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

Hi Shehnaz, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
In my initial days, while being a teenager, I thought success is about achieving a goal of reaching a point where you dream of being in your life and that’s it. But for me, while I kept advancing in my career, I realized that ‘success is really not a destination, but it is more of a journey’. Success also doesn’t mean that once you reach a certain goal or you pass an exam, or you achieve certain grades or promotions and you throw a party and look at the next chapter in your life.

But it is more so enjoying that journey with your beloved ones and maintaining that achievement throughout. I think this ‘maintaining piece’ is the hardest chapter of any book of Success and this requires a lot of persistence, consistency, dedication, and a keep going attitude irrespective of any roller coaster going on around in your background.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Well, to begin with, I have been in healthcare industry over 12 years now and it has always been my passion to serve my community and my people to alleviate their sufferings and pains in any and all possible ways I could possibly do.

What sets me apart is the combination of my education, skill sets and the experience as a clinician and a healthcare professional I have gained within the healthcare industry. To tell a bit about me, I am Complementary/ Homeopathic (Alternative) Medicine Practitioner from India practiced for about 4-5 years and further decided to advance my career. Being a merit student all throughout my career and a Gold Medalist ( (#1 statewide) during my Graduate Studies in Alternative Medicine, I was offered graduate scholarship for ‘Masters in Healthcare Administration’ from GSU (Georgia State University). I also hold few healthcare certifications like Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

My experience within Healthcare Systems includes serving within the leadership and management of Hospitals, Laboratories and Behavioral Health for over 12 years within healthcare quality/ compliance/ regulatory purview as a ‘subject matter expert’. I have participated and led many regulatory site visits, compliance audits and accreditation initiatives. My most recent experience within Universal Health Services Inc. (UHS) included clearing eight CMS/DCH on site-visits within 3.5 years related to Patient Rights, Complaints, and HIPAA.

Trust me it is never easy, but your dedication and passion is what makes you successful as you go. Having the spirits and aspirations to do something and actually take actions in that direction is really what is needed for us to get where you want. yes, like others I also faced severe trials and tribulations but yet you need to stand up for yourselves and understanding your weakness and strengths and improve as we go along the way.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would her them to all my favorite places especially the lovely beaches near and around Atlanta (if I have that time for sure) during summer. Atlanta Botanical Gardens and Georgia Aquarium are phenomenal. A bike riding or an evening walk at Atlanta Beltline. I am big on biking so. Also, on a bright and early morning a hike on Stone Mountain would be great. If time permits I would not miss going to Six Flags and White Waters. Another of my favorite spot the great ‘Swaminarayan Mandir’ and it’s carvings are worth to take a look at. Lastly the fireworks at Stone Mountain Park is lovely to end our week with.

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?
My husband Aryan Shukla, deserves it all actually. Right from taking all my rage after coming from work to helping me balance the work life balance would not have been all possible without his patience and encouragement and constant push towards achieving more and more every single day. He has been the backbone to everything that I do.

I would like to extend this to also our families on both sides here and India. A huge shout out to Shenoy family especially Mrs. Shenoy for her rock solid support ever since I stepped in my career in healthcare industry. She would never let me give up in any circumstances.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shehnaz-daredia/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.