SheLeads: Nadia Gulamhusein

Nadia Gulamhusein plays many roles as an inspirational and powerful leader in our community. She is a high school teacher, motivational speaker, hip hop enthusiast, and cancer survivor advocating for people to embrace their challenges and transform them into empowering opportunities. Her friends and family describe her as full of energy, and someone who wants to see others believe in themselves and overcome their challenges.

“We cannot always choose our circumstances but we can ALWAYS choose our perspectives”

Nadia Gulamhusein plays many roles as an inspirational and powerful leader in our community. She is a high school teacher, motivational speaker, hip hop enthusiast, and cancer survivor advocating for people to embrace their challenges and transform them into empowering opportunities. Her friends and family describe her as full of energy, and someone who wants to see others believe in themselves and overcome their challenges.

Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 24, Nadia decided her diagnosis would be an opportunity for learning and growth. She is committed to serving others by sharing her story of resilience in high-energy, drama-based workshops with her brand CHOOSING I CAN.

Driven by the belief that that “challenges are stepping stones to our greatness” and “I CAN is not the future – it's NOW”, she has transformed her personal journey into a powerful system of change. Nadia has spoken at, and facilitated a number of workshops at schools, forums for cancer survivors, community outreach programs, and conferences.  By utilizing an experiential model and harnessing the power of perspective, visualization and embodiment, Nadia’s compelling story and strategies inspire others to unleash their infinite potential.

For Nadia’s students, this means using these principles to promote positive mental health, self-awareness, and resilience. She focuses on developing a growth mindset within students and having them realize their true potential and innate greatness. While teaching was always her goal, her cancer diagnosis birthed the CHOOSE I CAN vision and solidified her mission to specifically help youth.

Nadia’s optimism has always been her guiding star and she hopes to see others CHOOSING I CAN and stepping into their GREATNESS.