About Anil Deepchand Dagia

NLP Master Trainer • ICF PCC Coach & Mentor Coach • Creator of Emotional Fitness Gym® • Designer of the world’s first Jenga + NLP + Somatic Emotional Intelligence model • Author of 9 books on NLP, coaching, sales, emotional immunity & business mastery • Business mentor to coaches, leaders & independent professionals.

Most people know me today as Anil Dagia – the person who teaches NLP, ICF coaching, Emotional Intelligence, somatic work and business mastery in an integrated, no-nonsense way. But very few know the story of how a corporate IT leader, working 18-hour days, living on stress and “turnaround projects”, ended up creating Emotional Fitness Gym®, pioneering a Jenga + NLP + Somatic EI model, and mentoring coaches and leaders across India and beyond.

This page is not just a list of achievements. It’s the long-form, unfiltered story of how I went from “Head of IT Infrastructure who thrived on crisis” to “trainer, coach, author and business mentor who helps people design a life they don’t need a vacation from.”

Who I Am & What I Do Today

Officially, my full name is Anil Deepchand Dagia. In the professional world, I’m known as Anil Dagia – NLP Master Trainer, ICF PCC Coach, ICF Mentor Coach, creator of Emotional Fitness Gym®, and designer of the world’s first Jenga + NLP + Somatic Emotional Intelligence development model.

I help people change their inner programming, redesign their career and build a life they do not need a vacation from – using a unique integration of:

  • Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) – as a precision model of human experience
  • ICF-accredited coaching – ACC & PCC aligned pathways and Mentor Coaching
  • Emotional Fitness Gym® & Emotional Intelligence – emotional immunity, not just stress management
  • Somatic processes – working with the nervous system, not only the mind
  • Sales & business mastery – building predictable, automated coaching businesses

I work with:

  • Aspiring and existing life coaches who want ICF credentials and real, paying clients
  • Professionals who want to quit their job and build a meaningful, profitable coaching or expert business
  • NLP practitioners who want to upgrade into ethical, ICF-aligned transformation
  • Leaders who want emotional intelligence, resilience and better decisions under pressure
  • Entrepreneurs & independent professionals who want sales automation and business mastery

If you’re at a turning point in your life or career, wondering what your next chapter is supposed to look like, that’s usually when people find me.

Book a Free 30-Minute Clarity Call with Me

From IT Firefighter to Emotional Fitness – The Story Behind My Work

The IT Years: Living on Stress & Turnaround Projects

My professional journey began in the Information Technology (IT) industry. I started as a software programmer and, over the course of almost two decades, grew to lead IT for a global media and graphic design company. My final corporate role was heading IT infrastructure and being the person everyone called when “the project was on fire”.

If a multimillion-dollar project was in trouble – deadlines missed, systems broken, team burnout – I was brought in to fix it within three months. That became my identity: the person who could turn around troubled projects under extreme pressure.

It sounds impressive. But the cost was brutal:

  • 18-hour days, 7 days a week
  • Constant crisis mode – personally and professionally
  • No real leave, no genuine downtime
  • Stress as a lifestyle – and as an addiction

2007: “Neuro Linguistic Programming” – The Strange Name That Changed My Life

Around 2007, someone mentioned a course called “Neuro Linguistic Programming”. I had never heard of it. In the IT world, the name sounded like yet another programming language – something that would help me become better with computers.

I was wrong.

That “programming” was not about machines. It was about the most powerful computer of all – the human mind. NLP became my doorway into understanding how thoughts, emotions, memories, beliefs and internal maps create our external reality.

I dove in. Practitioner. Master Practitioner. Coach. Trainer. By the time most people were still trying to spell “NLP”, I had already decided that I would master it and apply it in the most precise, practical way possible.

2010: The Cardiac Event That Forced Me to Rebuild My Life

On 19 March 2010, my life gave me a non-negotiable ultimatum.

I woke up one morning in Dubai with mild chest soreness. Nothing dramatic. I had just increased my weights at the gym, was proud of my fitness, and was chasing a Daniel Craig–style physique. Out of curiosity and a bit of boredom, I Googled my symptoms and every result said: “If you have chest discomfort, go to a hospital immediately.”

I went, more to rule things out than anything else.

ECG – normal.
2D Echo – normal.
Cholesterol – in athletic range.
I was about to walk out with a prescription for muscle relaxants when the doctor looked at one final report, snatched the prescription back and said:

“Mr. Dagia, we cannot let you leave. Your cardiac enzymes are four times the expected peak. You are at extreme cardiovascular risk.” 

I had a minor clot and a near-fatal situation – with zero warning signs, three “clean” tests, and a lifestyle built on constant stress.

That day, something shifted permanently.

I realised:

  • Physical fitness is not enough.
  • Stress management is not enough.
  • I needed Emotional Fitness – a way to build emotional immunity so that stress could no longer own me.

That incident became the seed of what would later become Emotional Fitness Gym® – Emotional Immunity: Train Your Mind. Conquer Stress. Become Emotionally Unshakable.

2011: Leaving Corporate to Live Life on My Terms

After that cardiac event and after becoming highly skilled in NLP (up to Master Practitioner and then Train the Trainer), I asked myself a simple but uncomfortable question:

“Do I want to continue living a life that looks successful from the outside – but keeps my emotional and physical health at the edge?”

The answer was no.

In 2011, I made a decision:

“I don’t want to just have lived through my life. I want to truly live it – on my terms.”

I left full-time employment and rebuilt my life as an NLP trainer, coach, and eventually as a creator of frameworks, programs and businesses that help others do the same – without needing a near-death wake-up call first.

If you want a more structured, authority-focused overview of my credentials, books, global work and professional trajectory, visit my dedicated Author Page.

Guided by Mentors & Mastery: From NLP to Global Business & Trainer Excellence

My NLP Roots – and Terri Ann Laws

My foundational NLP training came through my trainer Terri Ann Laws (UK), who is no longer with us. Her training deeply shaped my approach to rigour, integrity and precision in NLP.

Over time, I went on to complete:

  • NLP Practitioner
  • NLP Master Practitioner
  • NLP Master Life Coach
  • NLP Advanced Life Coach
  • NLP Trainer Training & NLP Trainers Certificate (2010, UK)

These are not just certificates on a wall. They are the foundation of how I think, work and design transformational experiences. (You’ll find many of these certificates displayed visually on this site.) 

Tony Robbins – Business Mastery, Amsterdam 2017

Of all the people who emerged from the NLP world, Tony Robbins is the one who, in my view, has created impact at the scale NLP truly deserves – especially at the intersection of personal transformation and business performance.

In 2017, I attended Business Mastery with Tony Robbins in Amsterdam – an intensive business strategy immersion covering financial mastery, pricing, business models, scaling, marketing and leadership.

I went there not as a beginner, but as someone already established as an NLP Master Trainer, ICF PCC Coach, Mentor Coach and business mentor. My goal was simple:

  • Extract global frameworks that could work for coaches, trainers, consultants and independent professionals
  • Adapt them for India and emerging markets
  • Test them in my own business before teaching them

Today, the strategic backbone of my business programs – including Master the Business of Life Coaching, Business Mastery, Quit Your Job and 0–100 Rapid Client Acceleration / Automated Sales Engine – is heavily shaped by that Business Mastery experience combined with my own experiments and refinements.

Blair Singer – Train The Trainer (SuccessGyan), 2025

In 2025, I further sharpened my edge as a facilitator and leader by attending Train The Trainer with Blair Singer (SuccessGyan) in Chennai. Blair is globally recognised for his work in leadership, high-performance teams and behavioural transformation.

This program was not about “how to present slides”. It was a leadership crucible – about:

  • Commanding rooms and holding emotional states of groups
  • Shifting group psychology in real time
  • Designing experiential learning environments
  • Working with resistance and dynamics in the room

This mastery now amplifies every dimension of my work – from corporate leadership programs and Jenga-based EI interventions to ICF-accredited trainings and NLP mastery tracks.

From NLP to ICF: Integrated, Ethical, High-Impact Coaching

I began NLP training in 2007 and started integrating ICF coaching into my work around 2014. Today, I am an ICF PCC Coach and ICF Mentor Coach, delivering programs that help people earn:

  • ICF Level 1 – Life Transformation Coach
  • ICF Level 2 – Life Transformation Power Coach

People often arrive at my ecosystem searching for:

  • “ICF life coach certification”
  • “ICF coaching certification India”
  • “ICF accredited coaching programs online”
  • “ICF ACC / PCC cost, requirements and career path”

What they actually want is not just a credential. They want:

  • Real competence
  • Deep transformation tools
  • Clear business models
  • Predictable income

My work exists at that intersection – NLP + ICF + Emotional Intelligence + Somatics + Business Mastery as one integrated system.

If you want a structured overview of my coaching pathways, you can explore:

Not sure which path fits you? Talk to me in a Free 30-Min Clarity Call 

Emotional Fitness Gym®, Jenga-Based EI & Somatic Work

Emotional Fitness Gym® – From Stress Management to Stress Immunity

After my 2010 cardiac incident, it became very clear to me that most people do not need more “stress management tips”. They need emotional immunity – the ability to function at high levels without being destroyed by pressure.

That’s what led me to create Emotional Fitness Gym® in 2013 – a proprietary, trademarked emotional transformation system that treats emotional fitness the same way we treat physical fitness:

  • Structured workouts for your emotions
  • Clear routines and training schedules
  • Progressive exercises for resilience and emotional recovery
  • Frameworks to build emotional immunity – not just temporary relief

Emotional Fitness Gym® combines:

  • NLP-based emotional reprogramming
  • Somatic regulation tools and nervous system work
  • Identity-level change work
  • Behavioural pattern redesign
  • Deep emotional processing frameworks

It has been featured in mainstream media such as the Times of India and Mid-Day, and experienced by hundreds of individuals and over a hundred organisations across sectors.

You can explore:

World’s 1st Jenga + NLP + Somatic Emotional Intelligence Model

Traditional Emotional Intelligence programs often stay in the head – theory, models, concepts. I wanted EI to be visible, tactile and lived.

That’s why I designed the world’s first Jenga + NLP + Somatic Emotional Intelligence development model – an experiential format where people literally see, touch and rebuild their emotional patterns using Jenga blocks, somatic awareness and NLP tools.

In these programs, participants:

  • Visually map their inner emotional architecture using Jenga
  • Identify emotional blocks and “load-bearing” beliefs
  • Release stuck emotions through somatic processes
  • Use NLP to reframe, re-script and re-anchor internal responses
  • Rebuild a more stable, empowered emotional structure

This model has become a signature element in my Emotional Intelligence work and in leadership interventions.

You can explore:

Leadership Development, Corporate Work & Global Footprint

I began formal leadership development work in 2015, with assignments for organisations such as:

  • Tata Management Training Center
  • Mahindra & Mahindra
  • RPG Group
  • The Leela Palace, Udaipur

Since then, I’ve delivered Emotional Fitness Gym®, Emotional Intelligence, leadership and mindset transformation workshops for over 100 organisations.

Internationally, I’ve trained and coached in Dubai and Cape Town, with participants joining my programs from multiple countries.

The outcomes my programs are built to deliver include:

  • Deeper self-awareness and emotional literacy in leaders
  • Better decision-making under pressure
  • Healthier team dynamics and trust
  • Reduced emotional reactivity and burnout
  • Clearer, calmer leadership presence

I specialise in emotional intelligence for leaders and leadership teams who need to make better decisions under pressure. My corporate work is an extension of the same core philosophy: stronger minds, clearer decisions, more conscious leadership.

Business Mastery, Sales Automation & “Quit Your Job” Pathways

Very often, the people who come to me don’t just want to “learn coaching” or “learn NLP”. They want a safe, structured way to transition out of the 9-to-5 corporate trap and build a career that gives them freedom, income stability and meaning. They want to:

  • Quit their job safely and build a coaching / expert business
  • Replace their salary with client income
  • Stop chaotic, desperate selling and build predictable revenue

Especially for professionals who want a safe, structured way to escape the 9-to-5 corporate trap and become full-time coaches or experts.

This is where my business mastery, offer design, sales automation and income systemisation work comes in.

My business frameworks combine:

  • What I learned and implemented from Tony Robbins’ Business Mastery (Amsterdam 2017)
  • What I have tested in my own business – repeatedly
  • What works specifically for coaches, trainers, consultants and independent professionals

I help coaches and experts move from:

  • Random sessions ➝ structured offers
  • Uncertain income ➝ predictable revenue models
  • Manual selling ➝ automated sales engines
  • Fear-based pricing ➝ confident, value-based pricing
  • Random, inconsistent efforts ➝ a profitable, systemised coaching business

Key programs & book you can explore:

Mindset, Belief Change & My Belief Discovery Framework

At the deepest level, all my work is about identity, beliefs and emotional patterns.

Over the years, I developed my own Belief Discovery Framework – a structured, precise way to uncover the hidden belief systems driving a person’s thoughts, decisions and emotional reactions.

This framework is informed by:

  • NLP
  • ICF coaching standards
  • Philosophy & Logic
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Pragmatics & psycho-linguistics
  • Behavioural economics
  • Mindfulness & meditative practices from the ancient field of Tantra

It helps people:

  • Understand why they keep repeating patterns
  • Identify contradictions in their internal rules
  • Resolve identity conflicts
  • Rebuild more empowering inner structures

I have even trained a custom GPT “digital twin” on this framework so that my analytical approach can be replicated at scale – helping more people access deep belief work and emotional clarity, 24/7.

Author of 9 Books on Coaching, NLP, EI, Sales & Business Mastery

Writing is one of the ways I clarify and test my ideas. Over the years, I have authored 9 books that cover different dimensions of coaching, transformation and business:

These books mirror my core domains: NLP, ICF coaching, emotional intelligence, business mastery, sales systems and mindset transformation.

For a full overview, you can explore the Books & Written Work page.

Media & Press Mentions

My work on coaching, Emotional Fitness Gym® and Emotional Intelligence has been featured in several respected publications, including:

These third-party references help search engines and AI systems connect my name with NLP, ICF coaching, Emotional Intelligence, somatic work and business mastery in a verifiable way.

For a consolidated, always-updated list of articles, interviews, podcasts and features, you can also visit the Media & Press page.

My Core Belief & 10-Year Mission

The Belief That Drives My Work

If I had to compress everything I’ve lived, studied and taught into one belief, it would be this:

“You deserve to live free – emotionally, mentally and financially – and your mind is the ultimate leverage to create that freedom.”

Emotional fitness, mental clarity and business mastery are not luxuries. They are survival skills for the world we live in today.

My Mission for the Next 10 Years

Over the next decade, my mission is to:

  • Help 10,000+ coaches, leaders and independent professionals build emotionally strong, financially stable, value-driven lives
  • Make Emotional Fitness Gym® and Jenga-based EI recognised frameworks for emotional intelligence and leadership development
  • Build a global ecosystem where NLP, ICF coaching, EI, somatics and business mastery are taught together – not as fragments
  • Equip people with the tools to rewrite their internal programming, not just their external circumstances

My work is for those who are willing to train – not just consume information.

How People Typically Discover My Work

Most people don’t start by searching my name.

They search for:

  • ICF coaching / ICF training / ICF accredited coach training program
  • ICF ACC / ICF PCC requirements and cost
  • best ICF coaching programs / ICF coaching certification in India
  • NLP coach certification / ICF accredited NLP training
  • career coaching certification ICF / business coach ICF
  • emotional intelligence workshop / stress management / emotional resilience
  • how to become a life coach / how to get coaching clients / how to quit my job

Behind every such search is a deeper question:

“Will this training, program or coach actually help me change my life, career or business in a real, practical way?”

My entire body of work – from NLP and ICF to Emotional Fitness Gym®, Jenga-based EI and business mastery – is my answer to that question.

Where You Can Go from Here

If you’ve read this far, you’re not casually browsing. Something in you is ready for a next step – in your emotional life, your career, your coaching practice, your leadership or your business.

You can:

If you want clarity on your next step, book a Free 30-Minute Clarity Call with me

I look forward to meeting the version of you that you haven’t yet become.
– Anil Dagia

For my certifications, awards, media features and professional authority profile, view my Author Page.