Dr Sadhna Upadhya is a wellness practitioner and the founder of Shunya, as well as a co-founder of Spaceholder. Her work focuses on designing and facilitating structured wellness experiences that support mental and emotional well-being through movement, breathwork and guided reflection. With a background rooted in yoga-based movement, group facilitation and practical self-reflection tools, she has spent years creating accessible and well-designed programmes for individuals and organisations seeking clarity, balance and sustainable ways to manage stress.
Midlife, however, brought a transition that reshaped her life in far more personal ways than any professional evolution. Her divorce was not a single moment of rupture, but a turning point that unfolded over time, bringing unresolved experiences from her childhood to the surface, including early abandonment and the absence of consistent support. For the first time, she found herself navigating life independently across every dimension, emotionally, financially and practically, while simultaneously reassessing her identity, her work and her sense of direction.
This period required her to build from the ground up. Structure, support systems and self-reliance were no longer abstract ideas but daily necessities. What initially felt destabilising became the beginning of a more conscious phase of life, one where she moved out of survival mode and into personal responsibility for her well-being and choices. The process was neither quick nor linear and the most difficult years stretched over time rather than resolving neatly.
Through consistent therapy and a regular yoga and movement practice, Sadhna developed emotional regulation, stability and self-trust. These practices became practical anchors, allowing her to steady her nervous system, clarify her thinking and make decisions with greater confidence. Over time, the sense of crisis softened giving way to a grounded phase focused not on repairing the past but on applying what she had learned.
One of the most significant lessons to emerge from this journey was the understanding that responsibility for her life ultimately rested with her. While support, advice and empathy from others could be valuable, no one else could fully inhabit or resolve her experience. Learning to show up for herself consistently, without waiting for reassurance or validation, became central to how she rebuilt her life. This insight strengthened her boundaries, deepened her self-trust and brought a more realistic and sustainable approach to both relationships and work.
Today, Sadhna describes her perspective as one rooted in clarity and intention rather than reaction. She no longer feels compelled to fix, prove or overextend herself, choosing instead to focus on structure, consistency and alignment with her values and capacity. Professionally, this has translated into a commitment to developing sustainable offerings, strengthening her foundations and deepening the quality of what she creates rather than expanding indiscriminately.
Looking ahead, her focus remains steady and deliberate. She is building with long-term growth in mind, prioritising work that is practical, measured and meaningful creatingwellness experiences that honour both depth and sustainability. Midlife, for her, is not about reinvention through upheaval but about refinement through awareness.
Sadhna sees Prime Midlife as a thoughtful and much-needed space for people navigating this complex stage of life with honesty and dignity. She resonates deeply with its grounded approach, one that acknowledges the realities of midlife without judgement or oversimplification while encouraging clarity, agency and forward movement. It is this balance of reflection and practicality that draws her to the community and shapes how she hopes to contribute, with intention, care and depth.
Dr Sadhna Upadhya is founder of Shunya and co-founder of Spaceholder, with a professional doctorate in healthcare management, focusing on movement, mind–body awareness and emotional wellbeing in midlife. Contact her at contact@shunyaapp.com and quote PRIMEMIDLIFE.
