At BrilliantRead Media, it is our constant endeavour to identify and share some of the unique and compelling stories from the startup ecosystem. As part of this, we invited yet another passionate entrepreneur Uneeb Ullah Malik for an interview with BrilliantRead Media. He is an Entrepreneur, Coach, Consultant and a Trainer. Uneeb is the Founder of Soar Coaching Company. Let’s learn more about his background, his inspiring journey so far and his advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Uneeb:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
I am a Mechanical Engineer. I did it back in 2005 and like everyone, I started working in a corporate organization. Since then, I have been coaching both ‘groups’ and ‘in person’.
In 2021, I left my country and moved to Saudi Arabia. As a Life Coach, I started coaching in 2016 as a side gig and gradually growing my portfolio into Health and Fitness. The journey has been exciting, challenging but meaningful so far. I have personally scaled new highs and achieved significant growth.
To date, I hold three certifications namely Life Coach from HDI-USA, Personal Fitness Trainer – ACE USA, Level-1 Nutrition Coach – Precision Nutrition USA.
Majority of my clients are:
– Professionals working in corporates between ages 25 and 35.
– Homemakers (striving to manage their home in a clutter-free environment)
– Entrepreneurs and hobbyists with limiting beliefs.
– Busy professionals striving to remain fit and consistent in their workouts.
How did you discover your passion as a ‘Coach’?
It was the year 2015, I went through a particularly critical phase in my career. Despite my sincere efforts, I struggled with retaining my position in the middle management cadre. The work stress had been overwhelming and took a great toll on my physical and mental health.
Looking at some of the key decisions of the past, I decided to bring a few changes to my daily routine. I called it the ‘Radical Life Upgrade’.”
At that moment, I targeted 02 key areas of my life my ‘health’ and my ‘relationships’. I read books, did a lot of self-talk, disciplined myself to waking up very early in the morning, staying away from media and spending quality time with my family.
The process took almost a year. People around me noticed a significant change in me. Passionate about learning and helping the less experienced professionals in my organisation since the beginning, I started learning about coaching in general and Life Coaching in particular.
After a few months, out of curiosity, I did one-to-one session with a trainee in the organization. He wasn’t particularly sure about his career path and needed guidance. After the session, he was quite relieved and particularly appreciated the way I conducted the in-terview. He said that I was a ‘natural’ when it came to coaching and emphasized on pursuing this path.”
Since then, I have been coaching ‘groups’ and ‘in person’.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
Back in 2005, a few areas in my country were hit by a major earthquake. Since I had graduated and did not have a job, I decided to take part in the rescue operations as a volunteer.
The death and disaster that I saw during those days made a huge impact on my life and later in my work.
I have developed a strong ‘urge’ to help the people. This is what keeps me ‘traversing’ forward despite economic, physical and social challenges. Also, there are two extremely important things in my life that drive my passion for coaching. My ‘faith’ and my ‘family’.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My Parents, my wife and my siblings. My Parents, the way they brought us up and the values they gave us.
They were from a very humble background but tried their best to educate us from good institutions.
The thing that fascinates me is that despite financial challenges, they never compromised on their values of honesty, truthfulness and empathy.”
Later on, my wife, who despite of a very young age had a profound vision towards life. Her passionate effort in alleviating poverty, supporting orphans and widows and empowering skilled women in the society has been a great source of motivation for me.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
There are a few that I apply on a regular basis:
1) An optimistic mindset
2) Empathetic Listening with a positive regard towards the client
3) Learning and evolving my coaching practice keeping methods current and up to date on a regular basis
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
There are many. For me, the following are the keys that I have seen in myself, my colleagues, friends and clients:
(a) Empathy towards others (co-workers, subordinates, employees, family)
(b) Value system (for me truthfulness, humility and sincerity)
(c) Having a success mindset
(d) A Strong Faith that actions directed towards helping others will definitely have far-reaching consequences on self and others.
(e) Small consistent actions towards the achievement of a goal
(f) Eagerness to learn more.
(g) Optimism
What advice would you give to our readers?
Though, I am not in the position to advise as I still feel like I have to learn a lot. However, for the young professionals, entrepreneurs, homemakers and students, I have a few pointers:
(a) Start with “Why”. Keep asking yourself, “why do you do what you do whether it is a relationship, buying an item, selecting a profession or a course or adding a task to your bucket list.
(b) Maintain a daily “Journal” and write down your experiences, ideas and events. Never shy away from writing. Consider it as a “Hub” where everything about your life converges.
(c) Learn and adapt to the changing circumstances. Be eager to adapt to new things. Your brain has unlimited potential.
(d) Have a value system and stick to it. No matter what happens, you are driven by your beliefs.
(e) Love what you do and do what you love – simple and straightforward. Make mistakes, learn from them and keep trying.
(f) Be grateful even if they are very small things in life.
Last but not least, what is it about your journey that makes it satisfying/exciting?
In the early days of my career, the uncertainties in life made me anxious and depressed. After becoming a coach and talking to a number of people with different backgrounds, I now feel that “uncertainty” is the main reason for excitement.
Seeing the calm on the faces of satisfied clients, candid feedback from my followers of content on my social media, an achievement of a loved one – all this makes my journey exciting and compels me to help more people in leading an impactful life.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
