About the practice

 

Meet Alia

I’m a lifelong problem-solver, engineer, scientist, product developer, entrepreneur, and coach. More than anything, I’m someone who derives my joy from seeing others thrive, both professionally and personally. I have navigated the ups and downs of being a founder, CEO, entrepreneur, and previously, an employee at a large corporation. I bring my lived human experience to the table and believe that we all need space to explore ideas without fear of reproach. Too many entrepreneurs and executives believe they need to scale the mountain alone, but in my opinion, that only adds to time-wasted, frustration, and decreases our chances of success. My approach is one of empathy, non-judgment, combined with absolute no-nonsense feedback. I listen to the words behind the words. I want to be the person in the arena with you, helping you get unstuck, hitting milestones in less time and with fewer headaches, while celebrating your victories, big and small. As I always say, “don’t think, just call.”

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My approach is rooted in five main principles:

  1. Total Presence - our time together is just me and you, no distractions or wandering thoughts. A seventeen-year meditation practice has led me to understand the difference between listening and simply waiting for my turn to speak. I engage in the former.

  2. Reflective listening - so often, we simply need to hear our thoughts reflected back to us in order to change them. I have honed the skill of reflecting back to others what they subconsciously know to be true in order to bring it into their awareness.

  3. Empathy - I come from a place of wanting to help without wanting to fix. I believe in the principle that human beings are to be accepted as they are rather than molded. The process of self-improvement is one of embracing simplicity while simultaneously accepting the realities of complexity. I will offer suggestions rather than advice, but leave the agency of decision-making with you so as to best empower you.

  4. Honest Feedback - As someone actually invested in your growth, I won’t stroke your ego. I create a space that is safe enough for us to be honest with one another, at the intersection of security and discomfort.

  5. Action Plan - Together we will parse through whatever difficulties you’re facing and transform them into a tangible action plan. My belief is that no problem is too big to break into smaller action items.

 

My core modi operandi are:

  1. Non-judgment

  2. Encouragement

  3. Openness

  4. Fostering vulnerability

  5. Objectivity

  6. Kindness

  7. Self-awareness

  8. Curiosity

  9. Accountability

 

Issues I often work with clients on:

  • Structuring Difficult Conversations & Conflict Management

  • Time-Budgeting, Roadmapping, & Planning

  • Setting & Achieving Realistic Goals

  • Identifying Internal Obstacles & Removing Roadblocks

  • Co-founder & interpersonal conflict

  • Public speaking/Pitch Practice

  • Idea Testing/Product-Market Fit

  • Bringing Products to Market

  • Addressing Burnout & Exhaustion

  • Work-life optimization

  • Taking a break & Preparing for parental or sick leave

  • Recovering from setbacks

  • Pivoting & Starting Over

  • Reigniting a Previous Business/Product

  • Shutting down a business

  • Women-specific experiences

  • Experiences of people of color

 

My toolkit includes:

  • Worksheets and templates for communication, decision-making, interviewing, budgeting, fundraising, preparing for difficult conversations, goal-setting, etc.

  • Meditation and breathing techniques

  • Books and podcasts that may be helpful to you along your journey.

 

I have expertise in the following domains:

  • Startups/Early Stage Companies

  • Fortune 500/Large Corporations

  • Product Development

  • Sustainability

  • Social Enterprise/benefit corporations

  • Human Rights Non-Profits

  • Air Quality/Air Pollution Control

  • Materials Engineering

  • Medtech & Pharmaceuticals

  • Environmental Engineering

  • Technical writing

  • Regulatory compliance

  • Grant-writing

  • Team-building

  • Company culture

  • Hiring

  • Communication & Messaging

 

Recent Accolades (2020-2021)

  • Startup of the Year | Business Products | GOLD GLOBEE® WINNER 

  • Best Product | To Combat and Reduce the Impact of COVID-19 | GOLD GLOBEE® WINNER 

  • Startup of the Year - Business Products Industries | GOLD STEVIE® WINNER 

  • Startup of the Year - Business Services Industries | GOLD STEVIE® WINNER

  • Startup of the Year | Technology Products | SILVER GLOBEE® WINNER 

  • Startup of the Year | Others | SILVER GLOBEE® WINNER

  • Company Innovation of the Year | SILVER GLOBEE® WINNER 

  • Best Service | To Combat and Reduce the Impact of COVID-19 | SILVER GLOBEE® WINNER 

  • Executive Hero of the Year | Effective Leadership During COVID-19 | BRONZE GLOBEE® WINNER

  • MNP Future Leaders Winner

  • FoundersBeta #1 Hottest Startup to Lookout for in 2021

  • DataTechVibe Top Companies to Watch For

 

More about me…

 

Soft Skills:

  • Passive & Guided Meditations

  • Breathing Techniques

  • Holistic approach to coaching

  • Integration of 12-step recovery principles

  • Incorporating art, journaling, creative endeavors into the entrepreneurial process

My Passions & Hobbies:

  • Long-distance road cycling

  • International Travel

  • Gourmet cooking and baking

  • Languages

  • Building Community

  • Ethical futurism

  • Medical sciences & global health

  • The rights of girls and women in the global south

  • Essay writing

Languages Spoken:

  • English

  • French

  • Spanish

  • Urdu

 

Books, People, and Ideas that have informed my practice:

 

Books:

  • Shakti Leadership by Nilima Bhat

  • A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

  • Callings by Gregg Levoy

  • Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck

  • The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

  • The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz

  • The Foundations of Mindfulness by Eric Harrison

  • Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown

  • Integral Life Practice by Ken Wilber et. al.

  • Working with Anger by Thubten Chodron

  • The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

  • The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer

  • Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

  • Ayahuasca: Soul Medicine of the Amazon Jungle by Javier Regueiro

  • Revolution from Within by Gloria Steinem

People:

  • Eckhart Tolle

  • Nilima Bhat

  • Gabor Mate

  • Brene Brown

  • Dennis McKenna

  • Ken Wilber

Ideas:

  • Concept of Non-Duality

  • Buddhist Non-Attachment

  • The Twelve Steps & Recovery Principles

  • Embracing the flow-state

  • Remaining Present

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

— Teddy Roosevelt