Penguin India has announced the release of Big Trust by behavioural researcher and peak-performance expert Dr Shadé Zahrai, co-authored with Philip Faysal Sekkouah, at a time when self-doubt has emerged as a defining challenge in Indian workplaces.

The book arrives amid growing concern over employee well-being in the country. Recent workplace studies indicate that more than 80 per cent of Indian corporate employees report emotional distress, while nearly 60 per cent experience moderate to severe anxiety. Among early-career professionals, the crisis is even more pronounced, with nine in ten employees under the age of 25 reporting persistent stress and self-doubt. The issue spans organisational hierarchies, with over 70 per cent of Indian CEOs and senior leaders acknowledging experiences of imposter syndrome.

Dr Zahrai is a globally recognised authority on confidence, performance and self-trust. A former corporate lawyer with an MBA and a background in psychology, she has designed and delivered high-impact leadership and performance programmes for Fortune 500 companies including Google, Microsoft, LVMH, JP Morgan and McKinsey. Named among LinkedIn’s Top Voices for career development, she has educated more than seven million learners through LinkedIn Learning. Her TEDx talks and digital content have amassed over 300 million views, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, Adweek, CNBC and Yahoo Finance.

Drawing on cutting-edge research, more than a decade of work with global corporations, and her experience educating millions of professionals worldwide, Big Trust lays out a practical and evidence-based system to break the cycle of self-doubt. The book introduces Dr Zahrai’s Four A’s framework — Acceptance, Agency, Autonomy and Adaptability — offering readers tools to regain control of their inner world and thrive in the external one.

The book has already received strong endorsements from leading voices. Jefferson Fisher describes it as “science-backed and easy to put into practice,” calling it a game-plan that truly works. Psychologist Ethan Kross praises Big Trust as “eloquently written and insightful,” noting that it serves as a practical guide to navigating one of life’s most difficult challenges — the internal battles we face with ourselves.