Dr. Shumaila Imtiaz: From Silent Struggles to the Voice of Empowerment
Dr. Shumaila Imtiaz has been entitled among the Most Inspiring Women Rising in 2025 by Stylfemina Magazine on occasion of Emirati Women’s Day 2025. There was a time when Dr. Shumaila Imtiaz looked in the mirror and barely recognized herself. Years of undiagnosed allergies and exhaustion had worn her down. On the outside, she was a devoted wife and mother. On the inside, she was fighting self-doubt, wondering if her voice mattered. One night, in a quiet moment with her journal, she wrote through tears: “There has to be more to me than this.”
That sentence sparked a journey that would transform her life and, eventually, the lives of many others.
Finding Her Path
Dr. Shumaila’s professional story didn’t begin in wellness. After earning her BBA, she started a new chapter of her life as a housewife. She devoted herself totally to family life, and in years to follow she observed her unaddressed health struggles were just mounting up – this realization forced her to pause and re-examine everything about life. Recalling those days, Dr. Shumaila says, “Those challenges became the turning point that made me re-examine everything: my choices, and ultimately my purpose in life”. Searching for answers, she turned toward nutrition and wellness, first to heal herself, then to guide others who were facing the same health challenges.
Over time, she discovered that food and routines alone weren’t enough. People still carried stress, fear, and limiting beliefs. The discovery moved her toward psychology and cognitive science. By 2025 she had trained as an NLP Practitioner with Changeworx, adding practical tools to help people reframe negative patterns. That same year, Cedarbrook University awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in Leadership & Health Communication.
Recognition Along the Way
Attention to Dr. Shumaila’s work began early. She was first noticed with awards including the Best Wellness Coach and the Mastermind Coaching Leader, which reflected the impact she was starting to have. In time, she won several awards, including the BeingShe Mindset Transformation Coach Award and the Impact Global Woman Leadership Award for Wellness Coaching. These made her a renowned name in wellness, mindset, and leadership.
Meanwhile, her books, Weight of Worry, Break the Cycle, and Power of Visualization, passed her message on to readers who saw their own struggles in her words. For Dr.Shumaila, every award and publication was more than a line on a résumé. They were reminders of the journal entry that started it all.
Coaching With Empathy
Today, Dr. Shumaila describes herself as a “Cognitive Catalyst.” In practice, it means helping women pause and step out of patterns of self-doubt, people-pleasing, and burnout. She guides them with tools like reframing, visualization, and simple mindset shifts. One of her favorite approaches is moving clients from “I have to” to “I choose to.” That small change, she says, can open an entirely new relationship with life.
Her coaching draws on science but is anchored in empathy. She knows what it feels like to be lost, because she’s been there. That makes her not only a teacher, but also a companion on the journey. Connect with Dr. Shumaila Imtiaz on LinkedIn here.
A Message of Balance
On Emirati Women’s Day, Dr. Shumaila’s message is simple: success should not come at the expense of family or self. “Work and passion can always expand,” she says, “but childhood and family moments, once lost, never return.”
For her, true empowerment is when ambition and relationships grow together. It’s a belief that has carried her from a quiet moment with a journal to stages around the world. One she continues to share with every woman she coaches.
