Hana Assafiri OAM is not here to inspire you. More importantly, she is here to confront what society still refuses to face.

In this powerful rerun of the Power Of Women Podcast, Hana speaks with unflinching honesty about freedom, violence, and the systems that continue to fail women. From growing up between Lebanon and Australia, to being forced into an arranged marriage at just 15, Hana shares how survival alone was never the goal. Dignity, agency, and purpose were.

She reflects on the quiet acts of kindness that altered the trajectory of her life, the courage it took to leave violence, and the systemic gaps that pushed her to create something radically different: the Moroccan Soup Bar. Not a charity. A self-sustaining model of safety, employment, and community for women rebuilding their lives.

This conversation challenges comfortable narratives around empowerment and asks harder questions:

What does freedom actually mean?

Why are women still required to negotiate for it?

And why silence remains one of the most dangerous accomplices of all.

We explore:

• Why freedom must mean more than survival
• Arranged marriage, violence, and institutional failure
• The life-changing power of kindness from strangers
• Why women don’t need charity… they need pathways
• How the Moroccan Soup Bar became a blueprint for change
• Why solutions must be driven by women and supported by men.

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Who is Hana Assafiri OAM

Hana Assafiri OAM is a renowned entrepreneur, activist, and author. Best known as the founder of Melbourne’s iconic Moroccan Soup Bar, Hana has spent over 25 years creating spaces that blend food, culture, and community justice. Hana is a leading voice on gender equity, intersectionality, and social change.

Find Hana at:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-assafiri-oam-293560173/

Moroccan Soup Bar https://www.moroccansoupbar.com.au/

Connect with Di & engage with Power Of Women:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/di-gillett-power-of-women/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/power_of_women_podcast/

Contact https://powerofwomen.com.au/contact/

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Credits:

Audio Editing + Sound Design: Daryl Missen – https://vinilo.com.au/

Filming: Chocolate Studios: https://chocolatestudios.com.au

Executive Producer: George Donikian: https://www.donikianmedia.com.au/

Disclaimer: https://powerofwomen.com.au/podcast-disclaimer/

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