047 “It Kind of Breaks My Heart” – Sheila Pakdaman

Sheila Pakdaman, demonstrates that the power of gratitude is in paying attention to the details, paying attention to the nuances of the stories that surround you, from your parents, from the sacrifices others have made, to the needs of others.  She demonstrates that gratitude is about being fully alive.

Sheila was educated in global medicine and biology and has published research on health issues, from the Masai in Kenya to chemical addictions in Los Angeles. But in the course of her research, she discovered another need, for people to lift themselves up through education.

She founded iTutorU, LLC, http://www.itutoru.org. Her team of experts, tutors a wide range of subjects, advanced placement calculus, statistics, chemistry, physics, writing skills, and many more – to school children up to graduate students. She shares how her multiple degrees in science prepared her to teach in a similar way that scientists solve problems.

With her attentive gratitude she realizes the opportunities she’s had in life were a gift.  Her parents came to America, from Iran. Her father before the 1979 revolution and her mother in 1984, when it was both difficult to come out and come in.

“I do hear stories from people who are still in Iran. They would do anything to be here in America. They are trying to get a student visa, to come here and study. It kind of breaks my heart in a way. I didn’t have to do anything. My parents did that for me.  Their struggle became my opportunity.” 

In this episode Sheila shares her story, how she prepared her business, and her hope for entrepreneurs around the world.

She shares about the benefits of her years studying science:

Patience in creating the micro-steps to starting and growing her tutoring business.

Discipline to run her business, in developing good study methods from her students,

Recognizing that just as multiple and different approaches are needed to solve a science problem, her tutors can’t stop after just one or even several attempts to help students learn, and that

students learn differently!

Sheila also shares about her Persian-American secret sauce

We always have the push to do better.  Whatever you want to be, just be the best at it.  So I thought, okay – I don’t have to go into medicine or law.  I want to push to do something to help others  .... I remember the conversations we would around the dinner table. Be somebody. Do something good in this world."

When I asked about her thoughts on entrepreneurs in emerging markets, Sheila shared.

“Believe in whatever you are trying to accomplish – continuously remind yourself why you are striving.”

“Find the problem that needs a solution.”

And my favorite quote from her: “Maybe making, especially for women, making business something more welcoming for them. And, what I mean by that is something they feel like they can do, that they can achieve by starting their own business. It doesn’t need to be something that’s impossible to do.  Especially this speaks true to women who may already have families and children.”

To find out more of Sheila’s company, please visit www.itutoru.org