Memoirs of a Counselor

Memoirs of a Counselor is a remarkable journey of a shy Indian girl growing up in South Africa during apartheid. Faced with racial discrimination, cultural pressures, religious dogma, gender inequality, and abuse, Chloe finds a way to heal from within. She meets an imaginary friend, a counselor, who becomes her confidant and changes her life forever. He is the voice inside her head. Their conversations help her to make sense of her broken world through evocative imagery, inner reflections and outer awareness. These dialogues lead to her greater purpose in life. While the story is raw and gripping, Memoirs of a Counselor is an intriguing portrayal of hope, resilience and reclamation of self through positivity, and the fascinating human imagination.

Growing up as a shy Indian girl in South Africa during apartheid, I was bound to encounter racial discrimination, cultural pressures, religious dogma, gender inequality, and verbal and sexual abuse. ​Memoirs of a Counselor: Life in South Africa, details such real-world experiences as child molestation by a family member, gun violence because of skin color, rape in a first relationship, police raids at a non-white university, verbally abusive marriage, and extreme cultural and religious constrictions. Along with my story, I provide suggestions on how readers can move toward wholeness and healing despite any atrocities they are forced to face. This candid book describes my distinctive way of navigating the struggles in life and rising above life's challenges. In parallel to the horrors I experienced and witnessed, I developed an imaginary friend, a counselor, who became my confidant. This unusual relationship continues to develop throughout my life, enabling me to emerge as a healthy woman, both mentally and emotionally. Both the day-to-day and cerebral worlds, as much as they blended, were distinctly separate and yet inexplicably real to me.  ​While the setting is South Africa, the values involved are universal. ​The book also covers, based on my experiences other ways people can place problems in better perspective including a unique transformative tool; third-person self-talk. While the story of my life is raw and gripping in itself, it also provides a path for people to overcome evils currently facing our society.

Born into an Indian family in South Africa during apartheid, Chloe Timothy emerged as an authentic, empowered and fearless woman after walking out of her twenty-four-year marriage. Courageously, she finds the strength in her lifelong relationship with Counselor to capture the story of her life. As an Executive Coach and Counselor, Chloe helps people find meaning in their lives both professionally and personally. She holds a Doctorate in Christian Counseling, Masters in Jazz Composition and is a credentialed coach with the International Coach Federation. Chloe was the first woman in South Africa to graduate with a degree in Jazz Studies under the direction of Darius Brubeck. She is currently an Executive Coach in New York City where she coaches leaders on resilience, authenticity and well-being. As a jazz pianist, Chloe has performed on stages in South Africa and in the USA. She is a versatile musician, singer and an inspirational conference speaker. In addition to hosting television in Los Angeles for three years, she has recorded podcasts for author interviews in NYC, and continues to present live webcasts on leadership and business topics. She leads meditation in wellness programs for business leaders using guided imagery and improvisatory music. Recently, she released her first album of original music, Meditation Elasticity. Her most favorite thing in the world is being a mother to her son Jethro. On the weekends, you will find her on the golf course going for par.