Fyne Chats: International Women's Day 2022

Please introduce yourself.

Originally Egyptian but based in the UAE, my name is Nada and I’m the founder and writer of the MENA's first-ever vegan food and lifestyle blog, One Arab Vegan. When I’m not dreaming up delicious, empowering and nutrient packed plant-based recipes inspired by Middle Eastern flavours, I’m a public relations and communications consultant.

What are your passions & how does this translate into your daily life and career?

I’m extremely passionate about food and cooking and am an avid conscious living advocate and health enthusiast. These passions translate into my life daily – I’m constantly looking for ways to tread lightly on the planet and (gently) educate those around me on how tasty and satisfying plant-based food can be. 

Women can face additional challenges in their lives, what’s an example of a challenge you overcame recently?

Despite my passion for food, I haven’t always had the best relationship with it as a result of body image issues and pervasive diet culture that have hounded me since I was a young girl. In recent years I’ve worked with a therapist to help shed my insecurities and love the skin I’m in, no matter what the scale says.

What is the one stereotype you’d like to get rid of?

I don’t know if this is a stereotype per se, but the notion that women are tasked with doing the emotional labour for themselves and others because they’re just “better at this stuff”. It’s beyond time for men to step up to the plate and start shouldering more responsibility when it comes to their relationships – be them in the workplace or in their personal lives. 

What or who makes you feel empowered?

The strong and inspirational women I’m lucky to call my family and friends. Even though we live oceans apart, thanks to technology their support and words of wisdom are just a touchscreen away. I’m immensely grateful to have such a strong network of women in my life.

Please introduce yourself.

I won’t lie, I find this really hard to answer. There are so many sides to who I am, so I’ll list it all out here...

I’m an entrepreneur and brand strategist, with my own copywriting consultancy. I also host and produce the industry-focused podcast series Curated Conversations, and I’m a brain haemorrhage survivor. I love yoga, traveling, music, and spending quality time with the people I love. I’m wildly independent and a free spirit. I’m a daughter, a wife, a sister and a friend all rolled into a size 5’6 woman who dreams of one day having her own animals sanctuary.

I think that about sums it up.

What are your passions & how does this translate into your daily life and career?

I’m passionate about living an inspired and balanced life, and about carving a path that enables me to pursue the things I really want to do on my own terms. Working for myself enables me to calibrate a pace that elevates my productivity, and on those days that I feel a bit meh? I can take the time off to rejuvenate my mind, body, and soul. I always work with the rhythm of my body, not against it.

Women can face additional challenges in their lives, what’s an example of a challenge you overcame recently?

I had a miscarriage towards the end of last year and I desperately needed to take time off to heal. As a small business owner, I am deeply involved in the day-to-day operations of my consultancy, and so, I did the unthinkable, I emailed my clients and informed them of my loss. And you know what? They understood. We’ve been told for so long not to talk about these kinds of things, but you know what? It’s not unprofessional to tell the truth, and if you look at business etiquette through a lens, you will notice that it’s only the issues that solely afflict women that are frowned upon. It’s time to break the silence. 

What is the one stereotype you’d like to get rid of?

That stoke survivors cannot perform. I was let go from my job at the time for having a stroke because they didn’t think I could keep up anymore. I could have come back stronger than before, but I just needed time. Time to adapt to my new capabilities, time to understand the changes in my personality, and time to develop the skills necessary to overcome my limitations. I’ve worked ever since to speak openly about my stroke, because I want to break the stigma, I want to educate people and I want people to realize that because of our experiences, stroke survivors often have an outlook on life that can only come with the closest brush of death. The worst that could have happened has already happened to us, so we are fearless in a lot of ways and don’t really sweat the small things. We can stay focused on the bigger picture when others get distracted.

What or who makes you feel empowered?

Trying new things, traveling on my own, working out, and of course, my family and friends.

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Hailey Yoon and I am a CTO at IO21 and lead IO21's long-term technology vision; I actively develop blockchain systems, AI & ML algorithms, web/mobile apps, and more. I hold a Bachelor of Science - Honors Degree, Computer Science from UNC-Chapel Hill, completed Leadership & Innovation for Technology Professionals Program at MIT, and am currently enrolled as a part-time student at Stanford University, completing my postgraduate in Artificial Intelligence. 

Outside of work, I'm a child sponsor at World Vision. Since 2017, I have been supporting my sponsor child Mirriam. We send each other letters, and World Vision regularly updates Mirriam's status to me. I'm happy that I can help Mirriam and her community in Uganda to stand tall, free from poverty.

What are your passions & how does this translate into your daily life and career?

My passion is to help people. I'm a software engineer who helps people translate their ideas into functional software, and I'm also a mentor accelerating the tech sector's growth in the Middle East.

Women can face additional challenges in their lives, what’s an example of a challenge you overcame recently?

Being talked over is a big challenge for many women, including myself. I often need to say, "I'm speaking," to finish my sentence without getting interrupted. I was first afraid others might view me negatively, then I quickly realized it was important to speak up. 

What is the one stereotype you’d like to get rid of?

That women make emotional decisions at work.

What or who makes you feel empowered?

Fellow women entrepreneurs & women engineers :)