Marya Firdausi Kazmi

Transformational Leadership & Identity Coach

Marya Kazmi is a Transformational Leadership & Identity Coach, educator, writer and creative producer whose work bridges personal insight with organizational impact. With over a decade of experience as a specialist in race, equity and professional learning, she supports individuals and institutions in examining identity, shifting mindsets, and transforming structures that shape culture, relationships and outcomes.
 
Marya's methodology is informed by both lived experience and formal training in education and equity-centered leadership. She is skilled in helping organizations examine policies, practices and unspoken norms that influence belonging, engagement, and performance. She is the creator of the RETURN framework, a reflective and practical process designed to help people reconnect with themselves, regulate emotions, communicate needs, and lead with intention. This framework serves as the foundation of her coaching, consulting, speaking engagements, and course development including Empowerment Unlocked, a multi-week learning experience for personal and professional growth.
 
As a founder of Brown Girl Interrupting, Marya brings a creative and human-centered lens to her work, using storytelling as a catalyst for awareness and change. She is the executive producer and host of Pain to Power, a talk show that amplifies stores of leadership, healing, and resilience while translating complex social and emotional concepts into accessible insights.
 
Across coaching, facilitation, writing, and media production, Marya designs and leads spaces that foster trust, reflection and sustainable change. Her work supports businesses, educators, leaders and individuals seeking to strengthen culture, build values-aligned leadership, and create environments where people can thrive- by coming home to themselves and reshaping the systems they are a part of.