Anushika Jain
For many of us, life seems to arrive with a ready-made set of instructions: study hard, choose the right career, secure a good job and keep moving forward. The promise is that fulfilment will follow once the milestones are in place. But what happens when we do everything we were told to do and still find ourselves unable to make sense of what we feel?
That question sits at the heart of Off Script: The Emotional Upgrade, the newly launched book by entrepreneur and author Anushika Jain. The book explores the often-unacknowledged role emotions play in shaping our choices, relationships and sense of self. Drawing on experiences from her own life, Jain invites readers to pause, examine familiar reactions and question the expectations they may have accepted without ever choosing.
The book was introduced to readers through an online launch event hosted live on Instagram, where Jain was in conversation with Asha Seth, Author & Founder of MissBookThief. The event brought together 110 attendees, all eager to hear about the ideas and experiences behind the book. Rather than opening with a conventional presentation, the conversation invited viewers to respond to everyday emotional situations: pouring your heart into a message only to receive a thumbs-up, or being left on ‘seen' by someone close. The audience's comments became part of the exchange, making the launch an interactive first encounter with the questions at the centre of Off Script. Three participants also won author-signed copies.
Jain brings the perspective of an entrepreneur who has built and led three ventures. She is the Founder and CEO of GlobalShala and Globally Recruit, and Co-Founder of V-Empower Ventures. Her professional journey informs the book's reflections on responsibility, delegation, fear and personal growth. Yet the voice of Off Script is deliberately personal. Jain is not positioning herself as someone with all the answers; she is opening up a conversation that allows readers to arrive at their own.
In the conversation that follows, Jain reflects on the experiences that shaped the book, the vulnerability involved in writing from lived experience, and why learning to recognise our emotional needs may be as important as meeting the expectations placed upon us.
What is Off Script: The Emotional Upgrade about and what inspired its title?
Off Script is about emotional intelligence and how emotions shape our choices, decisions and relationships, usually without getting any credit for it. When someone calls it a self-help book, I am careful about one thing: I did not write it to sit above readers and tell them what to do. I wrote it to ask questions they may have been avoiding, so they can find their own answers. The title comes from the script most of us grow up with. Finish your board exams, choose the best college, get a good placement, and work hard until your life is supposedly set. The book explores what happens when you begin writing your own script.
Was there a particular moment that made you decide to write the book?
There was no single incident. I am not much of a reader, so writing a book was never part of my plan. But as work, family and friendships grew, people kept asking me, "How do you know?" They asked about life, work and handling difficult situations. I often knew what to do, but I had never stopped to examine how I knew. Answering that question meant revisiting experiences I had lived through. My life became my research material. I realised that some of my most valuable lessons came from doing what felt right to me, even when others recommended something different.
Which part or chapter of the book was most challenging to write and why?
The hardest chapter was "From Victim to Victor". For a long time, going against other people's expectations brought fear with it. Would I end up alone? Would I be able to support myself? Would I end up on the streets? Before I could write that chapter, I had to admit those fears existed. That was the difficult part, and I still feel them sometimes. There is some humour in how things unfolded, though. I did end up on the streets, just the streets of Dubai, Boston, Nairobi and other cities I had never expected to visit.
Were there particular authors or books that influenced your writing?
People influenced this book more than other books did. The people who kept asking how I understood certain situations made me examine my experiences more closely. Another influence was the advice many of us hear growing up: complete this exam, reach that milestone, and everything will fall into place. I kept wondering why people with similar schooling, social environments and family values could experience such different outcomes. That question stayed with me and helped shape the book. It encouraged me to look beyond the instructions we receive and consider what we learn through living.
How did reflection and editing help you decide the manuscript was ready?
The book took a long time to write, and that time did a lot of the editing. It gave me room to return to experiences and ask what had happened, why I had reacted in a particular way, and what I understood differently later. Some chapters required me to admit things to myself before I could write them honestly. I knew the manuscript was ready when I could read it and recognise myself in it. "Silent Bankruptcy" remains one of my favourite chapters. Reading it back was a moment that stayed with me.
How has entrepreneurship influenced the way you make space for writing and personal life?
Balance was something I had to learn, and I learned it at work first. When we were a small team taking on big projects, I did everything myself because it seemed faster than explaining. That helped us move quickly, but it also meant long nights and could not continue indefinitely. Eventually, I recognised the fear underneath it: if everyone else could do what I did, what would my role become? Letting go of that fear created room for other things, including this book. I still catch myself doing tasks someone else could handle simply because they are in front of me.
What does the idea of an emotional balance mean to you?
If your bank sent an alert saying your account was overdrawn, you would start addressing it immediately. Our emotions do not send such clear notifications. I think of actions that feel true to us as deposits into an emotional balance. Every ‘ yes ' we do not mean, every comment we swallow, and every moment we appear composed while struggling inside can become a withdrawal. I want readers to begin checking that balance. Naming pain, disappointment or irritation gives us somewhere to start. We can care deeply about people while also recognising that we cannot carry everything for them.
How did you introduce the book to readers?
We just revealed Off Script through an Instagram Launch with Asha Seth , the Founder of MissBookThief and an author herself, and j ust like the title, we went off script with the launch too. Instead of a conventional launch beginning with a description of the book, we asked people about emotional situations they had already experienced such as y ou pour your heart into a message and but the friend leaves you on seen. What do you think, and how do you respond? The heartfelt comments became part of the conversation, and three participants won author-signed copies. Since then, readers have connected through Amazon reviews and messages about chapters that resonated with them.
What advice would you give aspiring writers, and is another book on the horizon?
My advice is simple: do not preach; share. I began by answering a question people kept asking me. Writing from lived experience s , including the parts we hesitate to admit, can help readers recognise themselves and reach their own understanding. As for another book, I do not know yet. I did not expect the first one either. For now, I want to appreciate what is already here.
About the Author
Anushika Jain is an entrepreneur and the author of Off Script: The Emotional Upgrade. She is the Founder and CEO of GlobalShala and Globally Recruit, and Co-Founder of V-Empower Ventures. Her writing draws on personal experiences across work, family, friendships and leadership to explore emotional awareness and independent choices.
Buy the book here: https://globalshala.com/off-script
