Every business owner, successful artist or remarkable parent has a unique story, to sum up how they made it to where they are. For Hedieh Samimi, CEO and Owner of Haleh Coaching, her story is one that begins with devastating loss and confusion.
Two years ago, Samimi’s only sister Haleh passed away after battling colon cancer. She was thirty years old. Hedieh, now an only child, grieving over her sister, was in a committed relationship at the time. One year after her sister’s passing, Hedieh married her fiancé. Ten days after the wedding, Hedieh’s new husband left her to be with his family. Hedieh, alone, angry and experiencing deep remorse, was at a fork in the road. Instead of allowing her grief and an-guish to take hold, she took hold of her life and established Haleh Coaching.
one-on-one coaching business, inspired by and named after her sister, Haleh, has not only been an entrepreneurial venture for Hedieh, it has saved her. When she was young, she had always been someone to offer coaching and wisdom to those in need of it. Now, a Grief Recovery Method specialist, certi-fied Life Coach and Relationship Coach, Samimi has taken her passions, her expertise and her personal experience with grief and loss and turned them into a productive venture to help those experiencing deep loss. She offers guidance and tools to clients to work through the pain and anger by using healthy, effective techniques. One of her more recent techniques is Art Therapy.
“ COACHING IS SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE IN YOU. IT HAS TO COME FROM INSIDE OF YOU TO TOUCH THE PEOPLE, YOU COACH”
Haleh Samimi was a visual artist. Throughout her struggle with cancer, she painted several pieces, expressing the anguish she had been experiencing. He-dieh has taken this form of expression and has incorporated the technique for her clients. She says, “Those who cannot speak their pain, can paint. People need their souls to be at peace in order to get through the grief,” she says. For inspiration, Hedieh turns to her sister’s art gallery, which is show-cased in her family’s home. “Art was my remedy,” Haleh used to say. Samimi’s family opened the art gallery in honour of Haleh. It has been open for over a year.
Regardless of what curveballs are thrown toward one’s life, each person, at some point, will most likely experience devastating loss. Hedieh is someone who has first-hand experience with a loss. She firmly believes that to move forward in a healthy way, one must face the reality of their situation and acknowledge the pain they are suffering. “The pain is there almost every day, but people are afraid to face it,” she says. “People want to let it go and not face it. People are afraid that if they face it, they will forget the ones they love, but it simply means living without them in a different way.”
Two years later, Hedieh feels she is a stronger person. She has gotten to know herself, her strengths and her abilities. She has learned to complete her loss and can see life from a different perspective. She is now able to share her experiences with her clients and give them guidance and compassion at a time of devastation and uncertainty. It is a passion and a purpose for Hedieh.
