“Aalia has been a blessing to our family for the past twelve years. We first met her in Dubai when our six year old daughter needed speech therapy. From the start, we were comforted by Aalia’s empathy and signature laugh. Aalia cares deeply about every child she works with, creating individualized programs based on their needs and the latest in therapeutic research. Over the years, we have gone to her with countless questions and concerns. Aalia has held our hand along the way, offering professional expertise and exceptional care. Her deep knowledge of speech language pathology, learning development, and therapeutic practices and technologies makes her the rare professional who can provide a comprehensive yet practical plan of action. She sees the superpowers in every child and empowers them to be changemakers. Now eighteen, our daughter continues to work with Aalia in her capacity as a Designing Your Life coach. They also recently collaborated on a children’s book that celebrates learning differences. Having Aalia champion her at every turn has helped make our daughter the confident young woman she is today. Aalia has impacted our lives in more ways than we can count.”
— Anne

"The Designing Your Life" Program really helped me gain a sense of clarity and confidence when it comes to the next steps in my life. I felt fully supported throughout the whole process, and still feel supported afterwards. I feel confident about my future having learnt the techniques from the DYL Course.”

— 18 year old female

“I engaged Aalia as my life coach in 2020. I was stuck in my life, not sure how I wanted to map out my future. I reached out to her to help me with strategizing my future, bring some clarity and work with me to overcome some self limiting beliefs. The experience has been life changing.

From the beginning, Aalia was compassionate and non judgmental in her approach. She listened actively, giving me space to express myself while also asking me questions along the way. She also used multiple approaches from her experience to allow me to frame my perspective, my thoughts. She challenged me to work with the tools and also challenged me to dig deep.

The questions, the challenge, the tools, the emotional support, the compassion and the ability to adapt to my needs made my coaching experience very enriching. Aalia brings that to her clients.

I look forward to working with her again in the future.”

— 40+ year old male

"My son's speech therapy with Aalia has helped him grow so much in his confidence and ability. Aalia keeps him engaged and active in their sessions which is so important at four years old. He speaks of her frequently and fondly. He even asks to see her on days when he doesn't have speech! I feel so lucky to have found Aalia--she has made such a difference in our lives."

— Johanna

Great coach alert! I was introduced to Aalia 6 or so years ago, when we were looking for a child development specialist in the UAE, who we could invite for a LEGO Duplo event to talk about value of play. Little did I know when I was reading the short list and told my PR agency ‘This one seems the best profile for us’, that I am pointing at woman, who will be my inspiration since the day we meet. Since the beginning she has impressed me with her deep knowledge, professionalism, dedication to her work and ‘never stop learning’ attitude. She is one of the top experts in the field of speech therapy I have met. When I lived in Denmark and my daughter was being diagnosed towards the spectrum of autism, Aalia was the one I called and asked for advice on how to work with my baby at home. When we were moving to Dubai, she was the one helping me to navigate through finding right nurseries or therapists in town. Her advice has been constantly genuine and reliable. I was astonished how a person is able to show so much open heart to a stranger in need, how much compassion can one human carry. I have also watched this wonderful woman working hard to expand into new field, learn something new and use her brilliant mind to help others. I am super thrilled to see her expanding into coaching - especially in the times of increasing mental health awareness, people reconsidering their life choices and working on redefining themselves, support of someone like Aalia can be invaluable along the way. Two busy women - we rarely see each other (and always promise one another ‘we need to do it more often'!’) but whenever we do, I am loaded with her energy, passion for life, positive values she represents. So, if you are looking for support in the areas of corporate and private coaching, but also - support for your teens or studying kids in defining their life path, Aalia should be on top of your contact list!

- Ula

“The most powerful perspective altering thing I have experienced. So many things I thought I believed and knew. I was sure about or unsure about are now looked at from a different angle in a different light. I feel I am thinking "healthier" as a result of that. It was something that I looked forward to participating in every week and left every session feeling lighter and in possession of much more clarity.”

— 34 year old male

“Ms. Thobani’s “Designing Your Life” virtual program was invigorating, personal, and collaborative. The program opened my eyes and helped me connect to two other young women, despite our different stages in life (I am currently a high school senior and published author from Long Island, New York who strives to work in the field of psychology; Angela is a content associate in Dubai who will be attending The New School for graduate school next fall; and Mira is a soon-to-be King's College London student who is currently interning at a government organization during her gap year). Through odyssey planning, weekly journaling, and prototype and workview activities, I was able to practice introspection and self-reflection. I learned that I have to take certain risks and engage in unconventional opportunities to become the person I aspire to be in the future. I was also taught the concept of “pivoting” - where it is okay to transition from one career or passion to another if what you are doing on an everyday basis is not self-fulfilling and enriching. The incredible support I received from Ms. Thobani, Angela, and Mira taught me the valuable lesson that no matter whatever situation you are in, you can always encourage yourself to improve. This program also made me realize how critical it is to live in the moment. As an 18 year-old of “Generation Z” or “Generation of iPad Kids”, this can be difficult as I have become so accustomed to regularly using my iPhone and various social media apps. The “Designing Your Life” program was both meditative and freeing because it taught me, a high school senior, that there is no singular magic pathway to success. Life’s possibilities are infinite.”

— 18 year old female

“We met Miss Aalia only a couple of months ago and it is incredible the progress that my son did with her. She’s proactive, smart, sweet and funny personality, professional at the same time! We highly recommend miss Aalia!”

— Lucia

“I loved Designing Your Life! Aalia is kind, welcoming and warm! She also knows a lot and really helped guide me through this process. I loved the flexibility that was encouraged and the creativity that we were made to dig into. I highly recommend this course to everyone regardless of their age, and have already told my friends to do so. The little tools are extremely helpful and easily applicable into our daily lives. The course touched on the professional, personal and mental aspects of my life.”

— 21 year old female