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Introducing Brain-Based Executive Coach, Yashar Khosroshahi (@yasharthinks).
For some time now, I have been interviewing mentors from the book Get Up who have answered the question: What would I tell my teenage self?”
Why am I interviewing them?
I want everyone who has picked up the book Get Up to know more about where these mentors are coming from, who they are, and what their wise words really mean to them.
When I received Yashar’s answers to my questions so I could write this feature on my website and social media platforms, I felt my eyebrows raise. Really high.
A Brain-Based Executive Coach. That sounds so cool – but what the heck is that? I thought.
So here is the loving and caring human Yashar, who not only shared a quote that made me say “Oh yeah – THAT is powerful.” But has also shared the many details of his life, starting with his career path – and most importantly, an explanation of what a Brain-Based Executive Coach is – so beautifully. (Thank you, Yashar!)
Here we go…
Yashar is:
80% – a highly curious being with a questioning mind deeply interested in human connections and making loving decisions in an effort to make positive and impactful contributions to his community, and the world.
20% – ready and willing to live off-grid with a bunch of animals.
My coaching certification was completed with the Neuroleadership Institute. Therefore, ‘Brain-Based’ means my coaching techniques use tools informed by how the brain works and how behavioral change happens.
‘Executive’ means I work with leaders – in life and in business.
‘Coach’ is the way I work. The word is misused a lot. Coaching is not counseling, therapy, or consulting. Coaching doesn’t just dole out advice or tell you what to do.
My company MINDSHIFT LEADERSHIP (@mindshiftleadership) focuses on asking powerful questions to shift and optimize how our clients think and feel and therefore take aligned action.
Coaching is self-directed, action-oriented, and dynamic. You own the pace, content, and actions. I provide the framework, process, and help facilitate your insights.
Great coaching should always focus on optimizing the individual’s solution-focused mindset, not just telling people what to do.
I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t interested in the human body. As I grew older and attended university my fascination became more focused on the mind-body connection, and performance. This is what fueled my studies in Kinesiology, as a Naturopathic medical student, and then eventually my practice as a clinician and as an executive coach.
As a clinician, I had the privilege of working with patients requiring cancer care and end-of-life support. I enjoyed creating space for them, and with them, as they reflected on what they would have done differently, choices they were proud of, and in the end what really mattered to them. I gained priceless insights.
One of those impactful insights was that the majority of my patients believed they were sick because of the various relationships that made up their life. They would tell me about their challenges with colleagues, manager/boss, and of course more personal relationships too.
At that time I was also teaching Health Psychology at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine so I was constantly asking myself, my patients, and my students the same question: What determines how we show up to life when faced with a challenge, and how can we support and empower the individual in this process?
I wanted more than anything to be able to answer this question with the individuals I worked with. I also felt an incredible calling to be more proactively involved in helping individuals before they ended up in my office (or another doctor’s office).
Powerful questions, followed by silence, are the gateway to inspired insights and purpose-driven action.
After well over a decade of helping individuals as a clinician and as an executive coach, I have come to learn that I have never actually worked with a client that didn’t have the answer to their own challenge. I have only worked with clients that have downplayed or denied their insights – big and small.
I know I’m doing my job well when my clients feel like they have reconnected to what they’ve always deeply “known” and move from that place to be the version of themselves they are most proud of.
In no particular order: exercise, music, walks, beach time, good conversations, and breathwork.
“Not everyone is going to understand you and that’s okay, as long as you take the time to understand yourself.”
Opinions are a dime a dozen. It is important to learn how to build a trusting relationship with yourself (your inner voice) so that you can learn how to distinguish signal from noise.
When you take the time to build this skill you quickly realize it is impossible to be liked by everyone. This should never be the goal because being in constant conflict with yourself is the hardest relationship to ever endure.
I think a much healthier approach would be learning to question your assumptions. Challenge yourself to evolve. Transition with self-compassion. Keep learning. Unlearning and re-learning throughout life. That is the fruitful soil of true self-confidence and inner peace grow from.
Thank you, Yashar for inviting us into your cognitive world. I am in awe of how you followed your curiosity to lead you to where you stand today. A Brain-Based Executive Coach that is still learning, growing, and teaching the power of taking action to one’s true desires.