Brand Identity Guide

GPS Coaching

Maryam Aryafar · Executive Coach · ICF PCC

"The most important person you'll ever learn to lead is yourself."

Research-Backed
Executive-Tested
EQ-Certified
Scroll
7+
Years in Practice
Full-time coaching, not counting the Masters
500+
Clients Coached
Across industries, seniority levels, and geographies
6k+
Coaching Sessions
That is a lot of listening, asking, and watching
01 · Positioning

The Statement

Many clients arrive convinced they need something new, a better strategy, a clearer direction, a plan they haven't found yet. What they discover is that none of it was missing. The answers and capacity were already there. What wasn't was the clarity to see it. Maryam doesn't advise or redirect, she partners. Asks the questions that slow everything down long enough for something true to surface. And when a client hears themselves say what they've always known but never had words for, that is the moment. Not insight delivered from outside. Recognition from within. The kind that, once heard, cannot be unheard.

Differentiator
Her practice is grounded in research and not intuition nor pattern-matching. She understands how leaders behave under pressure, how organizations reward the wrong things, and how high performers develop blind spots they cannot see from where they stand. Thousands of sessions working alongside senior executives mean she already knows the terrain: the politics, the unspoken rules, the weight of decisions made at altitude.

She does not assume she knows what is happening until she actually does. She observes. She listens. She withholds conclusions until they are earned.
Core Thesis
Her clients hold all the answers. Maryam is certain of that. Her role is to help them access what they already know. The work builds on what is already going well, and gets honest about what has been quietly getting in the way. That is the whole thing.
The GPS Principle
Most people do not know what coaching actually is until they have done it. They are expecting advice, instead they get awareness on what is blocking them, what they are good at, and what changes when they can finally see it clearly.
From
Off Course
Good at what you do. Probably great. But something keeps getting in the way and you cannot quite name it.
→
To
Landed
Clients leave knowing where they are strong. They can see what has been slowing them down. And they have a clearer sense of where they are going.
The How · Her Values

What guides the work

In the Why / How / What, these four values are the How. The Why is to help leaders lead themselves; the values are how she does it; the services are the What. Internal north star: public copy on About phrases these for the client.

Support
Psychological safety first. The client is met, not managed. In their corner and honest at the same time: safety paired with challenge, never softness alone.
Growth
Identity-level development, not behavior tweaks. Change how a person sees themselves and everything downstream follows: how they decide, handle pressure, and land on others.
Agency
The client already holds the answers. Through deep listening she surfaces their own words and brings them to awareness; the awareness becomes action they choose. The direction is always theirs.
Respect
A clear boundary. She partners, she does not consult: the client is the expert on their own work and life. That line is not distance, it is what makes the trust possible.
02 · Origin Story

The Arc

There is a particular kind of courage in choosing yourself when every signal around you is pointing somewhere else. Maryam has exercised that courage twice. What she found on the other side of both decisions became the entire foundation of her work.

Setup
There was an academic path and a very clear plan. Then I chose to become a mother instead of finishing the PhD. People expected that to be the detour. It was not. That was the beginning.
Turn
Moving countries strips you down to what is actually yours. Language, status, the sense of knowing where you fit: all of it has to be rebuilt. I rebuilt from there twice. And I came out with a much clearer sense of what real authority looks like. It is quieter than I expected.
Now
Now I work with leaders doing the same kind of transformation. Not because they are struggling. Because they are ready to understand themselves more clearly and lead from a steadier place.
03 · Colour Palette

Jewel-Tone Luxury

Rich without being loud. Warm without going soft. The restraint is intentional: what is held back does as much work as what is put forward.

Amethyst
#8B3FC8
Primary Accent
Fuchsia
#D4538C
Secondary Accent
Gold
#C9983A
Luxury Detail
Fleur
#F5A8C8
Soft Highlight
Plum
#2B1245
Deep Foundation
Champagne
#FDF4FF
Light Background
Warm White
#FFFDF9
Base / Cards
Usage Ratio
Champagne40%
Warm White35%
Plum10%
Amethyst8%
Fuchsia4%
Gold3%
04 · Typography

Prata & DM Sans

One serif for soul, one sans for clarity. Never more than two families. Let whitespace do the luxury work.

Prata Headings · Pull Quotes · Display
Lead from the inside out.
Regular · Display weight
DM Sans Body Copy · UI Text · Labels
Maryam helps leaders discover that the most important person they'll ever lead is themselves.
Light · Regular · Medium
Type Scale in Use
Display · 64 / Regular
Maryam Aryafar
Heading · 40 / Regular
Executive Leadership Coach
Subhead · 28 / Italic
Transforming Leaders
Body · 16 / Regular
Executive coaching for driven leaders who want real results.
Caption · 13 / Light
Leadership Assessment · MCC Certified
Label · 11 / Medium
Section Heading
05 · Brand Voice

Voice & Tone

Voice in One Line
Sophisticated authority meets genuine warmth. Coaching that challenges the status quo without intimidation.
01 · Sophisticated
Refined language reflecting elite expertise and hard-won wisdom.
02 · Direct
Clear, actionable guidance without corporate filler or hollow platitudes.
03 · Empathetic
Honors the emotional reality of leadership growth and transformation.
04 · Bold
Challenges the status quo with confidence and earned conviction.
✓
Always
✓
Lead with transformation, not credentials
✓
Use vivid, specific language over vague platitudes
✓
Address the whole leader: mind, emotion, behavior
✓
Speak as a peer and thought partner, not a teacher
✓
Let client outcomes speak louder than your resume
✕
Never
✕
Default to corporate jargon or consultant-speak
✕
Sound academic, clinical, or emotionally detached
✕
Overpromise quick fixes or overnight transformation
✕
Be self-deprecating or overly humble about expertise
✕
Qualify every statement until the confidence vanishes
06 · Do's & Don'ts

Guardrails

When in doubt, this section wins.

✓
Do
✓
Lead with the human, prove with the credentials. Warmth first, alphabet of acronyms second.
✓
Speak directly. State convictions plainly, without hedging or over-qualifying.
✓
Make the reader feel like the only one in the room. Singular attention in every communication.
✓
Foreground inner-led leadership and self-awareness as the brand's central thesis.
✓
Use jewel tones as restrained accents on champagne space, and let whitespace carry the luxury.
✓
Keep her multicultural range and the Miami gateway visible. It's the edge competitors cannot copy.
✓
Name who she is not for, clearly. Naming the poor fit protects the brand as much as naming the fit.
✓
Pair Cormorant with DM Sans. One serif for soul, one sans for clarity. Never a third family.
✕
Don't
✕
Open with an alphabet of acronyms before any warmth. Credentials land harder after connection.
✕
Hedge, qualify, or hide behind jargon. She has earned the right to say things plainly.
✕
Sound mass-market, salesy, or transactional. This is a premium, personal-touch brand.
✕
Promise quick hacks, hustle culture, or surface fixes. The work is inner: it takes what it takes.
✕
Flood layouts with colour or let it compete with the photography. Space is the luxury signal.
✕
Bury the multicultural differentiator. It's structural, and it belongs in the lead.
✕
Reopen life-coaching or divorce-coaching as front-line offers. That chapter is closed.
✕
Mix three or more typefaces, or crowd the page. Restraint is the signature of the brand.
07 · Audience

Who She Serves

Leaders who are ready for their next level. Ranked to match where the revenue comes from. Depth over volume, starting at $300/hr.

Primary · Flagship
C-suite Executives in Transition (Mid-to-Senior Leadership)
The 1:1 flagship. Highest-value, best-fit, and where her thesis lands hardest. These are people who have succeeded on the outside but feel unmoored underneath.
Secondary · Revenue
Teams & Leaders with EQ Challenges (Corporate)
Corporate EQ-i 2.0 workshops (the second revenue line, sold to HR / L&D). Group format, same inner-led thesis, different delivery.
Tertiary · Defensible Niche
Cross-Cultural Leaders & Global Executives
Leaders navigating complexity across cultures, contexts, and identities. The East meets West perspective is a lived advantage, not a marketing angle. Fluency in more than language.
Emerging Leaders
Entrepreneurs, Founders & High-Potential Professionals
Leaders earlier in the arc who are already thinking about how they lead, not just what they produce. The inner work starts here for those who are ready for it.
What This Isn't For
— People who don't want to do the inner work. Comfort-seekers, not changers. The work is inward and it is real.
— Life-coaching and divorce-coaching seekers. That chapter is closed. The CDC stays in the credential stack, not the marketing front.
09 · Photography

Visual Direction

Photography is where the brand becomes human. Every image must communicate one thing: here is someone of rare ability who is also completely present with you.

Aspirational · Dramatic
Executive Suite
Warm Authority
Golden Hour
Depth & Presence
Light & Mood
Warm & Directional
Natural window light or warm studio lighting. Soft shadows. Never flat overhead or cold fluorescent. The mood is golden, not grey.
Posture
Grounded & Present
She owns the frame. Relaxed posture, direct eye contact, no forced smiles. The expression says "I've done this before and you're going to love it."
Environment
Elevated Contexts
Refined interiors: light-filled offices, marble surfaces, lush greenery, ocean views and natural horizons. Never generic stock-photo conference rooms.
Wardrobe
Brand-Anchored Palette
Deep purples, rich pinks, warm neutrals, and jewel-toned accents. Wardrobe echoes the brand palette, making photography unmistakably hers.
Color Grading Direction
Warm Shadows
Gold Highlights
Fuchsia Tones
Deep Foundations

All photography is warm-graded. Avoid cool tones, blue-shifted filters, or desaturated presets. The brand lives in golden warmth and jewel-tone richness, not in the grey palette of generic business photography.

Natural light. Real presence.
Headshots
Solid or blurred background. Brand-palette wardrobe. Warm window light. Expression: calm authority, welcoming. Shoot at eye level, never below.
In motion. In command.
Action & Speaking
Candid speaking or coaching moments, not staged "pointing at whiteboard" clichés. Energy must read as engaged, not performative.
Refined. Considered.
Lifestyle & Context
Refined environments: a penthouse with a water view, an art-filled room, a beautifully set table. The setting signals the calibre of clientele she works with.
✕
The brand must never feel cold: not clinical, not corporate-sterile, not transactional. The credentials are real. The brand leads with a human. Avoid: blue-tinted filters, stiff boardroom posing, generic stock imagery, harsh direct flash, and backgrounds that look like every other coach's website.
10 · Iconography

Icon System

Icons reinforce the brand without competing with it. Single-weight, minimal, elegant. Never decorative for its own sake.

  • Style Single-weight line icons. Rounded endpoints. No fills, no gradients. Precision over personality.
  • Grid 24 × 24 px base grid. Scale in multiples: 16, 24, 32, 48 px. Never scale to odd sizes.
  • Stroke 1.5 px at 24 px. Scale proportionally. Maintain consistent weight across every icon in a composition.
  • Corners Rounded line caps and joins (stroke-linecap: round; stroke-linejoin: round). Never square or sharp.
  • Color Plum on light backgrounds. Champagne or Fleur on dark. Gold for emphasis or active states only.
  • Spacing Minimum 8 px between icon and adjacent text. Align icons optically, not mathematically.
16 px
24 px
48 px
Leadership & Vision
Vision
Team
Insight
Trust
Clarity
Performance
Growth & Transformation
Growth
System
Catalyst
Momentum
Breakthrough
Purpose
Communication & Connection
Dialogue
Active Listening
Network
Direct Access
Outreach
Client Growth
Strategy & Results
Target
Framework
Metrics
Assessment
Outcome
Action Plan
Icon Color on Different Backgrounds
Plum on Light
Champagne on Amethyst
Fleur on Plum
Gold on Deep Plum
11 · Credentials

The Proof Stack

ICF PCC
Professional Certified Coach, the gold-standard coaching credential
EQ-i 2.0
Certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner (self-report)
EQ 360
360-degree emotional intelligence assessment certification
MS I/O
Master of Science in Industrial / Organisational Psychology
EN · FA
Delivery in English and Farsi
11 · Client Intelligence

What the Work Produces

Patterns extracted from 500+ client engagements and LinkedIn recommendations. This is not marketing language. It is evidence. Use it to inform every positioning and messaging decision.

The Meta-Problem GPS Coaching Solves
Their internal operating system hasn't evolved at the same pace as their external responsibilities.
5 Pull-Throughs: Consistent Across Industries, Seniority Levels & Geographies
Pull-Through 01
Gets to the Root, Not the Symptom
  • Uncovered the root cause
  • Helped me see patterns holding me back
  • Asked the questions that truly mattered
  • Helped me slow down and name what was really happening
Maryam is a pattern interrupter. Clients arrive thinking the issue is communication, confidence, or conflict, and leave understanding the underlying system driving it.
Pull-Through 02
Psychological Safety + Honest Challenge
  • Supported and challenged in the best way
  • Kind and assertive
  • Cheerleader, challenger, thought-provoker
  • Didn't give quick answers, but didn't let me stay stuck
Her edge is trust without complacency. Clients feel safe enough to be honest and strong enough to change.
Pull-Through 03
Emotional Intelligence That Translates Into Action
  • Improved self-awareness
  • Better emotional regulation
  • Clearer communication and stronger boundaries
  • Resilience under pressure
Clients don't just understand EQ. They say it changed how they lead and live. Maryam operationalizes emotional intelligence into external leadership behavior.
Pull-Through 04
Clarity, Focus & Forward Momentum
  • Organize my thoughts
  • Focus on what will move the needle
  • Clear objectives and action plan
  • Plan to sustain growth after coaching
Maryam helps people simplify complexity without dumbing it down. Clients leave with focus, prioritization, and momentum that outlasts the engagement.
Pull-Through 05
Lasting Identity-Level Change
  • I'm a different leader
  • This changed my career trajectory
  • I still ask myself, 'what would Maryam do?'
  • I carry this with me
This is not skill transfer. It is identity evolution. The work rewires how clients relate to themselves, not just how they perform.
The Positioning Line Rooted in This Evidence
"She doesn't fix surface problems. She helps leaders upgrade the system underneath how they think, feel, and lead."
12 · Client Voices

In Their Own Words

Real words from real clients. Source: LinkedIn recommendations. Use verbatim: no editing, no paraphrasing. Pick quotes that speak to the transformation, not the process.

“

Add quote from LinkedIn here. Look for quotes that describe what changed, not just what Maryam did.

Client Name
Title · Company
“

Add quote from LinkedIn here. Strong quotes name the shift: before and after, or a single moment of clarity.

Client Name
Title · Company
“

Add quote from LinkedIn here. Prefer specificity over enthusiasm. "I stopped second-guessing myself in meetings" beats "amazing coach."

Client Name
Title · Company
View All Recommendations on LinkedIn →

Transforming Leaders.
Elevating Lives.

MARYAM ARYAFAR
MCC Certified · Executive Coach · Miami, FL
maryamaryafar.com