Rosy Datt’s life trajectory could have ended in tragedy. Molested by her uncle from age 11 to 18, trapped in two arranged marriages spanning decades, and physically abused by her parents—she instead transformed these profound wounds into a healing mission that spans continents.
“Most people with what you have gone through would have become alcoholics, drug addicts, killed themselves, or killed somebody else,” her therapist once told her. Yet Rosy chose a different path—one that led to creating the Shakti Project in India, where she helps women trapped in abusive situations discover independence and self-worth through artistic expression.
The key turning point came through movement and conscious dance, which allowed Rosy to reconnect with herself after years of disconnection. This inner awakening enabled her to find her “no”—a boundary she established first by locking her bedroom door against her husband, and later by refusing to continue living a “mediocre life” because “that’s as good as it gets.”
What makes Rosy’s story particularly remarkable is her journey toward forgiveness. Despite the brutal treatment she received from her parents, she cared for both until their deaths, finding healing in that process. “I thought they were mean parents,” she reflects, “As I grew I felt they did the best that they could with the knowledge that they had.” This compassion became the foundation for her life’s work.
Today, Rosy dedicates 30% of her income to projects in India, including a blind children’s school where 67% have recovered vision. Her therapeutic approach is intentionally culturally responsive—filling gaps she experienced as a patient when Western therapists didn’t understand concepts like arranged marriage or cultural shame.
The dragon Rosy needed to slay was the constant message that as a woman, she wasn’t enough. Now described by those she’s helped as “five feet everything” rather than her self-description of “five feet nothing,” she embodies the transformation from survivor to thriver. Through her story, we witness how suffering, when met with compassion, can become the springboard for profound healing—not just for ourselves, but for countless others.
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Presenter
Malcolm Stern has worked as a group and individual psychotherapist for more than 30 years. He was a co-founder of Alternatives at St James’s Church in London and runs groups internationally.
He is the author of Falling in Love / Staying in Love (Piatkus 2004) and Slay Your Dragons with Compassion ( Watkins 2020). He co-presented Channel 4’s relationship series, ‘Made for Each Other’ in 2003 and 2004 and sailed on the ‘Rainbow Warrior’ with Greenpeace in the 1980s. The book he is currently writing is an exploration of the shadow and its necessity in our evolutionary development.
Malcolm Stern in conversation with guests overcoming & thriving through adversity.
