Dr. Malini Saba: A Journey of Vision, Resilience, and Purpose
Dr. Malini Saba is a self-made entrepreneur, global philanthropist, and psychologist with over 30 years of experience building successful businesses across diverse industries. Born into a middle-class immigrant family, Malini was raised with strong values of discipline and empathy. She originally aspired to be a doctor, but life led her toward entrepreneurship—where she carved her own path without outside investors.
She founded Saba Group, a privately held company with investments in agriculture, fintech, real estate, healthcare, and industrial commodities. Her business philosophy is rooted in sustainability, long-term thinking, and ethical leadership. She has faced—and overcome—multiple setbacks, including losing everything three times. Each time, she rebuilt stronger.
Alongside her business success, Malini is the founder and CEO of the Saba Family Foundation, which she funds entirely with her own business profits. The foundation focuses on transforming lives through education, healthcare access, and economic empowerment for women and children around the world.
Dr. Saba also holds a postgraduate degree in psychology and brings that insight into her work as a mentor, strategist, and global advocate. Her leadership style blends clarity, compassion, and courage. She has received numerous international honors, including the Kalpana Chawla Award and the Universal Peace Federation’s Ambassador of Peace title.
For Malini Saba, success is not about wealth—it’s about impact. She leads with the belief that “we’re here to give, not take,” and uses every opportunity to challenge outdated systems and build a more just world.
Q: You’ve had a long, diverse career — entrepreneur, investor, psychologist, and philanthropist. How do you personally define success today?
To me, success is not about wealth, awards, or status. It’s about clarity. If I’m happy, calm, and clear-minded, I consider myself successful. Everything else flows from that. When you reach a point where your decisions come from peace and not pressure, that’s real success.
Earlier in my life, I thought success was reaching goals, hitting numbers, expanding globally. Those are still important — but they’re outcomes. The real measure is internal. I’ve achieved more since I stopped chasing success and started pursuing clarity.
Q: Can you share a moment when that definition shifted for you?
Yes. The last time I lost everything — I mean everything — was a turning point. I had already rebuilt my life twice before, but the third time was harder because I was older. I remember sitting alone in my apartment thinking, “What now?”
Instead of breaking down, I leaned into the quiet. I meditated, journaled, disconnected from outside noise. Within two years, I rebuilt everything. That process taught me that the ability to start again, without bitterness or fear, was the greatest success of all.
Q: What role does failure play in achieving success?
Failure is essential. I’ve failed multiple times — in business, in partnerships, even in trusting the wrong people. But I don’t see failure as a stop sign. It’s feedback. It teaches you what no mentor or business book ever can. Failure forces you to look inward, adjust your boundaries, and ask yourself better questions.
For example, I once invested in a project in West Africa without enough due diligence. It cost me millions. But it taught me to trust my intuition more than surface-level metrics. That loss sharpened my instincts.
Q: You often speak about mental clarity and meditation. How do those habits impact your decision-making?
Without mental clarity, you can’t make sound decisions. Especially in high-stakes environments, your mind can become clouded with emotion, ego, or pressure. Meditation helps me strip all that away.
I start each day with 10 to 15 minutes of silent meditation. Before major decisions — like a multi-million-dollar investment or foundation initiative — I sit quietly and visualize possible outcomes. I never make big decisions from a reactive place. That practice has saved me from rushing into deals, hiring the wrong people, or wasting time on ideas that aren’t aligned.
Q: What’s one thing you do regularly that you believe more leaders should try?
I listen — deeply and without interruption. Whether I’m in a boardroom in Dubai or a rural village in India, I listen to the people who are living the reality. That includes my staff, local leaders, or women running a small business we’ve funded.
A lot of powerful people think their role is to speak, to direct. But often, the most effective strategy is to say nothing — just absorb what’s being said. That’s where the real insights come from.
Q: What advice would you give to someone early in their career chasing traditional success?
Don’t let external noise define your path. In your 20s and 30s, you’ll feel pressure to prove yourself — title, income, public image. But those things can be taken from you. What lasts is your ability to stay grounded and bounce back.
Build a routine that prioritizes your mental health. Learn how to be alone. And don’t be afraid to say no to things that don’t feel right — even if they look impressive on paper.
Q: You fund your philanthropic work through your own business returns. Why take that route instead of traditional fundraising?
I never wanted to rely on others to fund my values. When you take outside money, it often comes with expectations. People want their name on things, control over outcomes. I wanted the freedom to invest in systemic change, not performative charity.
For example, we don’t just hand out food or build schools. We invest in long-term systems — cooperatives, mental health infrastructure, training programs — that allow people to transform their own lives. That work is slower, less glamorous, but it’s the most effective kind of success I’ve seen.
Q: What’s a common myth about success you think people should let go of?
That it’s linear. It’s not. Success is messy. It has detours, losses, betrayals, and unexpected shifts. I’ve had seasons where I looked “successful” from the outside but felt lost inside. And I’ve had times when I had nothing, but I felt deeply aligned and free.
We need to stop idolizing straight-line success stories. They’re incomplete. The truth is, success is about learning to adapt and stay centered, no matter what’s happening externally.
Q: Finally, what does long-term success look like to you now?
Long-term success is creating something that outlasts me — not just buildings or programs, but people who carry forward the values I believe in. It’s about empowering women to build their own businesses, helping children access education, and shifting the systems that hold people back.
But personally, it’s also about waking up every morning feeling peaceful, knowing that I’m living with intention. That I’m not chasing someone else’s version of success — just my own.