Hello! My name is Husna and I am a Mindset Life Coach and CBT Practitioner, founder of Refine Your Mind, a Life Coaching practice focused on motivating women to rise above adversities, build self-awareness & transform their limiting beliefs into success through a positive mindset.
Life coaching is my true passion. Having experienced a number of challenges growing up myself, I am all too familiar with the effects of being ‘stuck’ in life can have on your mental health. I told myself early on in this journey, even if I can help just one person through coaching, by empowering them to turn their life around for the better and achieve happiness then I’ve served my purpose as a Life Coach to help other people.
Tell us about yourself
Born and brought up in London, growing up was tough, not because it was in London, but because I had no idea who I was or what I wanted to do in life. Everyone around me seemed to have their lives all mapped out, aware of which direction they were heading in and working towards. I had no idea and found myself ‘going with the flow’ wherever life took me. To add to this I was a quiet middle child, lacking in confidence and self-belief and struggled to socialise going up. After graduating, I ended up working in a number of corporate jobs in London and moved on to work for a ‘Big 4’ Consulting firm. But still, felt unfulfilled. This feeling intensified within me over the years, until about two years ago I decided I couldn’t go on with my life as it was and it was time to make a change.
I was stuck in a dead-end corporate job with a highly affluent Consulting firm, commuting on the train daily in and out of Central London, exhausted mentally and physically from the daily grind. It was all having a negative effect on my mental health. I felt I had no chance of moving away from this soul-destroying routine I had created. I began experiencing mental health issues such as high anxiety, feelings of being trapped, low self-esteem, fear of life and panic attacks whenever I would travel on the train to work, as my sense of danger and threat was also heightened with London constantly being on a high threat alert.
With no progression on the horizon and feeling totally detached at work, I just knew I couldn’t cope much longer with the agonising train travel and it had to stop. I went through months if not years of feeling mentally stuck where I was and as an introvert, I never felt I could do anything about it. I underwent Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and saw a big difference in my outlook which then inspired me to train as a CBT practitioner to help others. I had reached that point where I realised I was capable of more, worth more, deserved more and I could achieve more in life. This is the point where I made an intentional plea to take action towards change, or I knew I would regret it forever.
I soon realised the only person with the power to change my life, was me. I had two options; either carry on as I was – unhappy, or make a change and see what happens. By all means, I could have found another job in London and made a change that way, but I was after something bigger, something better, something to challenge me as a person to make me grow, and take me out of my comfort zone, to build my confidence and self-belief. So, I took the bold decision to hand in my notice and quit my job, leave my friends and family in London and move to Dubai in search of a happier life – A decision I didn’t regret making.
I have finally, got to a point in my life where I have found direction and fulfilment in the form of Life Coaching. I love what I do and look back at my adversities as blessings to get to where I am today. It gave me the power to identify my strengths and weaknesses and who I am today as a person. As a result of my life-changing move, I have not only grown as a person by developing my self-esteem, confidence, courage and self-belief but I also grown professionally in terms of finding a job in a new country, making new friends, setting myself up in a new life and then starting my own Life Coaching business.
Having accomplished greater inner self-awareness and such a huge transformation in my life, I am now enthusiastic to coach others and inspire them to make changes in their lives to live a more happier and fulfilling life. I am proof that transformation is possible as a result of my own journey and it can be possible for you too.
What led you to be a mindset life coach?
My strong desire to be a mindset life coach, stems from my own transformation journey. From a timid, lost, insecure girl, suffering from a lack of confidence, negativity, anxiety, depression and fear, I have transformed myself into a strong, purpose-driven confident, woman who is aware of herself and faces challenges head on to learn from. The key to my successful transformation, was training my mindset to focus on the positives and learn from the negatives. A system which stemmed from my Cognitive Behavioural Therapy sessions back in London and my own efforts in training my mindset to change the way I was thinking. I found the experience so profound and it amazed me how much a mind shift can cause such a positive impact to my life and me as a person. Over time I was able to adopt a positive mindset and started using more positive words, which then created a positive life for me. A process I like to call ‘mind refinement’, which gave way to naming my coaching practice, Refine Your Mind.
Training your mind to think positively through building confidence, self-esteem, overcoming setbacks and really getting to know yourself from the inside out changed my life. I want to use my powerful experience in shifting my mindset to a ‘can do’ attitude to help other women to achieve their happiness and dreams. This is what led me to be a mindset coach.
What is mindset life coaching and how does it help?
Mindset life coaching is the process of adopting a positive mindset to bring about positive change in your life. I empower my clients to transform their negative beliefs into positive actions. Taking aspects from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and my own life experiences, I look to build my client’s self-confidence, positivity and self esteem to empower them to realise their true worth and potential. I believe everyone has the ability to change their life, the only thing that has to be strong is the intention and desire to make that change happen. It comes from a deeper, intuitive place, which can’t be ignored. I believe aligning your goals with your innate desires is the key to contentment. Mindset life coaching helps you adopt a positive mindset by being your biggest cheerleader rather than your biggest enemy to be able to overcome limiting beliefs, realise your value, achieve your goals. The way in which to do this is the journey I take my clients on in our coaching sessions.
How do you motivate people to build a positive mindset during these challenging times?
Building a positive mindset takes time and dedication. That’s why I think it’s crucial to wantto make an intentional change, for the dedication to be present. A lot of the times people identify they’d like to change something but they don’t take action. That is because their intention and desire isn’t strong enough. Granted they may not know how to make a change and procrastination can set in due to a lack of clarity, but that shouldn’t stop them in striving to work towards change, however small the progress may be. During recent times, we have all, one way or another been affected by recent events. I look to motivate people by encouraging them to turn the last few months into a positive outcome. Yes, we have been through a lockdown, spent more time at home, discovered new things about ourselves and new skills we never knew we had. All that time for reflection has certainly made people think about their situations and their lives. I encourage people to try and make a change, however big or small to motivate themselves towards what they’ve identified as the thing/s that make them happy over the last few months. It is so important to incorporate aspects of what we love doing into our daily lives and I coach my clients to find ways in which they can do just this. Adopting a positive mindset is again the most important way to get through challenging times. Staying at home has kept you safe and kept your loved ones safe and by Identifying how you’ve grown, been affected or changed post lockdown can be a key factor to build on and a basis to re-invent yourself.
What are the keys points in turning negative beliefs into empowering beliefs?
Negative beliefs don’t serve us. They usually stem from childhood or a traumatic event and identifying this is the first step in turning negative beliefs into empowering ones. I take my clients through a journey to explore their dominant negative thoughts and understand why they are beating themselves up so much mentally. We then look to find achievements that cancel out their negative thoughts to read over daily and train the brain to tell you whenever you find yourself thinking negatively. This process does take time, but it is so powerful. I personally felt such a difference with my self-confidence when I had the same exercise applied to me in my CBT sessions a few years ago.
What keeps you going? What is your motivation?
My motivation to keep going comes from looking back at how far I’ve come along my journey. Evolving from an uncertain, afraid and reluctant person to who I am today, has given me the drive to continually grow as a person. Having experienced life in a dark and lonely place previously, I know I never want to go back there. Through my life coaching practice I find fulfillment in helping others rise above their limitations to realise their true potential. That feeling I get from a client expressing gratitude in thanking me for empowering them to make a change, far outweighs any other feeling. I feel a sense of great fulfilment and helping others find their happiness, is ultimately the motivation that keeps me going.
What advice can you share for someone going through fear and anxiety during this global change?
Times are really tough right now and I think we all acknowledge that. It’s ok to feel heightened feelings of fear and anxiety and I really feel for those who are experiencing these feelings right now, because I know exactly how it feels. Please be aware that situation will improve and things will be just fine, it will all work out. In the meantime, it would help to write out exactly what is causing you anxiety to identify any patterns or areas for concern to address. Once you write down and see the reasons on paper, you can start to find solutions faster. In terms of fear, I would try and encourage them to also journal what is the core fear affecting them. Right now, many are feeling anxious about being ‘stuck’ in the same place with no end in sight. We can’t plan for things right now, we can’t meet people we usually do, we are restricted, but it is for our own safety for the time being. Try to switch your fears and anxieties into positive actions to undertake when the situation improves. Additionally, meditation or praying really helps to calm the mind and refrain your thoughts. Start your day with 10 mins of meditation and positive thoughts and you will see a difference.
What is your favorite quote?
“The wound is the place where the light enters you” – Rumi
This quote denotes my philosophy in life of turning pain into purpose and always looking for the good in enduring adversities.
Share with us your 6 top life tips
Seek knowledge, not results
Turn pain into purpose
Be grateful & do good for others
Live authentically
Take rejection as redirection
Strive to improve yourself continuously
“Sending you love, Life Coach Husna”
