Hufsa Ahmad, LCSW
Challenges are the Catalyst for Change
Building Resilience & Innovation
Building Resilience & Innovation
Licensed therapist, TEDx speaker, Harvey Mudd College STEM graduate, and nationally touring standup comedian Hufsa Ahmad, LCSW is the expert on resilience & innovation.
Hufsa has endured a long history of stigma, trials, and discrimination tied to her mental health challenges, addiction, disability, and simply existing as a Pakistani-American, Muslim woman. Hufsa has a consistent pattern of facing adversity and always persevering. Her challenges began when she experienced bullying so severe that she attempted suicide at age 10, which later developed into mental health and addiction challenges. Given the lack of awareness and education regarding mental health, she was forced to drop out of the engineering college she fought so hard to get into. After working on her recovery, Hufsa returned and graduated—only to be met with cruelty, when her first employer in engineering told her, “You ruined the reputation of your college!” when she was fired due to her symptoms. Her next years were filled with hopelessness and disability, until she inadvertently stumbled upon an opportunity to help others facing similar challenges, which led to her finding her purpose. As she pursued a career in therapy, Hufsa faced ongoing stigma and discrimination from the very clinicians meant to serve people in recovery. During her first full-time mental health job, a supervisor—who had just found out she has a mental health condition— asked her point-blank, “Can you handle this job if you have mental illness?” A question that led to discovering such a stigmatic sentiment was shared throughout the office. Despite all this, Hufsa understands that every painful experience was fundamental in shaping her journey. After 13 years, she has risen into a highly regarded, licensed therapist, viral TEDx talker, and nationally touring comedian who shares the stage with professional headliners as part of the Comedy for Peace show. Through self-work and practicing the principles of recovery, Hufsa has transformed the minds of countless individuals, including many who had stigmatized her. She holds no resentment, because she understands that stigma is a function of our society and circumstances—and, most importantly, can be unlearned. Hufsa understands that no audience will change simply by listening to someone talk—so she develops unique, interactive workshops that enrapture the audience through storytelling, participation, quizzes, texting, games, and introspection. There is simply no other speaker who brings Hufsa’s eclectic mix of experience, passion, and humor. When she is not speaking across the country, she provides therapy for trauma and public speaking anxiety, consults on behavioral health initiatives, and is finishing her upcoming book: Same Shiite, Different Day. |
POPULAR PROGRAMsRESILIENCE & INNOVATION — CHALLENGES ARE THE CATALYST FOR CHANGE
This program makes it clear: if we do not experience challenges, we will not grow. Challenges build resilience, and resilience is the key to innovation.
Her inspirational talk and interactive workshop will enrapture the audience through storytelling, participation, and introspection. Hufsa understands that no audience will change simply by listening to someone talk – resilience is built by reflection AND action. She will help audience members:
Audience members who have participated in Hufsa’s workshops have:
Perfect for:
Mental Health & Addiction
in College: Early Detection & Intervention Are Prevention College campuses are experiencing an escalating mental health crisis on college campuses—one that also fails to acknowledge the role of addiction, and the many forms it takes.
Hufsa herself developed mental health and addiction challenges in college in an environment with no education or awareness, which led her to drop out. Now a trauma-informed therapist for college-aged students and a touring standup comedian, Hufsa is uniquely placed to both educate and enrapture the audience—and not in a standard keynote kind of way. Simply listening to someone talk will not inspire change and transform understanding—her workshops facilitate reflection and action. She mixes presenting with interactive activities, texting, quizzes, storytelling, and humor. No workshop is the same, because she and the students together shape the workshop to fit towards their specific needs. In this workshop, she will help students:
Students who have participated in Hufsa’s workshops have:
Perfect for:
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She was the most skilled, passionate, inspirational and entertaining speaker we have had during those years. Her articulate, wise, and compassionate presentation of her story resulted in a well-deserved standing ovation.
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