The Business of Life with Dr King
Dr Ariel Rosita King brings on a variety of International guests from various countries, cultures, organisations, and businesses to talk about turning
problem into possibilities! Let's turn our challenges in opportunities together!
The Business of Life with Dr King
Shrenik Shah: Living Without a Voice: Turning Adversity into Opportunity
What does it mean to truly overcome adversity? In this inspiring episode, we talk with Shrenik Shah, who transformed his life after losing his voice to vocal cord cancer. His story is not just one of survival but of thriving in the face of challenges that would stop many in their tracks.
From initially facing the immense struggle of living without a voice for 28 years, Shah learned to embrace his unique circumstances and find new ways of communicating. He highlights how rejection turned into opportunity, allowing him to become an advocate and lend his voice to countless cancer patients needing support. He recounts his experiences and shares the importance of living in the moment, leveraging one’s resources to turn what seems impossible into possible.
Shah's dedication to education and advocacy shines through as he discusses his weekly talk show featuring experts in cancer treatment and awareness. His vibrant energy and heartfelt insights make this episode a must-listen. You’ll gain invaluable perspectives on resilience, purpose, and the extraordinary ability we all have to impact lives positively.
Join us to discover how adversity can transform into triumph and find motivation on your path to living a fulfilled life. After listening, consider subscribing and sharing your thoughts with us; how do you turn your challenges into opportunities?
Music, lyrics, guitar and singing by Dr Ariel Rosita King
Teach me to live one day at a time
with courage love and a sense of pride.
Giving me the ability to love and accept myself
so I can go and give it to someone else.
Teach me to live one day at a time.....
The Business of Life
Dr Ariella (Ariel) Rosita King
Original Song, "Teach Me to Live one Day At A Time"
written, guitar and vocals by Dr. Ariel Rosita King
Dr King Solutions (USA Office)
1629 K St, NW #300,
Washington, DC 20006, USA,
+1-202-827-9762
DrKingSolutons@gmail.com
DrKingSolutions.com
Hi, welcome to the Business of Life. My name is Dr Ariel King and today we have our special guest, Sir Renek Shah, from India. Welcome, Sir Shah. How are you?
Shrenik Shah:How are you, as usual, living in the moment, living quality life, fabulous, fascinating, incredible life, with zero complaints. So that is no complaint box in my life.
Dr Ariel King:Wonderful. Thank you, sir. For people that don't know you very well, would you just start by giving a little bit of background about who you are and your philosophy on life?
Shrenik Shah:Sure, so well, I am Shreddy Shah, from Ahmedabad and my city is India's first world heritage city. That is, ahmedabad, from India. Now, friends, imagine this world cannot sustain anything paid offline, paid online, without vocal communication, without vocal communication. Even this, so many digital video, meeting, webinars, etc. Would never work if you cannot speak. If you can't and, my dear friends, I am living in this silent zone for last 27 years. This is my 28th year while living in a silent zone and this is going to be forever silent zone for me. But, friends, remember, forget about what you don't have, remember what you have used those resources to make things possible which apparently look impossible to the others, and you can take into consideration how best you can stand tall in the global podium. I mean, in this video. You know, so many intellectuals, so many individuals exist and more and more are joining on this global podium. Yes, sir, that's exactly what you've done.
Dr Ariel King:That's exactly what you've done and you're an amazing gentleman. I'm sorry to interrupt. That's exactly what you've done and you're an amazing gentleman. I mean, you've taken what is an adversity and you have made it into not just opportunity, but also being there for others and guiding others through particular adversities and turning them into opportunities. For our audience that doesn't know you, can you please tell them about how you speak, what happened to you and what you're using using now to speak, and how you've turned that into an opportunity?
Shrenik Shah:Thank you, sir, definitely so. Friends, I lost my natural voice to stage four COVID-19 back in 1997. I must admit one thing, and I would rather like to draw your very kind and specific attention, that I had no habit of smoking, never tried tobacco in any format, I am strict vegetarian and non-alcoholic. But somehow I got diagnosed with stage four, quote-unquote cancer. I mean in the first half of 1997, I was speaking like a natural human being, like all of you, and then my natural voice turned from normal to harshness, to whispering, and at the same time I started experiencing actual breathing problem, as if I was drowning in the water. And just I met my physician and he said that you know something unusual and dangerous going on in your body. So I would take this cancer surgeon.
Shrenik Shah:So immediately, me and my wife, we rushed to the cancer surgeon and he examined me. He showed me and you know he came to conclusion after examination and doing his copy etc. That I was having advanced stage of vocal cord cancer and the I and E was the tumor was approaching the opening of my dachia or opening my midpoint and therefore you know I was having, I mean, terrible problem with my breathing. So he warned me that, shaniq, you don me and my wife. We blindly believed in my cancer surgery. He was 37 years old at that time, and no question, because I just got surgery done into parts. First part was a biopsy and then, you know, after the report came, it was a massive surgery and I lost my natural voice forever, and that was in September 1997.
Dr Ariel King:That's a very, that's a very, very long time. It's amazing that you actually believe that, no matter what, things were going to get better and you had that surgery. May I ask how long did you live without a natural voice? And then, during that time, how did you communicate before you were able to do what you have now? I'm just wondering how long was that and how was that for you? How were you able to communicate your thoughts, your feelings and, even more importantly, feel like a whole person in the world?
Shrenik Shah:Well, I mean, when I was diagnosed, you know, with the cancer, I was 44, 44, 44. I was 44. I was able to communicate in natural voice post-surgery. I mean, I went radiotherapy 30 rounds and then, you know, I get to manage by using pen and paper, by default, to communicate, because you know, there was no device. I was advised and it was quite frustrating and I mean a lot of, I would say, sheer helplessness when you cannot speak. But then, you know, those three months were really terrible. But then my cancer surgeon advised me to use this electronic clinics. It is a device which I have to place under my chin and it has to touch my chin and whatever I want to speak, you know that is being transformed into the sound, into the voice.
Shrenik Shah:Now, one of the major adversity which I faced at that time, apart from being diagnosed with vocal cord cancer, this voice, dr King's voice, was rejected in public back in December 1997. We were very scared. People were running away, they were not understanding what is really going wrong. But you know what, Dr King, that rejection, that rejection, you know, as I said earlier, it is important what you have, it is not important what you don't have. So what I did is I have accepted that rejection as a divine intervention. As a divine intervention, embrace that rejection and challenges, adversity all. Ultimately, I have continued speaking since December 1997. I continued my business till 2010. I have traveled globally for, I mean, I'm originally from a marketing segment, international businessman and traveling and selling products. And you know, when you want to sell something you have to make and I lost my voice itself to sell. But then you know, it did not stop me, it did not allow me to stop and I continued speaking and continued my business.
Dr Ariel King:That's amazing.
Dr Ariel King:Can I ask? I just want to go back a little, because you've done so much and I think that so many people would have a very, very difficult time. Well, first of all, you lost your health, right, you have cancer. Secondly, you have to go through radiation and treatment, which is not easy. It can be quite painful, quite difficult, quite lonely and life-shaking. Then after that, you lose your possibility to directly have conversations with people, and most people usually only react to there's body language, but mostly voice Stop. No, thank you, this is what I want, and you also lose that. So my question to you is what is it in your spirit, in your thinking, allowed you to gather up who you are and your strength and basically say, okay, this is what I have, I'm now going to take this new voice that they say I'm going to get and I'm going to do something with it. Please tell me more about that spirit that you had.
Shrenik Shah:Dr King, let me tell you I am always admitting openly and in a very straightforward manner straightforward manner also I would like to add one point here that I really do not know how to play chess C, h, e, double S, chess I don't know at all, but I have learned. I have learned playing the game, playing the chess of my life, playing the chess of my life every single day. You know and let me add one more thing what I have learned from my experiences throughout these 27 years. These are the topics not being taught at any previous university in the world. I mean my university of experience, my university experiences are commendable, incredible, fabulous and fascinating, and that's how you know what I I am.
Shrenik Shah:I am having the fire from within. I mean, at the age of 44, I was not willing to get retired, I was not willing to be known as a disabled person and I do not want to lead a dependent life on my wife and my two sons, and that's how you know. So, uh, this, this rejection, this loss of voice, I consider this as a blessing in disguise, and I outrepresented those, uh, adversities, challenges, everything into opportunity. And the reason was there was a clear purpose, clear purpose that I wanted to stand out, I wanted to prioritize my life. And then there was a patience, there was a perseverance and there was a commitment to go on every single day, to remain unstoppable and touching the horizon.
Dr Ariel King:That's absolutely fabulous, Incredible. May I ask, when this happened to you, did you go back to your same job or did you reinvent what you do to make a living, to take care of your wife, your family, but, even more importantly, to have self-actualization, knowing that you are giving back to the world? I'm just talking about that small period of time right Between having surgery and then finding again whatever calling that you had, but also how you were able to support your family.
Shrenik Shah:It's a miracle and it's really good to be known. I must admit a few things in advance. You know I am incredibly blessed by the Almighty. I don't consider this. I know. I consider this as a commendable gift from almighty. I would say free game from almighty for who I am, because you know people. When, when I was having a nature voice, I was into what. Now I am speaking globally, I'm showing up consistently and confidently all over the world as a speaker for twitter, tele speaker and so on. So you know, important point is how best you address the challenge and opportunity and the thing.
Shrenik Shah:I continue my business for 13 years, that is, from 1997 till 2010. But you know something else. Something else was well defined by the Almighty. In 2011, my cancer surgeon called me to counsel one cancer patient who was having the same issue which I had in 1997. And I counseled him to protect him. I know that I cannot be a doctor in this life, but I could play a small role of counseling, to the extent that you know, that patient underwent surgery and his life was saved. Now, even importantly, when his life is saved, I realized that, apart from being a marketing man, I am having an ability to become an advocate, counselor and trainer. So I continued one-to-one counseling, group counseling and so on, and so that ignited a new fire that has given me a new direction in life to become a counselor, to become a patient advocate, and that's how I started my journey.
Shrenik Shah:And then, a few years later, one book was launched and in which my journey was Richard in the first chapter. The title of the chapter was I am here to stay and from nowhere, the doctor, my cancer surgeon, announced my name that come on this stage and share your journey with this voice. Now. Now look, dr King, the voice which was rejected in 1997, same, with the same voice. I had delivered talk for 20 minutes, I got standing ovation and that's how my new journey as a public speaker started.
Shrenik Shah:And you know, it's God's grace that you know I'm in love, I am having a lot of passion, I am feeling like you know I am into straight belt, fasted, always in a taxi boat and committed to take off and touching the horizon. So you know I mean there is one simple terminology in a medical term, that is SDML. Sdml means short term memory loss. I have rephrased that SDML into long term, specific memory loss. That means I have completely forgotten that I don't have a voice. So you know that is the beauty with your life. This is thrilling life, even after cancer.
Dr Ariel King:That's just amazing. May I, as you say, I think you have children, I think. May I ask how did? How did what your journey, um, you know, of having a relatively normal life I would say a relatively normal life going and little by little being sick, finding out you have cancer, then, you know, going through the radiation and then actually getting your voice back how did that affect your wife and your children in learning how to overcome adversity and how have you seen that impact their lives and how does that, what does that look like today for them?
Shrenik Shah:Dr King, I am super, super, super fortunate, super, super fortunate and lucky. And one more thing there is a commendable, incredible and exceptional culture within India. You know, when you are going through tough time, when you are struggling, nobody is going to get you out, but they stand by you 24 by 7, without any complaint, and they keep on supporting you by default, with zero expectation. So you know and trust me, dr King, during my 20th and talks and public speaking, I am always mentioning, every time I am mentioning that life of a cancer survivor is incomplete without caregiver, without the support of their family members, because what they are doing is incredible. You know, you did not have to go to temple, you did not have to go to church, you did not have to go to mosque because you know they stand by you 24 by 7, with zero expectation, and that is the beauty of the life and that is the beauty of Indian culture as well.
Dr Ariel King:Thank you, Thank you, thank you and for your children, have you seen this positively affect them, positively affect how they live their lives and, if so, how?
Shrenik Shah:Look see, there is a simple rule and law. There is a simple rule and law If you are a trendsetter, if you are a trendsetter, people with your family members or with anybody in the world is going to adore you, is going to follow you, because you know you are doing something which is unexpected and that's how you know you are building your image. And trust me, I would not say it was my dream. It was my committed goal.
Shrenik Shah:It was my committed goal to touch the origin and that's how I have delivered over 9 000 hours of talks. I am so worried, so much, so incredibly lucky that I could touch the lives of hundred thousand people all over the world. And uh, I want to add one more thing, dr king, I am 360 degrees surrounded by were-wishers like you. They are on my wings, you know, and that their were-wishes are for me are like a jet fuel, you know. I mean they are adding a turbine power in my life, in my life, in my journey, and that's how, you know, I am just trying my best to climb more and more till my mind and body supports you know you're so inspirational.
Dr Ariel King:Just listening to you, I'm just doing a lot of smiling, understanding that your journey, that could have turned out so differently, has brought so much information, support, joy and a kindred spirit, and understanding that our underlining spirit is that of being able to not just overcome but to actually be able to meet the expectations of helping others. And you've done so much of that. Can you please tell us more about maybe some of the newest projects that you're doing now, so our audience can have a good understanding about all the new projects that you're doing currently? Thank you, sir.
Shrenik Shah:Yeah, yeah. So, dr King, you know I am a patient visitor and moderator of a Friday's speech training live webinar every Friday at 6 pm IST or other Indian Standard Time. Till last week I did 19th episode and tomorrow is 20th. And then, you know, more and more are being scheduled and I am inviting a single speaker cancer, I mean specifically cancer specialist on my show for a knowledge sharing with the community about cancer awareness, prevention, treatment protocols.
Shrenik Shah:And you know what that this knowledge and information, what they are sharing, you know you cannot grab during one-to-one conversation because you know their priorities are different. They cannot give you one hour time, but what happens is during my show they speak for 40, 45 minutes that is 20 and we never been 60 minutes but but during each session, each cancer specialist are sharing a knowledge like an encyclopedia, like encyclopedia, and these informations are absolutely authentic. You know you guys cannot find these stuffs on a web browser, so I am helping people that simply don't rely upon details available on web browsers. If, by any chance, if you are diagnosed with the cancer, follow the cancer specialist and if you are not qualified doctor, make sure that you contact the right cancer specialist however you feel appropriate, because, as I said earlier, I cannot be a doctor for sure in this life, but if I can play a little role of saving someone's life through a guidance, Thank you for that.
Dr Ariel King:That's so good to know that you actually have a show every Friday at 6 o'clock I guess this is in Indian time specifically with experts in cancer. That's absolutely fabulous and I'm looking forward to listening to that particular show. And may I ask, what are your goals for the future? And when I say the future, I'm talking about in five years. What's down the line? You're a gentleman that has so much energy and you're doing so much, so I would like to be, and I'd like our audience to be, the first to know. What is it that you're going to be doing in the future that you haven't done yet? Thank you, sir.
Shrenik Shah:The thing. Look, I am 73 now and I know for sure that I don't know another 73 years to live with, and therefore I am in too fast lane. I am in too fast lane. I don't keep things pending for tomorrow, right, and I want to do everything possible. Every single opportunity I would like to grab and make things happen. Single opportunity I would like to grab and make things happen. And yes, there are. There are two things I wanted to manage. I mean, until now I could. I'm fortunate to touch over a hundred thousand lives, but apart from that, till my mind and body supports, I would love to inspire over one million lives, and that's my goal, that's my dream and, trust me, you know I am surrounded by people like you and I'm sure I'm going to make it. I mean, of course, it's all God's grace, but yes, there is a firm commitment and I'm going to do it.
Dr Ariel King:I am absolutely sure you're going to meet your goal to inspire 1 billion plus people in the world and I want to thank you. Any last words for our audience before we go today? The time has gone by so quickly and I'm so grateful to have this time with you. Any last words to our audience? Any words of inspiration or just any words?
Shrenik Shah:Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely, Dr King. There are not one, but you know there are three advices, three important points I would like to uh share here. Number one don't waste your valuable time in finding the faults of the others. Don't that, because you know I mean that can ruin your whole career. Number one. Number two never clear what was in your life, no choice.
Dr Ariel King:Thank you, sir, and thank you to our audience, thank you for joining us for the Business of Life, and we look forward to seeing you again. Go out there and make sure that you live the life that you want to live. And remember if I'm not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, then when? This is from Hillel the philosopher, and I say if not me, then who? Thank you so much for joining us in the business of life.