Meet Shivani Sodawala | Tutor and Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shivani Sodawala and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shivani, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think about risks as opportunities that I can miss. Whenever I am afraid to make that leap, I try to think about what would happen if I decided not to take the risk? Will I regret it? Will I end up at the same place as yesterday and not move forward? If the answer to either of those questions is a yes, then it is a risk worth taking. Taking risks has defined my life/career path and has led me to incredible destinations, for good and for bad. If it does not work out, it was only a learning opportunity. I would still be satisfied that I tried it and I am not looking back wondering ‘What if’. I work as an engineer 7-4 and My Tutor-To-Go takes up the rest of my time. I am extremely proud of making that leap and what My Tutor-To-Go team has achieved in a short span of time.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My Tutor-To-Go is an online one-on-one tutoring website. We cater to preschool, K-12, and all the way to college students. My Tutor-To-Go is unique in its mission and vision for the online learning industry. Born during the Coronavirus pandemic, we set out to provide an affordable and accessible learning experience for all students. In the last couple of years, we have helped many students regain their confidence in themselves and excel in their challenging areas, all while not hurting their or their parent’s pockets. The vision of My Tutor-To-Go is to reduce the educational gap between the haves and have-nots, which was further amplified during the pandemic, and we have made sure not to lose sight of that. I am extremely grateful to have been connected with such passionate tutors along the way who shared my vision. While launching My Tutor-To-Go, I was surrounded by so many empowered women, including our website designer, lawyer, accountant, and marketing manager, who all contributed to the brand’s current image.
The challenges of getting here have been totally worth the reward of watching our students excel. I had to learn to make quick decisions and not fixate on them. My Plan A did not always work and I had to learn to adapt to Plan C or D. Before I could realize it, I was micromanaging everything. I had to learn to trust the capable people who I hired for the job and listen to their advice, one of the important lessons that did not come easy.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When my best friend is visiting me in Brevard County, Florida, we have a lot of ground to cover in a week’s time. Walking around and feeding the giraffes at the Brevard Zoo will be a day well spent. The Cocoa Beach and the Cocoa Pier and great places to hang out any day of the year. Taking a tour of the KSC visitor’s center and learning about our historic and future space missions is a great experience for anyone visiting the Space Coast. I will take my friend for an evening in the historic Cocoa village to try many of the breweries it has to offer. I will also most definitely set aside a day to visit my favorite Book store at the Avenues Mall in Viera, followed by a cake from Nothing but Bundt and a coffee from Bold Cup Coffee.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a lot of people who deserve credit and recognition in my story. Starting with my parents for always believing in me, even when I didn’t, and supporting me in all my life and career decisions. My family showed extreme pride in me when I was the first in my family to pursue a career in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering, not something many young women choose. Their support has always given me the strength to pursue my dreams. Once I was working full-time as an engineer and I had the idea to start my own online tutoring business to help students in need at affordable prices, I again received overwhelming support from everyone around me. My sister was already helping me workshop names for my business. My extended family, my coworkers, and my friends were all overjoyed about the idea and each contributed in their own unique way to keep me going when the going got tough. I feel really blessed for all the people in my life. When there are so many people rooting for you, stopping is not an option.
I also owe my courage in starting my own business to ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ by Robert Kiyosaki. The book inspired me to work towards achieving financial freedom. A must-read!

Website: www.mytutortogo.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mytutortogousa/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/my-tutor-to-go

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/My-Tutor-To-Go-109719184694909

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtds-dkjHQJWdAeSav-TjkA