Back to the complete issue
Thursday, 16 June 2022

My Morning Routine: Farah Ehsan, Flow by Farah

Farah Ehsan, mobility, joint health, and corrective exercise specialist and yoga instructor: Each week, My Morning Routine looks at how a successful member of the community starts their day — and then throws in a couple of random business questions just for fun. Speaking to us this week is Farah Ehsan (LinkedIn), creator of Flow by Farah

My name is Farah Ehsan, and I’m a self-employed mobility, joint health, and corrective exercise specialist and yoga instructor. I started my professional career in the VC and marketing fields. Before starting my coaching business, I worked with Falak Startups, Riseup, and international design agencies such as CBA design.

I’ve always been passionate about fitness and movement. I used to coach my clients in a gym prior to the pandemic. When covid hit and gyms were shuttered, I decided to take my business online to help clients stay in shape from the comfort of their homes. I’ve been providing online yoga, movement, and fitness programs ever since.

Online classes connected people in a time of isolation. When the lockdown came into effect, people felt secluded and felt a real need to connect with others. Having a platform that brought people together was very fulfilling for me. Online classes were awkward at first and it took consistency to improve the quality of the work. I invested in my setup: I bought lighting equipment, a wide screen TV that would enable me to see every single trainee of mine. With time, online classes became a staple of my business. Given the convenience and quality of virtual classes, there still is huge demand for remote classes even after the easing of restrictions.

Becoming a mother helped me understand the needs of a segment of my clients on a much deeper level. Being in the shoes of so many of my clients and going through the same physical changes and parental struggles they face, enabled me to understand their busy schedules, their exercise needs, and so much more. I decided to pursue a pregnancy and postpartum corrective exercises certification, for instance, to help mothers and would-be moms who want to stay fit and healthy.

My morning routine is extremely important to me. I wake up at 5:30am to take care of my 7-month-old baby. I then get some precious me time early on in the day before I kick off and engage with the rest of the world. I start off by having a cup of joe and do a 20-minute movement session that entails basic exercises which stimulate the whole body and get blood circulation going. That prepares me for the day ahead. Afterwards, I enjoy some quality time with my husband before we both get preoccupied with business.

To maintain a healthy work-life balance, I split my week into two categories: Giving days and receiving days. The nature of my work as an instructor entails a lot of caring and giving. But if you do not carve out time for your own education, development, and wellbeing, you won’t be able to help anyone. I give one day to my clients and one day to myself. On giving days, I train my clients, whether that be in a 1:1 format, Zoom, or group classes. I also record content for my website, prepare material for my social media platforms, and teach at events and brand activations. On receiving days, I focus on honing my craft and learning more about my field; I always take courses to expand my knowledge. This format re-energizes me for the next day of work and helps me stay focused.

Working from home also helped me attain a good balance. I was super burned out prior to the pandemic — I had no time to work on myself. Remote working enabled me to take a lot of courses and obtain numerous certifications.

The pros of being self-employed? Aside from the fact that I’m passionate about my business, I have control over my time and have the freedom to work seasonally. I never had that luxury when I was working 9-5 jobs. I truly believe that having more time on your hands helps boost productivity levels and helps get the creative juices flowing. This helps me come back to my business with fresh ideas that help better my clients’ lives.

One thing that I have to do everyday is to exercise and move my body. Short movement breaks are a constant for me. I perform them regularly, between training sessions and even when I’m studying. They are super efficient and keep me in good shape, both mentally and physically. My teaching revolves around these short corrective exercises. I believe moving often is the best way to stay healthy.

The last great books I read were Do Less by Kate Northrup and Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss. The former is a great read that delves into the struggles of working moms. On the other hand, I turn to Tribe of Mentors whenever I’m feeling lost, overwhelmed, or uninspired. The book is a page turner that’s structured in a way that caters to people on the go. Exploring the struggles of the world’s top performers, and learning how they overcame these failures, helped me overcome a tough period in my life. That’s one of the reasons behind my love for this book.

Enterprise is a daily publication of Enterprise Ventures LLC, an Egyptian limited liability company (commercial register 83594), and a subsidiary of Inktank Communications. Summaries are intended for guidance only and are provided on an as-is basis; kindly refer to the source article in its original language prior to undertaking any action. Neither Enterprise Ventures nor its staff assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, whether in the form of summaries or analysis. © 2022 Enterprise Ventures LLC.

Enterprise is available without charge thanks to the generous support of HSBC Egypt (tax ID: 204-901-715), the leading corporate and retail lender in Egypt; EFG Hermes (tax ID: 200-178-385), the leading financial services corporation in frontier emerging markets; SODIC (tax ID: 212-168-002), a leading Egyptian real estate developer; SomaBay (tax ID: 204-903-300), our Red Sea holiday partner; Infinity (tax ID: 474-939-359), the ultimate way to power cities, industries, and homes directly from nature right here in Egypt; CIRA (tax ID: 200-069-608), the leading providers of K-12 and higher level education in Egypt; Orascom Construction (tax ID: 229-988-806), the leading construction and engineering company building infrastructure in Egypt and abroad; Moharram & Partners (tax ID: 616-112-459), the leading public policy and government affairs partner; Palm Hills Developments (tax ID: 432-737-014), a leading developer of commercial and residential properties; Mashreq (tax ID: 204-898-862), the MENA region’s leading homegrown personal and digital bank; Industrial Development Group (IDG) (tax ID:266-965-253), the leading builder of industrial parks in Egypt; Hassan Allam Properties (tax ID:  553-096-567), one of Egypt’s most prominent and leading builders; and Saleh, Barsoum & Abdel Aziz (tax ID: 220-002-827), the leading audit, tax and accounting firm in Egypt.