Najwa Zebian | Author
“I am so proud of myself for being able to universalize my own experiences to that of every human out there.”
Najwa Zebian is the name behind masterpieces of literature including Mind Platter, The Nectar of Pain, Sparks of Phoenix and Welcome Home. She is a Lebanese-Canadian activist, author, speaker, and educator and an epitome of psychological healing. Najwa through her work has transformed the way in which self-acceptance is being looked upon. Over the time she has understood the need of addressing emotions of self, valuing of one’s own emotional needs and the satisfaction of being heard.
Looking into the past
Till this date, the evolutionary origins of what drives humans to suffer loss of self love has received limited attention but this was very well understood by Najwa at a very younger age. At the age of 13, she started penning down her thoughts and emotions and created a journal. Days, months and years passed by and page by page she created her own history. When she looks back at those journals, she realizes those words spoke loud about a shallow heart, an unloved soul and a self- who is yearning to be heard, believed and accepted. She understood she has been missing the sense of belongingness. Belonging to a home, where she could feel confident, accepted and bring all her insecurities to calm.
After three years, Najwa moved to Canada from Lebanon, another seven years had passed by and that seed of distress in Najwa’s heart had grown big and taken a form of a big tree of a dissatisfied human. Suffering through all this silently, after some time, Najwa started teaching; her first batch was a group of students who were Libyan refugees to Canada. Listening to the stories and struggles of these students, Najwa’s own self got triggered and she felt motivated to get back to writing. Penning down her thoughts, emotions and this time also her experiences was to empower students and end the search of ‘home of peace’ for herself. She had already decided that she will not let her students go through what she had once faced. She wanted to be a torch-bearer for her students and her 16-year-old self as well. From that time, there has been no looking back for Najwa. Every new day has been a day of new chapter in her book of life, in both literal and practical sense.
A stepping stone towards change
In the year 2018, Najwa laid the foundation of ‘Najwa Zebian Inc.’, an organisation which aims to change the way in which mental health, self love and acceptance is being understood and looked at. Every word and thought which flows out from the banner of Najwa Zebian Inc or Najwa herself encourages individuals out there who are in search of home of peace or are walking on the path leading to honouring and accepting self. Najwa’s organisation envisions to encourage people to make a happy space for their own. A space which accepts self and others in the way they are and not belittle anyone for any lacking. Najwa aligns all these aims and visions with reality by writing books and contributing in initiatives which are directed towards empowering mental health or any kind of human empowerment in general.
Different mediums to connect
It is not only through books that Najwa tries to connect with people feeling disconnected and living in dissatisfaction. Apart from rolling out written collaterals, the organsiation is also equipped in providing one-on-one sessions for those who are willing to understand and transform their level of acceptance for self and also for others. Najwa Zebian Inc. through its online school, Soul Academy, also offers a course on ‘Letting Go’. There is a podcast called Stories of the Soul. Najwa also takes public forums to express her thoughts and views on healing, education, mental health and human rights.
“The journey of my company follows my journey as a human, it has been life-changing experience. To run a business that is strictly based off of my struggle to find the feeling of home, the feeling of emotional safety and a safe space for authenticity, is incredible to me.”
The wake of new beginning
The response which Najwa is getting from audience for her work and initiatives is tremendous, the love her followers and fan-base share on Instagram is a proof that how much people around the world already needed of mental health and being. Najwa as an individual and an entity has carved a way for its own. From the initial thought of maintaining a journal to now launching books and podcasts, everything has happened very organically. An action initiated for self has taken a shape of an act for public welfare.
However, it is not always a smooth sail, the turbulence here is about the challenges in making money. This type of service is not of very much potential to maintain or increase cash flow. Measuring such kind of domain against materialistic compensation is like demeaning the purpose behind the action. Najwa has been many a times approached to monetize her skills and work in a certain way to withdraw profit. But she has always swinged against the flow and opted to not trade the authenticity of her work for any kind of compensation.
The Organic growth
Najwa leaves no stone unturned when it comes to growing her business organically. She agreed to take the stage of TEDx, when asked by readers for some additional content on certain topics, she did provide it. For Najwa, the goal has always been about letting the organisation grow naturally and she tries to be as authentic and unique as she can. She values and honours the opportunity she has created for herself to pen down her feelings and emotional state of mind.
Najwa is all set to add two feathers to her hat with two upcoming books with Penguin Random House and she is also recording a new season of Stories of the Soul.