Meet Prajesh Chhanabhai | Mindset Coach and Engagement Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Prajesh Chhanabhai and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Prajesh, can you tell us about a book that has had a meaningful impact on you?
I have always been an avid reader, I have been really blessed to read a large number of books. I believe that every book has an impact on the reader.

One book that will always stand out for me is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

It is a very simple tale that embodies something that every single one of us are going through. We are all searching for that “golden treasure”. It is something that we search for, some of us for a life time and we never find it. The simplicity of this book is the revelation that the treasure we all seek actually comes from within us. We need to look inside before we search externally. Which has been the motivation for me in my role as a coach and working in education

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was born and raised in Zimbabwe which has set up my formative years and initial ways of thinking. I completed my first degree in Computer Science and Information Systems at Rhodes University in South Africa. I then moved to New Zealand where i completed my MSc in Health Informatics. During this time I got to engage with and teach into various programs which is where I started to find my passion for helping people grow and test their comfort zones.

The move from Africa to New Zealand itself was a massive culture shock for me and also helped me to learn and grow about myself as well as living in a diverse community. This is also where i realised the power of education which i have been working in for last 17 years, the impact the having information which can then be formed into knowledge to enable a person to change is something that no one can take away from them. This has really driven me.

In these roles as I was also frustrated at my own growth, which then took me down the path of coaching where I learnt about the sub-concious biases and patterns that I had developed that were holding me back. These were developed over time but I could not see them as I was not aware of them. Once I realised the power of awareness it stimulated me to also train as a coach. I work in the space of Transformation Coaching, MindSet Coaching, Extended-DISC coaching, NLP tools and techniques

In my coaching work I work with people that are seeking the next level in their life (from students to CEO’s). I have been priviledged to have coached people to move from employees to employers, from coach potatoes to
athletes, from stuck in a rut to being ultra-productive My specialty is working with individuals that are at a Crossroads in their life. Irrespective of the context, I work to help my clients move the needle forward in the area of life that is holding them back. My philosophy is that he is the expert of the coaching process and client is the expert in their lived experience, this allows for powerful and long lasting change.

You can find my coaching content on my instagram page @phambilicoaching

In addition to this I also work at a University with high school aged students that are grappling the transition of moving out of school into the next stage of their lives. This area is something I really am passionate about working through the anxiety, the excitement, the whole range of emotions!

I am most proud of a podcast that I have set up with my co-host Tane. It is called Baskets of Knowledge. With this podcast we hope to share stories that capture an individuals journey that has got them to where they are now. As of writing this article we have had 66 guests on the show. it can be found on any where you listen to your podcasts.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Living in New Zealand, I would tell my friend that we should get a car and start our trip from the top of the North Island and drive all the way down to the bottom of the South Island.

Essentially New Zealand is a country made to explore while driving, i would not give the country justice by mentioning only a a few spots on this article. I will drop a few highlights
Northland, Rotorua Thermal pools, Hobiton, Mount Taranaki, the beaches on the East Coast, The capital Wellington, the wine regions of Marlborough, the marine life at Kaikoura, the wilderness of the west coast, the beauty of the sounds. The adventure that awaits you in Queenstown and not forgetting the tranquility of Stewart Island.

These are just a few of the many spots in this country to visit.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This journey has been a long time coming, I have to thank my workplace for allowing me to go on training programs that have helped me gain the skillset I have today. I also have to do a shout out to all the coaches I have connected through this journey form those at Wild Success, Coach Master Academy and Grit Coaches they have all added value for me to grow my knowledge space.

Also need to have a shout out to my family for backing me in this venture, a special shout out to Darshana for letting me go down this pathway.

I also want to do a shout out to myself for trusting myself to go down this pathway, we forget to give credit to ourselves for taking that first step. To ask for help and to ask to ways to get to where we want to go.

Instagram: @phambilicoaching

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prajesh-chhanabhai/

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4FJKnEdZSILs9re9P5pvBV?si=0b340ca193644d45