Lovin Meets

The Lovin Show Ep 65: With Danny Jones

The Lovin Show EP 64: With Nas Daily

How the Paddyman turned a drinks business into becoming one of the most successful Irish entertainers in the Middle East, impromptu COVID gigs, and the origins of Hotel Burj Khalifa

The Lovin Show sits with Samantha Wood, one of the city's most prominent food writers and the founder of Foodiva. A great chat about how the website evolved over the last decade, its strict 'no freebies' policy (in a market FULL of freebies) and a great insight into how some restaurants don't accept feedback with grace, others don't accept it at all and how Foodiva maintains its authenticity.

Caroline Labouchere is a Dubai resident who found a new lease in her fifties and is inspiring other women to do the same . Encouraging you to be your best self, she also uses her platform to touch on taboo subjects mass media can miss. A Dubai resident for years, grab a cuppa and have a listen to this week’s episode of The Lovin Show and hear why Casey was inspired to get in touch with her mum. Find it in podcast format on Spotify/Anghami/Apple Podcasts/ Google podcast, find it in video format on Facebook/Twitter/Youtube

From a young age, Areej aspired to become a professional footballer and  succeeded in her ambitions as she is now a part of the UAE National Football Team. During the interview, she expressed how every time she steps out for the national anthem she feels major ‘butterflies’ and the feeling never gets old. When asked about her top two moments this is what Areej had to say,

An enlightening conversation with Anjaan, who described the REAL meaning of healing. He aims to bring balance and value to people's lives through his work.

The talented Shebani. During lockdown, she recorded, filmed and edited her new single, Higher. Now she's taking a much-needed break. Not *just* a beautiful voice, she's the manager, the admin, the PR.... the creative AND the business. Now, she's sitting back and taking time to concentrate on the music. Her new single Higher is out now. Give it a listen @ShebaniMusic

A strong voice promoting body-acceptance in the UAE, Danae Mercer is responsible for an Insta account with more than 1.2 million followers where she promotes self-love and body acceptance. Her goal is to 'lift the curtain' back on the reality of Instagram and she's steadily growing the largest online community of body-confident women in the UAE.

From meeting Jason Derulo to hobnobbing with Fazza, the UAE is an interesting place to be a magician. Magic Phil, one of the UAE's top magicians spilled the beans on his intriguing career, his new children's book and, most importantly, how to make a straw REALLY disappear 😊 #lovindubai @1magicphil

"The reason we're talking about modest fashion today is because of these modest fashion bloggers who catapulted this niche underground trend into this mainstream movement".

Hafsa Lodi is a journalist and author of Modesty: A Fashion Paradox and her book is an investigation into the global rise of modest fashion. A style we're used to in Dubai, but in the last decade brands worldwide have latched on, for better or for worse. In this episode of The Lovin Show, Hafsa discusses the broad definition of modest fashion, modest fashion as a movement, why some influencers have made a bigger impact than others and which brands are actually getting it right.

“I know have a responsibility to be transparent with my followers... that it’s not all so realistic”

‘Influencers,’ ‘content creators,’ ‘bloggers’...today’s internet celebs: Mr Moudz is one of the OG UAE content creators; starting his career as a buyer in Level Shoes and now a luxury lifestyle content creator who travels worldwide. In the few years since content creators have found mega fame and become household names, Mr Moudz aka Mahmoud has learned to create his own boundaries, choose his words carefully and ensure he shows both sides of his life; the glam parts and the real parts. Move to 21.40 to see The Mr Moudz Zoom Closet - 3 pieces that mean a lot... it’s just as fabulous as you’d expect

‘Virtual training gives you the confidence to follow something on your own”

COVID-19 has meant the closing of gyms... but Dubai-based fitness personality Salma Ismail sees Virtual Training becoming the next big thing. She  talked about how she deals with negative body comments, her involvement with the Ramadan Month of Good campaign and training in car parks in this week’s episode of The Lovin Show

Nathan Eccleston was 25 when he left professional football... "I had to make a logical decision rather than an emotional one, against everybody... my mum and dad were like, "you can still play", but at the time I got to the stage where I lost love for the game". With his eyes on a business empire from early on and a move to Dubai in the making, Eccleston is now the co-founder of lifestyle fitness brand Peaches Sport. Hear how he got to this point on The Lovin Show

"I don't think this is for everyone. People think it's easy to just quit your job and follow your passion"

Coping with self-isolation, discovering a love for the outdoors, an injury that left her in a wheelchair for four months, how the outdoors became her therapy and ultimately leaving a desk job to follow her passion. Thank you @monkyseemonkydo for sharing your story on The Lovin Show

Now more than ever, we should try and focus on mental health well-being. This week on The Lovin Show we were joined by Ebru Goksu Yildirim to talk discuss recommendations for people isolating alone, how parents can somehow balance their current work/parental/life load and how you can help you community

'There wasn't an "I'm good at this" for a long time actually. I had to try very hard... 'cus everyone's like, 'oh that's the young kid'. Which little did they know I actually took it a little bit further than a lot of the older generation'.

Born in Syria, raised in Saudi and one of the biggest names on the local music scene and beyond, it was great to have @MohFlowMusic on The Lovin Show this week talking Faith, his most recent EP and what he describes as an incredible unity among the Dubai music community right now #lovindubai

Kristel Bechara on feminism: "I try to depict women throughout their lives, the experiences we go through, showing her in her diff forms, whether she was in pain, happy, strong, all kind her emotions. Women we are very versatile so this is how I like to represent her and showing her in her different walks of life"

"People are much kinder in Dubai. I've modelled in New York,  I've modelled in Africa it's not as easy as in Dubai, people are much nicer, the fashion industry is good here".' Chanel Ayan broke the mould as the first black model in Dubai when she arrived over a decade ago. Now, she's built a hugely successful career and is proud to live and work in a city which is so open to diversity.

"It's nice to talk to someone I've been in isolation for a couple of days" As the majority of Dubai experiences self-isolation for the first time, The Lovin Show had its first Zoom interview, with Dubai-based fitness expert Rob Sharpe. With an app that encourages home workouts to his name, (@trainsharpe) Rob acknowledged it's a strange cross-over to fully training at home, but it's not all about working out, it's about keeping a routine, staying motivated and staying positive #lovindubai #stayhome

“They say you have to hit rock bottom to get back up. Well, I hit rock bottom super hard. Lost $1.5 million in an investment, my father passed away, lost a love relationship, got diagnosed with diabetes all at the same time….. So I started cramming myself with positive messaging to rewire my brain”. Psychologist Hiba Balfaqih consumed positive content religiously before turning it on its head with her own philosophy, Mind Hacking. Hear her story on this week’s The Lovin Show #lovindubai

Can 5 dominos change your life?

Omar Al Duri joined the Lovin Show to talk about RESET, his domino philosophy (and published book) that works as a passport for mental and physical health 🙌@omaralduri #lovindubai

When you get a coupon to trial one month at a dance studio... and turn that into your life's work. Pierre Khadra has choreographed shows for MTV, reached the finals on “So You Think You Can Dance” (Arabia) and worked with the likes of Ricky Martin and Andrea Bocelli to Elissa, Tamer Hosni, Nancy Ajram, and more. And now, if you've been to SKY. 20 he's the man that puts those insanely cool, (industry-leading) performances together. Thanks for doing your best to teach us how to whip and nae nae.

Jalal Luqman is the author of a graphic fantasy novel, the pioneer of digital art in the region and he's displayed his work at museums worldwide... but most importantly, an absolute legend to chat to. Had so many laughs this week, come back any time!

Sumayyah AlSuwaidi was a trailblazer when she first begged for a computer and Adobe Photoshop at just 16 years old, (this was the year the internet came to the UAE for the very first time) and not much has changed since.  With creativity at the heart of everything she does, Sumayyah works in fashion, jewellery, art and digital media. Thanks for sharing your story @sumayyahalsuwaidi #lovindubai

LISTEN: "Food was my therapy... it was my saviour'" Zahra Abdalla, aka Cooking With Zahra, went from blogger to TV chef, to author, to cooking entrepreneur but it hasn't always been an easy path.  Great to have a genuinely kind and talented Dubai chef AND the brains behind @Zahra's Kitchen join the show this week #lovindubai

Introducing Yuliana Grasman, aka Afra Drift. The world's first 4×4 female drifter and she lives in Dubai. Taking on the adrenaline-fuelled sport just two years ago, Afra's skill has taken her to various rallies across the Middle East, seen her living in the desert for 28 days surviving on little food, and now she's bracing herself with new challenges for the year to come. 

LISTEN: With a lot of money at stake and many fakes floating about, Sevgi Eren has her work cut out as a diamond expert and trainer. She's also a Dubai resident who doesn't sit still, an extraordinary businesswoman with a love for Harley-Davidsons. 

LISTEN: Take inspiration from Lara Tabet.

Previously a presenter on Dubai’s first-ever English TV channel, Lara’s career in media includes meeting the world’s biggest celebs, (*cough Morgan Freeman, *cough George Clooney) working with couture designers, being awarded Global Influencer of the year, working as a luxury brand ambassador, to establishing her own brand; Lara’s non-stop work ethic could be bottled and sold.

Imagine your first ever comedy gig was in front of 800 dentists... Ali Al Sayed is co-founder of Dubomedy but here's what makes HIM laugh,  why stage heckling is actually a good thing and his upcoming Middle East tour.

LISTEN: The perfect Christmas present for HH Sheikh Hamdan? Arzoo Malhotra joins The Lovin Show for the Christmas Special. To talk about the Dubai comedy scene, the first time she realised she was funny, and how a Dubai audience is actually the best audience for any comedian to go up against.

It takes guts to upload personal videos, but it can pay off. And Manal Muffin is the proof. Truly an OG of the beauty 'fluencers here in Dubai, her accidental viral success is the stuff of YouTuber dreams. She joined The Lovin Show to talk about the realities of the beauty industry, makeup challenges and the home beauty trends that *actually* work.

🎤🎤LISTEN: Suki Lu moved to Dubai seven years ago, in that time she mastered Arabic, overcame challenging roles, interviewed celebs, met Dubai royalty... and her style credentials speak for themselves: She once was personally invited by Karl Lagerfeld to sit FR at Paris Fashion Week. Suki Lu joined this week's episode of The Lovin Show to talk the contents of her handbag and more... 

🎤🎤 LISTEN: Odd J-pop rituals, and how an unlikely meeting on JBR led to the formation of Hollaphonic. Olly, one half of the Dubai based DJ duo which has taken East Asia by storm (storm being a major understatement), talks about conquering Thailand, China, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur and more on this week's Lovin Show 🙌

Combining one million followers, life as a new mum, and an amazing attitude to dealing with social media haters, Zeynab El-Helw is a down-to-earth fashion influencer carving her own path with new brands.

"I thought about that near-death experience a lot"....

Marcus Smith's name is famous in Dubai thanks to running 30 marathons in 30 days last year. But that's just the tip of the iceberg for his fitness achievements. Marcus joined the Lovin Show to talk about completing the legendary Marathon de Sables (an 156 miles endurance challenge through the Sahara desert) to the time he was hit by a truck, left with seven broken ribs, a collapsed lung, 80km for the nearest hospital. Thanks for joining us Marcus!

The Halloween Special: Sabine Sassine is a TV host with an amazing career in the media industry under her belt. From interviewing celebs to nail-biting TV moments, Sassine shared all!!

A Lebanese TV presenter and fashion influencer, Tamara Jamal shares the inspiration behind her sneaker collaboration with FIFA Middle East, being an influencer in the region and what she would've done professionally had she not gotten into fashion.

From Big Hass's inspirational backstory to advising young and upcoming talent in the region as well as talking and bringing awareness about the stigmas surrounding autism, catch the entire conversation with Saudi's top hip-hop RJ right here! 

In this week's episode of The Lovin Show, the first Emirati national pro golf player @ahmedalmusharakh details his goals for the future. He also shares what it's like meeting his idol, Tiger Woods years back and paving the path for future golfers in the region.

Moe Jabry, aka ‘Moe Money’ is living that adrenaline-filled luxe life here in the UAE and came onto the LOVIN Show this week to give us an insight into his everyday life. From food to influencers get all the low down right here!🙌

It takes years to get this good. Dubai mentalist and magician Atlas Ibrahim dropped some serious mentalist work and revealed only his mum knows the secret to his success on this week's episode of The LOVIN Show #lovindubai

Dubai-based student Oliver Nakakande just WON Miss Uganda. She joined The LOVIN Show and described the spine-tingling moment she actually won the crown!

The first curvy model in the Middle East explains the struggles she had to face as a younger girl, and overcoming them to empower all Arab women to embrace their curves.