“Have faith in God, then have faith in yourself. Put no boundaries on your aspirations, and keep your heart and mind focused on your passions and you will get there, God willing.”

Our hero for April is Christina Al-Maari from the city of Sednaya in Syria. She is a mother of two, a life skills coach for teenagers, a certified family and educational consultant, and has a diploma in neurolinguistic programming.

Christina says: “Since I was a little girl, I was fascinated by books that talked about human development. My university studies in translation at the Faculty of Arts were far from anything that resembled me. However, despite that, I succeeded and worked in the banking sector, where I gained experience in the field of development and met different types of minds and personalities. Each personality taught me more and led me to analyses that confirmed my belief in the unity of the soul, mind, and body. 

The biggest turning point in my life was motherhood. At that time, I did not know that my motherhood of Alfred and Jad would lead me to the place where I would find myself, the place where this talent would turn into science, studies, and training. My motherhood was a turning point in my life towards every child in this world, and my inner child was the first of them. 

Here began the journey of consciousness, healing, and self-discovery to reach my true self. I started to let go and free myself from the traumas of the past, which were concentrated greatly in the adolescent stage. After I healed, my focus shifted to how to help every teenager go through this journey of life peacefully, flexibly, and with the least amount of challenges.

At the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, and during the complete lockdown, I started searching for a new future for myself. It was then that I met my esteemed teacher, Aya Khanji. After talking with her, I realized that what I was searching for was available at the International Academy for Training Trainers in London. However, I needed a lot of time, effort, and training to become a certified life skills trainer from the Academy. I thought a lot about it, and my husband was my biggest supporter because he knew how much I loved helping others.

I started my new journey, and the road was not easy. I had to shoulder significant responsibilities, starting with taking care of my children, who are my top priority in life, and my household duties. The biggest challenge was leaving my comfort zone, but every time I felt the desire to retreat, I reminded myself of the motivation behind my studies and the goal I wanted to achieve. I completed the journey, and I also decided to study the accredited educational family counseling specialization because I felt the importance of working with parents to help them build healthy relationships with their children, which is part of my mission.

After two years of training, studying, and hard work, I officially became a certified life skills coach for children and teenagers, accredited by the International Academy for Training in London. I obtained a diploma in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and became a certified family and educational consultant accredited by the North Texas Leadership Development Academy and Wideview Institute and the Knowledge Authority in the Dubai government. Then I founded the Future Makers Academy, believing that children and teenagers are the future makers, and they are the seeds that, if planted in fertile soil, give the best crops.

Today, I cannot describe my happiness every time I help any young person in their teenage years to find themselves and discover their inner treasures. My greatest happiness is when I offer assistance to a family or caregiver who needs it to rebuild their parental relationship with their children and often with themselves. I believe that solving everything starts from within, and change begins from our depths.

My next goal is to develop and increase my knowledge of the developing world because knowledge is power. In addition, I aim to reach every teenager in need of someone to understand and listen to them and be able to offer help without any judgments.

I dream of reaching every Arab household that needs help rebuilding relationships between its members to be happy and mentally healthy. My message today to anyone reading this article: “continue and move forward in life because passion does not end at a certain age or circumstance. Harness your circumstances to serve your dreams and always aim to be the best version of yourself. Do not compare yourself to anyone because each of us is a unique creature created by God. Look inside yourself to find your inner treasures and from there, move forward and achieve goals that suit your life.”

The Uplifting Syrian Women initiative celebrates the success of Christina Al-Maari and wishes her more strength and ability to give. It hopes this story will be a lesson in willpower, determination, and continuous striving towards the goal.