Going after what makes you happy as an Arab Muslim woman doesn’t always come with instant gratification. There is pain and guilt involved when finally making a decision for yourself. I often wonder to myself, will I ever experience happiness without allowing myself to poison the moment by the idea that I’m making others unhappy in return. Grief is interesting when it shows up in moments where you are welcoming a new chapter in your life - a chapter you have been making dua for for the longest. Yet somehow and someway without an invite, grief can show up and incessantly knock on your door and you have no choice but to acknowledge it. But I’m trying my best to not allow grief to paralyze me, or to instill fear in me and prevent me from entering this new chapter of my life.  I am someone who has stayed in her comfort zone for far too long and so, naturally self doubt is trying to keep me here a bit longer but for the first time I’m refusing to do so. Someone else who may understand what I am going through is none other than Abeer Najjar. She is a self taught chef and food writer, born on the Southside of Chicago to Palestinian immigrant parents - and in today’s episode Abeer shares with us her journey of self growth and self development as an Arab woman. I have a heart to heart with Abeer in regards to some of her most recent decisions that she has made and how that has impacted her relationship with her parents. I’ve realized that when discussing the topic of self development as an Arab woman it is almost impossible to not touch upon our past and current relationship with our immigrant parents and how that has shaped the decisions we are making today.  As grown adults how can we transform our bond with our parents to welcome them into the new chapters of our lives? We also can't forget about the picture of Abeer at Umrah going viral - a  picture that had captured a beautiful moment between Abeer and her brother - but I also wanted to discuss the experiences she had at Umrah, the ones that weren't captured within this photo and the reflections she can share with us that she has brought back from her trip. How does ihsan and taqwa play a role in our lives as Muslim women who are trying to forge a new path for themselves, while balancing a relationship with their parents and working towards emotional independence? Enjoy and follow the pod on Instagram: @unsweetenedandunfiltered Follow Abeer Najjar on Instagram: @abeernajjar_ Check out Abeer's blog: Click here