In this episode of Unblur the Path, Poonam Gehlot continues her inspiring career journey from nuclear engineering and systems engineering to personal growth, confidence and becoming Ms Asia Empress UK 2026.

Poonam shares how she moved through the nuclear and defence industry, dealt with self-doubt, took a career break, travelled solo, learned the power of saying no, and stepped into the pageant world.

This conversation is especially useful for students, parents, young professionals, women in STEM, and anyone exploring engineering careers, career growth, confidence building or personal development.

We discuss nuclear engineering, systems engineering, women in STEM, career breaks, burnout, solo travel, self-doubt, public speaking, pageant journey, AI in engineering, apprenticeships vs university, and what success really means.

A powerful reminder from this episode: confidence does not always come first — courage does.

Chapters:

00:00 Courage, Confidence & Self-Doubt
01:39 Welcome Back to Poonam’s Journey
02:40 From Nuclear Engineering to Systems Engineering
07:26 Desk Job vs Site Work in Nuclear Engineering
09:00 Career Break, Burnout & Finding What’s Next
14:26 The Power of Saying No in Your Career
16:45 Overcoming Self-Doubt at Work
20:12 Solo Travel, Personal Growth & Facing Fear
28:59 Why Courage Comes Before Confidence
31:36 Poonam’s Pageant Journey Begins
36:35 The Costume Round Inspired by Her Nani
39:28 Becoming Ms Asia Empress UK 2026
41:44 Work-Life Balance, Career Choices & Switching Companies
46:29 University vs Apprenticeships in Engineering
48:38 Resilience, AI & the Future of Engineering
51:06 What Success Really Means
53:03 Final Takeaway: Confidence Follows Courage

Subscribe to Unblur the Path for honest career conversations that help students, parents and professionals make informed career decisions.

[Poonam Gehlot, Ms Asia Empress UK 2026, nuclear engineer, nuclear engineering career, systems engineering, women in STEM, female engineer, defence industry career, chemical engineer, career break, burnout, self doubt, confidence building, courage over confidence, public speaking, pageant journey, South Asian women in STEM, women empowerment, career podcast, career guidance for students, Unblur the Path, Lakshmi Seth, engineering careers, STEM careers for girls, AI in engineering, apprenticeships vs university, career growth, personal development,unblurthepath, lakshmiseth]