Are you a graduate student hoping to manage your heavy workload and life's demands?In 2008, I was accepted into Kuwait University's M.A. Program in Comparative Literature. I was 22 years old. At first, I was focused and was even honored as the top student in 2010. However, unlike some of my colleagues, I never completed my thesis.
During this time, my grandmother passed away, and other events compounded the internal turmoil I felt and continued to feel long after. Throughout this challenging period, I focused on writing and its healing properties, performing slam poems, leading creative writing workshops, and speaking to students about the power of language and literature and how they shape what it means to be human. |
Over time, I gained some recognition for my work in Kuwait, and ten years after my first experience as a graduate student, I returned to higher education, this time moving thousands of miles away from home to study Creative Writing at Columbia University in the City of New York.
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I promised myself that this time around, I would practice the tools I had developed over the decade. Using those tools helped me publish two books and, by 2018, receive an Arab Woman Award from Harper’s Bazaar Arabia in the category of Inspirational Woman for my impact on Kuwait’s creative landscape. I was excited to revisit my graduate experience at the end of 2018 with a deliberate strategy that paid as much attention to my personal aspirations as it did to my academic and professional goals.
By the time I left Columbia University, I had successfully completed not one, but two theses (in poetry and in literary translation) during a global pandemic, at a time when my country’s airport was in lockdown, my student visa was running out, and the contract for my student housing was nearing its end--all while dealing with other uncertainties such as relationship breakdowns, health concerns, and family troubles.
Not only have I managed to achieve my academic goals despite external and internal chaos, but I have also managed to pay off all my student loans a few years after graduating.
It's important to remember that human beings are thrust into a vortex called life which doesn’t stop when we embark on higher education.
If the aim is to complete one’s academic projects without getting overwhelmed, we could remember that a healthy mindset is deeply rooted in understanding what it means to be vulnerable as well as resilient; and forward-thinking as well as flexible.
An academic coach can help you attain work-life balance while navigating this perilous terrain.
In my coaching and mentoring business, I also help you develop writing and support systems that lead to a more enjoyable graduate experience.
As your coach, I will also remind you to appreciate your blessings and take pride in your efforts throughout your graduate experience.
By the time I left Columbia University, I had successfully completed not one, but two theses (in poetry and in literary translation) during a global pandemic, at a time when my country’s airport was in lockdown, my student visa was running out, and the contract for my student housing was nearing its end--all while dealing with other uncertainties such as relationship breakdowns, health concerns, and family troubles.
Not only have I managed to achieve my academic goals despite external and internal chaos, but I have also managed to pay off all my student loans a few years after graduating.
It's important to remember that human beings are thrust into a vortex called life which doesn’t stop when we embark on higher education.
If the aim is to complete one’s academic projects without getting overwhelmed, we could remember that a healthy mindset is deeply rooted in understanding what it means to be vulnerable as well as resilient; and forward-thinking as well as flexible.
An academic coach can help you attain work-life balance while navigating this perilous terrain.
In my coaching and mentoring business, I also help you develop writing and support systems that lead to a more enjoyable graduate experience.
As your coach, I will also remind you to appreciate your blessings and take pride in your efforts throughout your graduate experience.
What does Academic Coaching mean?
Academic Coaching is a personalized coaching experience designed to help graduate students overcome obstacles and navigate the thesis or dissertation process with confidence. Whether you're struggling to start, stuck in the middle of the research, or pressured to meet a deadline, Empowering Creatives can support you every step of the way.
What value does this bring to clients?
The coaching program offers several key benefits to clients:
- Clarity: I work with clients collaboratively to help them define clear goals for each step in their creative journeys.
- Overcoming Limiting Beliefs: I use ICF-approved coaching methods to help clients overcome fears and limiting beliefs that may be holding them back from reaching their full potential.
- Building Momentum: I guide clients in building and maintaining momentum, thus ensuring consistent progress towards their creative objectives.
- Tools for Success: I also provide clients with cognitive and practical tools that empower them through all their creative endeavors.
What to expect in a coaching package?
The coaching package is tailored to each client’s unique needs and goals. While there are currently 2 coaching tracks, an Expedited (6 weeks) and a Regular one (12 weeks), I am always open to curating a program specifically to the client’s needs and timeline. We usually agree on the specifics of the package during the free discovery call.
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Meet Your Academic CoachHi, I'm Nada!
As a fellow graduate, I understand the challenges that come with pursuing a higher education. That's why I'm passionate about helping students like you navigate their paths, overcome obstacles, and reach the finish line with grace. With an Ivy League education (MFA from Columbia University) and international coaching credentials (Certificate from Coach Training Alliance), I am dedicated to empowering students, helping them balance the demands of academia and a hectic life. If you're ready to take the next step in your academic journey, consider scheduling a free discovery call to discuss your project and timeline. |
WHAT IS COACHING LIKE WITH NADA? |
Liberation from Limited Thinking
By focusing on core values rather than striving for perfectionism, coaching with Nada helps creatives improve their lives as well as their creative projects, because when core values serve as guiding principles, they lead to genuine and long-lasting fulfillment in social, spiritual, financial, and physical areas of one's life. Embracing one's own values enables individuals to become more compassionate parents, attentive partners, and dedicated creatives (i.e. writers, painters, YouTubers, musicians, and more). Read more...
Values empower individuals to advocate for themselves, their beliefs, their loved ones, and their communities.
It is thus important to note that coaching is not about positive affirmations or pretending to be happy all the time while ignoring negative emotions and troubling thoughts. Instead, coaching involves restructuring thoughts and making lasting changes that gradually become ingrained in our habits over time. Specifically, coaching provides a framework that encourages and supports individuals to break free from self-limiting thoughts so they can build the life they desire and become the person they aspire to be. A successful coaching relationship is ultimately one that empowers the client. In other words, it helps the client get better at recognizing their gut instincts, rising up to challenges, and advocating for their craft. Nada's coaching sessions follow ICF regulations, with the client setting the agenda. However, as a professional creative, Nada recognizes the lack of structure and support that creatives often experience in their chosen field. Therefore, in addition to ICF-approved coaching sessions, clients will also receive out-of-session prompts to help them restructure their thoughts and goals. These prompts include exploring and designing strategies that will help creatives combat their negative voices, live up to their core values, identify their next projects or tasks, organize their workspaces, and, among others, optimize their professional calendars and to-do lists. Furthermore, there are multiple opportunities to reflect on the effectiveness of each session, allowing clients to feel in control of the coaching process at all times. By the end of a coaching package with Nada, clients should feel accomplished, having achieved their goals or transformed limiting beliefs. Unlike other coaches, Nada Faris believes in offering a money-back guarantee if clients feel that they are not benefiting from the package because she takes pride in the testimonials she receives from clients whose lives do end up changing as a result of her coaching. You can read or watch these testimonials here. How do Coaches Achieve Their Aims?
What is Gained from Meaningful Questions?
What Do You Get From Working With a Coach? As a support system, coaching provides the client with:
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COACHING TRACKS FOR STUDENTS
Regular & Expedited
REGULAR12 Weeks
A Regular Coaching Track costs: 720 KD (60 KD per session) - [ $2,340 ] In a Regular Track, clients receive:
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EXPEDITED6 Weeks
An Expedited Coaching Track costs: 390 KD (65 KD per session) [ $1,268 ] In an Expedited Track, clients receive:
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Each session follows the client's own agenda.
And packages are renewable for clients who want more time with me.
I CAN HELP YOU |
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The aim of a coaching relationship is to create dynamic, forward-moving energy as coach and client focus positively on the client's visions and goals. |
As an academic coach, I provide a practical framework to help students combat fear, doubt, writing block, and other forms of overwhelm. |