Fashion And Lifestyle

Nick Santonastasso, The Man Behind the Momentum

Nick Santonastasso, The Man Behind the Momentum By Lousie Gold There is a particular kind of pressure that comes with becoming known for resilience. Once people associate you with strength, determination and the ability to overcome, vulnerability can begin to feel almost contradictory. Nick Santonastasso understands that tension closely. Much of his public identity has been built around possibility, but the person behind that identity is increasingly interested in something less polished: uncertainty, self-trust and the freedom to keep redefining yourself. “I think the real answer is that I’m in the middle of defining myself right now,” Nick says. It is an unusually candid position for someone whose career has involved speaking to audiences around the world. Yet it reflects a shift in how he understands identity. Rather than allowing an audience to complete the picture for him, he is becoming more conscious of the difference between the person people recognise and the person he actually is. For years, Nick says, he played the role of the person who did not struggle. The perfectly composed speaker. The superhuman. The person who always had the right thing to say. It was an effective identity, but it was also incomplete. The more he performed certainty, the more difficult it became to create genuine connection. Today, he is more comfortable acknowledging the ordinary parts of himself: his fascination with psychology, his love of music and video games, his mistakes, his doubts and the fact that he does not have every answer. That shift has changed his understanding of communication. Different arenas have taught him different lessons. Bodybuilding taught him to continue when results were not immediately visible. Vine taught him attention and the mechanics of stopping someone mid-scroll. Speaking took him somewhere deeper. He learned that reaching an audience is not simply about having something to say; it requires understanding the person receiving it. For Nick, effective communication begins with curiosity. Rather than focusing entirely on what he wants people to hear, he thinks about what they might already be carrying: the problem they cannot articulate, the belief they formed years ago, or the reason they continue repeating a pattern they know is not serving them. His coach Sean Stevenson taught him to become so immersed in an audience’s problems that people could feel he was speaking directly to something they had not yet put into words. That distinction is particularly relevant in an age where inspiration is everywhere. Social platforms are filled with motivational statements, transformation videos and neatly packaged lessons about success. Nick has experienced that world from both sides. He knows how easily an inspirational message can capture attention, but he also knows that feeling inspired and actually changing are very different things. He describes the modern audience as often “knowledge rich and implementation poor.” People can consume endless information without necessarily turning any of it into experience. For Nick, meaningful change begins when an idea leaves the screen and enters someone’s actual life. Repetition, action and evidence matter because they provide something more durable than motivation: proof that a person can rely on themselves. That idea of evidence sits at the centre of his understanding of discipline. He does not see consistency simply as a matter of forcing yourself through a lack of willpower. Sometimes, he believes, inconsistency is protecting something deeper. Fear of being seen, fear of failure or an old belief about what might happen if someone attempts something and does not succeed can quietly shape behaviour. This is where Nick separates confidence from self-trust. Confidence can be projected outwardly. Self-trust is accumulated privately, through the promises a person makes and keeps when nobody else is watching. A ten-minute effort on a difficult day may appear insignificant from the outside, but to Nick it still counts because it creates another piece of evidence. The gym, in that sense, becomes less about physical performance and more about keeping a promise to himself when nobody else is watching. His perspective on disability similarly challenges the tendency to reduce people to the most visible part of their experience. Nick points out that physical limitations are only one part of the reality. The energy required for ordinary movement, the physical strain and practical logistics are often invisible to other people. So are the social consequences: startled reactions, assumptions and moments when another person’s response can make someone feel like an object rather than an individual. At the same time, he questions the assumption that kindness always means removing difficulty. Being supported, in his view, should not mean being deprived of independence. There is a difference between helping someone with something they genuinely cannot do and doing something for them simply because their disability makes other people uncomfortable watching them attempt it. His parents, he says, understood that distinction, challenging him to do what he could rather than building his life around what others could do for him. That perspective extends into how he thinks about accessibility. His experience in Dubai has given him an appreciation for the way language, policy and physical environments can shape how people experience a city. He points to the UAE’s use of the term “people of determination” and to changes in accessibility that he has witnessed as examples of a broader principle: changing how society understands people can also change the environments built around them. Yet perhaps the most interesting part of Nick’s current thinking has little to do with what he has already achieved. His curiosity is moving towards things that do not fit neatly into his established identity. Music is one possibility. He has loved it for years but has never seriously explored what it might become for him. There is also PODFest, his idea for a Dubai festival centred on people of determination, bringing together sport, esports, business, creators and shared experiences without reducing disability to a story of pity. Beneath both ambitions is a quieter question. After years of responding to expectations about what he should post, what he should represent

Areej Nashashibi, Evolution & Creation

Areej Nashashibi, Evolution & Creation “AUTHENTICITY IS NOT ABOUT REMAINING UNCHANGED. IT IS ABOUT ALLOWING YOURSELF TO CHANGE WITHOUT LOSING THE QUALITIES THAT MAKE YOUR VOICE RECOGNISABLE.” By Editorial Desk Areej Nashashibi’s career has unfolded across a media landscape that has changed dramatically since she first stepped in front of a television camera. What began in traditional media has evolved through digital content, fashion, beauty and entrepreneurship, giving her a perspective shaped by both sides of the industry. Television gave her the discipline of professional broadcasting; social media gave her the freedom to communicate more personally. Between the two, she found a way of working that is less about choosing one identity and more about allowing it to evolve. One of the lessons Areej carried from television was the importance of making communication feel personal. Speaking to a camera, she learned to imagine that she was addressing one person rather than an entire audience. It was a small shift in perspective, but one that continues to influence the way she creates today. Information may be what brings an audience to a piece of content, but the feeling created through its delivery is often what determines whether they stay connected to it. That foundation in traditional media also gave her a sense of discipline and professionalism that remained relevant as the industry moved online. Social media changed the relationship between creator and audience, making communication more immediate and informal, but Areej did not see that shift as a reason to discard what came before. Instead, she found that the confidence and structure developed through television could coexist with the authenticity and closeness of digital platforms. The transition was not without its uncertainties. At one point, Areej had a very defined picture of what success would look like. She imagined progressing further within traditional media and eventually having her own television show. As the industry changed, however, that particular path became less certain. Rather than treating the shift as a failure, she learned to reconsider what she had originally imagined for herself. That experience became one of the more important lessons in her career: changing direction does not necessarily mean losing your way. Sometimes the idea of success we hold onto is simply a version of the future we understood at a particular point in our lives. When circumstances change, holding onto that version too tightly can prevent us from recognising another possibility. For Areej, some of the opportunities that followed emerged precisely because she allowed herself to move beyond the career she had originally pictured. That openness has become particularly relevant as her work has expanded across creativity and business. Working in media, fashion, beauty and entrepreneurship has shown her that the two are not separate worlds. Creativity can attract attention, but understanding the business behind that attention determines whether it can become something sustainable. Knowing an audience, understanding positioning, recognising personal value and having a clear sense of direction all become part of the creative process when a personal platform is also a business. For Areej, the challenge lies in knowing when to approach something as a creator and when to approach it as a businesswoman. Neither side can be allowed to completely overtake the other. Too much commercial thinking can dilute the qualities that made an audience connect with someone in the first place, while creativity without an understanding of business can make it difficult to build something lasting. The balance is not always straightforward, but learning to navigate it has become part of her evolution. That distinction is also central to the way she views visibility. In an industry where numbers can become an immediate measure of influence, being seen can easily be mistaken for having succeeded. Areej does not see the two as interchangeable. An audience may be large, but meaningful influence requires something beyond reach. It can take the form of trust, a community, a business, new opportunities or simply the ability to create a life and career that reflects a person’s own priorities. Her perspective is particularly relevant for women building public careers, where visibility can sometimes become an expectation in itself. Areej’s advice is to think beyond the attention being generated in the present and ask what that attention is building towards. A platform has greater value when it can lead somewhere, whether that means creating a business, establishing credibility, developing opportunities or building a community that remains connected beyond individual pieces of content. The idea of building something that exists beyond visibility has also changed the way Areej understands relevance. Earlier in her career, she associated staying relevant with remaining constantly present. Today, she sees it differently. Relevance requires curiosity about how the industry is changing and the flexibility to adapt, but it also requires enough self-awareness to know what should remain consistent. Platforms change. Trends move quickly. Audience behaviour evolves. For anyone working publicly, adapting is unavoidable. But Areej believes there is a difference between evolving and constantly reinventing yourself to follow whatever happens to be popular. If every change in the industry produces a different version of you, the audience eventually loses a sense of who you are. Authenticity, in that sense, is not about remaining unchanged. It is about allowing yourself to change without losing the qualities that make your voice recognisable. That may be the most significant shift in Areej’s own understanding of her career. The ambition that was present when she first entered television has remained. What has changed is what she wants that ambition to lead towards. She still believes strongly in her ability to create something for herself, but she no longer defines that possibility through a single title, platform or milestone. Her definition of success has become more expansive and, perhaps, more personal. It includes the freedom to evolve, the ability to build businesses she believes in, meaningful connections with people and a life that retains value outside of work. The question is no longer simply whether she has reached the destination she once

Kholoud Al Ali, When Glamour Makes Time Forget to Move

Kholoud Al Ali, When Glamour Makes Time Forget to Move By Michelle Clark There is a particular kind of glamour that does not ask to be noticed, yet somehow becomes impossible to overlook. It lives in the precision of a silhouette, the glimmer of exceptional jewellery, the confidence of restraint and the understanding that true style rarely needs to explain itself. Kholoud Al Ali has built her fashion identity around precisely this kind of elegance. Known through her digital presence as @koodiz, she has become one of the recognisable voices of contemporary Gulf fashion, creating a visual world where modesty, luxury and individuality exist naturally alongside one another. Her journey reflects more than the rise of a fashion personality. It represents the emergence of a new regional aesthetic in which women are defining glamour on their own terms and presenting the Gulf as a sophisticated force within the global fashion conversation. Al Ali’s relationship with fashion has always been rooted in a strong sense of visual identity. Rather than depending upon excess, her aesthetic finds its strength in carefully chosen details, refined proportions and a sophisticated understanding of how individual pieces interact. Clothing, jewellery, accessories, interiors and surroundings become part of a larger composition, allowing each image to communicate a mood rather than simply displaying an outfit. There is an instinctive understanding that luxury is not always about showing everything. Sometimes its greatest impact comes from knowing precisely what to leave out. That philosophy has given her digital presence a distinctive character. In an era when social media has become increasingly crowded with personalities competing for attention, Al Ali’s visual language feels remarkably considered. Her style does not depend upon constant reinvention for the sake of visibility. Instead, it has developed through consistency, allowing her audience to recognise a particular sensibility whenever they encounter her work. The elegance is in the details, from the relationship between a beautifully cut garment and a statement accessory to the way an entire image is composed around colour, texture, light and atmosphere. Her approach is particularly compelling because it challenges the idea that modest fashion must exist separately from luxury fashion. Al Ali demonstrates that modest dressing can be glamorous, contemporary and highly expressive without compromising sophistication. Covered silhouettes become canvases for proportion and texture, while jewellery and accessories introduce moments of drama. The result is a form of dressing that feels deeply connected to the culture of the Gulf while remaining entirely comfortable within the international fashion landscape. This balance between regional identity and global style has become increasingly important as the Gulf’s influence on fashion continues to expand. For years, international fashion conversations often treated the region primarily as a market for luxury consumption. Today, that relationship has changed. Women from the Gulf are increasingly shaping the visual language of fashion itself, becoming designers, entrepreneurs, editors, collectors, stylists and influential cultural figures. Al Ali belongs to this wider transformation, using her platform to show that regional style does not need to imitate another fashion capital in order to be relevant. It can create its own vocabulary. There is something especially powerful about the way she approaches luxury because it feels personal rather than performative. A beautiful watch is not simply an object of status. A piece of jewellery becomes part of an overall expression. A carefully selected garment becomes a reflection of mood and personality. Fashion is treated less as a uniform and more as a language, one capable of communicating confidence, femininity and individuality without requiring a single word. This has also allowed her to occupy a space between fashion and lifestyle. Her digital world extends beyond clothing, creating an atmosphere in which travel, interiors, beauty, luxury and personal taste naturally intersect. That wider perspective reflects the way contemporary consumers experience fashion themselves. A luxury brand is no longer encountered only inside a boutique. It exists within a world of hotels, restaurants, destinations, architecture, art and personal experiences. The modern fashion personality therefore becomes a curator of a lifestyle as much as a wearer of clothes. Al Ali’s presence within that world is defined by an understanding of curation. Every successful fashion image creates a sense that the pieces belong together, and her work often carries that quality. There is an editorial sensibility behind the glamour, an awareness that fashion is ultimately about storytelling. The clothing creates the first impression, but the atmosphere gives it meaning. This is one of the reasons her style translates so naturally to digital platforms, where a single image can become a complete visual statement. Her journey also reflects the changing nature of influence itself. The first generation of social media personalities often built their audiences through constant accessibility and an almost continuous stream of personal content. Contemporary influence can operate differently. Increasingly, audiences are drawn towards creators who have a recognisable point of view, a defined aesthetic and the ability to make even a simple image feel intentional. Al Ali’s strength lies in that visual consistency. Her identity does not disappear beneath trends. Instead, trends are filtered through her own understanding of elegance. That sense of individuality becomes particularly evident in her relationship with jewellery and accessories. Rather than allowing luxury pieces to overwhelm the overall look, she frequently treats them as punctuation. A watch, bracelet, ring, bag or pair of sunglasses can become the detail that completes the composition. It is a sophisticated approach to styling because it recognises that glamour is often strongest when it is balanced. The eye should have somewhere to travel, and the most memorable fashion images are often those in which every element appears deliberate without appearing forced. There is also a quiet confidence in the way Al Ali represents femininity. Her fashion does not depend upon a single definition of what it means to be glamorous. It can be elegant without being formal, luxurious without being excessive and modest without becoming conventional. That flexibility is perhaps one of the most important characteristics of contemporary Gulf fashion. Women

Jihane El Alaoui, Glamour That Knows No Rules

Jihane El Alaoui, Glamour That Knows No Rules By Nida Kanwal Jihane El Alaoui Known to her digital audience has built a distinctive presence within Dubai’s fashion and beauty landscape through an aesthetic that moves effortlessly between polished glamour, contemporary femininity and an unmistakable sense of individuality. Her world is one where clothing is never simply clothing, beauty is never simply beauty and style is never reduced to a passing trend. Everything becomes part of a larger expression of confidence, personality and the art of knowing exactly how you want to be seen. Jihane El Alaoui Known to her digital audience has built a distinctive presence within Dubai’s fashion and beauty landscape through an aesthetic that moves effortlessly between polished glamour, contemporary femininity and an unmistakable sense of individuality. Her world is one where clothing is never simply clothing, beauty is never simply beauty and style is never reduced to a passing trend. Everything becomes part of a larger expression of confidence, personality and the art of knowing exactly how you want to be seen. Based in Dubai, El Alaoui has developed an audience of more than 600,000 followers on Instagram, establishing herself as a significant digital voice across fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Her influence, however, is not simply a consequence of numbers. What has allowed her presence to endure is the recognisable character of her visual identity. There is an elegance to her imagery, but it is not an elegance that feels distant. Her fashion can be sophisticated without becoming overly formal, glamorous without becoming excessive and feminine without losing its contemporary edge. She understands that the most memorable style is rarely about wearing everything at once. It is about knowing which detail deserves to be noticed. Her relationship with fashion is particularly interesting because it moves comfortably between polished luxury and relaxed modern dressing. One moment can call for a dramatic silhouette, while another can be built around denim, trainers or a more understated combination. Regional fashion coverage has highlighted this ability to balance structure with ease, including her appearances in contemporary looks associated with Dubai Fashion Week. That flexibility gives her style a sense of authenticity because it does not appear to belong to one particular fashion category. Instead, it reflects the reality of modern women whose wardrobes have to move with them through different worlds, occasions and moods. There is an instinctive understanding in El Alaoui’s work that fashion is ultimately about feeling. A beautifully constructed outfit can change the way a woman enters a room. A carefully chosen accessory can alter the entire character of a look. A particular colour can transform an image from understated to unforgettable. Her content captures that emotional side of fashion, presenting clothing not merely as something to purchase but as something capable of creating confidence and shaping identity. This becomes even more apparent in her approach to beauty. Her digital presence extends naturally from fashion into skincare, beauty and self-presentation, creating a wider conversation around how women care for and express themselves. Her influence has been associated with positive self-image and individuality, adding another dimension to a platform that could otherwise be defined simply by beautiful clothes and aspirational imagery. Beauty becomes less about achieving an impossible ideal and more about understanding the features, qualities and personal details that make someone distinctive. That perspective feels particularly relevant in today’s digital fashion culture. Social media has created an environment in which perfection can sometimes feel manufactured, with highly edited images and carefully constructed identities appearing constantly on our screens. El Alaoui’s appeal lies partly in her ability to make glamour feel approachable. The clothes may be luxurious, the destinations may be extraordinary and the styling may be immaculate, but the underlying message remains one of personal expression. Fashion is there to enhance identity rather than replace it. Dubai provides an especially fitting backdrop for this kind of influence. Few cities combine international luxury, rapid cultural change and visual spectacle quite so naturally. The city’s fashion scene has grown into a meeting point for international brands, regional designers, creators and consumers, and El Alaoui’s presence reflects that evolution. She represents a generation of Gulf-based women who are not simply observing the international fashion conversation from the outside. They are actively participating in it, interpreting global trends through their own cultural and personal perspective. Her style also demonstrates how quickly the traditional boundaries between fashion, travel and lifestyle have disappeared. For today’s audience, a fashion creator is rarely judged solely on what she wears. Followers want to see where she travels, how she spends her time, the beauty products she uses, the restaurants she visits and the atmosphere surrounding her life. El Alaoui has developed within this broader definition of influence, allowing her platform to become a carefully curated lifestyle world rather than simply a digital wardrobe. Travel plays an important role within that world because fashion is increasingly understood through place. A dress worn in Dubai communicates something different from the same dress worn in Paris. A resort look carries a different emotion from an evening look at a fashion event. The setting becomes part of the story. El Alaoui understands this instinctively, using destinations and surroundings not merely as backgrounds but as elements that contribute to the mood of an image. There is also something distinctly contemporary about the way she combines statement pieces with simplicity. The most successful fashion images often depend upon contrast, and her style frequently finds that balance between something eye-catching and something restrained. Denim can become sophisticated through proportion and styling. A dramatic garment can be softened through minimal accessories. A casual look can become elevated through a single carefully selected detail. These decisions demonstrate an understanding that glamour is not necessarily determined by how expensive or elaborate an outfit appears, but by how confidently it is put together. Her rise also reflects the changing economics of influence. The modern creator is no longer simply a person with a large social following. The strongest

How Dubai Is Changing Luxury Marketing

How Dubai Is Changing Luxury Marketing By Niusha Sepasian There is something undeniably romantic about luxury as the world has traditionally understood it. A weekend in Paris, wandering past the windows of Avenue Montaigne. An afternoon in Venice, choosing a small, beautiful object from a craftsman whose knowledge has passed through generations. A private room in a historic hotel whose walls seem to carry their own memory. For centuries, luxury was closely tied to heritage, scarcity and the authority of places that had been desirable long before modern marketing existed. Dubai has entered that world from an entirely different direction. It does not possess the centuries of European fashion history associated with Paris, Milan or London, nor the Renaissance heritage that gives Florence or Venice their particular cultural authority. Instead, Dubai has built its luxury proposition around something much more contemporary: scale, internationalism, experience, personalisation and an extraordinary ability to turn attention into aspiration. That distinction is becoming increasingly important. Dubai welcomed 19.59 million international overnight visitors in 2025, continuing a pattern of record tourism growth and attracting travellers from a remarkably broad collection of markets. Western Europe, South Asia, the Gulf, the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe all contribute significantly to the city’s visitor economy, creating an audience that is culturally, economically and generationally diverse. Dubai’s population has also grown into one of the world’s most international urban communities, with residents from across the globe living and working within the same commercial environment. For luxury marketers, this creates a fascinating challenge. The customer may be an Emirati family shopping for a wedding, a European executive relocating to the Gulf, an affluent South Asian traveller, a young consumer discovering a designer through social media, or a returning resident who already knows exactly what they want. Each arrives with different cultural references, expectations and ideas about what luxury should feel like. Dubai’s response has increasingly been personalisation rather than uniformity. Global brands can retain their international identity while adapting the experience around the individual customer. Personal shoppers, private appointments, VIP lounges, concierge services, exclusive launches and bespoke retail experiences have become increasingly important parts of the city’s luxury vocabulary. The result is a subtle but important change in the meaning of luxury. It is no longer simply about owning an expensive object. Increasingly, it is about how individually that object, service or experience can be presented. The luxury customer wants recognition, convenience and a sense that the experience has been created with them in mind. In a city where people from so many different backgrounds intersect, the ability to make luxury feel personal has become a competitive advantage. Dubai has also understood something that is becoming increasingly important across the global luxury industry: consumers are no longer buying only products. They are buying experiences, emotions and access to worlds that feel distinctive. This is particularly visible among younger affluent consumers. Recent research into luxury consumption in the UAE has pointed towards a growing appetite for experiences, including fine dining, premium hospitality and highly personalised leisure. Among younger consumers, experiences increasingly form part of how prestige is understood and communicated. The traditional luxury purchase may still matter, but it now exists within a much larger ecosystem of travel, entertainment, hospitality, wellness, food, fashion and social connection. This is where Dubai’s physical environment becomes part of its marketing strategy. Shopping can become entertainment. Dining can become theatre. A hotel can become a destination in its own right. Architecture becomes a backdrop for photography and video. A launch becomes an event, and an event becomes a social media story before the guest has even left the venue. The city’s enormous retail and hospitality infrastructure has created an environment in which consumers are encouraged to move continuously between shopping, dining, entertainment and leisure. Luxury is therefore no longer presented as something static. It is something to enter and experience. That distinction is particularly relevant in an era dominated by social media. A luxury handbag can be photographed, but so can the restaurant where it is carried. A hotel suite can be photographed, but so can the breakfast, the view, the pool, the entrance and the journey towards it. A fashion launch can become content before it becomes conventional advertising. The experience surrounding the product increasingly becomes part of the product’s perceived value. Dubai’s extraordinary visual landscape makes this process even more powerful because the destination itself is constantly generating imagery. The city has effectively created an environment in which luxury marketing can move naturally between physical experience and digital storytelling. The influence of younger consumers has accelerated this transformation. Generation Z has grown up in a world where discovery, recommendation and identity are deeply connected to digital platforms. A consumer can discover a designer through a creator, encounter a hotel through a short video, research reviews, watch behind the scenes content and arrive at a boutique already familiar with the brand. Research into Gen Z consumers in the UAE has highlighted the importance of factors such as credibility, authenticity, engagement and relevance in influencer relationships, particularly when brands are attempting to build familiarity and encourage purchase consideration. This has changed the relationship between luxury brands and their audiences. Advertising can tell people what a brand wants them to believe, but creators can demonstrate what that brand looks like within an actual lifestyle. This is one reason influencer marketing has become such an important part of Dubai’s commercial environment. It would be too simplistic to describe influencers merely as people who post products for money. The creator economy has developed into a sophisticated ecosystem involving agencies, production companies, brand partnerships, hospitality collaborations and increasingly professionalised content strategies. Dubai is particularly suited to this model because the city itself provides an almost endless collection of settings in which lifestyle stories can be created. Restaurants, resorts, beaches, fashion districts, luxury cars, private clubs, desert landscapes, architectural landmarks and major cultural events all provide visual environments in which brands can be experienced rather than simply described. The

Gabriela Abud, A World Seen in Layers

Gabriela Abud, A World Seen in Layers By Janhavi Gusani beauty is never simply something to be seen. It is a language shaped by culture, travel, design and the quiet details that give an experience meaning. There is a certain kind of creative perspective that cannot be reduced to a single aesthetic, culture or discipline. Gabriela Abud approaches creativity from that space, where travel, design, beauty and lifestyle intersect to create not simply a way of presenting the world, but a way of seeing it. Her work is defined by an appreciation for visual refinement, yet equally by the experiences and cultural influences that give those details their meaning. For Gabriela, beauty is never simply about making something look appealing. It is about understanding why an image, a space, a destination or a moment feels compelling in the first place. Her perspective has been shaped by a life lived across cultures. Growing up Brazilian Syrian and experiencing life across Brazil, Italy, the United States and the Middle East has given her an understanding of identity as something layered rather than fixed. Each environment has contributed a different reference point, allowing her to move between cultures while gradually developing a creative language that remains distinctly her own. Rather than seeing these experiences as separate chapters, they have become part of the same visual and emotional vocabulary through which she understands the world. This multicultural foundation is particularly evident in the way Gabriela approaches travel. For her, a destination is not simply a backdrop for an image or an opportunity to capture something visually beautiful. It is an invitation to understand how people live, communicate, create and define beauty within their own environments. Travel becomes meaningful when it changes the way a person looks at the world, when a new culture challenges assumptions and introduces another way of understanding life. Exposure to different cultures has made Gabriela increasingly aware that there is no universal definition of elegance, success or happiness. What appears desirable in one place may hold little significance in another. Beauty itself changes according to culture, history and experience. This awareness has encouraged her to approach the world with greater curiosity, while also strengthening her connection to her own heritage, particularly through her relationship with the Middle East and her Syrian roots. This ability to observe without immediately categorising is central to her creative identity. Gabriela approaches different environments with curiosity rather than assumption, allowing each place to contribute something to her understanding of people and culture. The result is a creative perspective that feels international without becoming detached from identity. Her work moves comfortably between different worlds, yet it does not attempt to flatten those differences into a single global aesthetic. Her relationship with design adds another important layer to this perspective. Studying Interior Design at Istituto Marangoni in Milan developed an awareness of proportion, materials, architecture, composition and atmosphere that continues to influence the way she sees and creates. Design taught her that the smallest detail can alter an entire experience. A particular texture, the balance within a room, the relationship between light and architecture or the positioning of objects within a space can determine how a person feels before anything has been explained. That sensitivity naturally extends beyond interiors. It influences the way Gabriela approaches photography, fashion, beauty, travel and the spaces she chooses to share with her audience. Rather than viewing these as separate categories, she sees them as connected elements within a larger visual experience. A destination can inspire an aesthetic, architecture can influence an image, and a cultural detail can become the beginning of a story. Beauty itself becomes another expression of the same attention to composition, atmosphere and individuality. This is also where her approach to personal branding becomes particularly distinctive. In an environment where digital visibility can encourage creators to reproduce whatever is currently attracting attention, Gabriela places greater value on developing a recognisable visual language. She does not see personal branding as the construction of a flawless identity. Instead, it is a gradual process of expressing a genuine one. Her aesthetic is allowed to evolve because she herself continues to evolve. What remains consistent is the sensibility behind it. She is drawn to beauty, but not beauty without context. She values polished imagery, but does not believe refinement should remove personality. She is interested in trends, yet does not believe following them should come at the expense of individuality. This balance between inspiration and authenticity has become increasingly important in a digital environment where visual culture moves with extraordinary speed. The worlds of beauty and lifestyle now produce an endless stream of inspiration. Trends travel almost instantly across continents, aesthetics are reproduced within days and the pressure to remain visually current can sometimes overshadow the individuality that made a creator interesting in the first place. In such an environment, originality is not always about inventing something completely new. Sometimes it lies in the ability to interpret familiar influences through a genuinely personal perspective. Gabriela’s approach is more considered. She draws inspiration from fashion, architecture, travel, culture and design, but filters these influences through her own experiences. For her, elegance is not about representing every new trend or adopting every aesthetic that appears successful. It is about understanding what genuinely represents you and having the confidence to interpret inspiration rather than simply reproduce it. The same philosophy shapes the relationship she has with her audience. As her community becomes increasingly international, the intention is not simply to show people beautiful places or carefully composed images. Gabriela wants the experience to feel participatory. Her audience should feel that they are discovering the world alongside her rather than observing it from a distance. This subtle distinction changes the role of the creator from someone who merely presents an experience to someone who invites others into a way of seeing. That sense of participation depends upon authenticity. A carefully curated digital presence can still feel human when there is a recognisable personality behind it.

The New Measure of Success, Why Mental Wellbeing Is Becoming a Leadership Priority

The New Measure of Success, Why Mental Wellbeing Is Becoming a Leadership Priority By Marina Ezzat Alfred Not long ago, workplace success was measured largely by numbers. Revenue, productivity, growth and profitability were seen as the ultimate indicators of a successful business. Leaders were expected to focus on targets, deadlines and performance, while conversations about mental well-being were often pushed aside. Stress was regarded as part of the job, long working hours were sometimes celebrated, and employees could feel that asking for support was a sign of weakness. Today, that mindset is changing. As workplaces evolve, organisations are increasingly recognising that the well-being of their people is closely connected to long-term performance and success. Work has changed dramatically in recent years. Technology has kept employees connected around the clock, while remote and hybrid working have blurred the boundaries between professional and personal life. At the same time, many teams are expected to adapt quickly to constant change. Although these developments have created new opportunities, they have also introduced new sources of pressure. Employees are often expected to manage growing workloads, navigate uncertainty and remain productive during challenging circumstances. Over time, this pressure can affect motivation, creativity and overall job satisfaction. Mental well-being is not simply about avoiding stress or preventing mental illness. It is also about having the emotional resilience to manage challenges, maintain healthy relationships, stay motivated and continue developing both personally and professionally. When employees feel mentally well, they are more likely to communicate effectively, solve problems constructively and contribute confidently to their teams. For this reason, organisations are beginning to see mental well-being not as an optional workplace initiative, but as an essential part of sustainable success. Leadership has a greater influence on employee well-being than many organisations realise. People often remember how their leaders made them feel just as much as they remember business achievements. A supportive manager can make a difficult project feel manageable, while poor leadership can turn even an enjoyable role into a stressful experience. Leaders shape workplace culture through the way they communicate, respond to challenges and interact with their teams. Simple actions, such as checking in with employees, listening to their concerns and recognising their efforts, can have a meaningful impact on morale. By contrast, unclear expectations, constant pressure and a lack of appreciation can gradually wear people down. Employees who feel unheard or unsupported may become disengaged, lose confidence or eventually decide to leave the organisation. Modern leadership is increasingly about understanding people as well as managing tasks. Technical expertise remains important, but empathy, emotional intelligence and effective communication have become equally valuable leadership skills. One of the most important developments in modern workplaces is the growing focus on psychological safety. This means creating an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up, asking questions, sharing ideas and acknowledging mistakes without fear of being judged or punished. When employees feel safe, they are more willing to collaborate and take initiative. Instead of hiding problems, they can work together to solve them. Instead of remaining silent during meetings, they can offer different perspectives that may lead to better decisions. Creating such a culture takes time, but it begins with leadership. Managers who encourage honest conversations, welcome feedback and respond respectfully help create workplaces where trust can grow. Trust cannot be imposed. It develops through consistent actions, transparency and genuine respect for people. Burnout is another issue that leaders cannot afford to overlook. Everyone experiences busy periods at work, but burnout goes beyond temporary tiredness. It can develop gradually when employees face prolonged pressure without sufficient support or opportunities to recover. Someone experiencing burnout may lose enthusiasm for their work, struggle to concentrate or feel emotionally exhausted even after taking time away. Tasks that once seemed manageable can suddenly feel overwhelming. Burnout is not inevitable, however. Leaders can help reduce the risk by setting realistic expectations, encouraging employees to take breaks, respecting personal boundaries and recognising that people sometimes need time to recharge. Perhaps most importantly, leaders should model these behaviours themselves. When managers routinely work late or respond to emails throughout the weekend, employees can feel pressured to do the same. Healthy working habits are much easier to establish when leaders demonstrate them consistently. Policies and workplace programmes have an important role to play, but they cannot replace genuine human connection. Many organisations now offer wellness programmes, mental health days and employee assistance services. These initiatives can provide valuable support, but meaningful conversations remain equally important. Sometimes the most effective form of support is a simple conversation. Employees value managers who regularly ask how they are doing, listen without immediately trying to solve the problem and create space for honest discussions. Open communication is particularly important during periods of uncertainty. Whether an organisation is introducing new technology, restructuring teams or responding to economic challenges, transparent communication can help employees feel informed rather than anxious. People do not expect leaders to have every answer. What they value is honesty, consistency and a willingness to communicate openly. Mental well-being is also shaped by the everyday decisions organisations make. Flexible working arrangements, manageable workloads, opportunities for professional development and recognition for good work can all contribute to a healthier workplace. Organisations that genuinely prioritise employee well-being integrate it into their culture rather than treating it as a one-off initiative. New employees are welcomed into supportive environments, managers are trained to recognise signs of stress, and leadership regularly considers whether workplace practices are helping or harming employee well-being. These changes do not require perfection. What matters is a genuine commitment to improvement and a willingness to listen as employees’ needs evolve. Supporting mental well-being also makes good business sense. Employee well-being and business performance are not separate concerns. When people feel supported, they are generally more engaged, productive and willing to contribute ideas. Healthy workplaces can also benefit from stronger collaboration, lower staff turnover and better customer service. When people enjoy their working environment, they are more likely to remain with an organisation and invest

Shahd Naser, Representation to Creation

Shahd Naser, Representation to Creation By Janhavi Gusani Shahd Naser has grown with an audience that has watched her evolve from a university student sharing affordable beauty content into a creator, podcaster, entrepreneur, and founder. What began in 2017 as a genuine interest in makeup, photography, and being in front of the camera has developed into a broader creative career, one shaped by representation, trust, education, and an increasingly clear understanding of what it means to build something of her own. For Shahd, content creation was never simply about being visible. Even in its earliest stages, there was an instinct toward accessibility. Her beauty, skincare, and DIY videos focused on products and ideas that young women could realistically recreate without needing an extensive budget. It was a simple premise, but one that established an important connection: creating for people rather than simply creating for the platform. Her decision to wear the hijab in 2019 became another defining chapter. Shahd chose to remove her previous content and begin again, uncertain of how her audience would respond. Instead, the transition strengthened the relationship she had built with her community. As her audience continued to grow, so did the significance of the platform she occupied. Messages from young women describing how her content had influenced a decision, helped them through an experience, or simply made them feel represented changed her understanding of responsibility. The audience was no longer watching a creator from a distance. They were growing alongside her. Today, at 29, Shahd can look back at a community that has witnessed multiple versions of her life. That continuity has become central to her approach to influence. Rather than presenting an idealised version of herself, she has allowed her platforms to evolve alongside her personality, priorities, and perspective. That evolution has also shaped her creative voice. Early in her career, participating in trends was part of understanding social media and connecting with a younger audience. With time, however, Shahd learned that relevance does not require constant participation. She can appreciate a trend without making it part of her identity. That distinction has become an important part of her maturity as a creator: knowing what belongs to her and what does not. Her digital presence reflects this increasingly intentional approach. YouTube allows for longer, more spontaneous glimpses into her life through vlogs, travel, updates, and conversations. Snapchat captures her most casually, while Instagram and TikTok offer shorter, more polished and useful content. Her podcast, Athar, meaning “impact” in Arabic, gives her another space entirely—one where conversations can move beyond the pace and limitations of short-form content. Across these platforms, however, there is a consistent visual sensibility. Shahd gravitates toward elegance, calm colours, clean photography, and considered details. Her perfectionism is visible in the way she approaches presentation, but she is equally conscious of ensuring that refinement does not become distance. The polished imagery exists alongside skin texture, mistakes, difficult days, and the less perfect parts of life. That balance is particularly important in beauty content, an industry where the line between inspiration and insecurity can easily become blurred. For Shahd, makeup is fundamentally creative. It is art, self-expression, and a form of enjoyment. But it should never become a requirement for feeling worthy or beautiful. Her approach is therefore grounded in both aesthetics and honesty: show the beauty, but also show the reality behind it. Freckles, breakouts, skin texture, professional lighting, carefully selected angles, and editing all form part of the conversation. The objective is not to reject beauty standards altogether, but to give audiences enough context to understand that what appears effortless online often has a process behind it. That same principle informs her approach to influence more broadly. Numbers matter. Views, engagement, and reach are part of the business of being a creator. But Shahd does not equate reach with impact. A video can receive millions of views and still create little meaningful value—or even generate a negative response. For her, the more powerful measurement is trust. A message from someone saying that her content encouraged them to make a better decision, work on themselves, or simply feel understood carries more weight than an analytics report. That trust also informs the commercial choices she makes. Shahd has turned down financially attractive opportunities when she did not genuinely believe in the product, protecting a relationship with her audience that took years to build. It is this understanding of influence that led to Athar. The podcast represents a deliberate move from quick consumption toward deeper conversation, creating room for ideas that cannot always be communicated within a short video. Its very name reflects Shahd’s larger ambition: to leave an impact that exists beyond metrics. Her relationship with the UAE has been equally formative. Born in Abu Dhabi and raised entirely in the country, Shahd describes the UAE not simply as a place where she works, but as home. Growing up surrounded by people from different nationalities, cultures, religions, and backgrounds taught her early that there is no single way to see the world. That diversity has influenced her understanding of beauty and self-expression as much as her communication style. Traditional clothing, modest fashion, international trends, and different interpretations of elegance exist alongside one another. The result is an environment in which identity does not have to fit a single definition. The UAE has also provided the infrastructure and confidence for Shahd to think beyond content creation. With a background in Marketing and a Master’s degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, graduating with distinction, she approached entrepreneurship as an extension of both education and lived experience. By Shahd emerged from a need she understood personally. As a hijabi woman, Shahd knew the frustration of searching across different places for high-quality hijabs, suitable fabrics, reliable undercaps, accessories, and the small essentials that influence comfort and confidence. Her audience had been asking similar questions, reinforcing the idea that a personal frustration could represent a much larger unmet need. But bringing that idea to market was not an immediate process.

Mais Mohammed, The Spotlight & the Art of Meaningful Connection

Mais Mohammed, The Spotlight & the Art of Meaningful Connection By Paul Smith In a career spanning radio, television, live events, digital media, coaching, and entrepreneurship, Mais Mohammed has continually reinvented what it means to communicate with purpose. Her professional journey has never been confined to a single platform or title; instead, each chapter has added another dimension to her understanding of people, presence, and connection. Radio taught Mais how to create intimacy with someone she could not see. Television taught her the power of presence. Live events taught her to read a room. Social media showed her how quickly audiences can recognise what is genuine. And coaching gave her perhaps the most important lesson of all: how to listen. For more than 15 years, communication has remained at the centre of her work, but its meaning has evolved. To Mais, being a good communicator is not about speaking beautifully or finding the perfect words. It is about making another person feel understood. That distinction has become central to both her professional philosophy and her personal evolution. Her career has crossed industries and identities, requiring her to repeatedly step beyond versions of herself that were once familiar. Radio presenter, television personality, host, coach, entrepreneur, content creator, each role brought its own expectations, but none was allowed to become a permanent definition. There is a particular vulnerability in reinvention. Leaving behind something at which you have become successful can feel less like progress and more like abandoning an identity you worked hard to build. Mais has experienced that tension firsthand. With time, however, she has come to see evolution differently: beginning again does not mean beginning from nothing. Experience travels with you. So do relationships, failures, confidence, perspective, and the lessons gathered along the way. For Mais, discomfort has consequently become less of a warning and more of a question: Am I staying because this still feels right, or because it feels familiar? It is a question that extends beyond career decisions. In a culture increasingly fascinated by personal branding, reinvention, and public visibility, Mais brings a grounded perspective to the idea of building a public identity. She has experienced both traditional media and the immediacy of the digital world, where almost anything can become content and attention can be quantified within seconds. Her conclusion is simple: a personal brand should not be a character. The strongest public presence, she believes, is an amplification of something that already exists. Authenticity does not require revealing every corner of one’s life. It requires alignment between what is presented and what is true. That distinction becomes increasingly important in an environment where followers, views, engagement, and reactions can easily become measures of personal worth. Mais is conscious of that danger. Visibility can become addictive when attention begins to replace self-understanding. Her answer is not to reject visibility, but to establish a life beyond it—to maintain relationships that are not professional, experiences that do not need to become content, and parts of oneself that remain entirely private. For someone whose career has been built around communication, this may seem paradoxical. But perhaps it is precisely because Mais understands communication so deeply that she recognises the importance of silence. Radio taught her that the absence of visuals makes every nuance of the voice significant. Coaching taught her an even more profound lesson: sometimes the most meaningful response is no response at all. Listening long enough can allow another person to hear themselves. In that sense, her approach to communication has moved from performance to presence. The question is no longer simply what she wants to say, but what the person in front of her needs to understand, feel, or discover. That philosophy has also reshaped her understanding of success. Earlier in her career, achievement was naturally measured through external markers, the next television opportunity, the larger stage, recognition, numbers, and milestones. Ambition remains important to Mais, but it no longer carries the same definition of fulfilment. Today, success is more closely associated with freedom: the freedom to choose meaningful work, decide where her energy belongs, create impact, and still have room to live outside achievement. It is a significant shift in perspective. Modern professional culture often encourages people to pursue one milestone after another without stopping to examine the person being created in the process. Mais now asks a more personal question: not only what am I achieving, but who am I becoming while I achieve it? Her perspective has also been shaped by the environment in which she has built her life and career. Growing up in the UAE exposed her to a diversity that is difficult to replicate elsewhere. Different nationalities, cultures, industries, languages, and worldviews coexist within the same spaces, making adaptability almost instinctive. For Mais, that environment cultivated curiosity before assumption. It taught her that there is rarely one correct way to communicate, build relationships, define success, or understand the world. It also reinforced a belief that reinvention is not something to fear. The UAE’s culture of possibility has particular resonance for someone whose own career has continually evolved. She has watched people arrive with one ambition and build lives that look entirely different from what they initially imagined. That atmosphere has strengthened her conviction that a person’s past does not have to dictate the shape of their future. Her understanding of confidence has evolved in a similarly nuanced direction. As a woman navigating competitive professional spaces, Mais has learned that confidence is not about entering a room convinced of one’s superiority. It is about entering without needing to prove that one deserves to be there. There is also a wider cultural tension she recognises: women are often encouraged to be ambitious within carefully prescribed limits, to be confident, but not intimidating; successful, but not unapologetic about wanting more. Mais’s response has been to stop negotiating with herself over whether she is permitted to take up space. Resilience, too, has acquired a more mature meaning. Strength is not always about enduring more.

Modern Parenting and Raising Confident Children in a Digital World

Modern Parenting and Raising Confident Children in a Digital World How parents can help children build confidence, resilience and independence while navigating an increasingly connected world By Marina Ezzat Alfred Parenting has always come with questions and challenges, but raising children today can feel very different from previous generations. Many parents are navigating a world where screens and digital technology are part of everyday life from the earliest years of childhood. Online learning, educational apps, video calls with family, gaming and social media have become deeply woven into the way children learn, communicate and experience the world. For parents, the challenge is not simply deciding how much technology children should use. It is about helping them develop the confidence, judgement and emotional resilience they need to use technology without allowing it to define their lives. Every confident child needs a supportive environment where they feel safe to be themselves. Confidence is not created through constant praise or by protecting children from every difficulty. Instead, it develops when children understand that they are valued regardless of whether they succeed or fail. This is particularly important in today’s digital environment, where children are exposed to constant comparison. They may see classmates sharing achievements, influencers presenting seemingly perfect lifestyles and carefully edited images that create unrealistic expectations. Over time, it can become easy for young people to believe that everyone else is happier, more successful or more confident than they are. Parents can help challenge these perceptions by reminding children that social media rarely shows the complete picture. Honest conversations about failure, setbacks and personal growth can help children understand that perfection is neither realistic nor necessary. When parents recognise effort, persistence, kindness and progress rather than focusing solely on results, children begin to develop confidence from within rather than depending on approval from others. Small everyday moments can make a significant difference. Listening attentively after school, encouraging a child to try something new or showing genuine interest in their ideas all reinforce the message that their opinions and experiences matter. It is also easy to view technology as the source of every modern parenting challenge, but digital devices themselves are not necessarily the problem. Technology has opened opportunities that previous generations could hardly have imagined. Children can explore virtual museums, learn new languages, attend online classes, collaborate with students around the world and discover interests that may influence their future education and careers. The real challenge is balance. Rather than concentrating exclusively on how much time children spend in front of screens, parents can also consider how that time is being used. An hour spent creating digital artwork, learning to code or exploring an educational programme is very different from an hour spent endlessly scrolling through social media. Children also need to understand that technology should enhance their lives rather than control them. Simple family habits, such as putting phones away during meals, spending time outdoors at weekends or reading together before bedtime, can remind children that some of life’s most meaningful experiences happen away from screens. Parents do not need to be technology experts to guide their children effectively. What matters is staying curious, asking questions and taking an active interest in how children are using digital devices. One of the greatest gifts parents can give their children is the confidence to talk openly. As children grow older, they will inevitably encounter confusing, uncomfortable or even frightening experiences online. They may encounter misinformation, receive hurtful comments, experience cyberbullying or make mistakes on social media. What matters most is knowing that they can turn to their parents without immediately facing punishment or criticism. Creating this kind of trust takes time. It develops through everyday conversations that are not always focused on discipline, rules or problems. Simple questions about what children enjoyed online, what they found interesting or whether they encountered anything that made them uncomfortable can create opportunities for meaningful conversations. When children feel listened to rather than judged, they are more likely to ask for guidance before a small problem develops into something more serious. These conversations can also provide natural opportunities to discuss online privacy, respectful communication, misinformation and the importance of thinking carefully before sharing something that could remain online for years. Although parents naturally want to protect their children, confidence cannot develop without experience. Children need opportunities to solve problems, make decisions and learn from their mistakes. This does not mean parents should step away completely. Instead, their role can gradually shift from controlling every decision to becoming a trusted guide. For example, rather than immediately intervening when children experience disagreements with friends, parents can ask how they think the situation might be resolved. If a child forgets their homework or misses a deadline, allowing them to experience an appropriate consequence can turn a frustrating moment into a valuable lesson. The same principle applies online. Rather than attempting to monitor every click indefinitely, parents can teach children how to recognise trustworthy information, protect personal data and respond responsibly when they encounter difficult situations. The goal is not to create dependence, but to help children develop the judgement they will eventually need to make decisions independently. Emotional well-being is another important part of raising confident children. Growing up has never been easy, but today’s children can face pressures that are sometimes difficult to see. Notifications are constant, social media never really sleeps and the expectation to remain connected can leave children feeling overwhelmed or exhausted without fully understanding why. Parents should therefore pay attention not only to how much time children spend online, but also to how they feel afterwards. Does a particular activity leave them energised and inspired, or anxious, withdrawn and discouraged? Regular conversations about emotions can help children recognise and express what they are experiencing. They also teach an important lesson that difficult feelings are a normal part of life and do not need to be hidden. Offline activities remain equally valuable. Playing sport, painting, cooking, gardening, reading or simply spending time outdoors gives children