Rooted in a progressive upbringing and inspired by her brilliant parents, her journey began with a motorbike and a larger-than-life dream. Overcoming personal struggles through the power of faith and rational thinking, she transformed pain into purpose—becoming a Clinical Psychologist trained by Dr. Albert Ellis himself. For nearly three decades, her mission has remained simple yet powerful: to heal, uplift, and transform—one person, one life at a time.

I grew up in Pakistan (Karachi and Lahore). I was awfully blessed to be born in an extremely progressive and educated family. My father, Iqbal Samad Khan, was the CEO of Pakistan Railways and my mom, Saira, was a teacher. My mom was extremely educated and that became my inspiration to educate myself so I can, at least, match up. She had a master in organic chemistry and masters in English literature. My parents raised me like a fireball – anything but the conventional Pakistani girl. I used to ride motorbikes back in the 80’s and was encouraged to stand up, speak up not only for myself but everyone around me. My training in psychology started during my childhood because of my perfect set of parents who never put pressure on me to perform but rather encouraged me to try and fail to see that my passing or failing did not decide my self worth – a lesson that has truly shaped my philosophy about myself and my world.

My journey as a clinician started during my early teens, while studying psychology in Pakistan back in the late 80s. Dr Albert Ellis’s book, A Guide to Rational Living, not only changed my life but also my whole philosophy about life and people. I managed to overcome my severe height phobia, perfectionism (Obsessive compulsive personality traits); symptoms related to post traumatic stress and other disturbances by simply reading his self help books. They helped me not only recognise the root cause of my problems but also a fairly logical and easy way to fix them. I was hooked! I read and reread Ellis’s book, A Guide to Rational Living, for a few years until I became a completely different person. By the time I finished the book, I knew clearly that I wanted to become a Clinical Psychologist and not just any psychologist, but a psychologist personally trained by Dr Ellis himself. I was dreaming BIG and even though there were people who thought it was a tall order for a Muslim girl coming from a third world country, but my amazing father believed in me and encouraged me to do what it takes to make it there and I DID! I had already finished my Masters in Psychology, postmasters specialization in Clinical Psychology and was working as a clinician by the time I applied for the fellowship. My personal journey as well as my research paper, Islam and Rational Emotive Cognitive Behaviour Therapy were the main reasons why I was selected for the prestigious fellowship program at the Albert Ellis Institute, New York City. My paper is very close to my heart because it helped Dr Ellis change his mind about Islam as a religion. My conviction in the model runs deep. I knew for a fact that if I could help myself so much without any professional support, I would be able to save so many by formally getting trained in the model. It’s been 28 years that i have been working as a Clinician and i still jump out of bed every single day to go to work. The passion i feel for what i do for a living comes from a very personal space. I do know how it feels to be go through emotional pain and feeling lost. My goal has been to help one person at a time.. one life at a time.