Nuthan Manohar, the Founder and CEO of Me Met Me, is a distinguished wellness researcher, entrepreneur, and thought leader whose journey is marked by resilience, innovation, and a deep commitment to well-being. With over 19 years of experience in behavioral science, research, and strategy, her work integrates ancient wisdom with modern science to create transformative interventions for individuals, communities, and organizations. Her path to entrepreneurship was not just a career choice but a personal mission shaped by life-changing experiences.
In 2010, Nuthan was at the peak of her corporate career as a regional manager handling Asia Pacific markets for global brands like Oreo. Despite her professional success, she found herself battling severe depression, anxiety, insomnia, and multiple stress-induced ailments, including trench mouth, a condition once common among soldiers in World War I. Traditional medical treatments provided little relief, leading her to a critical question: if stress could cause such drastic health deterioration, could the mind also heal? This curiosity fueled her transition from corporate strategy to wellness research. She immersed herself in studying neuroscience, psychology, Yoga, Ayurveda, hypnotherapy, and behavioral science, earning multiple credentials, including an MBA, an MSc in Yoga, and certifications in clinical hypnotherapy and systemic constellations.
Determined to share her discoveries with the world, she founded Me Met Me in 2013. The company focuses on creating science-backed, experiential wellness solutions that help people beat burnout, build resilience, and find happiness. What makes her approach unique is its blend of ancient healing practices with contemporary research, particularly through the use of therapeutic perfumery—a rare multisensory intervention designed to improve mental health. Her work has been widely recognized, with interventions ranging from corporate wellness programs to community impact initiatives.
One of her landmark projects, The Happiness Project, is a ten-session intervention that significantly improves quality of life and social relationships. Published in prestigious medical journals like The Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (Cambridge Press), it is currently being tested in the Netherlands for wider application. Her passion for social impact is evident in initiatives such as Anbodu Kochi, which raised INR 4 crores for flood relief and was recognized as a UNDP Global Best Practice case study, and Nirbhaya, a mind-body intervention for sexual assault survivors supported by the Women & Child Ministry of India. She has also designed programs like Njaan Supera, a self-esteem initiative for child survivors of abuse, and Hero’s Mind, an intervention for at-risk children to foster extraordinary growth.
As a two-time TEDx speaker, Nuthan has shared her insights on the science of perfumes and the role of happiness in the climate crisis. She has also worked as a consultant for organizations like LinkedIn, Discovery Channel, the Indian Navy, and premier institutions like IIM and JIPMER. Her expertise extends beyond research and social impact; she has also been a finalist on Shark Tank India Season 1, where she demonstrated her ability to scale wellness solutions innovatively. Her relocation to the Netherlands in December 2023 marked a new phase in her entrepreneurial journey. Recognizing that one in five Dutch employees experiences burnout, costing employers billions, she began developing and testing The Happiness Tour, a pioneering experiential wellness modality. This initiative, set across multiple locations in the Netherlands and soon expanding to the UK and Austria, offers five distinct tours with fifty wholesome experiences that promote well-being while giving back to the community. By integrating employee engagement, corporate social responsibility, and sustainable development goals (SDG 12, 13, 8, and 15), this initiative is set to redefine corporate wellness.
Nuthan’s entrepreneurial journey has not been without challenges. As an introverted researcher with no formal business background, she initially struggled with finance, sales, and operations. The turning point came when she joined IIM Bangalore’s NSRCEL, where she was mentored by Prof. Sunil Handa. His guidance helped her expand her work internationally and shift her mindset towards sustainable business growth. Another major milestone was her experience on Shark Tank India, which required her to overcome her fear of numbers and embrace the entrepreneurial side of her mission. Yoga and mindfulness taught her the power of pausing and reflecting, while entrepreneurship taught her to step beyond her comfort zone.
Diagnosed with Asperger’s (Autism Spectrum Disorder) in her thirties, Nuthan has leveraged her unique cognitive abilities to process complex data intuitively and design customized interventions. While this has made her a powerful problem-solver, it has also presented challenges in social interactions and business negotiations. However, her ability to integrate deep analytical thinking with emotional intelligence has become one of her greatest strengths in crafting transformative wellness solutions.
Her journey has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the Mathrubhumi Kerala Youth Icon award, the Kerala State Innovation Award, and the Paramarth Niketan Yogini Award. She has been named among Business World’s Top 6 Women in Wellness and Business Standard’s Most Influential Game Changers. Additionally, she received the Ekalavya Foundation Grant via IIM Bangalore NSRCEL and was honored at the Blindwink India Excellence Awards in 2024.
The future of Me Met Me is rooted in its commitment to blending well-being with community impact. With the ongoing development of The Happiness Tour, the upcoming launch of Kekkoo—an initiative aimed at becoming the world’s largest mental health conversation with at least 100,000 participants—and continued corporate wellness consulting in Europe, Nuthan’s vision is clear. She believes that happiness is not a luxury but a necessity and that with the right interventions, people can cultivate resilience, motivation, and deep rest in their everyday lives.
For aspiring entrepreneurs, Nuthan offers a simple yet profound piece of advice: entrepreneurship is not a sprint or even a marathon; it is akin to training for the Olympics. It requires dedication, continuous learning, and the ability to embrace both failure and growth. Her own experiences have reinforced the importance of curiosity, discipline, and passion—the three pillars that have shaped her journey. She also emphasizes the need for adaptability, the courage to pivot, and the power of surrounding oneself with intelligent and kind individuals who inspire growth.
