About Beyond Cubicles
📢 #BeyondCubicles is a weekly LinkedIn series created by Carolina D’Souza, born out of her own experience transitioning from a corporate career to independent consulting. Since its launch in June 2024, the series has evolved into a platform that showcases the inspiring journeys of several founders who have redefined the traditional 9-to-5.
Through authentic narratives, #BeyondCubicles highlights themes of courage, resilience, and purpose. The stories feature individuals from diverse industries—ranging from tech and education to wellness and adventure—who share their experiences of stepping away from conventional roles to pursue passion-driven careers.Â
✨ Note: All features in this series are unpaid and shared as a way to honor and amplify real stories of transformation.
“I grew up around beauty. I saw how powerful it is when the right person helps you feel like yourself again,” says Haifa Addas.
For more than two decades in luxury beauty with global names from L’Oréal to Lancôme and Armani, she managed celebrities’ beauty needs across the region.
Behind the polished campaigns and high-profile clients, she saw what others missed. “Women wanted access to beauty services, and talented artists wanted opportunities, yet the connection between them was fragmented, inconsistent, and outdated,” she says.
That realization became a responsibility.
In January 2017, she left her 9-to-5 to launch Instaglam.co, a platform connecting clients and professionals through beauty and technology.
“My mother was a makeup artist and hairstylist, and my grandmother was Miss Lebanon. I saw how universal the desire to feel beautiful is, and how transformative the right beauty expert can be,” she says.
The leap came with its share of storms.
A few years after launching, COVID hit. “Overnight, we had zero income,” she says.
Just when she felt nothing was working, a project with Dior came her way. After zero income and uncertainty that partnership felt like a breath of life. “Then came Expo 2020, when I watched my team and our artists operate with such professionalism,” she says.
These moments shaped Haifa in ways she never expected. “I now see myself as someone who can build, rebuild, and rise, no matter how many times life tests me,” she says, adding, “I had to learn to really trust myself when there was no roadmap.”
Her brother and co-founder has been her anchor. “His belief in Instaglam, and in me, has been one of the greatest gifts in this journey.”
As her role evolved, her personal brand became an extension of her mission. Alongside Instaglam, she advises and mentors women in leadership and entrepreneurship, extending her impact beyond business into empowerment and advocacy.
Nearly a decade into running the venture, the Syrian-Lebanese entrepreneur who grew up in Riyadh and now calls the UAE home continues to build with humility and conviction. “I wish someone had told me that the emotional roller coaster is harder than the work,” she says.
Her advice: “Take the leap, but take it with clarity, not fantasy. Expect it to grow you, stretch you, test you, and shape you.”