Meryl Sukumar is passionate about inspiring others. She was lucky to be made redundant in April 2020, because it was the subtle push she needed to create Subcinctus Consulting and serve her clients meaningfully.
Her business is intended to serve her clients, beyond ticking a box. She wants to take them on a journey to find what they truly need, beyond what they may think they want. By working collaboratively, with open communication and integrity she will show them the value in shifting their business through sustainable transformation.
Let’s shift relationships through sustainability! Accomplished sustainability expert and engineer with ten years of working on energy and sustainability projects. Refined expertise providing process and system optimisation to reduce energy, carbon, and costs. As well as strategic engagement, management, and integration of frameworks to create continuous improvements and resilience in business operations.
For more details, visit their website here.
Here we sit down with Meryl, to know a bit more about her journey as a sustainability consultant and mentor.
Q. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Meryl: There was a time in my life that I didn’t do exactly what I wanted. I knew that I wanted a career in sustainability, but the specifics were hazy. So instead I built my career as a chemical engineer, doing work in energy and process optimisation. I was earning decent money, ticking the necessary #adulting boxes, but still, there was a voice in me saying, “This isn’t it.”
Something is missing.
I jumped from one company and role to the other, hoping to fill that void, but then, it still feels the same. To be fair, my job was helping me provide for myself and my family. But sometimes, it lacked what I felt was so important in my life – PURPOSE.
Can you relate?
I am grateful for all that I had, all the opportunities, and the connections I made through my job, but the emptiness and dissatisfaction tugged at me. I remember misconstruing that as ungratefulness, and I felt guilty for wanting more. Now I realise, it’s not that I wanted more.
It’s that I wanted to DO more.
I wanted to do more than just tick the boxes in life.
Study >> Graduate >> Get a job >> Take home a paycheck >> Move up the corporate ladder >> Buy a house >> Get married >> Have kids >> Retire (And wonder what you did and where the time went).
Knowing that I wanted to pursue a life of purpose and that my heart was in sustainability, I started my own consulting firm in June 2020 and have expanded into a mentoring business since.
Now I show up in obligation EVERY DAY.
Q. How did you get started?
Meryl: There was a time in my life that I didn’t do exactly what I wanted.
I just knew that I wanted a career in sustainability, but the specifics were hazy.
So I built my career as a chemical engineer, working in energy and process optimizations.
I was earning decent money, ticking the necessary #adulting boxes, but still, there was a voice in me saying, “This isn’t it.” Something is missing. I jumped from one company and role to the other, hoping to fill that void, but then, it’s still the same.
To be fair, my job was helping me provide for myself and my family. But sometimes, it lacked what I felt was so important in my life – PURPOSE.
To be clear, I was grateful for all that I had, all the opportunities, and the connections I made through my job. But the emptiness and dissatisfaction tugged at me. I remember misconstruing that as ungratefulness, and I felt guilty for wanting more.
Now I realise, it’s not that I wanted more. It’s that I wanted to DO more. I wanted to do more than just tick the boxes in life.
Knowing that I wanted to pursue a life of purpose and that my heart was in sustainability. I would find myself thinking, wouldn’t it be cool if…
- The world would indeed become zero-waste
- More companies could adopt the circular economy model in their businesses
- I could use my technical skills as an engineer to solve environmental problems
- I could help companies to achieve their sustainability goals
- I could create a thriving and well-paying career doing what I enjoy and am good at
- I could spend more time with my family
- I could inspire people to live purposefully
- I could make a difference
This exercise helped unleash all the dreams I had in me. Sometimes, they sound ridiculous and wildly impossible at the moment. Establishing and leading a firm that helps businesses create and follow a roadmap for cost-saving sustainable operations started as a wild and silly dream. Now, I’m living that dream.
Q. What was your biggest startup challenge? What steps did you take to overcome it? What did you learn?
Meryl: The biggest challenge has been overcoming the mindset blocks of how you see yourself, value yourself and show up regardless of being scared. Since attending masterclasses joining masterminds and entrepreneur support groups or conversations, I have learnt that it isn’t about being confident but finding courage—being brave each time and showing up to do the work.
Q. What is the Most Memorable Thing You’ve Done Since you Started your Business?
Meryl: Hosting my most recent masterclass, “Kickstart Your Sustainable Career In 2022”, had an incredible turnout, and most importantly, people felt deeply connected and engaged with my message. It was profoundly moving and sparked the fuel for me to keep it going and provide more value to those wanting to firmly position in the market as a leading sustainability expert. To bring more passionate and beautiful people into this space doing this work.
Q. What is one book you recommend, and why?
Meryl: Breaking The Habit of Being You – Dr. Joe Dispenza
He marries up the science and mystic consciousness to prove the power of the mind to change who we are and become the best versions of ourselves…continuously.
I think we all naturally like to define ourselves and place our ideas in categories, and it helps us understand ourselves better. However, what confronts people is that we have infinite potential for growth and change, which ultimately means we aren’t just an (in my case): woman, mother, vegan, engineer, sustainability expert, mentor, etc.
I can be so much more or something entirely different. This means I have to be open in every moment to change, from feeling unexpectedly to someone responding differently.
In my post today for LinkedIn, I wrote my quote, see here:
I am nothing, just a reality of my current perceptions. Therefore I can be ANYTHING – Meryl Sukumar.
Q. What are your top 3 favourite online apps, tools, or resources and what do you love about them?
- Mindvalley – With meditations, masterclasses and programs to improve spiritually, emotionally and physically.
- LinkedIn – I love networking and connecting with incredible people to explore new ideas and opportunities.
- InShot – I was able to edit videos literally on my phone while on holiday to upload them to my business YouTube channel. It is incredible for video and photo editing.
Q. In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?
Meryl: With no name or title, I just want to have sparked new ways of thinking and help people shift their culture through sustainability by shifting their mindset and taking the aligned action in their organisation or their own lives and careers.
Q. In one sentence, what’s the best advice you’d give to someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?
Meryl: Never take the easiest road, but the most rewarding even when you are scared or feel you have had enough.
To keep up to date with Meryl and her journey, connect with her on LinkedIn, Subcinctus Consulting, and Meryl Sukumar.
