Soundarya Balasubramani's Linkedin Analytics

TL;DR: Moved from India to the US for my master's. Joined Salesforce as a PM after graduating. Zero passion. Quit after 2.5 yrs. Got my O-1A extraordinary visa in 2023. I've published 2 books & run a community to help immigrants get talent visas. Now I'm writing my third book (a novel): 1000 Days of Love. 👉 For brand partnerships, email [email protected]. …. Hi :) I entered the US in 2017 for my master’s at Columbia. After graduating, I joined Salesforce as a PM — thinking it was the dream. Within a year, I knew I wanted to quit corporate life, forever. I found my calling elsewhere: in publishing books & building communities that had real-world impact. So, I self-published my first book — Admitted — during the pandemic in 2020 to help study abroad aspirants. After that, I was hooked. Now, I HAD to quit my job. Except… immigration. “You can’t just quit your job on an H-1B,” someone reminded me. So I spent 2021 researching ways to become a solopreneur. Eventually, I quit Salesforce to work at a small start-up part-time while filing for an O-1 visa. I spent 12 months and $15,000. Alas, they sent me a denial notice in May 2022. It was a harrowing experience. When it was clear I couldn’t do what I wanted in the US, I decided to move back to India. On January 2nd, 2023, I landed in India to start afresh. 7 months later: I published my second book “Unshackled.” 8 months later: I launched a community around the book to help immigrants. 9 months later: I got my O-1A visa approved within 3 days. The same visa they denied me for, in 2022. Since Aug 2023, "Unshackled" has been read by several thousand immigrants & unshackled.club has grown to 500+ lifetime members. Currently, I'm working on my third book: "1000 Days of Love", a novel inspired by real experiences. Visit 1000daysoflove.com to be an early reader <3 👉 HOW I CAN HELP - Join free weekly newsletter with 16,500+ immigrants: Get top stories, free webinar invites & latest developments. Visit go.readunshackled.com/newsletter. - Join community of 500+ ambitious immigrants: You get free profile evaluations with lawyers, free calls with past O-1/EB-1 recipients, a database of 100+ awards, a Notion tracker, & mainly a roadmap to reach your visa goal. Visit the join.unshackled.club. - Book a 1-on-1 paid consult with me: This is an expensive affair. I only recommend booking this if you want my direct help on something. Visit topmate.io/soundarya. p.s. I also love writing (published 2 full books, 10 short books, & 150+ articles), partner dancing, climbing, and singing in the shower. ✨