Hagar Chemali on mental health in government, startups and burnouts, and that elusive work-life balance.

Mind/work with Jasmine El-Gamal

Is there really such a thing as Superman or Superwoman?

Being a working parent can sometimes feel overwhelming: trying to balance the responsibilities of parenthood while showing up fully at work can lead to burnout, anxiety and that nagging feeling that you aren’t doing the best that you can, at the office or at home. Add to that a high-pressure environment, in this case working in the U.S government on national security issues, and a bad boss, and the pressure increases exponentially. So how do people do it? Turns out, Superhumans only exists on tv. In real life, working parents are just human: they show up, they struggle, they learn, and they are always trying their best. And that, in my book, makes them extraordinary.

To learn more about how to navigate being a working mom under pressure, I spoke to Hagar Hajjar Chemali, a political satirist who is on a mission to make young people care about foreign policy.

Hagar’s journey has taken her from the high-stakes world of national security to starting her own show, Oh My World, where she breaks down world news in the most fun way (it includes a lot of wig changes), exposes tyrants and human rights abusers, and shares stories of those doing good around the world.

In 2012, Hagar was regularly briefing President Obama on Syria and Lebanon during the height of the Arab Spring and later served as the spokesperson for the United States Mission to the UN in New York City before making the difficult decision to leave government service and start her own business.

We talked about the importance of leadership and how having a good boss or a bad boss can make or break your career.

We also talked about how to balance parenthood while building your own startup (hint: you have to remember to sleep every once in a while), why its important to build and nurture a network of champions and how, as Hagar’s mother tells her, we have nothing to fear but fear itself.

Bio:

Hagar Hajjar Chemali. Hagar is a foreign policy expert, political satirist, and national security commentator and writer. She is the host and creator of Oh My World! – an award-winning weekly world news show on YouTube that covers the top world news stories in a fun and easy way. She is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center. Hagar spent 12 years in the U.S. government working in a number of senior public affairs and policy-making positions, including as Spokesperson and Director of Communications for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Spokesperson for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Director for Syria and Lebanon at the National Security Council, and Treasury Senior Policy Advisor for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes. She writes and commentates on foreign policy and national security, and she and her work have been featured in The Washington Post, MSNBC, CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, and Cheddar. Hagar received her BA in Political Science from Barnard College and her MA in International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. She resides in Connecticut with her husband, Julien, and their three children (9, 7, 3).

Oh My World Show

Website: https://www.ohmyworld.tv/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ohmyworldshow

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OhMyWorldwithHagarChemali/featured

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ohmyworldshow

Mother’s Day should be on a Monday. Time Magazine. https://time.com/4778901/mothers-day-2018-maternity-leave/

This Is How You Can Cope With Being a Working Mom. Psych Central. https://psychcentral.com/stress/suggestions-for-stressed-out-working-moms

Managers Make or Break Their People. Leadership Development Can Help. https://trainingindustry.com/articles/leadership/managers-make-or-break-their-people-leadership-development-can-help/