Ranim Shaheen - From Palestine to Space: The Woman Breaking Barriers in Aerospace

What does it take to rise beyond displacement, doubt, and rejection — and reach for the stars?

In this powerful special edition of Chatting with Slava the Jordanian, STJ sits down with Ranim Shaheen, one of the first Palestinian American women selected on a path to space. From her family’s beginnings in Gaza and Ramallah to growing up in Houston, Texas, Ranim’s journey reflects resilience, identity, and relentless ambition.

Currently contributing to the development of next-generation spacesuits that will return humans to the lunar surface, Ranim’s path was anything but linear. From human resources to entrepreneurship to engineering — she defied cultural expectations, overcame self-doubt in male-dominated spaces, and embraced failure as fuel.

This episode explores the courage required to break internal and external barriers, the mental health conversations often silenced in Arab culture, and the determination forged through being told “no.”

Through raw reflection and grounded insight, this conversation challenges listeners to reframe rejection as redirection, confront limiting beliefs, and redefine what is possible — especially for first-generation immigrants navigating identity and ambition.

A must-listen for anyone pursuing purpose beyond circumstance.

Transcript

My name is Ranim Shahin, and this is my story.Today, on Discovering Palestinian Intellect, the special edition of Chatting with Slava The Jordanian, we are celebrating a groundbreaking achievement that illuminates the boundless potential of dreams and determination.We are honored to witness the incredible journey of one of the first Palestinian-Americans selected on a path to space, and possibly the moon and beyond.Her career currently consists of contributing to the development of the next generation space suits that will return humans to the learn- lunar surface and open the door to future exploration.But her story begins thousands of miles away, rooted in the rich heritage of Palestine.Her family, like countless others, faced the heart-wrenching challenge of displacement, but carried with them an unshakeable hope for a brighter future.They embarked on a courageous journey to Houston, Texas, instilled in her a resilient spirit and a passion for the stars.Despite the challenges, she soared through the obstacles, fueled by sacrifices and dreams of her ancestors.She is a living proof that no matter where you come from, the sky is not the limit, but just the beginning.Welcome back to another episode.I'm your host, STJ, and I'm welcoming Ranim Shahin.I am so excited.I'm like speechless.Like, I'm stumbling on my own words, seriously.Thank you so much for coming on.Um, and since this is a storytelling platform, take us down the memory lane, going back to your parents or your grandparents, and shed some light on the, the story or the journey.How did you guys end up ending up in Houston, Texas?Yes, of course.Thank you so much for having me.I am super stoked to be here.So as you mentioned, you know, my family did come, um, as immigrants from the Middle East.Uh, my dad, originally born and raised in Gaza.Um, my mom, born and raised in Ramallah.Small city in Palestine.Um, you know, it's been exciting times in the space industry, but, you know, in our culture, we don't really have that push of pursuing what you really wanna pursue.You know, back in the days, it was more of you're either a doctor, a lawyer, um, accountant, in finance.There was no such thing as engineers, especially women in engineering.And so over the years, um, you know, as my parents came here, they, you know, came here with nothing.So seeing them build themselves, um, struggling through the obstacles of living in America, learning the language, and you know, trying to build themselves to give us a better future, um, really opened my eyes in terms of what I wanna do, what I wanna pursue.That doesn't go to say that engineering has always been on the top of my list of things I wanted to explore.Along the way, you know, I've had challenges, right?So just like any human being, um, we come here, we, you know, try to develop what we actually wanna do.Um, and sometimes, it's hard.I've struggled throughout my career, trying to figure out where I belong, where my placement is, who I was as a person, and you know, till this day, I'm still like, "Okay, I wanna do this.I wanna do this."And so it's like I juggle multiple things.But I give a huge thanks to my parents because, you know, I see the struggle that they endured.I, you know, look up to them heavily because I want to make them proud in terms of giving them back everything that they struggled to give us and so much more.So that being said, I started my career very young, working at NASA, um, at the age of 19, working for actually one of their biggest prime contractors.Um, and from there, I, you know, got my degree in human resources, and because I realized I am such a people person.I love interacting.Um, because I was like, you know, "What more can I do?"I don't, I don't wanna do math.I don't wanna do, you know, all these things that I thought I didn't have the capability, especially with the stereotype of being a American-Palestinian, right?Everyone, you, everyone's always like, "Oh, Palestinian," so they just start the stereotype, you know?And the whole politics start to occur, and things like that.So trying to really go to school and figure out what it is and where I belonged, uh, was definitely a hurdle and a challenge in my books.You know, other people might see it differently, but I really wanted to do something that can impact the world.At first, I originally thought I wanted to go into dentistry.So I went and got my RDA, started working at a dental office, and then I was like, "You know what?I don't think I could see myself doing this for much longer."So, um, along the way, I realized, you know, started doing research and tried and talked to my parents about, like, what it is I wanna do, and of course, the mindset that the Middle Eastern parents have is like, "We want you successful.Why don't you be a doctor?Why don't you be a lawyer?Or a pharmacist?"You know?And I'm like, "Well, I don't wanna do any of that."And so I realized that being the people person that I am, I came across human resources, and so that's where I got my undergrad, um, at the University of Houston, and started, again, my career working, um, in the space industry.Never thought I would be in the space industry at all.Like, never crossed my mind.Um, but I always had a passion, you know, for the curiosity of what belonged, um, to society, but also the po- the possibility of what other life is out there outside of just living here at Earth.And so I loved to, to star gaze and, you know, the basic stuff that people usually do.Look at telescopes and get into all the scientific stuff, that aliens, oh, do they really exist, and um, you know, it started to expand my curiosity on, you know, more in the space industry.So as soon as I got my, um, first job at-uh, working at NASA, I was like, "Okay, I could see myself doing this for a while."So I did that for a little bit.Every day my parents would be like, "W- how do you like your job?How do you like your job?"And I was like, "Oh, I love it."Like, I'm really excited and I grew a passion for space, um, even bigger than what I thought I had.And so whenever I, you know, hit some hardships in my life, I decided that, you know what, I think it's time to take a step back from the corporate world after 4 years and do something that I wanna do.My parents, you know, w- supported me 100% so I opened up my own business.I opened up a staffing agency where I wanted to do something greater for other people and give them a once in a lifetime opportunity to get placement into the space industry, to give them opportunities that I never had growing up.And what better way than to give people the opportunity to work into something that is the next generation of, you know, society, space exploration.That being said, did that for a couple of years and then, you know, Axiom was one of the accounts that I had in my business, and so they were hiring and I took a leap of faith, sold my business, joined that, still doing human resources and recruiting, and then did that for a year or so and realized, I wanna focus more technical.And as you see, as I'm talking, like, I'm still trying to figure out what it is that I like and don't like throughout my career.So I ended up going to get my masters in engineering with a focus in aeronautics, um, and I was still working full-time which was a struggle for me because trying to go to school and juggling a full-time job was definitely a challenge.But, to be honest with you, it was definitely worth it because I don't think I would be where I am today if it wasn't for the support of my family and the capabilities I had within myself.And, to be honest with you, I struggled to originally get into engineering world because I didn't think I was capable.I didn't think I was smart enough, I didn't think, you know, being a female in a male dominant world was such a thing, um, the diversity, you know, it was a- it was a struggle because even in human resources, you know, being a female in a male dominant world, you get treated a little bit differently.And to this day, I notice it.But of course, I still wanna be that voice and that person to support other people and inspire them, that, hey, just because, you know, of your culture, your religion or, you know, your skin color, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, that there's so much more out there as long as you have that support and the potential within yourself to excel.So, uh, you know, I ended up switching over to our spacesuit program within the company and I'm currently putting hands on technical experience on designing, um, e- the development of the next generation spacesuit that would be putting, um, humans back to the moon, and, you know, I'm loving every moment of it.But my main passion is honestly to inspire, again, the younger generation of space explorers to reach beyond their potential, especially everything go- that g- goes on in the Middle East, you know, hardships, you know, the- the wars and things like that I wanna be able to show the world that, hey, just e- because things happen in your life and you see difficulties and struggles, that it's okay to fail.You are able to stand back up as long as you have it within your mindset and you see the positive and the good in the world, that anything is possible to achieve.Um, so, you know, I ended up getting selected to fly as one of the very first female Palestinians, um, to space, and I'm hoping that this journey becomes something bigger and greater and being able to inspire and open up space camp programs to underprivileged communities, different countries, to help start these kids at a younger age to start thinking about their future and the possibility of life outside of Earth Wow.Okay.I have, like, so many questions for you.It's amazing that life took you down this journey, right?But you, you, you, you speak much bigger than you are, you know, which is w- which is amazing.So, uh, I agree with you.I mean, I am sick and tired of being stuck in the echo chamber of stereotype, right?Um, I'm not gonna bore you with, with my story.That's a whole different episode.But I totally relate being a, a female Arab, Palestinian heritage, and, um, you know, it's funny, even in the Middle East, I was born and raised in Saudi Arabia, but we were always, were considered as second-class citizens.Regardless of what- how much my dad has done investing into the country, you know, adapting the culture.It doesn't really matter.And that's the, what I call, the echo chamber of stereotype against Palestinians, especially as a woman.It doesn't matter where you are.Unfortunately, the political agenda has wrapped us up, you know, in, in, in that, you know, echo, echo chamber.It's really, really hard for us to, to, uh, redefine our capabilities, our, our potential, and it takes a lot of work.It takes a lot of energy.It takes a lot of sacrifice.But I just, if you don't mind, I just wanna go back to your parents.Now, you're first-generation American, right?Okay.So, and, and your dad is from Gaza, um, uh, God bless him, and then your mom is from Ramallah.When did they come to the United States?What year?Ah, good question.I wish I could tell you, but, I mean, my dad came when he was young.I wanna say, like, 16, uh, years old, and, uh, same thing with my mom.She came when she was probably 17, maybe younger.Um, but even though they came at a young age, you know, it was still a struggle because, you know, having to learn a new language, having to, you know, understand how the society works of American mindset and being more open-minded than how, you know, the Middle E- Eastern parents are when it's m- you know, strictly y- the concept of this is how we do it back home.And they try to bring that here, which becomes hard on, on us when we're living in a society that's very, very open-minded, you know?So, y- you learn and you develop and you try to understand and kind of cooperate on their perspective on why things are being done or why things are being said.But sometimes, it's like, yeah, you say that, but do you realize where we are today?You know, we live in America.Things aren't the way it is, like how they were back home, you know?So, they came at a young age, but, you know, I'm very thankful because I saw the struggles and I saw everything that they've been through and how hard they worked to make something of themselves.Um, and I just want to be that person, not just for my parents, but, you know, for every Palestinian female, American Palestinian, anybody in the Middle East that struggles through the hardships, that, you know, though there's things happening behind the scenes, um, in terms of war and politics, but there's so much more out there for us as humans and where we come from and being able to hold true to our roots to be able to inspire that and to, you know, the future generations of Palestinianpeople, or not just females, in general.Because I'm sure the male Palestinians, or male M- Middle Easterns, you know, they still imp- get impacted too in certain ways 0 of the stereotyping and, you know, the politics.So, it's a matter of making awareness that, you know, just because we're coming from a place doesn't make us any different.No, uh, absolutely.Um, displacement by design or displacement by default.So, when you dis- we talk a lot about this, um, on our episodes, is if you displace yourself by design, meaning that all is well, you have the opportunity, but you have a choice, either to stay where you are or pursue a different world, um, to basically achieve your, your dreams.Displacement by default is when you are happy where you are, but the circumstances, or a group of people, tell you, like, "No.You gotta go."So, it's like, "All right.I'm just gonna stumble and take the best, you know, the best choice that I have and, and hopefully, you know, work it out, uh, to have a similar future where I used to be or a better future where I'm going into the new world."But le- displacing yourself by default, you're really being forced to leave all your, your tribal support, everybody you love, and everything that you know, and it's not easy.I came to this country in 1988.I was 19 years old.Right.And, and, and I had the choice as a non-Saudi or a second, uh, second-class citizen in Saudi Arabia.Regardless, I was born there and raised there.That's all I knew is Saudi Arabia.My option was to go back to Jordan, come to United States.Well, I didn't relate to Jordan that much because I just visited Jordan.I, honestly, I related to the S- Saudi Arabia culture more than I related to the Jordanian culture, because that's all I knew.So, I decided to come to United States.But if we had the equal rights in Saudi Arabia, probably I would've never left, because that, to me, that was home.So, that impacts our, um, path and our, the, the way we, we lead, uh, our journey, too.But I agree with you.It- it's very, very challenging leaving everything behind, coming to the new world, trying to assimilate, but also, at the same time, you're trying to maintain that attachment to your old world.Uh, you know, you were born here, so you don't have as much connection.Your connection to the old world is through your parents or through your grandparents.Now, did your parents come alone or they came with their family?You know, um, they came with their families.Like, my father came, you know, with his siblings, and then my mother came with her siblings, and then her parents followed along the way.Um, but even that, like, it's a struggle f- to see, on my per- in my perspective at least, you know, all the things that they had to leave behind and the fact that I can't evenWell, that, let me step, take a step back real quick.So I went back to the Middle East, um, prob- uh, back in 2012, you know.And when I went, I saw everything.I'm like, "Oh my goodness."You know?"This is beautiful."The country, you know, the streets, the stores, everything you could possibly think of, and the people.It's like the small town that you always thought you can have.Well, at least for me.I've always wanted to live in a small town where everybody knew everybody and, you know, "Hey, good morning," kinda deal.Um, but when I went back, it really opened my eyes in terms of where my family really came from and being able to get more on the culture, the diversity, um, how the mindsets were, how different families operated versus others, um, and it just was amazing.And then, you know, coming back, it just shook me because I was there for 3 mon- almost 3 months and I was like, "Wow," you know?Now I'm here in, back in America and it's nothing like how the Middle East was.But the sad part is, is that I can't just get up and take a flight to go visit or go see family because of everything that's going on.And it's pretty sad because I would want to, you know, allow my future kids to be able to go see where, you know, m- their grandparents came from and where, th- uh, what, you know, defined them as who they are and, you know, w- their families and different generations and so forth.But it's so sad that I'm not able to do that, you know?I can't, and it makes me even sadder that I can't even go back home, um, but with all the struggles and all the challenges that brought them here, you know, they were able to make something of themselves to give us a better life here, right?Um, because honestly, I don't think, if they remained there till today, I don't think we would be here, right?Um, having this conversation, me going to space, um, all the different things.So in a way, I'm very blessed that, you know, my parents took that initiative to come to the States to m- make themselves better and, you know, have something for them.But keeping in mind, my parents never finished school, right?So being the first, um, gen of finishing edu- uh, an education and getting a master's and, you know, doing all the things that most people don't get the opportunity to do, especially as a Palestinian female, it has been an incredi- incredible journey, even though there's obstacles and challenges, you know?What is life if you don't face that?So I'm so thankful overall, but yeah, I mean, to that point, it just, like, I wish I can be able to see and define everything from the Middle East to be able to bring here, but, you know, with all the challenges, it's very difficult with the things that go on.I'm glad you went back, because going back to the Middle East, number one, it shows us what, wh- how much we sacrificed.Right.And what we sacrificed.And it puts our efforts back in the New World, here in United States, even more worthwhile.Mm-hmm.Um, you know, because the price is very high.I'll, I'll tell you this, you know?Um, I know I came in 1988.Your parents came a lot earlier.The United States was a completely different country in the '80s, even.It changed.Like, to me, it changed so much, it's almost unrecognizable.So, um, d- so going back, you know, just touch base with that heritage, touch base with that culture, it's almost a reminder, um, to say, "Don't forget where you came from."And my dad used to tell me, "No matter how big you get career-wise, how rich you are and how successful you are, don't ever, ever forget where you come from."And that is embedded in us since childhood.Don't ever forget your roots.And that's how proud us, as Palestinian, um, e- when it comes to our heritage.Remember, Palestinians is a very, very small group of people- Mm-hmm.in the world.It's a very, very small area geographically, but the pride in them and the determination, and the resilience, and the strength.And I agree with you, things happen for a reason.And I always ask my, my guests because I'm constantly questioning this, um, concept.Mm-hmm.If the Nakba did not happen in 1948, would Palestinians, as a nation, as a race, as people, be that driven to achieve what they have achieved so far in education, in career, in business, uh, professionals, um, if the Nakba did not happen?And the answer is no.A lot of my guests saying that, including Dr. Maher Massis.He says, eh, you know, it's, i- it's part of our nature.I think Nakba kind of, you know, jetted that off, made it even more, uh, persistent of a feeling that, no, we gotta stick to it regardless of the challenges and regardless of the obstacles that we face every single day because we want our people to be proud of us because our people that were left behind, they are suffering, and we give them a glimpse of hope that, okay, at least somebody else is doing, is successful.I know I'm suffering here, but at least, you know, our blood and our roots are being succ- successful somewhere else, and they're achieving ab- above and beyond.But I, you know, I agree with you, the, also the traditional gender role expectations as an Arab.Um, I, I think, uh, the male Arabs have more pressure than, than female Arabs.And, and I feel real bad seeing it through my, my brothers, you know, being a man and stuff.We, we still practice that, um, traditional gender role expectation, um, whether it is vocally exercised or just subconsciously.We feel, um, you know, they feel they are still responsible for the family.You gotta carry the name of the family.So, that definitely, you know, puts a lot of pressure on us, 0 our mental, you know, our health, our wellbeing.And, and but also, on the other side, it, it, it does fuel our drive, you know, our drive to be successful.Um, I call it mastering an unlimited mindset by eliminating limited belief.I have met all different kind of people through my practice.I own 3 practices in New England, and I met people from all over the world.But Palestinians or Arabs in general, as immigrants, they just exude that unlimited mindset that, you know, there's nothing that's impossible, you know.And they are so driven, and I think it comes from what they have left behind, you know.They still constantly remind themself that our people back home have a l- much, much less opportunities and resources, and we need to be thankful for that- Right.and make something out of it.Yeah.100%.And again, going back to that, like, for me, I, uh, I struggled a lot.Um, you know, I went through hardships in my life.I've suffered through depression.And, you know, in our culture, you tell somebody, "Oh, I'm depressed," it's like, "Why are you depressed?You have this, you have that."Like, and, uh, it's n- there's no such thing in the Arab community of, as depression.But honestly, when you really go through it, you start to realize that it's a real thing.But I think that also has driven me to continue, you know, not just for myself and picking myself back up, but also to be able to strive to show people that just because I endured hardships in my life, that I'm still capable of doing everything and anything that a male person is able to do.Uh, that doesn't mean that just because I'm Palestinian, I'm gonna neglect myself and sit in a hole and have the stereotypical things being said or, you know, defining me as a person.But at the end of the day, I'm like, I am who I am.I am proud to be who I am.I'm proud of the, uh, things that my family did to get me to where I am today, you know, even through hardships, uh, their challenges, my challenges.I feel like all of the Middle East and where my parents came from, and the diversity, and the culture, and the religion, the language, the traditions, all of that has defined who I am as a human being, which I plan to continue that for future generations.But keeping in mind, because I went through hardships, my parents also didn't know how to react.They didn't know what to do.They didn't know how to ask me how I'm feeling or, you know, understand h- the, the struggles I was battling within myself.And I mean, till this day, uhI fight battles within myself but, of course, that doesn't stop me from achieving what I want to achieve.You know, I've self-published children poetry books.I've had my own business.I've been on multiple podcasts, you know, and I'm very thankful for the opportunity to be here to explain my story and hopefully motivate others that, "Hey, if she can do it, I can do it too," kind of thing.And it doesn't matter, again, your skin color or your religion or where you're coming from.You should be proud of who you are, where you come from, and carry that into the future generation.I always teach my team, I have a team almost 30 team members, that it's okay to fail.Failing is not a failure.It's not gonna define you as a failure.Failing is very important.If you're not failing, something is wrong because that's how you grow, right?Knowing is growing.And you won't be able to know how to do certain things if you don't stumble and fall and fail.And that's what, uh helps you gain the knowledge and the experience that's gonna help you really reach to the destination, whatever you're trying to reach to.And I agree with you 100%.It's okay to go through depression.It's okay to haveI have anxiety.Every time, I'm stillUm, practicing for 27 years, certain procedures in dentistry makes me really anxious, like dropping an implants, like, "What if this happened?"You know.But I am very, very, um, analytical.I'm very technique sensitive.I'm task-oriented, so I wanna make sure that I'm in control in order to give the patient the best experience they're looking for.And that makes me anxious.It's more like excited anxious.There's so many different types of anxiety.But, you know, doing a podcast, I neverI never done up, uh, public speaking, and I just, you know, been prepping for this for about 2 years and I went back and forth."No, I'm, I'm not good enough.No, it's, it's, it's a bad idea.I'm not gonna make it.Who cares?Nobody's listening."You know, all this stuff you just self-doubt.And I agree with you, but you have to go through the hardship.You have to feel the pain to heal the pain.And that's what I teach my team, the ones that struggling to, you know, find themselves or they're struggling to learn a certain task or, or, or be, um, you know, be able to take care of the responsibilities that we p- bestowed on them.And, a- and, and, again, there are social challenges external, and there are internal challenges, r- too, within our family and that translate into ourthe way we look at ourselves and the way we look at, you know, a, a- and the way thatHow we measure our confidence, you know, and our ability to reassure yourself.It's almost like self-soothing, like a toddler, you know.They tell you, leave the toddler, if they cry through the night, let themselves soothe.But you learn that by going through these experiences through life.How are you gonna lear-I don't care how many books you read.Mm-hmm.I don't care how many videos or YouTube videos that you watch.You have to experience it in order for you to gain the skill and the ability to help yourself, because God bless your family and your parents, but at some point, our family and our ancestor are not gonna be around us, right?Right.Nothing lasts forever.We areWe need to, um, you know, equip ourself with as many tools and as many techniques as possible in order for us to keep going and, and, and keep making our family and heritage proud, and, and continue that legacy that your parents came in for.Like I said, sacrifice everything that they know and everybody that they love in order to give you a, a better future.But this isAnd that's why we, we created Discovering Palestinian Intellect, in order to show the world that we are more than tent-living refugees.We can accomplish.We do have a brain and a mind, and, and, and curiosity about the world, and we do have potential.And we'll be able to achieve, like I said, even more than the natives that have been here for hundreds and hundreds of years.Um, but let's tap into education.So whereDid your parents pursue education or they were just, just working?Yes.Working community.Okay.And your mom is a- Yeah.So my parents- Yeah.So my parents, when they came here, you know, my mom finished high school.My dad dropped out, um, came to the States, so they worked.That's all they did, that's all they knew what to do, is to work and try to be successful and try to give us a better life, right?Um, and so, for me, IYou know, my education came from, what stemmed what I wanted to do.And going back to that, I think I mentioned that in the beginning, was, m- m- I never knew space and anything beyond that.It's not until I got into the career where I was like, "Okay, this is interesting.Now my curiosity and my mind is coming out."And, mm- m- excuse me.To that- to that, I wanted to just take a step real quick, talking about failure, um, and tying into the education.So when I started my career into engineering and doing the design work and, um, struggling, you know, not just because I was one of the ver- very few females on the team, but the fact that I was so scared at the beginning because I didn't think I was as smart and capable as all the other males on my team to continue to do this job.I struggled and when I tell you, so much.Every day, I would go home, I'm like, "Okay, am I doing a good job?"And I would self-sabotage myself.Till this day, I still self-sabotage.But if there's one thing I learned from, m- m- my colleagues and, you know, my friends, is self-sabotaging is not gonna make you better.It's just gonna break you.And another thing I learned, to your point of failure, one of my colleagues, that I still hold true to my heart today, is if you're not failing, you're not doing your job right.And to me, that hit home because I'm like, "Okay, so if I fail"Because I never knew.Like, a failure, if I failed, I would get sad.I would get, uh, you know, disappointed in myself.Like, "Why am I failing?Why is nothing going right?"But constantly hearing, "If you fail, you're not doing your job right," made me realize that it's okay to fail, because that's what makes you successful.It's all about the learning experience and what you take from that, that makes you better at what you do, but also you bring that into society to help inspire other people that it's okay to fail as well.And so, for me, that whole education and going into a male dominant field, like, I- I sit there at my desk sometimes and- and I'm like, "Wow, I wish there was more Palestinian women in any organization.I wish there was more people I can be able to speak my language to while I'm at work."And it's not because people don't hire us or because we're not capable.It's because sometimes I believe that we have that mindset that, "I can't do this because that's a man's job," or, "I can't do this because I'm not smart enough."And I'm the perfect image of that, because I self-sabotaged myself for so long that it took me, eh, uh, 4 years after I got my undergrad to go back and realize that I am just as capable and I'm just as smart.And just because I'm Palestinian, that doesn't define my capabilities and my skillsets.And so, to that, I say, you know, my biggest quote that I follow is, "Once I work hard in silence, I let success be my noise."And that doesn't go to say I wanna publicize all my information and seek validation from the world just to prove, you know, me as a Palestinian, I'm being successful.No.It's about being successful within myself, so that way, I can relate to that and to other, and implement that into others, especially into the younger generation, that I am your voice.I am here to inspire you in terms of going into an education that it's okay if it's a man's job.We're just as capable, you know?Now, the other thing is, as a child of diaspora, which is yourself, um, quitting is not an option.Saying no is not an option.Failure is not an option.And as you know, with such an ancient, um, cultural mindset, we always have that, you know, uh, you know, criticizing ourselves, uh, analyzing our, m- because we are, as immigrants, we are very, uh, very paranoid, you know?So when we are paranoid, um, is the new world, a new society is gonna accept us, uh, we have to over-perform.We have to over- overcompensate.Almost like we can tap into the approval addiction.You know, we need to be approved.We don't wanna be denied, um, you know, any of the resources.So, option is not, uh, the, I mean, quitting is not an option.Failure is not an option.Saying no to opportunity is not an option.Staying home is not an option.We have to keep going.But I agree with you.If you do not accept failure, then you're not trying.Mm-hmm.Because, you know, as you know, you- you're a scientist and I am in science too.Science, the success of science by trial and error, right?You have to have data and in order for you to produce data, you have to try the experiment over and over and over again.And as you're repeating that experimental path, you're just changing your ways until you, bingo, you know, "I hit it just right.This is exactly what I'm looking for."But as, again, as a child of diaspora, they, your parents, have embedded into, into your psyche that failure is not an option.But what that does to us, asyoung immigrants in the United States, living in the United States, already being assimilated, especially you, as, as a new generation, always have that process of judgment.You're judging yourself.And then you have the guilt with it too, 'cause, "I feel so bad.If I f- if I fail, you know, what my parents are gonna say, what my family's gonna say.I wanna make my family proud."And it's not only Arab or Palestinian immigrant.All immigrants that I interviewed exactly have the same mindset that, "I cannot fail because I wanna make my family proud.Not only the family here, I want my whole country to be proud of me.Because guess what?There are an extended family back there that are waiting for my success because that's all they have.They just want a moment to celebrate us.Because of their circumstances, they are in dire need to be happy, to celebrate something that is positive because of their circumstances."So there's a heavy, heavy feeling of, of, of guilt and if we don't do what we're supposed to do, we betrayed our, our family.BigBest, uh, uh, the biggest example is when we reassess our belief system.My parents' belief system that I carried with me from Saudi Arabia here in 1988, when I was 19 years old, when I got in my 40s, I realized that belief system is not serving me anymore.So I had to reassess that belief system in order for me to continue as a mature career, you know, female business owner, in order for me to grow.But it took me a long time to sit down and figure that out because of the feeling of guilt.I felt like, "How can I reassess my heritage belief system-" Mm-hmm." without feeling guilty?I'm betraying them.This is who I am.I'm pulling my roots away.I'm denying my parents."But of course, I hired a life coach, and made me understand that, "No, it's okay.This is your time now.Your parents lived their life, and they bestowed on you their belief system, but you need to create your own belief system, not to deny your heritage, but create your own belief system in order to serve you better so you can keep growing and achieving what you are trying to achieve."And, and, and coming to that realization, but, it was amazing, but the process of guilt and, and feeling that I'm betraying my family, and, and my family gonna disown me if I act or have a different attitude, because I have a new belief system that belongs to me, that's designed specifically to serve my life now, not my life then.And, and, and you almost, like, you tap into the identity crisis.So it's like, "Okay, who am I?I used to be so-and-so's daughter, right?I'm the daughter of ʻSheikha Nabulsi, but if, if my dad's values are changed, then am I still his daughter?"It's bizarre.It's a fascinating mindset process that I had to go through in order to be happy.W- before, I wasn't happy as much as I am happy now, but I felt like, "Okay, you don't have to be happy.I'm honoring my heritage.It's okay, that's a sacrifice that I have to make.I'm gonna sacrifice my happiness to keep my heritage or my family belief system intact," and then you realize, "But that's, that, that's not gonna serve you very well."And I hope that makes sense.It does, 100%.Yeah.Did you go through the process, uh, like that, or?Honestly, a little bit.And I want to explain that in terms of, you know, our beliefs and where we come from, um, because of the fact that, you know, through my hardships, I felt like I was a disappointment.I felt like, "Oh, because this tragic thing happened in my life, that that defined who I was."And for so long, I kept blaming that as the reason why I wanna keep striving and I wanna keep pushing, because I feel like I disappointed my parents, and I wanna keep pushing to make them proud, and this and that.And I was lost.I was trying to figure out, like you said, "Who am I?Where, does that define who I am?Uh, does my belief in the tragic things that I went through define, you know, my culture, my religion?Um, what is the community gonna say about me?And all these things.And, you know, because I wanted to protect the name of the family, it was hard for me to really express, "Okay, well, I have to believe in this," or, "I have to make sure I stay in something, because that's what the- our traditions and our culture entitled it to be."But at the end of the day, I wasI sat a lot alone to realize, you know, I can't allow that to define me and how my family roots came from.That doesn't define my success.It doesn't define me being a female.It doesn't defineAnd it tookI talked with so many colleagues in terms of the things I was going through, because they started to realize that when I have conversations, that's all I talked about.That's all I brought up, is the fact that, you know, the hardships, or the sadness, or this and that about, you know, what I went through and our culture and our religion, and this isn't allowed, and you can't do that.And it made me feel like I genuinely failed, and I didn't feel like I had any potential to succeed.I didn't think, you know, I would be where I am today.But in all reality, w- uh, the alone time that I've had to myself and the loneliness that I felt, all of those came with a purpose.ItAnd I realize that today, that, you know, that is my purpose.I needed to go through that.I needed to define, you know, who I was through my culture and my religion and, you know, my ethnicity, to make me who I am and make me stronger, as a person and as a female.Um, but it also shaped me to want to implement that into the younger generation, in terms of, you don't have to keep walking in the path to feel like a disappointment.You can continue doing what it is that you wanna do and be successful within yourself, not using your past or your trauma or your, you know, anything that you went through, the politics, the- the wars, to define that to your future of education.And that was a battle.And it took me a while to really realize, like, just because I went through stuff in life just like everybody else, it doesn't change your capabilities or your skillsets.And I always thought that I'm a failure, I'm never gonna succeed, that's it, you know, my life is over, we're done.But it really made me become stronger, and I'm very thankful for everything I went through in my life.Because honestly, I don't think I would've went back to school for a master's.I don't think I would be currently selected as an astronaut candidate if I didn't push myself to get back up and, you know, work with my family and get the support that I needed to be able to drive myself to be the next, uh, and one of the very first female Palestinians to venture into space That is, uh, d- amazing.I mean, like I said in the beginning of the episode, I was stumbling on my words because I'm just so excited, I wanna talk to you.Mm-hmm.Like, I have so many questions.But it's fascinating.I am a first-generation immigrant.You are a first-generation American.But we still went through the process of that identity crisis, right?And for the longest time, like I said, I- I've been in this country about 38 years.And not until I hit my 40s, I had to go through the identity crisis, because after I achieved everything I'm supposed to achieve and the dust is settling, and I said, "Okay, I've been busy all this time since I was 19 years old, you know, b- building a future, building a life on the belief system that my parents bestowed on me."And inAnd I- I- I was struggling constantly, like, "Who am I?Am I this or am I that?"I'm not really American.I'm Palestinian heritage, Damah Filastini- Mm-hmm.but at the same time, you know, I am very American and that's why I came to United States, because I vacationed in United States since I was 7 years old.So, the US culture been part of- of my blueprint since I was a child.Mm-hmm.So, when I talked to my life coach, she said, "Why are you, uh, putting yourself through this?Why are you being so hard on yourself?Why do you have to be one or the other?Why can't you be both?"And it just, pooh, just this epiphany, you know what I'm saying?And I realized that, yeah, I do have the advantage.I am in the advantaged position.I have a multicultural competency, multicultural adaptability, and I can relate to more than one culture.I can relate to more one, uh, more than one race.And I need to share that with the world.And one of the reasons that I started this podcast, because I wanna gift this to the world and hopefully transfer that power to you guys in order to continue doing this for generations on.But also, at the same time, rejection is redirection.Right?We have been rejected.I haveMy parent's been rejected from Jordan, being, uh, my dad Palestinian, into Saudi Arabia, been rejected in Saudi Arabia, being from Saudi.He didn't wanna go back to Jordan.Coming to United States and had to tell your kids, it's like, "Hey, we're moving again."You know what I'm saying?"This is not home.You have to change your home again."So, rejection is redirection.And I agree with you, it really depends on what you get out of it, as far as the experience and lessons and how you're gonna empower yourself with- with- with that experience, for sure.Right.But going back to, you know, the where you- you are at right now, can you think of one specificEvent or one specific person that really ignited and, and just opened your eyes, "This is exactly what I want to do"?Um, yeah.Honestly, I have a few people.Um, one being myself, being my own self-motivator, right?If it wasn't for me getting and having that time to myself to really understand and identify who I am as a person and what I wanna do, I don't think I would have accomplished what I have.And definitely my parents have a huge play in it, right?You know, every time I came up to them it's like, "Hey, I wanna do this."And they're like, "Well, okay?"You know?It's like, every time it's something new.Like, just the other day I was talking to them and I was like, "I wanna start this business.What do y'all think?"And my dad was like, "Go for it," and I'm likeYou know, I'm just always trying to find opportunities to grow as a person but also be successful, not just for my parents, but to prove that, hey, you can go through hard times b- but, and still be capable to achieve things.My goal is to retire in the next 10 years.Is that gonna be possible?But that's my drive, that's my goal, right?Um, but th- I wanna touch base real quick, if that's okay, about what you were talking about trynaThat whole identity.So, um, a few weeks ago I was actually sitting with some friends and we came across the conversation of, how do you identify yourself to society?When somebody asks you, "Where are you from," what do you say?Do you say, "Oh, I'm from Houston," or do you say, you know, "I'm American," or how do you identify yourself as a person?And I literally sat there and I was like, "Honestly, when people ask me, 'Where are you from,'" I always say I'm Palestinian but I've been born and raised in Houston.You know, I always throw the fact that I'm Palestinian first.And then he- you know, my b- one of my best friends was like, "Well, what do you mean?"And he was like, "But you were born and raised American, so you don't identify as American?"I'm like, "Well, technically, I know I am American, but I always follow my roots," you know?And I'm like, "Do you say, you know, you're Hispanic or do you say you're American, or do you say, you know, you're this and you're that?"But, like, I always define my ethnicity first in backing up that I'm American, because I want to carry on, you know, my culture.And I'm, uh, proud, and I'm so proud to be Palestinian and I'm so proud that my family came here and, you know, the roots that I come from.So it's like, it was a whole debate, a 2hour debate in my living room talking about, how do you identify yourself to the world?And so, everybody has their preference, you know?He will clearly say, "I'm American," when he's not.His skin color is totally different, but because he preferences where he was born and raised, I'm like, "So you're telling me that defines who you are, is where you were born and raised?You don't allow that, where your parents come from to define you?"And so it was like a whole back and forth, and it's just like, it depends on if you're proud or not proud, it's who you really are and who you wanna be.And for me, I'm gonna be where, you know, I was raised and where my family came from, so I always pitch out, "Oh, I'm Palestinian, but I was born and raised in America."No, I agree 100%.Um, it's, uh, I think part of it is culture, part of it, it isI don't know how to describe it.Palestinians have-It is.I mean, I, like I said, I've, I never been to Palestine and I neverYou know, I visited Jordan just, uh, on vacations.Mm-hmm.So, I don'tYou know, my dad was born in Jordan.My mom is from Asalt, uh, the, the tribes of, of Jordan.But originally, even Beit Aljazib, they are from Egypt and, and Palestine.Everything starts in Palestine and Egypt, I, I believe that 100%.All the origin, I think, of the Levantine comes fr- comes from there.But my dad being Nablusi, uh, originally were Syrian and then we went into Nablus, from Nablus we went to, to Jordan.But it's still, um, Palestinian.Like, the blood is just thicker.Uh, and they're right, blood is, is thicker than water.So when, for example, when I went to Egypt for the first time last November, 'cause my husband is Egyptian, and met everybody and, and people will, like, when I speak Arabic they have the, I have the accent, so the Egyptian will ask me, "Where you from?"It's like, "I'm from Palestine" originally.It's like, "Oh my God," you know, they're like giving me free stuff and it's like, "You don't have to do that."It just, um, I'm proud of it, you know?But, but wh- where, where you see it over there, I wish we have it here.But I ag- agree with you, uh, there's no such thing as American, you know?United States is built on immigration and tribe.And so, when you say, "I'm American," American is more a citizenship than an identity.Um, United States, being an American is w- what unite us as a working force, I call it, in the United States, you know.But as far as heritage, everybody's different.We come from all different walks, um, you know, of life, and all different parts 0 of the world, and people need to be proud of that.But it doesn't really matter, you know, w- how old I am or, or where I live.Probably I'm gonna end up dying here in the United States.But it's still, you know, till the last day, I'm gonna say I am ʻandāmi falastīnī regardless of that, you know.It doesn't really matter because our habits and our, our, um, um, natural attendances, it's about that, you know, Palestinian spirit, which is absolutely beautiful.Our culture is beautiful, our custom is beautiful, our music is beautiful, our people are beautiful.I mean, th- they just, you know, if you look at the history of Palestine, it just, these people are just nomads, they wanted to live and farm and sing and dance.That's all they wanted.But unfortunately, the, uh, somebody had a different narrative, different agenda, and made us just, uh, submit to that.But, as you said, there's always a, I always call it, like, I always look at the half glass as full, and the reason why, I'm glad your parents, unfortunately, they got displaced, but I'm glad they got displaced so we can sit down right now in front of a camera, on social media- Mm-hmm.and talk about it and inspire other people.So, since we are coming to the end of our hour, believe it or not, I can talk to you for hours.Um, what would you say to a young Palestinian female that is thinking about displacing herself, whether she is coming from Dubai or Kuwait or England, coming to United States, and in- interested in the, in the cosm- uh, in the cosmos.What, what is it that you would advise her, uh, to do?Yeah, of course.Um, for me, honestly, my advice would be, be proud of who you are and where you come from, that the sky is not the limit, and there's so much more beyond that.So stay positive, keep grinding, keep striving, because before you know it, if I can reach the stars, so can you.Absolutely.That is so beautiful.And it's okay to suffer through mental health too.I know our culture does not identify it.My mom, every time I said, my mom, "Um, I'm anxious about exams."She's like, "Go have a, a snack.Go play outside.Go, go pray."You know what I'm saying?"Go have a nap.You'll be fine."Because it, it's, it's almost like a sign of weakness.Like, you know, if you have faith in yourself and faith in, in the divine- Mm-hmm.you should draw that strength from your family or from the divine.So for us to say, you know, "I'm gonna go talk to a therapist," they're like, "Oh, my God," it's a big taboo.It's like, "Why?We're not good enough?"Yeah.Or, "God is not good enough to give you the strength?"Like, you know, "We're here for you every single day.Why would you go pay for somebody, a stranger, to dump all your emotions and your feelings?And they're just gonna take your money."My mom used to say, she said, "They're gonna just take your money and lie to you."And it's like, "Okay, you just want a listening ear?I'm here for you."Mm-hmm.But my argument is, if I dump all my emotions in your lap, you're gonna criticize me- Oh, yeah.and I'm gonna end up feeling worse than when I started.So, I'm not gonna go there.But she used to, my mom was, like I said, educator, she was a math and science teacher for high school- Yes.um, you know, in Saudi.And, uh, she had a lot of experience.She's very, very smart.She's like the math and science brain, and my dad was the, the more, like, creative writing and an artist in our family.But, yeah, um, and I just wanna tell the audience that if you like this content or you would like us to continue discussing these, we'd be very, very happy to bring Ranim Shahine on in order for us to tapI would love to tap into mental health, and love to tap into, um, the whole psychology of being an Arab, you know, a- American in, in the United States.So, as a reminder, these episodes are uploaded every single Wednesday on both platforms, the Apple and the Spotify, uh, podcast platforms.And also, these episodes are available for you to watch as a video on our YouTube channel, the Greenwood Dental Partners.So again, if you like this content, please share and like, and hit the notification button.That way, you won't miss any episodes.And as a reminder, we are more than tent living refugees.We are Palestinian intellect.Thank you so much for listening.Thank you so much for watching, and I hope to see you next time.This is Slava, the Jordanian.