Messy Hearts Circle is facilitated by a fellow human, whose role is to hold the space rather than provide answers.
I’m Haytham, an Egyptian-American living in Brooklyn, and I created this space out of a long, personal familiarity with in-between places: between cultures, expectations, identities, relationships, and versions of self.
Like many people in the Middle Eastern and SWANA diaspora, over time, through movement, migration, and life changes, I found myself carrying multiple worlds at once. Some parts of life had clear paths and scenarios. Others didn’t seem to have rooms at all.
Messy Hearts Circle emerged from the desire to create a space for those floating around parts.
Why I Hold This Space
Over time, I noticed a pattern in myself and in others around me. Many of us are able to function well on the outside while holding a rich, complicated inner life that rarely gets named. We can talk about work, politics, culture, and surface stories, but struggle to find spaces where we can speak about love, loneliness, guilt, desire, or belonging without needing to explain ourselves or face the prospects of getting judged.
Messy Hearts Circle is my response to that gap.
It’s not about healing or self-improvement. It’s about making room for what’s already there.
My Role in the Circle
I am not a therapist, coach, or spiritual guru.
My role is to hold the container:
- to guide the structure and pacing of the circle
- to clearly name transitions and boundaries
- to protect emotional and psychological safety
- to intervene when advice-giving, attempts at fixing, or cross-talk arises
- to ensure that each participant has space without pressure
I don’t interpret, analyze, or direct what people say or decide to share.
I facilitate so that the group can do what it already knows how to do when conditions are right: listen, reflect, and be present with care.
What Shapes This Work
Messy Hearts Circle is shaped by:
- my own lived diasporic experience
- my years of working with storytelling, media, and facilitation in group settings
- the respect I have for structure as a source of safety
- my commitment to consent, clarity, and non-judgment
The circle is secular, culturally aware, and explicitly queer-affirming. It welcomes people who are questioning norms, living outside inherited scripts, or simply wanting a quieter, truer way to connect.
A Personal Note
I don’t believe that everything needs to be solved to be shared.
I don’t believe vulnerability should be demanded or performed.
And I don’t believe depth has to be dramatic.
Messy Hearts Circle exists so people can be with what’s real for them, in the presence of others, without rushing toward conclusions.
That’s the room I try to hold.
If this approach resonates, you’re welcome to explore an upcoming circle or reach out with questions.
You don’t need to be sure.
Curiosity is enough.
For more about me: