On this episode of the Lead With Purpose podcast host, Tze Ching Yeung talks to Tahmid Chowdhury, a transformational coach and author about how he ended up doing what he’s doing including working on EU policy around sustainability.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• When I was working in government, I found out I really enjoyed the management aspect which led me to get more interested in the people side of things which got me more involved with the diversity network and I’ve carried on doing it, exploring what makes people tick and how we can shift our mindset to enjoy the lives we want to live while expressing creativity.
• In 2019 I took some time off to re-evaluate what I wanted in life. I enjoyed the management side of my job so I took up coaching. This has precipitated a real shift in how we can work with people but more deeply how I can live my own life and who I’m choosing to be day-to-day and how I can be a more loving, caring individual through my actions based upon my being. The results can be really powerful both with my friends and my work colleagues.
• I don’t really sign up to work/life balance anymore. If you’re super stressed at home or work it doesn’t magically disappear. How many times have you gone on holiday feeling stressed, or you’re at work thinking about personal issues or staying late and that having knock-on effects into your relationships? Genuinely, because I’m more chilled out about life these days – not that I’m perfect – it’s a lot easier to work with people. It’s all about the mental load.
• A lot of diversity books are very academic or about personal development, I saw there was something in between. The idea of my book is to make an accessible way of understanding diversity where I thow in my own personal experiences and interpretations of some of the terminology, like ‘equity’ or ‘in-group’ and ‘out-group’, without making it too dense. I brought in a coaching approach of creating an uncomplicated CUBE model (Culture, Upbringing, Bias, and lived Experience) which basically asks: What is your culture, upbringing, bias and lived experience? It’s a self-enquiry way to understand diversity for yourself.

BEST MOMENTS

‘There’s a lot of pressure and stress and I think that’s holding people back by creating burnout, which is not a fun place to be. I got burned out after working on Brexit.’
‘There is more to the world than just our bubble.’
‘The way that you do anything is the way that you do everything.’
‘Business is a state of mind, not necessarily about all the work we do.’

ABOUT THE GUEST

Tahmid Chowdhury: I coach people to overcome the challenges they face to make the world a better place. I specialise in coaching on personal development, organisational culture and diversity and inclusion.

I believe in the power of humans to shift the status quo. We do this by harnessing the power of difference – difference of ideas, background and thought. This makes us stronger.

We are held back by our structures around us, which stop us from changing the world. Whether that be the organisations around us, societal expectations or our own beliefs about ourselves.

I am also an experienced Diversity and Inclusion Practitioner, with particular experience working on race. Within previous roles I presented twice to my departmental Executive Committee on race initiatives and developed the department’s race training package.

I am an EMCC Accredited Coach at Practitioner level, and hold a ICF Accredited Diploma in Transformational Coaching. I hold an MA in European Studies from KU Leuven, Belgium and a BA French and History from the University of Sheffield, where I also completed a year abroad at Sciences Po Paris. I speak English, French and Spanish, with passive level Sylheti.

I currently work as a Programme Manager at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. I work on EU policy focussing on the decarbonisation of industry. I previously worked in the UK Government as a Senior Policy Adviser.

Website: https://tahmidchowdhury.co.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tahmidchowdhury1/ 
Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BMK13Q6C 
Amazon Fr - https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0BMK13Q6C 
Amazon DE - https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0BMK13Q6C 
Amazon US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMK13Q6C 
Amazon AU - https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BMK13Q6C 

ABOUT THE HOST

Tze Ching started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2007 with the launch of a sustainable clothing and home furnishing ecommerce business. Next, she created a sustainable fashion brand.

In 2019, she launched a social enterprise to help raise awareness about the negative impact of fashion at schools and colleges. 

Through the 15-year journey, she learned so much, but easily the most meaningful lesson learned was about the importance of marketing. She now focuses on channelling those insights to help others succeed, through We Disrupt Agency, a business coaching, mentoring and digital marketing company. 

Tze Ching’s mission is to create a community of global change makers and to contribute to positive change in both people and planet.

CONTACT DETAILS

Tze Ching’s website: https://wedisruptagency.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wedisruptagency 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wedisruptagency/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/wedisruptagency 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tzechingyeung/