Eram Saeed is host and founder of a global telesummit series called ‘From Heartache to Joy’, a series of daily presentations and interviews with global thought leaders teaching cutting edge techniques to living better, more fulfilled lives. Eram is also the founder of ‘Journey to Joy Foundation’, a global initiative launched to eradicate crimes against women such as honour killings and child marriages and to educate 100,000 women in the Eastern countries.
A prolific speaker, Eram has appeared on various radio and TV shows. She has also hosted talk shows with some of the world’s most well known authors and teachers in self development. Based in US, she has recently launched her online show globally entitled ‘Heart 2 Heart with Eram’. This week in an exclusive interview with You! Eram shares her experiences with our readers. Here are the excerpts...
You! What made you interested in becoming a motivational speaker?
Eram Saeed: There was a phase in my life when I felt completely broken down and lost. I was extremely frustrated with my life. Then I realized it was time for me to take a deep, brutally honest look at how I must change myself instead of blaming other people or events. That was one of the most radical decisions of my life. I started consuming every kind of information I could get my hands on from books, motivational talks, teachings of sages and gurus from around the world, inspirational movies etc. Soon, my mind set began to shift and I started to evolve out of the reality of a ‘victim’. I started to look at the very events rather as opportunities that were being presented in front of me so that I could make better choices and therefore create a better life for myself and my loved ones.
In less than a decade my life completely changed. Once my own life began to change, I felt this deep need to share the same information with others. So it became my passion to provide that information to as many people as I could through my shows, talks and writings.
I learnt from some of world’s top teachers in self development and have received formal training for public speaking by one of the world’s best speakers: Dr. Sean Stephenson.
You! Since how long have you been in this field? Is this your source of income too?
E.S: Almost a decade. Yes, I have a thriving internet based business and my income is from clients globally. My day usually starts at 6 am and I remain very busy with work and family. I have created a model of business that is very efficient for me and is of an online format. That way I can scale it and reach many more people globally for my services.
You! What are some of your most popular shows?
E.S: Well my most popular talk show is called ‘From Heartache to Joy’ which is a tele summit format. It has had thousands of listeners globally for almost 7 years. This show is more focussed on energy healing and spirituality. Additionally, I hosted a TV show in the US briefly called ‘Wake Up!’ which was about self-awareness.
In Pakistan, my talks and videos on relationships are very popular. In these shows I candidly discuss the real problems people face in long term relationships. Most importantly, all my talks are solution centric. In Pakistan, I have done a few shows with PTV World as an anchor and that was a good experience.
You! Who are some of the prominent personalities you have interviewed in your talk shows so far? Who inspired you the most?
E.S: This is the most difficult question to answer, because I have had the good fortune to interview and spend time with some of the most amazing luminaries and thought leaders of the world. Every one of them has a story that would inspire anyone. I guess two names jump to mind immediately because their influence has shaped my life quite a bit. The first one is Dr Sean Stephenson. His talks have impacted and impressed millions of people around the world including Sir Richard Branson, President Clinton, and his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
The second person who has impacted me greatly is my dear friend and mentor Chris Attwood. Co-author of two New York Times Best sellers and also a major player in the success of the now worldwide phenomena called ‘The Secret’ by Rhoda Byrne. He is one of the well-respected names in Self Development industry in the world.
You! Tell us something about your new on line show ‘Heart 2 Heart with Eram’:
E.S: The pursuit of happiness is something we all strive for. Yet it seems very elusive to most of us. During my visits to Pakistan over the last 25 years, I have noticed that the level of satisfaction from life has gone down quite a bit. While I think there are several factors that contribute to this, one of the biggest reasons is unhappy marriages and relationships.
Having been through enormous unhappiness in my own life and eventually deciding to take 100% responsibility to create a life that I love, I have learned the behaviours and tools required to bring harmony, satisfaction and joy in relationships. This information had already helped to change many of the lives of my listeners in the West. Due to the current ‘state of affairs’ (no pun intended) in Pakistan I felt deeply compelled to share this information here as well since it can potentially change people’s lives here too. And voila! Heart 2 Heart with Eram was born in March 2017. We have produced 12 episodes so far. In each episode, we highlight the problems and share tips and tools as solutions.
You! What is the most important advice you can give to women?
E.S: Learn to manage your emotions. Women have the gift of nurturing which is the most soothing to any human being especially to a husband. Emotional intelligence requires us to use our ability to feel deeply in productive ways to improve the quality of our lives. If we let unexamined emotions run our lives and behaviours, we will create nothing but destruction.
Sadly, I have observed that women in Pakistan are letting unexamined emotions come in most if not all of major life decisions. An emotionally intelligent woman is a sexy, attractive woman and is a rare gem.
You! Any lessons learnt the hard way?
E.S: Oh God yes! Everything I teach today was a lesson that came from a hard experience that taught me something. I have made colossal mistakes and I have also seen breathtaking success. I have been through my own dark night of the soul and see that as the birth place for compassion and understanding of universal laws. From ‘Heartache to Joy’ is not just a title of my show, it’s my life journey in one sentence.
You! What’s your mission in life?
E.S: My mission in life is to teach true liberation. I believe most of us are born into slavery. Without realizing, we are slaves to the whims of another person, the approval of culture/religion/society/parents, acceptance and validation of friends or a beloved....the list goes on. We don’t even realize that we are dancing to so many tunes and we can’t recognize who we truly are. We do what we are told to do. We pursue careers deemed fit or honourable for our family. We stay in relationships that make us miserable but make our family accept us. We work for bosses we hate. We don’t even know what our dreams are and if we do, we are forced to give up on them in order to take care of these responsibilities imposed on us that are sucking the joy out of our lives. That’s precisely my mission to teach people the true worth of life.
You! How do you unwind?
E.S: Depends on the day. Sometimes I meditate. Sometimes I go on a Netflix binge. I have a hyper active brain so it’s essential for me to engage in a mindless activity at night to coax my brain to calling it a night. Exercise is also a good way to exhaust myself so I can sleep restfully.
What’s your biggest accomplishment to-date?
E.S: In my career, it was setting my online business. It started as a brand new start up in 2012 and in 2014 it crossed a million dollars in revenues However, I consider my true success to be that in my personal life. To go from an unhappy depressed person to someone who has achieved a high state of emotional balance and happiness.
You! Do you think general mind set of our society is changing?
E.S: Change is upon us and there is no escaping it. The media, the internet, social media everything is daily contributing to this change. So, the immediate outcome is chaos. That is why programs like mine are so imperative because they are based on tried and test strategies that are applicable TODAY. They are in-line with the modern changes that the society has gone through.
You! In your opinion what are the challenges that Pakistani women face today?
E.S: Wow that’s a loaded question! Obviously, this is a patriarchal society where misogyny is alive, well and fully accepted. Women have a long way to go. They are never given the opportunities to discover their true talents and abilities and most are 100% dependant on a male relative. That is very disempowering and most women face abuse of one kind or another. If women want to live empowered, liberated lives, they must learn that they have to stand up for themselves. Emotional intelligence is important for both sexes but imperative for women as it is their laps that the nurturing and development of the next generation takes place.
Women must also understand the importance of financial independence. An educated woman who is financially strong, emotionally sound with a pragmatic approach towards life and relationships is a rare jewel.
You! What do you think are the main ingredients or traits essential to attain success?
E.S: Mindset, Mindset, Mindset.