Mountaineering Journey and Personal Growth

When I discovered mountaineering while looking into the peaks in the distance,

then at the time I was going through a great deal in my life.

My father was in a coma for four years.

He unfortunately later passed away and I carried a lot of weight in my life and

I needed, you know, an outlet to turn my pain into my power

and that's what mountaineering now represents for me.

It's part of my grief journey after losing him.

It's helped me rebuild my confidence, find my purpose and again, I always say,

turning my pain into my power and my strength.

And my goal has since developed into not just climbing the seven summits,

the highest mountain on each continent,

but skiing the last degree to the south and north pole

and though his loss affected me a lot, he is my strength and his memory is my strength.

He would be so proud of you, I am sure,

as you try before the age of 20 to make the Explorers Grand Slam.

Just walk us through what that means effectively.

Well the Grand Slam consists of two parts.

It consists of the seven summits, climbing the highest mountain on each continent.

I've done four of them so far and I have three left.

And skiing the last degree, so the last 60 nautical miles to the south pole and the north pole.

What's been the toughest to date?

I'd say the toughest to date would be Lenin Peak,

which took me to Kyrgyzstan for three weeks,

which is the longest I've ever spent away from home, away from my mother.

And the hardest part is having the endurance to keep going every single day for three weeks.

I'd have to hike a long distance in the heat carrying my heavy backpack and I'd know I have to do it all over again the next day.

Talk to me about what comes next.

What are you doing from now on in to nail this Grand Slam ahead of your 20th birthday?

So what happens between now and then?

Between December and June or July of next year, I'll be completing climbing three of the seven summits.

So Akankagwa, the highest mountain in South America.

Denali, the highest mountain in North America.

Everest, where I hope to do Everest and Lhotse within 24 hours, so two 8,000 meter peaks.

And skiing to the South and North Pole, as well as climbing the highest volcano in the world, while also continuing to study.

I know how important it is for you that what you are doing inspires not just young Emirati women,

but young women around the world. Just talk to me about that.

Well, exactly. My journey goes beyond summits and personal achievement.

A story does not end with the person who tells it, it creates movement in the listener.

And I hope my story encourages others, not just women, but people in general

of all ages to seek exposure and say yes to unfamiliar paths

and step outside their comfort zones and embrace challenges they never thought was

possible. Because it's through exposure we discover who we are,

what we're capable of, and where our deepest passions truly lie.

No matter how difficult life becomes, we all have the ability to rise and rebuild and shape a different future.

And, you know, I'm not special, I'm human.

And the ability to rise and rebuild is something human that I'm here to remind people that it's possible.