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Y’all, you know I wasn’t trying to have too many coaching conversations on the podcast this year, but today’s guest Shirin Eskandani is here because this woman has much more to bring to a conversation than basic coaching advice.

Her big truth was that we have to look up to shift our perspectives and from there we got into a conversation about mindfulness, the relationship between joy, acceptance and guilt, navigating adult relationships and creative patience.

She also shares some of her personal experiences immigrating from Iran to Vancouver at a young age, then coming to the US to pursue her dream of being an opera singer. Spoiler: not only did she realize that dream, she did it in a big way and the result is not what you might expect to hear.

We also explored the impacts of whiteness in wellness spaces, code-switching, and the relationship between self-worth and service.

It was a really dynamic chat and I can’t wait to hear what lands for you!

xo,
E

About Shirin Eskandani:
Shirin is a life coach, public speaker and writer who specializes in mindfulness and mindset work. She has been a featured wellness expert on the Today Show and Cosmopolitan Magazine. Certified by the International Coach Federation, her holistic approach to transformation is influenced by her background in guided meditation, spirituality and the arts.

Prior to building her successful coaching business, she was an award-winning opera singer, performing at Carnegie Hall and The Metropolitan Opera. She is the co-founder of Brown Girl Brunch and has been a featured speaker at ALT Summit, Well Summit, the Assemblage, and Soho House.

Connect with Shirin:
Website | Instagram | Join Her Email List

What You’ll Hear:


7:31 How Shirin feels in her body right now
9:04 A story about the truth that is having an impact in Shirin’s life
14:10 Shirin’s origin story that impacted who she is now
21:24 Realizing that being a singer wasn’t the path she wanted to go down
26:30 How embodiment bridges the mindfulness and spirituality work
27:43 Being aware of what you think about
31:05 How long it typically takes clients to realize the power of mindfulness
32:42 The challenges in navigating mindfulness when you feel guilt or shame
36:41 How culture affects the family dynamic 
37:38 The struggles that first-generation immigrants have to navigate
41:30 Creating your own definition of self and culture as an immigrant
46:58 Navigating life as a newlywed and taking on life together 
50:26 Red flags to be mindful of in friendships
52:47 The fulfillment that Shirin feels with the creative avenues she has as an entrepreneur
54:22 Knowing that you can’t do everything
55:17 How Shirin interacts with self-worth and service
01:04:33  The issues of wellness and whiteness
01:05:52 Creating spaces for women of color for healing and networking
01:08:14 Code-switching and being too conscious of white fragility
01:12:46 How swear words can be used for effective copy and marketing

Click here to watch/listen or scroll upward to listen only:

Quotes:


“When you’re going through a difficult time, we’re so fixated on the difficulty that we forget to just shift our perspective for one second and just look up.” –  Shirin Eskandani

“When I found coaching I was like, ‘okay, this is it.'” –  Shirin Eskandani

“Challenges will come, but suffering means how you’ll perceive the challenge and who you make yourself to be in that challenge.” –  Shirin Eskandani

“That sense of home is often hard to find as an immigrant.” –  Shirin Eskandani

“Having a relationship with any human being is difficult.” –  Shirin Eskandani

“The work that I do is soul-fulfilling but I know when I am not charging enough, I can get to the point where I am depleted.” –  Shirin Eskandani

 

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