Burnout Guide Interview

Headshots of Limited Term Employees.Terms of Use: Our images are freely and publicly available for use with the credit line, \”Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory\”; Please use provided caption information for use in appropriate context.

We live in an ultra-competitive world that defines success through a very narrow lens that shapes how we pursue our careers !

Malini Ghosal, our next pathbreaker, run her own business as a coach, guide, and consultant, focusing on burnout recovery and nervous system healing.

Malini talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about moving from a structured, thriving and well-defined career in renewables research to an entirely new, uncharted path in somatic healing.

For students, for most of our lives, we frame our accomplishments through external achievements—degrees, projects, accolades. But, you must never stop having fun while you build your career.

Malini, can you share your background with our young readers?

I grew up in the outskirts of Siliguri, in a university town nestled in the foothills of Darjeeling. It was a beautiful place – untouched nature, lush valleys, and the majestic Kanchenjunga in the backdrop.

Growing up on a university campus meant being immersed in both academia and nature, alongside a strong emphasis on extracurriculars. My father was a physics professor, and my mother taught elementary school science.

I did well in school but was never a topper—something I now recognize as the result of undiagnosed ADHD and a related learning disability.

I struggled with speed, often unable to finish syllabi, yet when something fascinated me, I’d dive deep and truly understand it.

Following their values, my parents sent my brother and me to a although reputed, Bengali-medium school, despite opposition from relatives and some neighbors. To this day, I’m deeply grateful for that decision.

Extracurriculars were a big deal in our family—I trained in Bharatanatyam, Hindustani classical vocal music from ages 7 to 16.

While I often dreaded the routine, I adored the art forms and cherish the appreciation they instilled in me.

From 8th grade onward, I became self-motivated and fell in love with studying.

Power outages were frequent and my brother and I would spend hours marveling the sky and stars, listening to AM radio frequencies from distant countries.

What did you do for graduation/post graduation?

When it came time to choose a college major, I was torn between physics—to understand the universe’s mysteries—and computer science, which I loved for its step-by-step logic. For example, I got my first taste of building something when I coded a Wordle-like game in BASIC at 15 when our school just introduced a subject on computer. It felt very satisfying.

My uncle, an electrical engineering professor (clearly not the most unbiased advisor, lol), suggested electrical engineering as a middle ground.

So, I went for it at Jalpaiguri Govt Engineering College, a decently reputed college in our state near my hometown.

But if I’m honest, Electrical Engineering never felt like a middle ground. I wasn’t discovering the universe’s secrets, nor was I getting the satisfaction of coding and building things – (unfortunately, hardware just wasn’t my thing).

The only subjects I truly enjoyed were microprocessors and digital electronics—anything that involved structured, logical problem-solving.

Engineering physics, on the other hand, was a letdown. A 20-page summary of classical mechanics? Introducing Lagrangian and Hamiltonian like a casual afterthought, then jumping straight into quantum physics? Really?? It felt rushed and uninspiring. And I didn’t understand most of it.

I graduated in 2010, right in the aftermath of the 2008 recession. Jobs were scarce, but most people still got placed. I landed two offers—one at McNally Bharat Engineering Ltd. (MBE), a growing core engineering firm, and another at TCS.

To be honest, I was briefly tempted by TCS because of my love for coding, but I ultimately chose MBE, since I started appreciating some advanced core engineering topics.

I gave it one more chance—and to my surprise, I loved my time there, working on designing electrical distribution systems inside power plants under a great mentor.

What were some of the key influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional, and unusual career ?

My first real career was at Pacific Northwest National Lab, where I worked for almost six years.

Before that, during my time at MBE, I considered taking the GATE exam to pursue a master’s at an IIT.

But juggling a full-time job with studying was overwhelming.

I had long known that I thrived when diving deep into a single subject, but switching between topics was tough. After two months of trying, I realized cracking GATE and doing a master’s in India wasn’t for me.

What I really craved was dedicating a few years to one topic in depth—hence the pull for a PhD. But in India, a master’s was a prerequisite.

Then I discovered something funny: US universities offered direct PhD programs. On a whim, I decided to take the GRE in three months. I didn’t even have a passport or the required documents, but somehow, everything aligned miraculously.

TOEFL was another beast. Not studying in English medium put me at slight disadvantage, so I spent three months binge-watching US TV shows

It worked—I got decent scores, nothing extraordinary, but good enough.

I applied to several universities and received a few acceptances, but only one came with guaranteed funding. Three others were close but required me to self-fund the first semester. I went with the sure thing—Texas Tech University.

I loved my life and my time at Texas Tech. There were challenges, of course, but once I got past the coursework, I absolutely freaking loved diving into research and solving problems.

How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path

My PhD research focused on making power grids more aware and resilient by tracking their fast-changing behaviors using real-time data from Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) and dynamic state estimation with Kalman filtering.

I enhanced this method by creating a method to fuse data from sensors operating at different rates and slightly out of sync, improving accuracy over traditional approaches.

The premise was, more sensor data, even if they are less accurate, as long as we know their error profile, improves estimation accuracy.

Additionally, I developed techniques to safeguard this system from bad data, distinguishing stealthy false data injections – detected via subspace analysis of their subtle traces in observable states – from modeling errors, like topology mistakes, identified through Kalman decomposition’s state-space separation, ensuring precise threat detection and grid reliability.

Even though I enjoyed my PhD, imposter syndrome was real. I had no clue what opportunities I’d land after graduating.

At my second conference, a female professor on the panel approached me and genuinely praised my work. I didn’t believe her. She also encouraged me to apply for an internship at PNNL, saying my research aligned with their pioneering work. I assumed I was a nobody that they’d never consider. But her encouragement pushed me to reach out to one of the lead authors in that field—a senior researcher and principal investigator at the lab.

I kept in touch with him, eventually interviewed for a position he flagged, and though I didn’t get that role, I landed another one with an amazing mentor for the same summer. That internship at PNNL was a turning point. It boosted my confidence, helped me go all in on finishing my PhD, and made solving research problems even more rewarding.

The dry spells—procrastination, slow progress—were real. But the highs of finally cracking a problem were unmatched. Receiving two back-to-back Best Research Poster awards—one at my university and another at a conference—helped with my self-esteem a bit.

After graduation, I was offered a postdoctoral position at PNNL, and after transitioning to full-time, I stayed for a total of six years.

It was an incredible experience—working on clean power research, from EV-grid integration to renewable energy transitions in different countries and deep decarbonization challenges. The projects were fascinating, my colleagues and mentors were brilliant and kind, and I loved being part of something impactful.

Then COVID hit. And while I was among the privileged ones—no direct impact on my livelihood—something in me started to shift.

How did you get your first break?

That internship at PNNL was my first real break in my research career.

I worked on renewable time-series data to be fed into an renewable planning tool for several countries. I also did a little research surveying interarea oscillation damping control using High-Voltage DC Transmission. Although this didn’t make it into my dissertation, it gave me experience with real-world research problems, not just academic ones.

So when I came back to PNNL after my PhD, this little exposure to different kinds of work helped.

But the story doesn’t end there—because, 6 years after working as research engineer, I made a huge career shift.

A full 180-degree turn toward mental health and mindfulness.

By the end of 2022, four years into my research job, I hit burnout. Despite the early successes, dream projects, and brilliant colleagues, I crashed.

I was working on exciting research that many in my field would feel fortunate to be part of and was leading projects as a principal investigator.

I was grateful. I saw everything through the lens of “How did I get so lucky?”

But my body—my nervous system—was telling a different story. One of survival.

The truth is, I had spent years pushing through.

Healing came to me almost accidentally, through a series of profound experiences.

When I healed my nervous system, my life force came back online. The change was so profound that I knew: This had to be my next research focus.

I wanted to help others recover from burnout—not just intellectually, but at a deep, embodied level.

The turning point came when I completed a certification in mind-body healing with somatic psychotherapy. As part of the process, I reached out with my story and received interest from thirteen people worldwide to work with me long term. I worked with two clients while still in my research job, and that was enough to make my decision.

I was going to change my career.

What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?

There were challenges, of course, but interestingly, I didn’t register them as challenges at the time. Somehow, I always found myself surrounded by great people and incredible support—almost miraculously. It was as if life kept placing the right opportunities and allies in my path just when I needed them. Challenges in my new career transition:

Challenge 1: Letting Go of a “Dream Career”

Walking away from a career that was my dream career was not easy. I had navigated funding hurdles, immigration complexities, and years of dedicated effort to get there. And yet, I knew deep down that staying would come at a cost of not living my true path.

How I addressed it: I gave myself permission to grieve the loss of that “prestigious” identity. I let myself feel the weight of what I was leaving behind instead of dismissing it. And in that process, I made peace with it.

Challenge 2: Stepping into the Unknown

I was moving from a structured, well-defined career in research to an entirely new, uncharted path in somatic healing. There was no clear roadmap, no guaranteed outcomes—just a deep knowing that this work mattered.

How I addressed it: I started small. I worked with a couple of clients while still in my research role, testing the waters before making the full transition. This gave me the confidence that the work was not only in demand but deeply impactful.

Challenge 3: Shifting My Internal Narrative

For most of my life, I had framed success through external achievements—degrees, projects, accolades. Shifting into a field where success was more about being than doing challenged my deeply ingrained beliefs about worthiness.

How I addressed it: I leaned into my own nervous system healing. I allowed my body, not just my mind, to register safety in this new path. And I reminded myself that true impact isn’t measured in titles but in the lives we touch.

Where do you work now? What problems do you solve?

I now run my own business as a coach, guide, and consultant, focusing on burnout recovery and nervous system healing.

I’ve completed several trainings to support this work, including one on somatic psychotherapy from the Embody Lab and mindfulness with Eckhart Tolle.

I’m currently enrolled in a three-year Somatic Experiencing program, a leading method for healing trauma and chronic stress by addressing interrupted stress responses in the nervous system and restoring a sense of wholeness.

My typical day involves a lot of writing—getting my thoughts out into the world, which helps people find their way into my bubble.

For the remaining part, I hold 1:1 sessions, hold initial consults, continue training and refining my craft, and navigate the many moving parts of building a business.

If you had told me that people would reach out and want to work with me just through my writing on social media—even in these early stages—I wouldn’t have believed you.

But it happens. You form real connections with so-called “strangers on the internet” and have the profound privilege of holding space for their transformation.

How does your work benefit society?

I believe much of the world’s problems arise because our individual nervous systems are dysregulated and our traumas are unhealed—they unconsciously run our lives and the world. Yes- even in intellectual arenas.

They feed off each other, amplify collective “panic,” and inflict unnecessary heaviness.

Interestingly, when we restore our nervous system to its original flexibility, we bring out best work and also feel present and alive.

The little work I do is to heal the nervous system of empathic change-makers so that they can bring their most wholesome work to the world, all while enjoying the gift of life.

Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!

In my previous role, I loved many of the projects I was involved in. This one project I worked on integrating high levels of renewable energy and connecting countries in Central America—an experience that remains close to my heart.

In my current work, I’ve seen clients who were burnt out to the point of not being able to get out of the bed or stuck deep in survival mode.

After supporting their healing journeys, they’ve gone on to do incredible work while holding their mind-body at ease.

The most rewarding part?

As they heal and build back their capacity, they not only give more to their dayjob, but also reconnect with their deepest, most altruistic goals—whether it’s opening a dog sanctuary, restoring water bodies, or helping those affected by layoffs.

Facilitating this transformation is the greatest honor.

Your advice to students based on your experience?

Always have your back and watch those negative thoughts. Stretch out the tension from your body and breath from your belly. Things work out in mysterious ways. Don’t stop having fun while you build your career.

Future Plans?

My ultimate aim is to touch as many lives as possible, supporting people through their healing and transformation.

My immediate goal is to also grow my business to the point where it fully supports me financially.

In the early years, this hasn’t happened yet, nor was it my expectation.

However, I’m building momentum and am grateful to have excellent mentors guiding me – those who successfully built their service – based businesses with deep ethics and integrity.

#J-18808-Ljbffr