Family & Expectations Between Worlds

About this circle

Messy Hearts Circle is a small, facilitated gathering for people navigating emotional life between cultures, expectations, and different versions of themselves.

This evening’s theme is Family & Expectations Between Worlds.
A space to reflect on obligation, pressure, guilt, loyalty, care, silence, and the many ways family continues to live inside us.

This will be our first online circle, opening the space more widely to people joining from outside New York, including Egypt and the wider Middle East.

This is not therapy, not coaching, and not a place for family-bashing. It is a structured space for reflection, listening, and thoughtful connection.

Language note

This circle will be facilitated in English. Arabic is welcome in personal sharing, but the registration form, agreements, and facilitation will be in English.

Who this is for

This circle centers people connected in some way to Middle Eastern / SWANA cultures and diaspora, while also welcoming others who genuinely resonate with the themes and values of the space.

All genders, sexualities, and relationship statuses are welcome.
The space is secular, queer-affirming, feminist, and anti-racist.

You do not need to be “good at sharing.” You can speak, stay brief, or simply listen.

What we’ll explore

We’ll reflect on family roles, inherited expectations, and what it means to care for a child or an adult.

Possible prompts may include:

What was expected of you, explicitly or quietly?
Where do love and pressure get tangled for you?
What parts of yourself feel easy to bring to family, and what parts do not?
What does guilt sound like in your inner voice?

Circle agreements

To help the space feel safe enough, we’ll keep to a few simple agreements:

Confidentiality: what is shared here stays here
Speak from “I”: share from your own personal experience
No fixing or unsolicited advice
Right to pass: you can always choose not to answer
Respect differences in family experience, belief, and background

Format

Over about 2 hours, we’ll move through a mix of:

a gentle arrival
guided prompts
simple communication exercises
structured sharing
a grounded close

The exact flow may change, but the intention stays the same: to slow down and make room for what feels true.

Logistical details

Date: Friday, June 19
Timing: 10 am – 12 pm Eastern Daylight Time / 5-7 pm Cairo Local Time
Location: online via Zoom
Group size: small circle usually 6-12 participants
Duration: about 2 hours
Link: shared with confirmed participants
What to bring: water/tea, headphones if helpful, and a quiet private space
Cost: this first online iteration of the circle is offered for free

Online participation note

Please join from a place where you can speak and listen with reasonable privacy. Camera-on is required for connection.
Please do not join the circle from a space where you have no privacy like a cafe or a restaurant or while driving

Registration

To attend:

Complete the registration form
Wait for your confirmation email and participation agreement

Your spot is only confirmed after registration is complete and you receive the confirmation email.