"I lived the first 15 years of our life without any reflection. No questioning about who am I? What do I want? That is my fight in life right now. Not just for myself but for every single girl out there. You cannot take a girl’s voice away. You cannot take a girl’s education away. And I will fight for that."
Meet “the original” Houry! At 56, she brings unstoppable positive energy to advocacy for the rights of women and girls worldwide. Her journey of joy and discovery began in the 1970s when she left her Armenian community in Lebanon with her new husband, arrived in New York City and quickly transitioned to a life of disco at Studio 54 and building a posh hair salon business that catered to glitterati from Madonna to Jennifer Grey. More than thirty years later – with three sons and a successful business – Houry realized that in the rush to do it all she hadn’t taken the time to reflect or, as she said, “feel the sand between her toes.” And she’d been too busy to get the education she’d longed for all her life. A therapist, a divorce, a job search, and night school led Houry to fulfill lifelong dreams: becoming a woman who has a voice, a college degree, and who has no problem feeling things, being present, and saying whatever she wants. Or, as we call it, a Being in Total Charge of Herself!