3 months into her new gig as a team manager, Rhea sits down with Marilyn to reflect on what she’s learned about herself and her managerial style throughout her leadership journey. Our best friends then take your most burning questions about becoming a new manager. Not sure how to be assertive? Worried about micromanaging? Afraid you’ll lose steam and burnout? Marilyn and Rhea got the answers for you!

Who Run the World is a production of Reyzin Media. Hosted by Rhea Chedid and Marilyn Zakhour. Produced by Ahmed Ashour. Follow Who Run the World on Instagram and Tik Tok at @whoruntheworldpod.

Things get real and personal for our dynamic duo this week as Marilyn shares with Rhea her recent feelings of burnout and exhaustion. Together, our best friends share what a burnout has looked like for them, how they’ve dealt with it, and what they need from each other and from their community as they work their way through a burnout episode. 

Went through a really tough burnout or currently going through one? Write to us @whoruntheworldpod on Instagram or email us on [email protected] and tell us about it. We’d love to hear your story.

Things My Mother Didn’t Tell Me (But My Best Friend Did) is a spinoff of Who Run the World, a production of Reyzin Media. Hosted by Rhea Chedid and Marilyn Zakhour. Produced by Ahmed Ashour. Follow Who Run the World on Instagram and Tik Tok at @whoruntheworldpod.

You have a great job doing something you’re passionate about. It pays great. You live in a bustling city with an active social life. You’re also overworked, burnt out, and something about your life just doesn’t feel right. What do you do next? In this episode, Marilyn and Rhea invite friend of the pod and sports consultant Elise Kossaifi to share stories of experiencing existential crises and changing career paths. What does an existential crisis look like? Can you see it coming and prepare for it? And what can you do to take a step towards the life you actually want to lead?
Ever experienced an existential crisis and lived to tell the tale? Share with us your story by writing to us on Instagram @whoruntheworldpod or writing us an email on [email protected].
Elise Kossaifi is an experienced consultant with 10 years experience in business consulting, leading projects and advising senior leaders on their sports business across the Middle East and Europe. Her career started out at McKinsey & Company in Dubai, where she spent a few years before moving to London to serve as a Senior Project Manager at the premier management consultancy for sports, Portas Consulting. 7 years later, Elise left Portas after a spiritual awakening to become an independent sports and wellness business consultant and co-founder of the gym Embody in Lisbon, Portugal. She’s also an avid sports fan and player, with a passion for football and women's sports.
Who Run the World is a production of Reyzin Media. Hosted by Rhea Chedid and Marilyn Zakhour. Produced by Ahmed Ashour. Follow Who Run the World on Instagram and Tik Tok at @whoruntheworldpod.

People of all ages – including Marilyn, Rhea, and Marilyn’s daughter Gabi – know what it’s like to wake up cranky and moody from a bad night’s sleep. For parents and caregivers, that issue is compounded by having children who are challenging sleepers. While some might choose to let their children establish their own sleeping habits, others might choose sleep training or working with a trainer who can help everyone involved have a better night’s sleep. In this episode, Marilyn and Rhea sit down with infant and child sleep consultant Lamis Benjelloun to understand what exactly is child sleep training, what it can (realistically) do for both parent/caregiver and child, and how to establish better sleeping habits for children. They also discuss “sleep shaming” in the parenting community and how there can never be a golden standard for child sleep.
WRTW is off next week for Eid Al Fitr (Eid Mubarak everyone!), but we'll be back the following week with an all new episode! You won’t even know we were gone.
Lamis Benjelloun is an Abu Dhabi-based Moroccan certified infant and child sleep consultant as well as a certified newborn sleep specialist.  She considers herself a sleep nerd because if she’s not talking about sleep, she’s reading about it.  Her love for sleep particularly intensified after the birth of her first son, Maher.  He showed her what true sleep deprivation looked like, inspiring her to solve the puzzle of child sleep for herself and other families. She founded One2Sleep in 2019 and has since been fortunate to meet many families and accompany them on their journey to better sleep.
Things My Mother Didn’t Tell Me (But My Best Friend Did) is a spinoff of Who Run the World, a production of Reyzin Media. Hosted by Rhea Chedid and Marilyn Zakhour. Produced by Ahmed Ashour. Follow Who Run the World on Instagram and Tik Tok at @whoruntheworldpod.

Ramadan Kareem, WRTW fam! To celebrate the holy month, Marilyn and Rhea invite WRTW’s producer and resident Muslim Ahmed Ashour to reflect on what Ramadan means, share memories, and exchange favorite traditions. Then, Marilyn and Rhea compete for the title of “The Queen of Ramadan” by solving fawazeer/riddles, guessing at the plots of Ramadan shows, and putting together the perfect iftar. Of course, no Ramadan is complete without Sherihan, and you bet she makes an appearance here. It’s the perfect WRTW Ramadan special!
Who Run the Time is a spinoff of Who Run the World, a production of Reyzin Media. Hosted by Rhea Chedid and Marilyn Zakhour. Produced by Ahmed Ashour. Follow Who Run the World on Instagram and Tik Tok at @whoruntheworldpod.

Ever tried picking out a book for a child to read? Marilyn and Rhea can confirm: it’s not easy, nor is it easy to get the child to actually read the book and enjoy it. In this episode, Marilyn and Rhea sit down with the founder of Oh The Books Deema Al Alami to understand how we can get children to love reading outside the classroom. They share tips for picking out new books and rotating the books on your child’s bookshelf, as well as recommend bookstores for caregivers to check out in Dubai. Finally, Deema talks about her new book, “48 Stories of Exile from Palestine,” and how children can fall in love with Palestine and its culture through reading.
Deema Al Alami is a Dubai-based educator and author. Her career started over 15 years ago as a teacher, before shifting her focus to working on education-focused capacity building programs in both the private and public sector across the region. She’s the co-founder of Al Alami Book Club and the founder of Oh the Books, an Instagram account where she recommends the best children's books and offers caregivers the best literacy tips and tricks to nurture lifelong readers. She also launched “From Mother to Author,” a coaching program empowering parents and caregivers to author their own children’s books that celebrate Arab culture and values. Deema is a renowned author, having co-written the children’s book “Min Balad Esmo Falastin” (“From A Country Called Palestine”) and the new book, “48 Stories of Exile from Palestine,” out later this year.
Deema’s recommendations for Dubai bookstores:

• The Old Library
• Kinokuniya
• Magrudy
• Bookworm
• Book Hero 

Deema’s author recommendations:

• Mo Willems
• Julia Donaldson
• Rod Campbell
• Hervé Tullet

You can follow Deema and her work on Instagram:

• Deema’s Account (@deema_al_alami)
• Oh The Books (@oh.thebooks)
• From Mother to Author (@mother_to_author)

Who Run the World is a production of Reyzin Media. Hosted by Rhea Chedid and Marilyn Zakhour. Produced by Ahmed Ashour. Follow Who Run the World on Instagram and Tik Tok at @whoruntheworldpod.

Ramadan Kareem, WRTW family! To kick off a month of reflection and introspection, Marilyn and Rhea have a very real and honest conversation about how they’ve seen their friendship change after Marilyn became a mother. What are their pet peeves when it comes to friends treating each other differently post-motherhood? What advice would they give themselves and their friends as they enter new stages in their lives? And, of course, what is it about Marilyn and Rhea’s friendship that allows it to grow and change as they grow and change?
Things My Mother Didn’t Tell Me (But My Best Friend Did) is a spinoff of Who Run the World, a production of Reyzin Media. Hosted by Rhea Chedid and Marilyn Zakhour. Produced by Ahmed Ashour. Follow Who Run the World on Instagram and Tik Tok at @whoruntheworldpod.

Lots happening this week in WRTW Land (which is about 25.6km away from Barbie Land). March is Women’s History Month. March 8th is International Women’s Day. Marilyn and Rhea both finally watched Barbie (yes, THAT Barbie, which is up for some Oscars later this week). They also just finished watching season 2 of the hit Netflix show AlRawabi School for Girls. They have so many thoughts on all of the above (especially Rhea)...but can they share them all in one episode? Well folks, they do it, because they are what? Women. International women. In this episode of Who Run the Time, Marilyn and Rhea put on their “scathing critic” hats and break down the nonsense, western origins of International Women’s Day. They then look at how Barbie and AlRawabi fit this year’s IWD theme, “Inspire Inclusion,” and share examples of comedians, journalists, and authors who they feel do a good job of telling authentic stories representing women today. Live from Casa Home de Ken (sic), it’s WRTW’s International Women’s Day episode!
Marilyn’s recommendations:

• “An Unlasting Home” by Mai Al-Nakib.
• “Celestial Bodies” by Jokha Alharthi.
• “Against a Loveless World” by Susan Abulhawa.
• “The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing” by Darina Al Joundi.

Rhea’s recommendations:

• Lebanese comedian Shaden.
• Jordanian journalist Sara Obeidat. Check out our episode with Sara about how the media covers Palestine.
• Lebanese journalist Lina Mounzer.
• Lebanese journalist Dalal Mawad. Check out Dalal’s book, “All She Lost: The Explosion in Lebanon, the Collapse of a Nation and the Women who Survive.”
• Check out Spotify’s AlRawabi School for Girls Official Playlist!

Read more about this year’s International Women’s Day theme “Inspire Inclusion” here.
Who Run the Time is a spinoff of Who Run the World, a production of Reyzin Media. Hosted by Rhea Chedid and Marilyn Zakhour. Produced by Ahmed Ashour. Follow Who Run the World on Instagram and Tik Tok at @whoruntheworldpod.

In an October 2023 episode with OB/GYN and fertility specialist Dr. Gaël Abou Ghannam, Marilyn and Dr. Gaël encouraged Rhea to freeze her eggs. Well, listeners…drum roll, please…she did it! Not only did she do it – she’s also ready to tell you all about it. In this episode, Marilyn sits down with Rhea to understand what led to her making this decision, as well as break down the egg freezing process from A to Z. Of course, our best friends share (often funny) stories and anecdotes from the journey, including one that involves a butt injection. Curious? You’ll have to listen to find out more. It’s called suspense, baby!

Things My Mother Didn’t Tell Me (But My Best Friend Did) is a spinoff of Who Run the World, a production of Reyzin Media. Hosted by Rhea Chedid and Marilyn Zakhour. Produced by Ahmed Ashour. Follow Who Run the World on Instagram and Tik Tok at @whoruntheworldpod.

Choosing to pursue a career as an actor and media personality is hard. Choosing to pursue such a career as someone of South Asian or SWANA descent is hard. Becoming a mother is…you guessed it, also hard. Doing all three? That’s just awe-inspiring. In this episode, Marilyn and Rhea sit down with Dubai-based Pakistani actor and media personality Rabab Hashim. Rabab shares how she fell in love with the stage and screen at a young age, her experience navigating motherhood in the entertainment industry, and how her partner and community have supported her in this chapter of her life. Rabab also reflects on Pakistani/global south representation in the media, and what her next career moves are.

Rabab Hashim is a Dubai-based Pakistani actor and media personality who has appeared on stage, television, web series, and many other media formats. Her major credits include Ishqaway (2015), Enaaya (2019), and Tinkay Ka Sahara (2022).

Who Run the World is a production of Reyzin Media. Hosted by Rhea Chedid and Marilyn Zakhour. Produced by Ahmed Ashour. Follow Who Run the World on Instagram and Tik Tok at @whoruntheworldpod.