Her Story
About Sahar
I have been immersed in serving mostly survivors of trauma and gender violence, women and kids across three continents for 25 years. It started in Tehran, then India and throughout South West Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, West Africa, and the last 9 years in the U.S. working with human trafficking survivors as a sexual assault and domestic violence advocate. Last year I transitioned to birth work while continuing as a documentary photographer with multiple exhibitions to raise awareness and funds. I had a small nonprofit in my home country helping queer people, specifically transgender women. I hold a bachelor's in English translation and a master's in arts and philanthropy from CCAD, graduated 2019, plus certifications as birth photographer and doula.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sahar
01What do you attribute your success to?
I am immensely in love with serving women. It is really personal for me because I watched my mom suffer a lot and I struggled a lot in my country where I was persecuted by the regime for advocating for women's rights. I love to advocate for real people's voices and empower people to remember who they are, creating a bridge so survivors can voice what they need.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice came from my mentors who taught me that when functioning from a calmer nervous system, we have the privilege and power to imagine that the strategy or service we choose might not absolutely work for the survivors. Understanding this changed my approach to many roles.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Hold on to your whys and be very clear about why you chose this work. Learn about energy hygiene and how to protect yourself with boundaries energetically. Create a strong small community for yourself because we cannot do this work alone and your heart is going to be broken over and over again.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest opportunity is to open my heart in all the ways that I can love humanity and lead everything I have experienced and the stories of survivors into documenting people and using my storytelling talent to amplify the real voice of humanity.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The biggest value is the law of unconditional generous give and take, believing in the flow of abundant life and not functioning from scarcity. Embracing my own identity and moving with that abundance mindset holds me in everything.
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