Afaf Ouardi is a Moroccan teen who aspires to promote and unify the voice of young people, to show Gen Z's potential and help Gen Zers to get their inner gems out through hosting Youth Zone. She picks some of the interesting topics that concern the growth
In this episode, we spill the tea on what it's really like studying at UPenn, from culture shocks and academic struggles to unforgettable memories and adventures. Tune in as we compare our previous academic life to life at an Ivy, share the highs and lows, and reflect on how this journey changed us.
Breaking the myth that staying quiet means you're not valuable enough. Learning, observing, and growing in silence are powerful tools and not signs of weakness. Also diving into why we define our worth by actual results rather than who we become in the process. Enjoy listening !
Every encounter shapes us in ways we might not realize immediately. In this episode, I talk about how the people we meet leave lasting imprints on our lives and our personalities, and how we turn to influence theirs as well. It is the beauty of human connections and the profound ways we become part of each other's stories even when we don't expect it nor plan for it.
In this episode, I dive into the defense mechanism of projection—why people project their insecurities, fears, and failures onto others, and how to recognize when it's happening. Using relatable examples and real-life situations, I unpack how projections impact our social interactions.
In this podcast episode, I dive into the topic of women's motherly instincts and how they naturally extend beyond just caring for children, often influencing their relationships as well. It's about how women often find comfort in embracing their nurturing, giving, and compassionate nature. However, I also discuss how these instincts can sometimes go too far, leading to unintended challenges.
We often don't reflect about things we did, choices we made, decisions we took, because that inner discovery is uncomfortable and ugly. It takes time and it takes courage to actually dive deep into who we are and what led us to be us. Reflecting usually takes us to some world we don't want to get to, feel things we don't want to feel, and even remember memories we don't want to remember. However, no matter how complex it is, it is still the first important step to understand ourselves and the people around us.
As the past few months were unexpectedly rough with successive insane life events, this is the first time I notice a clear transformation in my way of thinking about multiple things. I am sharing in this episode all what led me to the person I am today, and how I am still leading my growth and fighting for inner peace.
Managing your attachment style and learning to deal with people's attachment styles can be a long and stressful journey. The episode focuses more on the anxious-avoidant pair, as the combination seems very paradoxical that people with those styles even give up on working their friendships and relationships out. Where is the real problem? And how do things feel for avoidant and anxious people?
In this episode, I reflect on the first six months of 2024 and share the valuable lessons I've learned along the way. From personal growth to unexpected challenges, this episode explores how these experiences have shaped my perspective and approach for the rest of the year.
The first part of this episode is about the overwhelming feelings that come after overanalyzing and seeking explanations about everything that happens in our lives. The second part is about confusion and indecisiveness, or what I call it “the gray area”, how this is my most uncomfortable state of mind…
If you experienced a traumatic event, you likely remember certain sounds, smells, words, or discussions related to that experience. When you encounter these reminders, known as triggers, you may get a feeling of anxiety, unease or even panic. In this episode, we try to understand symptoms, reasons, and ways to deal with triggers.
The urge to grow up and improve too fast in a young age is unconscious and also uncontrollable. We don't get to notice it until we get drained and overwhelmed from consistently running and living in the uncertain future.
Eudaimonia is different from Euphoria, and that's what the episode tries to explain. The way you fulfill yourself is very unique to you, and only you are the one who gets the feeling of satisfaction from living a certain way that people might not get/feel/understand. What we should be sure of is, we might live our best life and still not be happy all day.
We have always talked about dealing with anxiety when we face a certain challenge/issue in life, but we never talked about those naturally anxious minds that get panics occurring continuously.
5 international female students are living together.. In this episode they are expressing their thoughts about being independent in a new country, they also talk about the perspective of men towards women's independency and how they react to it with the goal of finding a middle ground in relationships.
Whether it's past traumas, personal insecurities, trust issues, or societal expectations.. These can all lead to a fear of love that is characterized by overthinking the affections we receive and not knowing how to react to the care and attention that people give us. In this episode, more reflections about the topic are shared, and more roots are being revealed.
Not innovating, not producing or creating things anymore to give back to my community has been causing me a lot of discomfort, disappointment in myself and judgement. In this episode, I am recalling the importance of taking our time to refill ourselves with inspiration and passion, in order to be able to deliver good work later.
Moving abroad to a new country in a whole other continent was a tough process by all means. From applying, to deciding, to flying…it's all described in this episode. Enjoy !
We often feel like it's gonna be over, we feel like we will never bring our old self again with everything that's happening in our lives smashing us and affecting us so bad. However, we often forget the fact that we will figure it out, we will get over it as well always did, and we will REGAIN THAT SPARKLE AGAIN.
I hope this episode would be beneficial to students who are trying to apply for universities abroad and who started making their college lists. There are so many factors to consider before making a college list, today I talked about a variety of them from my own experience with the US application process.
Talking about depression can be difficult and very subjective. A personal experience is shared in this episode, with a goal of raising awareness about the different methods of therapy that we can follow to heal. Your questions, comments, feedbacks, and experiences are very welcomed…
Should we manifest our dream lives and attract them to actually live them or just let things go, follow the flow and accept whatever life brings us? I have always been trying to answer that question because my personal experiences have resulted a war between two laws, the law of attraction and the law of non-attachment. Which one should we work with ?
If you have started, or planning to start the US process (applying to the US universities), this episode has all the tips you'd need during your preparation for the standardized tests, which is a big step towards moving abroad with full scholarships.
Have you ever went through a hard time feeling that all the doors are closed at your face (including opportunities and people) ? In this episode, I discuss how to deal with this kind of breakdowns relating them to destiny and faith.
When do you know a friendship/relationship is turning to be toxic ? When is the pain and problems not worth dealing with anymore? In this episode, I talk about the patterns that make us fail our connections with others, the lessons I've learned from friendships worth fighting for. I talk about previous experiences and how they have impacted me on the personal level.
We struggle to connect with ourselves and even with people around us on a deep level. Sometimes we look like strangers to each other because we don't know enough about who we are and where we belong. We're not really strangers is a driven card game that helps with self-talks, journalling prompts and long conversations..
They say that if you are frustrated by a situation, problem, or simply want to expand your imagination or creativity, give daydreaming a try and see what mental pathways might open up for you. But people don't know that daydreaming may be toxic and unhealthy sometimes if you get too much used to it. It may turn to be a source of disappointment not a source of joy and pleasure anymore..
Overachievers are people who do great things but still need to accomplish more, even though they attain more success than the majority of people, they never get satisfied and always strive for what's "next". If you judge your own worth purely based upon successes, there's a strong sign that you're an overachiever..
It is not your responsibility to change another person's situation or solve their problems, but it is your duty as a close person to them to make sure they are okay and help them go out of the tough time. Not everyone is able to tell you about what they're going through, not everyone who's smiling at you is actually smiling from the inside. So be impactful and do the tiny little things that can make your circle feel better in a crisis.
You Only Live Once...You may look crazy for quitting your job, opening a small business, dancing hip-hop, writing rap lyrics, jumping from a project to another, start modeling, changing your clothing style, being vegan... You are the one who knows what's right for you, so be comfortable with looking that INSANE.
Can any art objectively be good or bad than other art ? Is there an ugly art actually ? Too many difficult and brave questions to answer in this episode, a humble opinion was shared, and your own voice, dear listener, deserves to be heard as always..
A lot of people ask about what the DMP program is ? Why is participation in DMP important ? Who is eligible to apply ? And what makes it a special experience ? In this episode, all the questions about DigiGirlz are answered, advices and tips are also given from a past Mentee and a new Mentor.
You don't need to pressure yourself to compete, to win, to come out on top. Because the truth is, you don't control the outcome. You don't control anything — except yourself. The only parts you truly have control over are your attitude, your mindset, and your actions. The rest is out of your control.
Our personal brand is the public perception of us by having a consistent voice, personality, and a unique story to tell. Having an online presence means shaping ourselves and optimising the way in which we're presented to others. How is a good personal brand built ? Is personal branding only limited to entrepreneurs and business owners ? How can social media be used for a beneficial personal use ? Those are all answered questions in this episode.
Sometimes we are too impatient for some specific things, and sometimes planning kills our patience. Sometimes NOs are more powerful than YESs. Sometimes there is no hope or escapism. Is it an illusion or reality? Can you still be yourself when other things are impacting you ? What is impacting you the most ?And who are you, is it your identity or coping skills?
What if success is less about how much money you make, or many houses you own, and more about how fulfilled you are ? Maybe it's about the impact you make in your community, or how loved you are by the people who matter. What is your definition of success then ?
This episode is about the conflicting emotions and thoughts of change and feeling bad over losing an old lifestyle when you make changes and start a new phase in life. Do not expect many advices and tips from this episode, it's just an honest speech from a Gen Zer's heart to another..
In this episode, I am talking about how friendships of young age are impacting our mental health in the long term, and how we are scuplturing our personalities out of people who surround us. "Show me your friends, I'll show you your future" was once said by the billionaire Dan Pena, and today, I am discussing this quote from my own perspective and experience.
My birthay was on the 26th of August, by this occasion I'll be talking about why do some people get upset and depressed on their birthays ? Am I that kind of people ? How was my birthay this year ? And how did I spend it ? If your birthay is happening soon, you surely need to check out this episode. Enjoy it :)
Are you all ready for a sunny, fun, productive summer ? This episode is about small achievable goals you can work on to glow and improve your lifestyle this summer, it includes tips on buiding and maintaining habits that can help you to learn, stay healthy, interact and organize your life at the same time. Enjoy the episode, enjoy your vacation :)
It may be a long episode but it's worth it because this topic is very close to my heart. I have reflected on Brené Brown's researches and books about the strong relation between Vulnerability and Leadership, and tried to raise awareness about the real definition of Vulnerability in the sociology field. I have talked about my little experience as well to give you examples about how does Daring Leadership look like.
Motivation loss hits everyone in life, from the tired med student to the highly effective excutive. There is only a difference in the reasons behind that loss and how does it look like in the person's mental and physical health. Why do we suddently lose motivation ? What should we do when we lose our excitement ? And what do we need the most, discipline or motivation ? All of these questions are answered in this episode..
We don't remember consciously much when we acquired our first language, we had so much exposure that our brains just naturally picked up the patterns from our surroundings. However, the noticing process is a little more conscious in acquiring a second language, only because we are more deliberate about it. We reach a certain time where we surely need to learn other languages for personal, academic or professional reasons. Today, Afaf is sharing her own experience with learning languages, especially English since she receives many questions about that..
"I hate when people confuse education with intelligence, you can have a bachelor's degree and still be an idiot" Elon Musk. Education is the key of growth of any population. In this episode, Afaf is trying to dive in depth of how education plays a critical role in our lives, to speak up about the things she doesn't like in the traditional education system our schools are following and trying to prove that education is different from our grades and degrees.
Have you ever wanted to work on an idea, whether it's a business idea, a story or scenario you had in mind, whatever this project idea might be .. Then you figure out that it's already existing, another person tried to work on the same idea, and you think that it was "stolen". If you want to understand why and how does this happen, this episode is for you.
Before starting to talk about the topics that concern us as teens, I want you to go out of this episode with some key learnings that might unlock the doors of the next episodes. I want you to know your worth as a Gen Zer and recognize your value before starting the change. Let's stop complaining and be proud of belonging to an active generation !