When I was in my early twenties, I had many dreams.  One of them was to become a star.  When I was ten years old, my maternal grandmother came over and told us a story about the day she went to a psychic (years back) and the psychic told her that her daughter (my mom) would marry a foreigner (married a middle eastern man) and have five girls (she had five daughters). She also told her that one of them would be a star.  I bolted my arm up into the air and said, “I get to be the star!” Since that day,  I spent my time studying and preparing to be a “star” but not really understanding what it meant.

Being from a strict middle eastern family we weren’t allowed to date or spend the night at friend’s homes until marriage or we could ruin the reputation of our family and our extended families.  When I was twenty-two graduating from college my best friend scored tickets to Madonna’s very first concert in San Diego, at San Diego State University, my college. What a coincidence. She was my hero because she was so free and knew who she was and didn’t allow anyone to stop her from being her authentic self.

We ended up going to the concert, and meeting up with the band afterwards. I liked  the keyboardist. We exchanged numbers. A few months later, he invited me to New York to see Madonna’s last five concerts. I couldn’t go because I still wasn’t allowed to spend the night away from home until I was married.

I decided to go anyway. I felt it was a once in a lifetime offer.  So I wrote a note to my father letting him know I was headed to New York and that I’d be in touch.  I realized that it was time that I followed my dreams.

I landed in New York and my boyfriend picked me up and we headed off to the Westbury Hotel, which was extraordinary. The next morning I met Madonna.  Just me and her and her trainer and my boyfriend. I told her about my dreams and my home situation.  Her advice was: you must travel and travel alone. That is how we learn about ourselves and can self-actualize.  If you travel with someone, especially as a female from the middle eastern culture, you will always put yourself last and compromise.

I took her advice and booked a ticket to Europe and spent two weeks traveling to seven cities.  I was terrified at first then began to love it.  I immersed  myself into the culture and its people. I grew more in those two weeks than I did in my four years of college.  And guess what, my father got over it after ignoring me for six months. Not only that, he was proud of me for being so bold.

I have now travelled to over sixty countries (most alone) and it shifted my consciousness and I have made friends all over the world, Today, I’m self-actualized with a thriving business and speaker.  This could’ve never happened if not for a fifteen minute conversation with  Queen Madonna.