"I treasure the gifts Mindvalley has, and continues to give me"

I am Shamima Akhtar Tulee, the first female karate black belt in my country, and a 5 times national champion of the sport also, the only female 4th Dan in Shotokan Karate in Bangladesh.

I always believed in a holistic approach. I believed that the mind, body and soul should act in unison for a truly fulfilling life. So after opening my own fitness centre- ‘Combat Gym by Tulee’ - 20 years back, I helped over 10,000 students not only to improve their physique, but to boost their spirits, nurture their heart, and empower their soul to totally transform their health.

Being a pioneer fitness consultant and gym owner in my country was never a publicly encouraged journery, and I have had to face more than my fair share of adversities- whether it be personal, physical or professional. None of my family or peers could accept me, an English Literature Graduate from the countries best university, going down such an unorthodox and uncharted path.
 
 I have always had to tackle problems faced by none of my country-men before, and thus I have always been keen on upgrading myself to be better suited to overcome this seemingly endless flow of obstacles. Never staying content with the knowledge I had, I always tried to increase my proficiency in Karate, even going to Japan and South Korea.

Parallelly , to tackle and get a hold of my chronic disease ‘non cirrhotic portal hypertension’, 
 I travelled around the world in the quest to unearth the secrets of all the different types of exercises. I travelled to the depths of India to learn Yoga, to Singapore and Malaysia to master Pilates, to China to explore Kungu Fu, crossed oceans to Australia to discover Krav Maga etc; getting certified in a plethora of disciplines and, informed of a variety of angles on similar issues. 

I utilized these findings to help my nation become fitter and to help the general public realize the lacking they had in this field. 
 My fitness show on the National TV channel has been running for well over a decade, and me and my son, Leo- who has embarked with me on all most ally of my quests around the world - have reached the farthest corners of Bangladesh to instil within the people the importance of a healthy life.

However, in 2017, due to my son’s studies and frequent exams, 
 it became increasingly harder to travel abroad with him; and between Bangladesh being a very digitally underdeveloped country and the internet not really providing many authentic and effective online courses, it was nigh impossible to continue my hunt for knowledge. 

But, that very same year, I stumbled across a MindValley Ad on Facebook, featuring Robin Sharma and his Quest- 'HERO, GENIUS, LEGEND'. 
 I had previously come across a few ads for personal improvement, from some other sources, but refrained from committing myself to those; similarly, I was initially skeptical of the MindValley Quest, but something about it spoke to me. I decided to join the 1 hour Masterclass, consequently signed up for the Quest, and I’ve never looked back since. 
 Needless to say, my relationship with MindValley did not end there, going through those ravishing 66 days of cutting edge information and inspiration. 

Convinced by Mindvalley’s ‘self-changing’ benefits, I would frequently sign up for Masterclasses, sampling everything they had to offer. However, by repeated strokes of luck, or maybe by the slight nudges of the universe; I did not need to wander much to find exactly what I needed at that phase in my life. 

But I lost vision of my path again as tragedy struck- I lost my father, and soon after that, my mother followed him, leaving me without a shade over my heart, without the emotional shelter they provided, and without a mentor to guide me. I still worked tirelessly and vigorously to achieve my dreams, but I seemed to have lost my sense of direction. 
 And again, MindValley seemed acknowledge my lost state, and put forth towards me a quest by Vishen’s ‘Yoda’ Dr Srikumar Rao. His Quest for 'PERSONAL MASTERY' provided me with the then-crucial shade that I needed. His calm words backed by a strong philosophy helped me regain control of my life, and it sparked in me unforeseen clarity and drive.

With this spark, I initiated a sportive revolution in my country, 
 being a part of the Power-lifting, Arm-wrestling, Savate, and Gym owners’ associations in my country, as the only female member in a leading role, and commandeering them from the grassroots level to the huge juggernauts they are today. I embraced the resiliency mindset. Nothing seemed to be able to hinder my progression, as only 10 days after contracting the fatal dengue fever, I mustered enough strength that I not only started exercising again, but I also took my country to the international stage by leading the first Bangladeshi team to the legendary Shaolin Temple in China, withstanding their gruesome training methods, and getting certified.

Even though my son was doing all the courses with me, 
 I was seeking something more tailored to him when he was going to give his O’levels. And alas Jim Kwik and his 'SUPER BRAIN' Quest presented themselves. They helped him boost his academics and navigate through his studies with unprecedented ease. He went on to get A*s in all 8 of his subjects and won the National Biology and Divisional Physics Olympiads. 

Invigorated by the effects MindValley was having on my life, I decided to sign up for the MindValley membership, opening up doors to a whole new level of self improvement. 

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, 
 isolated from the world, instead of drowning in chaos, I was inspired and motivated. I decided to use this time in quarantine to give more back to the world and to utilize my skills to tackle this global issue and aid my community to being more healthy and fit by transforming the way exercise books function. I published the first exercise book integrated with live-action exercise videos by the help of QR Codes. I poured my heart and soul into the contents of that book, while my son helped shoot and edit the near 60 videos that it would hold. 

Albeit revolutionizing exercise books in Bangladesh, 
 the sudden and premature closing of the ‘National Book Fair’ due to Covid-19, greatly hurt book sales. It was unlikely that my book, which I had so diligently worked on for such a long and intense period of time, which was almost like a second son to me, would live up to even its minimum potential; far from it. Even my close family, my immediate brothers and sisters and my dear friends could not come and see the book physically in the book stalls in all their glory. 

This turned out to be a massive hit to my outlook on life. I grew de-motivated, exhausted and depressed. 
 And then, again, as if to re-instate Rumi’s quote– “What you seek is seeking you”- Vishen’s ‘BE EXTRAORDINARY” popped up on the app. It seemed to be just the pill to put me in ease with all the un-scheduled turmoil in my life, helping me retain my peace of mind through a personally and globally rough time. Leo is currently doing the ‘FOR TEENS’ version of that Quest as well as 'SUPER READING', while training to break a Guinness World Record.

Furthermore, it is a joy to make new beliefs, break old ones, and learn epiphanic insights browsing through the MindValley website, sharing info from fitness enthusiast like Eric Edmeades-'IMMUNITY BLUPRINT', being inspired by speakers like Lisa Nichols- 'SPEAK AND INSPIRE', and being stimulated by minds like Naveen Jain-'POWER OF BOLDNESS'; while connecting to the beautiful community of enthusiastic, encouraging and passionate hearts. 

I treasure the gifts Mindvalley has, and continues to give me; and I truly believe that one day I will become a speaker on this amazing platform and share my story and lessons to inspire others to be the best versions of themselves.
 And i strongly suggest those bright or lost souls to get connected with Mindvalley to be their own hero and keep shining !