Discover Inspiring Authors, Stories & Conversations

Smita Das Jain is an acclaimed executive and leadership coach, entrepreneur, and speaker whose work brings together storytelling, communication, leadership, and inner growth. An IIM Indore alumna and former corporate leader, she moved from the corporate world into coaching and writing, carrying with her both strategic depth and a deep sensitivity to the human journey. Over the years, she has worked with senior leaders and professionals across industries, helping them communicate with greater confidence, clarity, and impact.

She is also a 3x TEDx speaker and an award-winning author of six published books across fiction and nonfiction. Her writing is known for its emotional depth, reflective quality, and strong connection to the inner life beneath outward achievement. Her latest book, Jagannath: Stories of Faith and Devotion, is a story-led exploration of Lord Jagannath through folklore, ritual, scripture, and living tradition, rooted in Odisha’s sacred and cultural landscape.

From Smita’s Pen:

1) A Slice Of Life

'A Slice Of Life explores a whole range of relationships - romantic, family, friendship, work, and even the sort that can't fit any category. An enthralling read!'- Shraddha Sahi, Author of Anamika Khanna Falls in Love & The Case of the Counterfeit Currency. Every human wears a mask. Behind the cheerful facade lies faith, hope, trust, love, despair, confidence, insecurity, et al. Everyone has a story. A DINK couple finding Work From Home a challenge...The Couple who wasn't one...A rigid person who deviates from a lifelong habit...Two people who remain in touch for 35 years, without talking... A daughter who has sacrificed her dreams for her mother... A fictional potpourri of extraordinary narratives of ordinary people who have more to their everyday lives beneath the surface, these stories reflect myriad hues of human behaviour. From the author of the suspense thriller 'The Lost Identity' comes an anthology that touches the human heart.'The story is so well crafted that it keeps the reader intrigued from start to end, eager to know what happens next!'Review for Smita's First Book 'The Lost Identity'

Buy the book

2) A Price to Love

Do a stellar academic background, a well-paying job with ample recognition, and a loving life partner imply happiness?

Sonia is an ambitious woman working in the country’s most prominent media company. Sameep, her husband, has loved her ever since their IIM-Ahmedabad days. Her direct report, Mehul, idolises her, and her boss, Rishabh, acknowledges her intellectual prowess. But Sonia’s past interferes with the present, making her life—and the lives of those around her— lack balance. Time flies fast but leaves shadows behind.

A Price to Love is a contemporary tale showcasing the struggles of making a thriving personal life and a successful career tango in the highly competitive corporate arena… especially if you are a woman.

A romping romance with desires and addled emotions excellently brewed by Smita Das Jain.

– Sutapa Basu, Award-winning, bestselling author

Buy the book

3) Twisted Tales & Turns

What if reality was a carefully crafted illusion, and every truth you thought you knew was a mirage? Get ready to experience a roller coaster of emotions. Just when you think you have it figured out, the unexpected will leap at you from a page, leaving you stunned and breathless. A daughter waiting for her father to return from war... An artist struggling to create a masterpiece... A scientist having her own definition of a better world... A friend who loves without being loved back... A man who has eyes only for another woman on his wedding night… Twisted Tales and Turns is a captivating collection of short stories where nothing is as it seems. Are you prepared for the buried truths and shocking revelations that lurk beneath the surface?

Buy the book

4) Till Fate do us Part

When fate intervenes, can love prevail? Doctor Gaurang’s ordinary life takes an extraordinary turn when Vedika, a corporate professional burdened by life’s challenges, enters his examination room. Sparks fly as they delve into treatment options for Vedika’s daughter’s rare medical condition, awakening emotions long dormant. An unforeseen event hurls their worlds into chaos, blurring the lines between duty and desire. As Vedika’s estranged husband, Rohan, reenters the picture, the trio confront difficult choices that could either break them apart or offer a path to redemption. Join them on a heartrending journey of love, sacrifice, and the enduring strength of invisible bonds. Can love mend what destiny has broken, or will fate do them part?

Buy the book

5) Leading With Words

Great leaders aren’t just visionaries; they’re powerful communicators.

Leading With Words is your go-to guide to mastering the everyday conversations that define successful leadership. Packed with real-life insights, actionable frameworks, and ready-to-use strategies, this book offers a practical roadmap to:

● Lead effective meetings and virtual teams;

● Present and speak with authority;

● Give feedback, handle conflicts, and influence decisions;

● Communicate like a pro even if you're an introvert;

● Inspire, Influence and Drive Success as a Transformative Leader.

Whether you're leading a team, managing a crisis, presenting in meetings, or navigating difficult conversations, this book gives you the tools to communicate with clarity, confidence, and impact.

Simple, smart, and actionable, this is the ultimate communication playbook for anyone looking to lead with confidence in the modern workplace.

Buy the book

6) Jagannath - Stories of Faith & Devotion

Jagannath: Stories of Faith and Devotion brings together seventy-five powerful accounts from the traditions of Jagannath worship, one of India’s most enduring spiritual legacies.

Drawn from temple chronicles, scriptures, traditions, and oral narratives, this collection reveals a God revered by his devotees as one of their own. It moves from the earliest tribal worship in forest groves to the grandeur of the Puri temple, offering readers a layered understanding of belief, symbolism, and cultural continuity.

Here, a king is humbled and then protected; a devotee is cared for by the Lord Himself; a poet sings across boundaries; a single offering of love outweighs everything else. Across the stories, the distance between the devotee and the Divine begins to dissolve.

Whether you’re a spiritual seeker, a lover of Indian mythology, or simply drawn to the power of stories, this book invites you to see the divine in ways you never have.

Buy the book

Lata uncovers captivating tales in the mundane. Her writing weaves compelling narratives around resilient characters with charming imperfections, entwined in captivating plots. With a remarkable career spanning three decades in Journalism and behavioural training, she's a versatile talent. In her leisure moments, you'll often find Lata engrossed in reading, penning her thoughts, or doing Yoga. For a taste of her adventurous side, whisk her away to the mountains, where her spirit truly soars.

Lata does extensive work in the Leadership space. She is an internationally certified NLP trainer, trained under Dr. William Horton of the National Federation of Neuro Linguistic Programming, USA. A keen student of psychology, she is trained in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT). She is a pioneer in Emotional Intelligence-based training interventions in India, and is certified in Emotional Intelligence Competency by the Forum for Emotional Intelligence Learning and SBM NMIMS University. She does extensive work with managers, parents, and especially with women in this area. She is also a certified DISC (PPA) practitioner.

She has conducted over 3500 workshops and has trained over 75,000 people. Besides corporate workshops, Lata also delivers lectures at various educational institutes and seminars, reaching a cross-section of people right from teenagers to retired professionals. Her boundless energy finds its wellspring in her loving family: husband Sunil, son Sagar, daughter-in-law Kaushalya, and pet dog Monk.

Her literary pursuits include:

1) Incognito

Anjali's plain and staid life suddenly turns into a whirlpool when she befriends four very different individuals, leading distinct lifestyles. Slowly and steadily, they entrap Anjali into their lives. Anjali becomes the nucleus of their existence. She witnesses their lives from the ringside, and draws vicarious pleasure in their passionate love affairs. Then Anjali inadvertently becomes a mute witness to their plotting of four bizarre murders. Will Anjali be able to extricate herself from the tentacles of her four friends, or is the fabric of their relationship so intricately woven, that Anjali can only be drawn deeper into the sinister labyrinth? Incognito is a compelling psychological thriller; this hair-raising tale will keep you hooked from start to finish.

Buy the book

2) Prisoners of Secrets

A most unusual story of love. Do relationships built upon the one foundation that relationships must never be built on – secrets – really crumble? Set in South India in the 1950s, this is the story of Meera, Manuel, and Shankar – three conflicted souls each with secrets that can destroy the other. A story told in a way where you, the reader, are privy to the secrets, and made part of the conflict as you watch the story unfurl into consequences that arise when one becomes a prisoner of their secret.

Buy the book

3) Road To Abana

Road to Abana is the story of Paari and her steely determination to return to her home in Sukkur, Pakistan -- a home she was forced to abandon during the Partition of 1947. Almost two decades later, opportunity arrives when she is recruited into an arms trafficking business to deliver consignments to Karachi and Kandahar. From the deplorable refugee camp in Ulhasnagar on the outskirts of Bombay where she lives on the fringe of humanity, to the dark alleys of Karachi and the treacherous terrains of Afghanistan, Paari’s dangerous journey is wrought with hardships that constantly test her spirit and tenacity. Just when fortune begins to favour her, she stumbles upon a bitter truth and the plot to prevent her from attaining her goal. Will Paari succumb to the betrayal or will she succeed in avenging her homelessness?

Buy the book

4) Not Before You

Nikhil is 32 years old and has never sat, never stood, and never spoken.

His mother, Jaya, has dedicated her life to his care. As Jaya reaches the milestone of 60 years, she is overwhelmed with concern for Nikhil's future in the face of her own ageing.

Fearing the day she might pass away, leaving Nikhil alone and vulnerable, Jaya embarks on a courageous and desperate journey to find support and understanding from care centres and society at large. Is society truly empathetic to the needs of individuals like Nikhil? Is Jaya's unwavering commitment to her son an act of selflessness or selfishness? Amidst this emotional rollercoaster, Nikhil's estranged father and sister are forced to confront their own feelings of guilt, responsibility, and love.

Not Before You is a poignant exploration of the extraordinary love and sacrifice that parents of special-needs children demonstrate every day. It's a story of resilience, compassion, and the enduring bonds of family.

Buy the book

5) A Tale of Two Kitchens

Every recipe here is more than a meal—it is a memory, a bond, a celebration of the love that lingers long after the last bite. Two reigning queens of their kitchens, a Tamilian mother and a Sindhi mother-in-law, turned an exchange of recipes into a lifelong bond. What began with a handful of spices grew into a friendship that transcended language, culture, and geography. A Tale of Two Kitchens is not just a book of recipes—it’s a memoir of love, resilience, and the magic of food. From tangy tamarind rasam to comforting Sindhi kadhi, every dish carries a story, a memory, a moment of laughter shared between two remarkable women. As their daughter and daughter-in-law, Lata Gwalani had the privilege of inheriting both their kitchens—and blending them into her own. These pages are her tribute: a collection of flavours and stories that show how food can unite, heal, and celebrate.

Buy the book