In 2017, Surbhi Gandhi sat in her room in front of a pile of CA prep books, torn between who she was supposed to become and who she wanted to be. She dreamed of a life built on her own terms — free, independent, and entirely her own.

Eight years on, she has rewritten that dream into reality. Today, Surbhi (26) is not only a chartered accountant, but also a content creator, yoga trainer, and founder of the wellness brand ‘Pro Firo’.

Her journey wasn’t shaped by luck — it was fuelled by grit, and by two powerful fears: that her parents might marry her off young, and that if she didn’t act, she might never claim the life she envisioned.

That fear became her fire.

Now, she isn’t just chasing her own goals; she’s inspiring thousands to believe in the power of stubborn determination. “One quote that I live by is ‘Jab ziddi hoga dil, mil hi jayegi manzil’ (When the heart is stubborn, the destination is bound to be reached),” she tells The Better India.

Born into a Marwadi family in Mumbai, surrounded by businessmen and chartered accountants, Surbhi grew up with creativity in her heart but uncertainty about her path.

“I was interested in performing arts and the creative side of things, but since I’d taken commerce and CA was considered to be the best option, I hopped onto the journey and thought of giving it a try,” she shares.

Her discipline showed early, when she cleared the first level of CA on her first attempt. But behind that calm exterior was a constant pressure to live up to expectations — her family’s, her own, and the looming fear of societal timelines.

“Surbhi is calm and introverted, but unbelievably determined; we always knew she would make us proud,” Vineet Gandhi, Surbhi’s father, tells The Better India.

For her intermediate exams, she pushed herself even harder — studying 14 hours a day and cutting off from her phone and social media. “Even as a little girl, Surbhi always had that focus, drive, and the sense of responsibility that we knew could take her to great heights,” he adds.

She cleared the intermediate too. But the final exam tested her like nothing before. Despite her promise to clear it in one go, she didn’t. The final exam brought her first real professional heartbreak, a moment when years of effort seemed to hang by a thread.

“Not clearing the attempt made me feel like a failure. More than that, the panic and pressure of thinking my dreams........

© The Better India