Today, when youths are in exodus to foreign countries for better education and opportunities, Asmita Mainali is building a platform in Nepal that serves a global audience while also creating meaningful opportunities and employment for young people within the country.
Born in Pokhara to parents who were both teachers, Asmita Mainali grew up in an environment that valued discipline, education, and hard work from an early age. She moved to Kathmandu at the age of eight, where she continued to excel both academically and personally. Known for her disciplined and hardworking nature, she was also deeply passionate about sports during her childhood and actively participated in various activities while maintaining strong academic performance. She remembers wanting to be a doctor as a kid, “I did well in academics and was assured of that dream”
But the universe had a different calling..
Mainali completed her bachelor’s degree in Social Work, during which she had the opportunity to work closely with organizations such as SOS Children’s Villages, Nepal Red Cross Society, and Nepal Cancer Relief Society. These experiences deepened her connection with people from diverse backgrounds and strengthened her interest in human emotions, behavior, and social development. She was awarded with Fr. James J. Donnelly S.J. Memorial Award for Excellence in Leadership for her leadership and involvement during her undergraduate degree.
With a long-term vision of becoming a social entrepreneur, she later pursued MBA. Around this time, a personal loss and experience with grief further shaped her understanding of emotional wellbeing and psychology, motivating her to explore the field more deeply, “it lets you understand other’s emotions as yours”. This led her to pursue a Post Graduate Diploma in Counseling Psychology, where she developed a strong interest in behavioral neuroscience. She also earned international certifications in neuroscience coaching and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) coaching.
After 2019, she began working as a counselor supporting students in identifying their strengths and career paths. During this period, she observed a clear gap in skill development, confidence building, and communication abilities among young people. This realization became the foundation for establishing her organization, Confident Steps, where she works with youths and professionals to build confidence through initiatives focused on soft skill development, mental health, communication, and leadership. Today, she continues to support individuals in understanding their emotions, behavioral patterns, and personal growth journey.
One of the most successful initiatives of Confident Steps is the Confident Speaking Club which is a global community of youths from across the world dedicated to enhancing communication and confidence. Initially, it started with just ten members from Nepal and now it has grown into an international platform managed by a team of Nepalese youths. As responsible as it feels, it’s also been exciting how hundreds of people willing to be members are recruited every month from all parts of the world.
For Mainali, communication is really vital. As someone building a career combining both psychology and communication, she knows well in dissecting the notion attached to an introvert – that not knowing how to communicate is one thing and not wanting to communicate is entirely another thing which oftentimes, people misjudge a person by their traits.
An enthusiastic student of neuroscience, she is interested in knowing how the human brain works. How can we enhance its function and what leads to impulsive behavior? While this seems a typical trait of a psychology enthusiast, she cares about it in a different way. And that way for her comes about combining psychology with communication in her everyday work lifestyle.
Mainali believes that, at times, being a woman means people may underestimate your skills, abilities, and potential. However, she has never allowed those perceptions to define her journey. Through dedication, consistency, and belief in her work, she has continued to create her own space at her own pace. Along the way, she has also found a strong and supportive community, building a team she is deeply grateful for and proud to grow with.
Mainali has also built a growing presence on social media, with more than 10,000 subscribers on
YouTube and over 15,000 followers on TikTok, where she shares content related to neuroscience, confidence, communication, and personal growth. In 2025, she was selected to be part of the World Youth Leadership Conference in Dubai. She also represented Nepal at the Best Diplomats Conference in Malaysia and has traveled to eight different countries, gaining international exposure and cross-cultural experiences. She is also a member of the Nepalese Young Entrepreneurs’ Forum. In May 2026, she attended the Young South Asian Leaders Initiative Workshop in the United States as part of her continued involvement in youth leadership and international collaboration.
Recalling on those initial days, she shares that her personal project got its space only because she knew what she wanted to do. There were days that were very low but she had different ideas to keep her going. She said, “Revenue is still difficult but the sense of making an impact is what keeps me going”.
“Now, that organization is slowly growing, I’d want it to not limit but spread its footprints everywhere possible because there’s so much to offer to the world”, she further adds.
