My Coaching Experience with Coach FAA I met Coach FAA at a time when I had recently stepped into an executive role on a Board. After a few meetings, I began to question whether I was truly demonstrating the executive presence I wanted to bring to the boardroom. I felt I needed to become more intentional about how I spoke, when I spoke, and how I communicated my views. I wanted to understand how to challenge an idea without simply saying, “That is wrong,” but instead have the presence, finesse and emotional intelligence to make my point in a way that added value. More importantly, I wanted to be able to leave a board meeting knowing for myself that I had contributed meaningfully—even if nobody explicitly told me so.

I had worked with coaches before, but one of the things I have come to understand is that you need different coaches for different seasons of your life and career. Coach FAA was the right coach for this season. What I particularly appreciated about her approach was that the coaching did not end when the session ended. She would give me practical exercises and encourage me to complete them within 36 to 48 hours, while the conversation was still fresh. Her questions were simple but very powerful: What were your key takeaways? What did I say that left an impact on you?

Those questions forced me to reflect—not just on what we discussed, but on what I needed to change in my behaviour. Over time, those reflections became actions. One of the most important things I learned was how to use my natural strength as a listener more effectively. I have always been someone who listens more than I speak. But Coach FAA helped me understand that listening is only half of the equation. The real value comes when, at the right moment, you speak and demonstrate that you have listened, understood the issue and have something meaningful to add. She also helped me understand the nuances of challenging ideas in a boardroom: when to speak, how to speak, how to disagree constructively, and how to bring authority without losing grace. These may sound like small things, but they have fundamentally changed how I show up.

Today, I have much greater clarity about my next steps, particularly in the boardroom and in my broader leadership journey. I know I am a better product—not because I suddenly became someone different, but because I have become much more intentional about how I behave, how I speak, how I listen and how I contribute.

Perhaps the most unexpected impact of our coaching was outside the boardroom. For several years, I had carried an idea close to my heart—a passion project inspired by my experience working with the diaspora and by taking my children to different summer camps over the years. I had often thought, “Why can't there be a summer camp that does something different—something that shapes young people differently?”

For more than five years, it remained an idea. Coach FAA challenged me to bring it to life. Today, I am actively working on that project. It is moving from an idea in my head to something real, and that is something I will forever be grateful to her for. If I had to describe my experience with Coach FAA in one sentence, I would say this: She didn't just coach me for the boardroom; she helped me become more intentional about the person and leader I want to be beyond it.

And perhaps the most important lesson I have taken away is this: you may feel you have wasted time, but whenever you wake up, it is your morning. You always have an opportunity to address things, grow and become better. That is what Coach FAA helped me do. I am genuinely grateful for the journey.