Kurran Malhotra

Prior to meeting Michael, I was quite successful in my career, but I'd reached a point where I really wasn't enjoying what I was doing. I was missing that sense of purpose and drive to work at my highest level. In the last year, with the global pandemic, there was a lot of change for everyone. I also had my first child and in the midst of what I could call a career crisis, which led to me feeling very burnt out and very demotivated, I had lost my passion. That was what made me decide that I needed help to make a change, because just thinking about it wasn't getting me anywhere.

I first came across Michael by reading an article online where he'd worked with a journalist who documented their journey working with him over the course of a couple of weeks, and that was what led me to looking for a coach. I researched online and booked in consultations with a couple of other life coaches, but Michael’s name kept coming up and I thought, why not? The reason I ended up choosing him above the others was simply because where others seemed to be sales focused, Michael's approach was different. We sat down for a chat and it was straight to the point, no bullshit, and he quickly picked up on my needs. My main goal was to get clarity in my career and the kind of work I wanted to be doing. In my first session we mapped out everything that was happening in my life generally. I've always wanted to work within the football industry, and by the end of my first session Michael had already thought of someone within his network who I could work with in my consultancy role. This is now someone I'm working closely with and they have come to form the backbone of my consultancy so there were immediate results and I appreciated that he had opened his network to me to help me achieve my work goals.

After that first meeting, we held off the next session until I had a good working practice with the person he had put me in contact with, so we could establish a working rapport. Michael and I then had further sessions over seven or eight months. I kept our meetings spaced out because I found the time with Michael to be extremely valuable. Subsequent sessions were arranged for when I had specific things on my mind, that I couldn't necessarily resolve myself, or I wanted help with validating my ways of thinking on matters such as balancing family life, the effects of the pandemic and managing the changes all of this brought.

I would describe the sessions with him as talking to an understanding friend who, somewhere within a few hours, would give a nugget of information that you take away with you, and you got that really important ‘a-ha’ moment. It could be something you had thought of before, or something totally new, but it was those little moments nestled within a session that really stuck with me. I think the way that he gave me solutions within the context of knowing who I am was probably the most unexpected thing I experienced, considering I'd only really met him that year.

Michael is not a 'normal' life coach, and therefore his pricing isn't what you'd expect from a normal life coach. However, when I decided to work with him, I definitely got a return on my investment in terms of the longevity of the results, but also, it's hard to put a price on the clarity he gave me at a time where I really needed it.

A lot of people might think he is this no-bullshit kind of guy, but I can wholeheartedly say that Michael is as gentle as he is strong. He doesn't take bullshit, but neither should you, and neither should anybody. What makes him stand out is that combination of having a softer understanding of who you are as a person but also saying, ‘Look, here's the advice, here's the guidance, but if you're not going to take it, then it's on you.’ He respects his own time, and he respects the time of others.

As a person, is a very kind, compassionate and understanding guy and he has clear boundaries which I find it easy to respect because I knew what I was going to get from him. The thing that I would reflect on most is if you believe in yourself and know that you are capable of a lot more than you're currently achieving, and you are willing to put the work in to get there, Michael is absolutely worth it.