Swim The Sahara

It all started when Laure, a swimming coach and PhD researcher specializing in disability between France and Morocco, invited me to join the Morocco Swim Trek. The idea was simple but intense: swim in open water as part of a team that included people with disabilities. I said yes, even though there was one big problem — I couldn’t swim, and we only had three months to prepare.

Learning to swim with an amputated leg was not just physical, it was mental. The ocean scared me. I had panic attacks during training, and even floating felt impossible. I only managed to float properly one month before the challenge, but despite everything, I showed up.

The first two days were extremely difficult. I had food poisoning, I was exhausted, and everything inside me was telling me to stop. On the third day, it was my turn to swim. They take you to the middle of the ocean, far from everything, and ask you to jump into the water to meet your teammate and reach the finish line together.

I like to say I met Michael in the middle of the ocean. Actually, it was in the back seat of a car, the day before - getting tossed around by the Sahara dunes on our way back from the 10km swim start on that day. Nothing builds a business foundation better than crossing the White Dune of the Moroccan Sahara together.

Michael asked me what I do in life, and I told him that I had just finished my MBA in China and that I was looking for opportunities, but it was difficult. Later, during dinner, he told me that a friend of his might have an opportunity for me, and simply said, “Let’s give it a try.”

That’s when everything started.

We met Brian, and the conversations soon moved beyond the challenge — we spoke about life, experiences, and possibilities. At one point, Michael told Brian, “Zineb is smart, dedicated, and hardworking — she truly deserves a chance.” I didn’t fully realize it at the time, but something meaningful was already being built through those conversations — together with a growing pressure on me to live up to that trust.

So, after being dropped into the ocean, having the conversations of the day before in mind and FINALLY! reaching the beach, Michael pushed me out of my comfort zone. He encouraged me — insisted, even — to do interviews in the water, near the finish line, with Brian and Marijke, bringing the cameraman into it. I didn’t fully understand why, but I did it. (interview.mp4)

Then came the real challenge.

Michael asked me to go further and try to interview another participant, Brittany Lee, a Canadian swimmer. The problem was that I had never spoken to her, I didn’t know when she was leaving, and everyone had early flights the next morning. There was no plan. No structure. No guarantee I would even see her.

That night, I was completely exhausted.

The next morning, I didn’t wake up on my own. Laure knocked on the door and told us to get ready. I rushed — brushed my teeth, washed my face, got dressed — and went straight to breakfast.

And then, by chance, I saw her.

She was standing at the buffet. I went next to her and started a simple conversation. I asked her how her journey was, if she enjoyed the experience, and how she found Morocco. Then I took the risk and asked if I could interview her.

She said yes.

There was no cameraman, no setup — so I asked someone nearby to film us. And just like that, the interview happened.

At that moment, I understood something important: opportunities don’t come ready — you create them. Even when you are tired, unprepared, or unsure.

At the same time, I discovered more about Michael. The same person who had seemed tired and quiet on the boat had actually won the Morocco Swim Trek twice before. He never mentioned it. He chose humility.

We also met Brian, who shared that youth and beauty pushed him to take on challenges like this. It was his first time in Morocco, but not his first time with Michael — they had met years earlier during another swimming challenge. With Edith, the organizer, we didn’t talk much, but her support was present everywhere through the organization and energy she brought to the event.

On that day, we crossed the finish line all together — not just as participants, but as people carrying a purpose.

That night, after the awards, we spoke again — about life, business, mentorship, and time. Brian asked me what time meant to me. I said that time is like money. He replied that spending one hour on TikTok is not a big deal, and I answered that maybe that one hour could change your life.

That was the moment everything connected.

I realized that this experience was never just about swimming. It was about mindset. About pushing beyond fear. About taking action when nothing is perfect. About the power of human connections.

Buoyond was born from that realization.

It is about mindset. It is about pushing beyond fear. It is about taking action when nothing is perfect.

It is about going beyond your limits, beyond your fears, beyond your excuses — beyond yourself.