We love stories of change, like the joyful before-and-after pictures, the friends who make big career moves, the “hero’s journey” in a story, or those “aha!” moments when everything finally makes sense. Change can easily be described as a significant decision or a distinct turning point. We often believe that there is a single moment of breakthrough, a time when everything becomes clear, and the path forward is obvious. But if you listen to people talk about what real change looks like, it’s never as neat as a movie script.
Real change is slower than anyone likes to admit. It’s messy, it’s uncertain, and most of the time, it’s far more confusing than inspiring. Choosing to grow doesn’t always feel like some grand adventure—instead, it can feel like you’re quietly breaking the rules of everyone else’s expectations. You’re not just rearranging your life. In a way, you’re shaking up the world around you, too.
Here’s why that slow, restless push toward something new can feel like wandering in a storm—and why, even when it’s uncomfortable, it’s so important to keep moving forward.
The Myth of the Sudden Epiphany
Change is challenging because much of it occurs beneath the surface, making it nearly invisible to others.
Take Hiba’s story—one we hear a lot on the Global Grit Conversations podcast. She didn’t just wake up one day and decide to walk away from her steady job. For her, it crept in over time—a slow, heavy feeling that built up little by little. Every morning, she found herself trudging off to work without a spark of excitement; every evening, she came home feeling drained and somehow emptier than before.
From the outside, leaving a steady job can seem sudden, even reckless. Friends and coworkers often just see the final action—they’re not there for the months (or years) of quiet wrestling that happened beforehand. They don’t see the restless nights, the nagging doubts, or how the excitement for that old life faded away bit by bit.
Inside, for Hiba, that decision was quietly forming for a long time. It’s more like a gentle rebellion—a push against a version of your life that just doesn’t fit anymore. The challenging part is that no one else sees the buildup. So when you finally act, it can look rushed or even flawed when, really, it’s been quietly simmering beneath the surface all along.
Why Your Growth Triggers Their Fear
Through numerous candid discussions about life changes, one thing consistently emerges: when an individual chooses to pursue a new path, their closest companions often express little enthusiasm.
Instead, people hesitate. You experience doubt, those uncertain looks, and sometimes a gentle, puzzled frown. Every now and then, the pushback is even sharper. As Hadeel puts it, “Big decisions usually are perceived as craziness by people.” That kind of response can really sting. It feels somewhat cold, even unsupportive. But if you look closer, there’s something deeper going on beneath the surface.
Usually, resistance to your change isn’t really about what you’re actually doing—it’s about what your choice stirs up in others. People crave stability and the comfort of what they know. When you step outside those familiar lines, it can shake up their sense of security and sometimes even make them question whether they’re playing it too safe themselves.
When Hadeel left her stable corporate job to chase something that felt closer to her true purpose, nobody burst into applause. Instead, what greeted her was a lot of worry and some difficult conversations—even from those who loved her most. Her big step wasn’t just about her; it unknowingly made others look at their fears a little more closely.
The Battle Between Logic and Emotion
You can see this struggle play out in real life—and honestly, most of us have felt it. Change often creates an internal tension between our rational, deliberative thinking and our instinctive drive for safety—a dynamic explored by Daniel Kahneman, whose research on judgment and decision-making revealed how these two systems shape human behavior.
Even when a new direction seems logical to you, your heart often yearns for the safety of the familiar. That urge to stick with the familiar doesn’t just grip the person making the leap—it ripples out to everyone around them. The people who care about you might understand, logically, that your current path isn’t making you happy. However, deep down, the unknown also feels frightening to them, and a part of them can’t help but wish you would remain in a predictable environment.
That’s part of the reason that big life changes can suddenly feel so lonely. When the people around you are uneasy or unsure, it’s easy to feel isolated, even though you’re actually just learning to trust yourself in the unknown.
Fear Is a Companion, Not a Stop Sign
A lot of us believe we have to wait until fear disappears before we make a move. We think we need to feel truly ready—that some spark of confidence will arrive to push us forward—but the truth is, that feeling almost never comes.
Change is often a winding path. Hiba’s decision to step away from her career was not a simple one. She left her job, came back, and left another one again before finally choosing a new direction for good. It’s anything but neat—more like a messy, very human dance that unfolds in fits and starts.
Hadeel talks about fear like it’s always along for the ride—never really leaving, just showing up at every big choice. It doesn’t vanish just because you’ve decided to do something good for yourself. That persistent feeling goes against everything we’re told about change—that you have to feel sure before you move forward. The truth is, you rarely ever do.
Being ready isn’t really a feeling—it’s a choice you make, even when you’re nervous. You don’t wait for a sudden surge of confidence; you simply choose to move forward, despite your fears. The idea that “readiness” is a choice rather than a feeling becomes clearer when you look at how psychologists understand the relationship between fear and action.
Research in behavioral science shows that action can begin before emotions resolve—and often does. What matters more is how we interpret and respond to those emotions. Studies on fear and motivation suggest that anxiety can function as a signal of importance rather than a stop sign. When something matters, the stakes feel higher—and that’s precisely when fear tends to show up.
Work on approach–avoidance behavior in psychology further reinforces this idea. Humans are constantly navigating two competing systems: one that pulls us toward goals (growth, opportunity, meaning), and another that pushes us away from perceived risk (uncertainty, failure, loss). In this context, readiness is the decision to act on the approach system, even when the avoidance system remains active.
This aligns with research on self-efficacy and behavior change, particularly Albert Bandura’s work. Bandura’s research indicates that confidence is frequently developed through action rather than serving as a prerequisite for it. In other words, people don’t act because they feel ready—they begin to feel ready because they act.
There’s also a practical implication here that’s easy to overlook: if you wait for the emotional state of certainty or confidence, you may wait indefinitely. But if you treat readiness as a decision—something you assert rather than discover—you shift from being governed by emotion to being guided by intention.
Moving Forward in the Dark
Viewing things from this new perspective makes change seem less daunting. It reminds us that real transformation almost never comes with a roadmap or a green light. Instead of waiting for certainty, the people who actually move forward tend to do it anyway—they step into the unknown, even when things don’t feel perfectly clear. That’s the truth most of us miss: you move not because you have zero doubts but because you’ve decided to trust yourself enough to take the next step, even if you can’t see what’s ahead.
The bravery it takes to make a real change is easy for others to miss. People see the risks, the leap you’re taking, and maybe even shake their heads, wondering why you’d go down such an uncertain path. What they rarely see are the small, tough choices you face each day—the way you talk yourself forward, even when it’s scary. Without that context, it’s no surprise your decision can look impulsive, or even a little unrealistic, to someone on the outside. But you know what it really took to get here.
Embracing the “Crazy” Label
Once you get what’s really going on with change, being called “crazy” doesn’t sting the way it might have before. It stops feeling like an insult and starts to feel almost like a backhanded compliment—a sign you’re coloring outside the lines in a world that prefers things neat and familiar.
When someone calls you “crazy” for growing instead of staying comfortable, they’re not really saying you can’t do it. What they’re reacting to is how your decision shakes up their sense of what’s normal. That label—“crazy”—just means your bold move is challenging the lines everyone’s gotten used to.
Change isn’t some instant lightning bolt of clarity. Usually, it’s a winding, messy road—full of second-guessing, small steps, setbacks, and stubborn hope. It won’t feel easy, and it certainly won’t look perfect. What it really requires is just finding the courage, again and again, to take the next step forward, even when you have no idea what comes next.
Understanding all of this doesn’t necessarily simplify the journey, but it does highlight the reasons why change can sometimes feel burdensome. When you realize where the weight comes from, it gets a little easier to carry.
Don’t worry so much about being misunderstood. People will see your choices through the lens of their worries and doubts—they can’t always help it. Let them have their reactions. Your real job is to notice where those responses come from, maybe give a knowing smile, and keep moving toward what matters to you anyway.
If you’re standing on the edge of a big change and waiting for your fear to disappear, maybe give yourself permission to stop waiting. That perfect feeling of readiness might never show up—and that’s okay. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is take a small step forward, even if you’re still nervous. You might find that’s all it takes to start moving in the right direction.
Most of us crave career fulfillment, but taking the leap into the unknown feels terrifying. We often stick to what we know, even when our passion pulls us in an entirely different direction. For 15 years, Hiba Manna built a thriving career in corporate marketing across Jordan. She understood consumer behavior, managed campaigns across various industries, and knew exactly how to position a brand for success. Yet, something essential was missing.
In a recent episode of Global Grit Conversations with Pamela Campagna, Hiba shared her remarkable journey of walking away from the world of corporate marketing to pursue her lifelong passion for baking. Her story proves that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. If you are contemplating a major life pivot, Hiba’s journey offers a masterclass in resilience, self-awareness, and the courage to start over.
When Success No Longer Feels Like Alignment
There is a moment many high-performing professionals experience but rarely name. It doesn’t arrive as a crisis, nor does it immediately disrupt the trajectory of one’s career. In many cases, it emerges when things are going well—when you are competent, established, and trusted in your field. From the outside, your path appears not only logical but successful. And yet, beneath that stability, there is a quiet but persistent sense that something is no longer fully aligned. Something is missing.
I was reminded of this in a recent conversation with Hiba Manna on Global Grit Conversations. Hiba spent 15 years building a successful career in corporate marketing across Jordan. She developed deep expertise in consumer behavior, managed campaigns across multiple industries, and understood how to position brands effectively. By every conventional measure, she was doing exactly what she was supposed to do. What began to shift, however, was not her performance but her connection to the work itself. Over time, she noticed a lack of energy and fulfillment that she couldn’t easily dismiss.
What is particularly compelling about Hiba’s story is not simply that she recognized this misalignment but how she chose to engage with it. Instead of making an abrupt or emotionally driven decision, she approached it with patience and honesty. She stepped away for a period of time, returned to her work, reassessed how she felt, and allowed herself to question what had once seemed certain. The decision to leave her corporate career was not the result of a single defining moment, but rather a series of deliberate and reflective choices that accumulated over time. And it was scary.
Eventually, she made the decision to step away from corporate life completely and take a longer sabbatical. During that period, she found herself returning to something far more intuitive—working in her kitchen, baking, and rediscovering a form of engagement that felt both natural and energizing. Even then, the pull of her previous career remained strong. She briefly returned to a corporate role, only to realize, with greater clarity, that this path she had been on no longer fit. That confirmation allowed her to move forward with greater conviction that the next phase of her career would be something different.
At the age of 40, Hiba decided to move to Paris to formally study pastry. Although this decision might appear bold or even romantic, the reality was far more demanding. Outside the classroom, she navigated daily life in a language she didn’t speak. Daily living tasks, such as opening a bank account, were complex and required persistence and adaptability. Within professional kitchens, she encountered environments that were intense, fast-paced, and often unforgiving. Many of her peers chose to step away from these challenges. Hiba did not, and not because the experience was easy, but because she had developed clarity about why she was there.
This distinction is important. Clarity does not eliminate difficulty, but it changes one’s relationship to it. When the reason for the effort is understood, the effort itself becomes more sustainable.
When Hiba returned to Jordan, she did not attempt to replicate what she had learned in France. Instead, she integrated it. She launched her brand, Mahiba, from a home-based commercial kitchen, building something that reflected both her technical training and her cultural roots. Her work combines the precision and layering of French pastry with the flavors of Jordan—pistachio, dates, rose water, and apricot—creating a product that feels both refined and deeply personal. In doing so, she did not simply change careers; she created a bridge between two identities and two bodies of knowledge.
Hiba is also aware of what she does and does not do well. She’s open about her discomfort with the financial aspects of running a business. Instead of avoiding this limitation, she sought support—through structured programs and her network—to ensure it didn’t become a barrier to her progress. For many entrepreneurs, recognizing weaknesses and asking for help can be difficult. This level of self-awareness is often what allows individuals not only to make change but also to sustain it. It reflects an understanding that growth doesn’t mean that you have to master everything, but it does require honesty about where support is needed.
As she continues to build Mahiba, Hiba is working toward opening a physical space that reflects the experience she once observed in Paris—one that allows customers to engage not only with the product but also with the environment itself. Yet one of the most grounded lessons she shared has less to do with expansion and more to do with perspective. She has learned the importance of recognizing progress. When the focus is constantly on what remains to be done, it becomes easy to overlook what has already been built. Taking the time to acknowledge those milestones is not simply a personal exercise; it is what sustains momentum over the long term. Her tip: stop and reflect on what you have accomplished. This will propel you to what is next to come.
Hiba’s journey offers a more nuanced perspective on reinvention. It’s not driven by impulse or exploration alone, but by a sustained willingness to pay attention—to recognize when something no longer fits, and to respond to that realization with thoughtfulness and discipline. The signals that prompt change are rarely loud. They tend to appear as patterns—subtle, recurring, and easy to rationalize away. Yet they are often the most reliable indicators we have.
The question, then, is not whether these moments occur, but whether we are willing to listen to them and to take them seriously.
Lessons from the Conversation: What This Means in Practice
Misalignment rarely announces itself—but it persists
In Hiba’s journey, misalignment showed up quietly—through a lack of energy, a sense of disconnection, or a pattern of going through the motions without real engagement. Because it is subtle, it is easy to rationalize or ignore. Yet its persistence is what makes it meaningful. The longer it remains, the more important it becomes to examine. Listen to the signs of misalignment.
You don’t need one decisive leap—you need a series of honest decisions
There is a tendency to frame career transitions as singular, courageous leaps. In reality, Hiba’s experience reflects something more grounded. Her transition unfolded through a sequence of pauses, experiments, returns, and reassessments. One step at a time. Each step clarified the next. This approach reduces the pressure of “getting it right” in one moment and instead emphasizes the idea of “making changes one step at a time.”
Clarity is more powerful than confidence
Confidence is often considered a prerequisite for change. Hiba’s journey suggests otherwise. What sustained her through uncertainty, cultural barriers, and professional intensity was not confidence in the outcome but clarity in her intention. That clarity provided direction even when the experience itself was uncomfortable.
Reinvention is not about starting over—it is about integrating what you already know
Hiba didn’t abandon her previous expertise. Her background in marketing continues to inform how she positions her brand and understands her customers. At the same time, her technical training in pastry expanded what she could create. The result is not a break from the past, but a more complete expression of it. Reinvention, in this sense, is additive rather than subtractive.
Self-awareness is a strategic advantage
Recognizing one’s limitations is often framed as a weakness. In practice, it is a form of discipline. Hiba’s acknowledgment of her gaps in financial management allowed her to proactively build support systems. This prevented a known weakness from becoming an operational risk. For many professionals, this may be one of the most actionable lessons: awareness enables structure.
You have to recognize progress in order to sustain it
In environments that prioritize constant growth and forward movement, it’s easy to overlook past achievements. Hiba’s deliberate effort to recognize her progress reflects an important mindset shift. Sustained effort requires not only ambition, but acknowledgment. Without it, even meaningful progress can feel insufficient.
Enjoy the full conversation with Hiba at Global Grit Conversations:
What does it take to leave a secure corporate career and build something from scratch? For many, it’s a daunting thought, filled with risk and uncertainty. But for Hadeel, a Jordanian entrepreneur, it was a necessary step toward fulfilling her purpose. In 2006, she made the pivotal decision to trade her steady income for a chance to empower young people, a move that launched an incredible journey of growth, resilience, and impact.
This article explores the key lessons from Hadeel’s story, as shared on the Global Grit Conversations podcast. We will dive into her transition from the corporate world, her framework for building true grit, and her practical advice for entrepreneurs—especially women—on turning a passionate idea into a sustainable business. Her journey offers a powerful blueprint for anyone seeking to make a change and build a meaningful career.
The Leap: Trading Security for Purpose
Many professionals dream of starting their own venture, but the fear of losing a stable income is a powerful deterrent. Hadeel faced this exact challenge. When she told her family she was leaving a major company to start an educational business, she was met with concern. For a culture that values stability, her decision seemed reckless.
However, Hadeel was driven by a clear purpose: to address the skills gap she observed in the corporate world. She saw many well-educated graduates who lacked essential personal skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making. Her vision was to create programs that would instill these life skills in children from a young age.
Her first venture, Ideas for Fun, focused on teaching science through hands-on experiments and drama. This evolved into The Alchemist Lab, which offered STEM education through camps, school trips, and teacher training. The mission was always to make learning engaging and to equip the next generation with the tools for success. This unwavering focus on her “why” gave her the conviction to push past the initial fear and skepticism.
Takeaway: Anchor Yourself in Purpose
When faced with a difficult career decision, your purpose becomes your anchor. Hadeel’s passion wasn’t just a fleeting interest; it was a solution to a problem she deeply cared about.
Actionable Tip: Before making a major leap, clearly define the problem you want to solve. Who do you want to help, and why does it matter to you? Writing a personal mission statement can provide the clarity and motivation needed to navigate the uncertainty ahead.
The Three Pillars of Grit
The word “grit” is often used to describe simple persistence, but Hadeel defines it as a set of actionable skills. Her experience building her business through challenges, including readjusting during the COVID-19 pandemic, taught her that grit is something you cultivate, not something you’re just born with. She breaks it down into three pillars.
Master Your Relationship with Failure
Every entrepreneurial journey is filled with mistakes and setbacks. The key is not to avoid them but to change how you react to them. Hadeel emphasizes the importance of learning from failures without letting their emotional weight undermine your confidence.
This means letting go of ego and being open to feedback. When you tie your identity to a specific solution, any failure can feel personal. Instead, Hadeel advises becoming attached to the problem you are solving. This shift in perspective allows you to see setbacks as opportunities to iterate and improve your approach, rather than as personal defeats.
Take Action, Even Without Motivation
Many people believe they need to be “in the mood” or feel “ready” to work on their goals. Hadeel argues that waiting for the right feeling is a trap. True grit is the discipline to show up and do the work, even on days when you feel uninspired or overwhelmed.
She frames readiness as a decision, not an emotion. Motivation is fickle, but commitment is a choice you make every day. By creating systems and habits, you can ensure progress continues regardless of your emotional state. This is what separates successful entrepreneurs from those who get stuck waiting for the perfect moment.
Stay Committed to the Long-Term Vision
Building something meaningful takes time. Whether it’s growing a business, mastering a new skill, or getting in shape, the results are rarely immediate. A major component of grit is the ability to stay motivated on a long journey where rewards are far in the future.
This involves breaking down large goals into smaller, manageable milestones. Celebrating these small wins helps maintain momentum and provides a sense of accomplishment along the way. It’s about trusting the process and understanding that consistent, daily effort is what ultimately leads to significant achievements.
Takeaway: Build Your Grit Muscle
Resilience is not a passive trait; it’s active practice.
Actionable Tip: Pick one of Hadeel’s pillars to focus on this week. If you struggle with failure, identify a past mistake and write down three lessons it taught you. If you struggle with motivation, commit to working on a key task for just 25 minutes, even if you don’t feel like it. Practice builds strength.
Practical Advice for Women in Business
Throughout her journey, Hadeel has coached many entrepreneurs and noticed specific patterns, particularly among women. She offers sharp, practical advice for overcoming common hurdles that can stifle growth.
Don’t Wait for Perfection
Hadeel highlights a frequently cited statistic, that women often wait until they meet 100% of the qualifications before applying for a role, while men will apply with far less. This tendency toward perfectionism also appears in entrepreneurship, where women may spend too much time developing a product or service before taking it to market.
Her advice is blunt: launch before you feel ready. Your initial product is not your final one. Get it into the hands of customers, collect feedback, and iterate. The market will provide more valuable lessons than you could ever learn in isolation.
Ask for Help Directly
Another tendency Hadeel observes is the belief that you must build a relationship before asking for help. Women may feel the need to “warm up” a contact with coffee meetings and interactions before making a request.
She urges entrepreneurs to be more direct. People are often happy to give feedback or offer support if you simply ask. Build a trusted circle of advisors and mentors, and don’t hesitate to reach out to them. Respect their time by being clear and concise about what you need. A direct, well-formulated request is often more effective than a roundabout approach.
Build a Sustainable Financial Model
Passion is the fuel for any impact-driven business, but it cannot sustain it on its own. Hadeel warns against the “social enterprise trap” where founders give away too much for free in the name of impact and end up bankrupt.
If you are creating value, you must build a business model that reflects that. This doesn’t mean you can’t serve less fortunate communities. It means you need to be creative. Hadeel’s company, The Alchemist Lab, used a hybrid model: it charged fees for services to the private sector and used those revenues to subsidize programs for refugees and other communities. Sustainability means having cash on the balance sheet, which ensures your company can continue to operate and achieve its goals.
Conclusion: Embrace the Journey
Hadeel’s story is a powerful reminder that the path to a meaningful career is rarely a straight trajectory. It requires courage to start, grit to persevere, and a willingness to learn from every setback. Her journey from a secure corporate job to an impactful entrepreneur was fueled by a clear purpose: to equip the next generation with the skills to succeed.
By embracing failure, acting with discipline, and building a sustainable model, she turned her vision into a reality that has impacted thousands. Her new project, Mothabira (“gritty woman”), continues this mission by providing young women with tools to turn self-doubt into grit.
Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur or a professional seeking more purpose, her lessons are universal. Define your “why,” cultivate your resilience, and don’t be afraid to ask for what you’re worth. The journey may be challenging, but as Hadeel demonstrates, the reward of building something with impact is worth every ounce of effort
When I launched Global Grit Conversations, I knew I wanted to create something different—a space for reflective, cross-cultural dialogue about resilience, leadership, and meaning. My first guest, Areej Khataybeh, delivered exactly that and more.
Areej is a psychologist who has turned executive coach and entrepreneur, building something truly unique: a methodology that combines business development, psychology, and strategic thinking. Over 11 years of studying psychology and another 12 in the corporate world, she’s worked with more than 200 high-achieving individuals across 20+ countries. But what struck me most wasn’t just her impressive track record—it was her journey from the therapy room to the boardroom and what she discovered along the way.
From Mental Health Hospitals to Executive Suites
Areej’s career path wasn’t traditional. She started work in mental health hospitals, moved to schools, and then into corporate work as an HR manager. But she describes HR as “the suit that gives me access”—a business card that opened doors to CEOs, leaders, and entrepreneurs with big dreams.
“What drove me was being eager to explore and asking myself the tough questions,” she told me. “Where are you really, really, really happy? With whom are you working? What are you working on, and where will that take you?”
That relentless self-inquiry led her from Jordan to the US, where she studied coaching and met leaders across industries. She interviewed celebrities, high-achieving CEOs, politicians, and even royalty. And in those conversations, she began to see patterns that would eventually become the foundation of her methodology.
The Survivors vs. The Thrivers
Areej’s description of her breakthrough moment was unforgettable. She was on a flight from Chicago to New York, writing furiously, when it hit her: there was a link between all the people she was interviewing.
“I saw two basic elements,” she explained. “First, the achievements they do, and their track record of success. Second, their heart—the passion, how excited they are about what they do.”
But here’s what fascinated her: many of these successful people had lost something along the way. They started their businesses with fire in their hearts, but as they achieved more, that spark began to dim.
“They are achieving, doing amazing stuff in the world, and people are celebrating them,” Areej said. “But what about their heart? What about their inner world?”
She calls these people “survivors”—those who have achieved a lot, but whose hearts are no longer beating at the same rhythm as when they started. The question that drives her work became: How do we help survivors become thrivers again?
The Four-Step Journey: Reveal, Heal, Create, Transform
What emerged from Areej’s research is what she calls the Spark Back methodology—a four-step process that starts not with strategy, but with something much deeper.
Reveal: This first step requires courage. It’s about opening up about the most difficult thing in your life—the thing you’ve pushed away because you thought it wasn’t “the right time” or because you needed to focus on solutions. High achievers are masters at suppression, at pushing forward. But Areej has learned that you can’t move forward until you’re willing to go backward.
Heal: You can’t dream if you’re in pain. You can’t create a compelling vision while carrying emotional luggage that drains you. This step is about healing the heart from past wounds, lifting the emotional burden that weighs leaders down even as they appear successful to the outside world.
Create: Only after the first two steps can leaders develop a new vision—one that comes from their authentic self, not from fear, guilt, or someone else’s expectations. This is about creating something that’s purely them, alone.
Transform: Finally, this is where traditional business consulting usually starts—taking the vision into action, making it a reality, building the right team, executing the plan.
“Every business challenge starts from yourself,” Areej told me. And she applies this framework everywhere—from high-achieving women scaling international businesses to her own children navigating school conflicts.
The Missing Piece in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
As someone who has consulted with global organizations and now focuses on women-owned businesses, I was particularly struck by Areej’s observations about what’s missing in the current ecosystem.
“We focus heavily on how to become an entrepreneur, how to open your business—99%, if not more, focusing on strategy, execution, planning, action steps,” she said. “But no one considers the inner world. No one focuses on the woman herself, the one who is behind the business.”
The ecosystem teaches women how to pitch, how to analyze market gaps, and how to raise numbers. But when a high-achieving woman is sitting in a strategic meeting thinking about her family, her kids, and her loved ones? The system tells her she should leave that behind and come with a clear mind.
“No one tells you: you are a human,” Areej said. “How can you be aligned as a whole person in order to achieve and push your dreams?”
This resonates deeply with my own work at the intersection of academia and consulting. We’re quick to prescribe more training, another MBA, another certificate. But we rarely ask: How do you feel? What are you carrying that we can’t see?
Cross-Cultural Insights
Having worked across the US, Europe, and MENA regions, Areej sees both universal struggles and cultural differences in how women experience achievement.
In Western cultures focused on individuality, women often grow up feeling that whatever they’re doing isn’t enough—they need to do more, think more about the future, have backup plans for their backup plans. “The inner place is not clearly peaceful and settled,” she observed.
In the GCC and MENA regions, where there’s a greater emphasis on group identity and family, women feel guilty when they focus on themselves. They struggle to find harmony between caring for everyone they’re supposed to support and pursuing their own dreams.
“It sounds different,” Areej said, “but it’s from the same place—you are with yourself, looking at yourself, how you define your identity.”
The weight is the same. Only the source is different.
When Success Doesn’t Look Like You
One of the most powerful moments in our conversation came when Areej shared her own inflection point—deciding to end her first marriage, leaving a prestigious hospital position, and making choices that looked unwise to others but felt essential to her.
“Especially when it’s nice, especially when it’s appealing, especially when people look at it and tell you you’re lucky for having this in your life,” she said. “But you feel: it’s not for me. It doesn’t look like me.”
She described reading an article titled “Why Women Fear Success” that spoke to how she’d been shrinking herself, trying to fit in. The realization changed everything.
“Although it might not seem the most wise decision for people at one point in time, if you feel this is the right thing for you—go and do it.”
This is the kind of courage she now helps other women find. Not the courage to be louder or more aggressive, but the courage to be honest with themselves about what alignment actually feels like.
Advice for the Inflection Points
When I asked Areej what advice she’d give to someone at a major career crossroads—whether just starting out, mid-career, or thinking about legacy—her answer was beautifully simple and profoundly challenging.
“Pause. Stop and think. Ask: how am I considering where I am today, and how does it feel to move forward? What are my biggest fears, and why are they fears?”
Then she offered this thought experiment: “If I removed everyone’s advice and recommendations aside, if there were no one on earth but me and myself living in this world, and there were no fears whatsoever—what would I choose?”
She also suggested imagining yourself at 90, looking back at this moment. How would you want to have honored yourself? How would you want to be remembered?
“Sometimes it’s hard for us to think of what’s happening today,” she said. “We need to go out of ourselves, out in time and perspective. We need to see ourselves as a third party. And then the answers will amaze you.”
The Smart Woman in Hijab
There was one moment in our conversation that I found particularly moving. When Areej went to New York for her coaching certification, someone called her “the smart woman in hijab.” It was the first time she’d heard this, and she took it as an answer from God—a message telling her to honor what she believes in, move forward, and trust that people will appreciate her work and contributions.
“That gave me a huge push and responsibility at the same time,” she said. “To honor what I have and at the same time help others and be open and have conversations that really come from the heart.”
This is authenticity in action—not despite who you are, but because of who you are.
What This Conversation Taught Me
As an educator and consultant who has spent decades helping organizations and individuals navigate transformation, I found Areej’s approach refreshingly human. We spend so much time on best practices, on benchmarks, on what the market demands. But transformation doesn’t start with a strategy deck. It starts with a person willing to be honest about what they’re carrying, what they’re avoiding, and what they truly want.
The Spark Back methodology—reveal, heal, create, transform—isn’t just a framework for entrepreneurs. It’s a framework for anyone who has achieved something and wonders why it doesn’t feel the way they thought it would. It’s for anyone who has lost the spark they started with and wants to find their way back.
This is the kind of conversation I want Global Grit Conversations to be known for—not superficial success stories, but real discussions about the inner work that makes outer achievement sustainable and meaningful.
I’m grateful to Areej for her vulnerability, her wisdom, and her willingness to share not just what she’s learned from 200+ interviews with high achievers, but what she’s learned from her own inflection points, her own moments of choosing authenticity over approval.
Listen to the full conversation with Areej Khataybeh on Global Grit Conversations, Season 1, Episode 1: “The Inner Work of Leadership” here.
To learn more about Areej’s work, visit Spark Back or connect with her on LinkedIn.
Leadership is an ongoing journey, one that requires resilience, adaptability, and a commitment to continuous growth. In a recent panel discussion, I had the opportunity to engage in a rich dialogue with other women leaders at Hult International Business School about the evolving role of women in leadership. Although we brought unique perspectives from different regions of the world, there were indeed some similarities. As we reflected on our experiences, several key themes emerged that resonate deeply with today’s challenges and opportunities.
1. Leadership is Not a Solo Journey
The belief of the lone leader is outdated. True leadership is cultivated through relationships, mentorship, and collaboration. Women who rise to leadership often do so because they have built strong support networks.
Mentorship and sponsorship are critical for career growth—receiving and providing guidance.
Collaboration, rather than competition, creates a stronger leadership pipeline for future generations.
Seeking and nurturing diverse perspectives leads to better decision-making and innovation.
2. The Importance of Owning Your Expertise
Too often, women downplay their expertise or wait to be recognized rather than stepping forward. Leadership requires competence and the confidence to articulate and demonstrate that competence. Sometimes, this is easier said than done. Take one step at a time:
Own your achievements—visibility matters in leadership.
Speak with authority and clarity in high-stakes conversations.
Impostor syndrome is common but can be countered by preparation, practice, and self-assurance.
3. Balancing Adaptability with Authenticity
Leaders must navigate change, but that doesn’t mean losing sight of their core values. Successful leadership requires adapting to new challenges while remaining true to one’s authentic self.
Flexibility is a leadership strength, not a weakness.
Authenticity builds trust and credibility with teams and stakeholders.
Being open to learning and evolving ensures longevity in leadership roles.
Each panelist shared specific examples that showed how they navigated change in a deliberate and authentic way.
4. Systemic Change Requires Collective Action
While personal growth is essential, true equity in leadership cannot be achieved without systemic change. Organizations must actively work to dismantle barriers and create environments where women can thrive, including:
Leadership development programs that prioritize diversity and inclusion.
Policies that support work-life integration and not just work-life balance.
Advocacy and allyship from all levels of an organization that drive lasting change.
What can we do?
Leaders at all organizational levels must commit to measurable actions, whether mentoring underrepresented talent, ensuring diverse voices are heard in decision-making, or holding organizations accountable for equitable policies. Change happens when advocacy turns into action.
“We should be looking at how we operate in an industry, and not as one dominated by one gender or another—but looking at where and how we approach the work that we do, in a way, that is meaningful and authentic, regardless of any of the differences among us.”
