When I was woken at 3am to come and deliver a baby in trouble soon after I’d arrived in war-devastated South Sudan, I wasn’t sure what to do. Of course, I had to go. But I had never done this and all eyes were on the new and only doctor - me. I searched for a WHO field manual and unearthed a pair of forceps. The baby was stillborn. The mother lived.
For decades this was how I approached life - see the challenge, figure it out, solve it, take the hits. Do it again. It looked impressive from the outside. But inside, something was starting to fray. The loneliness, crushing pressure, and mind-melting ethical complexity were slowly draining the well.
In 2016, at the height of my career and having skipped my second doctorate graduation, I took a leap into the unknown. Curious about what lies beyond elite institutions and global health corridors of power. I started from scratch and created a coaching practice through real relationships, vulnerable writing, and going as deep as I could in the search for freedom. It turned out I wasn’t the only one looking.
I've asked hard questions in UN rooms, published on health inequalities and disaster risk reduction, and simplified complex science to save lives. I've also sat with CEOs when the business is collapsing and the marriage no longer works. My book The Success Trap won the UK Business Book Award in Personal Development in 2021.
This past decade, I’ve worked with some of the most successful and mission-driven people, from multiple cultures and industries, in shifting beyond competence and into coherence. Whether it’s a room of 600+ leaders going through reorganisation or a 1:1 exploratory conversation on a big career decision, coherence is always available. It emerges when we drop the mask and meet what’s underneath with tenderness and wisdom.
Other things:
Meditation is my medicine.
I once kissed Stephen Hawking.
I played volleyball for Cambridge University.
I bought my first coaching book at 17 - on dating.
My roots trace back to the mountains and plains of Algeria.
I play guitar, covers mostly, and occasionally my own songs - for my plants.
My most difficult relationship to date has been with a majestic Ficus Ginseng bonsai.
