From Engineer to Leadership Coach: Career Growth, Confidence, & Entrepreneurship with Sairan Aqrawi | #262

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What does it take to become a confident leader, build a successful career, and create a business you're passionate about?

In this inspiring episode of the Second Act Success Podcast, Shannon Russell sits down with engineering leadership strategist, executive coach, speaker, and mentor Sairan Aqrawi to discuss how women can build confidence, find their voice, and create meaningful careers without waiting for permission.

Although Sairan built an impressive career in engineering and construction leadership, she believes every professional has the opportunity to create a fulfilling second act by combining their expertise with their passions.

Together, Shannon and Sairan discuss why women often wait until midlife to pursue their dreams, how to start a business while still working full-time, and why your side business should become your "side haven," not another source of stress.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to develop leadership confidence as a woman
 • Why clarity, action, and consistency are the three pillars of success
 • The difference between work-life balance and work-life integration
 • How to build a business while keeping your full-time job
 • Why your current career can fund your future dreams
 • How women can create a successful second act without starting over
 • Leadership advice for women in engineering, technology, and every industry

Whether you're considering a career change, exploring entrepreneurship, or looking for the confidence to take the next step toward your goals, this conversation will leave you inspired to create the career and life you truly want.

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

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Transcript

Transcription:

Second Act Success Podcast

Season 1 – From Engineer to Leadership Coach: Career Growth, Confidence, & Entrepreneurship with Sairan Aqrawi

Episode - #262

Host: Shannon Russell

Guest: Sairan Aqrawi

Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate)

Sairan Aqrawi: [00:00:00] in any field or any career you take, it's a inner job.

Don't expect people will hand opportunity for you and telling you are ready to lead. You have to take the initiative, and you have to believe in yourself in a way, become bold in a way that you can take the next step and take action in order to reach your best version. 

Shannon Russell: Welcome back to the podcast. I am Shannon Russell.

I'm excited to introduce you to my guest, Sairan Aqrawi.

Sairan is an engineering leadership and team performance strategist who has helped technical leaders and organizations build high-performing teams As a dedicated mentor and speaker, she partners with organizations to support professionals, especially women, through career transitions and leadership growth

Our conversation is so insightful that I cannot wait to introduce you to my friend, Sairan.

Shannon Russell: Sairan, thank you so much for being [00:01:00] here on Second Act Success. We met, mm, many months ago now at this point , at an event, at a conference, and we just connected and we're very aligned with a lot of things, especially empowering women. So I wanted to have you on here to really talk about your career and what you do to really help pump up women, especially in leadership roles.

Sairan Aqrawi: Yes, thank you, Shannon, for having me. I love your podcast, so impactful. Thank you for having me. 

Shannon Russell: So let's talk about it. Tell us what you do in your career because you are a big wig, my friend. You have a lot going on. 

Sairan Aqrawi: Yeah, uh, despite being an engineer for so many years, that's telling you I'm old.

I graduated many years ago. But in short, I feel, Shannon, that I taught all my life. I love teaching. I love to teach people about new skills, new strategy, new system. And I think it started very early. When I was a teenage, I was in love with swimming. And I was a good swimmer, so I end up being a swimming coach, right?

And to be honest, being a swimming coach or a soccer coach is no [00:02:00] different than being a life or a business coach. Because it's again, it's about accountability and having those skills and qualification to guide others to reach their goals. So I feel I taught all my life, starting with swimming, then being good in math, which is, uh, convince my dad that he has to push me for engineering school although I never liked to be an engineer.

Uh, since I was young, I wanted to be a doctor. 

Shannon Russell: Oh. 

Sairan Aqrawi: But my father had a different vision, so he's like, "Nope, I think you're gonna be a better off to be in an engineer in a technology." And now I thank him for that. I was angry in the beginning when I entered engineering school. But now I thank him for his, viewpoint because he knew a lot.

He was older. Uh, he seen stuff that I, I was not able to, um, kind of like visualize back then. So I end up doing engineering school and, , also when I came here to US, I went back and I earned my master degree. And right after [00:03:00] my master's degree when I started my doctoral, I just done one semester. At the same time, I was introduced to opportunity to speak for younger engineers, and, uh, I loved the mentoring and coaching and the speaking, and the rest is history, and I'm right here talking to you.

Shannon Russell: And you must have made your dad so proud finally becoming an engineer, and now being such a leader in the industry, um, to others. 

Sairan Aqrawi: Yes. Yes. It was a struggle in the beginning because ag- like I said, I was not a big fan to be in technology. 

Shannon Russell: Mm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: But when I now go back and think about my skills, I was a problem solver since I was a young kid.

Shannon Russell: Mm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: So that's makes sense to be in, in technology and engineering, because it's all about s- solving problem and being innovative, right? About innovation idea, finding a new way to fix something, not just solving equation. So it's work out and, uh, when I moved to United State, I was only in my 20. I was 26. I knew that [00:04:00] I have to earn more, uh, qualification, more skills in order to fit in the workforce right here, because it's, it's different from West and East.

Going to the leadership, uh, component, again, it was not easy because, although I don't like this word when they said it's a male-dominated. Mm. Oh, engineering is male-dominated, or finance is male-dominated, or law is male-dominated. To me, Shannon, there is no male and female-dominated. I think the person who's gonna dominate it is the most competent one, the one who know their skills and qualification very well.

Then you can dominate any field you want. 

Shannon Russell: Mm-hmm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: So I don't believe in, , those narrative, negative narrative that females, especially in engineering, said, "Oh, I, I bet it's, it's hard for you because you are in a male-dominated." And those story and those belief we keep telling ourself, and it doesn't serve us.

Mm. It just take us 10 steps back. But it was also challenging to have a voice, [00:05:00] especially I'm in construction. And imagine I enter a room, 90% of, of the people who's sitting in that room are male. 

Shannon Russell: Mm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: And they are older than me, or they having more qualification degree-wise or maybe communication-wise.

But I knew that I have to do more on my side, not to blaming the career path or the society that's not giving me a chance. So I work a lot on my skills. And that's doesn't apply only to engineering, , this is just for the sake for the audience, in any field or any career you take, it's a inner job.

Don't expect people will hand opportunity for you and telling you are ready to lead. You have to take the initiative, and you have to believe in yourself in a way, become bold in a way that you can take the next step and take action in order to reach your best version. 

Shannon Russell: And I think you need to have that confidence in yourself, too, , to step up and want to be that manager or leader.

And that [00:06:00] goes from getting the education and- Right ... practicing your skills. Everything that you said, leads to that confidence, and then you can say, "Yes, I deserve to be in this position as much as anyone else." 

Sairan Aqrawi: Yes. , I feel like women, w- we like to be, effective everywhere. We want to be a perfect mom, a perfect wife, a perfect sister, a perfect employee, and there is nothing wrong with that.

, But when I hear some woman they said, "You should balance, between everything," that word again, it annoy me because there is no balance. I cannot do podcast now with you while I'm texting my daughter and answering email. I'm fully 100% energy with you. Yeah. Because you deserve my 100% energy to, to give a value to your audience.

So women, if they tend to choice to be a mom and also working, they need to integrate those activity. I use integration rather using balance. If you took off today to take your [00:07:00] daughter to the mall, be respectful for that time with her and only spend that day with her at the mall. Have dinner, have lunch, shop together.

Don't think about the business or your day job, because it's not fair to her and not fair to your job. 

So in that case, when you do that, you feel so good when you come back that you give your 100% to your daughter. And also, you feel good about the job because you did not give, you know, wishy-washy outcome or response to any email coming your way.

And when you go back to work the next day, you focus on what you miss in that day when you took off with your daughter. So there is no balance. There is integration. It's a responsibility for women in leadership to know that they cannot give a lot while they are tired. If you get exhausted, if you are mentally not able to, to have positive outcome, you need to pause.

You need to reflect and say, "Okay, what is missing? Why I'm not [00:08:00] able to give my best? There is something missing here." Take a pause and take a break and, , come back and do what you're supposed to do. 

Shannon Russell: I wanna ask you about when you first got your first leadership opportunity all of your hard work that you were putting into growing your career path and really proving yourself,

Sairan Aqrawi: The first time I, I was, uh, responsible to lead, uh, younger engineers, it was at the field when I was working in one of the private, engineering company to build towers on the Mexican border. And I was in my 30, and I didn't have, uh, leadership skills much before that. I was scared to death, of course, because the client were Boeing and Homeland Security.

So I know I'm dealing with a very professional staff. I have to be very precise and concise on my responses. I should not make any mistake. But then I ask myself a question. I said, "If I don't do it now, then when? I need to go through this fire. I need to go through this block and climb this wall, [00:09:00] because if I don't, I will only regret the opportunity."

Shannon Russell: Mm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: I was scared, but what I did that's really work, that I prepare for every meeting. I never enter a meeting with a client, back then w- were Boeing or Homeland Security, I never enter that room without preparing. I knew the code, I knew the specification, I knew the design. I knew about every single dimension on the drawing they gonna ask about.

I was prepared with bullet, with fact. Because in engineering there is no assumption. There is no .0001 mistake in if you design a bridge or if you design a road. , You're putting people life, you know, in, in jeopardy by making those big mistakes. Just like a doctor, it's no different. And when I prepare, I enter that room in more confident, because I was competent in what I, I was doing.

I arm myself with those knowledge. I arm myself with the fact, , with the date, [00:10:00] the numbers, like I said. And when they ask the question, I didn't panic, because I was already expecting they gonna ask me, "Why you refuse, why you reject the previous design? What was the mistake?" Then I have to explain it.

So to go back to your question, I was scared to, to, to take the first leadership role, but, for the sake of your audience, of any woman in their 30 or 40, they want to have a second act in business or in career, they don't need to wait for the perfect time or fully 100% ready. They need to jump to the opportunity, but while they are jumping they need to be prepared also in a way that they will not panic to take the first steps.

Shannon Russell: That is wonderfully said. I love that so much. Like you said, you stepped into the fire, but you knew you were prepared and you were ready. I mean, that is amazing advice, I think, for anyone looking to just go to that next level and, make sure you're [00:11:00] going all the way in and you are prepared and ready to answer any question.

Sairan Aqrawi: Yeah, and it apply to business as well. I mean- starting a business, if you decided to leave your career in finance after 25 years and you want to be a business woman and second act like your podcast title and have a second, you know, a side business, , don't they say, , fortune favors bold, right?

Shannon Russell: Yeah. 

Sairan Aqrawi: The fortune favors bold, meaning if you don't take that bold action, if you're not gonna say this, Sid, I'm not gonna be 9:00 to 5:00, I'm tired of this, I want to have the freedom and the alignment with what's my core value is- 

Shannon Russell: Yeah ... 

Sairan Aqrawi: you're taking a bold action. 

Shannon Russell: Yeah. 

Sairan Aqrawi: This is why I always start with my client with the three pillars.

I tell my client, you know I'm an engineer, so I have to use the engineering metaphor. 

Shannon Russell: Mm-hmm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: If you have a building, you start with the foundation, then you build the wall and the window, the structure, then you have the ceiling, which is protect the building. Same thing with business. If you want to have a side business, [00:12:00] the foundation is clarity.

You need to have,, a solid clarity about where you're heading. The clarity is a foundation, and the structure of the building in your business is the action. 

Shannon Russell: Mm-hmm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: You have to take action, right? And not one action to keep you to the, to the ceiling. You need the consistency. So the ceiling of your business is the consistency.

You can't just have the first book and celebrate. If you are a good writer, you're gonna write a second book and the third book. Mm-hmm. If you are a speaker, you should not just take one action speaking on the stage and celebrate. There will be more speaking gigs coming. So the consistency, that's what is keep your, your business, uh, scale.

, Those three pillars you can always remember just by remembering any building. Yes. Foundation, structure, and ceiling, and that's what I start the three pillars with my client every time I coach. 

Shannon Russell: You're not only a director at your organization working in engineering and tech, but you also have clients. Talk to [00:13:00] me about that business aspect of what it is you do. 

Sairan Aqrawi: Yes. So again, going back to what we said, balancing and integration.

I always say that in podcast, don't call it a side hustle in a way that you feel the pressure. Yeah. I Call it a side heaven or side haven. Mm-hmm. Your side business should be the refuge. It will be the, that corner of yoga, the place that you love to do. Just like if you ask any painter or any artist, if they paint and they hold that brush, they do- they don't even feel the time.

Shannon Russell: Mm-hmm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: They lose a sense of timing. You might go and remind them, say, "You've been painting for the last four hours." They say, "Where has the four hours went?" 

Shannon Russell: Yeah. 

Sairan Aqrawi: Your business should be the same. It should be a place that you really enjoy being there. And I always tell my client who trying to have a side business while they are working, I said, "I understand you're working," and most of them are technology women.

I said, "But if your side business will bring stress and will make you angry with your partner and your kids, and you'll be [00:14:00] frustrated, don't do that business there is no joy, then it's not worth for you to start it." You have to get to that conclusion, Shannon, that, okay, my day job, 9:00 to 5:00, will pay for my dreams.

Shannon Russell: Mm-hmm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: And my dreams, let's say I write books or I'm a speaker. It's okay to be in engineering at daytime, but if you want to speak and deliver keynote speaker for engineering organization, do it on the weekend or on holidays. 

Shannon Russell: Yeah. 

Sairan Aqrawi: But have that joy doing it. Don't feel that stress saying, "I cannot, I don't know how to do.

I don't know how to manage both." Well, get to that, conclusion or to that settlement with yourself saying, "I'm still gonna do my job because I pay the insurance." If, let's say if you are a single mom, you still have kids in college or in high school. You are the breadwinner. You have health insurance for the whole family.

I have to be reasonable with the client. I can't tell them, "Oh, if you are a writing book [00:15:00] or a speaker, quit your day job." I'm not gonna pay their bills, right? Right. I have to be reasonable with them. They said, "Well, I'm a single mom, I can't..." I said, "Don't quit. No one asking you to quit." But since you had a conclusion or you have clarity about what is your side business is.

Is it speaking, writing book, baking, cooking, knitting, anything doing by hand? Great. Have it on the side time, in the weekend, during the holiday, but try to enjoy it. 

Shannon Russell: Mm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: Try to enjoy it because you're not gonna thrive in anything if you don't enjoy. 

Shannon Russell: Yeah. It's just more pressure and it's... Yeah, and it's not going to grow under that pressure.

Sairan Aqrawi: Yes, yes. 

Shannon Russell: For you as a speaker, I mean, you enjoy that. That's where we met, at speaking at a conference. Yeah. And, and you get to do that in the side of your day job, and it really lights you up, I can tell. 

Sairan Aqrawi: Yes. It's like when you start a business, it's like you're raising a little child. you have [00:16:00] a baby you enjoy every aspect and every age.

When they are two, when they are three, when they start talking. 

Shannon Russell: Yeah. 

Sairan Aqrawi: When you drop them at the bus station, right? So it's the same. The business the same. It start like a baby and you grow that business as become teenage and adult, and hopefully make a lot of money out of it. But again- Raising a child, especially if you have the second one, you kind of get the experience not to take the same mistake, you know?

Business is not a linear things. It's not like I, when I do engineering, I know the equation, I know there is a math equation, I will solve it certain way. Business is totally different. So me working as an engineer at daytime, that's my IQ.

My EQ, emotional intelligent, it's in my business. 

Shannon Russell: Mm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: I have to know about human nature. I have to know about communication, active listening, negotiation, selling myself, selling my business, uh, knowing about finance, taxes, a client, customer service. [00:17:00] So it has nothing to do with engineering. But what do you do?

You bring the IQ and the EQ and you marry together. So you kind of like making the heart and the brain in alignment. 

Shannon Russell: Mm-hmm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: So you be logic, you know your number, but at the same time you are still a human being. You have to know how to speak with your client. You are a coach, you are a business woman. When you do engineering or any other job, finance or nurse or anything, you know your number and you know your paycheck is coming every two weeks or every, you know, 15 days or whatever.

Shannon Russell: Right. 

Sairan Aqrawi: But in business, it's up and down. It's like you make money for six month, then there is nothing after that. 

Shannon Russell: Mm-hmm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: Then you make money for three month, there is... then things slow down. So you have to accept the fact that you're not gonna be making a lot of money the first year or a lot of money the first six month.

don't they say great things take time? 

Shannon Russell: Mm-hmm. So 

Sairan Aqrawi: if you want a great empire or business for yourself, you have [00:18:00] to be patient. You can't just say expecting, "Oh, I start a business, but I don't see the money coming." 

the competition is high. 

The competition high. I'm speaking about coaching.

I'm a certified coach with ICF. If I put the zip code of my house, every single block have a coach. But how you stand out as a coach, you have to be unique in a way that people will hire you above the others because they know that you're delivering the outcome differently. Mm. So the competition is high because there is a lot of people are engineer, there's a lot of people who write book, there's a lot of people who know about finance.

But when people, when client point to you, you have to have that uniqueness in your skills so you can be differentiated from the others. 

Shannon Russell: What women do you serve when they come and work with you? 

Sairan Aqrawi: I think the different in my case, it's people get little bit confused.

They look at my LinkedIn and they see everything is engineering, construction and system integration, transit, and what she's doing in [00:19:00] coaching and speaking? What I do, I kind of help women to have a voice as a leader if they are in technology. 

Shannon Russell: Mm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: In short, I'm trying to convince those women they can have expertise in technology, but also they can be a leader in their career, and in their life, too.

Shannon Russell: Yeah. 

Sairan Aqrawi: So don't think that just because you finish four years college in electrical engineering or mechanical, all you know is technical. There is a lot of way to, uh, leverage that technical to start a business, second act, to have a side business, right? 

Shannon Russell: Yeah. 

Sairan Aqrawi: Utilize your technology, utilize your AI, utilize your experience in engineering, and have a side business that they talk with each others.

Shannon Russell: Mm-hmm. 

Sairan Aqrawi: And they are in align with each others. So I help those women not to only think inside a box, saying, "I'm only engineer, I can only [00:20:00] solve problems." No, you can be a business woman, too. Do you allow me to give your audience, , a free, like complement on the note show? I will send it to you.

Your client can take the very first step. If they are still working, even if they decide to quit, it is apply to both. I will send you a document that the very first step, bold steps, it's a little bit scary. But if you don't take it, you can't do the second act, right? I will send it to you and you can share with your audience 

yeah. 

Shannon Russell: Thank you. Thank you so much. I love that. I love how you help others too, because it goes back to the integration piece when we get to midlife, we've been in our career for a while, it can get stale, whether you're a leader or you're not. And I think to have that side haven, I love that term, to have that, it gives you a little something else.

It gives you that little bit of extra creativity maybe in your day, especially if you're in the engineering tech mechanical world. So I love that you're [00:21:00] showing women in leadership in tech that they can branch out, and they can help others. You said earlier that you were always educating, you were always a teacher.

 y- Yes, you are as a coach, but even as an engineer, you are teaching others how your process works, right? How this design is going to work, and it just all comes together so nicely. 

Sairan Aqrawi: Yeah. Yeah. And, and adding to what you said earlier, you think about every woman life. I'll talk... I, I'm a bias.

I, I want women to succeed, right? The first 25 years or 30 years of your life, if you decide to be a mother and have kids, you think about your career. You got a job, you make money, you pay the bills. So it was all about survival, right? Mm-hmm. Surviving. You paying the bills, you taking the kids to, to school, you're cooking, you're cleaning.

Shannon Russell: Yeah. 

Sairan Aqrawi: So when you hit after 40 or 45, now- nowadays some women telling me they're midlife start at 35. I don't know how, but let's- ... you go back and you think [00:22:00] about yourself. You said, "Okay, I done everything. I was a good mom, good wife, good sister. I pay the bills. I establish a house, a family.

Now is my time," right? So the intention, it's come back to you. So it's will start a life with intention and your dreams. So you done all the duties, so you don't feel guilty towards your daughter or your son because they're already driving, they're already starting their college time, right? So now is your time Engineer or non-engineer, don't feel bad if you start after you're 40 thinking about having your side heaven or haven.

You deserve that. You've done everything else before that. Now's your time. 

Right? If it's not now, then when? 

Shannon Russell: Right. 

Sairan Aqrawi: And you start it small, just like another baby, call it a business, and you find that joy, and you make it grow as you go. So when you age, if you say age 60, 70, 80, whatever you want to call [00:23:00] it, you are not bored.

By having a side business, you're basically reinventing your life. You're reliving your life. So your 50 will be another 25- Mm-hmm ... because you're starting your empire. You're raising that s- third child, which is called your business.

. I encourage women to have the, the grit and tenacity to, to, to start now. don't wait for permission. don't wait for the perfect time. and don't wait for people to give you the space. You create the space for yourself. You kind of like just squeeze yourself on the table, say, "Oh, I can fit here.

I'm sitting here on the table." 

Shannon Russell: , And you can't wait. It's like that in any aspect of your life. No one's going to hand it to you. Yeah. So take your experience, your skills, and move forward with what you want to do. And you're doing that, Sairan. Yeah. It's... And it's really inspiring.

You're doing it with your career, with your speaking, with your business. It's really inspiring [00:24:00] and, , I want my listeners to be able to reach out to you and connect. So where is the best place for them to find you? 

Sairan Aqrawi: Thank you, Shannon. So, uh, I only have two platform, is LinkedIn, uh, Sairan Ekrawi.

They can reach out and, they always can get the 15 minutes complimentary if they book in my calendar on LinkedIn. Or also if they want to- Gain some clarity about their leadership skills or how to start a business or how to be more effective in communication and negotiation, they can actually reach out on Instagram, Sejla Nikrawi, and I will give them 15 minutes complimentary as well.

Shannon Russell: Wonderful. Okay. I'll have everything. I'll put it in the show notes., it was so lovely to chat with you, and thank you for such solid, clear advice that you gave, , and really can be applied in any industry. But it's just really empowering women to find their place at that table and create that integration, as you call it, which is such a lovely word.

Sairan Aqrawi: Thank you so much, Shannon, for having me. I really appreciate it. 

Shannon Russell: Thank you.

Speaker: [00:25:00] Thank you for joining me for another episode of the Second Act Success podcast. If this episode has you thinking about starting a business or growing the one that you already have, I offer free second act strategy calls. This is where we map out what makes sense for your business and your life. You can book yours now at secondactsuccess.co/strategy or grab the link in the show notes below.

As always, thank you for being here. Until next time, I'm your host, Shannon Russell, wishing you the best day ahead as you plan your second act. I'll see you on the next episode.