Over the course of seven years in the media industry, Natalie Dagher has always let her passion for writing guide her towards her next project.
Now that she is focused on her young family, this passion has led Natalie down a new path of faith formation which has been marked by her first children’s book 10 Reasons Why Being Catholic is Awesome.
“My media and communications degree opened the door to some opportunities as an intern and then assistant producer at Channel Nine’s morning programs and The Footy Show,” said the mother-of-two from Sydney’s southwest.
“I soon realised that live TV wasn’t for me and shifted my focus to print journalism, where I honed my skills and passion for writing while working at Rugby League Week and Gourmet Traveller magazines.
“After moving into content writing, gaining experience in PR and marketing, I married my husband Julian and my primary focus then became raising our two young children.
“It was during this time that I realised the market needed more good Catholic resources for children, particularly simple books, that involve nurturing their numeracy and literacy skills, while also inspiring faith-based dialogue at home.”
Born into a traditional Maronite family, Natalie’s strong faith was formed through attending Mass every Sunday and being taught to pray the Rosary from a young age.
This formation, along with the support of her family and friends, gave her the encouragement she needed to write her first book.
“The experience was honestly great,” said Natalie.
“My creative vision was coming to life, and the whole experience from start to finish was a combination of persistence, patience, and leaving the rest to God.
“At first, I found it a little difficult to find a good Catholic illustrator who would be able to understand the brief, but after asking around my local parish which is under the care of the incredible Somascan Fathers, I was referred to someone in the community.
“I truly believe that it was God’s hand at work and I was also blessed to have Somascan Fr Chris De Sousa CRS and my sister Vanessa Ajaka assist with editing parts of my work for which I am very grateful.”
After publishing her first book, Natalie felt inspired to create more content for children, such as books and online blogs.
With the help of her husband, Natalie created a website called Sapere Kids to support this vision.
“The name Sapere—which means “to be wise” in Latin and “to know” in Italian—became the foundation for Sapere Kids,” said Natalie.
“Its mission is to create simple yet vibrant content that’s easily accessible to anyone.
“My hope is for Sapere Kids to become a trusted Australian resource for parents, caregivers, educators, and parishes who seek to plant seeds of faith and wisdom in every child’s heart and to help them grow in their relationship with God.”
Details at www.saperekids.com
