When Dr. Rana Al-Falaki suggested I be interviewed for her new series, Be Free, Be Fun, Be Fearless, I laughed because fearless I was not. It had taken me courage to find my voice in written form a few years back; speaking aloud on film was a whole other thing.
Yet before I knew it, a week later and without any preparation, there I was doing a video interview with Rana. She made it easy…just two friends talking on a live chat. However within minutes after we finished, she had already posted it on YouTube. I could hear my voice as my husband started watching it on the large screen in the next room. I started watching, too, though obstructing my view so that I could only see Rana.
Then curiosity won out and I began to watch my image, at first embarrassed, then intrigued. Unconsciously, I separated from my ego and began to look objectively at my outer earth suit on the screen, as if it were someone else that I was observing rather than myself. Seeing ourselves in a mirror has nothing to do with how others see us. Our mannerisms and facial expressions change as we engage with others, things that are impossible to duplicate when staring at our own reflection. In watching myself, what I found fascinating was just how much my traits and facial aspects resemble that of my dad’s family.
I met Rana when she and I were at the EIPPY conference and book awards in Manzanillo, Mexico in February of this year. Rana, author of Women Who Want More: How to Create a Balanced & Fulfilled Life, and owner of Light Changes Coaching, was a speaker there. While she is also a well-known periodontist in the UK and still maintains her practice, Rana has followed her calling of coach and spiritual guide. Listening and talking to Rana is an enriching experience; her empathic observations are insightful and thought-provoking.
Since our initial meeting in Mexico, our friendship has grown despite the miles between London and Milano. She and I are part of a special group of friends that we call Soul Conscious Circle. Thanks to Zoom and social media, we see each other often. It’s been in this circle that I’ve shared some of my stories, stories that Rana said were inspirational. She asked me to share them with a larger audience, thus my interview with her which can be seen by going to the link below.