A Letter from Dr. Krishna Gupta, Co-Founder of Rohit Group, on Burnouts and Tenacity
- letterstonewgrads
- Nov 17
- 4 min read
“I don’t know how to stop.” Dr. Krishna Gupta, the co-founder of Rohit Group, says as I ask her about how she broke her way through the barriers of a field where few women hold leadership roles.
On June 19, 2025, Dr. Krishna Gupta was the one of the Honorary degree recipients and the speaker of my convocation day at the University of Alberta, alongside her husband, Dr. Radhe Gupta. During her speech, she shared a few reflections that have shaped her journey. And just with the first few words of her speech, I was captivated.
“At first, it wasn’t passion that drove me– it was fear. Fear of failure, fear of letting others down and what the future might hold for our children”
For some reason, I had always thought that people start businesses because it’s something that they’re passionate about. Up until her brutally honest speech where she spoke about her fears as her driver to success.
“But over time, duty became a joy… I began to realize I could shape the world around me… So embrace your fear, transform, rise, and convert your fear into fierce.”
She then went on about the other concepts she introduced to the Rohit company during her early days such as the idea of having linen closets and an open kitchen concept in an attempt to break gender roles that the society holds on our women with one house at a time.
“Your lived experience is your strength. It helps you see what others might miss. Lead in the way that are true to you and create lasting changes”
When I heard this, I just knew I needed to talk to her … but it was frightening. I’m a new grad with no name to myself and terrified of being rejected. But I remembered her speech and remembered that fear was her driver and so I listened to her advice, and just went for it.
And to my surprise, she was more than happy to have a chat with me. And revealed to me that one of the few reasons why she wanted to introduce open kitchens was because she wanted the efforts of the housewives to be more seen and appreciated.
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Fast forward to our coffee chat, I asked her more about her journey and that’s when she expanded on why resilience and grit was needed to really break through a male-majority industry.
When I first heard her speech, I had assumed that her revolutionary ideas were easily accepted by her team. But the truth was, it was faced with so much push back.
“People didn’t like it at first. And I had to stand my ground and tell them ‘why don’t you go back home to your wife and tell her that she doesn’t need a linen closet.’ … These homes, you know, especially at those times, were ruled by women.
So I wanted to build homes that women would love to live in. But, the first time I had an open kitchen concept built, it was so hard to sell. So hard. And you know what, the first home with an open kitchen, I had to put up a wall to close it. It was tough for me but you have to know when to push and when to accept changes. But I knew.
I knew these changes were needed and I had to wait patiently and trust myself. In the later 90’s, open kitchens became more popular. So we were able to introduce it then.”
“I’m glad you didn’t stop. I really love the open kitchen concepts” I said.
“Oh. I don’t know how to stop. I worked long hours to get to where I am. But one piece of advice, Sam. You should always have your me-time because working long hours for 6 months straight really burned me out. And that’s why I’m so thankful for my daughter for bringing it up, and always telling me to ‘slow down’. She basically raised me as a mother.”
Hearing these words almost broke me into tears as I recalled my own experiences with burnouts and how my mom was always by my side, supporting me.
I hope the story of Dr. Krishna reminds us that resilience and believing in yourself are qualities that are needed to make dreams come true. But also, taking a break and putting your health first is also a priority.
Now, Dr. Krishna has fully retired from her roles in Rohit and gives back to the community through organizing events such as Rohit’s Basket of Hope, a fundraising event in support of WIN House, a non-profit dedicated to help women, non-binary individuals, and children fleeing violence in Edmonton.
Thank you Dr. Krishna for your words of wisdom and we wish you all the best in your retirement!
Dr. Gupta, thank you for sharing your insights! Your openness about fear, tenacity, and burnout genuinely stayed with me. The balance you described, pushing for change while still listening, leading with both strength and humanity, was something I needed to hear. And the way you spoke about your daughter grounding you reminded me why taking care of ourselves matters just as much as the work we do. Grateful for your insight and the impact it had on me.