Sainte Maxime, South of France, 2022.
My Story
“It's time we live our life as a gift and not take it for granted.”
Zeina Abdo
The dichotomy of my life started early. As Lebanese, we were forced to leave our home and the culture we knew because of war. We were uprooted and planted in another country – United Arab Emirates. I clearly knew what I wanted to do in life but my parents had other plans for me, which I had to follow. Luckily they led me to success. This in turn made me feel good and proved I was worthy, so I pushed myself harder. I held top mangement positions, had two sons – and spent 70% of my time traveling the world for business. A dream for so many. But I had lost much of the connection to my intuition.
Occasionally it surfaced and brought me great joy. On a random climb in Nepal I experienced firsthand the incredibly powerful sense of community and happiness of the people despite their daily challenges. Inspired by the immense need for pediatric care and better healthcare understanding I founded the non-profit organization “Smile for Hope”.
Nepal, July 2015.
Nepal, May 2015.
Desert of Arabia, June 2012.
“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.”
Gibran Khalil Gibran
Lebanese-American writer, poet, and visual artist.
Antartica, March 2012.
A few months later, I met Robert Swan, an Officer of the British Empire, who spoke about his engagement to preserve Antartica at a company event. It inspired me to join him on his next trip, which was 3 months later. Despite the tight timeline, I had a deep urge to make it happen. Not taking no for an answer, I raised the funds, came up with my campaign, and set foot on Antarctica motivated by an urge to empower women of the UAE to care for our environment.
It was a most inspiring trip – I felt powerful - unstoppable, with an immense sense of strength, confidence and of being on the right track. To raise awareness, I started speaking at schools, universities and companies. I reached out to partners, I inspired women to come to Antarctica. I coached women and youth, preparing them for their journey to Antarctica (physically, mentally, emotionally and their pay it forward campaign) – amongst other things. These were the times when I felt whole, at peace with myself and in perfect harmony.
I had hoped to find that same peace as a mother and a wife. Yet I underestimated how difficult it is to align different cultures, different values and different life expectations. What defines a good mother, a good wife?
My ultimate goal was witnessing my sons blossom into the into the young men they want and are meant to be.
