@nurjahankhatun321: I'm 46, and I am a bit embarrassed to admit: 1️⃣ I survived 24 months of being scammed. I handed over more than £7,500, then spent a further £10,000 trying to put it right. The person responsible kept telling me I wasn't implementing the model consistently. I got so used to being blamed that I started blaming myself. 2️⃣ I have been a public speaker for over fifteen years, since 2012 when I was first invited to speak at TEDx, and I still feel a flicker of fear walking on stage every single time, like the room might finally see through me. 3️⃣ I became the first visible Muslim woman Director in the UK Government, ever, and some days it felt less like an achievement and more like pressure not to fail publicly. 4️⃣ I survived 21 months of homelessness while studying for my degree and told almost no one. I became so used to crisis that rest still feels unsafe. 5️⃣ Everybody around me has a Nurjahan in their life. I have never had a Nurjahan for me. And recently I learned something harder: most of the people I helped over the years did not come and help me when I needed it back. 6️⃣ I have filmed and deleted more videos than I have posted. I still feel embarrassed admitting I want to grow here, even though I know this work helps women who feel alone. 7️⃣ For 17 years, I believed that if I just worked hard enough, it would make me promotable. That it would be enough to be recognised as a leader. After 17 years, I learned working harder was never going to be the answer. Strategy was. I wish someone had told me more than a decade earlier. I teach women to be positioned, not tolerated .
So they are not exceptional and invisible, but strategic and protected. Posting this is uncomfortable. But pretending strength came without cost would be dishonest. If you have ever felt capable but alone, you do not need permission to rise. 
And you do not have to learn this the hard way. #YouDontNeedPermissionToRise #CorporateWomen #WorkplaceBoundaries #CommunicationSkills #WomenAtWork

Nurjahan | Leadership Coach

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Wednesday 09 September 2026 07:44:36 GMT