A consultation with a professional life coach can help you address areas in your life such as relationships, career, recreation and personal growth.
A consultation with a professional life coach can help you address areas in your life such as relationships, career, recreation and personal growth.

It's all about you



When I was 10, I had a private tutor to help me better understand maths. When I was 14, I had a swimming trainer to help me compete. Now that I'm approaching 40, I have a life coach to help me sort through far scarier and more chaotic challenges than long division and speedy lengths in the pool.

A life coach works with you to help you determine and achieve your goals by addressing every aspect of your world, including your relationships, career, health, home, lifestyle, friends, family, fun, recreation, finances, personal growth, purpose and (sometimes) your position within the wider world. It is not part of the coach's role to offer their own experience or try to provide solutions. Rather, they are trained to listen to you and ask questions in a way that helps you "own" your situation, uncover your truths and work out how to move forward.

I have found it extremely liberating to have somebody listen who is unbiased, non-judgemental, intelligent and, above all, honest. I first experienced this three years ago on a life-coaching holiday in Spain called The Big Stretch, run by the life coach and psychologist Rosie Walford. "There is no other relationship in life where someone is totally focused on you, what you want and what will help you achieve it," says Walford.

My reasons for attending were subtle. I loved my career but wondered why it continued to be dominated by journalism and travel writing rather than the novel I had been planning in my head for years. I had chatted to friends and family about this on and off for quite some time, but no one could offer any tangible help. They would usually be more kind to me than honest and I was beginning to bore even myself. In an intensive week with a supportive group, Walford and her team helped me work out my values, wake up my consciousness and devise a plan of action to help me shift my focus on to my novel.

The process is measured and ongoing. I had follow-up sessions, and it's only now that I have organised my life to be able to dedicate the time I need to write creatively while also earning a living. The shift in focus happened slowly, and when I found myself overloaded with journalistic work recently I booked refresher sessions with another coach, Janice Barnett of Pathfinders, who has a base in Dubai.

It was with Barnett that I realised the clarifying effect of talking out loud in a non-judgemental environment. "Where you think you might have got the answers kicking around in your head already, things sound very different when spoken out loud and looked at objectively," Barnett says. I don't have to take notes - we just talk over the phone, and later Janice e-mails me a useful and inspiring summary of key points. With each session I gain more clarity and focus. Three sessions on, I have reminded myself of my values, prepared a new weekly timetable and feel myself re-engaging creatively.

The reasons people visit life coaches are diverse. You may be setting up a business, dealing with a big change such as divorce, relocation or a new job, or just have a niggling feeling that your lifestyle, relationship or career isn't quite right. Mark Garrod of the Dubai-based Mudfish Coaching says that many people want to work on particular aspects of themselves, such as confidence, time management, anger management or fear of public speaking.

Living in the UAE has its particular challenges, Barnett says. "The transient nature of the expat community, accompanying spouses and facing several years outside the employment market, finding yourself stripped of supportive friends and family and making new friends who then move on at an alarmingly regular rate - all present a set of issues. "Changing and challenging circumstances provide the perfect opportunity to re-evaluate what you want from life and to focus on who you are. Many of my clients have used their time in the UAE to reconnect with activities that used to give them great joy, to develop a new skill, revisit a business idea or explore a new leisure interest," she says.

For Jane Samson of Be True to You coaching, mothers in the UAE share specific challenges. "The range of part-time, flexible working and job-sharing positions that would be available elsewhere in the world to working mums are simply not available here," she says. "When women who want to work can't, they have this void to fill, as most women demand more from their lives than the gym, coffee mornings, school runs and shopping." Reconnecting to what is important through coaching helps women find the "unique fabulous factor" that defines them outside of being a mother, a housewife or an employee, says Samson.

"I often encounter people who are re-evaluating their goals and their life," says Rawan Albina of the Dubai-based Leap! Life Coaching. "Many of my clients have come to the UAE with high expectations of themselves, and are often disappointed if these expectations are not met. Clients often bring work-related issues that they prefer to explore with someone outside their company." Life coaches can help draw out the positives in most scenarios. "When faced with a situation where it appears they have no choice, people start realising what is truly important to them," says Joanne Simpson, an executive coach who works in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. "The fact is they always had a choice, but it often takes a push to take them out of their comfort zone and make the changes they need."

Simpson describes a situation where a client recently lost his job in the financial industry. "After the initial shock, he felt relief, as he realised this was not who he truly was at his core." He had always wanted to work in a role that helped people, she says, but felt compelled to stay in his job because of his high income. He had a lifestyle that actually had him "working very long hours and not doing anything that gave him pleasure".

Sometimes even a small change is enough to start a new way of living. Another of Simpson's clients, a senior bank executive, started by ensuring he left the office at 4.30pm one day a week to have a family night. "Having one night that brought him joy had a huge impact on how he felt the rest of the week," she says. Have no illusions. Life coaching is not therapy or counselling, and is not a route to sorting out emotional problems. "Coaching is designed to help people who are already well become healthier. Unlike counselling it will only study the past if it helps a client develop ideas and solutions for the future," says Simpson. You also need to be willing and open to the process for it to truly be effective. "You hire a coach if you're ready for a fully lived future, if you want to live and act positively from here on," says Walford.

Life coaching won't suit everyone. To get a taste before you commit, most coaches offer a free introductory session, which is also a good time to find out about the process and see if you connect with your coach. "Listen first and foremost for good chemistry between you when you speak," says Walford. "Are you comfortable with their language? Do they get the nuances of what you're saying?" The life-coaching profession is currently unregulated, so it's wise to research the training your coach has undertaken. It's generally a good sign if they've got "live" coaching experience (a trainee who has learnt via correspondence won't have much of this). Life coaches wouldn't get very far if they didn't have integrity, but if you're cautious, ask them if there is a code of conduct they comply with. Most reputable coaches are accredited by the International Coach Federation (www.coachfederation.org), the world's governing body, which is a good place to start your search.

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners

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Ronaldo (87')

Athletic Bilbao 1
Williams (14')

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
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A little about CVRL

Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.

One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases. 

The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery. 

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

The Cairo Statement

 1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations

2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred

3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC  

4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.

5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.

6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now