Ayeesha S. Kanji: The Most Trusted Holistic Leadership Coach
Ayeesha S. Kanji is a Holistic Leadership Coach, the Co-Founder of UMSRA, and the Founder of Chestnuts Coaching & Consulting. Based in a global landscape of leadership development, she integrates holistic transformation coaching, wellness, and healthy habits to support personal and professional growth. Her approach is rooted in the belief that leadership is about connection and responsibility rather than control. Recognizing her profound impact on how individuals navigate their careers and personal lives, The Influential Today Magazine is proud to honor Ayeesha as one of The Most Trusted Holistic Leadership Coach.
The Education of Observation
The path to becoming a guide for others often begins with learning how to navigate the world oneself. For this holistic leader, early life was a lesson in adaptation. She grew up moving through different cultures, environments, and sets of expectations. While for some, constant change might breed instability, for her, it cultivated a specific kind of wisdom: the ability to observe and listen deeply.
“I grew up navigating different cultures… which taught me early on how to adapt,” she reflects. These formative years stripped away the superficial layers of interaction and forced her to pay attention to the human beneath the cultural context. It was here that she forged her definition of resilience. It was not the rigid, unyielding toughness often celebrated in traditional narratives of success. Instead, she learned that true resilience is about “being present, curious, and willing to grow.”
This nuance is critical to her current philosophy. She saw that quiet strength—the kind required to truly become who you are—is often more powerful than loud displays of force. She admits that this process of becoming is never truly finished. “In fact, now, I am still continuing to learn everything that I do in life,” she says, embodying the mindset of a lifelong student.
Mentorship Through Acceptance
As she moved through the stages of her own development, she encountered various figures who offered support. However, the mentors who left an indelible mark were not the ones who offered quick fixes or rigid strategies. The most meaningful support came from those who resisted the urge to “fix” her.
“They listened deeply, asked thoughtful questions, and trusted me to find my own answers,” she recalls. This approach was revelatory. It shifted her understanding of what growth actually means. In a world that often tells us we need to change, improve, or become someone else to succeed, these mentors offered a different perspective: growth is about “reconnecting with who you already are.”
This realization became the bedrock of her own coaching methodology. She understood that effective support isn’t about imposing a new identity onto a client, but rather helping them clear away the noise to hear their own voice. That perspective continues to shape how she holds space for others today, ensuring that her coaching is a process of uncovering rather than covering up.
Redefining Leadership Across Borders
Her education in human nature was further expanded by her travels. Living and traveling across many different countries did more than fill a passport; it dismantled her preconceived notions of authority. When one sees leadership practiced in a dozen different cultural contexts, the superficial trappings of titles and hierarchy begin to fade away.
“I saw firsthand how culture, values, and lived experiences shape how people show up at work and in life,” she explains. This global vantage point taught her humility, empathy, and adaptability—qualities she now argues are essential for any meaningful leadership. It led her to a stark and liberating conclusion regarding the nature of power in a professional setting: “Leadership, to me, is about connection and responsibility, not control, never control.”
This distinction is vital in the modern workplace. By rejecting control in favor of connection, she champions a style of management and self-leadership that is sustainable and human-centric. It is a philosophy born not from textbooks, but from the real-world observation of how diverse people interact, work, and thrive together.
The Curiosity Behind the Calling
What draws a person to the complex work of wellness and personal growth? For her, it began with simple curiosity. She found herself constantly wondering why people do what they do, and more importantly, what holds them back from their potential. She began to see the invisible threads connecting professional struggles with personal realities.
“I realized that many professional challenges are deeply connected to personal well-being, identity, and self-trust,” she notes. It became clear that one could not solve a career block without addressing the human being behind the job title. Wellness and learning ceased to be just hobbies or tools for self-improvement; they became “tools… for self-understanding.”
However, the transition from observer to practitioner wasn’t fully cemented until she sat in the client’s chair herself. Experiencing coaching from the other side was the catalyst. “Seeking clarity, healing, and direction… showed me how transformative it is to have someone truly hold space for you,” she says. In those sessions, she felt seen and understood, allowing her to reconnect with her values. It was in that space of vulnerability and clarity that the work stopped being a job and became a calling.
A Convergence of Health and Purpose
This journey of personal experience led directly to her expansion in the business world. In 2019, the brand UMSRA was founded by Arshiya Payal Bhan. Ayeesha initially experienced the brand as a client, hiring the founder as her fitness coach and trainer. The results and the philosophy behind the training resonated deeply with her.
“My experience with UMSRA is what led her to ask me as of 2025… to work side by side with her,” she explains. She joined as a Co-Founder, believing in the vision of what had been created. She views UMSRA as a “sister company” to her own venture, Chestnuts Coaching and Consulting. This partnership represents a physical manifestation of her holistic belief system: the integration of physical health with leadership and mental clarity.
It is a unique combination—leadership, career coaching, wellness, and healthy habits. Yet, to her, it is the only combination that makes sense. “Life doesn’t exist in silos, and neither do people,” she asserts. She observed that sustainable success is impossible if one addresses only the mind or only the body. “Leadership without wellness leads to burnout; ambition without self-awareness leads to misalignment.” This blend was not a calculated business strategy but an organic evolution born from listening to what people truly needed, rather than what the industry told them they should want.
The Quiet Moments of Transformation
In a metric-driven world, success is often measured by salary hikes, promotions, or visible lifestyle changes. However, this coach finds meaning in the quieter, invisible shifts. She recounts a moment with a client that stands as a testament to why this work matters.
“I once worked with a client who hadn’t made any major external changes yet, but had developed a deep sense of self-trust,” she shares. To an outsider, nothing had happened. But to the coach and the client, everything had changed. “That moment stayed with me because it reminded me that transformation isn’t always immediate or visible.”
She recognizes that the most meaningful shifts happen internally first. It is the restoration of self-trust that quietly shapes every decision, negotiation, and relationship that follows. These internal victories are the prerequisites for sustainable external success.
Owning Power and Confidence
A central theme in her work is the concept of “owning your power.” It is a phrase often used, but she grounds it in practical, everyday terms. It is not about dominance or loudness. “Owning your power means trusting yourself enough to make aligned choices even when they’re uncomfortable,” she defines.
It shows up in the small moments: listening to an inner voice, setting a boundary, or honoring a personal need without guilt. It is the courage to “choose growth over fear.”
As a woman leader in the field, she has navigated the complex terrain of confidence. Her biggest lesson has been decoupling confidence from the need to have all the answers. “I’ve learned that self-belief grows when you stop seeking external validation and start honoring your own experience and intuition,” she advises. Her message to women is powerful in its simplicity: “We don’t need to prove our worth; we need to remember it.”
Navigating the Stuck Moments
Life is full of transitions, and the feeling of being “stuck” is a common plight for many professionals. Her advice for these moments counters the frantic urge to “do” something. Instead, she suggests the opposite.
“Pause and listen or sometimes I sleep on it,” she recommends. She identifies that the feeling of being stuck often arises from trying to move forward without clarity. The solution is not to force momentum but to stop and recalibrate. “Start by reconnecting with your values and asking yourself what feels aligned—not just what feels safe.”
She emphasizes that progress doesn’t require a perfect roadmap. “Small, intentional steps matter more than having a perfect plan.” It is a permission slip to move slowly, provided one is moving in alignment with their truth.
The Poet’s Influence
Beyond her role in the boardroom and the coaching session, she is a poet and a writer. This creative side is not separate from her leadership work; it informs it. “Creativity allows me to access deeper layers of understanding—both for myself and for others,” she says.
Logic has its limits. There are emotions, instincts, and insights that do not fit neatly into spreadsheets or strategy documents. Writing helps her articulate these intangibles. In her coaching practice, this translates into a heightened sense of presence and intuition. It gives her the “ability to meet people where they are, not where they think they should be,” bridging the gap between the analytical mind and the intuitive heart.
Honesty as the Ultimate Compass
Reflecting on the journey that has taken her from a multicultural childhood to the co-founding of a wellness brand and a leadership consultancy, she returns to a singular, guiding lesson. It is a principle that serves as a compass for both her personal and professional life.
“Clarity comes from honesty—with yourself first,” she concludes. It is a challenging practice. To be honest about what one feels, needs, and values requires bravery. But she believes that when this honesty is present, the right path inevitably reveals itself.
For Ayeesha, the journey of leadership is not about reaching a destination of perfection. It is about the “willingness and courage” to keep growing, to keep listening, and to keep reconnecting with the person you truly are. In doing so, she not only leads her own life with grace but empowers countless others to do the same.
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