“When I first met Atif in New York, I’d been unemployed for over 18 months having been let go in a re-org. I had interviewed with dozens of companies but had not received a single offer. It was the lowest point of my life. On the recommendation of a friend, a former client of Atif’s, I reached out to him not knowing how he could help when career coaches had not been able to.

Atif listened to me talk through my recent past, and was both compassionate and direct. He told me that no amount of resume editing or case prep could help, unless I showed up as my ‘best self’ in the interviews. If things weren’t working out for someone with my credentials and experience, it might be because I was focusing on the ‘oughts and shoulds’ as opposed to what I actually had passion for. That inauthenticity would be apparent to any interviewer.

Working with Atif, I discovered my long term vision of running a tech start-up in the next 10 years and to support that with a goal of transitioning to the tech sector. Atif designed a custom program to coach me through the networking and job application process, while concurrently helping me address my confidence and self-belief. That’s what I appreciate most about partnering with Atif: he helped me achieve my short term goal of being gainfully employed while aligning me long term on a career path that inspires me and is a great fit for my strengths. I highly recommend Atif. His coaching has truly changed my life.
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“After a tumultuous 50 odd years, I settled into a life where I had given up on myself and my own happiness. I had reconciled myself into being useful to those who I thought depended on me, out of an almost sacred belief of fulfilling my responsibility towards them, irrespective of its cost to me. ‘So be it’ was my mantra.

Atif, understood the story I was living and with the utmost sensitivity, helped me see that there has to be more to my life than just my responsibilities and helped me figure out what could be a route to my happiness.

Atif’s ability to listen is exceptionally acute as he, during our conversations, heard my feelings, not just my words. Through his amazing listening skills, and intuition, he was able to have me start the journey of discovering personal happiness

I am ever so grateful to him for this...it is a new journey on which I have embarked, with more than one purpose to live.”

“Never stop dreaming! I don’t know when that happened to me. Perhaps after my kids were born. Somewhere along the way, I lost sight of what I wanted out of life and got bogged down in responsibilities. Unbeknownst to me, dreams were replaced with goals. I kept getting more and more focused on the short term: the kids, my consulting projects. By every traditional yardstick, I should have been happy. Whenever I went back to Asia, I’d see the envy in my college friends. Successful husband. Kids with academic and extracurricular achievements. Well-paying job. In their eyes, I had it all. My parents missed no opportunity to remind me of how much I had to be grateful for.

I felt lighter just sharing that guilt in a coaching session with Atif. He did not say, “I wish I had your problems”, as a friend once had. He just listened to me patiently, allowing me the space to voice what the heart ached for. My own identity. Maybe not ‘famous’, but at least valued for who I was, and not reflected glory. Together Atif and I explored the threads of my life on what my vocation could be. Initially, I started writing on weekends after taking a few classes. But, while it engaged my creativity, the excitement wore off eventually. Even though the coaching engagement had ended, I went back to Atif to review a few ideas I had found promising earlier on, and explored my motivations with him. Six months later, I left my consulting job to start a specialty online retail business. I don’t know if that’s my calling, or if there is such a thing, personally. What matters to me is that I now I have a sense of being my own person. I can point to something and proudly say: I did this. I’m glad that I gave myself permission to do so, and for that I’m thankful to Atif. ”

“Atif was the 2nd coach I’d hired to help me think through my life. I knew by the third session that I’d made the right choice. I felt he understood in depth who I was and really got me, unlike my previous coach. When Atif shared with me an image of my personal myth, it so deeply resonated with me that I laughed for a whole minute, at the silliness with which I was getting in my own way. That moment stands out for me as a measure of Atif’s ability to deliver tough feedback in a way that is completely disarming.

I engaged Atif as I was going through a mid-life crisis, having changed 4 jobs in the past six years. Nothing seemed to appeal to me. This was weighing me down as I’d hoped doing an MBA (at age 35) would finally be my ticket to a successful and appealing career. I’d even taken up an assignment in Hong Kong for a couple of years, but all that did was to disconnect me from my friends here who got busier with parenting responsibilities. Atif saw that my energies were being dissipated by my hectic calendar. I had a demanding day job, volunteered many nights a week, and worked on my graphic novel in the evenings. My busyness was starting to impact my marriage as well. Atif encouraged me to find a way to integrate my desire for both contribution and creativity, while balancing my responsibilities as a husband and father.

After we brainstormed possible career options, I applied for ‘corporate storyteller’ jobs and received an attractive offer within months. While I’m still working on my graphic novel, the urgency to complete it no longer weighs on me as I feel more fulfilled at work. I also appreciate that Atif engaged me in exercises that have helped me become conscious of how I allocate time between my different roles, and which priority roles deserve more attention. I didn’t expect it upfront when I signed on for the coaching, but the freedom to discuss relationship concerns was also a source of great relief to me. I recommend Atif wholeheartedly.
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“Early on in our coaching engagement, Atif asked me whether I enjoyed reading. Upon my affirmative response, he asked me to read Albert Camus’ short story, “The Guest”. I gladly took him up on that as I felt guilty at not having done the practices I had committed to while reviewing the coaching program. When I met him next, I told Atif that the book was one of the most frustrating reading experiences for me, and I still had no idea why he’d asked me to read it!

I learned later that Atif wanted to show me a blind spot that affected my mindset and approach to life. The story is of a man who wishes to avoid all responsibility and be free from the consequences of a life-changing decision. Atif wanted me to reflect that we are all frequently confronted with the choice to stay with the familiar, predictable, and safe, and - even if it confines us to the miserable – we prefer it to the uncertainty of the unknown. The act of not taking a decision, is in itself a decision. That was an Aha moment for me.

I realized then that I could let go of beliefs and routines I had gotten comfortable with. That insight was the starting point of making changes in my life that resulted in my moving to a different city to take up a job within finance that was more suited to my interests and passions than my existing banking job in New York. Making the shift required courage and perseverance over the 12 months it took me to make the move. One of the key benefits of the coaching engagement was that I felt supported while confronting my fears. I might have quit when things weren’t working out but I persisted, confident that it was the right direction and decision for me. It was the work I did on myself during the coaching that helped me stay focused on what I was striving for.
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