How Mugdha Pradhan tackled her health issues and thrived

This International Women’s Day, we bring you the success story of a woman, who rose like a phoenix from the ashes. There is a difference though – unlike Phoenix she didn’t build only her life, but took the path of building the loves of others as well. Read the story of Mugdha Pradhan, CEO and Founder, iThrive, in her very own words, and, Be Inspired! 

I had hit rock bottom in my life. I was obese, depressed, had multiple other health problems and stuck in a bad marriage. I went to multiple doctors who could not help me. That’s when I took matters into my own hands and doing my own research I discovered functional nutrition and healed myself. I started healing others as well and that’s how iThrive started.

The inception of iThrive
I founded iThrive in 2019 as a result of my realisation that there was a real need for a healthcare model where a person is treated holistically while underlying causes are sought after. What I had seen firsthand was an extremely superficial, unauthentic, and unresearched paradigm. I frequently felt alone during my own healing process and fervently desired I had a companion by my side. I therefore wished to give that to the rest of the world. I created iThrive with a scientific, evidence-based approach to treat any chronic illness holistically while providing the patient with genuine care and the help of a community.

Treatment Model
The foundation of our work is functional medicine or functional nutrition. Advanced testing and root-cause analysis are used in functional nutrition to completely reverse chronic health conditions that are difficult to treat. It is an extremely evidence-based method that seeks to apply the most cutting-edge medical research to provide a high-fidelity healthcare model capable of curing difficult medical conditions. We are the leaders in the field of functional nourishment and the innovators of these services in India.
Other companies in the nutrition industry have a traditional approach, frequently following the official and trendy nutrition recommendations. The main emphasis is solely on weight reduction. We have a sizable R&D team that regularly updates our protocols in light of the most recent reviews of the medical literature, and we have successfully treated over 158 various medical conditions.

Initial investment
I was lucky that one of my community members came on board as an investor, and invested 100,000 USD in 2019 in the First Round. Through the initial fund, hiring a team and getting an office space could be done easily.

The challenges
The challenges were mainly with the procedure. The setup was extremely complicated as it was my first time starting a company. Paperwork, legality and compliance were prominent hindrances. The second problem was eventually finding nutritionists with functional nutrition training, so to address that issue, we established our own academy to educate people in this modality.
We anticipate that the hardest part will be maintaining accessibility while providing top-notch services. Given the excellent quality, our prices are high. In order to continue reaching out to more people, we must choose between the value we contribute and the price we charge.
Introducing technology is one strategy for reducing the difficulty. Make the procedure a little more convenient for everyone by using technology as a tool. So, that’s my strategy. similar to automating daily chores. Standardized messages, among other things, can improve customer convenience and enjoyment. This size issue will be resolved by the use of technology.

Word to the wise
Hold on to hope. Don’t give up on your business strategy if it is already producing value for the world and people are willing to pay for it. Instead, follow your heart. Therefore, every setback presents a chance to grow. See what went wrong and how you can fix that. Just don’t quit.

Meri Kahani, Meri Zubani