The Art of Relationship Building from Dubai's Skylines with Founder, Nona Hekmat

Speaker 1: 0:00

Did I give it away? Oh, was it persuasion? You are in my space. I, I oh it. I Don't care what you say, I'm loving it this way. I'm hoping that you stay. I, I oh it. It's only you, was it you? She's only you, it's only you. I love the groove. I'm loving it this way. It's only you. I love you. I love you, christa.

Speaker 2: 0:52

Welcome back to the Self Made and Single podcast, and I'm your host, rachel Rose. So today we've got quite an interesting title for the episode. We're talking love and croissants, and we're talking with someone who is quite fascinating, actually, and I know is going to inspire a lot of you. We've got Nona Hekmat, who's usually based between Portugal and Dubai. Now, you know I love Dubai, so you know she's going to be glitz and glammy and, as a serial entrepreneur, you know she's got a lot of things to share, not only about business, but also what it's like juggling not only one but two businesses and looking for love. Welcome, nona.

Speaker 1: 1:29

Hi, it's good to be here with you.

Speaker 2: 1:32

Yeah, it's so nice to see you again. Like we've called up a couple of times before, a couple of times or just once- Once before and it didn't work out with our sound.

Speaker 1: 1:42

But here we are and we're ready, we are, we are.

Speaker 2: 1:46

Yes. So Nona at the moment is in neither Portugal, dubai, she's in beautiful Valencia. So how much pie do you have you had so far? How much? What?

Speaker 1: 1:55

Pie, yeah, oh, none, yet, none. Yet. I had pizza. Unfortunately it was Italian. Oh, back village, yeah, but it's an amazing city. I can't believe it's winter because Porto was pouring. I was in Dubai last week and then I went, dubai was amazing weather and then Porto was just pouring. And then I come to Valencia and it's just like Dubai it's warm and it's beautiful. So I'm really happy to be here. I'm really happy to take a break from the winter.

Speaker 2: 2:25

Yeah, I don't know. It's something about Spanish Sun. Right, the Sun is always shining.

Speaker 1: 2:28

That's why they're so happy yeah yeah, and they're fiasas, yes, all day. You know they close down all of Sunday and restaurants don't open until 8pm, so that's really surprising, yeah they start late Back in Porto, right?

Speaker 2: 2:44

Or did you say Porto in Lisbon?

Speaker 1: 2:46

Porto, porto, yeah, sort of they also. They like the nightlife you know, they're awake at night. It's definitely not like Northern Europe.

Speaker 2: 2:55

Well, do you know what? You say that? But I remember going there in like 2017 and I was like first of all, I was like oh, do you know what? I'm just going to chill out, I'm just going to get a late lunch. By four o'clock they were like there's no lunch here, babe, that's true, they shut between four to six.

Speaker 1: 3:13

Okay right, easy going life. You know they're not worried about you know they're like I make what I make and I just want to be comfortable. That's how they live. They work to live not live to work.

Speaker 2: 3:29

There's a balance which is good. I can't say the same for London.

Speaker 1: 3:33

Or Dubai, or Dubai. I had to learn that and that was one of the reasons I moved out, because it was. You know, it's nonstop in Dubai and I needed that balance between kind of like slowing down and I'm sure London's the same Dubai you never stop, you never stop. You're always working and thinking about work and always just trying to find new things to do. It's just crazy.

Speaker 2: 4:00

Yes, exactly the same here, exactly the same. So you know. I've really mentioned that you've got two businesses. So, nanna, tell us all about them please.

Speaker 1: 4:09

Right, so I have. I have always been in the wellness industry somehow, and I started Lipiti Cafe, which was started as a cafe and then became a restaurant and eventually, right before COVID, turned into a catering company. And then I've recently just started, because I travel so often I started a corporate wellness coaching company, which I'm not the coach, but I work with someone who does the coaching, and so we create these workshops for companies where we teach them time management, stress management and how to be more productive and take care of their well-being, something that we find to be very important. And, like I said, it was one of the things that I needed myself when I was, you know, working and when I was starting my business and throughout the nine years I've had my business for nine years, so just throughout. I think it's necessary today to have these wellness workshops for companies. So that's what we started doing.

Speaker 1: 5:20

And another thing that I started recently which I will be rolling out I still haven't is basically because of my background in acupuncture is the workshop online workshop for acupressure points and skincare, basically how to take care of your skin at home by doing massages for your organs. I know it's a little crazy to imagine how that works. But basically, in traditional medicine we nurture our organs and it usually shows up on our faces. So that's what I'm going to be teaching. It's going to be a workshop online.

Speaker 2: 6:07

That's so cool. So this is like your third business, so would you say your second one, the wellness one, takes up most of your time.

Speaker 1: 6:19

Well, the first one is very demanding. I mean, a restaurant is super demanding, but right now I have a management company in place so they're managing that while I travel a lot, so there's no way I can do that all by myself anymore. But the wellness coaching, yes, it does take a lot of time but it's online. So it's good for me because I get to move around a lot.

Speaker 2: 6:46

Oh, that's awesome and I love how so you've got other coaches dealing with the actual coaching part. Nice.

Speaker 1: 6:52

Nice, one other coach. We work closely together and we might, you know, it might grow to more coaches, but for time being it's just it's very personalized workshops. So we work very closely. We create very personalized for the company. So that's why we're a small team right now.

Speaker 2: 7:16

So good, and so have you always had this entrepreneurial mindset, or is that something that you had to develop on your own?

Speaker 1: 7:25

Yes, it's always been there, because my mom is an entrepreneur and she just you know, she just engraved it in me very early on. And I don't know if that's a good thing, because my mind has always been, just you know, very focused on, like the business, the business world, and and yeah, it's just one of those things I've always been used to. It's just how my brain works. I look at things and I think of how it can be used in the world and what, how we can bring it to people and so on. So it's always been there.

Speaker 2: 7:59

I think it's awesome that I can see. I can see what it must have been like. You know you've got a lot to live up to if you've really got an entrepreneur in the family. But I really commend you for at least having that push from the get go, because you know you've always seen yourself as right. When I'm older, I'm going to be my own boss.

Speaker 1: 8:18

Absolutely, and you know it reflects on most things I do. I think it's evident, and even I just went to Portugal and I was doing a master's degree in health tourism, and you know it was evident in my work as well. You know I had to keep being told like you're taking it in the direction of business management, you're taking it in the direction of business management. But that's, that is how I think that's, and it comes across very clearly in everything.

Speaker 2: 8:50

In the work that was being marked and they're like no focus.

Speaker 1: 8:53

Yeah, in my writing, because sometimes I'm writing about other things and you know the direction shouldn't be necessarily business, but that's how I think yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:03

Oh, it's awesome. I love that. I love when women are so focused on just breaking the paradigm of you know working for someone else or being in a role where it doesn't allow us to really flourish as leaders. So really, really commend you and I know you're based in Portugal and Dubai at the moment which you consider branching out. Either you know branching out your business physically in a different country, or just you moving to another country.

Speaker 1: 9:28

I would love to move to London actually, yeah. Yeah, I was in London recently and I was like I love that people are speaking English, you know, because in Portugal everyone speaks well Portuguese, and I was like I kind of miss this, you know, and it's still like Dubai, but it's in Europe. So, yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 2: 9:51

I've got a friend who I used to work with years ago and she lives. She lived in Dubai. I think she's moved now to Amsterdam and she went to used to come to London, even though London, you know, has the old architecture and it's not New York in terms of the skyscrapers everywhere, but we've got decent buildings, like we've got a decent skyline. And she was like wow, everything is just so small here, like I'm so used to Dubai, everything is huge, massive, exaggerated.

Speaker 1: 10:27

But you know, I love the. I love that. It's like that. You know, when I, when I was moving to Portugal, I was like I just want a house on a cobblestone street. I want an old building, I want it short, I want those like windows that open up to the street and you feel like you're on the street. And that's what I wanted. I wanted the opposite of what Dubai was giving me. I had a, I had a nice house in Dubai, but you know, to be honest, I was kind of busy to enjoy it as well. I had, like, a nice garden. I didn't enjoy it until COVID happened. You know, all of a sudden I'm sitting in my garden and I'm like this is a good life, this is nice.

Speaker 2: 11:08

Yes and like. So where about, if you don't mind telling us like you don't you know to tell us your street name, but like whereabouts, area wise, are you into buy or where you?

Speaker 1: 11:17

in the Mara in Omsa came, so it's a residential area. It has is close to the beach and my business was on the beach, so it was a seven minute walk to my work, although I never walked I'm not a pedestrian friendly place so I would have to take a car but it's a residential area and it's quite quiet. It's not where the skyscrapers are. It's a little. It's like a 10 minute, 15 minute drive from the Burj Khalifa, which is a tallest tower. You probably know that, but it's close to Burj Al Arab. You might know that. You might recognize the Burj Al Arab, only seven star hotel in the world.

Speaker 2: 12:05

Is that the one that looks like? It looks like the W in Barcelona. It looks like a sailboat. Yeah, that's the one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, I loved, I really, really missed Dubai. But you know what? I know someone here that lives in my block who's really blown up on the top. You know great for him and he's a personal trainer. He's going out to Dubai to expand his business. So there's been a lot of stories about people going to Dubai and doing the same blowing up, like becoming really famous or at least becoming really successful. Did you find that that was the case as well with your business? That it was a great commercial place to set up?

Speaker 1: 12:46

I think now that I mean when, when you're raised there, you don't, you don't know differently, you don't see the difference. But when I go back there now, I can clearly see the energy so different. You know, as soon as I entered Dubai, it's a dynamic energy. I feel inspired. You with friends or you know, you're constantly kind of like interacting with people and you see people doing things and you see people how they think and how they're talking about you know the next thing. So the energy is very different and it's not the something not stagnant. It's flowing and people are coming there.

Speaker 1: 13:26

No one comes to Dubai to relax. It's not one of those places where you go and you're like, oh, I'm going to go on vacation and just chill here, or like I'm going to go for a couple of months and just do something. You know it. You can do that, not in Dubai. In Dubai, you go there with a motive, you have an aim, a goal and you work towards that. So the energy is just so different. And London was the same. I felt I could be wrong, but I was in Canary Wharf, so it was like this. You know, it was really busy. People are going places. So, yeah, dubai, dubai certainly got that energy, so it makes a difference for sure.

Speaker 2: 14:09

Yeah, no, you're spot on with London. You know, canary Wharf may be amped up a little bit more because that is, you know, banking district there, but in general, it's very. Everyone is always in creative, creative mode, like even if it's not necessary corporate mode there. Do you know what? I don't want to say that we're chasing inflation, but it's almost as if, like, we're always on the precipice of, like, what's happening next in the world. It's very, very quick. So, whether it's like looking at inflation daily and thinking, okay, how do I 10x what's happening in terms of income, or or how do I get out there and showcase myself so that that isn't a necessary like, financials are not a problem, or the fact that we're exposed so much to everyone because everyone's so international here, you know how can I also reflect that in my business? How can I have experience? So, yeah, you're spot on, definitely the case. Okay, do you know what's interesting? Yeah, because you said, if you brought up there which I'm assuming that that's what you meant because you were brought up in Dubai.

Speaker 1: 15:10

I was brought up in Dubai. Yeah, it's a small, small, small population that was raised there.

Speaker 2: 15:17

Yeah, yeah, I was going to say, because normally everyone's you know we're experts from wherever, but that's really awesome and so like, were you in Dubai, still living there when it transformed into what it is today? What was that like? Because that must have been like well, you blink and then all of a sudden it's like a complete makeover.

Speaker 1: 15:42

Yeah, it's, it's fast, for sure. I always, you know, I think of it this way Well, it's fast, but you, when you're in it again, it's like the boiling water. You don't realize what's happening. But I guess we, you know, the changes are definitely something that we knew were coming, and the beautiful thing about being raised in Dubai is that you're kind of you're raised with your country. I don't think that's ever happened in history where you're like you know, as a child, I'm now being growing with, as my country is growing, I'm growing with it, and that's really nice and it and that teaches you a lot about entrepreneurship as well.

Speaker 1: 16:28

You know, I guess it's not. It's the country I lived in also taught me that. It's just that you're growing. You're constantly on the lookout for something bigger, better, you know, and that's Dubai bigger and better, bigger, at least you know. So it's the beautiful. It creates this beautiful situation where we, as the young generation that were that happened to be there, we got to grow with our country and we got to see the changes and the country kind of prepared us for those changes as well and prepared us for the world, and I think I think we're pretty created entrepreneurs, lots of entrepreneurs.

Speaker 2: 17:14

Yeah, yeah, and it's happened over such a short amount of time if we think about the grand scheme of things, which is awesome. And so were you able to, or was it of interest to you at the time, to invest in the Dubai, to be the Dubai that is today? Did you get a chance to?

Speaker 1: 17:34

Well, I guess I did. You know my business was my contribution. It was my second business. I had a first business as well. So I started off with a little spa and then I opened this.

Speaker 1: 17:51

But investment in terms of like properties and stuff, yes, initially, when it first broke out, it was still unclear, especially for people living in the place. It was still unclear what was to be, because it just seemed so far fetched right. It was like this little place who's really coming? I mean, it was popular but it wasn't what it is today, so it's hard to see the future. But again, my mom was really. She has the long term vision and she invested in properties and she, she did pretty well. She had multiple businesses, she has a business consulting company as well, so she was able to see the long term future, the potential of Dubai, and so, yeah, she did. I was pretty young but, and later on I was able to contribute in my own way and start some businesses and, yeah, amazing, yeah, I'm happy. I'm happy that you know we had the possibility, the potential to do it in Dubai.

Speaker 2: 19:00

Yes, yeah, no, I always think back and I think, oh, my goodness, like anyone who's invested, who invested at the right time I bet they're laughing right now, you know, and it just continues to grow so, so cool. And you know, as I mentioned, offline, you know, I know you're very busy. Well, lady, always creating things, it seems. So talk to us about love. You know, how does that fit into your life and what is your focus for love for 2024?

Speaker 1: 19:29

Right. Well, love, I mean, you can't get enough right? 2024, I wanted to be filled with love and disaffection and all the good stuff, you know, all the the croissants and the love. That's what we need. We need croissants and love. That's what we need.

Speaker 1: 19:46

Um, what, what was it like? So, um, the reason why I probably threw myself into work initially was because I got out of a, a, I was separated from my ex and that kind of pushed me to kind of get really busy into work. And then there was, and then I got into a relationship that was at. It lasted for nine years, pretty much at the time that I was running Lipite myself, and I met him right at the beginning or no, I met him right at the beginning of my first business, which was a spa business, and, um, he was great, he was supportive and it was just really it was nice to have someone who was finding supportive. I have to say, my ex-husband was not supportive of me having a business. It was not like that, um, but in this case he was really supportive and he really, you know, he was just happy to be with me. So I, I started that and then I moved on to my next business, which was Lipite Cafe, and then he was always very supportive that I had to take a lot of time out of our relationship.

Speaker 1: 21:09

There were times when we would have plans and I needed to leave in the middle of our plan, like we'd be on the way to the restaurant. And now when I think of it as terrible, but like I would be on the way to a restaurant and I'd get a call and I'd be like, oh, I need to get a call, I need to leave, and he would be totally okay with it. Um, but now in hindsight I can see how much problematic that was and I was just there. I mean, that relationship just just was full of these kinds of situations and I don't know how it would have worked, uh, into us, into one that would even last any longer. I mean, it lasted as long as it could, um, but yeah, I was just so busy all the time, you know, I'd come home and I tired and I'd still be thinking about work. Um, yeah, it was.

Speaker 1: 22:05

It was not easy to run a business and to have a relationship and at the same time, because it's a, it's a business, a new business, so I was always in kind of a, um, masculine role. I was making decisions, I was making changes, I was finding ways to be, to be innovative. These are all very, very masculine roles and sometimes when you go home it's hard to snap into that feminine role now and be nurturing and be all those things. So I think our, our relationship couldn't possibly have. You know, the dynamic was not great anymore During the times when I was the busiest, yeah.

Speaker 1: 22:50

Yeah, I mean these are things you learn in hindsight. You know, when you're in it you're like, oh, this is fine, and you know you don't know what's going on. And then when it ends, you kind of both sit and talk. I mean we have, we have a, we had a good, we have a good friendship right now where we can talk about things. And even though we've been separated for a couple of years, we still sometimes go like you know, I'm really sorry, I did this that day, you know, like five years ago.

Speaker 1: 23:20

And you know the other person says, well, you know, it wasn't you, it was me, because I was like this. So now we're so good at kind of understanding what happened, but it because of these conversations we're able to actually understand how the other person felt and also not to blame. And just I think we do more self blame than we put it on top of each other. You know it's it's it's a good way to learn about yourself and to reflect. So now I'm totally able to understand where my faults were and I do put a lot of it down to the fact that I was really busy, I was working, I was in work mode. Yeah, I love.

Speaker 2: 24:02

You know quite a few women have mentioned on the show about dropping into your feminine when it comes to relationships. So is that something that you one have been practicing more since that relationship? And two, is that your preference? Do you prefer to be more in a feminine role when it comes to relationship?

Speaker 1: 24:22

Absolutely, and you know the more that later on, once I got out of it. As I said, my background is in acupuncture and we I work quite often now with hormones, more than I did before. Well before I wasn't practicing. So now, now I am actually in Portugal, I do practice acupuncture. I'm at a health center where I take in clients and now I definitely see the importance of keeping that balance.

Speaker 1: 24:53

You have to maintain the balance. It's only when we're happy, when we're, we have the balance, when we're well, we are happy, when we have the balance. And when we snap out of the balance, you don't know what's happening. You don't know that you're drained and you know like when I was working so much, I worked a lot. You know I didn't have any help. You know it was just me and I was running it and it wasn't like I was like, you know, rolling in funding or anything that I was like able to hire the best of the best. I was doing everything myself. So I was super stressed all the time and what I had to. I didn't realize that and I was like, oh my God, this is great. I'm like one of the youngest entrepreneurs in Dubai, I love this business and I'm doing so great. And you know I'm on top of the world because it's testosterone, testosterone, and I feel like you know I can take on any challenge.

Speaker 1: 25:51

Mind you, it was not just the business. I was doing a lot more than that. I was like I was hosting events in my cafe, I was hosting events at home. I would go home from work and I'd have a gong meditation sessions in my garden. You know, it was just like a nonstop. I just didn't know how to chill, and I think that's very common. We don't know when to chill anymore because until you're when you stop. Achieving our self-worth is connected to achievement these days and a lot of places like London, dubai, new York and you know all the bigger cities. So I didn't know when to stop and I just kept going and I felt good.

Speaker 1: 26:34

I thought I felt good until, at some point, I was like my relationship ended and I was like what is it? You know, what would make me happy right now? And then, after some time of reflecting and going back, I was like you know, what would make me happy is to be, is to be a couple, is to be in a relationship that's loving, that's nurturing, and I want to be the nurture. You know, my partner was very nurturing. He was very nurturing and he his life was in a way that he was able to have like a lot of Free time and it was more tending to me sort of. And then I was like I want to be the person who Takes care of someone. You know, if it's not a family, but my partner and I am that person now a lot with my family. You know, I I do things for them that you know, it's very, very much nurturing and that's what makes me happy.

Speaker 1: 27:36

Honestly. You know, being on the go doesn't? It was great when I was in my 20s, but now, as I'm getting older, I'm like what I really want is to have that peace and quiet and, kind of like, create a life for myself when I can be myself, I can be calm, I can take time to have my tea in the morning. I love my tea moments. By the way, this is one of my favorite parts of the day. What's your favorite tea?

Speaker 1: 28:04

Earl Grey, nothing, okay, I love a good Earl Grey and my Earl Grey time.

Speaker 1: 28:12

I like to make it and I like to just be calm and just do nothing and talk to no one and not Look at my phone and maybe listen to some music, and then, you know, I have a whole ritual in the morning, but that's one of my favorite things to do. That's just so simple, right, it's just the simple things that you do. So, yeah, it was just, you know, at that point where I realized, okay, I know what I'm able to achieve, I know it and I've done it and it feels great. And then there's a moment and I believe that we should all do that, I think in your 20s, you need to go out there and you need to work hard. You know you need to work efficiently, smart, whatever you need to work, you need to achieve, you need to feel good about yourself so that when you're 30, you're not like, oh you know, I'm getting old. It's like, no, when you, when you've done stuff in your life, you don't feel old when you when I got to 30.

Speaker 1: 29:10

I was like, oh, I'm so proud of myself. You know, I've done all this and now it's time for a different phase in my life. Yeah, and that's what it is. You know, it's not that I Didn't want to have done all those things, it's just that now I really want something else. Now I really would like to, you know, be that nurturing feminine woman, and my move to Portugal was very much that. I Chose a place. I was slow paced, you know. I I chose an environment for myself, I chose a friends for myself, that kind of fit into the things that I want. And that's again another Part where it's also an achievement, where you're like striving to go for what you want. So you're constantly kind of Doing that anyway. So there's nothing to worry about you. Just you just go ahead and do it.

Speaker 2: 30:04

I love that. I love your optimism is so true and I love how you're talking about, yeah, I'm not getting old. It's just another chapter, another phase. Like, okay, what are we gonna do now? It's, I feel sometimes people feel With old age we kind of lose all of the knowledge and all of the achievements that we've done and they're like, okay, this, I'm old now and none of that counts. Like no, it all counts. In fact, it makes life a lot easier and you're a lot wiser and hopefully you can make the decisions that, so that you can Manifest whatever is that you want a lot quicker because you've got the knowledge.

Speaker 2: 30:35

But I would love to know, you know, as so many women have said on the show, dating at the moment has its challenges. Sometimes it does really need you to be a little bit more creative in terms of meeting people. So tell us about some of the challenges that you've had so far in terms of finding someone who's really going to Fit what it is that you want to manifest in love. You know, being able to drop in your femininity and having that support, supportive person I guess in your life.

Speaker 1: 31:06

Right. So when I first moved to Portugal was when I had just become single and it was really difficult because I was traveling back to Dubai a lot. So I I did go out on a couple of dates and then they did not. They were not amused about my traveling. They think it's not like it, and it was pretty evident. I mean, it was something that was also, you know, shared, that like, well, you know, when are you gonna settle down here? You know, like properly, and I guess that that is a phase of like, when you're coming out of this, this role of like being this entrepreneur, independent person, and then you, at the same time, you kind of want to be Settled, but it just takes some time.

Speaker 1: 32:05

You know that transition period will take some time and I think In the beginning phase of when I moved to Portugal, that was my transition time. So I went on a couple of dates and then I realized that with all the traveling, it's really difficult. You know, the person wants to spend Christmas with me and I want to be Spending Christmas in Dubai because it's so new and I have two nephews that are just my whole world and you know I wanted to make memories with them. I wanted to make sure that, in the beginning phase at least, they don't feel like I've just left and I'm like back and forth. So I was going back every month and a half so I kind of yeah, it was, it was challenging.

Speaker 1: 32:51

So I realized that maybe it's better for me to take some time not to date and to just you know, also reflect on what's happened, you know, in my relationship. So I took like a year, a year and a half, and then of course, I did go on some dates, you know, but they were like I'm just a couple of dates here and there just to remind me that I need a little more time. Yes, and then. And then. You know, now I'm, I think I, I mean I say this, but I'm. I was just in Dubai last week and then Porto and then here. But I plan to be a little more grounded in Porto. So, fingers crossed, I'll start dating.

Speaker 2: 33:36

Yes, and you know, when you were busy flying between these places, like what was there? Because I know, you said, like they're like, oh, you know when are you going to settle, but like how did you manage basically that? Because I can, I can imagine like you still have to try and keep the spark alive, you know, whilst you're away. So, like how did you manage that?

Speaker 1: 33:58

I guess that's the thing. I wasn't trying to keep the spark alive, I was just probably not present Because they were dating, they were dating phases, they were still not relationships, right, right got you. Yeah, right, so would you consider I guess when you meet the one, you also make more effort, and probably it was just it just didn't feel like something I want to put effort in.

Speaker 2: 34:25

Yes, so would you date someone who had a very similar lifestyle to you? Do you think that would be more of a fit?

Speaker 1: 34:35

I think an entrepreneur is definitely the right fit. It wouldn't be very difficult to be with someone who has a 9 to 5 job, just because their day ends at a specific time and when their day ends they're completely switched off. And for me I need a bit of my day kind of continues to go until I sleep. I mean not that that's the best way to do it, but it's just the way it is. So it would be very difficult to have a schedule that matches that way, because sometimes for me, sometimes when I had my business, I could take a week random week away and be a little spontaneous like that. But when you have like a 9 to 5 job, it's a bit difficult to do stuff like that.

Speaker 1: 35:27

So you have to be more organized.

Speaker 2: 35:30

Yeah, no, I can agree as well, particularly when it comes to like planning holidays and doing things in advance because they've got someone to report into. So it adds that layer of complexity.

Speaker 1: 35:42

Okay, I think maybe even just conversation. You know, when two people have a 9 to 5 job, they'll sit and talk about their work environment and then they can talk about their boss and how to deal with different situations and it's probably healthy for them to like have these conversations and help each other out on how to navigate these situations. And, at the same time, when two entrepreneurs can have a conversation about their challenges and what they you know the next thing, or what they want to do, or you know how to navigate their challenges as entrepreneurs. So it's quite different. I think it's probably better fit that way Not that it's limited to, but it's probably better fit.

Speaker 2: 36:27

Yeah, no, it's a good point to raise because, yeah, you're. I guess they're pros and cons, though, right, because if your worlds are so different, then I guess it makes it a bit more interesting in terms of conversation. You're not speaking about the same thing but at the same time, you know, as an entrepreneur, like you know, your day is like this. It's like a rollercoaster. You know you might be happy one now or in the next hour. You're like oh shit, like something's falling through or someone's disappointed me or something's moved, and it's nice, like if you.

Speaker 2: 36:56

There was a. There was a business coach that I was working with a few years ago and her now husband is an entrepreneur as well, but completely different industry, and they used to like have these moments where they'd WhatsApp each other and be like me, you in the kitchen in 10 minutes and it'd make their coffee and be like fuck, like this is going awful, or he'll be like I just got a deal. So you have each other as cheerleaders, and I think that's. That's really really cool, whereas someone, if you did that with someone in the corporate world, be like okay, like they'd be happy for you, but it's just different, isn't it? It's just a different vibe.

Speaker 1: 37:31

Yeah, I noticed people in the tech world. They they usually match together very well because they understand each other's world, and it's a good fit.

Speaker 2: 37:41

Yes.

Speaker 1: 37:41

Yeah, so okay, I don't know if I want someone as busy as I was. I mean, that's not ideal either. Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2: 37:51

Yeah, but so if you, speaking of you, know what you want, if there was an Uber Eats for a man and you could just pick what you wanted, send it on to be here in 25 minutes, what would be the top five things that you would ask for? What would be the ingredients?

Speaker 1: 38:11

Oh gosh, I would love to hear your five.

Speaker 2: 38:17

I like how she just switched that on me. I was not prepared, right. So I think, first, because I've had an experience, just like yourself, where I wasn't able to be in my feminine. It's just so important that you know the busier that I'm getting as well, it's just like no, I need, I need to be Rachel and her feminine in this relationship and not still be going, you know, on and on and on. So I'd say, someone who could allow that. You know a man who's very strong in his masculine, but not in a wounded way. You know someone honest, of course. So I think I'm on two now, honest. Third, someone who has a great relationship with love. That's a really important thing because that's a great one.

Speaker 2: 39:05

Yeah, that reflects their self-love. You know you can't be with someone who doesn't love themself enough to be happy. You've got to be with someone who understands that love. You don't lose anything by being in love. You don't lose, you know. Your freedom is not in jeopardy. Your, your identity is not in jeopardy when it comes to love. Love is a great thing, actually catapults you to the next level of yourself. And not everyone has that relationship with love due to, you know, things that they've gone through and things that are not healed yet.

Speaker 2: 39:34

Fourth one Funny. You've got to be funny because I can't be the only joker in the room. Very important, yeah, exactly. And five, ambition is a really big one as well. Do you know what's so funny? Because, like now I'm looking at my list and like, is that enough? Yes, I want to weave in family and all this kind of stuff, but I feel like the things that I've seen as this new version of myself, because we evolve so much. Like as women. Apparently, we evolve every five years, so can the poor men in our lives have to do all the new women every five years?

Speaker 2: 40:09

But the ambition is a big one because, you know, again, I've been with people who. You know you're the one creating. You know, I know we've got different niches, but both create require so much creativity and so much go, go, go. And I mean in the middle of the night you might get inspiration and you're like, oh shit, I've got to write this down. And you know, if you're coming home to someone who doesn't have that, you know, purpose and drive, you will clash eventually. It's nice to have the contrast because you know you don't have someone as busy as you, but if you've got someone who doesn't have something that really lights their soul on fire, you will hit a dead end at some point because it won't be enough for you.

Speaker 1: 40:50

Yeah, yeah, absolutely I agree. That's a great list.

Speaker 2: 40:55

Gosh, you could tell me if you thought the ship was not ready for that.

Speaker 1: 41:02

Now you're being interviewed. So for me, I think my first one and you know how you were saying that the list it just you feel like there needs to be more. I think it's just good to keep it simple as well. You know we're not that complex, exactly.

Speaker 1: 41:19

No, women are not complex, but not that complex. Exactly. My first one would be sense of humor. You know, I think when someone can make me laugh and just you know, we can have a good time together. A good sense of humor is super important and it makes life enjoyable and it makes life lighthearted, you know, because you know just life. Anyway, you know you want to be lighthearted, you want, you want laughter, love and lightheartedness. I think that's like just what we all pretty much need. Well, some people might need a bit, like you know, toxicity, to have a bit more like fun. That's definitely not me.

Speaker 1: 42:04

So, yeah, the just being able to be with someone who has the same sense of humor as me, and I guess other things would be I want someone who's also not so hypersensitive, you know, to my reactions or the two things around. You know, I think it's important to. Another one would be someone who's a go getter. You want something. You should know what you want. You know, as a mature person, as a woman, as a man, you should know what you want and you should go get it. You know, don't wait for things to happen, because that's going to reflect in so many parts of your life, right, like you know pretty much everything. I think that's also probably an important part of being, as you said, someone who looking for someone who's motivated and has ambition. Um, what else I haven't thought about this is that this is a good question. Probably also someone who is family oriented. That's really important for me, I think.

Speaker 1: 43:18

Someone who's family oriented, someone who cares about family because I really do, I'm very close to my family and I would like the same thing Someone who's kind, that's good. That's really important. Because you know, at the end of today you fight and you have problems and all that. But when you're kind to each other, whatever is happening no longer matters. You know you see the other person upset and when you're kind to that person, you're like it doesn't matter. You know it's just more problem or whatever it is. I can, we can overcome it Because I have kindness, I have a soft spot for this other human being, and these are things that don't just happen with everyone. You know you can be a super kind person, but you're not going to be in that romantic relationship with just another person just because you're kind, right. So once you've established, you know that you have chemistry and you really like each other and you have like your morals and values and tax. I think these are the things that come right after that.

Speaker 2: 44:25

Yeah, I love that. I love the kindness because, yeah, I'm just thinking back to my twenties where I dated people that weren't kind and, yeah, kind of knocks everything. It's part of the foundation, isn't it? You need someone who's kind and I guess kind also reflects their ability to conflict resolve, like, quickly and in a way that is going to sustain a relationship rather than someone who's not so kind in their dragon and argument on for days and weeks and it's like, really, you know why don't focus on seeing each other in our light rather than, you know, dragging and seeing the worst in each other? So I like your list. So where can where come out audience find you on the web?

Speaker 1: 45:13

So I'm on Instagram, Nona heck mad on Instagram, on LinkedIn on the same one and where else. And then the workshop I'll post it on Instagram. I pretty much will post everything on Instagram.

Speaker 2: 45:28

Okay, so I'm going to find you now, because it's always the case that I'm like, yeah, I'm going to add you and then something will come up. Is that you? All things, natural. Yes, all right, I'm following you. Wonderful, great, okay, thanks. Well, thank you so much for coming Like this. I'm so glad we made this work, yeah me too.

Speaker 1: 45:52

We finally did it. It took us a while, but we made it happen, yeah, yeah. I'm glad we did it. Yeah, thank you for having me on the show. It's been a pleasure speaking with you. It really has.