Wall of Love

Through working with Maya for a few sessions in career coaching, I gained more clarity in my career transition, and most of all, it really helped to have Maya as a thought-partner cheering for my success. I now feel less alone and isolated, and I feel more confident to keep going toward my dreams!

This course is one of the most meaningful investments I've made in my professional development. Maya has prepared an intense 8 weeks of approaches, ideas, and examples to show us how shifting behaviours, organisations, and advocating for broader social change can start with the work we do in our NGOs. It's for anyone who is active in the NGO space, ideally implementing organisations, and has practices they can use as examples. I leave with not only a library of ideas but inspiration and motivation to apply them. Highly recommended! Alongside it all, Maya brings her approach to cohort-based learning, encouraging discussions and creating a community of practice so thank you for having such a participatory space!

Super glad that I took the shifting power accelerator course. The course material is very comprehensive with a number of resources to dive deeper into topics. Loved the session design - good mix of lecture format and individual/group reflections. Maya has thoughtfully created this course, and she's a great facilitator.

You never know what to expect during any coaching session. Maya kept to task, was respectful of the flow of conversation which made it easy to communicate freely. She challenged me - I like a good challenge. The session was just about right in duration - 1 hour. At the end we set clear goals for achievement.

This course has been beneficial in broadening my perspective on power shifting. I loved the resources and toolkits as well as the case studies. They have certainly provided me several ideas on different approaches I can take with a range of stakeholders to initiate the work on power shifting as well as strengthen the ones that are already in action. I also loved the opportunity to discuss real time projects with my peers in this course in each workshop as it helped get my thoughts going even before the session ended. I feel very energised to take on the power shifting initiative within my organisation with new ideas and stronger knowledge and capacity than before.

Shifting Power Accelerator's curriculum and instruction was phenomenal, and the cohort's solidarity was motivating and supportive. I felt like a semester's worth of reading + learning was shared in a matter of weeks, and the variety of ways to learn and share during the course made it easy to stay engaged. I also appreciated the emphasis on partnering with a Global South colleague to learn from one another and shift power in real-time. We plan to continue our collaboration, just as I hope this is only the beginning of a deeper study and practice of the shifting power based on this course's rich lessons.

Every development practitioner needs to take the Shifting Power Accelerator. Amazing and very engaging with relevant case studies to learn from, as well different tools, approaches and frameworks that allows one a wide range of choice for practice!

Maya helped us with strategic management and setting up a new monitoring and evaluation system for our growing organization. She's intelligent, highly communicative, and easy to work with. What really stood out was her critical questioning of international development efforts and her smart solutions for how more horizontal and participatory processes can be captured and measured. This allowed us to better track the impact occurring during and after project implementation. I'd recommend working with Maya if you're looking to define your strategy for socially engaged work aimed at producing positive social change—and translate that strategy into actionable, measurable processes.

Talking to Maya was really helpful. She is genuinely interested in finding out what exactly you are looking for and then makes very thoughtful suggestions and also asks questions that point you right into potential aha moments. I highly recommend her for getting unstuck in your professional path.

My session with Maya was one of the best career coaching sessions I have had. Her emotional intelligence and ability to ask really important guiding questions of me helped me understand a bit more what I'm currently struggling with in my career pivot. She also had a great way of providing feedback - reflecting back at me what I was saying, gently making suggestions, etc. Highly recommend for career coaching.

The SPA journey enriched me in so many ways, and the first one is that it boosted my optimism that change is possible. Maya doesn't just share theory or concepts, but practical ways, paths to walk on, and so importantly, partnership and guidance. And not only from herself! I still get lots of strength and inspiration from the cohort and my community partners (with whom I continue to meet). This course really transformed my work and my perspectives and I would definitely do it again and again!

Maya has created an immensely valuable course. The structure, content and experience design all make up for a highly insightful learning experience that brings the participants to a journey of thematic and experiential learning. She is very knowledgeable about the topic but also about group facilitation, allowing us to really digest the key points of the course and integrate them practically into our professional context. If you want to learn the principles and practices of Shift The Power approaches, don’t miss this!!

I cannot recommend the Shifting Power Accelerator enough! This course has given me invaluable insight into how I can shift power within my work in international development. The course is very practical-focussed: how do you actually shift power - from decision-making, to partnerships, program design and funding. I am very grateful for the course's design as a cohort and the requirement to partner with a local leader or Global South colleague. My classmates and my partner have challenged me and helped keep me accountable. Moreover, Maya is an incredible facilitator: inclusive, flexible, and challenges us towards meaningful action beyond the course. Thank you!

I worked with Maya for a few sessions while determining next steps in my career and navigating a career transition. Maya was friendly, and provided valuable insight on ways to enhance my career search and stand out as a candidate. She provided thoughtful responses, meaningful guidance, and a supportive space for me to discuss the best way forward.

Excellent course because it engaged students in a project that provided a way to immediately apply the lessons learned. The diversity and wealth of learning resources provided by Maya was incredible. It allowed me to dig as deep as I wanted to. The thoughtfulness and attention to detail of the instructor showed up in every aspect of the course: the way the activities were structured to be engaging, instructor feedback, and peer learning. A very memorable experience.

I was advised by Maya during a three month career coaching program. I felt professionally stagnant and was feeling pigeonholed. The coaching was very valuable. Maya helped me find out what first step was most important for my career exploration. They also shared with me dozens of resources. The result of coaching is that I am now gaining new professional experiences! The experiences are more creative and better aligned with my ambitions. It’s got my soul being nourished. Many of the seeds Maya helped me plant are continuing to flourish and I’m seeing broader opportunities for my future. I’m very grateful. Maya has a special gift to spark excitement and connect new ideas. Highly recommend!

Maya hosted an amazing online workshop on Power and Identity for 300+ global staff at UNHCR's Division of External Relations. Maya's framed the topic in a way that made it extremely accessible to people of different levels and backgrounds. Her presentation style was also very engaging. Maya is a true professional and a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend her.

If you're thinking of booking Mahrukh, please do it. I honestly can't recommend her enough. As a practitioner navigating my career path in social impact, I initially booked a 30-minute session with her just to get a feel of things, but I was so inspired by how much value she gave in just that one conversation that I immediately signed up for her 60-minute session. And I am so, so glad I did. From the beginning, Mahrukh was incredibly kind and encouraging. She didn't just tell me what to do but she also listened, asked thoughtful questions, and gave me so much clarity about where I'm headed. What I found most valuable was how she helped me reflect on what I want not just in terms of degrees or jobs but what kind of impact I want to make. She asked questions that made me think more deeply about my goals and helped me see things more clearly. After our sessions, she shared a really helpful roadmap that I could use for my career development, along with super useful resources that were directly relevant to my career path and that I've already started exploring for both my academic and professional journey. The best part? She connected me with actual volunteer opportunities that are so relevant to the work I'm doing right now. As someone in this field, it was so valuable to hear from her experience. Mahrukh isn't just a coach but someone who genuinely cares. She gives you space to reflect, she gives you structure, and she gives you so much belief in yourself. She doesn't just guide you but also encourages you in a way that makes you feel seen and hopeful. That kind of support really stays with you. Mahrukh has made a huge difference in how I think about my academic and professional journey. Highly, highly recommend her if you want someone to help you take that next step forward—she is the person you want in your corner.

I had the privilege of being mentored by Maya for three months under the REDI collective mentoring scheme for young professionals of color in the international development and social impact space. Being under her menteeship was inspiring. Maya's extensive experience, having worked in numerous countries and across various working languages, showed her living life as a trailblazer with a patchwork career, an unconventional path that is now becoming the norm. From every interaction with her, it was evident how skilled and prepared she is. She was always on top of the agenda, preparing for our sessions, setting homework tasks, and using AI to keep and share notes. Maya provided invaluable advice on identifying the right company fit and knowing when to say no to opportunities that aren't aligned with my goals. She exemplified lifelong learning, particularly in acquiring new languages and using them professionally, a goal I have always aspired to but never had much exposure to. She guided me on how to search for roles, consider what I truly want from my career, and effectively network and use LinkedIn. Maya also shared insights on finding scholarships and fellowships, and she has continued to support me with resources even after our formal mentorship ended. Maya, you have really supported me during a formative part of my career, and I am incredibly grateful for the time you took to share your knowledge and help me learn from you. You have influenced my perspective on the type of company I want to work for and provided invaluable support in language learning, job searching, and more.

Really interesting and engaging course, really well thought out and excellently facilitated, to get you thinking. All of the course materials were great and lots of support and focus on activities and skills that are valuable for real life situations and practice, I really learnt a lot and built my confidence to take this forwards in my own work.

I had the pleasure of working with Maya as a consultant for my nonprofit. She helped us examine our organizational capacity and develop leadership KPIs that were both impactful and practical. What I valued most about Maya was her warmth and candor. She transformed what's typically a dull or intimidating process into a collaborative effort, and was quick to help us get out of our own way. Her consulting approach made the challenge of organizational development something we actually looked forward to. I highly recommend Maya to anyone seeking a consultant who brings a unique combination of expertise and humanity to their work.

I worked with Maya for a three month career coaching program. I felt professionally stagnant and was feeling pigeonholed. The coaching was very valuable. Maya helped me find out what first step was most important for my career exploration. They also shared with me dozens of resources. The result of coaching is that I am now gaining new professional experiences! The experiences are more creative and better aligned with my ambitions. It’s got my soul being nourished. Many of the seeds Maya helped me plant are continuing to flourish and I’m seeing broader opportunities for my future. I’m very grateful. Maya has a special gift to spark excitement and connect new ideas. Highly recommend!

In a world where we are overwhelmed by online courses and webinars, the Shifting Power Course was a breath of fresh air. Being engaged throughout 2.5 hour Zoom sessions every week speaks volumes of Maya's facilitation skills. The content of the course, the conversation with peers from my cohort, all of the insights have allowed me to keep racking my brain beyond the sessions and beyond the course on how we can all shift power.

Maya is very patient, kind, and thorough, and through her questions brings out aspects or factors one may not have thought of in navigating their career.

Maya's well-thought-out curriculum and non-judgmental facilitation created a space for reflection on the difficult dynamics of the aid industry. In a short amount of time, she helped build a common understanding of the history and diverse perspectives on decolonizing and/or localizing aid. These are conversations I have regularly in my work and I took away new frameworks for these discussions from her curriculum. Highly recommended.

Maya's guidance and creation of a space to both discuss challenges and solutions for shifting power within an organization was really valuable. I'm leaving with tools and action items to help move towards a more equitable future.