Almost There - Business Growth & Personal Development

Gauri Sarma is the Founder & CEO of beAthletica, a Dubai-born activewear label redefining what sustainable fashion actually looks like. After studying at the London College of Fashion and cutting her teeth at Chalhoub Group and OUNASS, Gauri spent a year sourcing fabric across Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, and China — where she discovered mountains of deadstock fabric going to waste. That discovery became the foundation of beAthletica: activewear designed around reclaimed materials, not the other way around. Since launching in late 2024, she's built a drop-based, made-in-UAE brand shipping across the GCC with global expansion on the horizon.

Optimize your health, energy, and longevity with functional nutrition. In this episode, we sit down with Chiara Seidenader, Functional Nutrition and Longevity Specialist, to explore the science behind living a longer, healthier life.

We cover topics including longevity medicine, functional nutrition, peptides, hormone optimization, inflammation, metabolic health, gut health, energy, preventative healthcare, biohacking, healthy aging, and personalized wellness.

Whether you're looking to improve your energy levels, balance your hormones, reduce chronic inflammation, or learn about the latest advancements in longevity and preventative medicine, this episode is packed with practical insights and evidence-based advice.

Topics discussed:

• Peptides and their role in longevity
• Hormone health and optimization
• Inflammation and chronic disease prevention
• Functional nutrition and metabolic health
• Biohacking for better energy and performance
• Personalized wellness strategies for healthy aging
• The future of longevity medicine

In this episode, we sit down with Sue and Achasah, the founders of Women Who Thrive, to explore what it really takes to build and sustain a meaningful community in Dubai. They share honest insights into the challenges, mistakes, and defining decisions that shaped their journey, as well as how they found their own sense of community while growing a purpose-driven platform.

We also dive into practical advice on connection, leadership, and personal growth - what it means to create spaces where people genuinely feel seen, supported, and inspired to thrive.

Owning the Room with Noona Nafousi

What does it really mean to own the room?

In this powerful and deeply human conversation with leadership coach Noona Nafousi, we explore what it takes to step out of victim mode and into true self-leadership. This episode is about ownership — of your mindset, your energy, your story, and your presence.

We talk about how to recognize when you’re stuck in limiting beliefs, how those beliefs quietly shape your behavior, and how to challenge the narratives that keep you playing small. Noona shares practical tools for becoming a great leader — not through control or perfection, but through authenticity, emotional awareness, and courage.

We also dive into:

• The difference between fear and intuition — and how to tell if it’s your gut feeling or your trauma speaking
• How to build trust with your inner voice
• What it really means to be yourself in leadership and in life
• The human experience behind growth, self-doubt, and transformation
• How losing a parent can reshape your identity, purpose, and strength

This episode is honest, grounding, and empowering. If you’ve ever felt stuck, doubted your instincts, or struggled to fully own who you are — this conversation will help you step into the room differently.

In this episode, I sit down with Rosie Gunn, Founder of Endless UAE, a leading circular fashion rental and resale platform redefining luxury and sustainability in the Middle East. Rosie shares her journey of building a fast-growing fashion rental business in the UAE, the realities of entrepreneurship, and what success really looks like behind the scenes.

I talk with Rosie about the importance of having the right people around you, the role of therapy and inner work in leadership, her advice for young women starting their own fashion brands, and how she navigated a moment where a larger company copied her business idea.

This episode is a must-listen for female entrepreneurs, fashion founders, startup leaders, and anyone interested in circular fashion, sustainable business models, and building purpose-led brands.

How do investors actually evaluate a business — and what makes a company truly investable?

In this episode, I sit down with Saba Yussouf, investor and entrepreneur, to break down how to invest in businesses, what investors look for when evaluating startups, and the hard truths founders need to hear before raising capital. Saba shares the key skills every successful investor needs, why founders often make the best investors, and the biggest mistakes founders make when trying to build investable businesses.

We also explore what Saba would want to know if she only had five minutes with an investor, the most common red flags that stop investors from investing, and the worst investing advice she’s received. Drawing from her experience growing up Pakistani in the UK, Saba discusses how culture, risk tolerance, and decision-making influence investing strategies.

The conversation also covers AI risks in investing, long-term thinking, and Saba’s best advice for new and experienced investors looking to make smarter, more intentional investment decisions.

This episode is a must-listen for founders, entrepreneurs, startup investors, and anyone learning how to get into investing or invest in businesses effectively.