Nobody's Famous Podcast

The season finale of Season 3 hosts the one and only Azal Al Salafi. As befitting as it was recorded on International Women’s Day, Azal touched on her own emancipation and her social work in the field of helping migrant women find their voice, home, and identity in foreign lands. She describes her cosmopolitan upbringing as one that really has shaped her to where she is now and could not imagine anything else. Azal rarely settled in one place, always having to upend her environment and friends in search of new ones. Ultimately, this has made Azal more resilient; more adaptable to change. As a migrant woman herself, the work she does is not merely a reflection of her past, rather the true essence of her being and the genuine passion of helping these women avoid what she herself had been through. Apart from Azal’s social work, her upcoming publication of the digital magazine Kazanah is just on the horizon. Touching on social issues, showcasing contemporary artists, and breaking the boundaries of time and space in this world of COVID-19, Kazanah is just the start of Azal’s wider conversation of her unconventional approach to life. Join us in the season finale as we bring this chapter to a close with a guest befitting of the show’s name. It is as extraordinary as it gets.

As we draw Season 3 to a close, the penultimate episode features one of our most unique guests to date. Unique in his journey, his experiences and in his approach to modern day football. Nikita Haikin, the recently crowned Champion of the Eliteserien, won the Norwegian Football League with FK Bodø/Glimt last year, having their best run yet. Nikita shared his experiences on what it's like to cope with the pressures of being a goalkeeper, bouncing off teammates during struggling periods and also how to cope with pressure on and off the field. Nikita has since become the beacon of light for the Club, guiding and assisting his teammates where possible and preparing for new challenges and a new season at the same time. No stranger to the world, Nikita has also been quite the traveler. Having started his career out in Israel, Nikita made his debut as a footballer, only to reach a point where he would stop the game altogether. A decision to then move abroad changed things for him and through his passion, sacrifice and love for the game, his career reignited with those shining moments at FK Bodø/Glimt. Nikita now looks to his future, while enjoying the city's calming and relaxing life. Bodø's quaint town of 60,000 has given Nikita a place to reflect, ponder and enjoy the world of professional football at his own pace. So join us as we take on Nikita Haikin, the footballer who is as much a role model to his community as he is a footballer, as well as being a humble man in his own right.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to play for a professional Esports team? Or wondered how you can simply improve your negotiation skills by changing the way you speak? Enter Andrew Cooke, a man who's straightforward and direct in his approach to almost everything he does. Starting off in private practice, Andrew quickly advanced to the realms of General Counsel, having taken up post in FLASH Entertainment for 8 years, and then moving to one of the greatest Esports teams ever with FNATIC. A love letter to pro gamers everywhere, we discussed how you can get the best deal, focusing on the types of games that will benefit you and really how a balance between gaming and other things in life is the right fit. The technicality and complexity of the gaming world also takes center stage as we question a Chief Marketing Officer's role in the ever-young and growing world of Esports and it's "kek faces" and "hotdog" spamming generation that is Twitch. A cycler and a negotiator, Andrew has always ever pondered the meaning of doing great work, and helps others find that purpose too. But in this episode, that notion is challenged as we really dig team into workplace conflicts, underselling ourselves and the lack of fulfillment. Are you really doing good work? Do you question yourself in the morning while coming to work? Am I really happy? This and more awaits you in a unique and explosive episode with, yes, believe it or not, lawyer turned gamer.

You would be remiss to think that Basel Zahr’s episode was simply about coaching and mentorship. Rather, it is one of self-reflection, introspection, accepting your past and preparing for an uncertain future through daily efforts. An upstart coach and mentor, who’s burned through ten mentors himself, is now gearing his efforts towards helping others and helping them break the stigma of accepting to not just seek therapy, but a mentor too. His method of listening to people and helping them use their own ideas to solve problems is one of heartfelt and sincere intentions to really be in others’ service. Basel isn’t shy with his words, tackling concepts of selfishness, altruism as well as mental and physical abuse. And despite his opinions on all those topics, Basel is open to acknowledging his own mistakes and actions, which allow him to progress in service to himself as well. That is just the first step in the daily progress of getting better. Jump in knee-deep into Episode 41 of the Nobody’s Famous Podcast, where the fiery debate with the one and only Basel Zahr ensues.

Finally, EPISODE 40 is out with none other than Rachel Tarabay! A long episode in the making, Rachel, as she so aptly puts it, has mastered the art of procrastination. Yet despite that she owns this fact, she has still managed to handle her daily work, create a movement called Demokratia in Lebanon and enjoy life in its simplicity and beauty. Rachel has engulfed herself in learning about why we take things at face value, having had her life change after reading the book “Sapiens”, as well as her idea of cutting away from the hustle life we live through Henry David Thoreau’s book “Walden”. Rachel was not shy to speak her mind, asking challenging questions like why she would be the one to determine what is right or wrong and why we should conform to societal norms and paths that are predetermined for people. Although she had hated writing about herself, Rachel also gave us a profound notion about the dying authenticity in our world and how sometimes, you can’t even be true to yourself, even when you want to.

When thinking of Mikano, one cannot ignore the melodic tunes, his versatility in genres and the risks he’s taken and continues to take with his music. Mikano draws his influences from Kid Cudi, Frank Ocean and was not shy to say he has cried listening to Kanye West’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”. This doesn’t mean Mikano isn’t unique in his own right. His hit song “When It Rains Glitter”, consisting of two distinct parts, is a prime example of not only his boldness in writing music, but his understanding of people’s upbringing and life’s downfalls. Episode 39 with Mikano is a classic and casual talk with the artist himself. With music being a "universal language", Mikano doesn't think that it's necessary to solely talk about his origins in his music. He would rather focus on trying out different sounds and moods, which eventually become Mikano-like music. You’ll notice his foray into UK Drill, Rap and other melodic songs that will hook you in via his unique and energetic sound. Mikano’s music is matched only by his connectedness and focus on his vision to create the music he’s always wanted to, while bringing his crew along the way through his diverse background and charismatic aura.

Nauman is a cool, collected and very direct person. Whether it’s been through his professional career or his childhood in Dubai, Nauman has faced many cultural and social challenges in his life. Nauman has an innate ability to sell, build relationships and create lasting connections with people. We talked about how he’s built a network of great connections of people who believe they have gotten great value from their transactions. Nauman is also very attuned to the many changes Dubai has faced as well as the world itself. A man of history, we delved into the origins of the Pyramids of Giza, the amount of human effort that took to create one of the greatest monuments in our time, juxtaposing that against the rapid and incredible rise of a city like Dubai. We also discussed the future of human technology such as Elon Musk’s latest developments on Neuralink so you can finally control things with your mind. In the end, this show has been one of culture, technology, the definition of home in a country other than your own, and how you can build lasting relationships with people, while still being a true master of sales

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE! Episode 37 took the podcast to uncharted places with its lighthearted approach to the world of Finance. A world that is not for the faint of heart, Finance has always been a tense and fast-paced world, and has often caused people to either invest late, or not at all. Enter Abdelazim Eltoukhy, one of the nicest and most decent men one can come across, who navigates us through the tepid financial landscape. Abdelazim's childhood in Cairo has really given him an interest in architecture and the world around him, and through his time in New York and Miami, his perspective continued to change and evolve, finally allowing him to push his analytical brain to its limit. Abdelazim's due diligence to himself to persevere and power through his breaking points while studying and working in finance is partly from his deep rooted relationship with his parents; "If you face challenges, you HAVE to face them". It's one of the reasons Abdelazim has eventually become the focal point in building the trading platform "Ticr" which allows users to trade US stocks in the UAE. No easy feat, Abdelazim also takes us through the numerous obstacles he and his co-founder go through from a regulatory perspective, and their challenges as entrepreneurs in this red ocean market. If you've ever found yourself intimated by financing and investing, or even managing your personal financial life, this is an episode you don't want to miss.

A coincidence in the making, Episode 36 showcases the wonderful Sarah Chafei. Sarah's name first came across to us through unrelated research at work. Funnily enough, a few weeks later, Sarah herself found the show and engaged with us. From there, the rest was creating a connection and setting up the epic show. Sarah Chafei is a singer-songwriter based in Jeddah, who's opened up her own Pebble Art business where she let's her artistic style shine through. Having struggled with live performances and coming up with a new passion amid lockdown, Sarah has always strived to build on her skills and share more of her creative side. Sarah has also since restarted her Instagram account, doing a full refresh to her profile and her outlook on life. Sarah joined us to discuss her refresh, the origins of mental health taboo in the Arab world, why the "fake it, until you make it" quote doesn't work while also giving us a sneak peek on her upcoming music and new album. Join us for Episode 36 on an epic and deep discussion with none other than Sarah Chafei.

It's not often you come across a guy like Abdulrahman Al Zaabi. Also known through his content as A Day with Abdul, Abdulrahman set out to prove that there are so many things that you can do in Abu Dhabi. Tired and fed up of his friends visiting and complaining, he embarked on his greatest challenge yet to create activities for one hundred days in Abu Dhabi. No stranger to challenges, Abdulrahman always endeavored to dispel misconceptions about Emirati culture, educate others through his content and truly showcase Abu Dhabi as an exciting and vibrant city with countless opportunities and activities. From his relatively "naïve" self as he puts it when he discovered a new life in the United States, to where he is now, Abdulrahman has truly evolved into an educational force. His educational videos and activities across Abu Dhabi has not only helped tourists discover more of the city, but he's discovered more about himself and how much further he can showcase his beloved Abu Dhabi.

Whether it's the inspiration of homegrown paintings of her Palestine hometown, or the glow in her mother's mirror, Zouha Dalloul is the makeup artist with a vision. It's been candidly said in the episode that through a natural experience, Zouha has come to love her craft and has honed it to a point where others can be taught. From dabbling into impressionistic and realistic paintings, to contouring on faces, Zouha has found her passion to not apply makeup, but to teach it as well. Not one for the caked up look, Zouha always strives to ensure a natural look shines through, whether it's through her audacity to tell a bride off, or the mere fact that truly less is more, Zouha doesn't back down from her technique. A traveler at heart, Zouha has also been able to see the world and connect with others through their love for exploration and adventure. Join us in this one-of-a-kind episode with ever thoughtful and artistic Zouha Dalloul.

From explaining the origin of his new moniker "Eddie" to voice acting almost daily. Mohamed Alsayed is a comedic force and really had to work his way around his chosen career to reach this point. Since his recent success in breaking the 100,000 follower barrier on Instagram, Mohamed has continued to create smiles and laughter around him. Mohamed started off his educational career in a choice that really didn't work out for him. Through this discovery but decision as well, he realized his love for voice acting, sound effects, organizing events, MCing events and even acting. Mohamed also notes his love of ensuring people laugh because of him, and is very well aware of the difficulty involved in doing that and becoming a fully fledged comedian. On top of all these different talents and challenges, it's important to note that Mohamed has a great story-telling ability in which he engulfed us in his life journey, telling about his attainment of black belts in various martial arts, as well as creating scenarios for the voices in his head. Join us in this one of a kind episode with truly the one and the only, Mohamed Alsayed aka They Call Me Eddie!

Episode 32 was a first for the Nobody's Famous Podcast! In this episode, we sat down with Shereen Abdulla, who operates DIFC FinTech Hive, the Middle East's largest FinTech accelerator program. An exciting moment for the Nobody's Famous Podcast, Shereen delved into her passions for why she loves to help startups and also her beliefs on how technology plays a huge impact on people's lives. Shereen was very forthcoming with the kind of attitude you need to have with founders of startups to push them to succeed, even if the startup itself might not succeed. We also touched on what really is the "spark" within Shereen herself where she discussed how in fact she classifies herself as an Intrapreneur, turning her company around and always looking for new opportunities to help herself and others. On top of all her passionate work with startups, Shereen is the host, creator and produces the podcast Spark! with Shereen where sheds light on startup stories and innovation in the Middle East. Tune into the amazing and exciting Episode 32 with Shereen Abdulla!

In this episode, we sat down with Chris Boulos, a soon to be Olympian at the Tokyo Olympics. The episode revolved around his love for taking care of his body and his life as a personal trainer in Lebanon. The fitness in culture in Lebanon has made it difficult for Chris to sometimes pursue his personal ambitions but to also educate people; however, Chris’ motto is to persevere. Chris talked to us about the difficulties of getting physically and mentally ready for the Olympics, what with the limited resources Lebanon possesses, but also how even with such constrictions, you can always find push forward to work and better yourself. Tune into Episode 31 with Chris Boulos, a light-hearted episode that’s all about what it means to be an athlete in a tough environment.

It's the BIG 30! In this episode, we didn't interview just one guest. We sat down with FOUR guests as part of the music group NM1 AKA No More One. NM1 initially started off with two members, Ahmed and Mickey. They were friends, but didn't really rap or create music together. After butting heads on the idea, Mickey started to write, and thus NM1 was born. It was after those moments that the group decided to expand their offering, by incorporating dancers into their performances. Enter Esoo and Adam, two Abu Dhabi dancers who each had their own journey entering the musical group. From then on, NM1 took their music into overdrive, performing across Abu Dhabi and producing music. Since then, NM1 has become a content creating machine with their music, interesting visuals and musical concepts. Tune into Episode 30 of the Nobody's Famous Podcast and learn about Abu Dhabi's Underground Rap scene.