Shabina Ahmed
Built with Strength. Made to Shine.
Founder & CEOThe Mothers' Springboard Programme
My storyAbout Shabina
Speaker, trainer and founder. Teenage mum turned charity founder.
Born and raised in London, I left home at sixteen and became a mother at seventeen. I was estranged from my family with no money, no support network and no straightforward plan.
In 2017 I was expecting my third child and hit by the two-child benefit limit. I had every reason to give up. Instead I decided there had to be another way.
That year I founded The Mothers’ Springboard Programme on 8th March, International Women’s Day. It’s a free 10-week programme empowering mothers across London to rebuild confidence and step into work, business or education.
For nine years I’ve worked with 100+ women and seen the same pattern. The talent was there. The permission wasn’t.
Today I take that lesson onto stages and into organisations. I speak on Resilience, Leadership and Wellbeing and give people practical tools they can use the next day. Because the barrier was never skill. It’s always been the courage to give yourself permission to be who you were always meant to be.
Shabina Ahmed is an entrepreneur, charity founder and mother of three. She speaks on Resilience, Leadership and Wellbeing. Through personal and relatable stories and practical insights she helps people step into their power, redefine success and create a life that feels as good as it looks.
Born and raised in London, she left home at sixteen and became a mother at seventeen while estranged from her family. She has started from square one again and again. In 2017 she was expecting her third child and hit by the two-child benefit limit. That year she founded The Mothers' Springboard Programme. For nine years it has helped 100+ women rebuild confidence and step into work, business or education.
Across all of them she saw one pattern: the barrier isn't skill, it's permission. That insight sits at the heart of every talk. She gives people practical systems to support their big life dreams and build purpose-driven careers so they can thrive at home and at work. Audiences leave engaged, relieved and inspired.
Why book Shabina
From governance to boardroom to classroom to stage.
Topics
- Resilience (Signature)
- Leadership & Motivation
- Work–Life Balance & Burnout
- Mental Health & Emotional Intelligence
- For Women’s Events: Motherhood & Female Empowerment
Keynotes
The Loudest Place: Rock Bottom and Rising
Find the resilience you already have and turn it into your next step.
Shabina's story from teenage mum to charity founder and the framework it taught her: The Springback Method (Root, Remember, Rise). Attendees learn how to find the resilience they already have, why the barrier is permission rather than skill and one practical next step towards the life they want.
Excel Without Burnout
Find alignment so you can do what matters without running on empty.
Stop doing it all. Start doing what matters. Simple systems for emotional, career, social and financial wellbeing. Plus why rest is a performance strategy.
Permission Unlocks Potential
Give yourself and your team permission to step up, speak up and grow.
You don't lack ability. You lack permission. Using The Permission Principle (Permit, Prove, Progress): why confidence comes before careers and how leaders give their teams the same permission.
You Can't Pour From an Empty Cup
Emotional intelligence and boundaries that keep people well and performing.
Get your house in order, then build. A self-care audit across body, mind, money and relationships plus boundaries without guilt.
Every talk runs 20–60 minutes and can be delivered as a workshop. Each one can be tailored on request. There are also versions for women’s events that bring in motherhood and female empowerment.
Get ready to…
- Hear the room go quiet or light up with laughter and energy
- Send people home inspired and with a workable plan
- See people take responsibility and make values-led choices
Background
- Founder & CEO, The Mothers' Springboard Programme (2017–present). A free 10-week programme empowering mothers across London to rebuild confidence and step into work, business or education and training. Built by mothers for mothers
- Mentored by Petra Velzeboer (author, speaker and culture builder) and for 20 years by Mark Smith (social entrepreneur and co-founder and CEO of Ada, the National College for Digital Skills)
What people say
"Shabina lit up the room when she entered… She opened our eyes to the myriad of challenges single mothers face when trying to find employment. Shabina is a brilliant storyteller and really connects to the audience on a human level."Allison English, Zonta Club of London
"She inspired everyone in the room with an energetic, engaging talk on resilience."Julia Darlington, Senior Leadership Coach, City Ladies London
"Insightful, engaging and really relatable… a positive and empowering space for our members."Ayomide, University of Law, on Shabina's professional development workshop
Book Shabina
- Formats
- Keynote, Workshop, Training, Panel, Facilitation or Fireside Chat
- Includes
- Pre-event briefing call
- Location
- London, UK, Virtual and International
- Fee
- Shaped to format and audience; quote on request
- hello@shabinaahmed.com
- Phone
- 07542 934949