I feel incredibly lucky and grateful – I’m living the life of my dreams.

Yet I see so many people struggling to conform to other people’s ideas about how they ‘should’ live, even though the life they actually want looks completely different. As a certified Martha Beck Wayfinder coach, certified Equus Coach, and strategy consultant with over 20 years of experience in the corporate world, I’m passionate about helping people connect with their wild selves and start really living, not just existing.

I remember all too well what that struggle feels like. Although I love my life now, it’s a far cry from the life I used to live. After graduating from law school, I went straight into the high-pressure world of Big Law, where I worked with teams of attorneys to create complex structured finance products. From there, I transitioned into investment banking, and then to management consulting at a well-known global firm, in the vain hope that the next “prestigious” career I tried would be the right fit.

From the outside, my career path looked impressive – so why did I so often come home from work exhausted and crying? I refused to consider the possibility that I just wasn’t cut out for life in the corporate fast lane. Finally, a nasty lung infection (not to mention an impending nervous breakdown) convinced me I needed to take a break.  

After six glorious months in which my most strenuous decisions involved picking out library books and deciding which park I was going to walk around each day, I once again found myself looking for a job. This time, though, I had a new goal. I wanted a job where I’d be treated like a human being. A job that didn’t consume my whole existence, so I could actually have hobbies, a social life, and an adequate amount of sleep. The job I found, at a small, niche consulting firm that no one I knew had ever heard of, delivered exactly that. My old self would have been thoroughly skeptical, but the new me couldn’t care less. I finally had my life back.

Since then, I’ve gradually been moving towards a life that’s more and more aligned with who I really am. This journey of self-discovery—my own rewilding process—led me to start working remotely in 2013. Over the years, this has allowed me to work in some truly amazing places. I’ve sent emails at anchor in an Alaskan bay while a humpback whale swam circles around the boat. I’ve finalized a presentation in a Mongolian café while prepping for an eagle hunting trek in the Altai Mountains. I’ve taken a conference call while floating the Snake River in Jackson, Wyoming, where I lived for several years. Every day, I’m getting better at listening to my wild self, asking her what she wants, what she needs, and what would bring her joy.

Are you ready to create a life you love? If so, I’d love to hear from you!

xx Saadiah