# The Power of Perseverance: Navigating Identity in Leadership | Dr. Sangeeta Kaushal Mishra | TEDxIOM

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSm8NrrM1aQ
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/lSm8NrrM1aQ
Generated: 2025-12-09T17:14:58.577+00:00

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## Quick Overview

Dr. Sangeeta Kaushal Mishra recounts her journey overcoming systemic discrimination and personal doubts as a woman in leadership, specifically detailing the challenges she faced establishing healthcare initiatives like a human milk bank and a COVID-19 treatment facility in Nepal, ultimately advocating that female leaders must reclaim their space and that empowerment comes from collective action.

**Key Points:**
- The speaker, Dr. Sangeeta Kaushal Mishra, faced significant resistance and condescension early in her career from male counterparts who doubted her competence and authority in leadership roles, especially concerning women's health.
- Her initial dream project was establishing a human milk bank, named 'Amrit Ghosh' or 'Nectar Bank,' in Nepal, which she successfully initiated despite initial skepticism.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, she led the establishment of the first COVID treatment facility in Eastern Nepal, working under immense uncertainty and fear.
- She faced challenges due to the male-dominated environment, including having her ideas ignored and being judged based on appearance (accent, lipstick color).
- She moved from clinical work (Gynaecology, Public Health) to policy leadership, serving as Director General and then Additional Health Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Population in Nepal.
- Her key message is that leadership is tested during crises, and women must fight to claim their space and ensure their voices are heard, emphasizing that when one woman rises, she raises all women with her.

![Screenshot at 00:05: The speaker, Dr. Sangeeta Kaushal Mishra, begins her talk by reflecting on her childhood tendency to question things, setting the stage for a narrative about challenging norms and expectations.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/lSm8NrrM1aQ/00-00-05.png)

**Context:** Dr. Sangeeta Kaushal Mishra delivers a personal story at a TEDxIOM event, focusing on her ascent in the field of healthcare leadership in Nepal, particularly within male-dominated environments. She recounts the internal and external struggles she faced, from being questioned as a young girl with big dreams to overcoming institutional bias while implementing critical health programs like a human milk bank and a COVID-19 treatment center.

## Detailed Analysis

Dr. Sangeeta Kaushal Mishra narrates her career progression, highlighting the pervasive gender bias she encountered. She recalls being 12 years old and realizing she had big dreams that made others uncomfortable, leading her to become a silent person. She eventually pursued medicine, graduating from the Institute of Health Sciences in Kathmandu and later obtaining a degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. Her early professional life in Nepal, particularly in the male-dominated field of obstetrics and gynaecology, involved constant scrutiny. She recounts the initial resistance she faced when trying to implement initiatives like Nepal's first human milk bank and establishing a COVID-19 treatment facility in Eastern Nepal during the pandemic. Despite these challenges, including having her ideas stolen and being publicly ridiculed for her accent or appearance, she persisted. She eventually moved into policy, serving as Director General and then Additional Health Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Population. Her core message is a call to action for women: leadership is tested in a crisis, and women must fight to reclaim their space, ensuring their voices are heard, because when one woman rises, she raises all women with her.

### Childhood Realization

- At age 12, realized she was a girl with big dreams that made people uncomfortable
- Faced a double burden of being a girl and from a marginalized group
- Felt she was not supposed to speak or think of certain dreams.

### Early Career Struggles

- Mother taught in a medical college near her home in Jhajjar, North India
- After marrying a Nepali man, moved to Nepal
- Faced condescension and skepticism regarding her leadership, especially as a woman in a male-dominated field.

### Major Achievements During COVID-19

- Established Nepal's first human milk bank, named 'Amrit Ghosh' or 'Nectar Bank'
- Led the creation of the first COVID treatment facility in Eastern Nepal during the pandemic crisis.

### Systemic Challenges

- Experienced sexist comments about her accent and lipstick color; her ideas were often 'stolen' by male counterparts
- The administration of the medical college where she worked was an 'all-male club' where women's voices were ignored.

### Transition to Policy and Final Message

- Moved from clinical practice to administrative roles, becoming Director General and later Additional Health Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Population in Nepal
- Urges young women to claim their space, asserting that their voices matter and that when one woman rises, all women rise with her.

![Screenshot at 00:05: The speaker begins her talk by reflecting on her childhood tendency to question things, setting the stage for a narrative about challenging norms and expectations.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/lSm8NrrM1aQ/00-00-05.png)
![Screenshot at 00:24: The speaker discusses the societal expectations and limitations placed on her, noting that people thought she shouldn't even think of certain dreams.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/lSm8NrrM1aQ/00-00-24.png)
![Screenshot at 00:55: The speaker describes the atmosphere in the hospital where she worked, noting the 'hospital crowd' and the presence of the stethoscope symbolizing the medical environment.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/lSm8NrrM1aQ/00-00-55.png)
![Screenshot at 02:13: The speaker gestures while discussing the male-dominated environment, noting that men felt confident answering any question while women were judged.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/lSm8NrrM1aQ/00-02-13.png)
![Screenshot at 03:33: The speaker references India having seen a woman Prime Minister, contrasting this with the ongoing challenges faced by women leaders in medicine.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/lSm8NrrM1aQ/00-03-33.png)