I grew up learning what it meant to not quite belong. Now I build spaces where people never have to feel that way again.
I'm Palestinian. I grew up in a predominantly white town where I was usually the only person of color in the room. At home, my parents raised us with a deep sense of justice. I could feel it before I had language for it. That pull carried me into nonprofit and social impact work, where I spent over 20 years building teams, leading organizations, and navigating every level of leadership the sector had to offer.
I deeply cared about the work. And the systems I was working inside were slowly taking me out.
I shapeshifted, softened, and stayed small to keep the systems around me comfortable. My body broke down and I lost so much time with my kids. I had become so hollowed out by the performance of keeping it all together that I could no longer recognize myself in it.
What I eventually came to see, and couldn't unsee, is that these systems don't just shape institutions. They shape how we talk to ourselves, who we think we're allowed to be, and how much space we believe we deserve. They live in our nervous systems. And for racialized leaders in particular, they disconnect us so thoroughly from ourselves that we can't hear what we want, trust what we know, or imagine what's possible.
When I finally built something of my own, everything changed. My body healed, I became present with my kids, I reconnected with creativity, joy, and play, and I stopped hiding who I am.
My identity as a Palestinian woman is no longer something I contort to make others comfortable. It's the foundation everything else is built on.
I rebuilt my life from the inside out by giving myself permission to stop performing and start living. I built a business on my own terms, rooted in who I actually am, and finally separated my livelihood from the systems that were slowly depleting me. That's the work I do with others now.
Work With Me
If any part of this story felt like yours, here's where we can begin.
Private Coaching: For nonprofit and social impact leaders ready to build something of their own.
Speaking & Workshops: For organizations ready to have the conversations that actually matter.
Retreats: For women of color leaders ready to reconnect with themselves beyond survival.
Liberated & Rooted Dinners: For women and non-binary people of color craving real connection and radical belonging.
If something on this page moved you, I'd love to hear from you.
Sometimes the first step is just saying "I'm ready for something different."