About

Career

Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands on January 6th, 1980, Wassila is the daughter of first-generation Moroccan immigrants.

After graduating in Business Administration at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, she chose to work at the Royal Dutch Navy as a military officer where she has learned that your leadership is defined and exists by the grace of those you lead.

After taking off her uniform she worked at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Defense, and she received the award Young Government Official of the Year 2007 for outstanding performance in public service. 

In 2010 Wassila was sworn in as Member of the Dutch Parliament. After almost 6 years, she resigned and joined the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton where she gained valuable insights into American politics and the 2016 presidential election. Both her years as Dutch MP as well as one year learning about politics in the United States of America, have elevated Wassila’s understanding of power and how power systems work.

Passion

Wassila’s passion for Dialogue is born during her time in politics. At TEDx Amsterdam Women she shared her story and she led a successful crowd funding campaign. For years now, Wassila has coached 600+ people and given countless trainings for Mindvalley, the School of Life and other corporations. She loves being a social entrepreneur and serving people directly as a coach for individuals and trainer for teams in (Self) Dialogue.

Also Wassila is intently motivated to back up her statements about (Self) Dialogue scientifically, by contributing to the field of sociology and psychology with her PhD research on (Self) Dialogue.

If you connect to spirituality, her name Wassila (وسيلة) was not given to her by her parents but by her mother's childless friend Aicha, who happened to be with her mother when the first labour pains started. Wassila is derived from Islam and is an Arabic word to refer to the means to connect with the divine. For Wassila the divine, Allah, is one life and all that is.

Deen

Islam means surrender in peace to Allah, also known as the one and only God. It is an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion - also called deen - centred primarily around the Qur’an, the direct word of God. As inclusive as it is, Islam confirms the teachings of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets.

As sometimes a teacher and always a student, Wassila keeps learning about and from the messenger of Islam prophet Muhammed ﷺ. His message and especially his way of life, inspire her and elevate her understanding of life and therefore bring her closer to mastery of life.

One of the clearest messages of prophet Muhammed ﷺ is that all people are created equal. “All humans are descended from Adam and Eve,” he said in his last known public speech. “There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, or of a non-Arab over an Arab, and no superiority of a white person over a black person or of a black person over a white person, except on the basis of personal piety and righteousness.”

Islam’s anti-racist message from the 7th century still resonates today. There are many more heartfelt reasons for Wassila believing in Islam's timeless message of love, mercy, peace, freedom, justice and unity. Islam is Wassila’s source for understanding (Self) Dialogue.