Owning the Power of Being “Other” with Impact Tech Entrepreneur Hanae Bezad

In this episode of the Own Your Awkward podcast, Andy Vargo sits down with impact tech entrepreneur and author Hanae Bezad to explore the power of being “other.” Growing up in a multicultural Moroccan environment and later returning home as a repatriate entrepreneur, Hanae shares how awkwardness, discomfort, and identity questions can become fuel for hope, connection, and meaningful change. Together, they unpack how choosing hope, embracing difference, and leaning into unconventional paths can open doors for personal growth and collective impact.

Hope Is a Decision, Especially When Times Feel Heavy

Early in the conversation, Hanae challenges a common assumption that hope is something we wait for. Instead, she frames hope as a decision we make, even when the world feels overwhelming. From global conflict to climate anxiety, many people feel paralyzed by fear and uncertainty. Hanae suggests that hope is not about ignoring reality, but about choosing how we respond to it.

She shares practical ways to transmute fear into fuel, including movement, meaningful conversations, and allowing space to sit with difficult emotions. Rather than avoiding discomfort, Hanae encourages listeners to acknowledge it fully. That act alone, she explains, can create a sense of lightness and clarity that opens new perspectives.

The Awkwardness of Being “Other”

Hanae’s story is deeply shaped by growing up between cultures. Raised in Morocco while attending French and American schools and moving within expatriate communities, she often felt like she did not fully belong anywhere. At the time, that sense of otherness felt confusing and uncomfortable.

With hindsight, Hanae now sees that awkwardness as a gift. Navigating multiple languages, cultures, and identities sharpened her ability to see nuance, ask better questions, and connect across difference. What once felt like a limitation became one of her greatest strengths.

Andy connects this idea directly to the Own Your Awkward philosophy. The traits we try hardest to hide are often the very things that make us powerful, relatable, and impactful.

Bridging Divides Through Entrepreneurship

When Hanae returned to Morocco as a repatriate entrepreneur, her awkwardness showed up again, this time in a professional context. She founded Douar Tech, a nonprofit designed to train women in rural areas in technology. The goal was simple but ambitious, to bridge deep social and economic divides.

Her presence alone challenged expectations. People from different social classes were curious, cautious, and sometimes unsure how to respond. Hanae describes feeling clumsy and out of place, yet she leaned into that discomfort rather than retreating from it.

That willingness to be visibly different created connection. Communities that had previously ignored each other began to engage, not because Hanae had all the answers, but because she showed up with courage, respect, and curiosity.

Human-to-Human Connection Over Issue-to-Issue Battles

One of the most resonant moments in the episode is the shared belief that progress happens through connection, not confrontation. Hanae and Andy discuss how easy it is to get stuck fighting issues, ideologies, or labels. What gets lost in that process is the human being on the other side.

Hanae emphasizes that seeing the person, beyond title, background, or belief, is what allows real growth to happen. Connection does not require agreement, but it does require respect. That mindset has shaped her work, her writing, and her approach to leadership.

Being Other, The Beauty and Power of the Outsider

Hanae’s book, Being Other: The Beauty and Power of Being an Outsider, expands on these themes with stories, exercises, and frameworks designed to build agency. The book is especially focused on supporting future generations, including Black, Indigenous, and women of color, who often grow up navigating systems not built with them in mind.

She introduces practices like exploring identity, questioning self-imposed limitations, and writing love letters to people who inspire us, including ourselves. These exercises are not abstract, they are practical tools for reclaiming creativity, confidence, and direction.

Hanae also introduces the idea of sensuous knowledge, blending intuition, lived experience, and scientific advancement. She argues that solving complex global challenges requires more than logic alone, it requires wholeness.

The Value of Unconventional Paths

The conversation also explores the power of unconventional journeys. Hanae highlights people who followed traditional paths only to later embrace alternative forms of knowledge, such as consultants becoming energy healers or doctors integrating indigenous medicine into their work.

These paths are not detours, she explains, they are expansions. By drawing from multiple sources of wisdom, people become better equipped to navigate complexity and create meaningful solutions.

Cultivating Inner Peace and Creative Power

As the episode winds down, the focus shifts inward. Hanae encourages listeners to experiment with practices that create inner peace, whether through meditation, movement, or creative expression. There is no single right way, only the invitation to listen to yourself.

Her closing message is a gentle but powerful call to action. Dig into your awkwardness. Unpack it. Explore it. Inside that discomfort may be the door to something bigger than you imagined.