Finding Hope

Counselor Mandy and Chris Saade are thrilled to be sharing about their new book “Tears are the Source of Your Passion: The Power of Authenticity and Grief” launching later this summer. This book encourages the honoring of grief, and giving voice to it, so that its gifts can be offered to the world. “The good news is that grief is a portal for our authenticity and to discovering the fire that burns in us! Grief opens our heart and then allows MORE love to flow through” says Chris. They offer helpful tools and remind us that grief and joy can co-exist!

“I’m overjoyed that our book will be published at this particular time in our history – when SO many people are grieving and need guidance during this time of their lives” states Mandy.

“Tears are the Source of Your Passion: The Power of Authenticity and Grief” will be available late summer 2021 on Amazon. This is Counselor Mandy’s first book, and Chris Saade’s sixth book.

Chris Saade is an author, a psychological and philosophical teacher, trainer of professionals, and a life coach. After years serving as a psychotherapist in private practice, Chris spent two decades training therapists, coaches, and the general public in two of his models: Integra: 6 Keys for Heart-Centered Living, and The Quest for Individual Authenticity and Global Solidarity. To date, Chris has led nearly 250 multi-day cutting-edge workshops.

Born in Beirut, he was involved in peace and humanitarian work for 14 years before and during the Lebanese war. The difficulty of those times led him to develop a great respect for freedom, authenticity, diversity, peace, and a passion for justice and solidarity, especially for children.

In this episode of Finding Hope Counselor Mandy talks with Dr. John Cox, a professor of Global Studies at UNC Charlotte and director of the Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Human Rights Studies. John shares that his two greatest losses were the recent passing of his Dad, and his trip to Bosnia two years ago where he felt profound trauma, sorrow and rage. Throughout his career he has been educating people about what has REALLY happened with genocide and the injustices he sees. He encourages our listeners by saying “small acts have a ripple effect and can have a bigger impact than you think they will, so don’t discount them – keep doing them.”

Dr. John Cox is a professor of Global Studies at UNC Charlotte and directs the Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Human Rights Studies. Before coming to UNCC in 2011, John founded and directed a genocide & human rights-studies center at Florida Gulf Coast University. Cox earned his Ph.D. in History at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2006.

John has written and lectured widely on racism and genocide as well as resistance and, at least as importantly, has been active in human-rights, anti-racist, and pro-liberation activism since his college years in the '80s.

Counselor Mandy and her guest, Barry Sherman, have known each other for over 25 years. In that time, they have been fighting the good fight championing authenticity and solidarity. Mandy loved it when Barry jumped right in with this bold statement: “There is no sustainable way forward without deeply embracing authenticity.” For over three decades Barry, as a school Social Worker and currently the Coordinator for Social-Emotional Learning and Student Leadership, has been helping young people explore, discover, and develop their own authenticity. In this episode they also have a candid discussion about the lies we have been telling our children which are a detriment to their psychological growth. Barry states “in order to prepare our youth for the 21st century we must guide them into the beautiful authentic truth of their own being AND join it with global solidarity.”

Over the past three decades, Barry Sherman has worked side-by-side with Chris Saade (and a stellar team of noble-hearted people) supporting the development of his evolutionary work including Chris’s H Method model of deep authenticity and global solidarity.

Alongside this nonprofit work, Barry’s work as a School Social Worker with Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools began in 1989, where he currently works at Wilson Stem Academy as the Coordinator for Social-Emotional Learning and Student Leadership. He is very excited and proud to be working with Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools, a school district that has made a strong commitment to social and emotional learning.

Barry has an undergraduate degree in music education and a masters degree in social work from the University of South Carolina and is a licensed clinical social worker. He is a singer/songwriter with CDs that focus around themes of authenticity and solidarity.

Barry lives in Charlotte with his beloved South African spouse, Dr. Lyndall Hare, and their academically gifted rescue dog, Jayco.

If you'd like to contact Barry he can be reached at: b4sherman@aol.com

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Dr. Linda Bender, an internationally renowned animal advocate, speaker, and author joins Counselor Mandy for this episode of Finding Hope. From a young age Dr. Bender had the super-power of communicating with animals and knew she HAD to help them. She felt the grief from the ignorance and cruelty to animals by humans, and has made it her life’s work to advocate for them. The wisdom she has learned from animals is having unconditional love, joy, and peace, as well as how they teach us about death and moving on.

Counselor Mandy is thrilled to have social change instigator/facilitator/coach Evangeline Weiss joining Finding Hope to talk about her work in educating white women around becoming more self-aware and responsible as a white person. “What I found, from an experience at a very young age, is that we are unprepared in a multi-racial world, and that breaking the silence to talk about these issues is key to the change that needs to happen” says Evangeline. She offers practical tools for taking action and adapting an anti-racist mindset as white people. She is grateful that more and more white people are seeking ways to bring about a more just world.

Evangeline has over 20 years of community building and organizational development experience, integrating racial and gender justice into organizational culture and impact. Evangeline facilitates coaching circles and training programs to sustain leaders on a path towards greater wholeness, intentionality and purpose. Evangeline spent the first 10 years of her career managing volunteers and staff in HIV/AIDS service organizations, and currently facilitates transformational change through her consulting practice, Beyond Conflict and her workshop Finding Freedom. Evangeline is a wife + mother, artist, and justice worker.

In this episode of Finding Hope we are changing things up a bit! We’ve heard from many listeners that want to know more about our host Mandy Bird’s story and grief journey. So instead of Mandy interviewing a guest…SHE will be the “guest” being interviewed. Our special host is Mandy’s long-time friend and former business partner Tammy Starling.

Mandy reveals that when she was 8 years old her parents divorced. She remembers feeling very alone and having no one to talk to about it. But she also had a voice inside that said “this pain is not going to be in vain.” This traumatic experience birthed in her a desire to help others. She talks about some of the things that have been supportive in her grief journey and also the people along the way that have inspired her. “It has always been essential for me to grow my emotional/spiritual life. I feel that I have an ethical responsibility to be a servant of The Divine” says Mandy. We hope you enjoy this special episode of Finding Hope!

Mandy has been delivering her brand of hope and heart-centered therapy from the stage, the sound booth and through dynamic personal counseling sessions since 1993. She is a benevolent advisor, inspired author, and profoundly intuitive counselor and teacher whose personal experience with loss and tragedy helped awaken her, to her true purpose as a loving healer and grief guide. She started the Finding Hope Podcast as her creative response to the pandemic and all that is transpiring in the world at this time. Mandy considers it her purpose to free the hearts of those experiencing loss by literally loving their hearts into action. It is her highest wish that we live our authentic and purposeful lives with power and joy. She is VERY excited to announce that her book, Tears are the Source of Your Passion, the power and passion of authentic grief, co-authored with Chris Saade, will be released early Summer 2021.

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Author Chris Saade joins Counselor Mandy once again to offer hope and tools for those suffering with migraines and/or chronic pain. After battling with acute chronic migraines for 10 years now, Chris knows first-hand how debilitating they can be. In addition to using various integrative medicine approaches, he and Mandy talk about three tools that have been life-saving in dealing with this pain: Authenticity and Stress, Pleasure, and Love!

Chris says “People with migraines often feel misunderstood and devalued, when actually, the simple act of showing up each day is heroic! I hope that these tools I’m offering, and have used myself, will give them a new perspective on dealing with physical pain.”

Chris Saade is an author, a psychological and philosophical teacher, trainer of professionals, and a life coach. After years serving as a psychotherapist in private practice, Chris spent two decades training therapists, coaches, and the general public in two of his models: Integra: 6 Keys for Heart-Centered Living, and The Quest for Individual Authenticity and Global Solidarity. To date, Chris has led nearly 250 multi-day cutting-edge workshops.

Born in Beirut, he was involved in peace and humanitarian work for 14 years before and during the Lebanese war. The difficulty of those times led him to develop a great respect for freedom, authenticity, diversity, peace, and a passion for justice and solidarity, especially for children.

We are starting Season 3 of Finding Hope with a budding heart-centered mystic poet, Chelan Harkin. I was captured by Chelan’s poetry because she reminds me of a modern day feminine Hafiz and Rumi. In my interview with Chelan she revealed that growing up and in her early 20s she suffered from acute loneliness and an eating disorder. When this became too painful she sought out ways to become more authentic and to feel good again. Poetry has become one of her tools. She shared that she has learned to “receive” the poetry that comes to her and tries not to do much editing to them. Chelan graced us by reading her poem “Say Wow.” Listen in to hear these profound words about the choices we are presented with each day to say “WOW!”

Chelan Harkin recently published her first book of poetry, Susceptible to Light. This process has been the most satisfying, door opening, and wildly rewarding and encouraging of her life. Shalan’s path is somewhat direct. She feels, she heals, she accesses new insights and inspiration through living on her growth edge and moving through shadows into new horizons of understanding. Then she writes about it. She cares about living truthfully, open heartedly and honoring the authentic self.

In our final episode of Season 2 of Finding Hope, Counselor Mandy talks with author/coach and mother Elizabeth Catignani about how she used her grief tools and self-care during the pandemic. After several unexpected losses at the age of 27, Elizabeth passionately dedicated her life to helping others experience healing, joy, and purpose after loss. During the pandemic she, like many others, have been isolated at home with children (her daughters are ages 4 and 12). “I felt like I was on a hamster wheel and knew something HAD to change” says Elizabeth. What she did is what she has taught others to do…go back to the basics of self-care. Her and Mandy talk about these practical tools, as well as the importance of giving ourselves grace. Living in this time in history is new territory for all of us. Do the small things and they will add up and remember you are not alone.

Elizabeth is a Certified Creative Grief Coach, Health Coach and author of Creative Grieving: A Hip Chick’s Path from Loss to Hope. She established Her Creative Wellness, a blog and online platform as a supportive space for women to become empowered on their journey in healing and wellness, from grief to hope. She believes in the transformative power of the human journey and our sacred stories. Through sharing her own story, she hopes to light the way for others seeking a healthy, heart-centered, and fulfilling life.

In this episode of Finding Hope, Counselor Mandy talks with spiritual director and interfaith chaplain Nicholas Collura about the importance of coming back home into our authentic nature. As a young child, Nicholas had a sense that he wanted to help people and asked a lot of big questions…that, sometimes, weren’t met with enthusiasm. He now sees that asking those “life” questions led him to his current profession. He also talks about how using the tools of gratitude and mindfulness have helped during this time of the pandemic.

Nicholas Collura is a board-certified interfaith healthcare chaplain, as well as a spiritual director and retreat director affiliated with St. Raphaela Center outside of Philadelphia. He studied film and literature at Yale University and the University of Paris before earning a Master of Divinity from the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. Beyond his work in health care, Nicholas spent three years of his life as a Jesuit on the West Coast, and has worked as a chaplain on college campuses, in juvenile halls and state prisons, and at a shared life community for people with and without developmental disabilities.

By popular demand I’ve decided to re-post the Finding Hope episode where I spoke with internationally known author Andrew Harvey! 

Internationally renowned religious scholar, writer, teacher, and the author of more than 40 books, Andrew Harvey, joins Counselor Mandy in this episode of Finding Hope. Andrew shares what’s on his heart as we are in the midst of this “global dark night of the soul” saying that this is an opportunity for old systems that have not been serving us to die. It is also a time for birth, which is exploding in all sorts of ways. AND, that it’s SO important to be radiating hope in action – “Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up!” He offers listeners a simple sacred practice to help stay grounded and connected to the Divine (in whatever tradition you come from).

Andrew Harvey was born in south India in 1952 and has devoted much of his life to studying the world's mystical traditions, including intensive study of Hinduism, Buddhism and Sufi mysticism.

In this episode of Finding Hope, Counselor Mandy talks with counselor and interfaith chaplain Neil Beresin about how the loss of his parents, just five weeks apart, led him to shift his career path to becoming a Chaplain and discovering how poetry can be an integral piece in the grief process. Neil shared “When I would visit patients in the hospital, after I got to know them, I would select a poem from the collection I had put together and read it to them. I found that it opened up a space for feelings and reflection, and was a wonderful tool into their world to help them grieve or provide a respite from their worry.”

In Neil’s private practice he specializes in helping individuals navigate the unstable and disorienting waters of grief and loss. He may use poetry to provide additional comfort, deepen the space, and encourage reflection and opening. Neil moved into chaplaincy work as an encore pathway following the death of his parents five weeks apart in 2014. The experience of caring for and companioning them in their final nine months of life was profound and life-changing.

By popular demand I’ve decided to re-post the Finding Hope episode where I spoke with best-selling author and teacher Jeff Brown! Jeff’s life work is bringing people back into their bodies and their hearts to the authentic self. In our candid (and lively) conversation Jeff said “We must dive into our bodies and FEEL the feelings. Getting inside the heart is essential to finding our path in the world. I believe this path is encoded in us and to find it we have to excavate and clear the emotional armor that is held in our body.” Counselor Mandy and Jeff speak candidly about “patriarchal spirituality” and other movements that he feels are harmful rather than helpful. He offers tools for getting to our authentic selves, as well as hope for where we are today in light of world affairs.

Along our life journey there will be times when we encounter “a necessary separation,” as our guest Angela Haigler coins it. In this episode of Finding Hope, Counselor Mandy and Angela talk about how these “separations” can lead to hope because they quite possibility have been holding us back from our dreams. Angela shares her story of her “necessary separation” from a job which then led to her writing and coaching career taking off. “If this separation hadn’t happened, the other things I REALLY wanted to do wouldn’t have opened up in the way they have.”

The  holidays can be extremely hard when you aren’t in the “holly jolly”  mood. And this year, especially due to the loss of lives from the  pandemic, there will be a lot of people facing their first holiday  season without a loved one. Counselor Mandy’s guest on this episode of  Finding Hope, grief specialist and licensed professional counselor Tammy  Starling, has experienced this first-hand. She shares her story, as  well as offers tools for both honoring the grief and finding moments of  peace and celebration during this time. “It’s so important to  acknowledge your grief, take care of yourself, and have a plan” says  Tammy.

For many years Tammy and Mandy held Hope for the Holidays events  where people gathered to share about the grief they were experiencing as  the holidays approached. “It is rare to find a space where grief is  actually honored and listened to at this time of the year” says Mandy.  This year they are hoping to offer a virtual Hope for the Holidays in  December. (Watch Mandy’s FB and Insta pages for details.)

Tammy Starling is a grief specialist and licensed professional  counselor in Nashville, Tennessee. She was in private practice for 22  years, 16 of which she and Counselor Mandy were business partners  together in Charlotte, NC. Over the years, Tammy has taught numerous  classes on grief and led many large and small groups around living with  loss. Currently, she administers behavioral health grant programs for a  large managed care organization in TN. She is the mother of two adult  children and has two grandsons.

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Author Chris Saade joins Counselor Mandy once again to offer hope and tools for how we can survive these turbulent times in a way that we can be centered, and not crushed, by all that is occurring in our world as we near the end of 2020.

Chris uses the metaphor of growing a garden to illustrate how we have the ability to focus our minds on what we are cultivating in our own personal lives (our garden). Every garden represents the authenticity of our being. Saade encourages us to ask this question everyday: “What beauty and love, in these times, does my heart desire to create?” He invites us to let go of  “should, must, HAVE to” and instead focus on the small and specific gifts we can bring to the world.

Chris Saade is an author, a psychological and philosophical teacher, trainer of professionals, and a life coach. After years serving as a psychotherapist in private practice, Chris spent two decades training therapists, coaches, and the general public in two of his models: Integra: 6 Keys for Heart-Centered Living, and The Quest for Individual Authenticity and Global Solidarity. To date, Chris has led nearly 250 multi-day cutting-edge workshops.

Born in Beirut, he was involved in peace and humanitarian work for 14 years before and during the Lebanese war. The difficulty of those times led him to develop a great respect for freedom, authenticity, diversity, peace, and a passion for justice and solidarity, especially for children.

The holidays can be extremely hard when you aren’t in the “holly jolly” mood. And this year, especially due to the loss of lives from the pandemic, there will be a lot of people facing their first holiday season without a loved one. Counselor Mandy’s guest on this episode of Finding Hope, grief specialist and licensed professional counselor Tammy Starling, has experienced this first-hand. She shares her story, as well as offers tools for both honoring the grief and finding moments of peace and celebration during this time. “It’s so important to acknowledge your grief, take care of yourself, and have a plan” says Tammy.

For many years Tammy and Mandy held Hope for the Holidays events where people gathered to share about the grief they were experiencing as the holidays approached. “It is rare to find a space where grief is actually honored and listened to at this time of the year” says Mandy. This year they are hoping to offer a virtual Hope for the Holidays in December. (Watch Mandy’s FB and Insta pages for details.)

Tammy Starling is a grief specialist and licensed professional counselor in Nashville, Tennessee. She was in private practice for 22 years, 16 of which she and Counselor Mandy were business partners together in Charlotte, NC. Over the years, Tammy has taught numerous classes on grief and led many large and small groups around living with loss. Currently, she administers behavioral health grant programs for a large managed care organization in TN. She is the mother of two adult children and has two grandsons.

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This is a very special episode of Finding Hope because our guest is none other than Counselor Mandy’s brother Jess McMullen. Jess is a restaurant/brewery entrepreneur who has faced and conquered challenges in both his business and personal life. One of his favorite quotes is “great crisis brings seeds of opportunities” and that was the case when COVID hit just when he was about to open his newest venture, a gastropub. “We knew we had to keep the passion alive and be open to creative ideas” says Jess. So his “Flyway family” got together and came up with new ways of opening a restaurant during a pandemic – new ways that were even better than what they had originally planned!

Jess has also done the same thing in his personal life with his special needs son. He firmly believes “it’s never too late” and “never give up.” Amazing things CAN happen!

Jess is the owner of Flyway Brewing Company in Little Rock, AK which will celebrate its 5 year anniversary in December 2020 and  Brood & Barley Gastropub. He is married to his awesome wife Tina, and dad to three amazing kids, Cora, Kinsell, and Hayes.

Counselor Mandy: I felt like this was such an impactful episode that I wanted to republish it for those who may have missed it. I hope it offers you great support for the times we are living in today.

Author Chris Saade joins Counselor Mandy to offer hope and big support as we all move through this “pandemic grief.”

Both speak about how important it is to honor the grief that is  happening, personally and globally. Saade says “when we minimize our  grief, we minimize ourselves.” He also offers the tools of being  authentic and self-nurturing as ways to thrive right now. And he poses  the question “How can I give more love than I’ve ever given?” because  this will allow our hearts to expand. Perhaps this is one of the gifts  that can come from the grief during this unprecedented time in our  history.

Chris Saade is an author, a psychological and philosophical teacher,  trainer of professionals, and a life coach. After years serving as a  psychotherapist in private practice, Chris spent two decades training  therapists, coaches, and the general public in two of his models:  Integra: 6 Keys for Heart-Centered Living, and The Quest for Individual  Authenticity and Global Solidarity. To date, Chris has led nearly 250  multi-day cutting-edge workshops.

Born in Beirut, he was involved in peace and humanitarian work for 14  years before and during the Lebanese war. The difficulty of those times  led him to develop a great respect for freedom, authenticity,  diversity, peace, and a passion for justice and solidarity, especially  for children.

We kick off our 2ndSeason of Finding Hope with best-selling author and teacher Jeff Brown. Jeff’s life work is bringing people back into their bodies and their hearts to the authentic self. “We must dive into our bodies and FEEL the feelings. Getting inside the heart is essential to finding our path in the world. I believe this path is encoded in us and to find it we have to excavate and clear the emotional armor that is held in our body” says Brown. Counselor Mandy and Jeff speak candidly about “patriarchal spirituality” and other movements that he feels are harmful rather than helpful. He offers tools for getting to our authentic selves, as well as hope for where we are today in light of world affairs.

Author Chris Saade joins Counselor Mandy to offer hope and big support as we all move through this “pandemic grief.”

Both speak about how important it is to honor the grief that is happening, personally and globally. Saade says “when we minimize our grief, we minimize ourselves.” He also offers the tools of being authentic and self-nurturing as ways to thrive right now. And he poses the question “How can I give more love than I’ve ever given?” because this will allow our hearts to expand. Perhaps this is one of the gifts that can come from the grief during this unprecedented time in our history.

Chris Saadeis an author, a psychological and philosophical teacher, trainer of professionals, and a life coach. After years serving as a psychotherapist in private practice, Chris spent two decades training therapists, coaches, and the general public in two of his models: Integra: 6 Keys for Heart-Centered Living, and The Quest for Individual Authenticity and Global Solidarity. To date, Chris has led nearly 250 multi-day cutting-edge workshops.

Born in Beirut, he was involved in peace and humanitarian work for 14 years before and during the Lebanese war. The difficulty of those times led him to develop a great respect for freedom, authenticity, diversity, peace, and a passion for justice and solidarity, especially for children.

Joining Counselor Mandy for this episode of Finding Hope is Social Worker, Veteran and Mother, Shakira Woodberry…a woman who never gives up! Even though she has experienced many periods of grief, abuse and prejudice in her life, she holds to her belief that there is only one race – the human race! Shakira shares her story of the trials she faced while getting her masters degree in Social Work and how she was able to refine her purpose in life through that process. Her message is to “spread love” and that we are all connected.

Shakira proudly served in the US Army during the Bosnian war, is mother to twin girls, and is an MSW working in the Charlotte community in various capacities including working with homeless veterans and their families.

You can find her at:

Actress, Playwright, shameless Storyteller and Spiritual Pied Piper, Maureen Muldoon, joins Counselor Mandy in this episode of Finding Hope. She talks about the different “classrooms of grief” she has been in, including losing her mother to breast cancer when she was a child. Maureen found that art – writing and performing plays about her experiences – was her way to heal, and it also was a way for her to offer a “souvenir” to the world that could help others heal as well.

She shares that “now is the time to move back into our artisan life, no matter what that art form is, or how good (or not) you are at it.” And her message for our listeners is to nurture and open mind, stay curious, and be willing to step into the other person’s shoes.

Internationally renowned religious scholar, writer, teacher, and the author of more than 40 books, Andrew Harvey, joins Counselor Mandy in this episode of Finding Hope. Andrew shares what’s on his heart as we are in the midst of this “global dark night of the soul” saying that this is an opportunity for old systems that have not been serving us to die. It is also a time for birth, which is exploding in all sorts of ways. AND, that it’s SO important to be radiating hope in action – “Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up!” He offers listeners a simple sacred practice to help stay grounded and connected to the Divine (in whatever tradition you come from).

Internationally known healer and teacher of health, vitality, energy balance and self-actualization, Dr. Matt Lyon, joins Counselor Mandy in this episode of Finding Hope. Dr. Matt describes his latest experience with grief, letting go of a thriving integrative medicine practice due to physical pain he suffered with for over two years, as a process of “waking up, growing up, cleaning up and showing up.” And how both GRACE, which comes from our life-source/God, and GRIT – becoming totally willing to admit that you need help no matter where you are on your leadership journey – are needed to grow and become even more authentically ourselves.

Author Chris Saade joins us again as he and Counselor Mandy talk about his newest book Rebellion of the Heart in the  second episode of Finding Hope.

Saade’s fifth book, in progress for 10 years and considered his legacy, is a combination of a beautiful art book - full of original paintings by Katie Cassette - and rich philosophical nuggets by Chris.

Through its inspiring words and art, Rebellion of the Heart takes the reader on a decent into the heart – helping them to claim more of their unique personality and wounds – individually and collectively. Chris reminds us that “Our true unique authenticity is the well of strength within us. And part of our authenticity is that we are beings of solidarity. My hope is that the wounds we are ALL feeling will be honored and transmuted into creative passion.”

“This magnificent book, from one of our most lucid and passionate thinkers and seekers, will inspire all who long for and want to build a more authentic and just world” states Andrew Harvey, Founder-Director of the Institute for Sacred Activism.

Author Chris Saade is Counselor Mandy’s first guest on her new podcast Finding Hope. Enraged and concerned about the racial unjust happening in our country right now, Chris and Mandy speak about how honoring the grief, individually and collectively, in the Black Lives Matter movement is critical to transformation. “When grief is held with love, compassion and solidarity it can become an amazing source of blessings,” states Chris, “these are unchartered times we are living in…grief can either sink us or propel us into change and hope.”

In this episode Chris and Mandy share tools for how to honor our grief and how it is through the grief journey that it’s possible to find hope.

Chris Saade is an author, a psychological and philosophical teacher, trainer of professionals, and a life coach. After years serving as a psychotherapist in private practice, Chris spent two decades training therapists, coaches, and the general public in two of his models: Integra: 6 Keys for Heart-Centered Living, and The Quest for Individual Authenticity and Global Solidarity. To date, Chris has led nearly 250 multi-day cutting-edge workshops.

Born in Beirut, he was involved in peace and humanitarian work for 14 years before and during the Lebanese war. The difficulty of those times led him to develop a great respect for freedom, authenticity, diversity, peace, and a passion for justice and solidarity, especially for children.