About your Coach
Mehnaz Amjad ACC- Certified Life Coach, CBT Certified CBT practitioner. MBA, PMP, SHRM-SCP.
I'm Mehnaz Amjad, a Believer, and an ardent lover of Nature.
My Intention & Mission
With more than a decade of rewarding corporate experience, laced with accolades and a long list of achievements, I started to encounter failures as I slowly moved up the career ladder in the pyramid of hierarchy.
The struggle was atypical of any emerging leader who had contributed to help the organization at a personal cost to my health and self; this left me broken, unappreciated and resentful; I was burnt out both personally and professionally.
During this challenging time, my personal life was also marred by setbacks, including personal loss and declining health.
I was in desperate need of support, but not recognizing my blind spots and the tendencies holding me back cost me dearly. It took more than three years to find the guidance I needed through my coach.
I don’t want you to go through the same. As your coach, I’m here to help you avoid the mistakes I made, to learn from my experiences, and to grow into the leader you aspire to be.
Ignoring the need to learn how to navigate power dynamics and office politics can lead to significant setbacks, both personally and professionally. But with the right support, you can prevent those costly missteps and confidently move forward in your career.
From Toddler to Trailblazer: A Compassionate Journey of Growth
It was a cold, foggy morning in October 1983 when a two-and-a-half-year-old toddler first stepped into the Montessori School of Children at Tarapoorwala. Little did she know that this moment would mark the beginning of an extraordinary journey that would span two decades.
With a heart full of curiosity and a mind eager to learn, this young girl navigated the challenges and triumphs of her educational path. Through the ups and downs, she remained steadfast, driven by an unwavering determination to succeed.
Two decades later, in October 2003, she proudly walked across the stage to receive her MBA from Osmania University, a testament to her resilience and the power of perseverance. This remarkable transformation, from a curious toddler to a accomplished young professional, is a story that inspires us all.
This journey is a testament to the transformative power of education and the unwavering spirit of an individual who refused to be defined by the obstacles in her path. It is a reminder that with compassion, courage, and a steadfast commitment to growth, we can overcome any challenge and reach new heights of success.
Family Background -As someone who comes from a family of academicians, I understand the unique challenges and expectations that can come with that background. Both of my parents were professors in the faculty of Arts, and I was the first woman in my family to pursue management studies and work in a corporate setting.
Navigating the Corporate Minefield: My Journey Through Adversity navigating Power Dynamics & Office Politics
As someone who has had the privilege of working with top executive leadership, I can attest that the corporate world is a complex and often challenging landscape. On one end, I was fortunate enough to collaborate with visionary leaders, but on the other, I faced a relentless barrage of office politics, toxic bosses, favouritism, racism, and gender bias. To make matters worse, I was laid off twice despite consistently delivering exceptional performance.
This experience has taught me that success in the corporate realm is not solely determined by one's skills and abilities. Instead, it is a delicate balance of navigating the intricate web of interpersonal dynamics, power structures, and systemic biases that permeate many organizations.
I refuse to sugarcoat the reality. The corporate world can be a ruthless arena where merit and hard work are not always the deciding factors. It is a harsh truth that many aspiring professionals must confront and overcome if they hope to thrive in this environment.
However, I am not one to simply lament the challenges. I believe that by understanding the complexities of the corporate landscape, we can better equip ourselves to navigate it with resilience and determination. Through this journey, I've developed a deeper empathy and understanding of the struggles that many professionals face, particularly women as emerging leaders. It's a humbling realization that the playing field is not always level and that the path to success can be fraught with obstacles that have little to do with one's abilities.
The Turning Point : Post-Traumatic Growth
Dec 2013 was the year when I lost my uncle, his untimely demise had a deeply profound effect on my mind, and body already suffering from bouts of extreme anxiety and vertigo, in addition, I was unemployed, in debt, and frantically in search of a job, after a long hiatus, my job search landed me on the beautiful landscape of Scandinavian countries, but as the wise say, appearances are deceptive, so was the role and the job.
An extremely complicated project was delivered successfully despite all odds, but as a result, I lost my job exactly the day after its successful launch.
On a personal front, in a span of seven years, from the year 2015 to 2022, I lost significant members of our family, both from the paternal and maternal sides , respectively, including my father.
I could not fathom this complicated experience. Should I call this phase a coincidence of several unfortunate events or a grave tragedy? I think I'm still in search of a better explanation for my traumatic experiences.
The constant experience of dealing with death at such close quarters brought a transformational change in me, significantly impacting my mindset.
Amidst the search for meaning in the finality of life, I ended up learning the right way of appreciating life, the end of so many stories, and chapters taught me the very meaning of being present, finding joy in little precious moments, and a deep connection with my creator, along with life skills of acceptance, surrender, and submission.
A Mysterious Connection & Transgenerational Trauma
Even though I have never seen her, I have an uncanny resemblance to my grandmother in appearance and a few surreal experiences, especially at times when I've visited palaces and places of the bygone era, my grandmother holds her lineage from a royal family. I do not believe in rebirth but some part of my genes seems to hold a lot of trauma and unexplained connections of her still alive in me, which keep manifesting in my life on various occasions.
"Being personally affected by transgenerational trauma from both my paternal and maternal lines has profoundly shaped my expertise in assisting others in their healing journeys.
My own life has been marked by deeply ingrained trauma narratives that persist in the present, and my extensive work over the years to break these patterns and achieve healing has provided invaluable insights and a unique perspective to guide and support others on their path to recovery.
Entrepreneur turned into a Caregiver
After having lost my job despite my best performances, I finally, decided to stop wasting my efforts and energy on people and organizations that no longer serve me and bid goodbye to the corporate world, with a firm determination to contribute from the expertise, accumulated through my work experience, and thus established Guide and Advice, in Sept 2017.
While I was still buried deep in the completion of my Life Coaching certification from ICF, my father suffered his first heart attack; due to his poor health, he had to quit his job, which left him more depressed, lonely, and completely sick of his own dependent life, as his caregiver, with my coaching business in its nascent stage, I suddenly found myself into a world of extreme overwhelm, hardship with the responsibilities beyond my capacity to bear.
After four years in the coaching business, my father's passing on May 12, 2021, bestowed upon me a legacy of resilience and a profound comprehension of the complexities of the human mind, emotions, grief, and trauma.
This experience provided me with first-hand knowledge of effectively navigating these challenges.
My Clients
In the most challenging phase of life, my clients reposed trust in me. They not only enrolled for my coaching but gave me permission and access to the most sacred areas of their lives, allowing me to partake in the transformational journies that I undertook with so many of them.
Present day & Counting
The power of coaching is quite underestimated, and only a few are aware that (the support) sought through coaching can empower you in unimaginable ways. When I choose to invest in my coach, I stand both as a witness and an expert in reaping its benefits!
If I can, then you can too!