When Women Win

A talented speaker herself and a trainer of public speakers, Saana's core business is managing over 200 speakers globally and matching them to the right events. Her clients include Ericsson, Spotify, and Del Monte as well as numerous royals and dignitaries.

Trained by international journalists and media experts from CNBC and MBC amongst others, Saana has undertaken public speaking assignments in Europe on leadership and leading Generation Y. She was recognized as one of Sweden's 101 Super talents in 2012, and a "Top 30 Under 30 influencers" in 2015. Her speaking engagements have covered audience sizes up to 1000 people, all across Europe and the Middle East.

During our chat, we discussed Saana's entrepreneurial journey, what drove her from "Female Economist of the Year" to building a business, and what obstacles she's faced along the way. We talked about the art and science of public speaking, and got loads of practical tips on how to get better at it, including some limits! We even discussed how CEOs use speakers strategically in their companies… in fact, this episode is another good one for CEOs looking at messaging! Finally, we talked about gender equality and how to get there, with a focus on her home country of Sweden, a leader in the world of gender parity.

If you are a CEO keen to improve messaging internally and leverage speakers to do it – this episode is for you. If you are a corporate professional keen to sharpen your speaking skills, this episode is for you. If you are an entrepreneur like Saana - or want to become an entrepreneur - this episode is for you.

You can find out more about MENA Speakers on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. To get in touch with Saana, follow her on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Lily Kandalaft is the founder of Malaak Mama & Baby Care, the UAE's first maternity focused childcare agency providing prenatal classes, maternity nurses, babysitters, sleep trainers, breastfeeding support as well as other pre- and postnatal services to support families in the UAE. A passionate supporter of working moms, Lily tries to be for others what she needed herself.

In our conversation Lily shared valuable lessons she learned in the corporate world that have served her well in entrepreneurship. We also talked about the challenges on her journey as an entrepreneur: the burden of constant decision-making, how she's had to give up on the myth of perfection to be kinder to herself and how she's learned to say no. Lily has found that managing people and various stakeholder interests becomes both more difficult and important as a small business owner.

For people who see a gap in the market and want to start their own business, Lily's advice is "just do it." She also talks about the value of starting out as a side hustle before committing fully to your passion enterprise. She also reveals how she's managed to And she credits maintining her sanity through this journey to the support of mentors, role models and sympathetic friends.

If you would like to know more about Malaak you can visit www.malaakme.com or find them on Facebook (@malaakuae) and Instagram (@malaakbabycare)

Muna sits on too many boards to list here so I'll just mention a few: Along with her two sisters, Muna sits on the board of the family business founded by their father; she is the Chair of ìYoung Arab Leaders – a non-profit organisation that promotes education, entrepreneurship and youth development; and she is a founding board member and Co-Chair of Endeavor UAE, a non-profit organisation that promotes high-impact entrepreneurship in emerging and growth markets. Her first seat on a board of directors was in the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre, where she served from 2004 to 2009, helping build the cultural center.

She started her career in Dubai with Saatchi & Saatchi and in 2001 Muna joined Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, as director of marketing and communications. Since 2009, she has been director of retail, responsible for strategy and operational development for the group's international and local retail brands.

Muna is an advocate for women in business. Within the family business she started the Al Gurg Women's Empowerment Forum, a program providing a platform for women to voice their opinions to company board members. In 2015 she launched the Muna Al Gurg Scholarship at London Business School, supporting female students studying on the school's MBA and Executive MBA program.

In June 2010, Muna received the prestigious Emirates Women's Award for outstanding achievers.

We discussed Muna's career path from Saatchi & Saatchi to the family business; the enormous risks associated with the third generation of leadership and how to mitigate them, the pluses and minuses of working with family, and tips on conflict avoidance and resolution. We also talked about how her drive for self-improvement has shaped her path in both business and philanthropy, and how she manages the overwhelm. Muna is an advocate for women in business, and we discussed her MBA scholarship fund and how to get more women into leadership positions.

My favorite quote was "Never over-promise and underdeliver."

You can find Muna on Twitter @MunaAlGurg and LinkedIn.

Please forgive the banging you'll hear towards the end of the show – there was some construction work next to the studio!

Sikhism is a Punjabi (Indian) religion that goes back some 500 years, and as a devotional singer/ songwriter Manika's goal is to modernize the context and of the old religious texts so that young Sikhs all over the world can connect to and benefit from their messages.

Manika won the 2016 Sikh Award for Sikhs in Entertainment and has amassed over 10,000,000 views on YouTube. Manika's other passion is her philanthropic work. She tirelessly campaigns for the eradication of poverty in rural Punjab via her work with the organisation Kirtan for Causes. All profits from sales of her albums and live concerts are donated directly to the charity, which supports the education of disadvantaged youth via sponsorship schemes. Manika personally sponsors and educates 200 children.

In 2015 she gave a sold-out concert at London's prestigious Union Chapel and she has been invited to sing in Gurdwaras around the world. Manika has been featured on the BBC Radio, ABC Australia and more.

We talked about the reality of life in Punjab including farmer suicide and cervical cancer; we talked about what drives her personally and professionally, her difficulty as a misfit child and how that has become a source of strength, how important it is to love and look after oneself. Arranged marriage. Her upcoming book. My favourite line of the interview was "A child gives birth to a mother – and he gave birth to a strong one."

To find out more about Manika, please visit her website www.manikamusic.com. You can find her on Instagram @manika.kaur and Twitter @manikakaur

To make a direct donation to her charity, please visit www.educatetosave.com

Mona Ataya founded Mumzworld in 2011 to fill a void for mothers that she herself faced twice: firstly while preparing to become a mother of twins and couldn't find local resources, and then later in trying to buy her children quality, affordable toys. Prior to Mumzworld, Mona co-founded Bayt, the first online search engine for jobs in the Middle East. Mona actually started out in the corporate world and spent 10 years working for FMCG giants Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson.

We discussed Mona's career drivers and how her desire for social impact shaped her path. We talked about lessons from the corporate world like resourcefulness and accountability. We addressed the challenges of e-commerce and how to overcome them, and how to build a company culture that is ìcustomer obsessedî. I asked about support and coping mechanisms - because none of this can be easy! Finally, we discussed what to look for in investors, given her experience raising 5 rounds of funding for Mumzworld. (Hint: it ain't just the money!)

This episode was extra-special as it was recorded in a Careem! For international listeners, Careem is the Middle East's leading ride-hailing app. So yes: this was my first ever WWW interview in a taxi - and we had loads of fun. A big thank you to Careem for making it happen. You can find them at www.careem.com or @CareemUAE on Twitter.

If you would like to follow Mona Ataya you can find her through Mumzworld.com or @Mumzworld on Twitter and Instagram.

Elizabeth MacBride is a freelance writer, editor and media consultant. She is an entrepreneur who writes about entrepreneurs and her expertise lie in business, finance and technology. Elizabeth's clients include Abigail Disney and Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

We had a wide-ranging conversation that covered everything from entrepreneurship in Gaza's fisherwoman to actionable tips for investing your wealth. We discussed how to be a good interviewer, the power of vulnerability and how it changes with age. I asked about women in business generally, but also specifically in media - we ended up "taking breasts to work!" We briefly touched on Elizabeth's blog on Forbes.com and the business of guns in the USA. And I asked her about coping mechanisms as a single parent and breadwinner.

During our conversation we referenced...

Elizabeth's Blog on Forbeswww.forbes.com/sites/elizabethmacbride

Article on Gaza's Fisherwomanwww.forbes.com/sites/elizabethmacbride/2016/08/29/how-the-courageous-fisherwoman-of-gaza-is-building-a-business-in-the-blockaded-seaport

Gaza Technology Hub gazaskygeeks.com

You can follow Elizabeth MacBride on Twitter @editoremacb or www.elizabethmacbride.com

Donna Benton started the Entertainer in Dubai in 2001 after identifying a market gap in both providing consumers with dining incentives and enabling restaurants to reach new customers. Starting with just $3,000 Donna built the business alone from the ground up, from set-up legalities to eventually selling half the company to Abraaj, a private equity firm. Today, the Entertainer offers 38 products across 15 countries, and has over 10,000 merchant partners globally.

We talked about the challenges starting up - and it wasn't just the usual ones: for example, Donna had to educate consumers who thought her product was too good to be true, and there must be a catch! We discussed her international expansion, and how it started with a chance conversation. I asked Donna what traits she thought entrepreneurs must have to succeed and she listed loads of them: thick skin to accept rejection; passion to put in the long hours; drive to beat the loneliness; a zest for learning; and the ability to lead by example.

In selling half her company, it was critical to find the right partner who shared her vision for the future, involving international growth and going digital. And finally, we talked about how important it is for women to have financial independence.

You can follow Donna Benton on Instagram, and the Entertainer app can be downloaded from app stores on Android and iOS for various countries around the world.

During our conversation, we discussed Maysoun's attitude towards diversity, which includes looking well beyond gender, to age, expertise, ethnicity and also ability. I was keen to learn how she went about hiring a lady with a disability onto her team and what the impact on the organization was. We talked about the biggest challenge she faced in life, and how she overcame it. And we also discussed the many exciting people-facing jobs that exist for women who study science subjects.

I enjoyed listening to hearing Maysoun's tips for women in the corporate world... Know your strengths and weaknesses; be courageous; accept or even seek change; network; self-promote; ask for what you want; own your trajectory; build a strong support system - among others. But my two favourites were these: when she gets manterrupted, she interrupts right back (politely)! And the ultimate life hack that I have found useful in my own career/ life: it is OK to not be OK... It is OK to not be perfect.

If you would like to follow up with Maysoun, you can find her on LinkedIn or check out Roche Diagnostics.

We talked about Myrna's interest in art, how it was born and what it has taught her about history. We discussed Dubai's young art scene, how it came about and why it's grown so fast. She also gave an interesting perspective on the word pairs: writer vs journalist, collector vs patron. I asked Myrna how to buy art , which for many people is a really intimidating process.

Finally, Myrna gave us the scoop on Art Dubai 2018, which is happening March 21-24. Lots of exciting new things are planned this year so be sure to get your tickets online at www.artdubai.ae.

You can find Myrna on Instagram as @myrnaayad or reach her through Art Dubai. And please do feel free to tap the Art Dubai team and website to get smarter on art all throughout the year - they are highly approachable people!

Afra Atiq was named Best Performer for 2015-16 by Rooftop Rhythms, and won the 2017 ADMAF Creativity Awards. She proudly gives back to her community through mentorships and workshops with Untitled Chapters (a thriving hub for Emirati women writers). As a scholar, Afra has recently been published in the International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences and conducted social research pertaining to literature and education.

During our conversation we discussed the challenges of public speaking and practical tips to overcome them (spoiler alert: "winging it" doesn't work). We looked at the creative process and how living in a cultural melting pot like Dubai can feed it. Afra shared why everyone's unique story counts, and must be told in your authentic voice.

We finish this episode with a live studio performance of one of Afra's favourite poems.

If you would like to follow Afra Atiq on social media, you can do so on Twitter @a_afra and Instagram @afraatiq.