Meet Elise Evans Martin

We were lucky to catch up with Elise Evans Martin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Elise, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
I think a part of me will never overcome imposter syndrome. As a woman raised in a male patriotical society, becoming a woman’s rights activist was difficult. You constantly question yourself because that is how you were brought up.

Growing up in Saudi Arabia as a Saudi girl, we were taught never to question the world around us. Never question what we were given, and always be grateful to our male guardians who provide for us. Overcoming imposter syndrome will take time; first, we must start believing in ourselves and knowing what we are capable of. If you did step out of line, you were spoonfed fear and doubt until you only knew doubt and fear. We need to stop doubting and keep moving. The work will speak for itself, and the outcomes will serve as evidence for our abilities. Believe in yourself! Remove anyone from your inner circle that makes you feel small. Remember that your personal life affects your professional life. Everything is interconnected.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a passionate Women’s Rights Activist. Who has been called the Katniss Everdeen of Saudi Arabia. My passion and work highlight the draconian laws that keep women in a system that declares them minors until they die. Raised by a Saudi stepdad as a Saudi included molestation, prolonged confinement, physical & mental abuse, and more. I was subjected to the Male Guardianship Law, which stripped me of every right that I was born with as an American Citizen.

I work diligently to highlight the current situation on the ground in Saudi Arabia not just because I have three younger Saudi sisters and many Saudi friends but because I personally suffered many injustices until finally finding freedom in the United States at the age of thirty.

I have spoken internationally and locally, raising awareness about the Male Guardianship Law, Sports-Washing, Arbitrary Arrests, Torture, Victim Shaming, Forced Disappearances, Honor Killings, Sham Trials, Executions, and other Human Rights Violations happening on a day-to-day basis in Saudi Arabia.

I Interned for the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) in Riyadh and was the head of HR for the MENA Region for The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. I worked as the Executive Assistant to the group Publisher at D Magazine in Dallas, TX, and currently, I am a successful CEO. My Autobiography, an American Princess in Saudi Arabia, is due to be released in late 2024.
“I will never be silent again” – Elise Evans

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Observance and analytical thinking, these two skills make all the difference in everything I do or have done in my life. But the most impactful part of my journey was creating a tribe of my own. In Saudi Arabia, we were taught that there is no survival without your tribe, and when you choose to stand up, defect, and dissent, you effectively lose your tribe. I have found that having an amazing team around you that pushes you beyond your own mental limitations changes everything. Surrounding yourself with people who lift you up and give you strength is the most important thing to any success story. I would not be where I am today without all the people who stood beside me over the years.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
There are many books that played an important role in my life, and for any avid reader, it would be tough to choose a favorite. I have many authors that I admire, but I would have to say that writing my autobiography impacted me the most. It forced me to self-evaluate, reflect, and question a world I was taught never to speak of or ask questions about. It was very therapeutic and helped me realize my true calling. I am free, but so many are not, and with great freedom comes great responsibility to help where you can. To speak for those who cannot speak for fear of persecution.

It seems like everyday another activist is locked up without due process and finally sentenced to years in prison just for questioning the world around them publicly on X formally Twitter. Salma al-Shehab, for example, was sentenced to 34 years in prison to be followed by another 34 years on a travel ban which is basically house arrest for tweeting about women’s rights and as they call it, ‘disrupting public order.’ Loujain al-Hathloul was a leader in the I AM My Own Guardian movement which is a movement to end male guardianship. This system in Saudi Arabia declares that all women, no matter what age, are minors until the day they die. A 40-year-old woman’s guardian can be her son, and he will have the final say in some of the most basic decisions in a woman’s life. If she can travel, study, and even marry, the guardian must make the final decision. Loujain was arrested, locked up, tortured, and is now banned from traveling and speaking out.

These stories of these brave women impact me on a deep level because I too suffered under the male guardianship law. So many women, journalists, and activists inside and outside Saudi Arabia are either forcibly disappeared or locked up so they can be silenced. Despite MBS’s claims to be a reformer, the number of executions in Saudi has doubled under his reign, and sadly it may still get worse before it gets better. The women who reach out to me give me courage and help me to speak on subjects that others cannot for fear of retribution. Together we are stronger, and one day I hope that our voices will really be heard. Freedom is an inalienable human right we all deserve to be free regardless of our gender.

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