“With all our material and scientific advancements, half of us are still at a disadvantage, simply due to ignorance and prejudice”
The personality of Career Growth Strategist Shadé Zahrai has been such that it exudes confidence, and equanimity, in every word she utters. And, she has been instilling the same values in women. Multifaceted Shadé Zahrai is a best-selling author, two-time Telstra Business Women Awards Finalist, a Harvard-trained coach and former member of the esteemed Forbes Coaches Council, and has also been a three-time Australian latin dance champion.
She adds, “Growing up as a member of the Baha’i community, whose core aim is the unity of humankind, I learned from a young age that, ‘The world of humanity has two wings – one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly’.” Her stints in male-dominated industries exposed her to the invisible barriers and bias that women face and self-impose. “With all our material and scientific advancements, half of us are still at a disadvantage, simply due to ignorance and prejudice.”
“After leaving corporate and being married to someone who shares the same values, we are now working together to empower women around the world to break through barriers and rise up to their true calling.”
The fear of failing has never prevented her from trying her hand at things. “You don’t even need to have the assurance that something will work out. Just take action and fall in love with the process. Learn to subdue the inner voices of your ego that don’t serve you. Align your work to a higher purpose to attain resilience and the courage to continue.”
Times of adversity have been the guiding light for her to foster a higher purpose in life. “For me, suffering is part of the process of growth. It develops our intellect and our capacity for developing courage, wisdom, empathy and forgiveness.”
Shadé Zahrai concludes, “Each one of us perceives reality in our own unique way based on our individual interpretations. This in turn determines how we feel, relate to others, the decisions we make and ultimately our life’s direction. Realising this has allowed me to have greater empathy for diverse perspectives and to understand that happiness is a choice.”
