About Beyond Cubicles
📢 #BeyondCubicles is a weekly LinkedIn series created by Carolina D’Souza, born out of her own experience transitioning from a corporate career to independent consulting. Since its launch in June 2024, the series has evolved into a platform that showcases the inspiring journeys of several founders who have redefined the traditional 9-to-5.
Through authentic narratives, #BeyondCubicles highlights themes of courage, resilience, and purpose. The stories feature individuals from diverse industries—ranging from tech and education to wellness and adventure—who share their experiences of stepping away from conventional roles to pursue passion-driven careers.Â
✨ Note: All features in this series are unpaid and shared as a way to honor and amplify real stories of transformation.
For nearly 20 years, Jasmine Navarro taught in classrooms before realizing she still had lessons of her own to learn.
“Teaching shaped me, but during a coaching session for my own growth, everything shifted,” she says. “It helped me reconnect with myself, process challenges I hadn’t addressed, and see how powerful these tools could be for others.”
That moment marked a shift from education to coaching.
In April 2019, she launched Nava (withnava.com) in Dubai to support students through education and adults through life changes. As a Certified Family and Educational Wellbeing Expert, she helps people through coaching, workshops, and her Creative Confidence program to build self-esteem, confidence, and resilience.
“My work helps people understand themselves better, navigate pressure, process emotions, and move forward with confidence,” she says.
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Her programs now extend to schools, universities, and organizations, helping individuals and teams strengthen emotional intelligence and communication.
Since June 2020, she has also hosted weekly LinkedIn Live sessions, interviewing experts who share practical insights on personal and professional growth.
As with several founders, the transition from the 9-to-5 brought “loneliness, fear, uncertainty, and self-doubt”. It also meant letting go of an identity linked to a profession.
Support from mentors and consistent self-work helped Jasmine navigate. “I worked through it by building self-awareness, challenging limiting beliefs, and learning to trust my experience instead of fearing the unknown.”
The impact? “Clients began communicating more effectively and showing up with greater confidence at work and at home.”
With time, she grew into someone who was comfortable being visible, owning her expertise, and thinking strategically. “My personal brand has become clearer, more grounded, more intentional. I communicate not just what I do, but why I do it, and who it is for.”
Her advice is to have the courage to listen to yourself, even when no one else agrees. “Confidence does not come before action. It comes from taking action.”
Originally from the UK, she has lived and worked in 11 countries before making Dubai home. “Freedom means alignment, doing meaningful work, choosing collaborations intentionally, and knowing that my work supports real human growth, personally and professionally.”