Adventures of the Soul Conversations

Luma has never before spoken publicly about her journey with her son who was diagnosed with Autism (Asperger's today) at two and a half years of age. Today, Suhail is a young man of 22 years, a senior at university with a promising future; independent, thriving, and living proof that with the right support, anyone can overcome challenges and most importantly thrive. Luma's story is unique but universal at the same time. She and her family are testament to human resilience and what it means to turn a challenge into a life purpose, moving from the personal to the universal to give back and make an impact on the life of others. I am honoured Luma has agreed to sit with me and open her heart to us.

This is the first time I discuss and share my thoughts on our environmental footprint, speaking from the heart about our everyday choices and their impact on our internal and external environments. The message is very simple: the choices we make in our every day lives have a significant impact on the health of the world. This podcast is in Arabic.

This is a special conversation with the Lebanese artist, mother, and activist Rana Alamuddin. She speaks candidly about her transformation after post-natal depression and adjusting to life in the Middle East after Hollywood. In her honest, eloquent, and free style, Rana shares her story of falling in love with her husband despite cultural and religious objections, Hollywood, children, the feminine body, consciousness, and her close bond with her father. Sit back and enjoy. You will find much inspiration in this heart-to-heart talk. (This conversation is in Arabic.)

On July 28,2016, as my guest Ursula May Shanti was entertaining guests at her family’s Italian restaurant Melograno in Amman, her daughter Sophia, a few months shy of her 16th birthday, lost her life in a tragic car accident. Three years later, I sat with Ursula at Melograno to ask about that night —and every night since that fateful accident in an honest, deep, and inspiring conversation on death and life the morning after. Ursula is a powerful woman with boundless wisdom —an inspiring teacher for anyone open to hear how she has chosen to honor Sophia’s 15 and 3/4 years on earth by celebrating life, finding joy, sharing honestly, and living in a state of love. This is not a sad conversation. I urge you to listen with an open heart and a curious mind so you too can touch and see the beauty and joy Ursula speaks of.

Luma Mufleh saw herself in the faces of a group of boys playing soccer in a street in Georgia in a chance encounter that would change the trajectory of her life —and theirs, and hundreds of others soon after. Through their shared love of soccer, Luma and 30 immigrant children from war-torn countries put together the Fugees soccer team, the nucleus of what would become a powerful organization advocating for social justice. In this conversation, Luma shares her story and her insights on education, coaching, refugees, and compassion. I see myself and my own girls in Luma. I see in her story hope, inspiration, and testament to the power of human connection and finding one’s purpose, one soccer ball, one meal, and one piece of homework at a time.    

I am so excited to share my conversation with Gloria Latham. For starters, Gloria happens to be one of the world’s leading yoga teachers, having spent over 20 years traveling the world sharing the magic of kundalini yoga with thousands of students. She is a truly kind, authentic person, happy to share her experience, refining what she has learned into a systemized approach to  support her students to unlock their true potential so they can live their purpose. She herself has experienced the healing powers of the practice after working as a pharmacist for 10 years dealing with trauma and struggling to find breath. In this conversation, we talk about empowerment, the turban, the white robe, the veil, courage, living one’s potential, and of course yoga. From my sofa in Amman, I had the privilege to speak to an inspiring, passionate human all the way in Vancouver, BC. Technology is awesome —sometimes!

My conversation with Larry McIlvain is inspired by the Mark Twain quote “Don’t let your boy’s schooling interfere with his education.” In this conversation, we dive into education, thinking deeply about questions like whether or not our current education system serves the world we live in today, what we can do to make it better, and how schools can make learning irresistible. We talk about ways to support and encourage a generation of collaborative, creative, kind learners. Larry McIlvain is head of the American Community School Amman. He also serves on the board of the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools.

Dina was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in 2016 after suffering the debilitating pain of this auto-immune disease for 4 years. Two weeks after her diagnosis, Dina came across the Paddison Program. She immediately followed the program and began to see results within 2 days. Dina is today committed to sharing her story of healing with others in hopes to inspire those suffering from pain and searching for healing and recovery. She has become a resource for patients of RA on the Paddison Program in the Arab world. ديث مغامرات الروح مع دينا الحسيني، زوجة وام لثلاثة ابناء. شخصت بمرض التهاب المفاصل الروماتويدي (RA) في ٢٠١٦ بعد اربع سنوات من الألم والمعاناة. بعد التشخيص بأسبوعين، تعرفت دينا على برنامج باديسون وبدأت فيه على الفور. يومين فقط بعد البرنامج شعرت دينا بتحسن واضح. بعد تسجيل حديثنا، أطلقت دينا حساب "مطبخي دوائي" (healcuisine) على انستجرام كمنصة تقدر تشارك فيها بالعربي وصفات من الأكل النباتي الخضري الكامل الخالي من الزيوت والسكر وبمواد متوفرة في اسواقنا. الهدف من حديثنا اليوم نشر الفائدة والمعلومة، وبالذات ونحن على أبواب شهر رمضان الكريم، أعاده الله عليكم بالصحة والعافية.

In this conversation, Zeina, head of Community Building (Marketing as we know it) at Medlabs, shares Medlabs' journey of spiritual awakening as it seeks to nurture and energize its moral core. This healthcare enterprise has undergone a deep dive of reflection and self-study, adopting an integral approach that encompasses science, business, but also spirtuality and community. The process starts with the individual, empowering each team member to consider an integral approach to their own lives, asking difficult questions like inner calling, core values, and beliefs.  This conversation is inspiring, empowering, and essential listening for anyone seeking personal growth and human consciousness, and for enterprises invested in becoming human-centric pillars that nurture healthy societies.

Adventures of the Soul Conversations launches its first conversation with Maen Odeh. (This conversation is in Arabic.) Basketball drilled into Maen a work ethic, discipline, leadership, and service to others while his eyes were on the height of his jump and the speed of his legs. When he stopped and looked in the mirror, he saw a team player, a role model, and dedicated player whose services were needed off the NBA court. The work ethic, discipline, and cultivation process are the passion incubator that nurtures awakened, connected, inspired, passionate humans who can impact the world. The rest are race dogs chasing a stuffed rabbit. Eventually, they stop and realize the rabbit is not real and their knees are busted.