Episode 1: Nelly Attar: Getting Saudi Arabia Moving
For season 1’s premiere episode, I kick things off with a rich conversation with entrepreneur, trainer, athlete, and all-around sports superstar Nelly Attar.
Nelly is a Lebanese national, born and raised in Saudi Arabia, and in 2017 she quit her full-time job as a therapist and life coach to start teaching fitness and dance classes in Saudia Arabia’s capital city of Riyadh. Yes, you read that correctly. You might think that Saudi Arabia would be less than welcoming to a woman starting her own dance studio.
But Nelly’s story reveals the warmth, energy, and openness that most people overlook in Saudi culture. We talk about her journey to starting MOVE, what the media gets wrong about Saudi Arabia (hint: it’s a lot.), and what one does next after literally summiting the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest. It’s full of thoughtful, wise insights about the incredible power of doing what you love and sharing it with other women, along the way.
