Meet Sammar Shabir | Author & Life Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sammar Shabir and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sammar, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I stumbled my way into it all, completely by accident. It was never really about a career. I didn’t pursue creativity with a polished five-year plan or a tidy brand. I started writing when I was stuck in a bit of a funk, and I could find no way out of it. I didn’t set out to be an author. I set out to make sense of things that refused to make sense any other way. At that time, I only knew one thing: that I could write tolerably well. So I did.

I’ve always been the kind of person who notices what people aren’t saying. The tension behind the small talk. The weight behind the polite smiles. And that curiosity quietly turned into storytelling, first privately, then publicly, until eventually I found myself with the completed manuscript of my debut novel, The Barred Window, much to my own surprise.

For me, writing wasn’t just about the characters or the plot. It was about decoding the human experience. And once you start doing that, you don’t stop.

I pursued a creative career because I genuinely couldn’t stomach the idea of living a life on autopilot, where I wasn’t emotionally invested. I needed depth. Language. Meaning. Adventure. I needed a good sentence that stings a little and makes you laugh later on.

The same impulse pulled me toward life coaching as well. Once you get a taste for helping people unravel their internal world, you end up doing it in every conversation. So now I do both, fiction and coaching. One lets me ask ‘What if?’, the other asks ‘What now?’ Both involve helping people make sense of the dilemma of existence.

Somewhere along the way, I learned a very valuable lesson – that motivation and inspiration are words tossed around for feel-good fluff, because in the end, only tenacity gets you through. And that truth carried over into everything else. I realised that if I could use the same principle beyond the page, I could build something worthwhile, not just for myself, but to share.

So the career side of things came second. The first step was realising I had something valuable to offer, not just through fiction, but through real, human connection.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My debut novel, The Barred Window, is set to be launched later this year. It’s a coming-of-age story set in northern Pakistan during the summer of 2007, a time when the region was burning under the weight of the militant regime. The novel explores identity and belonging through the lens of a twelve-year-old girl, and power and rebellion through a juvenile hierarchy known as the Chess Society, a structure built on the logic of chess and mirroring the escalating tension outside the estate walls.

I’ve found that there are two languages that cut across age, background, and culture: pain and humour. Everyone speaks them. So I like to write with both. I want my words to hit a nerve and then make you laugh at the accuracy. That tension, between the wince and the grin, is where I believe the most honest writing lives. I hope readers find pieces of themselves within my words because, ultimately, I write about the universal human experience.

I’m most proud of the fact that I kept going, despite everything in my environment telling me this wasn’t realistic. In the community I live in, reading and writing aren’t exactly common currency. Most people around me didn’t know what to make of the fact that I was writing a novel, and to be fair, neither did I. It would’ve been easier to shrink under that pressure, but something in me told me to write anyway.

Was it easy? Absolutely not. It was lonely. It was hard to explain what I was doing. It was hard to trust my ability to create something that could ever be considered publishing-worthy. And it was hard to stay consistent. But writing a book taught me how to stay. When the adrenaline wears off, and it always does, inspiration and motivation go out the window. All that’s left is the labour and the drudgery. What sets a writer apart from an author is showing up, anyway. I learned that the creative path isn’t lit with applause, it’s lit with persistence. Currently, I’m working on my second book, about the complex, yet simple sibling bond.

That same persistence led me to life coaching. I realised that just like fiction helps us make sense of our inner lives, so does honest, clear dialogue. Today, I coach people through the messy in-between. The work overlaps with writing more than it seems.

What I want the world to know is that I’m not here to be inspirational. When the version of what I had considered normal became obsolete in my life, I embraced what I hadn’t thought I’d ever need to turn to. And along the way, I found purpose.

My work, whether it’s a novel or a coaching session, is about giving people the language for their own story. And sometimes, just naming the truth is the first step to writing it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love having fun, who doesn’t? But for me, play isn’t just occasional entertainment, it’s a way of life. My primary coping mechanism is gaming, and I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie. So if a friend came to visit Dubai for a week, I’d make sure the itinerary was packed with adventure, action, and, of course, great food.

We’d start with the beach, probably Kite Beach or La Mer, somewhere we could swim, jet ski, and just enjoy the sun. Afterwards, we’d grab lunch at a place with good food and zero fuss. 3 Fils, Masti, or something new. I love trying different cuisines, so we’d eat well all week.

A water park would definitely be on the list, maybe Aquaventure or Wild Wadi. I’m always up for fast rides and anything with water involved. I’d also take them to a theme park like IMG Worlds or Motiongate.

Horseback riding would be a must too. Early morning, somewhere peaceful like Al Jiyad. Then we’d hit a few cafés. Dubai has great ones, Cassette, Amongst Few, Boston Lane. I like a good cappuccino and a seat by the window, nothing overdone.

We’d set aside time for shopping too. The Dubai Mall if we’re in the mood for it, or City Walk for something more relaxed. One day would be all about water sports like wakeboarding, paddleboarding, or just renting a boat and doing nothing with it except blasting music. Or if she’s less inclined towars water activities, we could swap it for paddle or minigolf.

And late nights, I could take her for walks by the beach or just downtown for a little bit of a low-key girls’ night out.

And in between all of that: food. Always good food. Japanese one night, Italian the next, something spicy the night after. There’s no shortage of places to try, and I love keeping it spontaneous.

No must-see pressure, it’d be a week of movement, sun, food, and fun.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Absolutely! No one does this alone, no matter how fiercely independent we pretend to be. First, I’d like to shout out The Dreamwork Collective, my publishers, who took a chance on my work when I was still unsure. They’ve believed in my story and my potential long before the rest of the world caught up. That kind of belief is rare, and I don’t take it lightly.

When they asked me if I wanted to dedicate my book to someone, I could only think of my grandfather. My childhood was spent sitting beside him on the lawn, entertaining him with every story I could dream up. It was he who first said that I should write a book. I was eight at the time. He’s passed away now, but I think he’d be very proud if he knew.

Also, funnily enough, there are probably only a handful of people for miles around me who read or write. When I started working on The Barred Window, most people couldn’t quite understand what it was that I was doing. I was even asked when I’d finish my ‘story book.’ In that kind of setting, two friends stood out, people who do read and write. One of them is Awais Khan, a multi-published author, who also helped edit my book. They cheered me on when I thought my work was rubbish. That kind of encouragement makes all the difference.

And of course, I have my family to thank. Even when they didn’t fully understand what I was trying to create, they stood by me. That support helped carry me through.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammarshabir?igsh=dGxtNXE4cXRkcDJp

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammar-shabir-3ab129337

Image Credits
Asna Tanvir for the business picture.