Psychiatrist: Bessel van der Kolk – The Body Keeps the Score
I used to think my kids needed the best version of me.
The organized, patient, smiling, never-tired one.
The one who had answers, plans, and snacks — always.
But that version of me was exhausted.
She was trying so hard to get it right, to check every invisible box of “good motherhood,” to protect her children from any sign that life could be messy.
But something shifted the day I sat on the floor — unshowered, emotionally spent — and just listened.
No agenda.
No lesson.
No performance.
Just me. Raw. Honest. Present.
And that moment?
It mattered more than all the “perfect” ones.
Bessel van der Kolk says the body keeps the score — not just of trauma, but of truth. And my body had been silently begging me to stop performing and be.
To feel, not fix.
To connect, not control.
Our children don’t need our perfection.
They need our presence.
They need to see that we can feel and still stay.
That we can hurt and still love.
That we can mess up and still repair.
When I let go of the idea of being “the best,” I became something far more powerful — real.
And that’s when my kids leaned in closer.
That’s when they felt safer, not because I was invincible, but because I was human.
That’s what I bring into my embodied presence coaching.
It’s not about high performance.
It’s about embodied presence.
About meeting you where you are, without judgment.
About helping you find the version of you that doesn’t need to perform to be loved.
If you’ve been running on autopilot…
If you’ve mastered the art of holding it together but feel like you’re slipping inside…
I invite you to pause.
To soften.
To come back into your body.
To come back to now.
You don’t have to perform for your life to matter.
You only have to show up.
Haya Bitar is a certified ICF life Ontological coach based in Dubai, UAE. She helps people who feel stuck, lost, burnt out or disconnected find their purpose, rebuild their self worth and feel like themselves again. Specialising in midlife transitions, identity, personal growth and emotional wellbeing, Haya works with clients across the Middle East and worldwide — in person in Dubai and online globally. Whether you are going through a life change or simply ready to live more authentically — Haya creates a safe, creative space for real transformation. Services: 1-on-1 coaching, art therapy workshops, community talks, corporate settings and online courses. Book a free discovery call at www.hayabitar.com