Mothers in leadership: carrying two worlds at once
As many countries in the Middle East mark Mother’s Day on 21 March, SAT-7’s Marianne Awaraji explores the tension of her dual roles as leader and mother during a time of great instability and uncertainty in Lebanon…
This week in Lebanon, I found myself preparing a team meeting while also checking the news… and making sure my son felt safe at home.
For many mothers who lead teams or organisations here, this is the quiet reality of leadership in uncertain times.
Our days begin like any other leaders: decisions to make; people to support; strategies to move forward. Yet in the background there is another layer: the emotional weight of living in uncertainty.
At the same time, there is a small voice asking simple questions:
“Are we safe?”
“Are people dying?”
In moments like these, leadership takes on a different meaning.
It becomes less about authority and more about presence.
Less about control and more about courage.
Yet leadership in difficult environments also builds something powerful: resilience. Resilience is choosing to keep leading, supporting your team, and moving the mission forward despite uncertainty.
As mothers who lead, we carry two worlds at once: the professional world where teams depend on us, and the tender world of our children who look to us to understand fear.
And maybe that is where the deepest form of leadership is formed. Because our children are watching. They are learning not just from what we say, but from how we respond when life feels uncertain. They are discovering that courage does not mean the absence of fear, but the decision to keep moving forward with faith.
As a Christian, I hold onto the reminder that leadership was never meant to be sustained by our strength alone.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
In difficult seasons, leadership becomes an act of trust.
Trust that our work still matters.
Trust that hope is stronger than fear.
Trust that even in unstable moments, God is still present and still at work.
To every mother in Lebanon who is leading a team while caring for her family in these days, your quiet strength matters more than you know.
Sometimes the most powerful leadership is simply showing up with faith, love, and steady courage… even when the world around us feels uncertain.
Marianne Awaraji
Marianne Awaraji is the Viewer Support Team Manager for SAT-7’s Arabic channels. She lives in Beirut, Lebanon, with her husband and nine-year-old son. Since 2001 she has also presented and produced a variety of programmes for SAT-7 KIDS and SAT-7 ARABIC.