What I deeply care about is creating a kinder world. It’s a bold mission, but I believe it’s necessary.
I am the daughter of Sumer and Mesopotamia, and I blossomed in Arba Ilu - the City of Four Gods —the cradle of civilisation. From the mountains of Kurdistan, I could see the Garden of Eden.
When I was born during the Iran-Iraq war, my mum named me Dechol, meaning empty village—inspired by the genocide against Kurds in the 80’s. With a name like that, I could barely walk. It was too heavy to carry. After years of displacement, dysfunction, chaos, and fear—after crossing borders, enduring load, and surviving the impossible—we finally fled and crossed the Indian Ocean in a fishing boat, escaped detention, and stepped into a new world.
When I first entered high school in Perth, someone asked for my name. I said ‘Donna’ — it just means woman. I wanted to relaunch myself. After all, I had been exhausted from walking—crossing countries, surviving journeys no child should take.
Soon, my parents wanted me to choose a career. “Be a doctor,” they said, like my cousins. But I wanted to be a lawyer. I was inspired by I Have a Dream, by Nelson Mandela’s 27 years in prison, by Gandhi’s fight for freedom. Coming from a land divided, a land of war upon war, I reflected on nonviolent resistance. And since geopolitics was my first language, I spent my life thinking about justice, leadership, and change.
I realised something: I had always been a Kind Rebel.
The leaders who inspired me? Kind Rebels.
The people who changed the world? Kind Rebels.
The greatest legacies? Built by Kind Rebels.
Kind rebels are heroes, and advocates for what is right, good, just and kind.
Heroes and Sheroes can be rebellious yet kind.
We should all be kind rebels.
We can all be kind rebels.
Kind Rebellion is the courage to defy the constructed world—for a purpose. That purpose is always rooted in goodness, always with the intention of making the world better.
Rebellion alone leads to destruction.
Kindness alone leads to stagnation, passivity—even weakness. But Kind Rebellion? It is the duality of both. The intersection. The force that drives real, lasting change.
I’m not here to list my professional titles or career highlights. Because for me, life is divided into two:
Before Kind Rebellion. After Kind Rebellion.
I am writing a book on Kind Rebellion—not just as an idea, but as a movement. My mission is to speak about it everywhere. To give the younger generation the tools I’ve gathered through nearly 40 years of displacement, travel, and immersion in cultures across the world.If this speaks to you—let’s connect.
Invite me to speak at your organisation.
Support Kind Rebel by purchasing a bag from my store, and let’s do this together.
