Between Two Worlds: How Syrian American Rania Jaghlit Redefines Leadership Beyond Cultural Expectations

NATIONWIDE - NOVEMBER 2025 - (USAnews.com) Her journey across two worlds, the Middle East and the United States, has shaped not only her understanding of leadership but also her mission to help others lead with courage and authenticity.

Between Two Worlds

Rania’s path to leadership wasn’t linear; it was a series of awakenings.
Growing up in the Middle East, she saw every woman around her dedicate her life to her family: her mother, aunts, cousins, and colleagues. Some worked outside the home, balancing two full-time roles; others devoted themselves completely to their families. All of them modeled love, selflessness, and strength. But none modeled entrepreneurship.

“I didn’t necessarily see an example of a female entrepreneur in my life,” Rania recalls. “To be more accurate, I wasn’t even aware of them.”

That lack of awareness quietly shaped her beliefs. For years, she accepted the unspoken truth that building something of her own was nearly impossible for women. “I didn’t decide to believe that,” she says. “It was already accepted by me as a fact I never argued with.”

It was only later, after moving to the U.S. and stepping into leadership roles, that she began questioning that inherited belief. “When I challenged it,” she says, “my whole life changed. I decided it wasn’t true. I decided I was willing to fight for a life of meaning and purpose. And so I did. I found ME. I found Magna Empowerment.”

A Bridge Between Cultures

Living between two cultures gave Rania a rare perspective on what it means to lead.

In one, she learned the power of community; in the other, the value of individuality.

Bridging both taught her that real leadership is not defined by culture, gender, or geography; it’s defined by awareness, integrity, and the courage to stay true to oneself. 

“Living in two very different cultures gave me a unique lens,” she says. “It taught me that leadership isn’t about choosing one side; it’s about learning how to belong to yourself wherever you are.” Through that lens, Rania now helps others find belonging within themselves, even in environments that question their worth or voice.

From People-Pleasing to Purpose

As a mother, educator, and entrepreneur, Rania filled many roles, but none felt entirely her own.  The turning point came when she stopped asking, “What’s expected of me?” and started asking, “What’s true for me?”

That question became the compass for her life and her leadership. Through her coaching and training practice, she helps ambitious professionals, especially women, make decisions rooted in clarity and values, not fear or approval. Her approach is both compassionate and challenging: she invites people to confront the beliefs that hold them back and to reclaim their power to think for themselves.

“The roles we play are chapters of our story,” she often says, “but they are not the whole book.”
That truth has become the heartbeat of her message: leadership begins when you stop performing for others and start showing up as yourself.

Leadership Grounded in Experience

Rania’s credibility comes not from titles but from lived experience.
With more than two decades in education, psychology, and leadership development, she has trained over 500 clients worldwide and led more than 60 workshops across sectors and cultures. Her years as an educator in the Middle East and her leadership training in the U.S. have given her a rare, cross-cultural understanding of how people grow.

Her work integrates leadership theory and psychological insight with the deeply human dimensions of growth, such as overcoming fear, expressing authenticity, and cultivating inner courage. “I’ve lived in cultures that told me who I should be,” she reflects. “Leadership began the day I decided who I truly am.”

Awakening to Growth

Transformation, for Rania, isn’t an event. It’s a lifelong commitment.
With hundreds of hours invested in learning, reflection, and practice, she has built a body of work that fuses insight with empathy. Her studies across books in psychology, personal growth, and education have shaped her approach to leadership as a deeply human process.

Her book, From People-Pleasing to Purposeful, captures that philosophy. It invites readers to break free from the pull of external validation and step into a life aligned with their inner truth. Through her writing, workshops, and speaking engagements, Rania continues to challenge the traditional definitions of success and replace them with ones rooted in awareness, authenticity, and heart.

Redefining Leadership

Through Magna Empowerment, Rania has redefined leadership as an inner journey rather than an outer climb. Her mission goes beyond coaching; it’s about awakening awareness in others, helping them see how invisible beliefs shape their choices, careers, and self-worth.

Her own transformation, from a woman who once doubted her right to dream to a leader guiding others toward self-trust, embodies the very essence of empowerment. “As long as we are conscious,” she says, “the right to think for ourselves can never be taken away. It’s the most valuable power God gave us.”

Leading with Purpose

Today, Rania continues to inspire professionals across the globe to rise above limitations and lead from a place of wholeness.

For those ready to break free from old narratives and lead with purpose, Rania Jaghlit and Magna Empowerment offer more than guidance; they offer a living example of what happens when you stop accepting the world’s definitions and start creating your own.

Discover more about Rania’s work and journey at Magna Empowerment, and follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram for daily reflections on authentic leadership.