5 Questions with Samanee Mahbub

What was your path to where you are right now?
I was an overachiever who kept everyone happy but myself. I rode the train to an Ivy, to banking, and kept chugging until I crashed: mentally, physically, spiritually. I was a shell and I needed to fill myself up. Cue therapy, letting go of perfectionism, and setting healthy boundaries. Now I work less, live more, and help others do the same :)

My go-to ritual to slow down is:
A simple breathing exercise: inhale for 2 counts, exhale for 4 counts. Helps calm the nervous system.

Vulnerability is:
Removing the facade we’ve built for everyone else. It’s letting ourselves and people see us for who we are, not what we do. And it’s loving that person.

What do you do when you feel afraid?
I thank the fear for trying to protect me. Caveman brain after all. And I tell it, things are going to be okay. I’m going to try the thing that scares me, and I might fall on my face. But it's okay. I can get back up and keep going.

Something I wished more people asked me about is:
How the view we adopt for ourselves profoundly affects the way we lead life. From the love we accept, the careers we take on, the leap of faiths we take. Everything comes down to mindset and self-belief. Change that, and you can change anything and everything.