Shadi Ahadifar

Dr. Shadi Ahadifar landed on earth January 3rd, 1984, right in the middle of Tehran’s art scene. Her family? Basically born with paintbrushes and sheet music in their hands. Even though she snagged a diploma in mathematics (because, why not?), her heart kept beating to the rhythm of music and performance. So, she ditched the numbers for the Faculty of Music, chasing this wild idea of mixing art, music, and a dash of therapy. Honestly, she didn’t stop there. Psychology caught her eye next, and she just kept climbing—bachelor’s, master’s, straight up to a PhD. Not one to stay behind the scenes, Shadi’s been acting since she was 17, popping up in hit TV series, movies, and more recently, on stage. If you ask anyone in the Iranian acting world, she’s legit—trained at top acting institutes, with a résumé to back it up. She doesn’t just act, though. Shadi plays the harp—how many people do you know who can say that?—and she’s penned a handful of scientific books on psychology. Oh, and she’s an assistant professor at Azad University’s Tehran Research Sciences Branch, squeezing in time between classes, performances, and writing sessions. Basically, she’s the kind of person who makes you feel like you should be doing way more with your own life.