About Beyond Cubicles
📢 #BeyondCubicles is a weekly LinkedIn series created by Carolina D’Souza, born out of her own experience transitioning from a corporate career to independent consulting. Since its launch in June 2024, the series has evolved into a platform that showcases the inspiring journeys of several founders who have redefined the traditional 9-to-5.
Through authentic narratives, #BeyondCubicles highlights themes of courage, resilience, and purpose. The stories feature individuals from diverse industries—ranging from tech and education to wellness and adventure—who share their experiences of stepping away from conventional roles to pursue passion-driven careers.Â
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✨ Note: All features in this series are unpaid and shared as a way to honor and amplify real stories of transformation.
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“If something isn’t working, let it go and move on.”
While assisting her husband with trading and restaurant businesses in Hong Kong in the early 1990s, Sunita found herself yearning to explore the holistic space.
“I had taken aromatherapy treatment in Hong Kong for a terrible back, and I was hooked,” she says.
That opportunity came in 1997, when the family relocated to Dubai.
Inspired by her personal experience with aromatherapy in Hong Kong, Sunita noticed a gap in the market for holistic therapies in the emirate. She seized the opportunity, studied aromatherapy, and opened an aromatherapy center.
The journey was challenging. Approvals were slow, rent was ticking, and convincing authorities to grant a specialized holistic license proved difficult. Yet she persevered, running the center for nine years while expanding her knowledge in clinical aromatherapy and other healing modalities.
Eventually, licensing hurdles led her to sell the business and take a sabbatical. A year later, she resumed teaching holistic healing in Hong Kong and London.
When COVID struck, she decided to launch a digital training platform, The Holistic Alternatives, offering diploma courses accredited by the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists UK and a range of aromatherapy products online.
Despite the hardships, Sunita holds on to her positivity.
She says, “If something isn’t working, let it go and move on.”
Over the course of her career, she expanded her knowledge and expertise across disciplines, including clinical reflexology, kinesiology, hypnotherapy, and neurolinguistic programming.
Sunita still takes short courses in alternative therapies, writes papers, and attends conferences to keep herself updated. She also makes time for scuba diving, long walks, and travel.
Her advice to new entrepreneurs is: “Follow your passion, and you will never regret it.”