The Story
Strength is built, not born.
I am Dr. Joyce Azzam, the first Lebanese woman and among the first three Arab women to climb the highest mountain on every continent, including Mount Everest. But my story is not about summits. It is about second chances, perseverance, and the belief that strength is built, not born.
I grew up in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War, born with hypermobility syndrome — a condition that left my joints unstable, my knees weak, and my body in constant pain. I could not run, jump, or even stand still without discomfort. I felt disconnected from my body and often bullied for being different.
Then came my turning point. My brother Georges trained me five times a week, teaching me how to move, breathe, and trust my body again. We started with resistance training in the pool, where the water supported my joints, and slowly moved to weight training to build strength and stability.
At thirteen, I ran my first three kilometre school race and came in third place. That moment changed everything.
“Twenty-one years later, I stood on top of the world at the summit of Mount Everest. What mattered most was not the mountain I climbed but the one I overcame within.”
The Full Identity
Mountaineer. Architect.
Speaker. Ambassador. Mother.
Professional Identity
Beyond the summits
Every programme I build carries the full weight of this journey
Academic
PhD + Two Master's Degrees
PhD in Landscape and Environment Management (La Sapienza, Rome). Master’s in Historic Cities Conservation. Master’s in Governance Models and Local Production Systems (University for Foreigners, Perugia). Former Getty Conservation Institute Fellow.
Mission
UN Women Goodwill Ambassador
Serving as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for Lebanon, using my platform to speak on women’s roles in resilience, conflict, reconstruction…
and to show what is possible.
Teaching
Guest Lecturer & Executive Educator
Taught at IMD Business School, the Lebanese American University (LAU), and the University of Balamand, sharing practical lessons in leadership, resilience, and high performance inspired by the mountains.
Language
Five Languages, Seven Continents
Fluent in Arabic, French, English, Italian, and Spanish. Lived and worked in six countries. Climbed on all seven continents. Co-founder of Everest Voices with Lakhphuti Sherpa.
The Journey
Summit by summit,
step by step.
More than thirty major mountains across all seven continents. Each one a lesson. Each one a chapter in the story that became MounTurtle Academy.
-
1984
Born in Beirut, Lebanon
Growing up during the Lebanese Civil War taught me resilience, hope, and the power of perseverance from an early age. -
2005
Discovering the Mountains
My first hikes in Lebanon ignited a passion for exploration and revealed that every mountain has lessons far beyond its summit. -
2009
Completing the Seven Summits
Standing on the highest peak of every continent, including Mount Everest, showed me that our greatest limits are often the ones we place on ourselves. -
2020
Turning Experience into Purpose
I shifted my mission from climbing mountains to helping others climb their own. Through speaking, education, and leadership development, I began sharing the lessons the mountains had taught me. -
2024
A New Summit: Motherhood
Becoming a mother deepened my understanding of courage, growth, and the importance of leading by example for the next generation. -
Today
Building MounTurtle Academy
Through MounTurtle Academy, I guide individuals, teams, and communities to build resilience, develop a high-performance mindset, and discover that every challenge can become a summit.
Work With Joyce
Four ways to begin
the full Academy — there is a path for you.