Wafaa Mdanat, an early childhood specialist and mother of four children: Isabella, Saleem, Karim, and Olivia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education with a focus on Emotional Intelligence from the University of Buffalo, State University of New York. Read more
Sema Al-Najjar is a mother of three children; she founded three companies before the age of 30, she owns Mama Sema Studio, and she manages “Design Platform”, a platform that supports designers in Jordan.
In this episode, Sema shares her upbringing, her thoughts on work and motherhood, her fears, and her ability to work ambitiously and effectively, helping a large number of her followers both on social media and in real life.
She started her YouTube channel mamasima in 2016, where she shares her experiences as a working mom with fun and simple videos and songs involving her children. Her channel has garnered over 80 million views and reached 500,000 subscribers. In 2019, she also launched a series of sensory games for children in the “Mama Sema Activities” book to facilitate indoor play.
She received the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards for the Middle East in 2013 for her project “Ekeif”. Beyond her professional endeavors, Sema contributed to fundraising for the King Hussein Cancer Center in 2014, where she was part of a team that successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, raising $1.6 million and raising awareness about the disease, the center, and its mission. [/read]
Hadeel Anabtawi is a social entrepreneur who passionately works to empower children and girls, and she is the founder of The Alchemist Lab, a social enterprise aimed at empowering children, youth, and educators with future skills with a focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics).
In this episode, Hadeel talks about her upbringing and the wisdom she possesses. She takes us on a deep journey behind her remarkable successes, into her heart and thoughts, her ambitions and fears, and her ability to build businesses that inspire and benefit large segments of society.
She has launched various initiatives and companies, including the “Fun Ideas” company in 2006, which provided scientific and theatrical activities for students in cities and villages across Jordan. Additionally, she designed and produced the radio program “Of Course, It’s Possible” aimed at empowering children to face life’s challenges effectively. She has also been involved in supporting students’ education through orphanages alongside a group of women. She has been awarded the WE Empower Award, representing the Asia-Pacific region, for her support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. She has also received the DVF International Leadership Award for her work in empowering girls worldwide.
Hadeel was born in 1970 and studied Industrial Engineering at the University of Jordan. She earned her Master of Business Administration from the University of Leicester in the UK. She is a certified life coach and holds the Women Transforming Leadership certificate from the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. She is also a trainer for educators in interactive teaching methodologies, a trainer in effective leadership and entrepreneurship, and a speaker at various networks, including Pepperdine University and the University of Arizona in the United States. She has been selected to participate in global programs such as GSBI/Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, Vital Voices for Global Leadership, and the Gratitude Network. [/read]
Khadija Turki is the Director of Tourism Development and Marketing at the Department of Tourism Development in the Emirate of Ajman, United Arab Emirates.
In this episode, Khadija takes us on a journey beyond her adventures and significant achievements, delving into the emotions she carries in challenging moments and what enables her to overcome them. Read more
Yasmin Helal is a Senior Business and Operations Strategist at the NBA Association in Egypt and a professional basketball player at the Al-Wataniya Basketball Club in Al-Jazeera. In this episode, Yasmin shares her upbringing, the challenges she faced, and her experiences as a pioneer in her field. Read more
Yasmin has over 22 years of experience in professional basketball and more than 12 years of leadership experience in education, entrepreneurship, and non-profit organizations. Additionally, she has over 5 years of experience in government and policy reform.
She has held several positions, including Founder and CEO of the “Educate me” Foundation, CEO of Kompass Education, advisor to the Egyptian Minister of Education, and Radio Network Engineer at Alcatel-Lucent, as well as Pre-sales Radio Network Design Engineer at the same company.
Yasmin has received several international awards, including the Best Woman in Non-Profit Organizations for her project “Educate me” by the Women’s Program of the Regional Council of American Chambers of Commerce in the Middle East and North Africa.
She holds a Master’s degree in International Education Management from Ludwigsburg University of Education in Germany, obtained in 2015, and a Bachelor’s degree in Systems and Biomedical Engineering from Cairo University in Egypt.
Tamara Abdul-Jaber is a co-founding partner at Amam Ventures, a gender-focused investment fund aimed at creating social impact by providing risk capital along with specialized technical support to small and medium-sized enterprises. Read more
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