I live near Basel in Switzerland with my family, along with the many books and plants that seem to propagate around the house.
Growing up in Asia, studying economics and finance in the UK, and later completing a PhD led to years spent across academia, banking and the corporate world.
Much of my earlier professional and academic work, including research and writing on corporate governance and organizations, appears under my other name, Azura Shahrim.
Along the way, I moved between different countries and cultures*, eventually returning to Basel with my lovely family.
I decided not to rush into the next job. I helped our young family settle into a new country and language, and I permitted myself to pause rather than immediately return to the corporate world.
That space led me towards things I had been increasingly drawn to: writing, and then eventually yoga and coaching. My interest in how people think, listen, change, and find their way forward deepened.
Writing, yoga and coaching might look like separate strands. To me, though, they belong together. Each one asks for attention: to what is here, to what matters, and to what we might otherwise overlook.
Training and qualifying as a coach grew from an increasing interest in the kinds of conversations that help us think differently—particularly what happens when someone has the space to think out loud without being told what to do.
I spent my younger days running marathons and staying well away from yoga. During the COVID years, spending more time in nature in Switzerland led me to try yoga again. This time, I embraced it and eventually trained as a teacher.
For many years, writing meant academic papers, equity and industry reports, and board papers. Alongside this, I wrote blogs and volunteered my time to produce publications. Now, I'm writing about ideas, reflections on daily life, and observations.
