Who am I?
I’m Saira Doeleman-Gill , a yogi, curious life-long learner and mother of four. I am a 3x founder, investor and transformational coach.
You’ll often find me practising yoga, cooking nutritious meals and exploring nature with my husband and children! I read voraciously and love taking courses to open my mind such as in psychology, food & nutrition and longevity. for the past 20 years, I have been focused on embodiment practices such as yoga (Yoga Alliance certified), breathwork, meditation and dance, all of which inspire my family life and work with clients.
My background
I have a degree and masters from the University of Cambridge in Psychology. I am working towards my ICF Transformation coaching certificate through Animas.
My professional career took me from living in London, to the Nordics, Singapore and Amsterdam. I thrived in the many fast-paced environments I worked, from investment banking to scaling tech companies to Venture Capital - investing and mentoring founders. I have founded companies, including one to make people healthier and another to alter their state of mind and mental health through sound. I continue to advise and invest in tech start-ups and VCs, bit not as my main focus.
My ikigai
The Japanese believe your “Ikigai” is your work purpose, and your only purpose as it’s fully aligned to who you are. For me, this is true but I also believe one can have many purposes: work, life (“Iki”), spiritual (e.g. just being present), religious and/or other. I called my company IkiVoyage as I believe we are journeying through life and it’s important to smell the flowers on your way home to yourself.
A few years ago, life nudged me toward deeper personal reflection, where I realised I wanted to help individuals consciously choose and live a fulfilled and healthy life. That journey led me to create a distinctive approach to transformation, integrating coaching, embodiment and conscious living.
I specialise in guiding people through transitions, uncovering what truly drives them, and creating actionable plans to manifest their visions into reality. I believe that when our values and purpose are not aligned with the way we live our lives, the result is stress, anxiety or burn-out, eventually leading to bodily dysfunction and disease.
This is what happened to me; my nervous system shut down, and I was knocked out for a year. I first tried to fix the surface-level symptoms and struggled to find where to go for support. After much research and learning, I had a support network of coaches, therapists, health professionals, yogis and other healing modalities. I realised I needed to deeply reflect on what my authentic self wanted and needed; what was the life I envisioned, for long-lasting change and fulfilment? I was able to visualise and eventually manifest the life that I now live, and am grateful for all the support and love I had on my journey here. There is always teaching in those challenges, creating growth, especially in the discomfort or suffering. I hope I can support others on their journeys and make their journey a little bit more smoother.
My distinctive approach
What sets my approach apart is the distinctive blend of modalities I crafted, including transformational coaching, conscious living, embodiment-based practices such as yoga, breathwork, meditation and sound, and longevity advice.
I’m dedicated to helping individuals find fulfilment by supporting them to achieve a deeper sense of clarity, alignment, and purpose
I believe meaningful success comes from balancing performance with conscious well-being - and creating a life that reflects your values and goals.