There are moments in life when change doesn’t come with a warning. It arrives quietly, through an unexpected loss, a restless calling, or a deep desire to live with more meaning. Many of us spend years searching for that moment of clarity. Some ignore it; some wait for the “right time.” And then there are a few who choose to listen, to begin again, even when it’s hard.
Roohi Sharma is one of those few. Her life is a testament to what happens when courage meets curiosity and when purpose becomes the north star. Today, as the Coach, Consultant, and Creator-in-Chief at the School of Life and Livelihood, also known as the Roohi Sharma Collective, she stands at the intersection of technology, social impact, and leadership, designing what she calls a continuum of growth and expression.
The Heart Behind the Pivot
Roohi’s professional story began in the precise world of technology. As a Software Engineer at IBM, she mastered the science of systems, even topping her SAP ABAP examination. But while success looked defined on paper, her inner voice kept asking what about impact? “I see technology as a tool for enablement, not just efficiency,” she shares. That thought became the seed of transformation.
Years later, when she led a digital transformation program for nonprofits, the realization hit deeper that the real bottleneck wasn’t tech, it was people, their beliefs, behaviours, and bandwidth. That understanding changed everything. Roohi Sharma decided to work at the human layer of change, the place where transformation truly sustains.
The Human Layer of Change
What makes Roohi’s journey rare is how she blends logic with empathy and compassion. She doesn’t compartmentalize her identities, the coach, consultant, creator, caregiver or mom, within her all coexist harmoniously. “Coaching sharpens my empathy for the human condition, consulting fuels my systems thinking, and creating keeps me playful,” she explains. “I don’t chase balance, I design flow.”
Roohi Sharma lives by this philosophy every day. She sees her work, her child, her creativity, and her solitude as parts of one whole. She doesn’t separate them; she lets them flow together. Some weeks she rests more, some she rises more. She listens to her body and her heart. She’s learning to move with her natural rhythm, not against it.
Roohi Sharma believes balance isn’t about perfection; it’s about harmony, trust, and grace. She finds peace in knowing that every phase, whether slow or full, has its own meaning and beauty.
Learning Across Worlds
Her evolution from technology to transformation began when she joined Teach for India in 2011 as a Teaching Fellow. Standing in a classroom full of third and fifth graders in Pune, she realized that leadership begins with listening. “Those two years gave me a calling of sorts,” she recalls. They taught her what it means to hold space for growth.
That curiosity about impact took her across the ocean to the University of Washington, Seattle, where she earned a master’s in education policy with a GPA of 3.9/4.0. For eight years in the U.S., Roohi Sharma explored the complexities of educational systems and of herself. She dove deep into the charter school movement, seeing in it the possibility of innovation meeting equity. Her co-authored chapter in the Handbook of Research on School Choice – 2nd Edition remains a proud milestone.
At the Center on Reinventing Public Education, Roohi Sharma worked as a Research Analyst. She studied how schools, parents, and policymakers respond to change. Education reform taught her patience and humility. She learned that real change is slow, nonlinear, and deeply human. Roohi Sharma still carries this truth with her.
Whether it’s in education or digital transformation, she believes lasting change comes from empathy, compassion and co-creation. She knows that progress isn’t about control but about collaboration. For her, transformation begins when people listen, connect, and build together, with curiosity, care, and courage.
Returning Home, Rebuilding Life
In 2021, life called Roohi Sharma back to India. The return wasn’t easy; it followed deep personal loss and emotional upheaval. But Roohi is rebuilding herself, sliding inch by inch, one meaningful project at a time. At ChangeInkk Foundation, she created and led their school education vertical, pioneering initiatives around disability inclusion and learning disabilities in India. Working in states like Nagaland and Bihar, she saw firsthand how transformation happens at the intersection of policy and compassion.
Later, at India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS), she led a first-of-its-kind Digital Transformation for Social Impact Program, collaborating with 40 nonprofits and 15 digital experts in a 7-month long study first and later led the development of the 10 week long curriculum and the led the first cohort with 14 Indian non-profit organisations. She also co-created India’s first sectoral portal, Digital Toolbook for Social Impact (DiTSI) a platform dedicated to digital transformation in the social sector.
“I’ve seen that transformation succeeds not when we install new software, but when we unlock new mindsets,” she says. In every initiative she’s led, her guiding principle has remained the same: change must be both digital and deeply human.
The Birth of a Collective
In May 2025, Roohi Sharma took her boldest step yet, founding the Roohi Sharma Collective & Companies, a venture designed to bring together her three worlds: coaching, consulting, and creation. The Collective is envisioned as a “canvas for conscious growth,” a space where individuals and institutions can thrive through reflection, purpose, and creativity.
“The next decade, for me, is about scaling wisdom, not just work,” she says. Her vision is to build a hub that nurtures both personal transformation and professional excellence, one where people can grow without burning out, and where leadership is measured not by control, but by coherence.
Her women-centric coaching practice lies at the heart of it. Focused on self-trust, boundaries, and autonomy, Roohi Sharma works with individuals and organisations to help them lead from wholeness.
“Women thrive when they embrace both power and softness strategy and stillness,” she says. “Leadership today is less about command and more about coherence.”
Leading at Intersections
Roohi’s genius lies in her ability to address problem solving through multiple lenses. She describes herself as a ‘cross-pollinator’ of ideas and contexts and someone who learns horizontally. She reads widely, from the latest in AI and digital governance to research on burnout, somatic practices, and emotional resilience. “Innovation happens at intersections, not in silos,” she believes.
Her multidisciplinary curiosity allows her to bring fresh insights into every conversation. She often reminds aspiring women leaders: “Build your digital literacy and emotional literacy both. The future belongs to women who can hold both code and compassion.”
Whether she’s mentoring a social entrepreneur or helping a nonprofit reimagine its digital journey, Roohi’s approach blends analytical clarity with intuitive wisdom, a rare mix that makes her work transformative.
Achievements Rooted in Impact
Roohi’s career is filled with impressive milestones, yet she remains deeply humble about them. “I’m most proud of impact, not titles,” she says. Her leadership at ILSS led to the launch of India’s first Digital Transformation for Social Impact Program.
Her research work has informed national conversations on education and technology. She’s also served on the boards of leading organizations, including Fig Education Lab (Virginia), the League of Education Voters (Seattle), and the University of Washington’s Alumni Advisory Board.
Each role, she believes, taught her something essential: the art of listening, of leading with empathy, and of knowing when to step back so others can rise.
Beyond Work: The Music of the Soul
Behind the strategist and reformer is an artist with a song in her heart. Roohi’s love for music began early, singing Hindustani classical vocals as a child and performing at Delhi’s Roshnara Club. “Sixteen-year-old me wanted to audition for Coke V Popstars,” she smiles, “but life had other plans.”
Today, she’s taking Western vocal lessons under singer-songwriter Aadya Jaswal and sharing her musical growth on Instagram. She also writes on Substack, penning thoughtful essays on leadership, healing, and the human spirit. For her, creativity isn’t an escape from work; it’s the way she makes sense of it all.
A Woman of Many Worlds
Roohi’s journey is one of courage, reinvention, and grace. She has walked through change not as a detour, but as her path. From technology to teaching, from global research to grassroots reform, from personal loss to purpose-driven leadership, every chapter of her life has shaped her into a leader who leads with both heart and intellect.
Her story reminds us that transformation doesn’t require perfection; it asks for presence. In a world chasing speed, Roohi Sharma stands for depth. Through her work, she is helping others return to themselves to lead from authenticity and to build a life that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.
Words to Lead By
If there’s one philosophy that defines her, it’s:
“Start small, stay human, and don’t wait for perfect conditions. Digital transformation isn’t just about tools and technology, it’s about mindset and readiness first.”
That mindset, equal parts courage and compassion, is what makes Roohi Sharma one of the trailblazing Indian women shaping the business world today. Her journey is not just about breaking glass ceilings, but about building kinder rooms for everyone who follows.