“Mental Health Is Not A Luxury”: Author And 'Cancer Winner' Arjun Sen | Mental Health Month Special Interview
Author and corporate leader Arjun Sen feels that mental health needs to be put in a category, which is non-negotiable.
Published : October 30, 2025 at 5:15 PM IST
When Arjun Sen was told he had just 100 days to live, it wasn’t merely a medical prognosis. It became the opening chord of an entirely new movement within his life. At age 32, his diagnosis with terminal cancer did not simply threaten his body, it threatened the narrative he had been living. In that moment, he faced the choice: to walk the easy path of despair, or to step onto the harder path of healing. Arjun chose the latter.
Prior to this reckoning, Arjun had built a successful career (marketing executive, brand-builder, thought-leader), roles in which he crafted stories for others, built structures for businesses, asserted control over outcomes. But when illness stripped away that control, he discovered something unexpected: his life’s meaning lay not in the brands he managed, but in the relationships he held... especially the one with his then-three-year-old daughter. Her question, “Papa, will you dance at my wedding?” served as both challenge and salvation.
From that moment on, Arjun’s life shifted from a race for achievement to a quest for presence. He underwent more than 20 surgeries, yet his focus was not only on surviving but on living... and on helping others do the same. He calls himself not a “survivor” but a “cancer-winner,” acknowledging that winning is less about being free of disease and more about choosing to engage fully with life. In his memoir Raising A Father, he reflected on fatherhood, on how in raising his daughter he was in fact being raised himself (into presence, responsibility, authenticity). He later told his own story in the book Unquit Forever. Abhishek Bachchan played Sen in the film adaptation, I Want To Talk. This shift of identity (from corporate executive to father-guide, from brand strategist to storyteller) is the core of the author's work.
Sen's story is especially compelling for Mental Health Month being celebrated in October. He teaches that trauma can be an entry (not into victimhood) but into awareness. Excerpts from an interview with ETV Bharat:
Q 1. In the book Unquit Forever, you share your story. Can you talk about the mental and emotional strategies that helped you find the “one reason” to keep going when faced with overwhelming challenges?
Arjun Sen: First and foremost, what I realised is I'm a human being, and humans have feelings. Humans have breaking points, and acknowledging and accepting that is very important, because truth is the most important thing in life. If you put in front of me 10 feet of deep water, and I don't know how to swim and I'm only 5' 7”, I have to accept the truth that I'm 5' 7” and cannot swim. So, I will not walk into that challenge without acknowledging it.
The second I realise I'm in any challenge, I pause; And pausing is important, because it helps us gather our thoughts. Pausing makes us collect more dots before we start connecting those dots. Pausing also gives us hope that there is at least one person somewhere on this planet who will not quit on me. And when that person comes and offers a hand, I will grab it, jump up, and give that person a hug and say “thank you”.
Another thing I've learnt is seeing myself in the future and locking it in. My nurse Nancy helped me lock into the future of Arjun, a cancer winner, not a survivor, a future author, a future philanthropist, and a future half marathoner. I fell in love with that Arjun. I wanted to hug him. I wanted to be that Arjun, and that was the drive that got me to my purpose of dancing at my daughter's wedding.
Q 2. The movie I Want To Talk was inspired by your story. How do you feel about your personal struggles and mental health journey being shared on such a public platform, and what impact do you hope it has on audiences?
AS: You know, it was not an easy decision, because I was worried about the impact the movie could have on my daughter and other people in my life. So, I went to my daughter, and got her OK. To respect everyone in my life, most of the character names were changed. For Shoojit (the film's director) to tell a story of nearly 30 years in just two hours, he tweaked some of the characters too for cinematic adjustment. I really felt that Shoojit (Sircar) told the story from his heart, and I was hoping people would connect. What I never imagined was the reaction after the movie released! People around the world are reaching out to me, sharing their impact stories.
Stories from Kolkata to nearly every part of India, to Melbourne, to Singapore, to different parts of Europe, Australia, Latin America, the US, Canada, and Mexico. There are stories of everyday people who did not give up. They found a way to celebrate their Unquit journey. I'm really glad even 11 months after the release of the movie, the Unquit stories keep flowing.
Q 3. Your book Raising A Father reveals your awakening to the importance of presence in parenting and life. How did this realization impact your mental health? What advice do you have for leaders struggling to balance personal well-being and professional demands?
AS: I don't want to give advice, because I'm not an expert. I can only share what worked, what didn't. I realised the most important thing in parenting life and relationships is to “be present”. Being present is not about being there 95%, 92%, or 80%, but 100%.
Within relationships, being 100% there is very important, because people can feel that you're not there, and there's no worse feeling than the person you care about not being fully there for you. I realised that each one of us has the same 24 hours, and sometimes for professional demands, we choose to invest more time in our professional world, but where do we get that time from? I was stealing it from my daughter, my family, my health today, and from future Arjun. I was absent from my daughter's milestones in life, and that's where I was stealing time to put more in the corporate world.
I realised life is about balance. I have not stopped working. I need money to feed myself and take care of my life, but knowing what my priority in life is, knowing that even in the middle of this conversation if the phone rings, and any of the four names (my daughter, my wife, my mom, and my mother-in-law) pop up, I will take that call. That, I think, is very, very important. To find a balance, be present, have control over time, and spend it with the wisdom of what is best for the long term.
Q 4. The metaphor of sherpas in your story is compelling. Who have been the mental and emotional sherpas in your life, and how can others cultivate such supportive relationships?
AS: Sherpa, to me, is that amazing partner in the journey who is there to help us succeed. There’s something amazing about the trait of a Sherpa. The Sherpas stay invisible. You cannot see them. When you have a picture of yourself at the top of Mount Everest, the only proof that the Sherpa was there is that they took your picture. The Sherpa is supportive. The Sherpa helps you by carrying your load. The Sherpa knows the path. The Sherpa knows that his or her #1 job is to not quit on you and make sure you don't quit.
I have an amazing number of Sherpas in my life... from my grandma, to my daughter, to my family, to my professors, the corporate world, my mentors, to Nurse Nancy, my buddy and handyman Ventura. Sometimes strangers show up, just like the black cop who shows up in the movie I Want To Talk. My only regret is that I have not taken enough time to pause and thank each one of them.
Q 5. In your work with restaurant leaders in Wow One More®, have you noticed unique mental health stressors in the hospitality industry, and what strategies have proven effective in that high-pressure environment?
AS: The hospitality industry is very unique. It’s one of those industries where the product is a service that is created or custom-created for one individual at a time. It’s not a manufacturing plant where you do not see your customer.
In a hospital, in a restaurant, in any service industry, let’s say, a hair salon, you’re interacting with one customer at a time. The customer’s emotions impact their reactions. And you go from customer to customer to customer with no chance to take time out. You cannot process your feelings. For eight to 10 hours, you are there to serve every customer, and one more. You give a little bit of yourself in every interaction. If that’s not pressure, I don’t know what pressure is.
The strategy that I always look at is a supportive team: where the manager steps up and tells the person, “I’ll take over your shift for the next 10 minutes, go enjoy a beverage, go for a little walk, breathe, come back recharged.” Genuine care or even a pat on the back, that says, “I’m watching you, you’re doing amazing, let’s finish strong,” can really help us go a long way.
Q 6. How can organisations build cultures that prioritize mental health without compromising on performance and growth?
AS: I would start by questioning the word, “compromising.” Sometimes, some things are non-negotiable. I really think mental health needs to be put in a non-negotiable category. We need to acknowledge that mental health is not a luxury. It is necessary in the same way as if I have a heart condition, and I need treatment. What we do not understand is that as the body goes through all the challenges, the mind takes a beating every day. And sometimes, that takes a toll. So, I really feel that mental health needs to be put in a category which is non-negotiable.
When my team is optimally happy, when they are at the threshold of a good mental health situation, that’s the time performance and growth will happen. Also, to sustain performance and growth over time, it’s better business sense to make sure mental health is a non-negotiable piece in this journey.
Q 7. Finally, if you were to give one piece of advice to anyone struggling with mental health challenges while trying to succeed in their career or life, what would it be?
AS: To start with, take it seriously. Find help, get help. Help doesn't have to be talking to a psychologist or going to therapy. To me, help can begin with having that best friend and talking to that best friend who does not judge you. Help can start with, as you're talking to your best friend, you listen to yourself. Be sympathetic to yourself by saying, ‘I know you’re going through a challenge. I'm so glad that you’re not giving up, but lets get some help together.’
Another piece of advice I have is there's nothing wrong with addressing mental health challenges. It should be a normal, natural instinct. It's just like if your car needs maintenance, it is not necessarily a bad car. It means you're using the car. Just like annual health checkups are important, making sure your mind is okay and getting nourishment on an ongoing basis is critical. One of the mistakes we make is that we do not care for mental health maintenance.
Only when the challenge becomes beyond our personal control or hiding, do we go and get help. But does it have to be that way? Why can't we put it on our calendar? Talk to a friend, and share. And if you find an amazing therapist you're comfortable talking to, mark your calendar. Just like I have no problem writing on my calendar that I need to see a cardiologist, a pulmonologist, or even a urologist, I should be able to add freely on my calendar that I'm seeing my therapist. It should be something I'm proud of that I'm taking care of.
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