Meet Mira Bahgat

We recently connected with Mira Bahgat and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Mira, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

That’s such a difficult question! I think a lot of my resilience comes from my faith, both in God and in myself. I’m determined to build the life I’ve envisioned for myself, both personally and professionally. I believe many of us have a mission in life. From as young as eight years old, I had this gut feeling that my calling would be in the Arts. Music, Film, and Theatre would be my vehicle to make an impact in the world. That intuition that my purpose would come from this path became so persistent that I had no choice but to fight for it.

While my resilience is rooted in that deep belief in the calling God placed on my life, it’s also shaped by my personal experiences of overcoming hardship. I’ve been through many changes and losses in my personal life, and whether I liked it or not, I survived and persisted. One of the hardest times in my life was losing my father at 19. The grief was overwhelming. I couldn’t imagine a world where I could survive it. But time helps your mind make sense of things, and eventually, I found a way to live with the pain. Almost nothing compares to that time, and weirdly, that brings me comfort. It feels like I had already hit rock bottom early on, so no matter what life throws at me now, I have enough proof that I can survive.
I’m deeply inspired by other people’s stories and advice on overcoming hardship, leaning on community for healing is essential. No man’s an Island.
Most resilient people I know aren’t necessarily built on pure courage. They’re built on patience, faith, and a sense of quiet stoicism. That’s the energy I try to embody. Courage becomes a side effect of that. I choose to believe it will be okay, even if no evidence is presented that it will be, that’s faith. You will manifest that healing.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Oh dear, I do a lot! I’m an actor, singer-songwriter, and director. As a child, I was hyperobsessed with the Barbie movies and Hannah Montana (like a lot of little girls in the early 2000s!) which might sound a little odd since I was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt (I’m Egyptian/Syrian), but this was during the birth of the internet! So we were probably the first generation to really experience globalization on a massive scale.

The world being so full of different cultures and art was incredibly exciting to me. I could discover American soul and blues music the same day I’d get introduced to Bollywood films or Turkish soap operas. That exposure shaped how I see the world and my career. Art has a way of bridging cultures in the most human, personal way possible. It’s the most empathetic form of storytelling we have, and it’s something I hold as a mantra for my work. Music, film, and theater are very spiritual and approachable forms of storytelling and healing.

Growing up, I longed for more Arab and Muslim representation in the global mainstream. I would’ve loved to see one of us winning Oscars, Grammys, or having our stories known on a large scale. Connecting to each other’s humanity through art can help resolve a lot of the ignorance and hate that’s plaguing the world right now.

I started writing songs when I was 11, and by 15, I wrote, directed, and starred in my first school play. That drive eventually led me to study Dramatic Arts and Music at The New School University in New York City. That was the true beginning of my professional journey, and honestly, I have no idea where the train is headed next, but I hope my work can always be a vehicle to help others see their stories through mine.
As a musician, I go by Mira. My sound is a blend of pop, R&B, jazz, and Arabic folk. Sticking to one box has never been my thing. My debut EP, Delirium, comes out in Summer 2025! It’s about the intense emotional rollercoaster of the last four years of my life. Grief, love, heartbreak, betrayal, and, ultimately, a beautiful acceptance of all the cracks that make us who we are. My singles Waiting and Send Me a Sign are out now!

On the acting side, I’ve been lucky to perform at some iconic venues in New York theater, and recently started transitioning into film and TV. I even got the chance to go back home and make my TV debut in the Arab industry, starring alongside some of the region’s biggest talents in Ahl Al Khataya (People of Sins). I’m also a director! As if I didn’t have enough things on my plate, I’ve been lucky enough to direct several theater productions in the city and my debut short film, Robbery Reparations.
I feel incredibly blessed to be able to do what I love, even though most days I’m paralysed with the anxiety of it all I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I hope that moving forward in my career, I can continue to find ways to combine all my skills into projects that showcase Arab stories, culture, and talent on an international stage.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I’d say three qualities that have really impacted my work are patience, consistency, and knowledge.

First, patience, but active patience. Having faith that the universe has a plan for you, and trusting that the ambition and drive you feel were placed inside you for a reason. You have to do your part, show up, put in the work, and then allow the universe the time to do its part.

Second is consistency. I’ll be honest, this is something I still struggle with sometimes. I’m not the most naturally organized or disciplined person (It’s so tough!). But consistency and discipline are the only path to success. Take care of yourself: get good sleep, protect your mental health, and make time for a fulfilling personal life. Connection and meaning in your personal life will feed your art. Then, keep creating, even when you feel like you’re failing. Stay organized, check in with yourself every few months to see where you can grow and improve. Success doesn’t happen overnight, and you need to be ready to carry it well.

Lastly, knowledge. Learn about yourself — your ancestry, your parents’ and grandparents’ lives. Learn about the history of your craft. Who were the pioneers? What were their stories? Study other art forms and stories as well. Be a student of life. You are a student first. Respect the art form, not the fame or virality that can come with it. Fame is fleeting, but a long, impactful career is built on a deep love and respect for the work.

This was something my grandfather always emphasized to me. He’d tell me to live my life and do whatever I wanted, as long as I made it a priority to keep learning about everything that crossed my path. Money comes and goes, but your intelligence is something that can never be taken from you.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

Honestly, I almost always feel overwhelmed. I won’t sugarcoat how difficult it is to start a career in an oversaturated and often unstructured industry. There’s no single path to success, so most of the time, I’m just figuring it out as I go, without knowing if I’m even on the right track.

I live far from home and the people I grew up with. Starting from scratch in New York was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But building the life I envisioned for myself and seeing little pieces of it come to life has been the greatest gift I could give myself. My younger self is very proud of me and I often seek her approval.

I often think about Kahlil Gibran’s poem “Do Not Love Half Lovers,” where he speaks about not settling for half a love, half a career, half a life. We deserve to live fully. I want to give my all in this life, to be the best artist I can be, the best friend, best partner, best neighbor, best daughter. I fall short a lot of the time but I wake up the next day and try again. Perfection is unachievable, but shoot for the stars and land on the moon I guess! (that’s how that saying goes, right?). In return for those efforts, I hope the universe will meet me with a life that brings me peace, joy, and fulfillment.

If you struggle with anxiety, take deep breaths, talk to friends, spend quality time in nature, go to therapy if you’re open to it, do all the things that bring tiny specs of relief, and remember the commitment you made to yourself. Be patient!

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