Breakthrough ABA Founder & CEO Heba Salem's New Memoir Traces her 20-Year Journey From Mother to CEO

Inspiring memoir follows one mother's search across four countries for answers about her son's condition, and the unexpected path it opened for her

HOUSTON, Oct. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Clinician, entrepreneur, and disability advocate Heba Salem has released From a Mother to a CEO, a candid account of raising and advocating for her son with a developmental disability. Part memoir, part call to action, the book explores the realities families face as they navigate developmental disabilities.

For more than 20 years, Salem searched for answers, support, and opportunities for her son. That search took her across four countries and through schools, specialists, and systems, and eventually led her somewhere she never expected: to become founder and CEO of Breakthrough ABA, which provides Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services for children with autism and other developmental and behavioral challenges.

"I wrote this book so parents who are just starting this journey know they are not alone," said Salem. "I never set out to build a company. I just wanted to find the help my son needed, and along the way I realized how many other families were searching for the same thing."

The book is about more than Salem's professional path. It takes readers inside the realities families can face after a diagnosis: understanding what a child needs, navigating complicated systems, finding the right services, advocating for opportunities at school and beyond, and finding the resilience to keep going. Salem also examines how cultural attitudes and stigma around disability can create additional barriers for families, and why greater understanding and acceptance are still needed.

Though Salem's story is deeply personal, she believes many of the emotions behind it are universal. Parents may live in different countries, come from different cultures, or have access to different resources, but the desire to see their children understood, accepted, and given the chance to thrive transcends those boundaries.

From a Mother to a CEO is now available on Amazon. For more information about Salem and the book, visit IamHebaSalem.com.

About Heba Salem:

Heba Salem is a Canadian-Egyptian entrepreneur, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, author, and founder & CEO of Breakthrough ABA in Houston, Texas. Over the past decade, she has dedicated her work to helping children with autism and developmental disabilities receive compassionate, evidence-based care while empowering families with the knowledge, support, and confidence they deserve. From a Mother to a CEO is her first book.

Press Contact:

Nicole Wallach
iamhebasalem.com/

SOURCE Heba Salem