A new chapter, the same purpose
Speaker spotlight · Education & entrepreneurship
Dr. Azra Ali shared how a career in education grew into new businesses—and why helping people move forward remains at the center of her work.
As a child, Dr. Azra Ali did not love going to school. Decades later, she could look back on 28 years devoted to education. She opened her visit to Xemplar with that irony—and a story about being willing to begin again.
At the club’s September 23 meeting, Ali talked about her years as a teacher, principal, and superintendent, her work with Blueprint Learning Services, and the decision to open Saans Pilates and Wellness Studio in Southfield. Across those different settings, she described a continuing interest in helping people build confidence and discover what they can do.
Making room for a new chapter
Ali grew up in India before her family moved to New York City. Her father, a chemist, encouraged her to study. She went on to build a career in K–12 education, working with teachers and school communities across the Detroit area.
She spoke warmly about that work and the teachers she had worked alongside. But she also described a familiar tension: wanting to try something new while appreciating the security of a steady career.
Her own experience with Pilates helped turn an interest into a business idea. She wanted to create a women’s studio with a clear purpose, where regular practice and personal progress mattered. Taking that step meant becoming more comfortable with risk and making room for a different kind of work.
At Saans, she explained, the emphasis is on consistency. She described a welcoming space for women of different ages, with group classes and individual sessions. The studio had been open for about 15 months at the time of her Xemplar visit.
For Ali, a new chapter does not mean leaving every earlier experience behind. It can be another way to put what you have learned to work.
Helping students find their own path
Education remains a substantial part of Ali’s professional life. She introduced Blueprint Learning Services as a business that provides tutoring, educational consulting, and grant-writing support.
In the questions that followed, she described students with very different needs. Some are ready for work beyond their grade level. Others benefit from hands-on STEM activities or focused help closing gaps in foundational skills.
Her approach begins with recognizing those differences. A student who is not thriving in one classroom setting may need a different route into the material. Ali discussed enrichment opportunities as well as intervention plans designed to help students get back on track.
She also told members that Blueprint’s tutoring center was in West Bloomfield and that she was looking at a possible move to Farmington Hills. That was a plan under consideration, rather than an announced relocation.
Keeping students involved in their learning
Members’ questions brought the conversation to reading, writing, and technology. Ali emphasized phonics, comprehension, and giving students experience with different kinds of reading.
She also described the place of paper and pencil in her tutoring center. Students work through their ideas in composition books before turning to technology for later stages such as editing and presentation.
Her concern was that tools should support students’ thinking, with students still doing the work of developing and expressing their own ideas. She encouraged responsible use of technology and AI.
Ali closed her story with gratitude for the people who had supported her as she became a business owner. Her visit offered a personal view of starting something new: drawing on years of experience, accepting some uncertainty, and continuing to help others grow.
