A Modern Looking Glass: Nivi Achanta, CEO of Soapbox Project Inc.

Introducing Nivi Achanta! She is the CEO and Founder of Soapbox Project, an organization dedicated to bettering our world through bite-sized actions.

What makes you feel most beautiful?

"I feel most beautiful when I spend time with my friends and when I overcome challenges, I never thought I'd be capable of. My friends energize me. I'm selective about whom I spend my time with, and I keep them close. My friends gently point out my flaws and how I can be better, but they never fail to remind me of the best parts about myself. Quality time spent with my friends makes me feel light, beautiful, and capable of anything.
I also feel this way after surmounting a particularly difficult obstacle— especially a physical one. I started taking circus classes at the beginning of 2019, and before the year ended, I can now do the splits for the first time in my life! I feel myself getting stronger and more flexible with each class, supporting myself in ways I never thought possible."

What personal achievement are you most proud of?

"I am the founder of Soapbox Project, an organization that empowers busy people to give back in a minute or less. I write blogs for Soapbox Project, curate Changeletter (its social impact newsletter), and write, edit and produce its education podcast, Get Schooled. While I build Soapbox Project, I daylight as a consultant at Accenture in San Francisco. In 2018, despite only being a year into my career, I led a disaster response initiative after California's deadliest wildfire and presented it to our CEO.
A major 2019 (and life) highlight for me has been completing a triathlon. I don't consider myself a super athletic person. I never thought I'd *ever* even consider participating in a triathlon— let alone finishing one. However, in January 2018, I got hit by a car while crossing the street in SF. The experience gave me a new lease on life and reframed how I see my physical health.
It took over six months for me to recover from the knee injury it gave me, and even longer to be comfortable with running, which I hate to begin with. But I wanted to appreciate my body, so somehow, I did it! In July, I swam, biked, and ran across the finish line, and I've never been more proud of myself."

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