From Term Sheets to Transformation
It’s not every day you come across a corporate lawyer who trades in high-stakes M&A transactions for emotional wellness and inner transformation. But Vasudhaa Ahuja, founder of Happy Turtling Transition Coaching, is far from ordinary. Her story is not just about career change; it’s about courageous reinvention, radical honesty, and building a new kind of professional ecosystem that blends personal healing with purpose-driven growth.
“I had all the markers of success; early promotions, top-tier deals, a fast-track career at one of India’s leading law firms,” Vasudhaa shares. “But deep down, I felt completely disconnected. The more I achieved, the emptier I felt.”
That growing dissonance eventually led her to a life-altering pivot; away from the legal profession and toward building a coaching platform that speaks directly to the unspoken struggles of junior and mid-level professionals, their employers, and entrepreneurs (especially those who are, or deal with, Millennials and Gen Z). Today, Happy Turtling is a thriving coaching practice that’s transforming how professionals and entrepreneurs approach careers, self-worth, workplace wellbeing and overall emotional health. With over 400+ hours of professional coaching sessions, Vasudhaa has transformed the lives of 100+ clients across the ages of 24 to 45.
The Moment Everything Changed
For Vasudhaa, the spark for Happy Turtling wasn’t a single ‘aha!’ moment. It was a series of lived experiences that collided – painfully and powerfully.
She recalls one moment quite vividly: “I was filling out yet another appraisal form, requesting coaching, time-management and soft-skills training, even just space to process overwhelm. But nothing came of it. It seems that I wasn’t ‘senior enough’ to be invested in.”
That sense of being unheard, despite being a high performer, echoed a larger problem: most systems only support professionals after they’ve ‘made it’, without acknowledging the emotional, mental (and physical) toll it takes to get there. And it wasn’t just professional disillusionment. Vasudhaa’s twenties were also marked by personal upheaval – a broken engagement, family health and reputation crises, and a complete breakdown in her own mental health
“I hit rock bottom,” she says. “Depression, anxiety, identity loss, I had to rebuild everything from scratch at 27. It was terrifying. But it also became my greatest teacher. I realized I wasn’t the only one going through such a whirlwind of change. It was happening to almost everyone around my generation, in some way or the other.”
From that breakdown came a breakthrough. She dove headfirst into the world of coaching, trained as an ICF globally credentialled professional coach, and became a certified advanced practitioner of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), a clinically proven emotional regulation and mindset enhancement tool. These powerful tools, backed by neuroscience and positive psychology, are what helped her heal and rebuild. And now, they are the same tools she uses to catalyze transformation with clients across the globe.
Happy Turtling: Where Healing Meets Growth
So, what exactly is “Happy Turtling”?
At its core, it’s a holistic coaching ecosystem for young professionals and entrepreneurs navigating transitions, career shifts, leadership roles, burnout, personal life changes, identity crises, or emotional overwhelm.
“We’re not your typical coaching brand,” Vasudhaa explains. “We blend emotional healing with career clarity, to build confidence and enhance performance. Our work doesn’t just help you move forward; it helps you feel safe, seen, and strong while doing it.”
For individuals, Happy Turtling offers everything from 1:1 coaching to group programs like their signature Surf the Wave program, live EFT Tapping Circles on relevant topics, and text-based community support.
For organisations, Happy Turtling delivers emotional safety workshops, curated mindset development offerings in a group or 1:1 format on topics such as burnout, money beliefs, stress management, growth mindset, and leadership development; especially for emerging and first-time managers.
What sets them apart is their integration of EFT tapping into professional development. A tool often misunderstood or confined to wellness circles, Vasudhaa uses EFT to help clients rewire limiting beliefs, heal unresolved emotional blocks, and show up with clarity and confidence in their work and relationships.
Combining ancient wisdom and modern psychology, EFT involves tapping on specific acupressure points of the face, upper body and hands, while focusing on emotional challenges or troubling thoughts. When guided by a certified practitioner, this gentle yet effective method restores balance in your body and mind, releasing stress, anxiety, and unhelpful emotions or limiting mindsets.
“EFT works at the level of the nervous system. It’s tangible, easy to learn, and deeply effective. It offers an empowering path to building resilience and self-resourcefulness,” she says. “No one’s doing it quite the way we are—especially in the context of career growth, leadership and corporate spaces.”
Battling Stigma, Building Trust
Launching a startup built around emotional vulnerability wasn’t easy; especially in a culture that often sidelines mental health and emotional intelligence in professional settings.
“There was so much skepticism,” she admits. “I was introducing a tool no one had heard of and leaving behind a prestigious legal career. The imposter syndrome was real.”
But Vasudhaa leaned on the very tools she teaches. With EFT, mindset work, and the guidance of mentors, she kept going. Slowly, through storytelling, education, and patient relationship-building, the tide began to shift. Her workshops gained traction, client transformations spoke volumes, and one major milestone changed everything.
A Full-Circle Moment
The breakthrough came when a respected mid-sized law firm, operating across India and the UK, empanelled Happy Turtling to run an emotional wellness program for their senior team.
“For me, it was a deeply personal win,” Vasudhaa reflects. “I used to be that lawyer, quietly struggling alone. Now, I was back, not as a peer, but as a partner in transformation.”
The initiative, built around EFT and coaching, is unlike anything the legal industry has seen. And it validates what she has long believed: that emotional work isn’t a luxury. It’s a leadership skill. It proves that there is room for a new paradigm in the workplace; one where vulnerability is strength and clarity is cultivated from within.
The Road Ahead: Scaling a Movement
Looking ahead, Vasudhaa is building not just a company, but a conscious movement. “We’re creating a global ecosystem for emotionally intelligent professional development,” she shares.
Over the next five years, her vision includes:
- Partnering with progressive organizations to support talent (across all levels) with coaching, resilience training, and safe spaces for growth.
- Collaborating with academic institutions to bring inner work and emotional literacy into career planning for students.
- Scaling the Surf the Wave program globally, with localised cohorts and self-paced formats.
- Mainstreaming EFT tapping in leadership, team building, and professional growth.
“We live in a different world now,” she says. “The old success playbook doesn’t work anymore. We need new tools – ones that help us lead with authenticity, emotional literacy, and grounded self-leadership.”
Final Word: From Surviving to Self-Led Living
Vasudhaa Ahuja’s story is a reminder that sometimes, falling apart is what makes space for real alignment. Her work at Happy Turtling isn’t about surface-level quick fixes, it offers sustainable transformation. In a world that glorifies hustle, her message is refreshingly radical: “Slow down. Feel deeply. Grow intentionally. You are not broken. You are becoming.”
Connect with Vasudhaa & Happy Turtling
If you’re navigating a crossroads or simply want to show up more fully in life and work, follow Vasudhaa’s work, book a session, or join a community of conscious professionals.
- 🌐 Website: www.happyturtling.com
- 💼 LinkedIn: Vasudhaa Ahuja
- 📸 Instagram: @happyturtling
- 🧠 Learn more about EFT: Watch Video
Take the first step toward a life and career that feel right from the inside out.
