Maya Madkour
Maya Madkour is an international keynote speaker, sociology professor, and author based in Kuwait who has been teaching since 2019. Her most powerful insight: we give our power away too freely and must muster the courage to live life on our own terms. Time goes by fast, and most people regret not doing "the thing" for fear of judgment.
From sacred morning routines to mirror work affirmations, Maya's story weaves between the deeply spiritual and intensely practical. In this interview with Powerful Blueprints, Maya shares how she balances academic life with entrepreneurship, the lessons that taught her discernment, and why she believes our media diet is as crucial as what we eat. Good morning, Maya!
What does your morning routine look like?
Maya starts her mornings with filtered water followed by two to three strong cups of milk tea, which she considers essential before she can even speak to her family.
I am secretly obsessed with slow mornings. Mornings really set the tone for the day. I wish more people knew that. My mornings are borderline sacred. I typically wake up pretty early, but regardless of time, my routine is one and the same. I wake up and the first thing in is some nice, cold refreshing filtered water followed by my favorite beverage in the whole world - that and coffee - some milk tea. I usually have two to three strong cups of milk tea in the morning. Without them, I literally cannot speak. My family is well aware of this, too. They know not to so much as approach me before I've had my tea! Haha! And yes, I really need to function and experience well-being on every level. I then post three reels on my socials. That's a part of my waking routine. I feel very strongly about this, too. It's a deep urge, a mission, to share my voice with the world. I just know, in my heart of hearts, that somebody - perhaps all the way across the globe - might be in need of the reminders that I share to find motivation, inspiration, and profound well-being.
What is the one thing you do daily that would surprise people?
Maya practices two daily rituals that profoundly affect her energy: asking for a "download" by placing her hands on her heart and listening for guidance, and doing mirror work with positive affirmations to bypass her conscious mind.
That's a great question. I typically do two things that have a profound effect on my energy and outlook on life. I like doing that at the start of my day, too, especially if I don't need to be somewhere early in the morning such as work or running an errand. I go really quiet and place both hands on my heart, close my eyes, slow down my breathing, and wait for a "download." I explicitly ask, "What is my assignment for today?" or "What should I focus on today?" And I religiously follow the answers that I get; the "download" if you will. Sometimes the response that comes in is "Nothing;" or "Just have fun today." Other times, it's a lot more tangible, but going within is such a powerful exercise that I highly recommend for those on any path in life. This allows you to live life with intention, achieve your goals, and keep building on that incredible momentum. You're essentially tuning out the "noise" and you're going within for some Grade A guidance.
My second practice is what is commonly referred to as "mirror work." This is when you look yourself in the mirror and start saying affirmations from the heart. This can be stream of consciousness, but always positive. Tell yourself positive, affirmative messages because when you're staring directly into your own two eyes, you effectively bypass the conscious mind and step right into your subconscious mind, which is in charge of 95% of your behavior. So we're way better off running our own narrative, running our own script in the background, as opposed to what the world wants us to buy into.
What would you tell a college student who wants to build something real?
Maya advises students to start with why and get clear on their motivation, but also recommends gaining real-world work experience first and having a safety net before taking the entrepreneurial leap.
Funny enough, I am a professor myself. I've been teaching Sociology, Psychology, and Social Psychology since 2019 and I am truly blessed to have that job. I truly love my students and always strive to lead by example. I want to demonstrate to them - and the world at large - that you absolutely can achieve your dreams and do so in a way where you're thriving and not burnt out.
So if one of my beloved students asks my advice about building something, my first instinct would be to probe further and uncover what's truly motivating them. I would get them to "start with why;" to get really clear on their motivation and inspiration. Because I truly believe that once both are covered, the sky is the limit. On a more realistic note, however, I would still encourage them to garner some work experience first. We may be born with the entrepreneurial spark - and spirit - but there's no doing away with some real-world, on-the-ground experience first. We all need to experience some office politics, routine, red tape, and understand how the "outside" world works before building something of our very own. This experience is indispensable. Secondly, I would subtly ensure that they have enough of a safety net before they take the leap. That is absolutely essential. The last thing a young individual would want to go through is embark on the journey of their dreams, without being cautious enough, and then declare bankruptcy.
What was your worst professional decision?
Maya's biggest mistake was settling for a job when it was time to spread her wings, which delayed her entrepreneurship journey by six months but taught her she wasn't designed to work for anyone else.
Hmm. Another great question. What I'm about to say may sound like a contradiction to my response above, but this is my truth and so I feel compelled to share it. The worst move that I made, although it taught me a lot, so in hindsight it wasn't so bad after all, was to settle in my career. There's a time to learn, to grow, to build, and to rest; being able to tell the difference is essential to any entrepreneur's success. My "mistake" was settling for a job when it was time for me to spread my wings. It just delayed my journey into entrepreneurship by six months, but it taught me that I am not designed to work for anyone else. I was always fundamentally opposed to that; it never made any sense to me. How the world expects us to labor and toil, but all the credit ends up going to someone or something else. So that job that I settled for only enforced my faith in entrepreneurship and was the catalyst that finally got me to start my advertising agency at the time.
What belief turned out to be completely wrong?
Maya learned the hard way that not everyone is to be trusted, having grown up naive and trusting too quickly, especially as an empath who believed the closest people couldn't be out to get her.
That not everyone is to be trusted. I know that sounds slightly dark, but that has been my experience. I grew up a little naive to be honest, trusting too quickly, believing too rapidly. It was inconceivable to me that the closest people to us might be out to get us. That was all the more exaggerated for me being an empath, but boy have I learned. At my age now, being 40 years old, I have learned a lot and I wouldn't trade any of my experiences because they've made me who I am today. I am eternally grateful for the lessons learned, no matter how tough they may have been. They taught me resilience, ownership, strength, and discernment.
What did money teach you about yourself?
Maya views money as energy that should be welcomed and circulated rather than feared, believing the more value you add to the world, the more you get rewarded through this energy exchange.
Another brilliant question! Money is energy - just like everything else. We need to make peace with it, we need to welcome, and we need to circulate it. It's nothing to fear, but rather it's something to invite. Money is certainly not the root of all evil, but the love of it is. There is absolutely nothing wrong, or unethical, about desiring a life of luxury, opulence, and wealth. Some of the wealthiest people I know are the most humble, helpful, and down to earth. They use their resources to help family and loved ones. So money is essentially that we use for the betterment of our lives and the lives of those we care about. It's an energy exchange. The more value you add to the world, and energy you expend, the more you get rewarded. That's precisely how I see it.
Who shaped the way you think?
Maya's mother and brother fundamentally shaped how her mind works - her mother is a bestselling author who worked multiple jobs in Kuwait, while her brother moved overseas at a young age to build his own successful path.
Two people. My mother and brother. Luckily, both are alive and well. They are both my role models. My mother is an incredible best-selling author who worked several jobs while in Kuwait; where she spent the majority of her professional life. She has literally shaped the way my brain works; I hear her voice in my head when I'm contemplating a big decision or simply going about my day. I owe a lot of my success to her.
My brother, who's ten years older than me, also inspires me in innumerable ways. He moved overseas at a young age and literally etched his own path to become highly successful. His humility, generosity, and kind heart are the reason I have faith in humanity.
What is the hardest thing you gave up for your career?
Maya considers herself fortunate because she didn't have to give up anything for her career, always following her North Star step by step with faith that her path was guided.
Love this question! My answer may surprise you, but I consider myself quite fortunate because I did not have to give up anything for my career. I always followed my North Star, step by step, in the dark, in the light, when it was clear, when it was messy; I always just put one foot in front of the other. I had full faith that my steps were somehow guided and looking back, I see how all the dots connected. I am truly in awe of how everything worked out for my greater good and I wouldn't change a thing.
What lessons took you the longest to learn?
Maya struggled with two key lessons as an empath: not taking things personally and realizing she couldn't rescue everyone, learning that people operate on different levels of consciousness and taking on others' problems became exhausting.
Two things: Not to take things personally and realizing that I can't rescue everyone. Being an empath usually means that you're highly in touch with your emotions and labelled "sensitive" by people that may not fully understand your true nature. I had to learn, oftentimes the hard way, that people operate on different levels of consciousness and that a lot of it has absolutely nothing to do with me. We're all running a specific "program" that has to do with our upbringing, circumstances, faith, and moral code. I can't expect others to operate on my level or to see the world eye to eye. It is perfectly normal, and downright refreshing if you ask me, to have some level of variety. Life would be utterly boring if we were all the same.
The second lesson is about the visceral need that I had to save everyone while I was growing up. I would take on everyone else's problems like they were my very own and I would quickly get enmeshed in things that I did not prepare for. That quickly became exhausting and flat out untenable. Turning 40 helped a lot, too. I now easily decline offers that do not fit my goals, morals, or where I'm going.
What would you say to the world that most people aren't saying out loud?
Maya believes people give their power away too freely and need to muster courage to live life on their own terms, conserving energy like their life depends on it and never dying with their music still in them.
Another incredible question. I think we as humans give our power away too freely. We need to muster up the courage to live life on our own terms. We get to live to a 100 if we're lucky and time goes by pretty fast. Life is so utterly precious and we waste so much time dwelling on things that do not matter in the grand scheme of things. My advice would be to save, and conserve, your energy like your life depends on it - because it does. To live life with intention; to have direction; to be propelled by a vision; and to never die with your music still in you. The one thing that most people regret on their death beds is not doing "the thing" for fear of judgment, standing out, or failing. I want to tell people that none of this stuff matters. Do the thing. Get to your golden years with zero regret.
What do people get wrong about you?
Maya says people see her positive attitude and loud laughter but don't realize the depth beneath, missing that she's been through multiple dark nights of the soul that refined her into the strong woman she is today.
Most people see and they immediately clock my positive vibes and attitude. I tend to laugh a lot; loud, boisterous laughter. I think few people realize that there's a lot of depth to me, too. They can tell I'm highly intelligent (thankfully), but they just see a pampered girl that's loud and laughs a lot. Little do they know that I have been through multiple dark nights of the soul (spiritual lingo) and that I've had my fair share of challenges that many would crumble under, but, again, no regrets because those challenges have purified me, refined me, and made me the strong, indestructible woman writing this today.
What is your physical routine?
Maya's favorite way to get her blood moving and clear her head is power walking through the mall for hours, which combines exercise with shopping in what she calls the ultimate win-win.
A cliche I know, but going to the mall is kind of my favorite thing to do apart from family and friends. I like to walk around - power walk - the mall for hours. That gets my blood moving and also gets me shopping so it's the ultimate win-win!
What are you listening to lately?
Maya consumes content focused on self-development, law of attraction, quantum physics, and energy, believing our media diet is as crucial as our actual diet for conscious brainwashing through our devices.
I am downright obsessed with self-development, law of attraction, quantum physics and energy content. That is all I watch. I may occasionally watch some Netflix, but it's always content that uplifts, motivates, and inspires. Our media diet is just as crucial as our actual diet. I want to shout that out from the rooftops. We are literally "brainwashing" ourselves using our devices so you might as well do that consciously.
What is your one-year goal?
Maya's stated goal for the next twelve months is to excel in her current PhD coursework and publish her third book about resilience titled Hard As Nails.
Love that question, too! I want to have aced the portion of my PhD that I'm currently working on AND I want to have published my third book, all about resilience, titled Hard As Nails.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Maya!
Frequently Asked Questions about Maya Madkour
What is Maya Madkour's approach to morning routines?
As an international keynote speaker and professor who has developed a deeply intentional daily practice, I consider my mornings borderline sacred. I wake up early and follow the same routine regardless of time: filtered water first, followed by two to three strong cups of milk tea that I absolutely need before I can even speak to my family. Then I post three reels on my socials as part of my mission to share my voice with the world, knowing someone across the globe might need those reminders for motivation and inspiration.
What is Maya Madkour's daily spiritual practice?
Having taught psychology and sociology since 2019, I've developed two practices that profoundly affect my energy and outlook. I place both hands on my heart, close my eyes, slow my breathing, and ask for a "download" about my assignment or focus for the day - sometimes the answer is simply "have fun today." My second practice is mirror work, where I look directly into my own eyes and say positive affirmations, which effectively bypasses the conscious mind and speaks directly to the subconscious mind that controls 95% of our behavior.
What is Maya Madkour's philosophy about money and wealth?
After years of entrepreneurship and teaching, I've come to understand that money is energy - just like everything else in life. There's absolutely nothing wrong or unethical about desiring luxury, opulence, and wealth; some of the wealthiest people I know are the most humble and helpful. Money is an energy exchange where the more value you add to the world and energy you expend, the more you get rewarded. The key is making peace with money, welcoming it, and circulating it for the betterment of our lives and those we care about.
What are Maya Madkour's biggest life lessons as an empath?
Being an empath who grew up naive and trusting too quickly, I had to learn two crucial lessons the hard way. First, not to take things personally - people operate on different levels of consciousness based on their upbringing, circumstances, faith, and moral code, and most of it has nothing to do with me. Second, I had to realize I can't rescue everyone; I used to take on others' problems as my own and became enmeshed in situations I wasn't prepared for, which became exhausting and untenable.
What is Maya Madkour's advice about living authentically?
As someone who has experienced multiple dark nights of the soul and emerged stronger, I believe we give our power away too freely as humans. We need to muster the courage to live life on our own terms because we get maybe 100 years if we're lucky, and time goes by fast. My advice is to save and conserve your energy like your life depends on it, live with intention and direction, be propelled by a vision, and never die with your music still in you - because most deathbed regrets come from not doing "the thing" for fear of judgment or failure.
What is Maya Madkour's current academic and publishing goal?
Balancing my role as a professor of Sociology, Psychology, and Social Psychology with my entrepreneurial pursuits, I have two major goals for the next twelve months. I want to have aced the portion of my PhD that I'm currently working on, demonstrating that you can achieve your dreams while thriving rather than burning out. Additionally, I'm committed to publishing my third book about resilience, titled Hard As Nails, which will share the wisdom I've gained from my own challenging experiences.
