Unshakeable Review: Mindvalley Quest For Self Determination Overcoming Self Doubt

Last Updated on October 31, 2025 by vitaliy

Let’s be direct. Self-doubt is that annoying, persistent voice that stops you from shipping the project, asking for the raise, or just feeling good about what you’ve already done. As someone who’s been self-employed for 12 years in SEO, marketing, and a bunch of other hustles, I’ve had to face that voice pretty much every single day. As a hypnotist, I’m always looking for practical tools that actually work on the mind, not just fluff.

So, I looked into Mindvalley’s “Unshakeable” Quest. This isn’t my first time looking at their platform; I’ve been using Mindvalley for over 4 years and have seen what works and what doesn’t. This is a 10-day program that makes a huge claim: a “step-by-step system to root out, eliminate, and permanently banish self-doubt.”

That is a very bold promise.

This quest is taught by Shadé Zahrai and Fayçal Sekkouah. It’s 11 lessons, totaling 3 hours and 27 minutes. With over 12,000 people enrolled, it’s clearly hitting a nerve. My job here is to look past the marketing and see what’s inside. We’ll check out who the instructors are, what you actually do for 10 days, and what kind of results you can realistically expect.

Who’s Teaching This? Meet Shadé Zahrai and Fayçal Sekkouah

Before I buy any course, I look at who’s teaching. Are they real experts or just good at Instagram? In this case, the instructors are a “power couple” with some serious credentials.

H3: Shadé Zahrai: The Peak Performance Educator

Shadé Zahrai isn’t just a motivational speaker. She’s a Harvard-trained executive coach. She consults with Fortune 500 companies, so she’s in the rooms where high-level imposter syndrome lives.

Her stats are pretty wild: her content has over 100 million views, and she has a combined social media following of over 2.5 million. That tells me her message is connecting with a lot of people. She’s been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, and on TED.

She’s also a scholar-practitioner, meaning she’s not just repeating things she’s heard. She’s currently studying for a PhD and holds multiple degrees, including in psychology and law. Her mission seems to be translating heavy research into simple, actionable strategies to get people “unstuck.”

H3: Fayçal Sekkouah: The Strategist and Entrepreneur

Fayçal Sekkouah is the other half of their company, Influenceo Global. His background is different but just as impressive. He has coached C-level executives and, get this, was a policy advisor to the South Korean Government for the G20 Summit. That’s a world of high-stakes, high-pressure communication.

He also mentored at the South African Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship. This part connects with me. He understands the “hustle” and what it takes to build something from scratch.

H3: Why Them? The “Power Couple” Approach

Together, they run Influenceo Global. Their whole thing is “translating neuroscience and psychology research into practical, actionable strategies.” This isn’t just theory. It’s a system rooted in rigorous psychological research, combining neuroscience, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and identity reframing. They seem to have the combined skills of deep research (Shadé) and high-level strategy (Fayçal).

The Unshakeable System: How Does It Claim to Banish Doubt?

The course says it will permanently transform you in three key ways. It’s not just one thing; it’s a 3-part process.

H3: Part 1: Cognitive Mapping

This is the “find the problem” phase. You dive into your own thought processes to see where the doubt is coming from. It’s like creating a map of your own mind, finding the potholes, and spotlighting the areas that keep tripping you up. As a hypnotist, I know this is the essential first step. You can’t change a pattern you don’t understand. I see this all the time. I once had an SEO client who kept sabotaging his own success by ‘forgetting’ to implement crucial site changes. We mapped it out, and the ‘doubt’ wasn’t about SEO; it was a deep-seated belief that he didn’t deserve the success. We had to find that specific pattern before we could fix it. This is exactly what ‘Cognitive Mapping’ gets at.

H3: Part 2: Habitual Mastery

This is the “fix the problem” phase. It’s not enough to just “think” differently; you have to do things differently. The quest says you will “install 4 key habits.” I like that word, “install.” It’s active. These habits are designed to instantly amplify your resilience and give you real control over your emotional reactions.

H3: Part 3: Identity Evolution

This is the “make it permanent” phase. This is where you change how you think and feel about yourself on a deep level. It’s about gettin rid of the old, limiting ideas you have about who you are. This is the part that aims to make self-belief your new default setting, which is the core of self-determination.

What Do You Actually Get? The 10-Day Curriculum Breakdown

Here’s what the 10 days look like. The big appeal is the time commitment: just 15-20 minutes a day. This is a huge plus. Most people fail courses because they’re too long. This is a short, focused sprint.

H3: Part 1: Navigate Your Inner Landscape (Days 1-3)

• Day 1: Welcome & Metacognition. You start by exploring how self-doubt even shows up. The key concept is “metacognition”—thinking about your thinking. It’s about catching yourself in the act. The lesson introduces 4 common types of self-doubt, like the Imposter Phenomenon and Self-Sabotage. Your first action is to record a message on your phone to your “future self.” It’s a neat psychological technique to create a benchmark.
• Day 2: The 3 Mind Pits. This lesson is about identifying what’s holding you back. They name three “pits”:
  1. Failure to Launch: This is classic procrastination, where something stops you from taking any meaningful action.
  2. Treading Water: You feel stuck, dissatisfied, and can’t seem to see your goals through to the end.
  3. Destination Obsession: You’re constantly setting and achieving goals but never feel satisfied. This is a big one for entrepreneurs and high-achievers.
• Day 3: Meet & Beat Your Inner Deceivers. This is pure, practical CBT. Your inner chatter, that critical voice, isn’t you. This lesson gives names to the 5 types of inner critics:
  1. The Classic Judge
  2. The Victimizer
  3. The Misguided Protector (This one thinks it’s keeping you safe by telling you not to try).
  4. The Ringmaster
  5. The Neglector The technique is to recognize these voices, observe them without judgment, and then “call them out.” This creates space between you and the thought.

H3: Part 2: The 4 Legs of Self-Determination (Days 4-7)

This is the core framework of the quest. Your self-determination stands on these four legs.

• Day 4: Acceptance. This is the first leg. It’s not about giving up. It’s about accepting and embracing who you are right now as the only possible starting point. The lesson is built on three constructs: kindness (to yourself), common humanity (realizing you’re not the only one who feels this), and mindful acceptance.
• Day 5: Agency. The second leg. Agency is your core belief that you can actually do things and make an impact. It’s the opposite of feeling helpless. This lesson teaches a key idea: action leads to agency. This is a big one. Most people think it’s the other way around. They wait to feel confident before they start. That’s a trap. This quest teaches you to take small, consistent actions first, and the feeling of self-belief is the result. That alone is worth the price of admission.
• Day 6: Autonomy. The third leg. This is all about ownership. It’s about reclaiming control by focusing only on the factors you can influence and letting go of the rest. The lesson explains that this feeling of personal control is the root of intrinsic motivation.
• Day 7: Adaptability. The final leg. Life will always be messy and unpredictable. This lesson is about handling the ups and downs. It introduces “Emotional Hygiene”—practical checks like ruling out illness, checking hunger, and prioritizing sleep. It also teaches you how to interpret a situation differently to change your emotional response.

H3: Part 3: Cultivate Mastery & Self-Awareness (Days 8-10)

• Day 8: Become Resilient to External Forces. After working on the inner world, this day focuses on the outer world. Your environment—the media you consume, the people you’re around—can either feed your doubt or support your growth. This lesson is about actively “clearing” your environment of doubt triggers.
• Day 9: The Key to Self-Mastery. This is a fascinating concept. The goal is to shift from “self-doubt” to “self-forgetting.” This means you stop focusing on yourself (doubting or praising) and instead focus entirely on adding value and contributing to a purpose. When you’re aligned with your core values, your focus shifts outward, and the doubt just… gets quieter.
• Day 10: Become the Protagonist of Your Story. This is the finale that ties it all together. It’s about Identity Evolution. The stories you tell yourself about yourself shape your reality. This lesson teaches you to edit and reinterpret your past stories to find new meaning. You change your story, you change your identity. You change your identity, you change your future.

The Promised Gains: What Does “Unshakeable” Look Like?

So, after 10 days, what’s supposed to be different? The course outlines six key outcomes.

1. Never Feel Like an “Imposter” Ever Again: This is the big one. The testimonials from people like Nolan Pillay and Dijana Llugolli specifically mention “imposter syndrome.” The goal is to feel comfortable in your own skin, celebrate your worth, and feel like you deserve to be where you are.
2. Kiss Goodbye to Self-Sabotage: You stop being your own worst critic. Your actions start to align with your biggest vision, not your smallest fears.
3. Unwavering Confidence and Rock-Solid Trust: You learn to “back yourself” and trust that you can handle whatever life throws at you.
4. Grit and Resilience That Sets You Apart: You become less reactive to outside forces. The fear of failure, which fuels so much doubt, is meant to shrink, allowing you to move forward with expectation instead of dread.
5. Rewired Core Identity: This is the deepest part. Self-belief is meant to become your new default state, not something you have to “hype yourself up” to feel.
6. Achieve Goals on Autopilot: This is the self-determination. You start to see setbacks as data, not disasters. You overcome roadblocks with more poise.

What About the Bonuses? Extra Tools

The quest also comes with four bonus lessons called “Empowering Tools for Self-Determination.” These are quick, practical techniques.

• Simple Steps to Conquer Overthinking: This includes a “worry dump” technique.
• Develop Agency Through the Exposure Strategy: A tool for building confidence by gradually facing challenging situations.
• The “R.I.S.E.” Above Technique: This stands for Recollection, Interpretation, Study, and Elevate. It’s a method for handling things outside your control.
• Tools for Instantaneous Emotional Regulation: A toolkit for managing strong negative emotions in the moment.

My Honest Take: Does This 10-Day Quest Work? (Vitaliy’s Verdict)

I’ve reviewed a lot of self-improvement programs. Many are 90% fluff and 10% action. This one seems to flip that ratio.

H3: The Science and the Instructors

The first thing that stands out is the science. It’s explicitly based on CBT and neuroscience. The instructors are legitimate, practicing experts. This isn’t just theory.

H3: The 10-Day Format is Built for Real Life

The second, and maybe most important, feature is the format. 10 days, 15-20 minutes a day. This structure is designed for completion. Let’s be honest, how many 20-hour courses have you bought and never finished? This is a short, focused sprint. Anyone can find 20 minutes for 10 days.

H3: A Solid Framework for Change

The 3-part system (Cognitive Mapping, Habitual Mastery, Identity Evolution) is a solid psychological framework. It follows a logical path:

1. Find the specific problem.
2. Install the new, better behavior.
3. Integrate that behavior into who you are.

The testimonials back this up. Leandra Valente Oliveira mentioned dealing with self-doubt from childhood and said the quest “quickly become one of my favorites.” She also highlighted a key point: “I now possess an incredible set of tools that I can rely on.” This is what a good course should do.

Tip for Success: You cannot just watch this quest and expect your life to change. The transformation is in the action. The “Unshakeable Action Book” is where the work happens. Tasneem Goheer’s review mentions, “Journaling exercises and guided self-inquiry allow the learner to deepen their understanding.” If you skip the exercises, you’ll skip the results.

This is not a magic pill. It’s a 10-day guided system. It gives you the blueprint and the tools. You still have to do the work, but it’s very clear what work you need to do. For the 12,000+ people who have enrolled, it seems to be providing that clear path. This program definitely ranks among the 10 best Mindvalley courses for its focused, practical approach.

Who Is This For (And Who Should Skip It)?

Figuring out if Mindvalley is worth it often comes down to picking the right course. Here’s who this one fits.

H3: This Quest is for you if…

• You constantly battle “imposter syndrome” in your job or business.
• You find yourself procrastinating on big goals (the “Failure to Launch” pit).
• You feel stuck and unmotivated (“Treading Water”).
• You’re an “achievement addict” who is successful but never satisfied.
• You want practical, science-based tools, not abstract spiritual concepts.
• You can commit 20 minutes a day for 10 days.

H3: This might not be for you if…

• You’re looking for a passive experience where you just listen. This quest is active and requires journaling and self-reflection.
• You’re not willing to be honest with yourself about your inner critical voices.
• You’re looking for a quick fix without doing any internal work.

“Unshakeable” seems to be a very strong, dense, and practical program. It directly attacks self-doubt at its roots by giving you a new mental operating system. The 10-day format is its greatest strength. It’s not a long-term commitment; it’s a focused sprint to rewire a core pattern.

Of course, no platform is perfect. I’ve written about Mindvalley complaints and negative aspects before, but this specific quest seems to avoid many common issues by being so focused and actionable.

If self-doubt is the main thing slowing you down, investing 10 days to systematically dismantle it seems like a smart, practical investment. In my 12 years of self-employment, the biggest ‘hacks’ were always the ones that fixed my own thinking. This quest looks like one of those, fitting right in with the practical self-improvement trends for 2025.