About Me

I’m Chitra Panjabi.

I’m a feminist, an activist, an artist, and a coach.

I’m also a former nonprofit CEO, who after reaching my previous career goal of becoming a CEO (at 32, no less!) realized just how unhappy and burnt out I was. After spending some time in a fellowship program to explore my leadership, I came to realize that my life looked awesome on the outside but felt terrible on the inside. Despite everything I had achieved in my nonprofit career, something just didn’t feel right.

So, what happens when you realize that you’re living the life that someone else envisioned for you but not one that you want for yourself? You ask yourself what it is you really want and what it is you value most. And then, you change EVERYTHING.

At least, that’s how I did it!

I left my job, moved to the city where my family lived, and decided to take pause, reflect, and explore what it was that I wanted to do with my life. What came next was incredible. I realized that there were parts of my life that really worked (see: feminist, activist), others that had been missing for a long time (see: artist), and what it was that got me moving in the mornings, ready to tackle a new day (see: coach).

And yes, coaching was a significant part of how I made this shift. Through coaching, I saw the power of possibility and what it could mean for me to live a life that was aligned with my values, my priorities, and my goals. Because of coaching, I no longer felt it necessary to let everyone else’s definition of success determine what was and is right for me. Instead, I’m clear on my vision of what leadership means for me and what my life needs to look like to feel nourished and thrive.

For so long, so many women, and especially women of color, have learned to play by someone else’s rules and that’s bullshit. We get to decide how we want to show up, what’s important to us and our communities, and how we use our power to change the world. I’m not interested in building a world where we’re limited about what we can dream and what we make a reality. And you probably aren’t either.

My experience working with coaches and being coached was transformative; it inspired me to explore working as a coach for others, particularly women of color holding leadership and executive roles. We’re so often asked to step up when failures of traditional leadership mean that we’re recruited into roles that aren’t actually built for us, into a system that isn’t designed for us. But we don’t have to let that determine our success. Whether our goal is to lead in alignment with our values, or to execute on a really big, bold vision, or to transform the status quo, we have everything within us to make all of that happen. Coaching is the perfect container to explore what you dream possible, and then create a plan to make it happen. As an activist and an artist, that inspires me. As a coach, there’s nothing I find more delicious!

So, as your coach, I will make lots of commitments to you while supporting you as you explore and act. But the biggest one I will make?

We’ll dream different together.

P.S. If you’re really interested in the specifics of my education and career history, check me out on LinkedIn.

Site portrait photo credits: Monica Weeks, MSW Photography & Design