different. Again, we are so used to fulfilling a role. This time, we are fulfilling the role of survival, and at times, even the role of a victim.
The opportunity is to believe we are here on Earth to celebrate life, to live vital, and to optimize daily until the end. If my father did so at 105, then we all can. It’s a Lifeitude. It is understanding that life is not only to survive and suffer, but to celebrate, to be functionally optimistic, to acknowledge challenges, and still live with all there is and all we have. We cannot eliminate, avoid, and then live alone in a cocoon. We need to live next to each other and influence each other—not wait for influencers. We need to intrigue each other to shift perspective when painful moments show up. And we need to allow ourselves to heal. Time should not be the culprit.
How do you hope your work impacts young Iranian girls who may be watching from afar and imagining what their future could look like?
I want them to feel permission—permission not to be forbidden as women, emotionally or socially; to live intelligently on their own terms. Permission to be emotionally and ethically louder, without being suppressed or killed in the process. Permission to redesign life, but never feel they must change their brain, beauty, and balance as Persian/Iranian women, as their ancestors once lived.
I want them to know they are more than enough to contribute to the world with their talents and upbringing. It is time to work hard, recover, revive, and reveal themselves to the world. It is all good—and the world is yet to see their best shot.
If you could share one message with women everywhere, across cultures, backgrounds, and experiences, about resilience and possibility, what would it be?
Happy is in you. Be the intriguing you—whatever your essence is. Shine through your loudest color and allow others to process. It is really okay. You will be intrigued at the end. It was that simple
What stays with me most about our conversation is Mahtab’s steady sense of purpose. She reminds us that even in uncertain moments, there is still space to care for one another, to stay connected to who we are, and to lead with intention. It’s not about having all the answers, it’s about choosing to show up with heart, again and again. For more stories and interviews, check out www.Whitneyreynolds.com