In today’s world, personal growth, inner balance, and conscious living are becoming increasingly relevant. People are no longer satisfied with simply following a daily routine; they want to build their lives with greater awareness and purpose. In an interview with AZERTAC, life coach and transformation specialist Aydan Shakh speaks about her journey into this field, the advantages of the Gestalt approach, the internal barriers that prevent people from achieving their goals, the challenges people face in relationships, and the psychological causes of burnout and energy loss. She also explains how personal development helps individuals discover their inner strength, overcome fears, and make more conscious decisions in life.

- How did your personal journey as a life coach and transformation specialist take shape? What internal or life turning points were decisive in leading you to this field?

- I did not enter this field by chance. It was a calling that had been growing within me for years, even though for some time I could not name it.

Since childhood, I have had a strong ability to sense people. For me, more than words, the tone of voice, the emotions behind a glance, and unspoken feelings would speak. I could hear what people did not say — their inner conflicts, fears, and potential. This empathy has always felt natural to me, as if it were a tool I was born with.

At the same time, I have strong analytical thinking and leadership skills. For many years, I applied this potential in the corporate sector, in IT. I graduated from the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science at Khazar University. Later, I earned an MBA in IT Management from a University of Applied Sciences in Germany. I have around 11 years of professional experience, where decision-making, building systems, analyzing problems, and guiding people were part of my daily responsibilities.

However, people approached me not because of my official role, but because of my human qualities. They would say, “Can we talk for a moment?”, “I want to share something with you…”, “I think you’ll understand me.”

I didn’t just listen — I asked the right questions. Sometimes a single question revealed a truth that someone had been unable to see for years. After our conversations, people would say, “Now everything is clearer,” “I understand what I need to do,” or “Something inside me has settled.”

At that time, I did not know this was called coaching, but I was already touching transformation processes.

One decisive turning point happened during a simple yet profound moment in my life. One evening, sitting in the kitchen with my husband, we were talking about plans, dreams, and potential. Suddenly, a sentence came out of me:

“I want people to follow me. I feel that I carry valuable knowledge and experience, and I need to pass it on to others.”

It was not just ambition — it was a sense of responsibility. My husband supported me and said that this calling should be realized and even turned into a source of value and income.

That was when I consciously became familiar with coaching. I graduated from the Coaching and Psychology Institute named after Evgeniya Nemkova in Belarus and became a certified transformational Gestalt coach.

The coaching approach fascinated me because it does not remain stuck in the past — it works with the “here and now.” It focuses on a person’s current resources and asks, “What can you do now?” I trusted my intuition, stepped out of my comfort zone, and today I work as a transformation coach creating real change in people’s lives.

- You use elements of Gestalt therapy in your work. What advantages does this approach bring to your practice?

- The core idea of Gestalt therapy is this: if something needed to be said but wasn’t, or needed to be experienced but wasn’t, it remains like an “unfinished page” in the mind and drains energy. Gestalt therapy helps to become aware of it, experience it fully, and let it go.

Simply put, the Gestalt approach helps a person understand what they are feeling right now, what they are experiencing, and what they need — without getting stuck in the past, but while recognizing how the past influences the present.

For example, someone says, “I don’t know why I constantly feel tired and unmotivated.”

In the Gestalt approach, we ask:

— What emotion lies beneath this exhaustion?

— What are you actually tired of?

— What do you truly need — rest, boundaries, support, or change?

Gestalt reveals unfinished emotions, unexpressed needs, and internal conflicts. This method does not keep a person in a victim position, nor does it try to force change.

“You are already enough. Just learn to hear yourself.” That is the core message of Gestalt.

- On your profile, themes such as “finding yourself, achieving goals, and building relationships” stand out. What internal barriers do people most often face in these areas?

The main barriers are fear and limiting beliefs — an inner silent voice that says, “You can’t do this,” “Don’t take the risk,” “This isn’t for you.”

This voice is not a person’s true voice; it is the result of past experiences and emotional wounds. The problem is not the existence of fear — it is identifying yourself with it.

“I am afraid” is a feeling.

“I am a fearful person” is a belief.

Transformation begins precisely when these beliefs change. A person starts seeing themselves not as weak, but as someone who is learning. Not as someone who loses, but as someone who gains experience.

- Many people today say, “I have no energy,” or “I want to act, but I can’t.” What psychological factors are behind this state?

- “I have no energy” is often not physical fatigue, but inner burnout.

— A person lives for a long time in a job or relationship they do not want, putting others’ needs before their own.

— A person wants something, yet is afraid at the same time. They want change but fear loss. They want growth but fear visibility.

— The belief “I must do it perfectly” blocks action. Energy comes from movement, not from waiting.

— Emotional overload — resentment, dissatisfaction, guilt — when not expressed, consumes energy.

The source of energy is not motivation — it is inner alignment. When a person lives according to their values, can say “no,” does not betray themselves, and listens to their needs, energy naturally returns.

- Personal transformation is often misunderstood. What are the most common misconceptions you encounter?

The biggest misconception is understanding transformation as changing yourself, as if you were wrong and needed to be “fixed.” In reality, transformation is not about erasing yourself — it is about remembering who you are, what you want, and what you cannot accept.

Another misconception is believing that transformation is always pleasant and easy. Real change is often uncomfortable. It raises questions, breaks old roles, changes relationships, and confronts a person with their own truth.

- Relationships are an important part of your work. What most prevents people from building healthy relationships: past experiences, fears, or lack of self-awareness?

- These three factors are interconnected and feed one another.

— Past experiences create fear and hinder self-awareness.

— People enter relationships without knowing their boundaries or understanding their needs.

— As a result, they are afraid to be themselves — they adapt, stay silent, endure, and diminish themselves.

A healthy relationship is not about two incomplete people trying to complete each other. It is about two self-aware individuals consciously choosing one another.

In my work with clients, we first build their connection with themselves. Then love becomes more honest and authentic.

- You have already worked with more than 100 people. What changes do you most often observe in their lives?

- The biggest change happens in how a person relates to themselves.

— They begin to listen to themselves. Action comes from “I want,” not from “I have to.”

— They learn to set boundaries and say “no.”

— Their self-confidence increases.

— They make healthier choices in relationships.

Changes also occur in career and finances: leaving a job they do not love, starting their own project, or changing positions. But the most important shift happens in their sense of self-worth.

- What plans and ideas inspire you most today, and how do you plan to implement them in the near future?

- Currently, I am most inspired by a large program that will help people build their career paths consciously.

— Those just starting their careers

— Those who are working but feel burned out

— Those who want to change direction and find more meaningful paths

The program focuses on turning artificial intelligence and digital technologies into opportunities, while helping people manage fear, limiting beliefs, and resilience.

I will share more than 10 years of real career experience, leadership lessons, and key turning points. Participants will learn to act not from fear, but from awareness; not from panic, but from strategy.

Let them grow not through comparison, but through their own path.

I plan to launch this program in a pilot format soon — to test real results, adapt it to participants’ needs, and later present it to a wider audience.

For me, the main goal of this project is not simply to help people find a new job, but to teach them how to maintain and expand their place in a changing world — in a way that allows them to stay relevant without losing themselves. And that is exactly what I am building.