Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Shifa Mariya Monet.
Hi Dr. Shifa , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I moved to the United States shortly after graduating high school, driven by a belief that ambition should never have a ceiling. I arrived knowing absolutely no one, but I was fortunate to meet incredible people who helped me along the way, and I’ll always be grateful for that. I spent most of my early years in Nashville before moving to New York City two years ago as my career naturally expanded.
Ever since I was a little girl, I was filled with creativity. Whether it meant painting all the walls of my home and driving my mother insane, or bribing our maid to sneak DVDs and albums into the house as a 6-year-old because they were strictly prohibited in our household, that’s how much I loved singing and dancing. At the same time, for as long as I can remember, I have been equally fascinated by the human mind and have never acted outside of logic.
In New York, my career grew quickly. I got signed with my dream Modelling agency Wilhelmina Models, began working as an actress with award-winning filmmakers and founded my own production company to create stories I genuinely believe in. Around the same time, I fulfilled lifelong dream by releasing my original music, working with Grammy-winning producers, performing live, and, more recently, also embracing Commercial EDM DJing.
When I moved to New York, I already knew I wanted to build the kind of community I had always wished existed based on my own life experience, a place where ambitious, kind, and inspiring people could genuinely connect. That vision became SM Royal Circle, a private social club in New York.
At the same time, I continued my work in neuroscience, graduating from King’s College London and founding the North Node Institute of Neuroscience & Epigenetics (NNINE), where we’re researching neuroplasticity and human potential. I think my 12-year-old self would go insane jumping with joy hearing all of this. That’s exactly what she wanted.
Looking back, everything I’ve built has been connected by one idea: authenticity, love, and passion. Everything else is just a byproduct of that.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s obviously not been a smooth road, but I don’t see challenges as negative. I think the most important decision we make is whether we believe life is happening for us or against us. That belief shapes everything.
My mother told me a story that has stayed with me my entire life. She said there were three people walking through a forest, and all three were hit by the same stone. The first complained that life was against him. The second simply accepted it and kept walking. The third looked at the same situation and said, “I’m grateful it wasn’t worse. My leg isn’t broken, and I can still walk out of this forest.” The event was identical. The only difference was the meaning each person gave it.
That story became the foundation of how I approach life. Like any other human being, I’ve experienced setbacks, betrayal, uncertainty, loss and delays. But I’ve never believed they were happening against me. Every challenge has always redirected me toward something better.
Looking back, I wouldn’t erase any of those experiences because they shaped my character and prepared me for the success that has come and the success that is yet to come.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a full-time model, singer-songwriter, actress, producer, DJ, entrepreneur, and neuroscientist. While those worlds may seem completely different, they’re connected by one purpose: understanding people, telling stories that deserve to be told, and, most importantly, bringing people together. Whether it’s through film and music, bringing together the masses, or through my social club, bringing together a very specific type of people, everything I create is rooted in human connection.
Smproductions.media
smroyalcircle.club
nnine.org
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
FAITH AND SURRENDER
Contact Info:
- Website: Smproductions.media
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shifamariyamonet?igsh=MWl4a2wzbzVqYTh6cQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: Smroyalcircle.media
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shifamaryyam?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios
