HELLO AND WELCOME

Zahra Ciardi:
Psychologist, High Performance Coach & Founder of Ascendant Bali

Evidence-based transformation that strengthens mind, body, and performance, helping you lead from clarity, not survival.

Book a Discovery Call

FEATURED IN & COLLABORATED WITH

Trusted by founders, entrepreneurs, athletes,
and creatives across the USA, UK, Middle East, Asia, and beyond

Clinical Depth.
Real World Precision.

I’m a registered psychologist with over a decade of experience working with trauma, burnout, addiction, and high-performance pressure.

Most of the people I work with are capable, intelligent, and functioning well on the surface. But they’re carrying patterns that haven’t shifted.

Insight alone doesn’t change that. Repetition, structure, and applied work do.

My work at Ascendant Bali exists because you deserve more than a diagnosis and a referral. You deserve rigorous, integrated, world-class care that meets the full complexity of who you are

Why work with Zahra?

Scientifically-Backed Results

Zahra's approach draws on over a decade of clinical practice and the proprietary Ascendant 7/21 Method, integrating EMDR, Schema Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, DBT, ACT and IFS across seven disciplines for measurable, lasting outcomes.

Tools for a
Lasting Recovery

Zahra equips you with practical, embodied strategies to regulate your nervous system and sustain recovery long after your program is complete. You'll leave with a framework you can rely on, not just a break from the pressure.

Recovery that
Transforms Performance

Zahra works with founders, executives and athletes to address the root causes behind burnout and high-functioning struggle. Her approach helps you rebuild from the inside out, so peak performance and genuine wellbeing can coexist.

Ascendant Bali

Ascendant Bali is my flagship program: a private, one-on-one residential model built around the Ascendant 7/21 Method™, my framework for treating the whole person, not just the presenting problem.

7:1 expert-to-client ratio
Approximately 18 clients accepted per year
2–8 week programs

Visit Ascendant Bali

Testimonials

“Zahra was an incredible podcast guest. She brought a rare combination of high integrity, a compelling personal story, and deep clinical knowledge. Two years on, people still tell me how much they enjoyed that conversation, especially the way she wove her own story together with real clinical insight. I won't hesitate to work with Zahra in the future.”

Dr Brendan Daugherty | Psychiatrist & Founder

“Zahra was an incredible podcast guest. She brought a rare combination of high integrity, a compelling personal story, and deep clinical knowledge. Two years on, people still tell me how much they enjoyed that conversation, especially the way she wove her own story together with real clinical insight. I won't hesitate to work with Zahra in the future.”

“Zahra has an extraordinary ability to translate complex psychological concepts into something practical and immediately useful. Having worked alongside her, I’ve seen firsthand the depth of her knowledge and the way she brings real lived experience into her work. She’s thoughtful, direct, and genuinely invested in the people around her, whether that’s colleagues or an audience.”

Emma Cashman | Clinical Psychologist

“Zahra has an extraordinary ability to translate complex psychological concepts into something practical and immediately useful. Having worked alongside her, I’ve seen firsthand the depth of her knowledge and the way she brings real lived experience into her work. She’s thoughtful, direct, and genuinely invested in the people around her, whether that’s colleagues or an audience.”

“Zahra spoke to my audience on EMDR, nervous system regulation, and DBT frameworks, and the response was immediate. She has a real skill for making dense material easy to digest, without ever oversimplifying it. We’ve since partnered on running short programs together and she brings the same level of care and rigour to that collaboration as she does to a stage. She’s someone I’d recommend without hesitation, both as a speaker and as someone to build something with.”

Rania Bryan | Clinical Hypnotherapist

“Zahra spoke to my audience on EMDR, nervous system regulation, and DBT frameworks, and the response was immediate. She has a real skill for making dense material easy to digest, without ever oversimplifying it. We’ve since partnered on running short programs together and she brings the same level of care and rigour to that collaboration as she does to a stage. She’s someone I’d recommend without hesitation, both as a speaker and as someone to build something with.”

“Zahra joined me on The MOOD Podcast to talk about the mind behind creative work, and it became one of the most valuable conversations I've hosted. She has a way of taking what is heavy and hidden - trauma, limiting beliefs, the quiet machinery of the high achiever - and opening it up with a clarity that is both clinical and deeply human. My audience of photographers and artists came away with language for what holds them back and practical ways to move through it. Zahra brings lived experience alongside real expertise, and you feel it in every answer she gives. I'd welcome her back in a heartbeat.”

Matt Jacob | Artist & Founder

“Zahra joined me on The MOOD Podcast to talk about the mind behind creative work, and it became one of the most valuable conversations I've hosted. She has a way of taking what is heavy and hidden - trauma, limiting beliefs, the quiet machinery of the high achiever - and opening it up with a clarity that is both clinical and deeply human. My audience of photographers and artists came away with language for what holds them back and practical ways to move through it. Zahra brings lived experience alongside real expertise, and you feel it in every answer she gives. I'd welcome her back in a heartbeat.”