Rational Living Inc - Saima Salman

17/09/2025

I’m honored to be speaking at the 2025 Transformational ChairWork Therapy Conference.

I’ll be joining a panel on “Creating the Bridge with Chairwork for Intergenerational and Multicultural Healing.”

This is not just theory for me — it’s lived experience. I grew up in a patriarchal, misogynistic society like Pakistan. And yet, I was given a voice because of my incredible father, a man far ahead of his time. Over the last 25 years of living and working across Asia, Europe, and America, I’ve seen what happens when voices are silenced — and also what becomes possible when they are set free.

My wish is simple and urgent: that every woman, back home and across the world, has the chance to stand in her own power, to be heard without apology, and to lead change.

Chairwork is one way to build that bridge. It gives language to the unheard, dignity to the unseen, and healing to the generations who came before us.

This work matters — because when one voice rises, it clears the way for many more.

Thank you, Scott Kellogg & Amanda Garcia, for inviting me to be part of this amazing journey ♥️

16/09/2025

thanks for the amazing Gemini prompt 🦾 Love it!
Ps. AI generated - It doesn’t just look like me. It actually “feels” like the names I grew up with - Defiant | Difficult | Rebellious | Relentless — and the list goes on ♥️ Sweeet!

27/08/2025

Some days it hits me harder than others.
I sit across from people in so much pain, and I realize over and over again: if your nervous system isn’t calm, nothing else matters. You can pile on the money, the cars, the shiny gadgets, the dream house… but it won’t fix the chaos inside.

We don’t live in our homes or cars. We live inside our heads and bodies. And if that space is not anchored in some level of acceptance or peace… the world will always feel like chaos, no matter how perfect it looks on paper.

22/07/2025

Fear doesn’t stop the danger—
it stops YOU.
Take the step.
Speak the truth.
You are not alone!

May those who need to hear this find it today!

08/07/2025

What sparks a fire under me is watching someone like doing incredibly difficult stuff with tremendous ease! It continues to remind me that inspiration isn’t always a coach shouting—you can find it just by acknowledging grit, grace, and lived example.

So, here’s a small tribute to Jane—without labels, just gratitude 🙏🏼 Thank you for being a constant source of inspiration for me! I want those arms for sure : )

What about you?
Have you witnessed anything inspirational lately —a casual trial class, a group walk, a meetup—and walked away with more than just sweat or superficial conversation? I’d love to hear your small-but-meaningful moment below 🙌🏼

03/07/2025

I’m deeply honored to be invited as a guest speaker at this upcoming Chairwork Psychotherapy Conference — an incredible gathering of powerful voices and thought leaders in Experiential Psychotherapy.

This is a full circle moment for me!

I started my therapeutic journey very young in good old Pakistan, completely captivated by the powerful work of the father of CBT: Dr. Albert Ellis. (I still clearly remember picking up one of his books from my college library and how it turned my life upside down — in a great therapeutic way!) REBT wasn’t just a model I started to study and practice with unbelievable passion — it became a way of life, as it also resonated deeply with my faith. For almost 28 years, I practiced REBT using my very own special Quranic philosophy lens! This is probably the reason why my devotion toward REBT almost always felt like practicing my religion. And the convergence of these two lenses took me on another journey that I will be sharing with the rest of you sometime next year! Yes, I’m currently writing a book that explores how practicing Islamic philosophy is like doing CBT on steroids — that’s how deeply intertwined it all has been for me.

And yet... here I am today, standing in awe of Chairwork at this point in my clinical and personal journey. Motivating all my seasoned and novice CBT family to go and do at least one Chairwork session with Dr. Scott Kellogg!

This modality has cracked me open in ways I didn’t expect. It’s helped me go beyond cognitive mastery into something far more human, more raw, and miraculously healing — both for the people I work with and for myself. Trauma work, through the lens of Chairwork, has changed my practice in a profound way. But more than that — it has changed me.

So yes, I’ll be speaking. But I’ll also be practicing what I preach — doing the hard thing, the scary thing, the thing I’m not good at — yet! Because that’s where I will see my growth… experientially and spiritually.

If this speaks to you, I hope you will join!

24/04/2025

I was raised to run towards the fire, not away from it!

My father didn’t teach me to avoid failure —he told me to chase it. To Go fail, because that’s where the real learning, building, and becoming happens.

As a psychologist, I’ve studied what drives us.
As an entrepreneur, I’ve built from scratch—more than once.
As an investor, I’ve bet on people before the world believed in them.
Including myself.
As a relentless human, I’ve learned that courage isn’t loud—it’s choosing to show up again and again, not just for yourself, but for all the women still doubting whether they can show up for themselves.

This cover means a lot, but it’s not about the photo—it’s about the fire behind it.

Truly grateful to my brother for seeing that fire ever since I was small and for being one of my biggest cheerleaders growing up. Thank you, .if.i.khan , for always having my back growing up 🙏🏼

Here’s to the women who lead, who stand up, show up, speak up, raise hell… who risk, who create, who burn bridges that never served them—and build empires from the ashes!

We need more of you at the table. In the room. On the cover.

P.S. It’s wild how time flies—this memory showing up today felt like a quiet nudge from the universe. Grateful for the journey and everyone who’s been part of it.

27/06/2024

Subject: What I LISTEN to VS what I actually HEAR!

Translation: Punjabi lyrics into English:

“I didn’t know, but I found peace when I met you
My loneliness disappeared, and I felt comfort in your embrace. You’re so close to me, my love, my heart’s friend. Stay close, don’t go far away! I’ve forgotten the whole world. Your name is the only one my heart speaks, my love, my heart’s friend”

THIS IS WHAT I HEAR WHEN I LISTEN TO IT:

“I didn’t know I had the power to find peace and love within myself! I discovered it once I stopped looking for it outside. My inner loneliness and emptiness disappeared, and I found comfort in my own embrace. I’ve come to realize that I can be my own closest friend, my own heart’s companion. I’ll stay true to myself and continue to show up for myself! I’ve let go of the need for external validation and forgotten the expectations of the world. My heart now speaks only one language - the language of fierce self-love and acceptance.”

Is it just me? Am I the only one who is hearing a completely different message here? Or do you sense it too? Is it worth waiting for others to show us love, or can we learn to allow ourselves to do it for ourselves? While it’s beautiful to receive love from others, why do we exclude ourselves from showing up for ourselves when others fail to deliver? Can we not UNLEARN this need to sit around and wait for others and just go ahead and RELEARN to love and accept ourselves, especially when others don’t?

Ps. This vdo is from Lahore, Pakistan! I was driving aimlessly this spring to spot beauty (as Lahore is blooming during spring time with tons of flowers everywhere) and this tree made me jump out of the car and do something this silly! Bumping into this stunning TREE was one of the highlights of my trip —- this vdo makes me smile every time I watch it… reminds me of my excitement and sheer joy that I experienced the minute I spotted it in a quaint small street ♥️ Love and joy shows up in mysterious ways for me ♥️

Send a message to learn more

14/06/2024

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard!

Ayesha Mahnoor, Naina Khan!