Breaking Taboos with Compassion: Dr. Sabiha Inamdar’s Journey as India’s Trailblazing Relationship Coach

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Dr. Sabiha Inamdar’s journey as a relationship coach in India is as much about courage as compassion. Born into a conservative Muslim family in Maharashtra, she has steadily defied social taboos around sex and intimacy in order to change lives and attitudes. Her mission has been revolutionary in a society that often avoids open conversation around sexual health, relationship intimacy, and emotional wellbeing.

Early life, marriage and awakening


Sabiha grew up in a traditional home where speaking about physical intimacy or intimate relationships was not part of everyday conversation. Even after becoming a doctor and doing medical work in Pune, she realized wedding and marriage were viewed largely as formal, social events not as unions with emotional or intimate dimensions. In her mid-twenties she married Ali. The early years of marriage involved responsibilities and expectations that she carried out earnestly—but without a real understanding of what intimacy really meant.

Motherhood came, and with it other duties. Sabiha thought her role was primarily biologically defined: to bear and raise children. It was only after some years—about ten years after her daughter’s birth that she experienced a turning point. She came to recognize that sex was not merely a bodily act, a duty, or something to endure, but a deeply expressive form of love and connection. It could nurture closeness, communication, mutual satisfaction, and emotional intimacy.

This realization directed her path forward. By combining her medical background with specialized training in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Sabiha developed a coaching practice that could address not only the physical or medical side of relationships, but also the emotional, psychological, and communicative components. Her clinic, Dr. Sabiha Coaching & Consulting (DSCC), began helping couples open up about topics generally considered taboo: sexual desires, emotional disconnect, misunderstandings, marriage expectations.

She creates a safe, compassionate space in her workshops and coaching sessions where people can speak honestly. She emphasizes that intimacy in marriage—or in any committed relationship—is not just about sex, but about emotional sharing, vulnerability, trust, mutual respect. For her, the taboo around sexual health has to be dismantled if people are to truly understand themselves and their partners.

Support, resistance and resolve


Working in this field, especially as a Muslim woman in India, Sabiha has faced considerable criticism. Social media trolling, judgment from well-meaning but conservative people, misunderstanding about what sexual coaching means all of these are part of her reality. Yet she did not retreat. Her husband Ali has been a steady source of encouragement. He once challenged her: if he could call himself by his profession without hesitation, why couldn’t she as well? This helped her accept and assert her identity as a “Sex Coach,” rather than downplaying it.

Her father, a government officer in the Forest Department, also played a big role. Though from a conservative background, he valued education and practical wisdom. He instilled in her and her siblings the importance of independence, decision-making, and sticking to one’s convictions. When criticism comes—which often happens she recalls his saying: “One who tolerates injustice is a greater criminal than the one who perpetrates it.” These influences gave her not just confidence, but persistence.

The work: educating societies


Dr. Sabiha’s work spans multiple platforms. In her one-on-one coaching, she guides couples through real issues: imbalance of emotional labor, lack of communication, questions about desire, sexual misconceptions. She also lectures publicly, leads workshops, and runs webinars. A big part of her outreach is online: YouTube videos, Instagram posts, live Q&A sessions, podcasts (especially Marathi), all meant to normalise conversations about sex, relationships, mental health.

She has observed that one of the biggest gaps is sex education. Children approaching puberty often learn rules about what not to do, but almost nothing about what changes to expect—emotional, psychological, relational. Because of this, young people often develop fears, guilt, shame, or unrealistic expectations. Sabiha believes that informed awareness is essential: understanding not just the biology of sex, but also the feelings, the communication, and the consent involved.

Impact and vision


Over the years, Dr. Sabiha has changed many lives. People who once felt shame now report stronger marital relationships, better emotional connection, more open communication. Women, especially, have benefited: being able to express their needs and feelings has increased self-worth. Her lectures, coaching sessions, and online presence have helped reduce the discomfort people feel when sex or intimacy are discussed openly.

Despite the social pushback, Sabiha’s resolve remains firm. She speaks of continuing this work until her last breath: helping people overcome shame, helping them talk, helping them love more honestly. Her goal isn’t merely problem-solving; it is transforming how relationships are experienced bringing compassion, authenticity, emotional depth into marriages and partnerships.

In a society still uneasy with such topics, Dr. Sabiha is helping lead a transformation—one conversation at a time. Her courage to address taboos, her skill at combining medical, emotional, and communication tools, and her refusal to be silenced are reshaping not only individual relationships but broader attitudes.

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