By Khalima Khan
For more than a decade, I have built my career in healthcare, starting in an entry-level role and working my way up to become a Senior Service Engagement Manager. From the outside, career progression can sometimes look straightforward. The reality, however, is often very different.
My journey has included self-doubt, setbacks, a career break and the challenge of finding my footing again in a fast-moving and often male-dominated professional environment. These experiences tested my confidence, but they also taught me something important: our setbacks do not have to define the rest of our story.
Earlier this year, I was honoured to receive the British Asians Who’s Who Award for Outstanding Achievement in Healthcare. For me, the recognition represented far more than a trophy. It was a reminder that someone who has questioned herself, faced obstacles and wondered whether she was good enough can still progress, succeed and be recognised for her contribution.
That journey became the inspiration behind Khalima Coaching. I wanted to turn my own experiences into something practical that could help other women who may be standing where I once stood, talented and ambitious, but held back by uncertainty, a lack of confidence or the feeling that they have somehow fallen behind.
My work has also taken me into rooms I never imagined entering. Recently, I had the privilege of recording a podcast conversation with Feryal Clark, Member of Parliament for Enfield North, at the Houses of Parliament. We spoke candidly about her career journey, the realities of being a woman in Parliament and the lessons she would share with women determined to build bold and meaningful careers.
Through coaching, I have developed a simple framework: Learn, Reflect, Result. “Learn” is about understanding your strengths and becoming clear about what you genuinely want from your career. “Reflect” means identifying the fears, habits or experiences that may be holding you back while learning to speak up, take your place and recognise your value. “Result” turns that understanding into action through practical tools, stronger self-belief and a CV that properly communicates your experience and potential.
One of the biggest barriers I see women facing is self-doubt. But self-doubt is a feeling, not a fact. Confidence rarely arrives before we take action. More often, it grows because we take action.
Name your self-doubt rather than allowing it to control you. Keep track of your achievements because confidence is built on evidence, and too many of us forget to collect evidence of our own success. Stop waiting for the “perfect” moment because there may never be a morning when you suddenly feel completely ready.
Most importantly, learn to applaud yourself. We should not always need somebody else to validate our progress before we recognise how far we have come.
A career break does not erase your ability. A setback does not cancel your potential. And a period of uncertainty does not determine your future. Confidence isn’t found. It is built, one brave step at a time. And sometimes, rewriting your career story begins simply by believing that you are worthy of writing the next chapter.
