from working mums

from EMIRATES WOMAN - MINI OCTOBER 2020

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Individual wellbeing, as well as the wellbeing of everyone working within Messika Paris, is extremely important to me. As a woman and CEO, I want to pass down this competence, drive, and feeling of empowerment. You need to work hard to fulfil your dream. I try to pass down my passion to my girls. My daughters are still young, they don’t know exactly what we do but they understand that we work on amazing creations. What have you learnt about yourself as a mother and a career woman since having children? I have learnt that being a mum who has made her work her passion will make my daughters want to succeed themselves and find their own passion. They will be guided by the same in ner flame and drive when they grow up. It is important to have an amazing balance of both, but it is also good to never put pres sure on yourself to have this perfect balance constantly – doing your best and putting your passion and love into your family

VALERIE MESSIKA

What do you hope your children will take away from seeing their mum build a career? and career is key. CLARE HOLBROOK Communications Manager at Estée Lauder, living in Dubai

How has your career mindset changed since having children? I work to provide for my baby but also to give myself some sanity. Once I got this into my head I went back to enjoying my work because I felt the purpose again. My life had changed, ev ery tiny particle of it and that scared me initially, there was so much to juggle, the working mum guilt mixed with the de sire to still be on my A-game. I had to rejig what that meant to survive! What I figured out was once I accepted that things weren’t going to go back to what they were I was more comfort able with what it was. My life is dierent, not completely unrecognisable, but dierent. Ambition and motherhood can go hand in hand you just need to learn to give yourself a break, you’re doing the best you can.

CLARE HOLBROOK

How did it feel going back to work? Bone-shaking anxiety! What do you do to set boundaries between work and family? I’m not sure how good I am at this but when I leave work my full attention is on my son and the family time we have before it’s bedtime. Whatever comes in from work aer I leave oce I hop back online aer he’s asleep. It can wait but those precious little moments at bath time or quiet time reading his favou rite book won’t. I tell myself to

always be present in whatever situation I am in so I get the most out of it. When I work I give it my all, when I’m with my son I give him everything I can. How do you tackle “mum guilt”? I won’t lie, it is hard. I think if I’m going to leave my son every day then I want to have an impact and ensure the work I do really matters, that one day he’ll be proud of what his mum achieved. During those moments of madness, how do you find calm and balance? I honestly just tell myself I can do it. If my mum could bring up 3 children alone and still hold down a career then goodness, I’ve got this too. Self-belief, being your own cheerleader, taking it one day at a time. I can only do so much and I know that now. Do you have any rituals or mindfulness practices for personal wellbeing? Not straight o the back but I realised that a happy mother is what my child needs so I do take time to focus on me too. I don’t have space in the day to go to classes so I love the Melissa Wood Health app; I can do a quick Pilates or medita tion session in 20 minutes and feel great aerwards. What do you hope your son will take away from seeing their mum build a career? I hope he’s proud. I hope it teaches him to aim high, that he can achieve anything he sets his mind on. I hope he understands that he won’t win at everything and that’s okay, there will be set backs and that’s okay too. But set goals, work hard, be a dreamer, enjoy life to its fullest. What have you learnt about yourself as a mother and a career woman since having children? I can honestly say that having my son is the best thing that has ever happened to me but it also terrified me at the beginning. Life won’t be the same but that’s growth and that’s the beauty of it.

LATIFA AL GURG Founder of Twisted Roots, living in Dubai

How has your career mindset changed since having children? I had my first child straight out of university and so I have only

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had the experience of having both a career and raising children at the same time. However, I think this has made me always think of both as parts of a whole package and that you need to design your life in a way with the proper support system to be able to make sure that it’s mostly manageable. How did it feel going back to work? I took a break from working outside my home from

LATIFA AL GURG between having my 2nd child to when my 3rd child went to school. I was going into a brand new industry, so it was a large leap of faith and I was nervous. However, my family was always there to provide me with the support needed and I think that gave me the confidence to stick it through. What do you do to set boundaries between work and family? I don’t set hard boundaries. It’s all about communication, and that’s in all directions. Be it if I have to miss a school pick up once in a while, then I support my kids with their work or set aside some time to just be with them. During those moments of madness, how do you find calm and balance? I tend to fall back on systematic problem-solving in most situations. So, taking the time to identify what is creating the madness, and then breaking down the tasks into achievable ones to get through it. Do you have any rituals or mindfulness practices for personal wellbeing? I practice yoga regularly, and I also enjoy guided meditations. What do you hope your children will take away from seeing their mum build a career? Dedication and drawing your path, no matter what it looks like. What have you learnt about yourself as a mother and a career woman since having children? That I love systemising everything, but more importantly that reflection and taking time to actively be in the present always provide endless inspiration and renewed energy.

The Supermum

WORDS: OLIVIA MORRIS

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IMAGES: SUPPLIED Benefit Cosmetic Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain Dhs156 sephora.ae P opular Abu Dhabi-based fashion blogger Dana Ahmed may seem like she has the perfect life from her fabulous Instagram feed – and she definitely does. However, that doesn’t mean she won’t go through the same guilt many other mothers can feel, particularly when it involves leaving your children to go to work. Luckily, Dana has found a wonderfully supportive community aer starting her blog – which has seen her collaborate with some superlative brands including NET-A-PORTER, Dior and Max Mara. She talks to us about balancing work and parenting, what her life was like before becoming a mum to two-year-old Adnan and what her biggest take away she has learnt becoming a mother. Life and career before becoming a mother. I used to work at an insurance company full time and had my fashion blog as well. How life changed once she became a mother. First, I quit my job at the insurance company – I wanted to spend time with my first born kid more than anything. But at the same time, I kept my social media accounts and I tried to share my journey as a mum with my followers. I’ve noticed that I gained so many wonderful mum followers who loved reading and following my journey. To be honest, I couldn’t give more to my oce job anymore. I wanted to do something I love, whilst having my baby next to me.

How quickly she returned to work after having her son. As a fashion blogger, I took a very short break when I first delivered as I was so overwhelmed with everything happening. Then I went back to sharing my diaries with my followers, but this time as a new mum. The hardest thing about being a working mum. I think the hardest thing is when I have to leave my baby for a whole day shoot, or travel without him. How her style has changed since becoming a mum. I don’t think my style changed, now I just like to go more with casual or street style looks – and thankfully it’s so trendy at this moment. It’s more comfortable especially I will be running around with my kid, carrying his bag, my bag and sometimes carrying him. How her beauty routine changed since becoming a mum. I’m focusing more now on skin care routines, because the better your skin is, the less makeup you need and as a mum, and now I have less time for makeup than before! Her top parenting tips. Be you, follow your instincts and don’t compare yourself to any other parent. Yes, take advice, but sometimes what works for others might not work for you. The biggest thing she’s learnt since becoming a mum. The biggest take away since becoming a mum is how my priorities have changed, material items means less to me.

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