Aziboy
Banned
Inspiring Muslimah: An Interview with a Life Coach
Amal Stapley is a life coach for Muslim women, who founded the SuperMuslimah Project to support, motivate and encourage Muslim women to step forward in their lives with confidence.
After accepting Islam in 1992, sister Amal graduated from the International Islamic University of Malaysia with a degree in Psychology and Islamic studies, and then she went on to work with Islamic organizations in the USA, Egypt. At the moment, sister Amal resides in her home country, the UK.
In this Q & A interview, sister Amal speaks more about the mission behind her project, the SuperMuslimah, and on her professional experience as a life coach.
Q- Kindly give us a short introduction about your background and education?
A- Where to start? Alhamdu lillah, Allah has blessed me with a very rich life, full of amazing opportunities and experiences and the chance to live, study and work on four continents! I was born in the UK and after having worked with people with learning disabilities for many years; I volunteered to work overseas, and was sent to Malaysia. After working there for three years, I accepted Islam and went onto study Psychology and Islamic studies at IIUM (the International Islamic university of Malaysia). I also spent some time in Jordan to learn Arabic.
After I graduated, I went to the States and worked for AOU (the American Open University), the pioneer organization offering Islamic studies by distance learning. I later went to Egypt and worked for the AOU Egyptian branch and also as an editor and copywriter for many other Islamic organizations there. It was from Cairo that I initially started my coaching business.
In 2009, a number of factors came together, my father being in the last stages of cancer among them, which brought me back to the UK. I had originally intended to leave for just 2 years, but stayed away for 20!
Q- Who influenced your life the most? How?
A-There have been so many people along the way that have touched my life and affected it in so many ways.
Some of their influences have been short lived, but had a major effect on the course that my life took for a while, others have been more fundamental. But I guess that of all the people that have affected my life, the one who has affected it most is the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
No one else has had such a permanent and enduring and global effect on my life as he has. His message affects everything thing I do every day and every decision I make. His message is the one consistent factor in my life that I can trust and turn to; it makes me feel safe and gives me my strength.
Q- Who is your role model? Why did you consider him/her your role model?
A-The role model I have always turned to is Lady Khadijah. What better role model to have than a woman who has been promised Jannah!
Although I don’t have the opportunity to model her roles as a wife or mother, I take inspiration from her in her role as an honest, hard working, ethical business woman; from her practice as a Muslimah placing her trust in Allah, even when she was experiencing great tests, and from her example of giving her best to her community and maintaining good relations with her non-Muslim relatives. May Allah grant me and all sisters the same reward as hers!
Q- What was your motive behind creating the SuperMuslimah project?
A-My initial inspiration was my own personal experience of being coached by a Muslim coach, which helped me turn my life around, or rather the way I saw my life and its potential. I was in really bad place at that time and was starting to give up, but the coaching gave me the confidence to stop settling for less, to step out of my comfort zone and to take action.
I knew that many other sisters could benefit from a similar service and found the means to get my initial training under Muhammad Alshareef of DiscoverU. On my return to the UK, I started to develop my coaching business and it slowly grew into the SuperMuslimah Project.
Q- What does SM project stand for?
A-Through working with Muslim women for over 20 years in many different countries and circumstances, I saw many of the same themes recurring time and time again. There are many women who want to do more with their lives; they want to be better Muslimahs, wives, daughters, mothers, friends; they want to have an occupation that suits their character and abilities; they want to cope better with the changes that happen in their lives, but there is something stopping them.
The SuperMuslimah Project is designed for those women. To support, motivate and encourage them to step forward in their lives with confidence. In addition to offering coaching, I also write blog posts and articles and have an active Facebook page. The aim of these services is to open doors, show new insights, inspire women and support them to see their life through new eyes, to realise that there is another way, that there is hope and that they can make positive changes in their lives.
Q- What is your future plan concerning the SuperMuslimah Project?
A- As I develop the service into the next stage, I’m hope to start offering courses and eventually retreats for Muslim women from all walks of life, backgrounds and cultures for them to develop their confidence and attain the potential that Allah created them to reach.
Q- In your opinion while working with Muslim women from different countries what are the biggest challenges that face them in the current period?
A- It’s very difficult to generalise, as there is no typical Muslim women and no typical circumstances that they all find themselves in. But when I looked at the reasons that sisters were seeking my services, there were some underlying themes that kept on repeating themselves.
The sisters lacked confidence in themselves and their own abilities to meet the challenges in their lives; despite being believers, they didn’t feel a close connection with Allah; and they were dissatisfied with the way they were living their lives but unsure of what to do, how to make changes or in fact in which direction to go.
Q- Were you a life coach before accepting Islam?
A- No
Q- Through your experience in life coaching after accepting Islam do you think there are special problems and challenges related to Muslims, in general?
A-Through talking to other coaches who are non-Muslims, most of the issues that Muslim women face are just the same as those other women.
The main differences seem to be more in the cultural overlay to their issues and in the methods they may choose to resolve them in the light of their cultures and beliefs.
Q- What are three major pieces of advice you would like to give to the Muslim youth, especially women?
A- I don’t work specifically with the youth, as my clients cover the full age range from late teens to grandmothers. But my advice is that at whatever the age you may be, the most important thing is to hold onto your faith no matter what is happening in your life, as that will get you through the rough spots and keep you on an even keel in the good times.
The next is to remember that Allah created you as a unique individual, with your own special combination of skills, abilities, preferences, circumstances and looks. And He did that for a reason, as He has a special purpose for you on this earth. It’s your duty to find out how you can fulfil that purpose and do it to the best of your abilities.
The last piece of advice I would give is that you may plan, but Allah also has His own plan for you and that may be different from what you hope or expect. But be assured, that however your life turns out and whatever tests you have to face, that is the best course for your life. Your role is to make the best of it and to try to please Allah, wherever that takes you.
Amal Stapley is a life coach for Muslim women, who founded the SuperMuslimah Project to support, motivate and encourage Muslim women to step forward in their lives with confidence.
After accepting Islam in 1992, sister Amal graduated from the International Islamic University of Malaysia with a degree in Psychology and Islamic studies, and then she went on to work with Islamic organizations in the USA, Egypt. At the moment, sister Amal resides in her home country, the UK.
In this Q & A interview, sister Amal speaks more about the mission behind her project, the SuperMuslimah, and on her professional experience as a life coach.
Q- Kindly give us a short introduction about your background and education?
A- Where to start? Alhamdu lillah, Allah has blessed me with a very rich life, full of amazing opportunities and experiences and the chance to live, study and work on four continents! I was born in the UK and after having worked with people with learning disabilities for many years; I volunteered to work overseas, and was sent to Malaysia. After working there for three years, I accepted Islam and went onto study Psychology and Islamic studies at IIUM (the International Islamic university of Malaysia). I also spent some time in Jordan to learn Arabic.
After I graduated, I went to the States and worked for AOU (the American Open University), the pioneer organization offering Islamic studies by distance learning. I later went to Egypt and worked for the AOU Egyptian branch and also as an editor and copywriter for many other Islamic organizations there. It was from Cairo that I initially started my coaching business.
In 2009, a number of factors came together, my father being in the last stages of cancer among them, which brought me back to the UK. I had originally intended to leave for just 2 years, but stayed away for 20!
Q- Who influenced your life the most? How?
A-There have been so many people along the way that have touched my life and affected it in so many ways.
Some of their influences have been short lived, but had a major effect on the course that my life took for a while, others have been more fundamental. But I guess that of all the people that have affected my life, the one who has affected it most is the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
No one else has had such a permanent and enduring and global effect on my life as he has. His message affects everything thing I do every day and every decision I make. His message is the one consistent factor in my life that I can trust and turn to; it makes me feel safe and gives me my strength.
Q- Who is your role model? Why did you consider him/her your role model?
A-The role model I have always turned to is Lady Khadijah. What better role model to have than a woman who has been promised Jannah!
Although I don’t have the opportunity to model her roles as a wife or mother, I take inspiration from her in her role as an honest, hard working, ethical business woman; from her practice as a Muslimah placing her trust in Allah, even when she was experiencing great tests, and from her example of giving her best to her community and maintaining good relations with her non-Muslim relatives. May Allah grant me and all sisters the same reward as hers!
Q- What was your motive behind creating the SuperMuslimah project?
A-My initial inspiration was my own personal experience of being coached by a Muslim coach, which helped me turn my life around, or rather the way I saw my life and its potential. I was in really bad place at that time and was starting to give up, but the coaching gave me the confidence to stop settling for less, to step out of my comfort zone and to take action.
I knew that many other sisters could benefit from a similar service and found the means to get my initial training under Muhammad Alshareef of DiscoverU. On my return to the UK, I started to develop my coaching business and it slowly grew into the SuperMuslimah Project.
Q- What does SM project stand for?
A-Through working with Muslim women for over 20 years in many different countries and circumstances, I saw many of the same themes recurring time and time again. There are many women who want to do more with their lives; they want to be better Muslimahs, wives, daughters, mothers, friends; they want to have an occupation that suits their character and abilities; they want to cope better with the changes that happen in their lives, but there is something stopping them.
The SuperMuslimah Project is designed for those women. To support, motivate and encourage them to step forward in their lives with confidence. In addition to offering coaching, I also write blog posts and articles and have an active Facebook page. The aim of these services is to open doors, show new insights, inspire women and support them to see their life through new eyes, to realise that there is another way, that there is hope and that they can make positive changes in their lives.
Q- What is your future plan concerning the SuperMuslimah Project?
A- As I develop the service into the next stage, I’m hope to start offering courses and eventually retreats for Muslim women from all walks of life, backgrounds and cultures for them to develop their confidence and attain the potential that Allah created them to reach.
Q- In your opinion while working with Muslim women from different countries what are the biggest challenges that face them in the current period?
A- It’s very difficult to generalise, as there is no typical Muslim women and no typical circumstances that they all find themselves in. But when I looked at the reasons that sisters were seeking my services, there were some underlying themes that kept on repeating themselves.
The sisters lacked confidence in themselves and their own abilities to meet the challenges in their lives; despite being believers, they didn’t feel a close connection with Allah; and they were dissatisfied with the way they were living their lives but unsure of what to do, how to make changes or in fact in which direction to go.
Q- Were you a life coach before accepting Islam?
A- No
Q- Through your experience in life coaching after accepting Islam do you think there are special problems and challenges related to Muslims, in general?
A-Through talking to other coaches who are non-Muslims, most of the issues that Muslim women face are just the same as those other women.
The main differences seem to be more in the cultural overlay to their issues and in the methods they may choose to resolve them in the light of their cultures and beliefs.
Q- What are three major pieces of advice you would like to give to the Muslim youth, especially women?
A- I don’t work specifically with the youth, as my clients cover the full age range from late teens to grandmothers. But my advice is that at whatever the age you may be, the most important thing is to hold onto your faith no matter what is happening in your life, as that will get you through the rough spots and keep you on an even keel in the good times.
The next is to remember that Allah created you as a unique individual, with your own special combination of skills, abilities, preferences, circumstances and looks. And He did that for a reason, as He has a special purpose for you on this earth. It’s your duty to find out how you can fulfil that purpose and do it to the best of your abilities.
The last piece of advice I would give is that you may plan, but Allah also has His own plan for you and that may be different from what you hope or expect. But be assured, that however your life turns out and whatever tests you have to face, that is the best course for your life. Your role is to make the best of it and to try to please Allah, wherever that takes you.
