There’s a truism in parenting circles that goes something like this: “Behind every child who believes in themselves is a parent who believed in them first.” It’s a lofty if not inspiring musing that reminds you of the bond between parent and child, and the role our upbringings play in shaping who we are and how we navigate the world.  

It’s a sentiment that seems more relevant now than it ever did as I meet Shabina Kamal. Her story is one that encapsulates this with sensibility and grace. “My parents immigrated about 40 years ago from North India, so I am part of the first generation here in Australia,” she tells me, over coffee. 

She has no qualms sharing her vibrant upbringing with me on this Wednesday morning, despite prefacing that she’s not overly comfortable with the spotlight. “My family is quite intense, but in a good way. We didn’t have a lot of routine or structure as kids, to be honest,” she says, adding that her parents’ commitments as owners/operators of a popular Indian restaurant in Crows Nest was at times, all-consuming. 

“Both mum and dad managed the restaurant and oversaw the front of house. Dad was also the chef at a point to begin with. This meant they were both there most nights. We spent a lot of time with our grandparents as kids, when we weren’t at the restaurant.” There’s a loving connection between Shabina and her father, Piara, and they’re memories she recalls warmly. “He just loved it; he was very proud of the restaurant. A lot of the customers came specifically to catch up with him as well as for a meal,” she says.

 

A gentle patriarch, it was also Piara’s business nous and robust property investment during Shabina’s upbringing that laid the path for where she is today. “Seeing how he built a life for us here has been a great source of inspiration for me. Not only in terms of ensuring we were financially secure but also in the impact he had on the community and the connections he made,” she says. “Through that I think I actually learnt what true customer service was about,” she says astutely.

Shabina reveals it was also her father who told her that the meaning of her name was ‘beautiful flower’. Some years later she found out it more likely meant ‘eye of the storm’. Shabina laughs at the contrast between the two, and assumes her parents took inspiration from a Bollywood actress (and had nothing but good intentions in spinning the flower tale). It’s in this moment that Shabina’s multi-dimensional character shines through; reflecting a woman who is ever-adapative and respectful of others’ world views, yet is resolute in her understanding of who she is, and who she is not.

Progressing through school and university, Shabina remembers feeling drawn to subjects that blended creativity with commerciality, and nurtured her entrepreneurial spirit. A long-held ambition to start her own womenswear label became a reality through this journey; one that also took her to business school in Holland on an exchange program. Family and familiarity lured her home, and Shabina got to work pursuing the rag trade, selling to local shops around Sydney. “It was all happening and I could have kept at it, but it just felt quite solitary. I was on my own a lot, designing and creating,” she reveals. Enrolling in a real estate course was a measure to safeguard her options should she choose a different career path; something that was possibly years or decades away, she thought.

“I was a few weeks into the course and I thought oh my gosh, this combines the creative and business elements I love about fashion, with the ability to be meeting people every day.” It was from there that this new chapter dawned, one that Shabina was able to carve out with intent and maturity.  “I knew exactly what I wanted and where I saw myself. Because I had that business experience, I knew how important it was to prove yourself to your network. So looking back I think it was a great benefit to enter real estate that little bit older than some others do.” 

 

Over the next decade she became a household name in Lower North Shore real estate, and is generous in sharing her learnings. “Work hard but more importantly, do the right thing. If you always do what you believe is right, for yourself, for the people you work with and for, you’ll be successful.” 

It’s sage advice from a woman who is a self-confessed ‘life-long learner’. The birth of her son Asher in early 2022 taught her a great deal about personal growth and change. “From the moment he was born, I was smitten. It took me by surprise because I hadn’t been overly maternal before that. I feel I’ve done a 360.” We converse over the rewarding yet sometimes rickety rollercoaster that is parenting and share how we manage the much-talked about ‘juggle’. “I needed to come back to work [after maternity leave] more than I knew. I think it’s powerful when you enjoy the various facets of your identity and life and are unapologetic in what is going to fill your cup,” she says.

Has motherhood changed her real estate practice then too; I wonder? “Absolutely. Trivial things don’t matter to me as much as they perhaps did before. My approach now is that everything is solvable. Anything can happen, but you can almost always find a solution.”

Until next time.