Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Bawany.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sara. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in a home where I witnessed domestic violence in the form of intimate partner violence between my parents and emotional and physical violence towards us children. I have several intersecting identities – Muslim, Pakistani, American, female and because of that, the issue of domestic violence was rarely discussed. When my parents finally divorced in 2008, my entire life changed, and I began more actively writing to find an outlet for the dramatic transitions and changes that were rapidly taking place in my life. As someone who always stood out academically and ethnically in school, all I wanted now was to blend in and hide, but it was impossible. I had a story to share and many reflections from it, and while struggling with depression and anxiety, I wrote pages and pages of prose and poetry.
While in college, I aimed to become a doctor but realized that my passion really lied with what plagued my entire life, which was domestic violence and mental health. I obtained a Master’s in social work, along with two bachelor’s degrees all at the age of 22 from UT Austin and have been working as a mental health therapist at the Muslim Community Center for Human Services. At the same time, I began compiling my poetry into book form and finally published my book on September 17 of this year. This was a goal that I had dreamed of since the age of eight or nine, and it was incredible that something that was my source of healing has become that for many others. Now, I aim to spread the message of healing and strength as much as possible to let my readers know that they aren’t alone the way I used to think I was.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely been a challenging and often, depressing journey, as being a therapist uncovers how much people are suffering and contributes to the poetry I write regularly. As mentioned previously, I struggled with mental health issues and constantly feeling lonely – and moving as often as I did growing up did not help either. As a woman to another woman, I would say to stay as unfazed and detached from stereotypes as possible. I struggled immensely with body image issues, with my skin color, and with my ethnicity being so different from everyone else’s that it also damaged the way I viewed myself and it was a teaching process to break myself out of it. So much of it was perpetuated by the media and by society’s unrealistic beauty standards that at some point, I had to break away and cut out tv and magazines and social media and it was refreshing because I could finally coexist with myself without any barriers in the middle. That, along with finding a few things, I was strong at and excelling at them, I feel, has been essential for my self-esteem. I would say to not focus on a variety of things but find one or two things you are passionate about and good at, and cultivate them.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’m a newly published author of the book “(w)holehearted: a collection of poetry and prose.” My work is different and unique because it comes from the voice of a young, Pakistani-American Muslim woman of color, who is not afraid to speak on the taboo issues our society has tried to hide for so long. I lay things bare on the table and am not afraid of the consequences. I connect people to their feelings that they felt alone in for so long. I discuss the paralyzing identity bridge that children of immigrants feel they have to constantly walk through in order to force themselves into spaces to fit in. I discuss social justice issues from the perspective of an observer and community member and I add a lot of personal touches by writing from my own experiences. The book encompasses so many topics but collectively comes together to guide the reader to a place of healing and pride in their own skin and pride in their roots.
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
Social media has been incredibly helpful for networking and even finding others who had trekked a similar path to me and become published. It has connected me with other mental health providers who are passionate about ending the stigmas that I am writing about and fighting for and have pursued the mental health field. I would advise one to build a solid platform but to stay authentic and always remember your intentions – to help people first and foremost, not for the numbers.
Pricing:
- book is $13.99 on Amazon
Contact Info:
- Email: bawanysara@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/sara.bawany instagram.com/thebawanster
- Facebook: facebook.com/bawanysara
Image Credit:
@40acresphotography
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
