Interview with Sneha Sabu, illuminating the dynamics of a multi-faceted author

Many people have great thoughts and ideas but often never take the next step towards writing them down. Because of this reason, many important pieces of information are not getting out into the world.

Books have always played a big role in human evolution. And there are few people who are devoting their time and energy so that individuals and the community get the right education about different issues.

Meet Sneha Sabu, author of Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben. She is an excellent example of a personality whose work is making a positive impact on the world. Sneha believes in creating something that not only will be relevant now, but also helps people in the future.

Because of her astonishing work to create a safe world for children, Silicon Valley Times recognized her as one of The Top 100 Changemakers.

Today we’re excited to have Sneha Sabu in our media. This exclusive interview has lots of insights and value for our readers.

1. Hello Sneha, Thank you for giving your busy time for this interview. Can you please tell us a little bit about your background and how you ended up choosing your field.

I am currently living and working in Australia. I migrated from India to Australia a decade ago. I am a strategist, development thinker, motivational speaker, and author.

I began my career as a journalist. At the age of 23, I headed a media production house. I felt a sense of restlessness and stagnation at the time. I resigned from my job and remained unemployed for a month. At that point, I came across an advertisement in a newspaper for the position of Corporate Planner with an international NGO. This was the beginning of my strategy and development thinking journey. My job helped me travel to different parts of India to understand the issues and challenges faced by the community. Although grassroots reality kept me grounded in my learning, I realized my knowledge was not enough to tackle the root causes of problems the community faces. My passion for strategy enabled me to study and work for multiple organizations. Over time I grew in Strategy Management and was responsible for preparing country strategies for 18 countries in the Asia Pacific region for an international NGO. I was given opportunities to participate in UN Post MDG discussions in Bangkok and travel to Asia and the Pacific countries to facilitate strategy and business planning sessions. I am currently working for the government sector in Australia and am responsible for preparing long-term strategies.

With the outbreak of COVID-19, I felt the need to prepare a Pandemic Prioritization Matrix to help councils make decisions with due consideration to what mattered most to the community at the time of the pandemic and by weighing the budget, risks, and operational reality. The Matrix was presented to 60 councils in New South Wales, Australia.

The pandemic revived the writer in me to restart writing after a decade. I saved a lot of travel time, giving me more free hours to write. This was a time when I faced several emotional hardships and breakdowns. But it revived the writer in me to life. I also offered free motivational classes for university students in India in my free time. It was exciting to juggle strategy, development thinking, motivational speaking, and writing.

2. How do you personally define success? What does it mean to you?

Success is being a true masterpiece of yourself. We all have different and unique gifts, skills, and capabilities. Only when we become a true masterpiece of ourselves and stop imitating others, we would be able to unleash the best version of ourselves. This is not to be misunderstood as contradicting one’s ability to learn and improve based on inputs and expertise. I would give an analogy of a diamond. The diamond is a precious metal that has carbon in it. When it is polished and treated, it gains the highest value. To retain the core of the diamond and optimize its potential is what we need to strive for. When we transition to lead, graphite, charcoal, coal, and other carbon variants, we have an incomplete identity and miss out on the diamond.

One of the issues we face in today’s world is limited innovation. I compare the rate of innovation to our advancements and infrastructure versus the pace of innovation with little infrastructure in history. We are imitating and replicating success models and mantras rather than being innovative. I recognize the need for efficiency, effectiveness, budget constraints, and the need to develop solutions that optimize results. What we forget at times is that the most successful organizations are ever exploring, rejuvenating, reinventing, and innovating on an ongoing basis. We may need to balance and not miss out on the core of the invention.

3. What do you do to recharge when you are feeling drained?

I love to travel, and I am adventurous. Recently we (my husband and me) went hot air ballooning in Hunter Valley, New South Wales. It was good to look down from 5,500 feet when you have nothing to hold on to. A few years back, I did an underwater walk in Pattaya, Thailand. At the time, I did not know how to swim. In the first three minutes, I felt I would die since I did not know how to swim. But after the initial minutes, I enjoyed every minute and did not want to leave under the sea. Parasailing from a boat in Port Stephens was yet another experience. Adrenaline experiences recharge me. So does traveling.

Traveling has helped me understand people and cultures better. It has broadened my perspectives on situations and circumstances. I am a nature lover, born and brought up in a village. I admire the coast and the countryside.

4. What is the one mantra that you live your life by?

I want to live life to the fullest. I feel I have to do a lot in life before I leave. I want to be a responsible ancestor that leaves a mark. I am spiritual, and I want God to be the center of my life. I do not want to take anything on earth for granted. I am thankful for every breath, and everything life has to offer. Gratitude makes me more responsible for delivering results and contributing my share to the fullest.

5. Tell us more about your book Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben?

Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben is an interactive child safety book written to create awareness among children on good and bad touches, how to be safe in school, how to be safe while going and coming back from school, safe sleepovers, and secret codes. According to UNICEF, millions of children face child sexual abuse every year. It is our collective responsibility to protect every child. This book is a small contribution to creating awareness among children. Copies are available on amazon worldwide. Profits from sales will be used to print copies for children who cannot afford a copy and fund NGOs working to protect children from child sexual abuse. I would encourage everyone to buy a copy. You can always gift it to a child and help spread the word.

6. How can you be reached if someone is interested in your products or services?

I am reachable via my website www.snehasabu.com