From Survivor to CEO: Zahra Zahed’s Life-Changing Journey Towards Recovery and Self-Love

Trigger warning: this story contains descriptions of domestic abuse and violence that may be disturbing for some readers. 

Will2Well’s founder and CEO, Zahra Zahed, started this organization in 2017, with the aim of educating, motivating, and empowering individuals to look and feel better. Although it is based out of Toronto, Will2Well is an international platform that offers a number of wellness services, mostly online, for members to improve their fitness, nutrition, and health. But what was the impetus for Zahra to create this platform—and where does her story begin? 

Zahra was born in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Even at a young age, she had a strong sense of curiosity and a desire to explore the world. She remembers a childhood love of learning and had wanted to finish high school; but her family had different plans for instead. 

“I love Afghanistan, I love my people, but I didn’t see myself being there forever,” she tells the Recovery Now podcast, in an interview with host and producer Jen McNeely. “I really love studying, and in Afghanistan, it’s a big challenge for a girl to finish high school.”

Against her parents’ wishes, she chose to marry a classmate whom she had met during a stay in India. He had promised her a life of opportunity and gave his word that she could continue studying if she married him. The war in Afghanistan was in full force at this time as well, cementing her decision to leave the country. So she fled to India as a child bride at age 17, knowing that she would be completely alone in a new country—her father had cut off support for her after she refused the arranged marriage. 

However, things were not as expected for Zahra upon her move to India. She lived with her new husband and his family, and he would not allow her to finish school as he promised. Instead, they wanted her to earn a living while also doing all of the household chores. Her husband was often violent and his family abusive and manipulative, attacking her for perceived shortcomings and for her religious beliefs—she was the only Muslim in a household of five Christians. 

“I was very alone with no family support,” she recalls, “and this was the weakness that my ex-husband and his family knew—that whatever they did, I wouldn’t have any help.”

The family decided to immigrate to Canada, and Zahra could barely contain her excitement. She believed that this would be a fresh start, a way for her and her husband to begin a new and better life. 

However, once again, this was not the case. He and his family only became more abusive, and the expectation that she would work a full-time job while taking care of all the family members and the house continued. 

“I didn’t have any friends because they never wanted me to talk with anybody,” she says. “I didn’t have freedom of speech, so I couldn’t speak to anybody and tell them my story. They always warned me, ‘If you talk to anybody, we’re going to kick you out.’”

And one cold evening in February, when she was three months pregnant, this threat turned into reality. She had come home exhausted from working all day and got into an argument with the family when they asked her to convert to Christianity. When she refused, they kicked her out of the house. It was 11 o’clock at night, the temperature was -27 degrees Celsius, and she was wearing only a T-shirt and slippers, as she had not been given time to pack or properly dress. She had twenty dollars in her pocket and nothing else. 

As she huddled in a bus shelter for warmth, she remembers that she wasn’t scared for herself but for her baby. And she had no idea what to do next.

“I didn’t know about anything—that there is 911, or that there are shelters, or that I can call somebody for help,” she says. “All I know is that in Canada, there is Uber. So I booked an Uber because I had the app on my phone.” 

This Uber was the start of her life-changing journey towards freedom. While the driver offered to take her to the hospital or the police station, she refused, out of fear of retaliation from her family. Instead, he took her to a hotel, where she stayed for one night and tried to consider her options. 

Eventually, she got in touch with her manager at work, who called the police. They took her to Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter, a Toronto-based shelter for women and children fleeing from violent homes and abusive situations. 

“The moment I entered [Ernestine’s], I felt like I was a free bird,” she recalls. “I felt so safe… The first thing they asked me was, ‘Are you hungry? Do you want food? Are you okay? You should take a jacket because it’s cold.’ I started crying, because there was nobody who had ever cared that much for me.” 

Through the help of this shelter, which was her home and safe haven for three years, the 23-year-old Zahra began the long and slow process of self-healing. She delivered her baby in the shelter, which threw her a baby shower complete with gifts and games. She had access to nutritious food, warm clothing, and a counselor who helped to kickstart her recovery. She also got therapy, completed her high-school studies, and started attending college courses in nursing, all assisted by the shelter’s dedicated staff and support programs. 

During this time, Zahra also discovered her passion for health and fitness. Along with developing a love for dance and zumba, Zahra also trained as a professional kickboxer and got her personal training and life coaching certifications, all of which helped her improve both her physical and mental strength. 

“I feel like the brain is just the software for your body,” she says, “so I had to go back and format it and restart it the way I wanted it. And fitness helped me with that.” 

Today, Zahra has an impressive number of accolades and accomplishments that would be remarkable even for someone who did not survive violence, domestic abuse, and homelessness. She founded Will2Well and currently serves as its CEO. She is a Master Certified Life Coach, Body Transformation Specialist, Certified Zumba Instructor, Certified Personal Trainer, and Certified Group Fitness Instructor. She holds a diploma in fitness and health from Centennial College and a degree in kinesiology from the University of Guelph-Humber. She is the 2019 recipient of Ernestine’s annual Natalie Novak Youth Award, which honours those who “have shown courage, determination and willingness to be a role model for their peers.” She also sits on the Board of Directors for the Jane Alliance Neighbourhood Services, a community-based charity in Toronto. 

And while her past self—a young, fearful, unhoused, newly-arrived immigrant—is a shadow of who she is now, Zahra brings the fortitude and mindset she gained from her past struggles to her personal training and life coaching approach. 

“The first thing I ask [a client] about themselves is, ‘Do you love the way you are?’ Because it starts from there… For me and for my recovery, I had to accept who I am and I had to start loving who I am,” she says. 

With all the services she offers, Zahra takes a holistic approach—you cannot have a strong body without a strong mind, and vice versa.

“Whenever I feel low, whenever I feel that I’m not good enough and I don’t deserve anything, my mind is already resigned,” she affirms. “I always believe that your body has no limitations—it’s your mind that you have to convince.”

Read more about Zahra’s life coaching style or book a free intro here.

Quotes have been edited for clarity, concision, and flow. Listen to the full interview here.