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From CEO to Coach: What 30 Years Across Cultures Taught Me About People | Farhaz Farouk | The COACHpreneur Journey #13
Episode Description
What happens when a former CFO and CEO who has lived across four countries decides to become a coach?
In this episode, I sit down with Farhaz Farouk — Life & Business Coach based in Sri Lanka, former CFO and CEO, and a fellow alumnus of our very first coaching cohort — to talk about how a career spanning Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and Bahrain shaped the way he sees people, why titles and appearances tell you nothing about who someone really is, and why coaching skills belong in every leader's toolkit — not just something you pick up after retirement.
What you'll learn:
→ Why growing up across cultures makes it easier to coach without judgment
→ The real story behind "never judge a person by how they look"
→ How Toastmasters training transfers directly into coaching presence
→ Why your past career — whatever it was — is never wasted when you become a coach
→ What separates a coach from a mentor, and why that distinction matters for leaders
→ Why coaching skills should be learned in your 20s, not after decades of leading
One line from this conversation that stayed with me:
"A coach is not an expert. He's just a facilitator."
🕒 CHAPTERS
00:00 – Introduction and podcast overview
00:51 – Who is Farhaz Farouk?
02:48 – Growing up across cultures: Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Bahrain
05:49 – Seeing the human, not the label
07:43 – Never judge a person by how they look
11:09 – Bias, the ICF Code of Ethics, and our common humanity
14:46 – Toastmasters: building confidence and communication
20:38 – Why your past experience is never wasted in coaching
22:25 – The defining moment that led to coaching
26:56 – How a master's in professional coaching changed his practice
30:25 – The reflective practice that surfaced a hidden pattern
35:11 – Who are Farhaz's clients?
38:40 – What companies are really looking for
41:13 – Conflict, communication, and the marathon analogy
43:37 – What individual clients struggle with
45:41 – A corporate coaching success story
47:19 – Why every leader needs coaching skills
53:03 – Where to find Farhaz
🔗 CONNECT WITH FARHAZ FAROUK
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhazfarouk/
🔗 CONNECT WITH JOERG SAUER
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joergsauer-coach/
Instagram: @joergsauer_coach
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Doing more won't fix what doing more created.
I work with leaders ready to become more.
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