Arzoo Bashir

Empathetic Strategist & Visionary Leader

Wish. Hope. Desire. These words are not only the meaning behind Arzoo's name but the essence of her journey - one defined by relentless perseverance, resilience, and the power of transformation.
 
Born into a less privileged background, Arzoo grew up facing challenges that could have crushed her spirit. Instead of succumbing, she harnessed her struggle as fuel, channeling them into ambition and drive.
 
Arzoo was raised by her grandparents and whilst immensely thankful for the love and life they provided her, she faced the weight of cultural norms and expectations.
Overachieve. Excel academically. Become a doctor/dentist. Eventually, get married.
 
Being a woman who chose sports on the other hand, was often frowned upon.
But Arzoo found a solace in basketball - it was a battle to even attend evening practices, many times having to claim she was studying to avoid conflict.
 
She studied an impressive 5 A-Levels at college.

Her passion lay in critical thinking and humanities, but science was what she was pushed to study.

Instead of choosing, she did them all - obtained qualifications in Philosophy, English Literature, Politics, Chemistry and Biology.

When it came time to choose a university, Arzoo faced yet another crossroads. She selected the University of Hertfordshire - not only for her Integrated Masters in Optometry, as her family believed, but secretly for the opportunity to compete at Premier level in England on their Women's Division One Basketball Programme. Her dedication and perserverance paid off, as she reached her goal of gaining a spot on the team as a Shooting Guard.
 
Just as her hard work and sacrifice began to bear fruit, life decided to test her strength further, as she dislocated her knee and partially tore her meniscus. However, due to even having the opportunity to make the team and compete, she continued playing and training whilst injured, which led to a major ACL tear and completely torn meniscus.
 
At the time she felt like she had lost everything. There went the spot she worked so hard for, her independence, her jobs, her social life, even her University eventually dismissed her from the course forcing her out. The foundations she grafted to build, shattered completely.

Faced with unimaginable loss and depression, Arzoo found her faith in God and made the brave choice to rise.

Whilst immobile, she used her time at home to completely engross herself in coaching, leadership and basketball - she obtained her coaching qualifications online and delved into the art of eyelash and beauty treatments.
 
1032 days later, Arzoo had three surgeries, an unimaginable amount of rehabilitation and physiotherapy. But could finally walk without aid again.

Before the injuries, she worked for LUSH Cosmetics, a UK-based company that sells luxury handmade cosmetics and personal care products globally. Her manager at the time kindly reached out to her to see how she was doing after seeing videos on her Instagram of her walking again and extended the offer of coming back to work for the company. She took it.

In September 2023, she returned to work for the company she loved so dearly. She achieved huge accomplishments in her short time back, progressed to supervisor within a month, created a strategy for the store to have their best Christmas financially.
 
By January she had found the store broke records, created an impression with the retailers in the company and found her love in retail; making people's day brighter, elevating customer experience and leading by example.

She then went on to represent LUSH at a UK&I level in a retail management capacity traveling to different stores weekly to make an impact and leave a legacy.

With this, she worked with the company's Global training team as a host and facilitator, helping roll out training and events.

LUSH gave her the first step in her journey to rise.

It has become a massive part of shaping who she is today.

The next steps in her journey led her to pursue more of her basketball passion - she worked closely with the man who introduced her to the sport, Clive Allen. He taught her all he knew and allowed her to assist him in games. He told her 'If you're that good, it will find you.' which led to her trusting the process.
 
Her global reach within basketball began here.

She worked with Clive as an assistant coach for the first pro-league tournament in Gibraltar.

Then became the team manager for the City of Birmingham Rockets Division One Men, wherein she formed a bond with their Head Coach from Portugal on the foundation of being two individuals who do the right things for the right reasons, doing all they can to help people.

He invited her as the Media lead for his basketball camps in Portugal and saw phenomenal success with reach and engagement.

More recently she has become the International Team Manager for FIMBA GB, the 18 senior teams in England - involving the operations and organisation of the World Championships to be held in Switzerland later this year.
 
With this, she re-enrolled at University for a degree in Pharmaceutical Science, became a sports scholar and represents the Womens Basketball Team and has moved into another retail management role at a bigger company, closer to home.

This is so she can spend some time launching her own businesses in Beauty and Videography

Swish by AB and OneClickProdigy,
 
From the depths of adversity, she rebuilt a life even greater than she could imagine, guided by God and a mindset that 'Today is All I Have".
 
Through pain and persistence, she transformed into a force of inspiration, excelling across multiple roles - lash technician, videographer, basketball coach, international team manager, retail manager and basketball operations specialist. She owes it all to the incredible people God has blessed her with and is eternally grateful.
 
Arzoo's story is a testament to hope realised, wishes fulfilled, and desires turned into action. It is a powerful reminder that even the greatest setbacks can lead to the most profound comebacks.

Now, as an Executive Contributor for Brainz Magazine, she is sharing her journey and insights with the World, hoping to inspire others to rise from their challenges, find their purpose, and unlock their limitless potential.