Saudi Arabia had no sunscreen of its own, in one of the hottest climates on earth. Ghadi Alshehri spent three years fixing that.

Ghadi is the founder of Borderline Beauty, the first homegrown Saudi sunscreen. She sat down with Carly and Vesna in Riyadh to talk about the gap she found, the science most of us were never taught, and what it takes to build something Saudi-made right now.

In this episode:

- How she found the gap on an ordinary Tuesday at work

- Chemical vs mineral sunscreen, and why it actually matters

- Why UV passes through glass, clothes, and cloudy skies

- Three years of formulation in Korea, and the "impossible" brief

- Growing up between Manchester and Riyadh

- Vision 2030, being seen, and building something local

- Her advice for the next Saudi founder

Listen anywhere you get your podcasts: pod.link/insidesaudi

Follow Inside Saudi:

Instagram @insidesaudiarabia

TikTok @insidesaudiarabia

Hosts: @caroverman and @vesnapetrovicx

Guest: Borderline Beauty @borderlinebeautysa

Chapters

00:00 The country with no sunscreen

00:35 Meet Ghadi and Raghad

02:00 The Tuesday she found the gap

05:00 Chemical vs mineral, explained

09:00 The myths: glass, clothes, cloudy days

13:00 Three years, Korea, and a formula that didn't exist

18:00 Manchester to Riyadh, and coming back

24:00 Vision 2030 and building something Saudi-made

30:00 Advice for the next founder

#SaudiArabia #Vision2030 #MadeInSaudi #SaudiBeauty #Riyadh

There are seven routes to Saudi Premium Residency. Most people only know about one or two of them, and almost everyone thinks Vesna got hers because of Instagram. This week, Carly and Vesna walk through all seven, what each costs, what each unlocks, and what they wish they'd understood before they started navigating it themselves.

Vesna holds Premium Residency as a secondary, sponsored by her husband, and she's open about what that actually means in practice: full benefits for him, partial for her, and a learning curve for the whole family. Carly doesn't have it. Together they break down limited-duration, unlimited-duration, special talent, gifted, investor, entrepreneur, and real-estate routes, with the actual SAR figures and the catch on each one.

A few things to know up front: this isn't legal advice, the Premium Residency website is the only source you should trust to apply, and the math fact-check halfway through is worth staying for. Part two, on starting a business once you have residency, is coming.

Listen wherever you get podcasts: https://linktr.ee/insidesaudi

Inside Saudi is the English-language podcast about daily life in Saudi Arabia today, co-hosted by two moms in Riyadh.

Follow Inside Saudi: Instagram: @insidesaudiarabia TikTok: @insidesaudiarabia

Carly: @caroverman (Instagram) @carlyoverman (TikTok)

Vesna: @vesnapetrovicx

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open

00:53 Welcome + why this episode

03:00 Seven routes, overview

07:20 Route 1: Limited duration (100,000 SAR/year)

08:45 Route 2: Unlimited duration (800,000 SAR)

10:39 Route 3: Special talent residency

13:13 Route 4: Gifted residency (culture & sports)

16:10 Route 5: Investor residency (7M SAR + 10 jobs)

16:45 Route 6: Entrepreneur residency (two tiers)

21:02 Route 7: Real estate residency (4M SAR unmortgaged)

22:04 Process, timeline, background checks

24:58 Myths people get wrong

27:31 The big summary

Cedric Dahmoun said no to Saudi three times before he came. He stayed five years.

He's a Belgian-Algerian content creator with 600,000 followers, most of whom found him through TikToks showing what life in Saudi actually looks like. He came during COVID from Dubai, with no Arabic, no plan, and a feeling that he'd run out of versions of himself to try in Europe.

In this episode he tells us about the night a stranger followed him through the dark in the south of Saudi and what happened next. He talks about leaving his phone on the coffee table for five years and what that says about the city he chose. He explains what he calls "the imam of TikTok," and why he doesn't argue with them. And he tells us about his next thing: walking from Riyadh to Mecca by camel, one month, the old way, because he wants to feel how the pilgrimage used to be done.

Carly and Vesna hosted from the studio in Riyadh. Cedric was in Saudi dress and a Shure mic.

Episode 28. Listen wherever you get podcasts.

With Carly Overman and Vesna Petrovic.

00:00 Cold open

Alex Tashbaeva stopped going to school at twelve. She'd already been on a tennis court eight hours a day since she was five, and her Uzbek-Soviet parents had decided she was going to be a champion. By sixteen she'd left home; by nineteen she was the only girl on a ten-person coaching team flying to Riyadh to build out the Saudi national tennis programme.

She said yes on a phone call. She knew nothing about the country.

This week we talk to Alex about what those first years actually looked like — coaching the under-14 boys' national team, building the women's programme alone over the summers when her colleagues went home to Europe, and how the Jeddah Yacht Club years pulled her sideways into hospitality and events. She tells us why she resisted calling herself a content creator long after her TikToks were working, and what she sees in Saudi now that she didn't five years ago.

She and Cedric are in Riyadh now and heading back to Jeddah. There's a marketing agency, a YouTube studio, and plans we get into.

Listen wherever you get podcasts: pod.link/insidesaudi

00:00:00 Cold open

How do you transition from the intense world of derivatives trading at Goldman Sachs and private client tax at KPMG to launching a global luxury swimwear brand? In this episode of Inside Saudi, we sit down with Katleya Nielsen and Ayesha Mahomed, the visionary founders of Lanuuk.

They pull back the curtain on the "maternal shift" that led them to leave their 10-year corporate careers to solve a massive gap in the market: fashionable, high-quality modest swimwear. From packing orders on their living room floors to a landmark partnership with Aquarabia—Saudi Arabia's first and largest water theme park—Katleya and Ayesha share how they built a global empire with zero paid marketing. We dive into supply chain secrets, the reality of being "control-freak" founders, and how they are redefining luxury for the modern woman in Riyadh.

What you’ll learn:

How to pivot from high-finance/accounting into a creative industry.

The strategy behind building a global brand through organic growth and zero ad spend.

Sourcing sustainable fabrics in Turkey and managing craftsmanship in the Philippines.

Identifying the massive retail gap for high-end modest swimwear in Saudi Arabia.

Behind the scenes of the Aquarabia x Lanuuk partnership.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro: The Goldman Sachs & KPMG Pivot

01:25 Meet the Founders: Katleya and Ayesha

03:30 The 10-Year Corporate Grind

05:40 The "Maternal Shift": Why We Left

08:45 The Problem: Why Modest Swimwear Didn't Exist

12:15 Manufacturing Secrets: The Philippines & Turkey

17:40 Scoping Riyadh: The Saudi Retail Gap

21:10 The Viral Blow-Up: $0 Ad Spend

32:20 "Control Freaks": Managing a Global Brand

41:10 Aquarabia: Saudi’s Biggest Modest Swim Partnership

47:00 Vogue & Organic PR

What is life in the Kingdom actually like when you step outside the "compound bubble"?

In this episode of Inside Saudi, we sit down with viral creator Senan, a "Westernized Saudi" who has mastered the art of explaining his culture to the world.

We start with a quick story about how an internet misunderstanding actually brought us together, but the real conversation begins when we dive into the local experience. Senan reveals the "unprofessional" slang your tour guide will never teach you and explains why delivery drivers really need that WhatsApp pin (from his own experience as a former driver!).

We also explore the reality of Saudi safety—from leaving your car running while you grab coffee to the peace of mind of raising kids in Riyadh. We tackle the big cultural questions: the truth about gender mixing, why asking for a mother's name is taboo, and the hilarious debate over Western vs. Saudi bathrooms.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The "Chicken Nugget" Identity: What it means to be a Westernized Saudi

Follow Senan:

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Chapters:

0:00 – Moving past our internet misunderstanding

What does it really take to succeed in Saudi Arabia?

In this episode, we sit down with Mahmoud Moamenah, founder of Sudasi Business Solutions, to explore why understanding Saudi culture is the key to both life and business here.

From growing up in Saudi and living abroad, to helping expats and businesses navigate the market, Mahmoud shares insights on integration, identity, and why many people never fully experience the country.

We cover:

Whether you are an expat, a founder, or just curious about life in Saudi, this episode offers a perspective you will not hear anywhere else.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Intro and what this episode is about

49:10 Moving into consulting and business

Saudi Arabia is changing fast, and people around the world are starting to pay attention.

In this first ever Inside Saudi Live, we bring together three very different perspectives on what life in Saudi is actually like.

Ali Almeshaal is a Saudi media professional and tourism entrepreneur who began his career in television and now works across communications and tourism in the region.

Micah Nicole is a long time Saudi radio host and musician who has lived and worked in the Kingdom for more than a decade, witnessing the country’s cultural shifts firsthand.

Coach Kaiser is a fitness creator who came to Saudi for five days and ended up quitting his job and moving to Riyadh shortly after.

Together we talk about misconceptions about Saudi, how the country has changed over the past decade, what it’s really like living here as an expat, and why so many people are suddenly curious about the Kingdom.

From culture and social media to tourism and expat life, this conversation explores the realities of building a life in Saudi Arabia.

If you are curious about Saudi or thinking about visiting or moving here, this episode is for you.

00:00 Introduction to Inside Saudi Live

It’s just us, Carly Overman and Vesna Petrovic, for a real time Ramadan catch up in Riyadh.

We’re recording on Day 6 of Ramadan and yes, we’re fasting, with a short pause while traveling. In this episode we share what it actually feels like as non Muslim expat moms. No water. No coffee. The midday slump. Breaking fast with our kids. Ramadan events. And the unexpected reset we didn’t see coming.

We also talk about:

• Why we paused fasting during our Qatar trip

If you’re in Saudi or just curious about Ramadan from an expat perspective, this one is for you.

00:00 — Ramadan catch-up: it’s just us

He started with one penny.

At 16 years old, Rayan set himself a challenge to turn a single penny into something bigger. That decision changed his life.

From couch surfing in New York to almost playing Cristiano Ronaldo for 1 million dollars, to gaining 100,000 subscribers from one short, this is one of the wildest creator journeys we have heard.

In this episode we talk about:

• The 1 penny challenge

If you are building something, this episode is for you.

Subscribe for more real stories from Inside Saudi Arabia.

Follow Rayan here:

https://www.youtube.com/@RayanShaded

https://www.instagram.com/rayanshaded/ 

https://www.tiktok.com/@rayanshaded?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc 

00:00 First Ever Podcast Appearance