Jaipur Girl Who Chose Kung Fu Over Corporate Life | Akshi's Story

What happens when a Jaipur girl chooses Kung Fu over a conventional corporate career? In this episode of The Anveshak Podcast, I sit down with Akshi Bhargava, a Kung Fu & Chi Kung/Qi Gong instructor based in Jaipur, to talk about her unconventional journey from working in corporate jobs to travelling to Thailand to train in Kung Fu and eventually starting her own Kung Fu school in Jaipur. What started as a plan to train for two months turned into a much longer journey, changing the way Akshi looked at her body, mind, work and life. In this conversation, we talk about: 00:00 – Introduction: Akshi's Kung Fu journey 00:29 – What inspired her to get into Kung Fu? 01:16 – Why Thailand instead of China/Shaolin? 01:44 – Training in Thailand and the challenges of living abroad 03:34 – Convincing family and overcoming doubts 05:14 – Going to Thailand with no expectations 06:52 – What is Kung Fu really? 07:04 – Is Kung Fu about violence and fighting? 08:23 – What does "Kung Fu" actually mean? 09:18 – Kung Fu and the journey inward 09:57 – A typical day of Kung Fu training in Thailand 11:23 – What is Qigong (Chi Kung)? 12:12 – Understanding Chi and working with energy 13:15 – Qigong, self-awareness and martial arts 14:12 – How Qigong helps with modern-day problems 15:24 – Life before Kung Fu vs. life after Kung Fu 16:00 – Physical transformation and getting rid of body pain 17:25 – Confidence and changes in mindset 18:53 – The journey inward and self-reflection 20:06 – Finding purpose through Kung Fu 21:29 – How the idea of starting a Kung Fu school began 22:01 – From a 2-month plan to 15 months in Thailand 22:37 – Coming back to Jaipur and working as an English instructor 23:25 – Deciding to open her own Kung Fu school 24:49 – Why do people join Kung Fu classes? 26:59 – Different goals people have when learning Kung Fu 27:43 – Self-defence, survival and real-world situations 29:45 – The purpose of Kung Fu: getting out of a dangerous situation 30:51 – From corporate jobs to Kung Fu 31:07 – Her career journey before Thailand 32:05 – The journey to Thailand and getting the visa 32:31 – Was the transition from corporate life to Kung Fu sudden? 33:13 – No regrets: how every experience shaped her 34:25 – Message for people stuck in jobs & Gen Z 35:19 – Training corporate professionals through Qigong 36:05 – Always being a student and continuously learning 36:41 – Thinking outside the box and forming your own beliefs 37:23 – Why Kung Fu is a lifelong practice 38:01 – Akshi's message: "Just go for it" 38:49 – Book recommendation: Ikigai 40:11 – Closing & final thoughts One of the biggest takeaways from our conversation is that Kung Fu is much more than fighting. For Akshi, it became a way of working on herself, understanding her mind and body, and eventually finding a purpose she wanted to share with other people. As she says in the conversation, you are always a student, always learning and always trying to better yourself. If you have ever thought about leaving the conventional path, learning something completely different, or simply trying something you've always wanted to do, this conversation is for you. 🎙️ Guest: Akshi Bhargava 🥋 Kung Fu & Chi Kung/Qi Gong Instructor 📍 Kung Fu House, Jaipur Connect with Kung Fu House ▶️ YouTube:    / @kungfuhousejaipur   🌐 Website: [www.kungfuhouse.in](http://www.kungfuhouse.in) 📸 Instagram: @kungfuhouse07 --- If you enjoyed the conversation, like the video, subscribe to The Anveshak Podcast, and share it with someone who might find Akshi's journey inspiring. #KungFu #KungFuJaipur #KungFuHouse #AkshiBhargava #Jaipur #MartialArts #Qigong #ChiKung #SelfDefense #PersonalGrowth #SelfImprovement #WomenInMartialArts #LifeJourney #TheAnveshakPodcast