Doha Heat

Stand-up comedian, Paralympic athlete, model, advocate - all qualities embodied by today’s guest, Nawaal Akram. Not one to hold back, she dives right into her unique personal journey and the challenges faced along the way. Check out her social media accounts to see what Nawaal is up to:   Facebook: Nawaal Akram Twitter: @nawaalakram Instagram: @nawaalakram   Muscular Dystrophy Qatar: Instagram: @MD.Qatar

One more episode before 2015 ends, and make sure to not miss this one with Valeria Mazzei of The Expat Shella​. The young Italian expat exudes positivity and ambition as she opens up about moving to an unfamiliar place as a teenager and jumping into curating a YouTube channel with friends.

What do marketing, psychology, and fitness training have in common? They are all passions driving this episode's guest, Nuwaid Pocker - founder of Crunch Doha, a Qatar-based, holistic approach to eating healthy and staying fit. Listen in to hear all about this young entrepreneur's personal journey of taking risks and fully believing in one's ability to achieve greatness with tenacity.   Find out more about Crunch Doha at www.crunchdoha.com or on their social media channels.

Hello Doha Heat family! This week we hear from Cameron McNaughton, who recently relocated to Qatar after reflecting on wanting to push himself out of his comfort zone and wishing to be with family here. We delve into his journey from South Africa to deciding to set aside familiarity and comfort for new opportunities in an unfamiliar place - a theme that probably resonates with many listeners. Make sure to check-out his startup project mentioned in the episode: www.golfchamps.net. You can also connect with Cameron via Twitter: @rakkers7.

40+ countries, 600+ conversations - this is the life of aspiring travel writer Colleen Waterson, who stayed up late to chat about her journey to ask people around the world 3 questions. We get into what inspired her to pursue this dream and how she sustains the energy necessary to do something like this. Learn more about Colleen's project and participate here: www.bigsharedworld.com.

Since Andrew has gone on a short break to the U.s., Ifath is going to be hosting alone for the first time this week! Our guest is Reem Mansour, Co-Founder of Cat Assistance team of Qatar. She discusses changing her career path from Mass Communication and Theatre to helping out our small feline friends and what her future plans are for the rescue organisation.

Jessie Oliver, who is better known by her Instagram handle @Slinky.Jam, shares her personal journey from Australia to Qatar. The rising artist, who spends her days at a Doha veterinary office, shares how art came into her life and how social media has helped get her name out there.

Elsbeth Blekkenhorst, who founded and currently runs Global Women Qatar, tells about her personal journey from business student to air steward to entrepreneur - all the while finding love and starting a family. Her Doha-based recruitment firm aims to empower women through the cultivation of an on-and offline community where individuals share their tips for navigating the sometimes puzzling path to employment in Qatar. For all the latest updates from Elsbeth and her guest contributors, make sure to check out the Global Women Qatar blog: http://www.globalwomenqatar.com/blog.

We've made it to our 200th episode and what better way to celebrate than this interview with Seti Raeisi, who balances a demanding 9-5 with her passion for helping others live better. The life-long Doha resident shares about her desire to continuously learn and improve, be it studying computer science or composing her first motivational book in 2016. The enthusiasm and positivity seeps through this episode - hope you enjoy! Feel free to check-out Seti's multiple social media platforms to get quick and FREE healthy living tips: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Setareh-Raeisi-942191262468546/timeline/ Instagram: @setithc Snapchat: setasetaseta

Almost to our 200th episode - holy moly! Thanks to the wonderful world of Instagram, we met this episode's guest, Lulu Mohamad Ali, who is a self-described "Fashion, health, beauty, food, business, and technology micro-blogger" based in Doha. We talk about pursuing one's passions despite not fully knowing how to do it, the importance of learning daily, and what we can expect from her brand, Labelled.

Julian Jan, owner and instructor at the Jan Institute of Education, tells about his life-long passion for learning, specifically the humanities. For anyone who has been in Qatar for a while, you might not think of Qatar as being a place where artists, philosophers, and historians thrive, but educators like Julian are helping to change that. Tune in to hear how more about this and Julian’s life journey that led him to Qatar.     If you like this episode or any of our past ones, please leave us a review on our Facebook page or iTunes page and check us out on snaptv.me. We love hearing from you!

  Born and raised in Qatar, this sister and brother open up about the simultaneous feeling of missing a bygone era in the country and enjoying the changes that have come. The conversation also drifts into exploring the evolving cultural norms within Qatar and some of the ways in which young Qataris are pioneers. We definitely will have to do part 2 since we only get a small sampling of the two’s expeditions to places like the Amazon, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the Arctic Circle.

  Mayouf Rouf, who is one of the founders of Qatar’s e-commerce fashion platform that offers a hassle-free online shopping experience, joins us at the studio. We learn a bit about growing up in the country and his adventures in northern India, which would later influence his decision to pursue entrepreneurship full-time. Visit the Shabab Falcon site here: https://shababfalcon.com.

After what seems like forever, we are finally back with a new episode of Doha Heat where we introduce Carlo and his team at SnapTV.me. We are excited for this new partnership and growing together. Make sure to show them some love by visiting their website and checking-out the first online web-TV magazine in the Middle East.   Got an idea for an episode this year? We would love to hear from you via our social media or by dropping us a message on our website: www.dohaheat.com

Originally from Zimbabwe, maths teacher Lizzie Muringi joins us to talk about her life-long passion for education, specifically its ability to directly impact someone’s life. Not only does this passion get channeled into her day job, Lizzie also initiated an NGO, Blue Diamond Trust, aiming to assist students with school fees and other expenses.     *Special note: With the Doha Heat team going on holiday, this will be the last new episode for about a month. In the mean time, definitely check-out our past episodes.

Environmental protection advocate and social media enthusiast, Neeshad VS, stopped by the studio after work to share his story that spans from India to Qatar. Because of his international experiences and very clear passion for giving back to his community, this young guy is someone to keep an eye on - expect great things from him in the future! Note: there are some great, easy ways to make your Ramadan more eco-friendly, too.

  Special shoutout to our sponsor this week, Hyatt Plaza’s Fast-A-Thon 2015, which takes place this weekend, June 26th through 27th. To learn more about the event and register, visit: http://on.fb.me/1Ld2AuH. Have you met someone that just exudes confidence and joy? Well, Mrs. Universe 2014 1st Runner-Up, Yezenia Navarro, demonstrates these qualities along with so many more. Listeners gain insight into her journey from pursuing acting in Mexico to falling in love and making the move to Qatar, after which she was invited to represent her homeland in the Mrs. Universe pageant.  Want to learn more about Yezenia's anti-domestic violence campaign, Queens Without Scars? Make sure to follow the initiative's work here.

  Doha Heat family! We’ve made it to our 1st birthday - woohoo! Thank you for all of your support and special thanks to our guest contributors, Neeshad and Saila.

Robotics in the GCC seem to be a hot topic these days, especially after our neighbors in Dubai announced the debut of some robo-cops...not the 90s classic type sadly. Qatar, not to be outdone, is also fostering a domestic robotics industry at Education City, the location of today's podcast. Tune in to learn about how one Texas A&M alum is fostering its growth and got inspired by Hollywood.   Find more information about today's show over at our guest's website: http://www.qrid-robotics.com/about_qrid.

If you have been watching the news recently, I am sure you are familiar with the earthquakes that hit Nepal and left the country in need of humanitarian relief. How do you provide this when you are abroad? Well, today's guests, Omer and Zaid of Education City United 4 Nepal, reveal how their student organization is doing this successfully and with a lasting impact.