From CHRO to Coach: Unlocking Leadership from the Inside Out

Stepping from the corporate HR suite into the coaching room might seem like a dramatic career pivot, but for award-winning HR leader Selvakani Selvaraj, it was a natural evolution of her purpose. With over two decades of experience at McKinsey, IBM, ThoughtWorks, and Mercedes-Benz R&D, Selva discovered that even the most accomplished executives struggle with self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and leadership fatigue behind closed doors. In this illuminating conversation, Selva candidly shares how professional coach training completely "rewired" her approach to leadership development—despite years of informally coaching leaders in her HR roles. "I came knowing what coaching was—or so I thought," she reflects, underscoring the profound unlearning required to become a truly effective coach. Her journey shows how coaching competencies transform not just careers but entire ways of being. We explore how organizations benefit when leaders embrace a coaching mindset—moving from managing performance to unlocking potential. As Selva explains, "Coaching doesn't fix anyone or anything. It frees you from your inner blocks." That belief has guided her in coaching over 500 leaders and building Flourish, her platform focused on elevating women leaders' inner journeys. Her selection for the prestigious NSRCEL program at IIM Bangalore further validated her leap from executive to entrepreneur. If you're curious about coaching—as a career path or a leadership lens—Selva’s story offers inspiration and practical insight into the transformative power of being a thinking partner who creates space for others to thrive. Mastery in coaching is about tapping into the higher consciousness (Hi C). Pure and classical Ashtanga Yoga can help us coaches to tap into that possibility, in the service of the client and more.

You can listen to From CHRO to Coach: Unlocking Leadership from the Inside Out online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

From CHRO to Coach: Unlocking Leadership from the Inside Out is an episode from Get Coached! by Regal Unlimited.

This episode is 23:55 long.

This episode was published on Jul 26, 2025.

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