Ashraf Helal

Ashraf Helal

Founder & Lead Coach and Consultant

HELAL for Coaching and Management Consultancy

Cairo, Egypt

Alumni: London, England, August 2018

In our 11069NAT Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing we always talk about the ripple effect; starting with self and creating a ripple out there in the world - whatever that may mean for each person.

In this interview, one of our Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing graduate shares his completely life-changing experience of the course, and how it set him up to carry the message of wellbeing to many organisations and individuals!

What drew you to complete the Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing?

I’ve worked in different corporate positions between 1993 and 2018, with the last eight years of those in an executive position. Being a leader to a big number of people and realising the impact of leadership on lives, I started to be increasingly attracted to leadership topics.

In 2014, my leadership calling took me to coaching; A profession and a mental-state that I fell in love with!  I started practising life and leadership coaching out of my usual corporate circle, I got accredited from ICF then I started reading about positive psychology with an aim to complement my coaching skills and enrich my toolbox.

Since I started reading, I loved everything about this science and I discovered that even reading or discussing researchers, books or interventions from positive psychology, increased my wellbeing and allowed me to noticeably be better in whatever I passed through.

I started searching for a reputable/trustworthy institute to learn positive psychology in a practical way that suites my busy life, yet also in a proper way that matches my increasing appetite. I found Langley Group Institute and it was a life-changing experience for me.

What was your experience during the Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing?

If I had to put my experience during the course into three words, it would be “Pleasant, Stretching and Nourishing”! I savoured every moment of the face-to-face modules, then I was intrinsically motivated to continue studying and reading, both to complete my assignments and because I had found an immediate clear impact on my work, family and clients.

The course time for me has always been fun and tempting to follow through. I believe this has to do with the delivery approach and the team standards. It’s a well-balanced diploma with proper doses of mindfulness, reading, assignments, discussions and personal work, in other words, I’d say; “involving Head, Heart and Hand”.

What I found challenging was my wild tendency to surf and find new positive psychology researchers, articles and books! I discovered a kind of “FLOW”,  that wasn’t always working well for my deadlines.

I resonated with almost every part of the curriculum, especially the studied work of mindfulness, positive emotions, meaning and engagement.

How are you spreading your positive ripples, and how has the Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing helped you achieve this?

Since I decided to move forward from my corporate career in 2018, I’ve been primarily focusing on private coaching and leadership development services I provide to organisations! The diploma helped me visualise and construct my new career path. It helped me build positive relationships with new clients and broaden and build my resources, where it was highly needed. It taught me a lot about how I can make meaning of my career, utilize my strengths and make my work congruent with my values.

As I speak publicly and write books and articles, I now use those vehicles to carry the message of wellbeing.   I work on developing the skill of simplifying positive psychology research findings, applications and interventions in a simple format that can reach simple lives. I hope such actions can result in a valuable change for the community in Egypt! I feel responsible to help people around me through what I learned and tried myself and I hold a bigger cause of making positive psychology applications and interventions known and usable in a Muslim/Arabic community with a lot of hardships and challenges, as well as a natural interest in meaning and positivity. I try to use all opportunities I have for that cause, like social media, TV programmes, talks and lectures, coaching certification programmes I teach and articles I write.

Spreading positive ripples makes me feel alive and enjoying a meaningful life! It has also impacted my judgement and emotional regulation strategies positively; I believe I’m now more resilient, better with people around me and more satisfied with my life!