What others are saying.

“The appeal of life as a founder to a certain personality is, in essence, because we love to learn, enjoy navigating ebbs and flows, and are broadly resilient and tenacious. But despite what the world sees when a founder succeeds, there are countless indignities, difficult decisions, and uncomfortable truths founders must face on the journey that only mentorship from experience and insight can fully address. 

 

Having a profoundly insightful but approachable counselor who not only empathizes but roundly understands the weight of the work you do each day is not a luxury for a founder, but a bare necessity. Alia is that type of coach: supportive but not indulgent, firm but not pushy. Just as back pain can originate in hip misalignment, so can we as founders focus on the wrong pain points that ultimately steer us off track. Alia is a master at encouraging mindfulness of your North Star — understanding what it is that a founder needs to observe to achieve their goals, and gently directing attention to the areas most in need. 

 

Having an advocate like Alia on your side is truly a secret weapon that can be the difference between early stage burnout and early stage success. When founders have one problem, there are really 11 smaller problems manifesting in that single big issue. I can’t say enough good about her holistic approach; in a fast-moving space where lightening fast coaching sessions to address “one thing” are common, it’s a privilege to work with Alia, who takes inventory of your humanity and views your startup as the intricate web of objectives it is.

 

As a non-technical founder, my considerations run the gamut, and team politics and dynamics have taken on an added layer of deliberation—and stress. Alia has helped me navigate some truly difficult situations and decisions with a skillful but effortless level of intention and warmth. Life as a tech founder has been the most thrilling yet simultaneously the most demanding undertaking of my life; I’m tremendously grateful to have the advantage of Alia as an ally and sounding board on this journey.”

— Ashleigh Marie Brown | CLAIRE Fertility, Founder | CEO

 

“As a new founder who came into running their own business relatively late in life, I struggle with all the typical things: imposter syndrome, obsessing with how to scale, worrying the business issues will never get solved. At the same time, being older often puts me in a rush, and forces me to be realistic about how much I can take on while preserving my work/life balance and my own health. I do not have the energy stores, (or necessarily the resilience) of a younger founder. Alia has helped me manage all of these competing forces within my life and always leaves me feeling more in control, more successful and better able to tackle the next phase of building my business with a more focused, but realistic approach. Alia helps you feel whole, human and like yourself again when you are at risk of being lost in the hustle and your “entrepreneur” identity.”

— Jennifer Doherty | Founder JSD Human Resources Consultancy

“Alia has been an emotional well-being lifesaver for me! She helped me make sense of two critically important yet distinct items that had come to a head at a critical juncture in our business: (1) what was best for me (emotionally, mentally, and physically), and (2) what was in the best interests of my business, and most importantly, how to reconcile those things.

Alia continually provides concrete, easy-to-apply advice on understanding my triggers, managing them to keep my EQ in check, and helping me operate from a place of self-compassion. The brain space she has helped me free up for focusing on my business and the practical, entrepreneurial advice has been invaluable. She truly understands the highs and lows of the startup world and consistently and vulnerably shares her own experiences.” 

— Andrea Bjorkman | CEO and Co-Founder of Find Your Fizz 

The art of “professionalism” demands sculpting your best talents and training according to specific requirements and forcing everything else to the background. Employers are not paying you for your personal agenda. Or so I thought. That is what makes Alia Rahman a rare find.

A conversation with Alia transpires with her listening and processing all you are saying (and even thinking). She has a subtle skill of honing in on your pain points, your passion, and your purpose even when you may not realize it.

The chemistry between us is obvious when she then aligns key aspects which best describe my life experience and my career purpose. In a noticeably brief time she acknowledges and empathizes with both personal and career pain. She recognizes my vulnerability and molds it into an enabled, focused founder I had been struggling to create. She optimizes my innate skills while also guiding me to let go of my own misperceptions, nudging me to “give yourself more credit”.

Alia provides brilliant emotional intelligence when appreciating me as a whole person--which enables me to grow while focusing on what I do best. (She also surprises me that she can skillfully address technical entrepreneur sidebars!) My self-imposed pressure seems to dissipate as we work together. I am thankful for the chemistry between the two of us.

Then-- I begin to hear of similar unique responses about working with Alia, one after another—each founder mesmerized with a new vision of how best to utilize their skills as a founder. So it seems that Alia’s “chemistry” is her remarkable talent to transform us all, individually, to be our absolute finest!

— Lindsey Hoggle, Co-Founder of Two Percent Health

“All too often our own mental image of our business and personal problems are distorted. Alia can help. She is a good listener with exceptional insights to help correct a perceived and distorted image of the problem into exceptional clarity. She can help you create a realistic image of what is needed to do to get back on track. Alia was very helpful to me, especially at the intersection of my business and personal life, when both were in direct conflict. She has provided exceptional emotional intelligence solutions to help me move forward and I would highly recommend Alia to help bring you a fresh perspective, combining great emotional intelligence with entrepreneurial insights.”

— Leo DiDomenico, PhD | CEO GiantLeap Technologies

“One of the most valuable skills any coach or mentor can have is knowing how to ask insightful questions. When I'm feeling stuck, I tend to ask myself the same questions over and over, believing that the problem will be resolved once I find the right answers. But that theory never pans out. I've come to realize that the reason I get stuck is not because the answers to the questions I'm asking myself are wrong, it's because I'm not asking the right questions, and so the answers are completely irrelevant for the resolution I’m seeking. Because of Alia's expertise in business, human behavior and emotional intelligence, she is keenly gifted in knowing how and when to ask the right questions that will inspire us to reflect differently on our situation. It's in that unique reflection where the solutions are found, and where the barriers once thought to be insurmountable, dissolve.”

— Jen Emerick | Co-Creator + Co-Founder of A Mighty Good Time

 

And more…

  • "Looking around, I feel we are living in a world where every person claims to be a "coach" or "consultant" of some sort. And most of them for the wrong motivations (to promote themselves) and without even the requisite experience. 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚 is different - she is the real deal. I remember our first session. She gave me all the time in the world to express my business roadblocks. She was present throughout the entire time, listened carefully and advised with precision and knowledge. Working with 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚 allowed me to grow an enormous amount within the last several months, and I am deeply grateful for her guidance, wisdom, and insight."

    — Julius Geis | Founder and CEO of MUA

  • “It's a pleasure to write on behalf of 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚. Without reservation, I give her my highest recommendation as a coach, listener, and guru of all things around Emotional Intelligence. 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚 is beyond eloquent, and has a way with words that few can match. She is by turns delightful, introspective, serious, funny, playful and downright cut-to-the-chase brutally honest when needed. Watch this space because here is a career and a coaching practice which is going to make a big, positive impact on the world!”

    — Geoff Evans | Founder of Ethical Tech Startup

  • "Being a founder is one of the hardest career paths one can choose for themselves. 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚 is an incredible person to have in your corner. She is a great listener with personal experience that can relate to anyone who is choosing to start a company. 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚 has helped many founders through her work hosting Office Hours (our term for coaching sessions at Startups.com), running workshops, and hosting community meetings for our women founders in the Startups.com Founder Groups. 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚 is a natural leader with high emotional intelligence and can relate to any founder on a personal and professional level. She is a joy to work with!"

    — Ashley Nager | Head of Community at Startups.com

  • “In the time I have known 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚, she’s made a significant impact on my mental health as an entrepreneur and founder. Her powerful stances in empathy and self-care reinforce the way I want to treat myself as I go on this journey of building my company. She is both no-nonsense and to the point while simultaneously compassionate and insightful. I already have her mantras bouncing around in my head, and they are doing me a world of good. 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚 understands that building a business is not all spreadsheets and goals and fine-tuning ideas (though that’s absolutely part of it). As entrepreneurs, we have to manage our minds, hearts, and spirits, or we risk depleting ourselves to the point that we cannot meet our business goals. Right off the bat, she gave me practical advice that I could work on immediately—advice that benefits my mental health and my business at the same time. I got immediate “coach vibes” from her, even before I knew she was a coach! She’s a natural, and I don’t have a doubt that she will help any entrepreneur (or person, for that matter) who connects with her.”

    — Kara Long | Founder of The Memory Collective

  • “𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚 can best be described as emotionally authentic. I absolutely admire that trait about her and she has been an inspiration to help model that for me. Throughout our conversations, she was able to create a safe space for myself and other female founders and has given us a venue to talk about real topics that we all are facing and show support for one another. I have recommended 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚 and her coaching support to many of my friends who were looking to learn how to effectively communicate using empathy, listening, and non-judgment, since I have personally felt the impact and growth from all the wisdom and care that she brings to everyone she touches.”

    — Jade Garrett | Founder of Positive Deviancy

  • “𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚'𝐬 gift is in creating a totally safe container for me to be vulnerable and also show my strength. She honed in on the key pieces I needed help with and gave me substantial language and resources - exactly what I needed. I appreciate her honest feedback. She brought both her fully human experience and reality to our time together, as well as her business expertise and experience -- a powerful combo. She listened well and so her framing of my situation and quandary were right on, making me feel understood as a founder and also that she 'got' my business -- thus the advice and resources she generously shared with me were exactly what was needed.”

    — Anonymous | Founder of Literary Startup

  • "The startup journey is both lonely and difficult. Our own human tendencies can actually get in the way of navigating the emotional rollercoaster that we find ourselves on. It is great to know some like 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚 is out there, possessing both the skills and the compassion needed to support those that have chosen to take on the task of doing difficult things for sustained periods of time. I am personally grateful for 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚'𝐬 willingness to listen, for her perspective, and for her encouragement. I would highly recommend 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚'𝐬 coaching to bring a fresh and caring perspective, combining great emotional intelligence with entrepreneurial insights."

    Sebastien DuBois | Social Entrepreneur & Co-Founder of CP Toys

  • “The first time that I spoke with 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚 was when she was still running a nanotech company, immediately I felt drawn to her and found myself captivated by her right away. There was something about her that really made me feel ‘seen’, if that makes sense. She prioritized my concerns over her own, despite it being our first informal introductory call (before she even launched a coaching practice). As a fellow Female Founder, I felt as though she empathized with what I was going through and I really benefitted from our conversations. I’ve always found my friends & family network very supportive, but I also find that no one truly understands what you are going though as a Founder until they have been there themselves. 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐚 is an extremely kind, compassionate, highly knowledgeable, and eloquent mentor and coach. She understands that becoming and being an entrepreneur is more than just the business and that the Founder (and their positive mindset), plays a crucial role in the wellbeing of the business overall.”

    — Remy Warren | Founder and CEO of MoxyPatch