SALMA HASAN ALI

Salma uses the power of stories to bring people together, inspire kindness and service, and reveal a person’s true purpose. Her personal essays and features have been published in national and international media and her inspiring public speaking around the world helps people develop a greater sense of connection and community. Through her storytelling consulting practice Salma helps individuals and organizations develop, write, and market their own narratives.

Her limited-edition handmade book 30 Days - Stories of Gratitude, Traditions, and Wisdom has been covered by NPR’s Morning Edition, NowThis, The Washington Post, and Fox 5, among others, and has been launched internationally in Madrid, Granda, London, Bradford, Paris, Lisbon, Washington DC, and New York. The 30 Days Journal makes it easy for people to capture their own personal stories. Her newest book, BenchTalk: Wisdoms Inspired in Nature, reveals people’s wishes and worries, their grief and gratitude, as shared through little yellow journals left in nature—a poignant reminder of our common humanity.

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30 Days - Stories of Gratitude, Traditions, and Wisdom

A handmade book of personal stories—enhanced by exquisite original artwork—to spark conversations around topics we all share in common: doing good deeds, expressing gratitude, preserving traditions, and cherishing wisdoms from our elders.

LEARN MORE - ORDER BOOK

30 Days Journal

A handmade journal—enhanced by exquisite original artwork and Rumi’s poetry—to capture your own personal stories of gratitude, traditions, wisdoms, kindness, inspiration, and reflections. A beautiful gift for yourself, your family, and future generations.

BenchTalk

Wisdoms Inspired in Nature

A beautifully handbound, limited edition book composed  of journal entries on love, loss and life, collected from journals placed in publicly accessible green spaces—a poignant reminder of our shared humanity.

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Salma’s Writing

Salma’s personal essays, feature stories, and 30 Days and humanKIND blogs help people feel a sense of connection by focusing on values we all share in common.

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Salma’s Speaking

Salma’s stories, keynotes, presentations, and workshops leave audiences of all ages feeling inspired, motivated, and hopeful.

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KindWorks

As Chief Inspiration Officer of KindWorks, Salma creates campaigns to promote volunteerism and captures and shares tales of ordinary people doing good.

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Everyday stories of kindness and humanity that I come across daily to inspire positivity and hope.

As Seen In

Stay Connected with Salma on Instagram

The first thing I see when I walk into Room 2 at the NY Proton Center each day is a beach mural of sailboats, colorful umbrellas, and a signpost for Bonaire (yes please!). But as I turn the corner, the scene is more out of Star Trek — a mammoth
Every Monday from 5-6pm, we cook a huge pot of soup to share with people in need. Today we made a Thai inspired sweet potato and carrot soup with red curry paste and coconut milk, topped with tamari spiced almonds, cilantro and lime. Our regulars wer
I’ve never tried my hand at painting; my creative outlet has always been writing. I’ve been wanting to try watercolors during this time, when I’ve eased up on work commitments and have more unstructured days. I decided to paint thin
I’ve always had ‘big hair’ - thick, wavy, and full, that easily falls into place without product or tools; the kind that hairdressers and aunties always complimented. I was never attached to any particular style or stylist. ‘S
On the morning of my first chemo appointment, feeling nervous and scared, bags packed with gin gins and blankets, I opened my front door to head to the hospital around 8am, only to find 20 family and friends on the street below with banners and ballo
In my #humanKIND newsletter in which I first talked about my breast cancer journey, I asked people to share with me how they get through challenging times. To be honest I wasn’t expecting many people to respond; and I certainly wasn’t exp
Thank you for all your good wishes. I truly believe ‘We’ll get through this, again, inshAllah’ - the title of my second personal essay. I’ve relied on an incredible writer and book for strength and fortitude — @suleikaja
It’s breast cancer awareness month. For the past several months, I’ve been sharing my own journey with (a second bout of) breast cancer, through my ‘humanKIND’ newsletter. I hope these missives help raise awareness of the dise
Thank you @canvasrebel for sharing my thoughts on legacy, storytelling, and the most fulfilling part of the creative process. Thank you @jenniferfoleypleasants for nominating me.
Thank you to #nfreads for this interview about my newest book, ‘BenchTalk: Wisdoms Inspired in Nature’. It’s a collection of gems, that people wrote in hundreds of yellow journals tucked under benches in green spaces designed and su
Friends, each week we're going to share a little nugget ( a soupçon, if you will) about soup - it's role in history and culture, it's appearance in literature and art, as well as recipes and more - as part of our new #KindSoupStories project
My father in law has not been well; to be honest, he’s really not been well. Yesterday was his 89th birthday - what a gift on Father’s Day. He rallied. Left his bed for the first time in weeks; we wheelchaired him to his favorite recline