About - Pervez Hussain - Blind Motivational Speaker

Motivational Speaker | Author | Leadership & Performance Specialist

ABOUT PERVEZ HUSSAIN

I was born and raised in inner – city Birmingham and from the age of four, my life was shaped by deteriorating eyesight. I attended a comprehensive school from the age of ten, but between the ages of 11 and 13 I lost my sight completely and did not attend school for two years. It was a silent and deeply challenging period of my life, one in which very few people truly understood what I was experiencing.

As a result, I was removed from mainstream education and placed into a specialist school. By the time I left education at 18, I had no formal qualifications and expectations of my future were limited.

That was not how my story was going to end.

A DEFINING TURNING POINT

I was brought up in a strict but deeply caring British Pakistani household. My parents wereprotective and loving, wanting to keep me close to home and within the family environment. Theirconcern came from love, but it also limited what they believed was possible.

It was a teacher at my specialist school who changed everything. They recognised my potential andinsisted that I needed independence, opportunity, and belief. They worked closely with my parentsand ultimately helped convince them that Ishould leave home to attend the Royal National Collegefor the Blind in Hereford.

That decision became the foundation for my confidence, independence, and ambition.

LOSING MY SIGHT AT 23 AND REBUILDING MYSELF

At the age of 23, following an accident while cycling, I lost my sight completely. What followed weretwo of the hardest years of my life. Outwardly, life continued. Inwardly, I was rebuilding my identity,confidence, and purpose.

There was no accessible technology at the time. No smartphones. No digital support. I was forced toadapt.

During this period, I also made a decision to become physically strong. At my lowest, I weighed just8½ stone and felt vulnerable. I began training in the gym, lifting weights consistently, determinedthat nothing would overpower me again. Over time, I rebuilt my body to around 13½ stone ofmuscle. That physical discipline mirrored the mental resilience I was developing.

TURNING MEMORY INTO A PROFESSIONAL ADVANTAGE

With no access to technology, I developed an exceptional memory skill. What started as necessity soon became mastery. I memorised over 800 internal telephone extensions, along with policies, procedures, legislation, leadership models, and professional frameworks entirely in my head. Mem ory became my competitive advantage.

INFLUENCE BEYOND THE ORGANISATION

Alongside my professional role, I held senior elected and advisory positions and contributed at a national leve l. I advised the Home Office on disability legislation and spoke at the House of Lords on barriers within employment and organisational culture. This was not theory. It was leadership informed by lived and professional experience.

A CAREER BUILT ON LEADERSHIP AND FIRSTS

My professional career began in customer service, where communication and empathy wereessential. I progressed into Human Resources and then into organisational developmentand trainingwithin West Mercia Police, where I spent 23 years of my career.

During that time, I became:

The first British Pakistani in the UK to deliver professional diversity training entirely from memoryOne of the first people nationally to deliverdiversity training without notes, slides, or prompts Thefirst blind British Pakistani to deliver Chartered Management Institute leadership and managementtraining by memory to frontline supervisors.

My work covered complex legislation, leadership frameworks, behavioural change, and real-worldapplication, delivered with credibility, accuracy, and impact.

A MAJOR SETBACK AND A NEW CHAPTER

At the age of 43, my career was interrupted by a diagnosis of polycystic kidney disease, leading to kidney failure. During this period, I dropped back to around 8½ stone and once again had to rebuild my health from the ground up.

In 2012, despite these challenges, I was awarded the Quality People Award for Outstanding Contribution, one of the proudest moments of my professional life.

While undergoing dialysis for four to six hours at a time, a colleague suggested I use the time to write my life story. That decision led to my autobiography, Chasing the Bean, an honest account of resilience, mindset, identity, and refusing to be defined by circumstance.

After three years on dialysis, I received the ultimate gift: a live donor kidney transplant. This year marks 11 years since my transplant. I remain committed to fitness, health, and discipline, living proof of what is possible with the right mindset and consistency.

FROM RESILIENCE TO RESULTS

Following my transplant, I redirected my focus once again. Using the same discipline, memory, and analytical thinking that shaped my leadership career, I entered the world of property investment. Today, I have built a successful six-figure property portfolio.

The principle remains the same: mindset, strategy, and resilience create results.

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WHY I SPEAK

I do not speak for sympathy. I speak about performance, leadership, resilience, and possibility.

My work today includes motivational and keynote speaking, leadership and mindset development, resilience under pressure, mental discipline and focus, and mentoring and coaching professionals and leaders.

My sessions are honest, engaging, and practical, designed to challenge thinking and inspire action.

THE MESSAGE I LIVE BY

You don’t wait for opportunity.
You create it.

Mistakes are lessons.

Barriers demand adaptation.

Mindset determines outcomes.

BOOK PERVEZ HUSSAIN

Pervez Hussain is available for motivational talks, keynote speeches, leadership sessions, and mentoring, delivered in person or online across the UK and internationally. If you are looking for a speaker who combines credibility, authenticity, and real-world impact, let’s start the conversation.

Pervez Hussain is a blind motivational speaker, author and DJ operating in the UK. Despite his of lack sight, he has achieved many great feats and now inspires others at professional speaking events.

My book ‘Chasing the Bean’ tells the story of my life and the challenges I have faced.

Motivational Speaker | Author | Leadership & Performance Specialist