A Business Designed Around Life, Not the Other Way Around

Samantha Karim is an award-winning speaker and transformational coach who helps perfectionist/high-functioning women remove moments of misalignment in their life and start sourcing their worth from within. With 20+ years of experience, a championship belly dance career, and her book, The 5-Minute Playbook, she’s helped women shift so they can take action on their life now.

She has been married to her husband and best friend, Soral, for the past 17 years and has two beautiful children, Savina and Isaiah. For her, life is about fun, aliveness, and fulfilling your purpose.

Q. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR?

My husband is the one who inspired me. He saw me belly dancing as a hobby yet I had started teaching out of my apartment. He suggested to me that I start a business and since 2009, I’ve had the entrepreneur bug.
I continue to choose being an entrepreneur because I believe in innovation, self-expression, and the right to build our own lives the way we want to design them. For me, entrepreneurship has not only allowed me all of those things but also the space to contribute my gifts to the world without sacrificing my lifestyle.

Q. What do you think is the biggest challenge female entrepreneurs face today?

Our ingrained training. I can only speak for the US, but here in the States, we’ve been groomed into thinking a particular way. And that typically doesn’t include looking at ourselves as leaders. We’ve been mainly taught to be followers, humans who are compliant, to self-sacrifice without care, and to experience life in mental and emotional solitude.

Deep within us, I do believe we all have a sense that we are meant to be connected to others and that community is something that keeps us overall healthy. But that requires a firm resolve and conviction to fight what we grew up in and lean into who we are actually meant to be…leaders, guides, contributors…but all WITH a consideration of ourselves.

Q. What has been the most impactful decision in your career?

To prioritize my lifestyle first, then fit my business within it, not the other way around. I chose to put what I want in my calendar first, my health, my family, my downtime…and THEN I put in work time. I still work around 40 hours a week because I choose to, not because I am obligated to.

That has cultivated efficiency, no non-sense thinking, and quicker action from me because there is less time to mess around. I am firm with my boundaries around my time. This approach has only reinforced all of them.

Q. Who inspires you every day?

There are several people. My Future Me, my husband, Soral, and my children. They keep my ass on track. Lol!!! My future version of me reminds me where to aim, what decisions to make in my business and how to interact with the world. Soral reminds me that I’m doing enough, being enough, and that I’m beautiful just the way I am.

He’s also my sound board so he allows me to bounce ideas off of him and he gives me sound advice that grounds me. This is essential for me because I have ADHD and that means I want to act on everything. He helps me pause first. My kids remind me of the beauty of life, what to be grateful for, and to re-presence myself to the now. I cry often looking at my children because to me they are the epitome of joy.

Q. What’s next for you?

Right now I have my belly dance business and my coaching/speaking business. I’m working towards merging them together to create a harmonious enterprise. It’s about serving women, whether through belly dance or my presentations. This is the next natural evolution of who I am and who I serve.

I’m so excited to bring it all together. It’s the congruency, alignment and fluidity that feels so good to move into. And most importantly, my clients will feel the congruency. They will feel the positive impact of being in an ecosystem that is serving them at the highest level and supporting them through their phases of life.

Q. Finally, how can people connect with you if they want to learn more?

I’d genuinely love to connect with you. For belly dancing, find me on IG, TT, and YT at @theinnerdancer. For coaching/speaking, find me on IG, TT, and YT at @boldbitchcoaching. For Facebook, you can search Samantha Karim and you’ll find me easily. www.SamanthaKarim.com Hit me up, send me a message. I’d love to hear from you.