VUKUP

ASMAA AL-RAYAMI ON HER CAREER AND AMBITIONS

• Muhammad Obi • Season 1 • Episode 4

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From commanding the radio waves to voicing beloved characters and owning the stage as a bilingual MC, Asma Al-Rayami’s career is nothing short of inspiring! 🎙️✨

In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Asma to dive deep into her journey through the media industry. We talk about the highs, the lows, and the hilarious behind-the-scenes moments that you don’t usually hear about.

Whether you're an aspiring presenter, a voice-over enthusiast, or just love a good conversation about chasing creative dreams, this is a MUST-WATCH. We laughed, we reflected, and we got real about what it takes to thrive in the world of broadcasting and performance.

In this video, we cover:
🎤 How she started her radio career
🎭 The art of voice acting and bringing characters to life
🎙️ The challenges of being a bilingual MC
🌟 The life lessons she’s learned along the way

Don't forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more amazing conversations!


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SPEAKER_04

What's up, beautiful people? It's Obi again, and then the name of the show is VOKUP. And on today's special episode, I am so nervous, I just can't believe I put this one. Um, I've been uh planning for it for over a year now, and finally we are cutting to the chase. So, what we have here is the Oman's finest in the game entertainment uh media. So, to me, I feel like I'm a student, I'm here to learn. So um, she's a uh voice actor, uh radio presenter on uh um Oman FM, and she's also um a bilingual MC, so it doesn't get better than this. So, ladies and gentlemen, asthma in the building.

SPEAKER_02

Oh my god, what an intro, Obi! Obi, what an intro. Um I'm I'm blushing, you don't see it because you're black, but but I'm blushing right now. Look at you, the finest. Oh, I try, I try, I try it. I try. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_04

I'm doing great. Thanks for being here with us. Thank you for having me. Um it's really um, you were the first female to be on this podcast. Yay! And you got to be the only one I could ever. It's just this sets the bar so high, actually, you know, to get asthma here. You know, um, it is a great pleasure to have you.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's a pleasure to be here. Um, like this is unnatural. I feel like this is absolutely unnatural because usually I'll be sitting on your seat.

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

But I think I'm I'm I'm ready for you know, for the challenge, for the conversation. Um, I've been listening to your podcast for a little bit. Um and I'm here for what you do.

SPEAKER_04

Definitely, thank you so much. I mean, uh, this is the great support actually we can get, you know. Uh, this sets the bar high, as I said. Um, I didn't think I could just go this high, honestly. You know, uh, when I see the industry, I don't think I can, you know, uh, it's still too early. Okay, and uh I am uh in a good hands to be here actually to have you. So um today I just want to let you to talk about your journey and the media, and uh you know, you uh you are multi-talented, I can say, so being a voice actor, being an bilingual MC, and most importantly, having uh the Oman uh Masked Candid. Yes, my go-to show every morning. Um whenever I'm driving around, I'm just uh and I I love all your updates on weather, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You do listen to the show, yeah. I know how you're obsessed with the weather, and this is your and uh during summer.

SPEAKER_02

Oh I know you you think you think there's not gonna be much of a difference because it's kind of hot every day. It's absolutely but it does make a difference in my day, and it makes a difference to a lot of our listeners.

SPEAKER_03

Some of our listeners, you know, go diving and go to the ocean a lot, they are sailors, yeah. So updates about the weather really is really important to them, and and your everyday listener as well gets to at least predict how does this week look like?

SPEAKER_04

Look like, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

So is it like gonna be, you know, are we going from uh 38 to 46? Are we sticking to the other?

SPEAKER_04

In the middle of it, yeah. So um your journey to uh media.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Uh how how how how did it begin? Did you uh dream about being, you know, uh a journalist, a presenter, something like that?

SPEAKER_03

You know, um somebody asked me this not too long ago. Yeah, and they were like, Esma, did you ever imagine, did you ever imagine that you were going to reach where you reached?

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

I was like, yeah. I did, I definitely did. I envisioned most of this, if not all of it. And I've exceeded my own expectations. Definitely. And that's what kind of makes this journey itself so precious to me. Um I'm very humbled by the process of it.

SPEAKER_04

By the process, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_03

I started, well, my journey in media specifically started, this is my fifth year. So I started in 2021.

SPEAKER_04

So I'm fairly young in the media world.

SPEAKER_03

But in terms of me being a creative, because that's the thing that drives everything.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

School.

SPEAKER_04

From school.

SPEAKER_03

Talking about from me being school, I started writing, and that was it. I started writing and everything kind of followed. I went through different realms of of creativity threat. So, you know, you start with literature, so a little bit of poetry, and then you uh you graduate, a little bit of songwriting, and all of that. And then I started MCing.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, I was saying around just 12 years ago.

SPEAKER_03

This was pre-media.

SPEAKER_04

Pre-media, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

I started MC in a very long time ago, yeah. Okay. Um, I think around um 2013-2014, I started MCing then. And I did that for a couple of years and stopped and just kind of ventured into my own career and focused on it for a bit. And then the pandemic happened.

unknown

Yes.

SPEAKER_03

The era that no one went to the same, yeah, yeah. You know, it was that time. So um I lost my job like a lot of people uh during the pandemic. Yeah, and I had this new freedom to do absolutely anything I want to do. At the beginning it was frightening because I was still trying to find a job. So after a year of not finding anything, yeah, I had an epiphany. I woke up one day and I was like, you know what? I can do absolutely anything it is that I want to do. Okay, I have all this time, I have all this space, I don't have a job, I got nothing to I can't go any lower.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You know? So I can do absolutely anything I need to do. So if I am to do something, what would it be? And I want it to be the old pro and free of radio.

SPEAKER_04

Alright. Because I was about to ask you who what who motivated you, who you you looked up to uh in media, like who's your idol in media?

SPEAKER_03

I don't think I have idols, but I have a lot of um media characters that have inspired me. Yes. Um, and one of them for a good amount of time was was was all pro and free. Yeah. And I don't know, maybe it's because somehow somehow she looks like me.

SPEAKER_04

She uh definitely. You know, some way somehow she looks like me.

SPEAKER_03

So she shows me that there is a possibility of showcasing more. More like MC is great, but it is a new experience with each and every event you host. You're learning to do this all over again. All over again. And and a lot of MCs might even agree. However, when you're broadcasting, you have your own show and you're the one writing it, and you're the one talking about whatever it is that you want to talk about. You can put the person that you are in the forefront.

SPEAKER_04

Yes.

SPEAKER_03

And you can just trust in that and see if anybody relates. You know, I I just like I kind of like throw a hook. Through a hook, and I was like, let's see if it catches anything. You know, so so that was kind of it. It started off as an epiphany. I reached out to Palad al-Shahri. I reached out to him, and I met him through, you know, just through some mutual, yeah, mutual contacts. And it was just one time.

SPEAKER_04

Just one time.

SPEAKER_03

I think that one time, or was it two times? And then, you know, we exchanged Instagrams and all of that. And all of a sudden, I'm like, I had an epiphany, and I woke up feeling like I should be on radio. And he's like, all right, come through to the studio, record your demo, and let's see where it goes. I record a demo, the whole thing is like 10 minutes. And I thought she's kind of like history was born, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's how everything kind of started off.

unknown

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

So uh the journey started in 2021 after finding it.

SPEAKER_03

So, what about uh MC and you came back to it or uh I came back to it now when I joined radio.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03

I didn't MC much um uh you know, after I gave it some space and I was like, okay, you can go to the side for a little bit. I wanted to do something that's a bit more personal to me and a bit more closer to the brand of Isma. I want to like what I do. Definitely, I should I I like making money, yes. Of course. I'm mama, I've been a hustler, I've had a job ever since I was 17. But I like to I I like to enjoy what I do, and I got into stand-up comedy. I transitioned basically from MCing to doing stand-up comedy, and I did that for a couple of years with different comedy groups across uh the Sultanate.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, I've been searching for stand-ups actually. I I really, really love stand-ups. Oh, yeah, I got a list, I got you. I got a list. And uh I'm I'm searching all over the social media, maybe they're in Arabic, I don't know, but I've never found one until I came across your video, as I told you, and uh I couldn't find it again, and I was like, oh my god, I just can't wait to see where she's going to do stand-up. I want to be I had to put a pause on that as well.

SPEAKER_03

But I had some success in stand-up comedy. I opened for the Kara Williams twice. Twice, yeah. I've I've I've done a lot of shows, I've hosted a lot of comedy nights as well. I've worked with both Amand Comedy Central and Kakah Club. So I have uh, you know, I've been around in the comedy scene, whether it was through a group or independently. However, with radio taking over my life, yeah, it was hard to it was hard to make sure comedy will make me the money I think.

SPEAKER_04

I wanted, yeah, yeah. Of course. Uh that's why you are the best person to talk about when it comes to entertainment industry here in mine, actually. Yeah. Uh from uh maybe let's say five years ago after the pandemic to where it is now. Uh what do you see like uh um the entertainment industry where it's going? Is it promising uh or is it just skyrocketing?

SPEAKER_03

It is blossoming, like it's no one's business. Everybody's a singer-songwriter, and and and everybody's trying out comedy, maybe not everybody, but more singer-songwriters. A lot of people are getting into the entertainment world, bringing artists here in Amman, um to perform concerts. Um the art scene is absolutely blossoming as well. Painters, sculptors, so much, so many creatives, um, authors as well. I've interviewed so many Umani authors, amazing, and you know, other um non-armani authors that are based here in Iman as well. So I've uh you know, I've been surrounded by creatives, and people are releasing more books than ever, more songs than ever, more podcasts and shows than ever. So I think it's blossoming.

SPEAKER_04

It's blossoming, actually, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

I think that things are becoming a bit more digestible, not like how it used to be. Yeah, there's a bit of a stigma about being online and showing your face, uh-huh. You know, there was a bit of a stigma. Yeah, people are like, uh, well, as long as she represents, you know, the right values and she's not really going against uh, you know, against the public values, then that should be it. Everything else is freedom of choice, really. Just yeah, just leave politics and religion out of it. Out of it. And then that's about it. The world is.

SPEAKER_04

Now it's been five years and more. So, what has it changed to you as a person? What did you see it before and where do you see it now?

SPEAKER_03

Like, I see more armani, I see more armani presenters and broadcasters popping up. Shout out to all the ladies. Yeah, shout out to all the lady presenters that I've been seeing popping up on my timeline. And you know, we're having more and more news readers and and more armani talents coming to the to the forefront anyway. And I think it will continue. I think the new fresh faces um come with a new perspective, come with a new style, come with fresh talent, and come with a lot less to lose. Yeah, a lot less to lose. Um, and I love that because they're so young. Because they're so young. You know, they're they're 25 and lower, they're below 30, most of them. And I'm happy to see that. Because I know nothing can hold them back. Like what?

SPEAKER_04

They'll feel and shout out to you, to their big sisters in the game who are giving them the platform. Actually, I I do follow you on uh Amana FM and other shows. I see you are inviting talents there to just post them. And uh there's uh I think Oman is too big, and you're covering from some from Nizwa, from Sahar, and here in Mascot. So all talents are covered. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

I mean, I try as much as possible. One of the things that we do on our station, Tamana Fam, like one of our values, the things that we aim to do in terms of creating content is to highlight local Armani. So this is actually a part of the job description. So shout out to Amana Family.

SPEAKER_04

Shout out to them for giving me the platform. So about standard the stand-up comedy. Are you preparing something soon or not anytime soon? Not anytime soon.

SPEAKER_03

Not anytime soon. Unless, like, no, not anytime soon. It's a lot of work for for very little reward. That's one. Um, two, that's not the only reason. Yeah, money is a big factor because I'm a responsible person financially. I take care of other people too. Oh, definitely. So I have um I have something to do. Okay, I have something to lose. So um I think it yeah, yes, it wasn't as lucrative, but the truth is there's something about writing comedy. I'm a writer. You're a writer, and I write these sets, I write these punchlines, and I write, you know, how I'm going to come through and present the punchline at the end of the day. And it's you know how they say humor can heal all sometimes?

SPEAKER_05

Yep.

SPEAKER_03

And they say that, you know, when when you give people an exaggerated truth and make them laugh, they can digest it a little bit more.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, a lot. They can digest it a little bit more.

SPEAKER_03

And yeah, yeah, comedy is a way, yes, comedy is a way to digest the truth a little bit. It's an exaggerated version of the truth. Yeah. So you'll be like, ha ha ha, that's funny. Okay, but you're onto something. I kind of see your point.

SPEAKER_04

Message, yeah, it was was given.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, so mostly it was very personal. Like writing comedy was very personal. So most of the content was about me and my life and what I go through. And it was a way for me to, it was a coping mechanism. I throw a punchline when I'm stressed, when I'm trying to not feel something. And that became a bit of a coping mechanism. So writing comedy at some point became something unhealthy for me. Oh because when I distract myself, you know, from from feeling the truth. Um I'm just sitting there aware of the truth, not feeling, not processing, not going through it. I forget. I forget to feel.

SPEAKER_04

Yes.

SPEAKER_03

I forget to feel, and that's not a good thing.

SPEAKER_04

And doesn't go anywhere, it's just there.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, somewhere there in my subconscious. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It'll come one day when I when something silly happens. When I least expect it, like you know, like I'll run out of eyeliner in the morning and all of a sudden I'm causing a tantrum.

SPEAKER_04

I I used to take one of my friends that I was like, why are you always with uh the earphones in your head and when you're not talking to people? I was like, I have a lot of things I want to escape from. And I was like, eventually you're gonna face them. Uh so you better just face them when they are still, you know, less, you know. But uh yeah. Tell me about uh your experience in media uh when starting up.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it was uh like starting anything or uh it's just yeah, maybe maybe a lot of people don't know this about me, but Armano FM is not the first radio station I worked for. I worked for another radio station before, and it didn't work out. I think it just wasn't meant to be, and I had to be released from uh my contract. So moving on to Armano Fam, which I was already training at the ministry even while landing this job.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, great.

SPEAKER_03

So I had training at the ministry after the demo. Remember the demo?

SPEAKER_04

Yes.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, so after the demo, I managed to get some training. So I was there and training at the ministry for like maybe seven to eight months, and then that's when I was working for another radio station. After being released from that contract, Armano Fam was already ready for me because I was already training at the ministry anyway. So I was happy to see that the job was still there. Yeah, and it never really flew away. I remember my first time I went on a the first time I went on a you wouldn't imagine that the same sound you sound today, that person that day on the first. I had a complete nervous breakdown. I had a complete nervous breakdown. And don't get me wrong, I would remember sitting at a meeting, and our bosses are like, okay, who's ready to go live? And I'm just like, nay, I was not ready to go live. I was not ready to go live at all. But I did it anyway, because I know you kind of have to throw yourself into the deep end in order for you to learn how to swim. So that's what I did. I I jumped onto the deep end and I was like, you know what? Yeah, I'm gonna let me let me let me try and swim through. And I got a nervous breakdown. Um but I have a great team. We have a great team at our monop. So everybody was supportive. And I managed to tell people how I feel, tell my bosses how I feel, and the moment I felt just a little bit of support, there's no stopping me there.

unknown

Alright.

SPEAKER_04

I remember the first time I went to the microphone, it was it was terrible. It was terrible. I just didn't know what to do. We kept on stop doing it again, over and over again, and now here I am. So um when you came into the media uh industry, uh the number of women who were on the media and today, uh there is a growth in it, and uh you know, or maybe you were the first one.

SPEAKER_03

I think that no, I was not the first one. There were a lot of women in media.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, there's some you know the thing is because uh the the the genre you are into is uh I I don't think I've ever seen anyone that's like that.

SPEAKER_03

I think um I'm a little no, there are some presenters that do it in English, but female presenters. We have some at our station, we have some in other stations as well, both almani and non-money. We have uh you know almost every radio station I know, minus one, that's a fairly recent one. But the big three, you could say, all have female presenters. You know, I don't know if people know this, maybe you might know this or not. But 70% of our audiences are men.

SPEAKER_04

Are women. Our men. Our men.

SPEAKER_03

It makes sense to hire a female presenter.

SPEAKER_04

Okay, I know.

SPEAKER_03

You know, it it actually makes sense.

SPEAKER_04

Uh I guess.

SPEAKER_03

Even though, yes, it's great to have a male presenter, and mostly it is like you think it's male dominated, but women are just as fly. And they've been they've been doing it, they've been um you got like women in radio, it's an international organization of just women from across you know the world connecting, uh, women connecting most women that are in radio and looking at the GCC as well. There are women in almost a lot of these stations.

SPEAKER_04

So, how's your niece?

SPEAKER_03

She's nine. She's nine. And she has all my attitude.

SPEAKER_04

I know you are the kind of auntie who has to give her, you know, you teach her how to make herself makeup or do her hair. Actually, no.

SPEAKER_02

I'll uh all I do is take her out and lose all my money.

SPEAKER_04

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03

Because I have no ability to say no to her. I will say no to anything, anyone, in any corner. I'm able to say no.

SPEAKER_05

But to my niece, she'll be like, look at that.

SPEAKER_03

Of course you can. Just take the wallet and then like come back when you run out, you know? But yeah, my niece is amazing. Um you know, it's funny that you asked that because like a couple of feelings just come through.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

My niece brings out my soft side. She kind of like reminds me that I could be subtle, I could be slow. Things could, you know, things could could have a different energy. She brings that out of me.

SPEAKER_04

You say the uh the younger self in her?

SPEAKER_03

Um, sometimes, yes. But most times I think it's her and the blessing that kids come with. Come with, yeah. Kids really do soften you. Absolutely. Like they toughen you up, they make you tired, right? But they really do soften you. Like you could be the wildest of all wild. Okay, and that doesn't happen to everybody, but you could be super, super wild, super loud, and then your kid comes through and it's like blah blah blah. And your whole demeanor just completely shifted. Shuts down and let alone yeah, yeah, let alone um having a niece. You know, she's the only niece.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, she's the only niece. Yeah, she's my only niece.

SPEAKER_03

So, you know, she's the only grandchild as well. So she gets all the attention. She gets all the love, you know.

SPEAKER_04

So um uh let's talk a little bit about uh female empowerment. Yeah, women empowerment. Uh I just want to tell you I always wanted to be a presenter. Okay, I always wanted to be a presenter. I just wish one day I can get to be a presenter. I can run the show, you know. And uh talking about that, have you ever got like some young girls telling you, Hey, that's uh how to do this, how can I break through into the industry? I'm shy, I'm this, you know. I do, I do, I do.

SPEAKER_03

Usually they do come to me for advice, but it's more to connect as well. So they introduce themselves, they slide to the DM, they introduce themselves. I've spoken to a couple, some of them did manage to eventually, you know, work at the ministry. Some ended up getting training at the ministry. And yes, that's kind of these opportunities, specifically where our station is at, are solely reserved for Imanis, whether men or women. Yeah. So that could be like that. Sometimes that does happen. Where I do meet um, you know, a resident who's who's not Imany but based here in Moscot or based in Rahman that would approach me and I'll have to go like if I'm gonna be fully honest, like I need to give you a heads up. But if you could if you'd like any more advice, I'm more than happy to help. There's this, this, this, and that you can do. Um to me, anyone starting off in broadcasting, uh, I would advise to do two things. Just two things, two things mostly. Like there's like once you have these two things, there's a lot of things that uh that become easier. Listen, listen to other presenters, listen to other money, as much radio as you can, and take your time learning. Take your time learning about the craft, yeah. And then you gotta keep trying. So you gotta simultaneously keep listening and then keep trying. And as you're trying, make sure that you're also listening to yourself. Nothing improved my broadcasting skills, like listening to my recording of my own show.

SPEAKER_04

I hate listening to myself, for example.

SPEAKER_03

You have to. It's so weird and so bizarre and so unnecessary. Yeah, like that's the time when you're like, maybe I should do this. But it is annoying. I don't like listening to my own voice. I I really don't, but unless I'm just singing. But other than that, I I don't like listening to my own voice. However, I had to get over it.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, it's not a good idea.

SPEAKER_03

I had to get over it. It's not it's just no reaction.

SPEAKER_04

Have you ever tried uh singing?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I do.

SPEAKER_04

If you're a good writer, of course, you must. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've written songs.

SPEAKER_03

Uh I've have a cover out right now, a cover of the song Seven Nation Army. It's out on YouTube if you want to ever give it a listen. So we do have that. I collaborated with a many pianist. Uh, his name is uh Sef al Hafti. So we managed to, you know, he played the piano, I did the vocals, I rearranged it a little bit, and uh it's out there on YouTube. And I've got some more music uh that I'm working on currently, but I'm hoping on writing music is a lot more than I'm hoping on performing it. You know what I mean? I'm not getting any younger.

SPEAKER_04

I don't know if I I'll have to listen to ones I've I knew you kind of look like you're singing, I see you some videos in studio, yeah, but uh I've never just came to actual you know song you have made. And I I go see it up, you know.

SPEAKER_02

Check out the cover, check out the cover, give you like a bit of an idea of uh of how I sound.

SPEAKER_04

But yeah. So uh we were still on the topic of uh women empowerment, you know. Uh we have seen so as you said uh before, uh they are coming up new creators, and we are trying to, you know, they are there are now the industry is blooming now. So um sometimes we see uh the wrong side, you know, they're trying to say, oh, you have to get it to be empowered, you have to get your freedom, your rights, and it's just like taking the Western values, putting on them as betrayed as uh you know, empowering you yourself, yeah. Um going beyond your culture, going beyond your norms, you know. And uh how do you tell uh what's your opinion and what do you advise to the younger money women out there who are trying to break in the industry but being empowered but preserving the norms and their own values, you know?

SPEAKER_03

You know, I think I know what you're talking about, yeah. And I'm gonna like stray away from the ideology and the term of things.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You know, we are who we are, yeah, and our values are our values. What made us can escape us?

unknown

Definitely.

SPEAKER_03

It doesn't matter how much Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon you watch. Yeah, a lot of this, um, a lot of these ideologies are they're not bad inherently.

SPEAKER_04

Yes.

SPEAKER_03

I wouldn't say that you know they're good or bad, but I'll emphasize on it not being bad. But I'm gonna say that there's also a market where these ideologies flow through. Um there's always capitalism too.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

So we need to just be careful, and that is not just towards women, but towards men as well. Yeah, definitely. I think we're both, we're all like both men and women, we're all victims of capitalism. Absolutely, yeah. We all are, and we need to pace ourselves a little bit. So remember who you are, because who you are and and what made you is not going to escape you. So go back to that and find the version that suits you the best. Definitely. Because what you think about life and what life means to you has to be custom to you.

SPEAKER_04

To you, definitely.

SPEAKER_03

Something that suits you. The things that you do in your life are the best for you or the worst for you.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

But they're custom made for you. Like even when you go to any mental health professional, right? And I'm not.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Well disclaimer, I'm not. Right? You go to any professional, um, a counselor, right? I'm sure that they could agree that they don't solve each and every problem the same way. The people are gonna come with different sets of problems, treating them might be even different. So there's always, you know, what's best for this individual. So I'd say look inwards, start with you, you start with inwards. Try to stay true to whatever it is that you've already experienced, because that's not gonna escape you, no matter what you do.

SPEAKER_04

Definitely, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And the more you adapt to something that isn't necessarily aligned with you, even if you think it's right.

SPEAKER_04

That's right, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, even if you think it's right. And if you do something like that, A, it will come off as fake.

SPEAKER_02

Definitely, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

It will come off as fake, and it will ruin your own perception of what life really is.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Because you could see this whole, okay, women deserve more rights.

SPEAKER_04

Let's just say, for example.

SPEAKER_03

This is such a big statement.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, it's true. Do I agree?

SPEAKER_03

Yes, I'm a human being. Of course I agree. Of course I agree that women deserve more rights. But you, the individual sitting at home right now, as someone who's an privilege that we have as women in this country, we're different here. And we need to be okay about that. We need to acknowledge that, put that as parts of our of uh of our ideologies and how we observe, yeah, and and and what we decide to observe. Yes, like yes, take the knowledge, but figure out where you stand in all of this because there's a lot of privilege where we live. Definitely alhamdulillah. There's so much privilege, you know? And that isn't the case for everyone here. I don't wanna be from one point of POV, but I can be from mine, I'm very privileged.

unknown

Definitely.

SPEAKER_03

And I'm talking about the simple privilege that we honestly take for granted sometimes. Not worrying where our next meal is coming from, not worrying where we are going to sleep, being able to hug a loved one, not worry about your general safety. And and women have their own thing when it comes to safety, right? Yeah, yeah. Um, we are a bit more wary, uh we're definitely a lot more uh, you know, intimidated. Intimidated, yeah. We're intimidated and it's uh for for good reason. And it's for good reason, but um other than that, we're so privileged. So when you look at these ideas, it was also used by capitalism so that it's now poison instead of it being something good.

SPEAKER_04

Something good, yeah, beneficial.

SPEAKER_03

Right? You you need to look at yourself and see what is it that you do have, yeah, and cherish that for a moment. And that could be a grounding experience for you to be in the present.

SPEAKER_04

That's the way you're navigating through that, right? Exactly.

SPEAKER_03

Instead of looking at the things that you don't have yet. And I'm saying this just as an as an outside, you know, as a just a general idea. That's kind of how you need to look at things. And that in no way means you shouldn't stand up for your right. No, but you should, you know, as as uh our religion preaches that. You have to stand up for our rights. So if your rights are being taken away from you, just go ahead and speak up. Women spoke to the Prophet directly about issues that they have. You know, women are women are the weak. I don't know, man. I feel like women are so open as creatures. We're so open emotionally. Yeah, it makes us also open intellectually without even needing the training. You know, our mothers, they may be, you know, sometimes our mothers are aunties, the big women in our lives, they don't always come with a and again, I'm I'm I'm a millennial, right? So I am uh way way into my mid-30s, right? Oh, okay. So I'm talking about talking about our mamas, our aunties, not all of them finished their education. No, it's very not a lot of them, um, you know, know as much as we know. They don't understand, you know, all these terms and then the the importance of mental health and and all of that. They pray five times a day and call it a day. Yes, you know that that's about it. And that's beautiful, that's in its own way grounding. But I have learned more about feminism from my mother without her ever needing to ever say the word at all.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_03

She was like, This is my right, therefore I will fight for it. It's as simple as that. And nobody could stop her.

SPEAKER_04

Nope.

SPEAKER_03

Nobody could stop her. We live in a country that protects women. So even if you don't feel protected where you are, you know, there are laws. There are there is there's there's laws in in religion, there's laws in governments, and all those for women.

SPEAKER_04

So um, you know, when uh I've I've heard some stories, maybe in Hollywood somewhere, they say, Oh, I went into this. I was I wanted fame, I wanted to pursue my career, but they exploited me to these, to that. So for the young women, so they are the creators who are coming up now. So um what what what is uh what are the challenges you can face in this industry as a young girl coming up now? What a child question?

SPEAKER_02

I would be you're trying to get me in trouble, okay?

SPEAKER_04

Because you know, uh, for example, in in back at home, yeah, I've had some creators, they come up, they say, Oh, some contracts were, you know, uh maybe they wanted to advertise for a certain company and they wanted these and they exploited me, uh, didn't know what to do, you know. You know, because sometimes, you know, uh I I see this a lot. The values of a society sometimes are laid towards girls. It's like, oh, you need but what about the boys? You know, what about the men?

SPEAKER_03

So if you were going into industry, how do you preserve your values, your norms, but yet still see the thing is like to be optimistic and about you know, about uh women navigating the world of media is so much better for my own sanity. And I really don't want to look at it that way. Not because it doesn't exist, but because I want to be feel better about my job. I want to feel better. I wanna go to work and do the things that I love to do, and I don't want to operate out of fear. Definitely. I really don't, but that does not mean that I don't fully protect myself. Yeah, I do, and every woman should protect yourself. Should protect themselves. That's just the way it is. Like, I'm not I don't want to say that because I don't want that to be the general concept of things, especially that I don't have the right statistics and all of that, and I don't know every woman, every woman's experience here in media, but I've heard of uh stories that could have been exploitative. I've heard of stories that these things do happen, they do happen, and they even happen here.

unknown

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03

They do. Maybe not necessarily to me, but I have heard stories through other women where men, some of these men, right, in these positions, yeah, feel the freedom to say what they want to say to this girl, right? And tell her what it is. And even if we don't have that, like put that to the side. Let's say you walk into the work, it's all uh, you know, safe, and no predator has the nerves to do something for you that day. That's great, that's a blessing, but like it's so sad to say it.

SPEAKER_04

To say yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

It's sad for me to say it this way and to frame it this way. However, there's always other threats. Women are also, women in media have to be online. Yeah, women in media have to be online, we have to look a certain way, we have to how can I put this? Carry the illusion that we care. We really do. Yes, we really do. We have to carry the illusion that we care. Like I have a full face of makeup right now. I had a nice little new album by this is fairly new, huh?

SPEAKER_05

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, I got shiny shoes on. We have to show you that we care. And when we do show you that we care, you take us a bit more seriously. And that's the public congenital. So when you are online, there's a whole new way of exposing of predators.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, you're exposed to all of them.

SPEAKER_03

All of them. Like, if I would tell you about my experience online, you'll be like, Asma, why do you still do media?

SPEAKER_04

Definitely, yeah. I know.

SPEAKER_03

I've gone through situations.

SPEAKER_04

Some weird people out there.

SPEAKER_03

I've removed content of yeah, there are some weird people. There are some the internet is not real, kids. Okay, the internet is not real. I've actually discovered this super recently that apparently half of the traffic that we see on the internet is just made by bots.

unknown

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I'm talking about 50%. Yeah, there's quite a lot of them right now.

SPEAKER_03

So a lot of them is there, so the perception is not even real anymore. So the internet is not a real thing. However, it still remains undefeated. Definitely remains undefeated. Predators are out there, and they feel more freedom. Like, I know women go through more by being online than men. Yeah. And this is by simply looking at the women and the men that I know as colleagues in the industry. So it's fairly the people around me that work in the industry that tell me what they face. They face, yeah. Because media personalities online, we're not content creators.

SPEAKER_04

Yep.

SPEAKER_03

We try, you know, just uh to boost the viewership. We try every now and then. And and I'm not saying everybody's the same case scenario, yeah, but we're not necessarily content creators. Some of them do do both. But content creation is its own thing.

SPEAKER_04

It's our own thing, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And that is a complete different yeah, it's a complete different industry. And I could only imagine what diff is having to constantly, consistently put out content, put your face out there, your personality out there, your personal details out there because you want to share, you want to be relatable, you want people to listen to your message, you want to do good in this world. Like, yo, it is doing good in this world if your aim is to make people happy. Yeah, if your aim is to make people laugh, that is you doing good in this world.

SPEAKER_04

Definitely.

SPEAKER_03

If you're sending a positive message of any kind, that is doing good in this world. And sometimes that's all we've got. And that's also okay.

SPEAKER_04

I saw the Miss US 2020, she killed herself over social media comments. She threw herself out of the building. There are people here who are just you know, negativities now on here. And you have to be mentally tough, you know.

SPEAKER_03

The first time I went viral, one of my videos went viral. I wasn't doing comedy, I wasn't doing anything. I was just simply broadcasting. I was on air, I was filming while I'm on air, and I was just being my regular self with my random punchlines here and there. And they're silly punch lines, so they're not anything like that. And the first time I went viral and and crossed that 100 uh K views, I freaked out.

unknown

Wow.

SPEAKER_03

Completely. A this goes against every introverted cell in me.

SPEAKER_04

Definitely, yeah, it was just like this. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

All those eyes just watching me. And it was a positive thing, mind you. I didn't even I didn't yet receive like that, you know, people just thought that the video was sweet and wholesome, yeah, and went with it. Some people just laughed at the fact that I was talking that video too fast. So some was like, you don't have to sound like Eminem. Eminem, you're just like, you think I sound like Eminem? I laughed a lot, but um, but it's it's it's brutal. I I do go through it, but I also learn, I learned kind of what not to do. I also learned that not all of this is real, and it doesn't reflect bad comments, don't reflect the public's perception.

SPEAKER_04

Perception, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because uh just keep that in mind. Uh in your life, uh in your career, have you ever have to host someone uh who you have just uh an interview with or and it was like this person changed me, or you know, they give you another perspective of life or something.

SPEAKER_03

I have one name in mind. Yeah, two actually. But let's start with one. I think one of the most important interviews I've ever done. And if I could do a round two of that, like Hatam Hatam.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah?

SPEAKER_03

Hatum Rabdasidam. Wow. Incredible human. Yes. Shout out to you. Shout out to uh we had we got to sit down and have a conversation. And this was after me being absolutely fed up from the online bullying.

SPEAKER_04

Bullying, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You know what I mean? People talking about that one. Whether people are talking whether that was covered or not, doesn't make a difference. Yeah, they look at you, they go, like, are you even Amani? Wow, you know, and and and that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's a it gets more vicious, more and I can sue. So I almost did. Oh yeah, you know, you can sue, and then you reach to that place where you're like, you know, are you even a real Riami? I'm like, Do you have any idea how insulting it is to say something like that to someone in a place this tribal? It's so people will insult you.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, though.

SPEAKER_03

Even if you're not doing anything wrong.

SPEAKER_04

Actually, I saw even your colleague had the same experiences. Is he Ahmed, the one with uh who's a rabbi? Ahmed is a heavy. Yeah, I saw him also, and I watched your your your your interview with Abd Abdusalam also. And it's it looks like something really huge here.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We we talked about racism, and to me, I wanted I really thought about it. I looked at all of this and I was like, what's the problem here? And I saw that the problem had nothing to do with what I'm doing, people were just being racist. So I was like, what can I do? Sue everyone? I mean, I can't do that, right? Successfully. However, isn't it better for me to create a message to say that this is not okay? And don't do that because you might find out.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You might just find out because it's you.

SPEAKER_04

You have you you have a name, imagine to those who don't have uh, you know, the rich as yours. So I mean like uh your media personality, you can say something and then be seen by other people. So other people who are facing it, yes, um, they don't even have anyone to go to.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, yes, yes. I'm lucky enough to have the platform. Yes, lucky enough to have the platform to be able to discuss these things. And also, I think I learned how to be tasteful.

unknown

Yep.

SPEAKER_03

How to be tasteful about these topics that are a little bit complex, and I wanted to learn. I wanted to learn about what do we say about racism religiously speaking? What are we saying? And uh Hattam was the perfect candidate for that conversation. And that did numbers, that did numbers. The YouTube video performed beautifully. People from around the world were reaching out and following, and they're like, you know what? We love this, we relate to this, we understand this. And you have people here that were like, Yeah, good job. Thank you for saying that. And it's all, you know, I had the intention, but it's all hot for this one.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, um, people are fed up in the wood with this. Uh it's something from the 80s, 90s, so it has no space in today's world.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, but it's also still very well it's it's existing because it's an idea.

SPEAKER_04

No, it's an idea.

SPEAKER_03

Like I think we forget because the racism is not necessarily you know it's it's an the idea. It's that ideology behind it. That this is better than that, and that is better than this. You can raise someone like that. You can rate someone believing that. So this is an idea that we're trying to combat or kill. Hadam does explain it a little bit better. He says it's an ego issue that people have that a person will have where he would consider himself or or herself better than somebody else purely because of their skin.

SPEAKER_04

I wish these people could visit Rwanda because we had such a kind of things like this, you know. Uh in 1994, people neighbors had to kill each other, you know, just because some Bill GM came and tells you, you know what, if you have a nose that is formed like this, you uh have more rights to this land than the one who has a nose like that. If you have many cows, you are better than this cow. And it went to uh to lead to a tragedy, but now in Rwanda we don't even know either I'm a this or I'm that, we just want Rwanda. We all exist together. That's that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_02

Oh yeah, please. Anything, please, ma'am.

SPEAKER_04

Go visit Rwanda. This is the best experiment. Let's go to Rwanda. I'm gonna take care of you, and uh I saw her. She was making some is this a spicy or a salt or something? I wanna try it, I'm gonna try it. Right. I owe you some chili. Yep. Um, so uh the second one. So the first one was Hatton.

SPEAKER_03

The second one was the second one. Was a comedian, a big comedian. Yeah, it was the first person I interviewed with a million followers on Instagram. Oh I was like, you know what, Mama? I made it. I was so happy. His name is Badr Fala, he's a Yemeni Saudi, well a Saudi Yemeni um stand-up comedian. Brilliant. I've known him since he was a YouTuber. I've been a fan of his for the past decade.

SPEAKER_05

Right.

SPEAKER_03

And the fact that I, you know, I pursued, he's one of the people he's one of the he is one of the reasons I pursued comedy. Comedy, oh wow. Because I was like, you know what, if Badir could do it, so can I? Um but but so it came full circle, full circle, Philly. The fact that I got to interview him, meet him as a person, very, very lovely. I learned so much from him that day. And one of the most important things I learned was something I knew, but because I spoke with him, I managed to accept.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Sacrifices are real, you're gonna make them if you want to succeed.

SPEAKER_04

Definitely.

SPEAKER_03

You're just gonna have to drop the ball somewhere, you're gonna lose something. A lot, yeah. You're gonna lose something, but that doesn't mean it's the end. You could still transition in a way where you've already learned everything. And this is for someone who's approaching being a veteran in whatever it is that they want to do. You've already put in all these hours, you know, to sharpen your skill, learn the craft, know what it is to do. Now, instead of working on at some point, like give yourself like a five-year mark, maybe, you know, depending on your career or field. Yeah, when you feel ready, um maybe don't focus too much on learning and try to manage that. Yeah, no, no, no. Like you've learned all of this for five years, right? You're in the craft, you're good now. Like somebody in my caliber, for example, right? Um in my fifth year. Now I don't want to learn new skills per se. I kind of want to refine what I've done. You have acquired enough. I want to manage it in a way that A, it doesn't burn me out, still makes me what I want it to make. Yeah, and I still make get to make people laugh without the need to lose myself in the process.

SPEAKER_04

In the process, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

So managing your hard work becomes important later. Because at the beginning, you have to just kind of like you just have to hustle. You have to, yeah, you have to, you have to, you have to play rough at the beginning. You need to get yes, you need to get your hands yourself, yeah. At the beginning, and you need to go through all these motions to learn. So let's say you want to become a singer-songwriter, you know, and you're self-taught, learning the basics and skills and practicing, that requires hours. But once you've got that, you think that okay, now I have something good, something I can work with for a while. For a while, start managing your hard work.

SPEAKER_04

Start putting into uh production, just do do you start you start from there and you refine your uh what you have acquired in the past. Yes, yes, you have to.

SPEAKER_03

You have to at some point, you cannot lose yourself forever. Lose it for a couple of times, for a while. Once you get what you want, try to refine the hard work. Try to uh what is it? They say something today, work smart.

SPEAKER_04

Work smarter.

SPEAKER_03

Learn how to transition from working hard to working smart. Once you have it in the bag, you know how to do what you're supposed to do.

SPEAKER_04

So, um, how does asthma set boundaries, you know? Because people nowadays to reduce. We I think we need to learn skills how to do boundaries, you know. I just say no. Right in their face. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Why would I do anything else? Why would I A, I have to preserve my own energy, right? So all I have to do is just find the most professional or appropriate way to say no according to the scenario in front of me. And then just proceed with that. So let's say I'm professionally trying to say now. You can just be like, well, dear, you know, Filan, dear so-and-so. I'm afraid that I might be unavailable for this as I have, you know, commitments to do other things. I got nothing. I'm just saying no. Yeah. But but I'm saying I got other commitments. And it's true, I'm not lying. I got commitments. One of them is resting. One of them is a commitment to myself. I'm not lying, for example, if it's a friend, yeah. Right? Be like, yo, I want to see you. Yes, I can't do it right now. But let's look at this two weeks from now. I'll block my calendar for you just specifically. But right now, I'm trying to say no.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You know, so always um don't be afraid of saying no. We're very afraid of disappointing other people. We don't want to look a certain way, especially living here in Amman. Obi, how long have you been here in Amman?

SPEAKER_04

Now I'm closing to five years.

SPEAKER_03

Five years.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Iman, Imanis specifically, the culture here is like we even have like everything is slow paced and easy and chill.

SPEAKER_05

Even our buildings are not that tall.

SPEAKER_03

Like everything is telling us to calm down, right? And and and to be true about things. Likeability, the factor of likability is very big. People really do work with who they like. So people kind of have to like you. But however, just because people have to like you, that doesn't mean you shouldn't say no. Just find the appropriate sentence for the appropriate time. But stay at saying no and don't be afraid. Because if you don't say no, you're paying the price.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, definitely. I find it hard for me actually sometimes to lay boundaries, you know. I think it's because I don't want to explain a lot to people. And I'm just like, oh yeah, yeah, I'll do it. And then sometimes I feel bad, you know.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I remember one friend of mine, he was just telling me, Hey, Obi, can you take me to the airport? I want to grab someone. And and I was really tired that I was okay. Driving all the way from Sohar to the airport, coming back, you know. I was like, oh, what is this? Okay, but I just promised him, and uh learning about you know, is it introverts thing, or is just not knowing I'm not great at parties.

SPEAKER_03

Like you put me in a group of people, there's a chance I won't know what to say. Yeah, but one-on-one conversations are so much easier, that's why radio is so amazing. I don't have to talk to anybody.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, you're just talking to the mic per se, okay.

SPEAKER_03

I'm just talking to the mic, so it's a complete different experience. Even on stage, I don't really talk to anyone. Oh, but like three people that I'm looking at, and I kind of showcase the illusion that I'm looking at the crowd if I'm actually not. And also, I don't hear anything back. Why? Nobody's really debating you when you're on the stage, you know? So you're not really having much of a conversation. But but you said something super interesting. Um, you don't want to disappoint anyone. Yeah, that's why you don't want to say no that easily. But instead of you disappointing anyone, what if this was the perspective? You're gonna say no, but you're gonna solve the issue that no is gonna cause. So be like, no, I can't do this today. Yes, but 10 days from now, I'll make it up to you. So say no and just fix fix the problem. Give them say a no with a solution because it's really important for you to be able to say no. Um, a lot of this this tie, um, well, this is something I'm learning. That let creating your boundaries is died down to how much you respect yourself, and when you honor yourself, you have that self-respect, you know, your boundaries kind of become a bit easier to navigate. And how can I put this? I don't know, it's a little bit harsh to say, but but bear with me. Bear with me a little bit. We like ourselves, yeah, but we like other people more, and we like what people think of us more. So when I say that, I'm not saying okay, somebody isn't able to respect themselves or something. No, what I'm saying at all. What I'm saying is that you now are not prioritizing yourself. You're putting others You're putting somebody else's likability ahead of time. And the truth is, if you said no and you didn't go pick up your friend, guess what? An earthquake is not gonna come through. Right? These two two big mountains that are surrounding Moscot are not gonna crash. Do you know what I mean? Nobody's gonna like, you know, your friend isn't gonna die from Ebola the next day. You know, go for bed. But you know what I mean? Nothing will happen if you say no. So what I'm trying to say is that because you prefer that, you have to remember that you could come, you could come through as a priority and keep that alive. Focus on liking you, loving you, being okay with you, and wanting to protect you. Definitely know should be easier, easier said than done. A lot of these things are habits. Who we are is not something we're born with. Okay, you're you're not gonna be out there trying to discover myself. That's not it. You're already here, there's nothing to discover, you're here, right? Turn to work with yourself, not against it. You are in a wonderful man, sound like you sound like a wonderful man. Work with yourself, not against it. If you're an introvert, so be it. Do the best thing an introvert can do.

SPEAKER_04

I just like to stay in my room on my computer.

SPEAKER_03

Then do that and make that something that bores you enough to create something that if not benefits one around you, then benefits you.

SPEAKER_04

So uh, what is a day off feels like you just when you have no plans or just at home? What are you doing the most?

SPEAKER_03

I get to read and write something I want to write instead of writing something I gotta, you know, perform.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03

Um, I get to write something I want to write, I get to uh work on my music a little bit, I get to spend some time with family, um, and then I spend some time with friends, just those, you know, the close-knit uh circle that I've got going on. That's what I usually do for my downtime.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, have you ever visited a place and uh had experiences that stuck with you? I saw you updating about uh about Bangkok.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember my first trip to London and I realized something that I smile too much.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03

Being in Europe, smiling as much as I do, okay, is not natural. It's not natural at all.

SPEAKER_04

You were smiling other way.

SPEAKER_03

And that taught me something. That taught me that I've had a mask on for a very long time.

SPEAKER_05

Okay.

SPEAKER_03

And I've also, and because I kept that mask, I kept that mask because I personally struggled with um self-value, self-worth, and even self-respect. They all go through it. Each and every person out there living, listening to us right now, has gone through one of these, has gone through a moment where they didn't give themselves the love, the respect, the priority. We've all done it. Like you know, to everyone. So learning to navigate that is the important part. You know, so I've learned that I can put the mask down just because this because you have to be likable here. That doesn't mean the world is the same.

SPEAKER_04

Is the same, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You know, the world is a complete different thing. The world actually does not need you to have a mask on. I came back here and now I'm taking it off slowly as the days go by. I say the truth that I want to say without feeling the need to filter it.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Even if it shakes the person next to me, I'm like, we'll come back to it. I know it's a lot now, but we can bear with me. I got you. I'm not gonna let you slide without holding your hands. Yeah, you know, I'll always be as supportive as I can, but I'm not going to stray away from something I am sure is right or factual. If I see potential in you and I could see it clear as day, if I see a clear pattern, if I I will say it.

SPEAKER_04

Yep.

SPEAKER_03

Especially if you ask my opinion.

SPEAKER_04

You would just say you better be ready to hear it.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, and I mean, if you asked for it, you are ready to hear it, but that's not always the case, scenario. It's never the case. We think we we go like, oh, we want the perfect husband, we want the perfect wife. Okay, fine, when this perfect husband are you even ready for that?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, for that what they are.

SPEAKER_03

Are you even ready to perceive someone in the standard that you quote unquote are setting?

unknown

Uh-huh. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I I can't imagine telling my friend that.

SPEAKER_03

You don't have to, but just be like, listen, but it's the most important thing, you know.

SPEAKER_04

You just can't be like a fairy, just lying, lying to them, and you know, you gotta have to tell them a little bit of the truth.

SPEAKER_03

Of course you're gonna tell them the truth. I'm not encouraging lying. Yeah, I'm encouraging being appropriate so that you're not bailing on someone. Also, promising somebody to meet them and you messing up and not calculating the time to meet them, you've made that schedule. So it's not much of a boundary to say yes or no. It's not setting a boundary when you have made disappointment.

unknown

I don't know if that makes it.

SPEAKER_04

I do.

SPEAKER_03

You know what I mean? Like you made disappointment, but having boundaries is still important. You still need to be able to say, you know, or else you'll overwhelm yourself.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, um, I've seen it. I've seen it when we were trying to um schedule the interview. I was I like the way you were in touch with me, actually. Yeah, updating me every time. Yeah, that was great, actually.

SPEAKER_03

Because things are gonna happen and we need to be able to say, hey, I am so sorry. I know this is not great, yeah, but I'm predicting that at this hour there's gonna be traffic. I did not calculate this rate.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, yeah. Owning your own uh mistakes is also another scale, actually. People just uh some people have find it hard to own their mistakes, they just want to say, Oh, you know, the traffic came up, you know. Uh I was feeling a headache, you know.

SPEAKER_00

That's why I said I did not calculate this. I said this to him, Vermittel. I'm like, I did not do this right. I messed up here.

SPEAKER_04

So uh M Sync. MSync is uh what do you have to prepare something? Do you have to uh I mean like what does it take, you know, as a skill to go in front of people?

SPEAKER_03

Well, you need to be able to read.

unknown

To read, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

The language that you're about to read. So you need to be able to read. Okay, and you need to have some sense of presence and some public speaking skills. Wow, yeah. And you should be fine. MCing is the easiest thing I've ever done. Really? Out of broadcasting, comedy is the hardest. Doing stand-up comedy is the hardest. The hardest to pull off is stand-up comedy, but then comes everything else. And on the bottom line is MCing.

SPEAKER_04

Because I see it, uh you have the whole event, how it will go, you have it, but the way you navigate it, maybe you have time.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I think it's uh to me, I when I thought when I think of it, I think it's uh I it kind of feels like um it can be intimidating, you know. It's time, you know. Yes, how is this gonna go? How am I gonna manage this time? And how do I keep the audience?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

You have to study the audience, I guess.

SPEAKER_03

You know, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

These people are from here, they're from this, they are mixed cultures, and how you keep them, you know, attentive to the event. I think it's a great skill, actually.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, you know, I have all that anxiety before I go on stage. Everything you've just mentioned, I feel all that anxiety before I go on stage. I actually do. Every step I step on any stage. That's good anxiety. Yeah, it's the anxiety that kind of pushes you to be prepared, pushes you to learn. Look at okay, so what am I scared of right now? I'm scared of how I'm gonna connect to the people. Okay, so how do I solve it? If your mind can go there, your anxiety could be kept on ease. And if anything, it works for you, not against you in this case. In this case, yeah. Because it pushes you to solve all these issues that you've got. And when you can solve them, anxiety becomes a good push.

SPEAKER_04

Definitely, yeah. So what are the plans to the near future? You have some projects you're working on or you would like to?

SPEAKER_03

I hope on limiting my footprint alone.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03

I've become less passionate about being visible per se. I love uh the presenting of Italy, I love the messages that I present, I love my purpose because I present with a purpose I do. Um, it's important to me. It makes me go on on days where I don't feel like I do have uh a very deep, deeply embedded uh purpose for why I broadcast, why I create anything really. Um I do love doing that.

SPEAKER_04

I really wanna take uh this moment and uh ask you a question. Uh you know, uh the way you you perceive yourself as a human being, you know. For example, from as me uh to the age I am right now, uh I I I just feel like I'm not doing enough. Okay, I should be better than this. Even though I see I seem to do all of the things I think I I'm capable of doing, I'm trying to motivate myself, I'm trying to uh to be update, but yet there's a feeling inside you like oh you can you can do better than this, this is all you get in you. I mean and um I mean it's just self-doubt. Yeah. Um how do you deal with that? Do you have the same feeling? Do you you know that's that's it?

SPEAKER_03

Self-doubt, yeah, self-doubt is inevitable. I think we all feel it at some point, and I have felt it. I don't think it ever stopped where I managed to reason my way out of it a little bit. Like um, Obi, you just told me you're in your late 20s. I'm in my late 20s. So 28, 29. Um you've only lived this long. Right? And I think something that we do to ourselves a lot is that we compare ourselves to what we think we can be or to who we think we can be. So if you have an idea of who you want to be, and you as an obie, who do you actually want to be?

SPEAKER_04

You know, when I picture myself, I feel like uh I just have uh you know when I was in school, I used to perform well thinking like uh in my twenties, mid-twenties I'll be in college, finishing college, I'd have a job, I would be here, I would take care of my family. And then when I look at myself uh today, I thought uh am I just the kind of person my siblings would take as uh their role model, as someone showing the way. So and I think maybe the society I see some twenty nine, twenty eight years old, what they're doing, what they have achieved. I was like, okay, just left behind. So and then here I am. I dropped out of my college degree. I was stuck for the college.

SPEAKER_02

Dropped out of college? Okay.

SPEAKER_04

I dropped out of the col college like two years ago. I was pursuing uh you know um computer science, University of Michigan. And then let's not talk about even dropping off because you know uh uh say materialistically or achievements. I really I don't I just I'm not in a field where I think I belong to, honestly.

SPEAKER_03

I feel I can do better. Then then go to where you belong and create the thing that you want. And just because you are creating the thing that you want to do, because your habits are gonna make who you are. You just said there's no self-discovery. We're already here, we don't need to discover it. But we do definitely need to have two things: internal awareness and external awareness. We need to be aware of ourselves and we need to also be aware of the people around us. And for someone that is constantly in media, I have no room for self-doubt. I have a job to do. When you're in that position, motivated or not, you gotta do it.

SPEAKER_04

There's no room for mistake.

SPEAKER_03

And the problem is that's the pro that's the thing. We all make mistakes. Even the best of all the best presenters that I've known, some of the greatest MCs, still mess up. Still mess up. The thing is not messing up because we're gonna make mistakes. So being scared of making a mistake doesn't make any sense if you know it's gonna happen anyway.

SPEAKER_04

You know Dr. Ayesh? Is it Ayesh?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I don't know if I'm saying her name correctly.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe.

SPEAKER_04

I do she's also I think your colleague.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Follow her lot, and she was once uh teaching people how to to connect with your inner self. Yes, with your self-doubts. Yes. Just pause a little bit, breathe, and uh see maybe you're not that bad actually, you know. And I tried. I tried and look, here we are. I'm making the podcast after one year. I stopped after Chase interview, and I was like, it has been hurting me for a long time. Why did I stop? I have dreamed of doing podcasts. Why uh what's missing? And then I start started uh you know correcting some money, doing the doing research, and here we are, but still, um I still think uh, you know, I could have done better.

SPEAKER_03

So uh you're not, you're not, you're not, you're not. I know that's what you think, but it's not real. Our brains are very good at uh you know driving us insane. But but but it's not true. You're you're definitely not behind to each their own timeline, but I want you to reason yourself out of it because you are not going to be able to achieve anything that you want to achieve and mark my words without making mistakes.

SPEAKER_04

Definitely. Have you ever had a time when you were feeling like you were not enough?

SPEAKER_03

Or you just of course, I feel that all the time. Of course, I do. I've I've I've felt it, you know. But I also know that there is so many other things. It's about being in the present and learning to just kind of ground yourself a little bit, that you've got things that you have already achieved. So when you go through self-doubt, you could think, okay, I'm not having achieved enough. Go through the things that you have achieved instead. Yeah, and look at that. Guess what you achieved? A second round of your podcast. That's an achievement. So, what do you want to do? Self-doubt or celebrate this achievement?

SPEAKER_04

Oh, of course, we must have champagnes.

SPEAKER_03

There you go. You're saying that you might be behind culture-wise, right? And you haven't uh gotten married yet. That's the worry you've had. I haven't heard you say that. And you feel like, okay, you're still, you know, Arab communities, African communities, we're super intertwined. And I know for a fact that we have these same ideas that we're supposed to, like, you know, get the job, finish college, get married, and have the bebiz, and then watch the grand bibas, and it's all about the bebers. It's all about the bebiz, but that has nothing to do with the reality of our days today.

SPEAKER_04

It has changed.

SPEAKER_03

A, it's not as easy. Making money is possible, but life is not keeping up. Life is not keeping up. You could make 500 reales today and 500 real 20 years ago, and I tell you, that one with 500 reals two decades ago is a rich man. Somebody with 500 real a month today is barely making it. So the opportunities aren't the same. It doesn't make any sense for you to feel like you're behind. This is factually. I'm not saying that you don't make any sense. I'm just saying in terms of fact for everyone in there who want to doubt themselves, yeah. So when you're feeling self-doubt, look at the things that you do have. So if it was achievement, look at what you have achieved. Don't be scared of making mistakes because mistakes are necessary if you want to achieve whatever it is that you want to achieve. It's your attitude towards the mistake, is what's gonna make it or break it. When you make a mistake, are you gonna sit down and be like, oh my god, I made a mistake, I messed up so much.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my god, I messed up so much. I'm not gonna do this again. You know what? Cancel podcast. Call me again in a year.

SPEAKER_03

Or you're gonna be like, oops, let's see what mistakes that I made right now. What can I learn from this experience and how can I move forward? It's it's a little logical, easier said than done, because emotions are real.

SPEAKER_04

I think we are held back by what are they gonna say? Uh in this day and age, I think maybe it's because I grew up, uh, I don't know, but I used to care about a lot. I I just didn't want to be different from my friends or the people around me. You know, there's one guy who was telling me. You have to be different. Even families, they kind of disown you when you become a little bit different from them. Yeah. If you start making more money than your family members, they say, ah, so you think you're smarter than that? Because you're proving them that you could have made some money. And so if any even your friends, when they see you, you're just going out of their way. But you know comfortable uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_03

But you know what's funny is that as you change through life, okay, just the people around you that aren't changing won't fit this new change.

unknown

Right.

SPEAKER_03

You're gonna lose friends, you're gonna gain some new ones, there are gonna be some indifferences between when it comes to family, but family always comes around, I guarantee you. It always comes around. They might have that initial shock, oh, okay, he made it.

SPEAKER_05

Right?

SPEAKER_03

We, we, we but it is less about you and more projecting when our family, our parents had kids, they were just sacrificing. Oh yeah, there was no time for them, and they don't have that understanding that oh, they were projecting a fee. They don't know that, you know. But the thing is, they really just sacrificed, and they think that's the only thing that they could do. So now they're looking at all the time that what if I didn't make all these sacrifices? What if I never had, you know, asthma? What is it that I would have done? Yeah, and instead of dealing with that feeling, they look at you and be like, Why are you achieving? This is one way to look at it. And you know your scenario a lot better than I do. So you find it, but mistakes are necessary, you have to make them, and you need to have a good attitude, not a positive one, not uh necessarily a bad one or a negative one. Just have the kind of attitude that goes like, oops.

SPEAKER_04

Not dwelling too much.

SPEAKER_03

What can I learn from this scenario and how can I move forward? That's it. Don't sit, then don't dwell in it too much. That's what I would say. Don't dwell in making your mistakes. If anything, get excited to make mistakes. Be like, you know what? I'm excited to go through my day to day. I want to make as many mistakes as possible.

SPEAKER_04

Just try, because uh, if you're not making mistakes, you're not trying anything, you know.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, and you're never gonna learn. You're never gonna learn, you're never gonna grow. You're not gonna find that development you're looking for if you're not making mistakes. I'm telling you, some of the best broadcasters I know still make mistakes. And there are people I look up to, and I'm just they're like, Yes! It's the attitude. Because they'll make a mistake and they'll be like, oops, here's the way to fix it.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, you say that and then move on. It mightn't be the Chris Rock and Will Smith kind of situation.

SPEAKER_03

That was yes, exactly that.

SPEAKER_04

The way he handled that, exactly, that is pure pure perfection.

SPEAKER_03

Exactly, be the Chris Rock, be the Chris Rock of every situation. Take that slap and be like, you know what? I'm gonna make this the best night.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, he changed it and it became an world sensation.

SPEAKER_03

That was probably one of the best comedy moments I've seen in my life.

SPEAKER_04

Yep. Um, so I think uh the time is up. So let me take this time and thank you so much. Thank you so much for being here. I've learned a lot. This went the way I never have thought that this would be. And uh I mean, uh this sets the bar high. Thank you so much for being here with me today.

SPEAKER_03

Oh no, thank you for having me. It felt very unnatural. Yeah. So this was a whole experience for me as well. But I really hope that there is a benefit that I could be useful in telling you something. Definitely because I think that you definitely will be the podcaster that you want to be. But right now, you've achieved so much and it deserves celebrating. And other people's opinions don't matter because when you change as a person and grow, some people won't fit into your new era anymore. And that's okay. I wish you all the best. And I'm sure you're gonna do amazing. Thank you so much for having me. And you know, apologies if anything came off out of me roughly. But other than that, I wish you a lovely day.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, thank you so much. And uh the last question, uh uh, it's just like a question I ask everyone who comes here. Let's go, Satan. Everyone can go to. The name of the show is Vukup. Yeah, Vukup, if you are familiar with a little bit of Swahili, you know, to Vuk, Vuka is just startup rising. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then I added up just to make it not sound more like a very creative name.

SPEAKER_00

So much.

SPEAKER_04

Then what makes you wake up every day? Like, yo, you're so excited to wake up. You just you asthma, wake up, rise up, and go to do this.

SPEAKER_03

I what gets me up in the morning every day is knowing that I can love and be loved right back by simply living this day.

unknown

Wow.

SPEAKER_03

That's the thing that wakes me up. I am never lacking love. 36, I'm married, no babies, and I'm never lacking love. I wake up in the morning, I was cooking kerak. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? My niece is jumping, right? And sometimes it's a quiet house, so I wake up and I'm like, oh, it's a quiet house. Do you know what I mean? I can go and do a job I love, right? Living a very privileged life. If I'm hungry, I can go eat. It's it's that little gratitude that I have every morning, and knowing that no matter what, I've got so much love in my life, and I give it right back.

unknown

Right.

SPEAKER_03

And that just makes me content.

SPEAKER_04

All right, beautiful people. It's me, right now, Obi, and uh we thank Asma for being here. As the writer, a radio presenter, MC, and of course, a loving aunt. So, until next time, please do consider subscribing to our YouTube channel and following us on our social media platforms. It's VUCAP. You can find us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. So, um till next time, thank you so much. I see you.

Head Shot

Obi

Host