Chourouk Khelifi: Turning the Maze Into a Movement
In a world that constantly urges women to be more — more successful, more productive, more “put together” – Chourouk Khelifi offers a different invitation: to pause, to feel, and to come back home to the self.
As a social worker, entrepreneur, and founder of The Maze, Chourouk is redefining what healing looks like for women across the Arab world. Through coaching, storytelling, and her deeply personal podcast “رحلة المتاهة” (The Maze Journey), she is building more than a business. She’s building a movement — one rooted in emotional honesty, cultural sensitivity, and real human connection.
From Struggle to Space
Chourouk’s journey wasn’t born out of a business plan; it came from personal pain. Raised between cultures and shaped by her professional experiences in Norway, Dubai, and Tunisia, she found herself asking hard questions: Why do I feel so overwhelmed? Why can’t I find a space where I truly belong?
The answers didn’t come quickly. But over time, her inner chaos became her curriculum. Through formal training in social work and informal lessons in life, she realized that what she was navigating wasn’t a flaw — it was a map. And more importantly, it was a shared experience.
That’s when The Maze was born.
What Is The Maze?
More than just a coaching platform, The Maze is a sanctuary for women navigating emotional confusion, burnout, grief, identity shifts, or invisible struggles. Whether through coaching, workshops, community sessions, or content, Chourouk provides women with tools they were never taught — how to set boundaries, regulate emotions, trust their intuition, and rewrite their stories.
What makes The Maze unique is its intersection of cultural authenticity and psychological depth. Chourouk doesn’t ask women to shed their roots in order to heal — she helps them heal within their cultural identity. That nuance makes all the difference.
The Voice That Heals
If Chourouk’s work had a heartbeat, it would be her podcast: The Maze Journey. In raw, reflective episodes, she speaks directly to her listeners — not as an expert on a pedestal, but as a companion in the maze.
Topics range from navigating emotional burnout to the power of vision boards and learning to forgive yourself. The podcast resonates deeply with Arab women who rarely hear their emotional experiences discussed so openly.
“I don’t offer quick fixes,” Chourouk says. “I offer presence, reflection, and truth.”
Her voice is warm, grounded, and refreshingly real. She cries when she needs to. She admits when she’s overwhelmed. And that transparency is exactly what creates safety for her audience.
Emotional Coaching Rooted in Real Life
Chourouk brings together skills in CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), emotional intelligence, coaching, and cultural competence. But her greatest strength lies in how she delivers her work — softly, humanly, and without judgment.
Clients don’t come to her for traditional therapy. They come to feel seen, heard, and empowered.
“I don’t tell people what to do,” she explains. “I ask the questions that help them remember who they are.”
From personalized sessions to downloadable workbooks and group support, The Maze offers tangible tools for navigating life’s messy middle — the space between falling apart and coming back together.
A Cultural Shift, Not Just a Business
In regions where mental health is still stigmatized and emotional expression can feel taboo, Chourouk is quietly leading a revolution. Her content doesn’t just inform — it affirms.
She’s showing women that it’s okay to feel too much. That softness is strength. That ambition and anxiety can co-exist. And most of all, that healing doesn’t make you broken — it makes you brave.
By bridging the gap between traditional values and modern emotional needs, she’s making inner work both relevant and accessible. She doesn’t discard cultural context — she designs within it.
Vision Beyond the Brand
Behind the scenes, Chourouk is not only a coach and speaker — she’s a skilled entrepreneur. With expertise in digital strategy, business development, and project leadership, she’s building sustainable systems that extend her reach without compromising her mission.
Upcoming projects include an emotional wellness membership for Arab women, a guided journaling app in Arabic and English, and collaborative workshops across Dubai and Tunisia.
But the goal isn’t scale for its own sake — it’s depth. She wants her work to touch lives meaningfully, not just numerically.
“I’m not building a brand,” she says. “I’m building a bridge.”
Leading from the Heart
At the core of Chourouk’s work is something rare: emotional alignment. She leads from her own healing. She teaches from what she’s lived. And she shows up — again and again — not because she has to, but because she knows what it feels like to be in the dark, searching for direction.
The women she supports aren’t looking for a guru. They’re looking for someone real. Someone who can hold space. Someone who reminds them:
“You don’t need to escape your maze. You need someone who sees you in it.”
And that’s exactly who Chourouk is — a gentle yet powerful mirror, reflecting back the parts of us we forgot we had.
Final Word
In a world of noise, Chourouk Khelifi is a quiet revolution. She’s rewriting the language of leadership — one that includes softness, self-trust, and soul.
She reminds us that healing isn’t a destination. It’s a journey. And sometimes, the maze we feel stuck in… is actually our path home.
