating systems that are both practical and deeply human.
She leads with integrity, always devoted to making psychology accessible and applicable in daily life. Whether it is through a therapy session, a classroom lecture, or a global seminar, these values remain at the heart of everything she does.
Staying Relevant in a Changing World
In a field as dynamic as psychology, staying relevant requires more than just academic knowledge. For Dr. Chinu, it begins with staying rooted in purpose. She enables a learner’s mindset, constantly engaging with global best practices, updating herself with the latest research, and staying attuned to cultural and emotional shifts in society.
Yet, beyond professional development, what truly fuels her relevance is the feedback she receives from people. The heartfelt stories of her students, clients, and participants, their growth, strength, and appreciation, are the true motivators. For her, these real connections are worth more than any professional accolade; they are the reason she continues to evolve, learn, and give her best.
Redefining Leadership for Women
When Dr. Chinu speaks of leadership, she doesn’t frame it as a position of power; it is about holding space. She recalls walking into rooms where she was the only one speaking about emotional health while everyone else discussed policies and performance metrics. It took confidence to keep speaking the truth that was not yet widely accepted.
She believes that leadership for women today requires vision rooted in empathy. It is about creating what is needed rather than simply reacting to what already exists. It is also about balancing strength with sensitivity, an offset that women leaders are uniquely positioned to bring into the world.
Values rather than outcomes have also been used in forming her personal leadership choices. Indeed, as an example, she did not take the conventional path and start her own business to develop Feeling Minds® because it was a logical career step; it was an answer to the soul. It was a matter of listening in, of faith in her intuitions and her belief that as long as the intent was pure, then the way would show itself.
She also stresses the necessity of the integrative thinking that would associate science and intuition, modern research and the primitivism of wisdom. This power to discern wholes, and others see parts, is to women leaders a superpower. The hardest and yet most essential of all is the intrepidity of being unpopular. Decisions that require strong leadership are not always easy to make, and in the most important cases, leadership might be required to do the opposite of what is expected. To Dr. Chinu, being aligned with her mission has always been more important than being universally liked.
To her, leadership for women is not about imitation. It is about realism, becoming fully oneself, grounded, human, and brave even in the face of resistance.
Challenges that Became a Mission
No journey is without hurdles, and for Dr. Chinu, challenges became fuel for her mission. One of the most pressing issues she faced early on was the lack of awareness about preventive mental health, particularly for children and adolescents. In schools and homes alike, emotional issues were often overlooked until they reached crisis points.
She also met resistance from institutions unwilling to invest in emotion-focused interventions, perceiving them as less important compared to academic outcomes. Yet, she knew emotional development was the very foundation upon which learning, relationships, and well-being were built.
Her greatest personal difficulty was that of generating interest in this preventative approach, and making the stakeholders accept that emotional education starts at an early age, not after they have suffered breakdowns. This struggle did not take long to evolve into a goal to take psychology out of therapy rooms and introduce it in classes, staff rooms, and homes as well. With her ability to make the disconnection between science and everyday life, she translated resistance to possibility and, over time, was able to change thinking towards the importance of emotional health gradually.
Recognition and Meaningful Achievements
While awards and recognitions have been part of her journey, for Dr. Chinu, they hold deeper meaning than ceremonial value. Being honoured by national and international organisations validated not just her professional achievements but also her vision to incorporate psychology into everyday life.
Moments like the acknowledgement by the former President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, or her invitation by the University of Cambridge are reminders that the work she has dedicated her life to resonates beyond immediate circles. Equally fulfilling are the numerous testimonies from students, parents, and clients whose lives have been transformed by her programs. Each recognition, whether big or small, is a chapter in her story as an unwavering mission.
Advice to Aspiring Women
When asked about advice for women aspiring to make an impact, Dr. Chinu offers wisdom embedded in her own experience. She believes that the first step is to own your voice, to trust your journey without waiting for the perfect moment. Perfection is an illusion, but courage is real, and it grows stronger every time one dares to begin.
She emphasises that women must stop trying to fit into existing moulds. Instead, they have the power to redefine the mould itself. Mentorship and networks are invaluable, but equally important is kindness, to oneself and to others.
In a world that often measures success through external markers, she reminds women that emotional awareness is not a weakness but a strength, one that can anchor them through both challenges and triumphs.
Balancing Work, Life, and Spirit
For Dr. Chinu, balance is not a static achievement but a daily practice. Her family is her anchor, offering her strength and stability amidst her demanding schedule. She treasures the simple joys of reading, listening to music with her husband, or sharing laughter with her son. These grounding moments recharge her and remind her of life’s simplest pleasures.
There are also days of exhaustion, and she no longer tries to escape them. Rather, she permits herself to feel, to slow down, and to reset. A source of great strength is her spiritual connection.
The book that she always carries around with her is the Bhagavad Gita, a well from which she can scoop up wisdom to bring her back to even keel when she feels off-centre. For her, it is a source of comfort and courage and the comfort necessary to sustain the vision, always changing, of how the world should be, and the courage to maintain it in the face of the most chaotic times.
The Road Ahead
Looking forward, Dr. Chinu Agrawal’s vision is clear: to continue creating spaces where mental health is normalised, valued, and incorporated into daily living. Through Feeling Minds® and her multiple roles, she aspires to expand her programs, reaching wider audiences both nationally and globally. Her mission is not just about addressing mental health concerns but about building a culture where emotional education becomes as essential as academic learning.
She hopes to see a world where children grow up with the tools to understand and manage their emotions, where parents and educators prioritise emotional wellness as much as performance, and where conversations about mental health flow freely without stigma. For her, this is not merely a professional goal; it is a personal calling, a heritage she seeks to leave behind for generations to come.
