Who I am

Hi, I’m Heythem. Thank you for making it to my About Me Page!!

I’m a psychologist with a passion for Writing & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Weird combination, right?

And I laugh a lot (as you might have noticed already…), I’m silly at times, and I love to travel. I love connecting with people, so please don’t hesitate to shoot me a message!

What I Do

I’m a Writer.

I post on Twitter and Threads & I have my own Newsletter here on my website.

My goal is to help Psychologists and Coaches convey their message to their audience and navigate their online presence.

I enjoy writing. I enjoy connecting with fellow psychologist and helping them grow their brand.

So yeah, I’m pretty much getting paid by reading, learning & writing and teaching about Psychology – which is pretty cool.

My Story of how a trip to the end of the world and almost giving up led me into a life full of health and purpose

These 2 photos are 6 years apart.

On the left, I’m 20 years old, 15kg overweight, unhealthy, aimless, and hanging out in some dude’s garage smoking cigarettes and talking about things we want to do but never do.

On the the right, I’m 26, a healthy and purposeful business owner competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments overcoming my fear of physical confrontation.

So how did I get there? What happened in these 6 years? Here’s my story of how a horrible breakup turned my life upside down…

In my final year of high school, I had a horrible breakup. 

I was heavily attached to my girlfriend because, with her, for the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged. 

Growing up in Germany, with Arabic roots, made me feel like I belonged nowhere. I didn’t feel German nor Arabic.

With her, I finally thought I had a place somewhere. So when this relationship ended, all I wanted was to escape. 

I hoped a change of location would solve my problems. So, after graduation, I packed my stuff, booked a one-way ticket, and fled to Australia.

My early days in Australia were anything but idyllic. Arriving there, not knowing anyone and barely able to communicate in English, I felt lost like never before. 

During the first month, I was constantly battling self-doubt.

It seemed as if this was the first time anyone had ever experienced the harshness that can accompany travel. I felt like a loser.

Everybody around me seemed to enjoy their trips. They seemed to have found their place. Every conversation I had felt so awkward.

I was deeply ashamed of my English, so I isolated myself (funny because now I make money by writing in English). 

I wanted to go home, but after telling everybody I was planning to leave, I promised myself not to give up. 

But the truth was, that again,  like in Germany, I felt like a misfit. The sense of isolation I had felt back home was still with me. It was so alive. It was like living in a nightmarish loop—unable to escape my loneliness and alienation.

2 months into my stay I reached the lowest point: 

In December 2017 I sat on a park bench in Sydney, consuming junk food and battling the urge to give up. Nothing had changed. I felt out of place, made no friends, and was miserable.

At that low point, I was reflecting on my time in Germany and I had a realization that, looking back at it now, changed my life: 

I had taken my problems with me. My issues were about more than just a specific location. 

They were within me. I was responsible for my misery, isolation, and inability to fit in. 

The problems I had left in Germany had taken a new form in Australia.

That was a big turning point in my life. 

At that point, I was: 

• 15kg overweight (don’t ask me how much this is in pounds, just know it’s a lot)
• Shy and insecure unable to make connections
• Lost and depressed without direction or purpose
• Working in jobs I hate just to be able to survive
• Broke and dependent on other people 
• Lonely and disconnected from the world and myself

But I was energized because after my realization  I knew I needed to make change within myself. 

Back in Germany, I started to take action. I wanted out. 

So I read every book about Psychology and Spirituality I could get a hold of. Those books opened up a completely new world to me. 

They showed me that the only way to live a happy life is to pursue a life of meaning and purpose.

Something that many people are lacking nowadays. 

And how do you find meaning? By having human impact. By helping people. 

So I went and got a job at a school for mentally handicapped children close to my hometown.

I worked there for almost 1 year. I realized early that this job is filled with human impact. For the first time in my life, I was less focused on how to make my life better and more on how to improve their lives. 

Needless to say, those children taught me more about life than I could ever have taught them. 

Influenced by my experience at the school and the many psychological books I read, I decided to enroll in a Psychology Major – and those years as a Psychology student changed my life completely.

In university, I made meaningful friendships, picked up mixed martial arts, and discovered the gym for me. 

I spent my time in university making life-long friends, learning mixed martial arts, studying the human brain and setting the foundation for what comes next…

In January 2023  I graduated from University and traveled through East Africa volunteering in schools and psychological institutions. 

Here are some impressions from my time in Ethiopia:

Here, I also had the chance to visit local BJJ Gyms:

Similar to the school of mentally handicapped children, these volunteering jobs filled me with deep purpose and joy. 

Again I had the feeling I was needed. I had the feeling I had deep human impact. Again this showed me that I need to find a life path that gives me the same feeling. 

But after 6 months of volunteering and traveling, I asked myself – What now??

I knew I didn’t want to go work a 9-5. But I also knew that I needed to start making money. Volunteering doesn’t pay and I wanted to build financial and physician independence for myself. 

So the solution?

Starting my own business. 

Throughout these years of going out of my comfort zone, self-discovery and exploration of the unknown, I developed the trust I needed to start my own business. 

I knew it was the next step for me. It was inevitable. 

And I knew my passions were writing and Psychology – but how do I make money out of that?

After a few Google Searches I discovered the path of a Ghostwriter – and I never looked back since. 

Didn’t make a single Dollar for the first 6 months. Struggling to pay the bills – easily the most stressful time of my life.

But I kept going. And now I make money with what I love most – Writing about Psychology. 

Starting with the realization I had on the park bench in Australia – I knew I needed to find direction and meaning. 

When I was 20 I was lost and confused, not knowing where I belonged and where I was going. 

Then I went on a journey of becoming my own person: I learned new languages, traveled to different cultures, pursued a degree I was interested in, started eating healthier, moving my body, and started my own business.  

Now 6 years later I:

• am fit and healthy
• Live a purposeful life
• Have a Degree in Psychology
• Make money with my passions
• Formed deep lifelong friendships
• Traveled to 40+ countries around the world
• Created financial and physical independence

So I don’t know where my journey is gonna take me next but I have trust in life that it will take me exactly where I need to be.

That’s all for now…Thank you so much for reading through my “About Me” Page.

Much love,

Heythem