You may know her as the Co-Founder and CEO of Dezain Space, or you may know her as Mama Sima on YouTube, the Slime Queen! The fascinating Sima Najjar sets a great example for creative mothers everywhere. We speak with this fabulous YouTuber to find out all about her journey between motherhood, YouTube, and entrepreneurship.
You perfectly represent the fact that children of artistic mothers are extra lucky. Were you aware of the fact that your talents will come in handy when you want to entertain your children?
I love art! Yet the last thing I am is artistic, but I am curious and love to learn. When I started making activities for my daughter, she was two years old at that time. I was more excited than her to see the experiments, color in different ways and be messy.
Where did you get the idea to share your skills on YouTube?
I was always asked as a working mother the golden unsolved question: “How do you do it?” And I never achieved work life balance. I think it is always hard to do both, but I always had some tips to make things easier. So, I decided to start sharing them on YouTube, little did I know I would be the Slime Queen later!
People can be pretty mean online, and the YouTube comment section is notorious for being insanely negative. Did that ever represent an obstacle for you? If so, how did you overcome it?
Yes, people can be very mean. Especially on YouTube, I feel like they think it is okay to be as mean as they can be. And it does hurt a lot! At first, it did bother me a lot, but YouTube has a great way of dealing with bullies by reporting them; I do report a lot! And I don’t do it just for me, I do it so they won’t be able to do that to anyone else. On some occasions, I had to write a message on YouTube to all the bullies, letting them know it did hurt and that I do read the comments. Thankfully, I have a great fanbase who also stand up for me, which makes it all worth it sometimes.
A mother of three, Co-Founder and CEO of Dezain Space, and Founder of MamaSima YouTube channel. Does it get overwhelming at times? How do you handle that?
Yes, it does. And on top of that, I also try to stay fit by exercising and having some time for me if possible. I feel it is very important for us mothers to take care of ourselves, specifically our health. It is not easy, but I do have the support of my husband who is a real partner when it comes to the kids, and also my family. To have a support system that you can rely on is key.
Having such a big part of your life on Social Media can be quite intense especially for children. How do you maintain privacy?
As much as it seems that I share a lot on Social Media, I actually select what I share in every post or Instagram story and have a clear message behind it.
Do you sometimes need to “disconnect” from your online presence? If so, how do you accomplish that?
I have days when I take off and don’t share anything. And on family vacations I also disconnect to give them my full attention. It makes such a difference on your presence to disconnect and then come back fresh, just like a vacation.
Out of all the things you are doing, which is your favorite, and why?
I love my channel a lot, as I feel I am affecting a lot of lives by leading by example in a good way, I hope. My channel taught me a lot and made me explore many new ways to be a good mother. I also love the fact that I can just see my kids when they were smaller by just going to the channel, and it amazes me how much they changed! It is like the history of our family.
How can powerful female figures in the Middle East join forces and support each other in your opinion?
By loving and supporting each other. I feel it is key to have your support group who wants what is best for you, and want you to make it as well. We can lift up or destroy each other, it is a choice and I always choose to support.
Inspiring female figures in the spotlight such as yourself will most certainly motivate little girls to follow their dreams. How do you ensure you are setting a good example for little girls?
I have a lot of young girl followers and I love them! They motivate me the most as they want to learn from me and I make sure to address them and empower them in my videos. Actually, I address girls and boys in my channel and try to motivate them always.
What are your plans for the future?
I have some great products coming up for MamaSima and also another great comedy song about parenting so stay tuned!
