Meet Maggie Soleimani – Founder of ‘Inspiration & Beyond’
Photography by Circumpunct Studio | Written by Arielle Harris | Creative Direction by Jessica Varone | Makeup by Tatiyana Elias | Hair by Andrew Locke
“The two most important days in your life are the days you are born and the day you find out why,” says Maggie Soleimani, a 29-year resident of Beverly Hills, quoting the famous writer Mark Twain. Soleimani has established herself as a multi-faceted attorney, and serves as the County-appointed Chair of the Los Angeles Assessment Appeals Board. Over a career spanning several decades, she found that her affinity for philosophy and uplifting wisdom has been at the core of her success and the foundation of her life’s purpose.
Her early days were an opportunity to work with change, adaptation, and resiliency. Born and raised in Iran, Soleimani’s family had deep roots in her country; however, at the outset of the Iranian Revolution in 1979, she and her family were forced to leave, and fled to London, England. With elementary English, Soleimani had to learn a new way of life. Despite facing cultural and language barriers, Soleimani persevered onwards and upwards.
Under guidance of her father, Soleimani learned that education was going to be the key to her future. She dove right in to learn English fluently, immerse herself in activism (particularly Margaret Thatcher’s Prime Minister campaign), and advance herself through law school, and in return Soleimani felt a sense of recovery and rebuilding. Even while reaching the highest academic honors at 20 years old, Soleimani finds that her greatest achievement was finding her spiritual, purpose-driven path during law school.
A naturally kismet moment occurred during her studies when she enrolled in a Rumi poetry class. Though initially for extra academic credit, she was completely taken by the words she read, the meaning behind the sentences, and the soulful fulfillment these poems gave her. “Rumi’s words fired within me a determination to search deeper into my soul, to rely on my inner essence, to find my calling in life and to never give up,” says Soleimani. “The more I read Rumi’s poems, the more I realized even though I had lost my country, I should not lose myself.”
After graduating from law school in 1983, Soleimani moved to Los Angeles, home to the largest Persian community outside of Iran. She felt an instant sense of home in a new country and eventually became a US citizen.
Over the next few years, she embarked upon practice of law, married Fred Soleimani, and started a family. The couple have three children and two grandchildren.
Her diverse practice of law in transactional matters, aviation defense, business, real estate, and taxation caught the eye of public figures and awarded her the appointment by Governor Newsom to serve on the California Disciplinary Review Board. She also serves as the Chair of Assessment Appeals Board in Los Angeles County and is a Commissioner on the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities.
She has received many accolades and is the recipient of the Ellis Island 2017 Congressional Medal of Honor.
Ellis Island Medal of Honor Ceremony May 2017
While Soleimani has had an incredible career in law and community, she finds that her most purposeful project to date is what she is currently pursuing with her son, an online channel called Inspiration & Beyond.
COVID affected many people’s level of motivation and optimism. Soleimani noticed this early on and wanted to find a way to introduce people to the philosophy and wisdom that got her through tough times. So, her son Michael introduced her to YouTube and the platform would become home to Inspiration & Beyond.
“Our mission is to help enrich the lives of others through short format content highlighting inspirational quotes, stories and life lessons from iconic figures,” says Soleimani. “In the height of our digital age, we realized that people enjoy absorbing content through video, and don’t have the time to read thousands of pages of literature. Our channel offers viewers a unique opportunity to get inspired, motivated and educated through our content.”
And the internet is the perfect medium to connect and impact people globally. Since launching the channel 18 months ago, Soleimani has produced over 200 inspirational videos. Two of her favorite videos are Words of Wisdom by Albert Einstein and Rumi.
The goal is to gradually bring “Inspiration & Beyond” to people’s attention and give them uplifting content. “Words have the power to change our mindset. Once our mindset is changed, our whole philosophy on life and perspective is affected,” says Soleimani.
What’s next for the inspirational platform? To further its reach, she and her son Michael have been approached by various networks and media outlets to expand the brand and mission. They also plan to bring inspiration to large groups of people within the United States and conduct events and inspirational gatherings of like-minded people. Soleimani adds, “Every day we receive viewers’ feedback about the impact our videos have on their lives – many awakening them to their core. Nothing feels more rewarding than spreading vibrancy and positive energy into people’s lives.” She continues, “My role model is my Mom who always encourages me to test my limits and be the architect of my life. I know my true legacy and calling in life is to help people.”
