My name is Najah Onn, and I'm a coach, self-starter, and business improvement specialist.
After working in the corporate sector solving problems, re-designing processes to minimise waste and inefficiency, and managing projects and people, I decided to pursue my dreams in 2017.
I packed all of my 18 years worth of belongings and sold them all or gave them away, one by one, bar about 10 boxes of clothes and shoes, my trusty road bike Carl, and my raw leather sofa, which were shoved into a shipping container to leave Australia while I was on a plane - to start my sustainability consultancy business in Malaysia!
The Dream
Even though I lived in Malaysia until I was 17 years old, before migrating to Australia, I returned to my home country as an expat, unaccustomed to the cultural comforts I used to know.
The dream started in 2015, when I had an epiphany - I wanted to work in fashion, but it's not what you think. I think the fashion industry has been able to get away with murder - literally - over the years and the average consumer is oblivious to the abundance of issues (that require attention) that are associated with their clothing, accessories and footwear purchases.
To cut a long story short, I decided that I wanted to solve problems in the fashion industry instead, because the thing is: I actually appreciate fashion and style.
I was also on the verge of breaking up with my boyfriend at the time, plus, I had a horrible boss at work. And he really was not just a horrible boss, but a horrible person overall. And yes, we did break up.
The Southeast Asian Adventure
By late 2017 I was conveniently settled with my grandmother, whom I adore. I learnt a few things while I was heading up my start-up in Malaysia, from August 2017 to February 2020:
During this time I also did a number of things:
After working in the corporate sector solving problems, re-designing processes to minimise waste and inefficiency, and managing projects and people, I decided to pursue my dreams in 2017.
I packed all of my 18 years worth of belongings and sold them all or gave them away, one by one, bar about 10 boxes of clothes and shoes, my trusty road bike Carl, and my raw leather sofa, which were shoved into a shipping container to leave Australia while I was on a plane - to start my sustainability consultancy business in Malaysia!
The Dream
Even though I lived in Malaysia until I was 17 years old, before migrating to Australia, I returned to my home country as an expat, unaccustomed to the cultural comforts I used to know.
The dream started in 2015, when I had an epiphany - I wanted to work in fashion, but it's not what you think. I think the fashion industry has been able to get away with murder - literally - over the years and the average consumer is oblivious to the abundance of issues (that require attention) that are associated with their clothing, accessories and footwear purchases.
To cut a long story short, I decided that I wanted to solve problems in the fashion industry instead, because the thing is: I actually appreciate fashion and style.
I was also on the verge of breaking up with my boyfriend at the time, plus, I had a horrible boss at work. And he really was not just a horrible boss, but a horrible person overall. And yes, we did break up.
The Southeast Asian Adventure
By late 2017 I was conveniently settled with my grandmother, whom I adore. I learnt a few things while I was heading up my start-up in Malaysia, from August 2017 to February 2020:
- I am super highly organisational, and am able to delegate tasks and allocate time and structure for myself and for others (which helped when you needed to start a business on your own)
- I am a quick learner, in which I digest information quickly, take them in, and heuristically process them to come to a decision and to move from one milestone to another. I added new skills to my portfolio like website building, graphic design, editing videos, dabbled in social media marketing and SEO, digital branding, and pitching my story to others
- I am able to inspire others with sharing my journey and experience in entrepreneurship, fitness, and love and relationships as well as had a knack for organising other people's thoughts, strategies, and plans into actionable chunks that reduces overwhelm
During this time I also did a number of things:
- Started writing a manuscript for a book
- Became very involved in the upstream supply chain of the fashion industry, wrote a training syllabus, and visited several garment factories in SEA and industry conferences
- Started actively blogging on my Slow Fashion activism platform, fashinfidelity.com
- Built my online portfolio and presence
- Developed the skeleton to a coaching program about love, dating and relationships for men aged between 28 to 55 (This is now a fully-fledged online course)
Back in Melbourne in 2020
As fate would have had it, I've done a 360-degree turn for now, and since the pandemic hit, am back in Melbourne.
My family is everything and without them, I wouldn't be the person that I am today. Pictured above are my seven siblings including me (I'm the eldest), with one of my sister's children (3 girls) and their friend. I've managed to visit grandma in July 2022 after the borders started opening again, but for now, I'm happily working and living from my Melbourne residence.
These are the things that make me happy:
Key things that I've learnt in life:
As fate would have had it, I've done a 360-degree turn for now, and since the pandemic hit, am back in Melbourne.
My family is everything and without them, I wouldn't be the person that I am today. Pictured above are my seven siblings including me (I'm the eldest), with one of my sister's children (3 girls) and their friend. I've managed to visit grandma in July 2022 after the borders started opening again, but for now, I'm happily working and living from my Melbourne residence.
These are the things that make me happy:
- Living a minimalist life, free of material belongings, and treading lightly in this world
- Seeing others thrive, by helping them be clear on their purpose, and become their accountability buddy on how to earn a living, doing what they love, to reach that purpose
- Leaving a positive legacy to people that I care about, and
- Coffee, dancing, and music!
Key things that I've learnt in life:
- The sooner you forgive your past and resentments (yourself and others), the freer you are and focused in your convictions
- The sooner you let go of love, meaning loving another without attachment, or expecting an emotional possession, or control over someone else's feelings, the greater the chances of love finding its way to you
- The sooner you realise your parents are not *just* parents, but *people*, who used to be children, teens, daughters, sons, uncles, friends, lover, etc, the easier your relationships with them will be, because hey, they are only a product of their upbringing, faith, and their environment
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And the most recent thing I've discovered? That my actions today are dictated by my Future Self, which means I never lose sight of my goals. I engage in deliberate practice and intentionally work my way backwards to become the person I was always meant to be. In short, I already know who I am, but now I have tools under my belt to ELEVATE my purpose.
If you'd like to go on this journey with me, please drop me a message. Peace and love to you all. Stay safe, and stay sane. Najah x |
Me and the love of my life, Carl
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