Coaching and mentoring, both, provide important means to acquire essential competencies and interpersonal skills. Coaching fosters learning skills and enhancing performance crucial to success. Coaches can help professionals find balance, set smarter goals and improve confidence.
While coaches help with learning skills, mentors inspire, providing insight and advice for achievement. At-risk young adults who have mentors are 55% more likely to enroll in college and 46% less likely to use drugs. A great percentage, right? Well, interestingly these Black Muslim coaches mentioned below built specialized platforms to encourage development and achievement.
Halimah DeOliveira
DeOliveira is an awarding-winning author and coach providing strategies, tools, and resources that empower women of faith to start, sustain and grow businesses. Through her organization Be You in HD, she hosts business brunches, podcast, online webinars. She also created the Not Without My Hijab project, a workshop series and play promoting confidence and positive self-esteem for Muslim women.
Mubarakah Ibrahim
Mubarakah Ibrahim is an internationally known health and wellness expert and Muslim- American Businesswomen. She has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show, Covers and business features of the Chicago Tribune, in the New York Times and Fitness Features Prevention, Azizah Magazine and Experience Life Magazines. Her efforts as both a health and fitness educator and Muslim businesswoman has afforded her the opportunity to be invited as a special guest to the White House Iftar Dinner by President Barack Obama in both 2012 and 2013 with the honor of sitting directly next to the President.
She is the owner of M Force Marketing Agency where she and her team give entrepreneurs and business owners the tools, knowledge and resources for them to define, design and deliver their brands’ message to their target audiences and become leaders in their industry.
She is the ground under the swell of the “Fit Muslimah”, which is an online community that starts on FitMuslimah.com and extends to more than quarter million people on her Facebook page. These people are dedicated to improving and advocating for the health and wellness of Muslim women. She is also the founder of the Fit Muslimah Summit; the only international health and fitness summits held exclusively for Muslim Women hosted throughout the U.S., Bermuda, and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
As a community health advocate, she also the Executive Director of Fit Haven, A non-profit organization whose mission is to reduce health disparity among women and girl of color through education, access, and opportunity.
Ameenah Muhammad-Diggins
Ameenah Muhammad-Diggins is a best-selling author, playwright, speaker, marathoner and business growth strategist for creative entrepreneurs. She was named in Huffington Post as one of 25 Muslims breaking barriers and lighting up the world.
An entrepreneur for over 15 years, Muhammad-Diggins is a motivational speaker who encourages women empowerment, entrepreneurship and uses her expanding notoriety to highlight African-American Muslim experiences. She says:
“I service my tribe by offering.”
She offers master class webinars and online coaching through her personal individual power sessions. She also has free monthly classes for women on branding and business. Muhammad-Diggins authored the popular children’s book Bashirah and The Amazing Bean Pie, which was recently adapted into a play showing at the Please Touch Museum. Muhammad-Diggins uses social media to inspire Muslim women to achieve their goals and to connect and uplift each other.
Asiya Jamillah Nasir
Founder of J.E.S.S.I.C.A. Cares, Asiya Jamillah Nasir has over 25 years of experience in the corporate and financial industries and received a Certificate of Completion for completing the Life Lessons from The Prophetic Traditions Twenty Hadeeth Course from Rawdah Institute.
Nasir created J.E.S.S.I.C.A Cares to guide young girls and help them to develop the necessary skills to live a life that is pleasing to our creator, Allah (SWT). Using one-day programs, interactive exercises and academies; the organization offers teens the how-tos and resources necessary to make goals a reality and provide a safe haven for Muslimah’s and young girls of all faiths to discuss their struggles and fears and assist in overcoming those emotions.
She developed a unique transformational speaking format she uses to challenge young girls to be relentless in their determination and pursuit when accomplishing their life goals. Nasir teaches at numerous Islamic facilities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware as well as virtually to students in New York.
Sakeena Rashid
On a mission to increase the visibility of Muslim voices in media, author Sakeena launched numerous initiatives to bring Muslim identity and narratives to the forefront. Working as a freelance writer for over 10 years as well as self-publishing and managing a niche writing service; Rashid learnt the first-hand challenges that the Muslim writers face.
Rashid also launched the Muslim Writers and Publishers Association (MWPA) with the belief that uniting under a professional association representing and supporting Muslim interests and beliefs helps create positive change in the Ummah. She is dedicated to helping Muslim literary professionals become financially self-sufficient and earn a halal income through their work.
MWPA provides a forum for Muslim writers and publishing houses to network and learn, offering resources that teach the methods and business practices. Rashid constructed platforms for writers to share their experiences. Through the MWPA blog and Facebook group, she encourages members to network and consistently offers advice and motivation for those struggling with writing or seeking to progress in the process.
Women in Islam hold great importance and that has been an evident example set initially by those at the time of our various Prophets; especially Prophet Muhammad (SAWW). Of course, they all hold their own significance. These five women mentioned in the article are nonetheless only a part of the Muslim community; so imagine how there are many others out there ready to be your mentor and guide you. These women are true inspiration in the Muslim world today, acting as modes of hope for those who want to strive in this competitive world. Go ahead and share this to let others know and get motivated. After all, we all need a little boost, don’t we?
Source: In About Islam by Layla Abdullah
