Hanadi Chehabeddine’s Individuality & Intentionality has Moved Conversations Forward for Muslims

Hanadi Chehabeddine, a Muslim woman and immigrant, shines a light on the lived experience of Muslims in America to further inclusion and belonging. She does so through the lens of her Specific Benefit Corporation (SBC).

“Employee engagement is one of the biggest challenges companies face, specifically with their diverse talent. If corporations can affect belonging from top-down and bottom up they can empower employees, which then directly impacts innovation and productivity.”

When Hanadi Chehabeddine started her business she wasn’t focused on the structural details of forming a business, rather, it was a response to an internal outcry for belonging. “As a Muslim woman, creating a sense
of belonging for me and others like me was the biggest impact I wanted to make,” says Hanadi. “I understood that Muslims do not feel that they belong in this country despite being part of the fabric of this community forever.”

Hanadi formed her business as a Specific Benefit Corporation (SBC) using her name as her brand in 2017, an intentional and striking statement on the power of individuality. Prior to that Hanadi had worked diligently
since 2013 to get to know her community through volunteering with The Islamic Resource Group in the schools and understanding the experiences of Muslims there. And upon starting her business, she saw a pathway to increase Muslim belonging through organizations with Muslim employees. “I thought if I could get corporations to feature stories about their Muslim employees, they could learn more about those experiences,” notes Hanadi, who now serves in the roles of diversity trainer, public speaker, and coach. “What’s different about what I offer is that it doesn’t talk about the religion itself. I talk about the lived experiences of Muslims.”

At the onset of her SBC, she surveyed the corporate landscape for inclusivity and work similar to her vision, and to her surprise, there was no one talking about Muslims, but there were people advocating for Black employees and Latinx employees. The door for impact was wide open. Hanadi continues, “My work is about Muslim rights to practice religion in a country that is based on religious freedom and grounded in religious prosecution. This is the history of America along with the little-known fact that one-third of the
slaves that were brought to America were Muslim.”

Hanadi’s story-based approach with corporations didn’t necessarily start with leadership at those companies. She found the best door to knock on was the one of the Muslim employee. And often, they found her because of her outspokenness and presence in their community. She talks openly about the facts that despite speaking out, Muslims are heard the least, are the least favored minority in the US., and Americans react to their presence with coolness, an aloof, dismissive quality.

As Hanadi continues to share her story and do her work, she is demystifying the Muslim story, amplifying the voices of all minorities, and bridging the conversation gap for organizations, communities, and governments. Hanadi, who came to America legally and worked her way up, has a story that is the
embodiment of the American dream. She started sharing her message locally, then took things national in 2016 as part of the U.S. State Department’s Speakers Bureau.

Her passion for her work was ignited by the fact that she was raising American kids yet did not feel like she belonged. She says, “At the time my kids were around ages 3–5 I thought, if I don’t feel like I belong, they will feel it. So I had to own belonging.” Today she’s a role model for her children and really any audience she speaks to. Her approach is to share a common story and make it accessible, which really is just about teaching people to be human and inclusive. She receives a lot of positive response that her message made an impact, regardless if the person is Muslim.

What excites Hanadi about working directly with corporations is that they’re intentional and are in the position to engage with their employees, shift culture, and create and measure change. “Employee engagement is one of the biggest challenges companies face, specifically with their diverse talent. If
corporations can affect belonging from top-down and bottom up they can empower employees, which then directly impacts innovation and productivity.”

Although Hanadi’s work started with storytelling, she’s data-driven as are the corporations she works with. “To work effectively together, a business must be ready and be willing to dig into the numbers,” she says. There is a sense of meaningful action and tools like an authenticity indicator that measures just how much employees feel that they can bring their whole self to work.

“It’s rewarding to see how our effort towards a shared humanity can start a conversation that they never expected,” Hanadi comments. “It’s also largely
about the details and making sure, for example, that the spelling and pronunciation of each employee’s name is clear. There is power in individuality.”

WRITTEN BY Jennifer Gilhoi, Owner Sparktrack Consulting, for #WhySocial Campaign during Social Impact Week MN. Join the movement for businesses as a tool for social change!