From IT Boardrooms to Inclusive Teams: A Conversation with Heena Jethwa, Coach, Technologist, Inclusion Advocate
Interview by Sibel Aydin Gorcek – DEIB committee
This interview is part of an ongoing series by the ICF Netherlands DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging) Group, featuring conversations with its volunteer members. Our goal is to bring visibility to the people behind the group, their stories, values, and the shared belief that coaching can be a powerful force for a more inclusive world.
Heena Jethwa spent 30 years in the IT industry before founding Kushi Coach, a practice built on the belief that every person carries their own joy, purpose, and leadership potential. Having navigated corporate life as a woman in technology, she now works as a systemic team coach and is an active member of the ICF Netherlands DEIB Volunteer Group. We sat down with her to talk about identity, inclusion, and what it means to help teams and individuals shine in their own right.
From Corporate Life to Coaching: Finding the People Behind the Technology
You have 30 years of experience in IT. What was the thread that eventually led you to coaching?
I’ve had 30 years in the IT world, and I loved the technology, the innovation, creating solutions with clients. But as much as I loved the tech, what always drew me in more was the people side: how do you actually use it, and how does it interface with the people around you and how can it streamline your role.
As I got more senior, I started to notice the differences. Being “one of the guys” in IT initially felt like a compliment. But as I climbed the ladder, I found it sometimes got in the way, people expected me to change and adapt, lead more like them. I also noticed women were largely absent from senior leadership. It didn’t feel right. There’s a part of me that really values fairness.
So I started working with IBM’s employee resource group on gender diversity, and began mentoring young people coming into the workplace, little hobby projects alongside my day job. That’s where everything I was becoming passionate about converged: how do you create more inclusion in the workplace? How do you help people feel confident enough to really step up?
Nothing drastic happened, it was a gradual process. When COVID hit, it created a chance to rethink. I’d been on a hamster wheel, going and going, never stopping to ask what I actually wanted. So I took some time, did a coaching course to find my purpose, and discovered I was genuinely fascinated by the work. It turned out to be a skill set I already had somewhere in my DNA. I thought: what if I combined this with everything I’d done in IT? That’s when I started Kushi.coach. Along the way, that grounding in customer experience and data at SPSS, then employee journeys and digital transformation at IBM, gave me a front-row seat to how people and technology really interact, which is exactly what pulled me toward coaching in the first place.
From there, I began with individual coaching. And then, because I’d come from teams and always worked within them, I moved into more and more systemic team coaching. I’ve always felt like a bit of an outsider, in the workplace, at school, at times in life generally. That feeling of being excluded for who you are was something I carried with me, and I didn’t want other people to feel that. I wanted to create more inclusion in the world and essentially, that became my purpose. It’s a path I now follow through coaching, facilitation, and Diversity & Inclusion training.
Being a Woman in IT: How It Shaped a Coaching Philosophy
IT is still a very male-dominated world. How did that experience shape your ideas and your coaching approach?
I think it shapes my thinking in a couple of ways. One is that I understand what a lot of women are going through or have been through because I’ve lived some of that myself. So there’s a lot of compassion and empathy there. I also understand the organisational perspective, the targets, the revenue pressures, need for innovation and everything else that’s in play. I believe there’s a place for both masculine and feminine energy in the workplace and that it’s about finding the balance that works for you, so you can truly thrive. In that sense, I feel I’ve sat in both shoes throughout my career.
It’s also shaped my philosophy around leadership. I believe people have their own leadership within them their own philosophy, their own style and they don’t have to behave the way someone else tells them to. I had a lot of people say, “you need to do it like this.” And there’s a real difference between advising or mentoring someone, and telling them to lead the way you do. I want people to shine in their own right, without having to become someone different. We are all unique, have our strengths and we can celebrate that uniqueness rather than feeling we have to adapt it away.
The Work of Inclusive Team Coaching
Team coaching is central to your practice. What are the main challenges in making teams more inclusive, and what are the rewards when it works?
Quite often what happens in teams is that we make assumptions about what’s going on, about each other. There isn’t always clarity around roles. And underneath that, there’s often a lack of trust and psychological safety people don’t feel safe enough to be honest, to be vulnerable, to say “I’m not good at this, but you are” “ I need help here” without one person feeling bigger and another feeling smaller. But when that safety exists, something shifts. Instead of one plus one equalling two, one plus one can equal five.
Courage is at the heart of that the courage to give feedback, but also to receive it. And we’re not always good at either. Not just the difficult feedback, but the positive too. We forget to acknowledge what’s working, what someone is doing well, what deserves to be celebrated. Feedback both for growth and for recognition is a skill we need to practise. And it has to be done with compassion. It’s easy to blame each other, but sometimes we need to look inward and ask: what am I contributing to this dynamic? Self-leadership and reflection aren’t just individual practices; they’re at the heart of how a team grows together.
Part of team coaching is helping people have the conversations that are sometimes hard to start. Often the first thing that surfaces is: we don’t trust each other, we don’t feel safe. That’s a delicate place to be,and when you start uncovering what’s really going on and finding ways to shift it, something opens up. It’s not me telling them how to do it. The team figures it out. I’m just there to guide them through the process. Every coaching journey is different
Once that work begins, connection deepens and trust starts to grow. And with trust comes something powerful: I can say what I think. I can still be me. I can show up as I am and contribute fully.
At the same time, the team begins to uncover its shared purpose, not just what it needs to deliver, but why it exists in the first place. What are we here to create together? What difference do we want to make?
I love the moment when a team realises, “We’ve got this. We can do it together.” You can almost feel the shift in the room. People become more open, more connected, and more willing to support one another.
Coaching, Mentoring, Facilitating: Different Hats
You were recognised as Mentor of the Year in 2019. How do you define the difference between mentoring and coaching, and how do you use both in your work?
For me, mentoring is a little more advisory. It’s about sharing experience and saying, “This is something I’ve learned,” or “This is how I approached a similar situation.” The intention isn’t to tell someone what to do, but to offer perspectives that might help them find their own path. I always try to help people find their way, not my way.
Coaching is different. Particularly in one-to-one coaching, I work from the belief that the client already has the answers. My role is to create the space, ask the questions, and help them uncover their own insights and possibilities.
In my work as a coach, facilitator, and trainer in inclusive leadership and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), the boundaries can sometimes become more fluid. There may be moments when I’m coaching, moments when I’m facilitating a discussion, and occasionally moments when I’m explaining a model, teaching a concept, or sharing a framework. The key is being intentional and transparent about which hat I’m wearing at any given time.
I often think of it as having a toolkit. I’m still the same person and the same professional, but different situations call for different tools. Sometimes a coaching approach is what’s needed. Sometimes mentoring. Sometimes facilitation or training. The skill is knowing which tool will best serve the person or team in that moment.
Unconscious Bias: A Workshop, A Mirror
You ran a session called Inclusive Coaching Beyond Bias for ICF Netherlands. What was at the heart of that?
At the heart of it is a simple but important reminder: we are all human, and we all have bias. Just holding up a mirror and asking where is my bias, and what do I need to be aware of? Because awareness always changes something. The moment you recognise you might have a bias, you create a pause. You go: oh, hang on let me double check this decision idea/question etc
It might be a bias towards older people or younger people. Or perhaps when you’re coaching someone, the questions you reach for are quietly shaped by an unconscious assumption you haven’t examined. And the important thing to understand is that unconscious bias isn’t a bad thing it’s a human thing. It’s how our brains make sense of the world. But as coaches, we have a responsibility to notice it.
I sometimes take people on a little experiment. I invite them to think of a CEO — just the first image that comes to mind. Almost always: a white, middle-aged man. And then I ask: why? Why shouldn’t it be a woman? Why shouldn’t it be someone younger, or someone from a completely different background? What’s interesting is even though I am a DEI trainer, I still catch myself defaulting to that same image. So I have to consciously redirect, let me picture a South Asian woman, or someone entirely different.
That’s the work. As coaches, we have a wonderful opportunity we speak with so many different people, from so many different walks of life. So reminding ourselves that we too carry biases, and staying curious about them, is essential.
Why She Joined the ICF DEIB Group and What Keeps Her There
What was your motivation for joining the DEIB volunteer group, and what keeps you going?
When I first moved into coaching, one of the things I noticed was that coaching can sometimes be quite lonely work. After many years in corporate environments, I missed having colleagues around me and being able to have conversations with people who understood the profession and its challenges.
Around that time, Chaya Mistry, one of the ICF Board members, invited people to join a conversation about what they wanted from ICF Netherlands. Something about that invitation resonated with me. I’ve always believed that if you want something, you have to be willing to contribute to creating it.
I wanted a community where I felt connected, included, and able to learn alongside other coaches. Then I realised that if I wanted that kind of community, I also had a responsibility to help build it. The DEIB group felt like a natural fit because it aligned closely with many of my values, particularly belonging, inclusion, and creating spaces where people can thrive.
What keeps me involved is the people. Over time, you build relationships, share experiences, collaborate on workshops and initiatives, and develop a real sense of camaraderie. It becomes more than a volunteer role; it becomes a community.
I’ve met some amazing people through the DEIB group. If I have a question, need support, or simply want to explore an idea, there are people I can reach out to. Having that shared purpose creates an immediate connection and makes it easier to meet new people. It’s a wonderful door opener and a reminder that professional communities are at their best when everyone contributes to making them stronger.
What has been the biggest impact of the group since you joined?
I think one of the most visible changes has been the growth in engagement. When we first started running workshops and conversations, we might have had 10 or 15 people join. Today, it’s not unusual to see 30 or 40 people attending, and we’re even attracting participants from outside the Netherlands.
The group itself has grown too. More people have become involved, bringing different perspectives, ideas, and energy. It’s also been wonderful to see some members grow in confidence and go on to take board roles within ICF Netherlands, which has strengthened the connection between the DEIB team and the Board.
What I’m most proud of is the influence we’ve been able to have. DEIB is increasingly being considered as part of how ICF Netherlands operates, rather than as a separate initiative. Sometimes that influence shows up in simple but powerful ways, such as choosing event locations that are more accessible, thinking about affordability, or considering how different members can participate and feel welcome.
What started as a small grassroots group now feels like a valued voice within the community.
What are your future expectations for the group?
I have two answers. One is: I’d love to know from the ICF members what they want more from us. The second is something I’m personally passionate about: doing more around the B in DEIB Belonging. I think there’s so much more we can do for both new and existing members. I’d love to see us shining a spotlight on our members interviewing them, sharing their stories, showing just how diverse our community is and how broad coaching is as a profession. There are so many different voices, perspectives, and backgrounds p, and I want to hear more from all of them.
Ultimately, I want belonging and diversity to be felt
Kushi: Joy as a Business Philosophy
Kushi, your company name. What does it mean to you and to your practice?
Kushi means joy or happiness, contentment. It drew me in because I think we need more joy in our lives. And joy comes from knowing ourselves more, being aligned to a purpose, and also from helping others. At least that’s how I see it. So that’s why Kushi. How do you help someone create and find their own Kushi? That’s essentially what the practice is about.
I think when you find your passion you can be joyful in that moment. And I think there needs to be more of that in the world.
Making DEIB Part of Your Coaching Practice
What would be your advice to other coaches who are interested in making DEIB a part of their coaching?
Just start. Come to a webinar, read a book, listen to a podcast, join a conversation. You don’t have to become an expert overnight. The important thing is to stay curious and keep learning.
As coaches, we work with people from all walks of life. Understanding different experiences, perspectives, identities, and systems helps us become more effective coaches. It helps us ask better questions, notice what might be missing, and create spaces where more people feel seen and heard.
For me, DEIB isn’t an add-on to coaching; it’s part of being a thoughtful and responsible practitioner. And the bonus is that it enriches your own life too. You get exposed to different perspectives, challenge your own thinking, and connect with people you might never otherwise meet.
And finally: how do you catch your unconscious bias monsters in daily life?
The honest answer is that it’s not always easy to catch them in the moment.
For me, it often starts with reflection. Looking back on conversations, decisions, or reactions and asking myself: What assumptions did I make? What story did I create? What did I take for granted?
There are lots of ways to build that awareness. You can take unconscious bias assessments, read, learn, or try simple exercises that challenge your assumptions about people and situations. The goal isn’t to eliminate bias completely; we’re human and we all have biases. The goal is to become more aware of them so they have less influence over our choices and behaviour.
I also think it’s important to approach this work with compassion. Discovering a bias doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you human. What matters is what you do with that awareness. Are you willing to stay curious, challenge your assumptions, and make more conscious choices? That’s where the real learning begins.
