The November 21, 2025 column defines the "great downshift" and describes Soula as an app for AI-assisted mental health coaching.
On November 21, 2025, Inc. published an opinion column by Parul Bhandari, founder of South Asian Success and CEO of CustomerXSuccess. It names Soula in one paragraph and calls it an app originally designed to support women through AI-assisted mental health coaching.
The Column Defines the Great Downshift
Bhandari calls the trend the great downshift and defines it this way:
"The great downshift is when professional women intentionally step back from leadership or upper management, opting instead for a return to individual contributor positions."
She ties the trend to burnout and says women are expected to work in places that do not support every stage of their needs. Her examples are a lack of "material leave", long working hours for those with children, and a lack of menopause support.
Soula Appears as One Example of Burnout Support
Inc. writes that a new wave of technology supports women through burnout. It describes these tools as focused on "women's holistic well-being and flexible work." Soula appears as one example:
"One example is Soula, an app originally designed to support women through AI-assisted mental health coaching."
Bhandari then describes what platforms like Soula offer:
"Platforms like Soula, while they are not direct career apps, provide women with personalized mental health tools, community support, and expert guidance on managing stress and life transitions."
When employers offer such platforms, she adds, they provide cost assistance and ease of adoption. The column gives no further detail on Soula and carries the usual Inc. note that columnists' opinions are their own.
About Soula
Soula is an app originally designed to support women through AI-assisted mental health coaching, according to Inc.
Media contact: n.miranchuk@soula.care · soula.care
Sources
- Parul Bhandari, Are Women Trading Leadership for Lifestyle? Here's What to Know About the Great Downshift, Inc., November 21, 2025.