Mahrukh Khwaja

Dr Mahrukh Khwaja is a dentist, positive psychologist, and accredited mindfulness teacher who specialises in workplace mental health and resilience for healthcare professionals. As founder of Mind Ninja, an award-winning wellness provider, she combines over 13 years of clinical experience with evidence-based positive psychology to help organisations prevent burnout and build thriving teams. Recognised in the Top 50 in Dentistry for three consecutive years and author of "Resilience and Well-being for Dental Professionals" published by Wiley-Blackwell, she has delivered transformative programmes to the NHS, King's College London, Unilever, and Colgate. Her sessions equip professionals with practical tools rooted in neuroscience and mindfulness to regulate emotions, strengthen resilience, and increase flourishing at work.

After experiencing burnout firsthand during her clinical career, Dr Mahrukh Khwaja founded Mind Ninja to address a critical gap she witnessed across healthcare: the absence of preventive, industry-specific mental health support. With over 13 years of experience working chairside as a dentist, she understood intimately the unique pressures facing healthcare professionals and recognised that reactive approaches to wellbeing were failing those who needed support most. Her vision was simple yet transformative: to create a system of mental health maintenance that mirrored the preventive care dentists champion for physical health, equipping professionals with practical tools before crisis strikes.

Drawing on her qualifications as a positive psychologist and accredited mindfulness teacher, Dr Khwaja has built Mind Ninja into an award-winning wellness provider that combines neuroscience, evidence-based positive psychology, and mindfulness practice. Her work has reached organisations including the NHS, King's College London, Unilever, and Colgate, where she delivers bespoke programmes designed to decrease stress and build resilience at scale. Recognised consecutively in the Top 50 in Dentistry for three years for her pioneering contributions to mental health, she has also authored *Resilience and Well-being for Dental Professionals*, published by Wiley-Blackwell. Her Mind Flossing Toolkit, a deck of wellbeing cards infused with positive psychology interventions, has achieved remarkable results, with 100 per cent of users reporting improved mental wellbeing. She holds advanced certifications in Compassion Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Mindful Self-Compassion, alongside her Master's degree in Applied Positive Psychology.

Dr Khwaja's sessions give professionals practical strategies rooted in the science of flourishing. Participants learn to recognise early signs of burnout, apply mindfulness and self-compassion practices in real time, regulate emotions under pressure, and leverage their strengths to thrive both clinically and personally. Her approach moves beyond symptom relief to cultivate sustainable wellbeing, helping teams foster connection, meaning, and peak performance. Whether working with foundation dentists, clinical leaders, or corporate teams, she creates lasting behaviour change that transforms workplace culture. Her programmes empower individuals to build mental resilience as a daily practice, ensuring they not only survive the demands of their roles but genuinely flourish within them.