Inspirational Family - Sabrina Ben Salmi and her five children

At the recent ‘Best You’ Expo in London, where we exhibited Mantra, we met a truly inspirational family – Sabrina Ben Salmi and her five children.

I was so impressed by this family that I asked Sabrina, and her daughter Yasmine, to feature this month in our series of remarkable women, talking about their role models. With Mother’s Day coming up, hearing from mum and daughter seemed very appropriate.

Sabrina is an award-winning author, business & personal development consultant, and a founding director of an OfSted Outstanding Secondary School Academy. She is a former radio show host, public speaker, and Founder of the ‘Dreaming Big Together’ transformational programme. Sabrina is also a proud mum to five entrepreneurial children aged 4 to 17, whom she refers to as her ‘Fantastic 5’.

As a family, they have a number of inspiring mantras:

‘Ben Salmi teamwork makes the dream work’, ‘There is no such thing as failure, only feedback’, and ‘The journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step’.

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I asked Sabrina to tell me a little more about herself and her family:

I am married to a Tunisian, hence my surname Ben Salmi. I am the only child of my mother, and the eldest of 8 children on my father’s side. I first became a mother at the age of 20, and have brought my family up with a sense of empowerment and personal responsibility. I believe that it’s about time that we stopped giving our children indefinite time to remain on the streets and stopped leaving their future to chance. Instead, empower them to plant the seed for a brighter tomorrow.

I then asked Sabrina about her 10 year old daughter, Yasmine:

Yasmine Ben Salmi is not your average 10 year old. She is an award-winning author of ‘The Choice is Yours - 10 Key Principles To Create A Happier Lifestyle’; Winner of a TruLittle Heros Creative Award 2017; has been a radio show host, a winner of Radio Works Authors’ Awards 2017; has designed a jewellery collection called ‘Mother and Daughter Connect’; and is the Founder of Loveprenure.

Here are Sabrina’s answers to our questions about what drives her forwards:

What do you think gave you the drive and determination to succeed?

Growing up in a lone parent family and observing my mother with three jobs, seeded a biting desire in me to transform lives across the globe. When I became a mother at the age of 20, holding my daughter in my arms deepened my desire to become successful. During childhood, I always felt compelled to bridge the gap between the financially deprived and the financially abundant in life. 

I have always had a deep spiritual connection, and would constantly listen to Terry Garmon singing ‘Any Way (You Bless Me)’, which I found hugely inspiring.

How important have role models been to you?

Role models enabled me to know that things were possible for me, by seeing them living my dreams and aspirations. I grew up fairly isolated, living just with my mother, and we didn’t have support from family, so this led me to observe others in a deep way in order to compensate for those missing connections.  

I continue to teach my children and others the importance of having mentors, coaches and role models in all areas of our lives. 

When you were young, do you remember having people you truly admired?

When I was young, there were many people that I truly admired. My childhood tutor Howard was the first teacher to ever acknowledge my talents and abilities. He was my first positive male role model and he also taught me how to play chess. I told my 5 precious children about Howard, and why I feel compelled to ‘Pay It Forward’.

And Oprah Winfrey was a female role model - I was beyond inspired by her and dreamed of meeting her.

My mother also became a mum at the prime age of 20. I became extremely ill and she almost lost me on three occasions. During my childhood, I admired my mother’s ability to always get back up, despite the obstacles that were presented. 

And as your entrepreneurial career has progressed - who inspires you now?

As my entrepreneurial career progresses, I must say that I take a lot of time to convey gratitude to the person who I once was, in order to become this version of who I am today. At times, we can lose track of what we’ve had to overcome in order to be who we are today.

There’s a host of people who inspire me on my journey. Namely my 5 children (17 year old Lashai, 13 year old Tray-Sean, 10 year old Yasmine, 8 year old Paolo & 4 year old Amire) who are all published authors, and whom I tend to refer to as my ‘Fantastic 5’, as I feel that they’re the Jackson 5 of the Personal Development World!

Ewan Wong, Andy Harrington, Christopher Howard, Harun Rabbani, Lidia Antunes-Frederico, Richard Davies, Sandra Jarvis, Cheryl Chapman, Tosin Ogunnusi, Jo Stroud, Regan Hillyer - and the list goes on. Each of the above inspire me to step into my power and maintain focus upon my heart’s desire deep within me. 

And who, now, would you say is an inspiring figure on the world stage?

I am beyond inspired by Regan Hillyer, due to the deep transformation that she triggered in myself and family. We were fortunate to attend her ‘Be Your Brand’ Retreat in Bali, and my daughter Lashai was selected as the winner of her International Young Influencer Scholarship. I have a dream of spreading my message of love, and after working with Regan, I truly believe that myself and family will manifest our dream and organise a world tour to inspire families and communities to reunite and DREAM BIG TOGETHER.

And here are 10 year old daughter, Yasmine’s, answers:

What do you think gave you the drive and determination to succeed?

I believe that watching my big sister Lashai on her journey of having fun while learning installed drive and determination for success in my heart. My sister often exposes me to experiences beyond my wildest dreams. She is 7 years older than me and over the years I’ve seen her speak on stage, publish books, be a leader, follower her dreams and aspirations and so much more. This taught me that I can be, do and have whatever I desire. 

How important have role models been to you?

It has been very important for me to have role models because they have taught me how to go about achieving my dreams and aspirations. 

When you were young, do you remember having people you truly admired?

I admire my eldest sister Lashai, because she’s beautiful inside and out. I admire everything about her and one day I hope to make her proud of me because she means so much to me. I love my sister with all of my heart and soul. 

And as your entrepreneurial career has progressed - who inspires you now?

My mother, older sister and older brother inspired me to publish a book, become a public speaker and create content to teach others how to love themselves more. 

And who, now, would you say is an inspiring figure on the world stage?

Marie Diamond inspires me because she was in ‘The Secret’ movie and travels the world teaching people how to reconnect with their inner self. I love the work that she does to help others, and I dream that one day I will be able to touch the hearts of souls of people around the world. 

Sabrina and her family are a truly inspiring example of a family who are all committed to giving back to the world, and helping others.

In celebration of Sabrina and her daughter, Yasmine, we have picked the ‘Strong Women’ mantra as our ‘Mantra of the Month’.

Get 15% off the 'Strength' necklace throughout March.