Nancy Abdul Rahman and Ahmed "Flex" Omar

00:02 Hi, my name is Ahmed Flex Omar. I am 38 years old today is December 5th, 2019. We're here at story Corp in Chicago and I'm here with my friend Nancy and yes and safe.

00:17 Hi, my name is Nancy after the man I'm 37 years old and I'm here with flex in Chicago and I'm excited to talk about myself and him and tell us where does your journey begin we can start with your childhood where you were born. I was born in Cairo in the early 80s of Korra swear. It was very different to what it was today. I was so, you know amongst a lot of family and then by the time my I think it might my parents were getting ready to leave Cairo anyway, because I was getting a little bit.

01:11 Difficult to raise children and in the way and in the way in the Sanders that they had wanted for for their own selves and end their career are so we moved to Dubai where there was a lot more opportunity for both my parents. My mom was in banking at the time but she's always had this passion for media and she first sergeant radio funny enough and and then she went on to TV production. And is she she also reported and interviewed and featured. She hosted people or is my dad was in the oil and gas industry. So the middle like the GCC was just perfect for him as well. And we you know, since I was 6 years old I lived in Dubai

02:11 My life had changed in many ways. Number one. I didn't have the family that I had that I was blessed. What's and Cairo but at the same time am I had an amazing amount of friends and I let you know being away from family or just you have to create your own through friendships and whatnot. So at a very young age, I I started to learn what it's like to build my own community and I just carried that wherever I went and then yeah fast forward a few years. I went to live in New York for a while for school and then I went back to Dubai for an amazing work opportunity.

03:03 Stay there for a few years start a company with some friends and then 2009 came and just wanted everyone to buy specially the business that I started wasn't real states that we were really really badly affected. And then that's when I decided I'm just going to take a sabbatical travel a little bit and and see where I go from there. I take it easy. I have always always been interested in the Arts since I was very a little bit

03:39 Unfortunately, you know, the Middle Eastern culture doesn't really encourage. You know, that kind of thinking, you know, you're you're meant to become like a doctor or a lawyer or you know Banker so as much as I wanted to study the Arts my parents, you know, encourage me or like they they they appreciated my creative side, but they just thought that it would be better for me to get in a solid degree before I could make a decision to pursue other interests.

04:16 So I dabbled I went into business school. I went to do psychology. I went to do it so much and towards the end. I am actually three subjects short of graduation and I have not graduated from college that Finance all finance and I'm not I'm more like creative and yeah, so when I met my husband during my time of sabbatical here in the US actually at a Leica Arts Festival Arts and Music Festival, he was living in the UK nose and Dubai and

05:00 He ended up moving to Chicago and we had a long-distance relationship. I was ready to move to London funny enough. He was living there for like some work opportunity and and I decided to come visit. I did not like Chicago in the winter when it first came, but I visited again and the summer and this was 2010 2009-2010. Literally when that whole bubble happening in / like the economy collapsing. Yeah, and I decided to remove we you know for religious reasons, we got married and live together for a while and and then I'll talk to you about the career part.

06:00 A little bit you were born in Cairo you have any early memories cuz I think you left to Dubai when you were six. Yeah, we left to do by when it early memories. They're all family related. Do you know I mean that's was all that I did. I spent a lot of time with family, you know, I guessed grandparents. I mean, they they have been very influential to this day on the decisions that I make and you know, what they of imparted only one of them still is still alive, but the ones that are in there anymore, we're the ones that left Yaya genpact on me. So I just I just remember I don't know food. I guess the Egyptian food and the going out with my dad and drinking.

07:00 I said something sugarcane juice and just yeah spending time with cousins and you moved to the UAE. How long did you live in the UAE? We can calculate how automatic trunk of your life. Yeah, but but in between of course I left a New York for a while and like other other cities as well for a little bit life like in Dubai cuz then you would be there in the eighties people know about Dubai, you know, I mean, that's when I started to understand what was happening and 90s.

07:51 I was born in 82 I moved and I was like 6 7 8 same or 7 and yeah, I was like we're just entering the 90 is it was a Village People knew each other people were nice and kind and you just knew everyone like Jumeirah add are always beautiful. We used to go on the my mom used to work and and bank. So she worked in and there I will live too close to the Sheikh Zayed Road area, which was Barron there was nothing absolutely wasn't there were no buildings like that the end of the world for me was that, you know Metropolitan Hotel, which is now like old Dubai.

08:46 Yeah, and and it just living living there and watching it change so rapidly and having you know, so many people have common going from like a very tiny population into one of the world's leading, you know, travel destination or business that like, you know, it's it's just to come now Hub. I'm going to stop for many Industries. Wow, we had difficulty. My mom had difficulty putting me in school because you know the whole like getting into schools and placements and whatever it was that we came and I came in and March so I was like right in the middle of like

09:36 Essentially the only place I found was it a Pakistani school and that's what I had my first exposure to a different culture completely different culture. And then of course I moved after that to a different more international school, but that may I learnt or do there in one year I spent there and all the students were from Pakistan. Of course, we're starting everything was an English, but it was be Pakistani English high school or what have you and yeah, and I just I still remember those people in the words and the letters that they made me do, you know study and write we said about the culture history and I still remember the teachers there were just you know, it was just such a lovely.

10:31 First couple of years of my school graduated from and it was more like I'm at everyone from everywhere and

10:50 Myra went by my people from everywhere. I go people who are from Europe from the Middle East from Asia from you know, even had American friends who I'm still in touch with us today, and it was just it was amazing. I think that was a really one of the best things about device that you got exposed to all these cultures and it just makes you very accepting and open-minded and understanding business-wise also helps you with your with your communication. And yeah, and I went to the Cambridge High School. Oh, wow, that's amazing. So you must have the same.

11:50 What's really big? It's now a gems International. They have a school here, but the school that we went to digest that's incredible like the growth that the United Arab Emirates have experienced over. The last few years is just I have you like it's I've yet to find a nation worldwide that has grown as fast and as quickly as successfully as well. I mean there isn't there is nothing that's like 100%. The model like the whole social and business model of Dubai has been such an incredible like a textbook. It's the text. You know that wanna on a country that was you know, I think I have

12:45 I am still to minded about this but it it just seems to me that way. It was it was modeled on a business. Especially Dubai on the way. It was, you know position then leveraged for growth and the way to scale so fast and all the companies coming in and it just felt like a corporation or someone describe it like that but it makes total sense. Most of the oil money is in Abu Dhabi, you know Industries, but I had lovers of selves at Marie Howell, and therefore, you know, I don't want to say, you know, it just fell into some trouble during the 2009 Global thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

13:45 She working banking but then she also worked in media banking was just her first job. Okay to the American Bank both my parents worked for American corporation. My dad hallyburton and my mom like the American Bank of Cairo whatever which is now a Chase or something. I am not sure. Yeah, so she has always she's a creative. She studied the Arts and she's always

14:21 Is she's always had an interest and in other people and Justin and in creating she's a very creative person. So it was natural for her to sort of fall into production TV and the role model for me because she was like one of the first woman to interview over to that interview is Sheikh Mohammed or a Nelson Mandela or like these huge profiles, you know, and it's so inspiring that the chi she does. Yeah. So when you were going to school and Cambridge it tell us a little bit about your life that time, you know, when serve like describing what is going to school over there and that you were supposed to like going to school here, you know.

15:20 Well, I don't I'm still trying to navigate the whole schooling in the u.s. Marked as my child is my my eldest is going to kindergarten next year. That is so confusing because over there it's just schooling as you either have private or public if you go public it's just Arabic and my parents does not want that for us. They wanted us to be have a more International upbringing in education going to school there. I felt like I was entering a world. It was like a Disneyland or are you know, not not from that not the fun part, but I was because it was a British school. I was studying about British culture. I was setting about British history of my teachers were British or Irish or you know from from the UK.

16:17 So the leadership and and the teaching was mostly like not from the UAE all the students in there where it was hardly any they're only like three emirati students in like my entire year and it just I just felt like I was on like you and you're like on a cruise ship or something or you know your me to do you say yes, I would like every this was my everyday where I was, you know, the moment I stepped out of school you were you just meet with those different Middle Eastern culture, you know where everything's in Arabic and but then as you enter you just going to this totally new world and you feel like you're in the UK, you know, it's so that's just how I felt. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so I guess maybe that's why I ended up marrying a British guy your condition.

17:17 Sure, and it's familiarity and that's what people are usually drawn to or you know, we we bought we like we have an affinity or or kinship with with what and who we know where we come from for sure it did you do your IGCSE?

17:40 Well, first of all, you had to choose your subject choosing a subject for me was very hard because I'm one of those people that I don't know whether is blessed or cursed I saw a figure that out but I I use both sides of my brain. I love physics. I love love love physics and I like the sign says but I also love art. Sorry. I chose like languages Java chews everything and to worst and I just didn't want to let go off like all up in like some such as I had to like, you know, drop a few subjects cuz I can practically to everything but I just tried to focus on on the subjects were I was mostly interested in a supposed to all my God that you remember like you don't British education. I will say is so much more detail than American Education.

18:40 They are you actually you you're working there like

18:45 Play child labor for 40 days. Oh my God is over the top people that I was supposed to take a right on 895 knots because people are done within 7 and 8 and I just it's just there was too much cool stuff for me to choose from and I just I was sort of also hungry for knowledge always have been the craziest thing for me was having everyone in that same time-zone take their exams at the same time and then cuz exempt all got shipped from from Cambridge University to the university corrected and then you got mail back like one page, right?

19:45 Pig sounds as well. Oh my God. You see I'm telling you. It's hot. It's work. It's work, you know for years ago. I'm not going to hear your question. No teachers were snipers. I wish I wish I could cuz I know I tried so hard to just do anything, you know chiqui, but it was they were hired extra staff not allowed to even look at the exams. So they had to open them right then and there that they had it was truly crazy when I went to you. No go to as you mentioned New York, right? So was that after high school or when did you go to, New York?

20:43 After High School, I did I did a little bit of fall. I went to a community college and Dubai just because my my family and personal circumstance.

21:01 At my parents are getting a divorce. So I just had to be around but when you know, the dust settled a little bit and I had the opportunity to transfer credits and whatnot. I went straight to a New York. I studied at Berkeley College and if I T there different this was a call. I like of an urban College something like DePaul or you know, yeah, I was like, like I said, you know, like I'm I went in there like, you know

21:41 Child in a candy store and I was like, oh my God. There's fat like I can study fashion.

21:48 So I took some courses there. Yeah, I just took some some courses and

21:57 Yeah, awesome. How long did you spend in New York?

22:02 All depends like you know, I can't really say like you can't really say you stayed a full-year because you always go back right so they collectively if I can't like all the months or whatever it will probably be two years and all I can cuz you know, you're there for four months ago back home for a star's First Impressions when you I felt at home because of the community there because of my

22:34 I'm very creative and and I also my way of thinking was it was a little bit out there. Like I still have to this day people who used to call me crazy or quirky or you know, like you know or weird but that's just because I always challenged I've always since I was very little always challenged the Norms or you know, and but when I when I went to when I went to New York, I just found a lot of people around like me who will like, you know, who always question everything, you know, and I didn't wanted to know more like why why you know, and I just felt felt so at home for the first time and and all the noise and all the stimulation and all the the busyness the New York offers did not bother me because I was just soaking up all the the the

23:34 Joy that you got from connecting with with like-minded oxygen totally the energy at their son real but when I go now when I when I go back and live there, I'm not sure.

23:48 Tell Chicago's just have got a different about that cuz you mentioned that you didn't like Chicago when you first get released the winter and haven't liked seeing nobody on the streets. It was February given it was just it just felt so empty and you know it I just I just didn't feel the energy but then comes summer and everyone's out on the streets and it's busy of obviously not as busy as New York, but just seeing that's it the city just you change has 180 degrees from me know when turtu to summer wants indoors in the winter.

24:31 Summer everyone's out and and then you know, I started to meet people through my blog the Sheik. Okay, so that's funny. So when I first came here because of immigrations and work permits and what not. I I didn't really I couldn't really find worker and because I was nearly married all my my immigration and work papers and stuff weren't ready on time. So I decided instead of pursuing, you know job opportunities in interviews and then being, you know told that I can't work there because of my immigration status.

25:15 I decided to focus my energy and just developing a Blog and I thought well, this is my chance to Lake restart. Do you know I spend so much time and private-equity and Dubai I might as well just come back to what I truly truly love which is the arts and culture and fashion. So I started snapping up photos of people on the street that are dressed uniquely because Chicago at the time was it known as like, you know, a stylish City or and I documented it and from there more more people started coming in to join and you know, there is my my my friend Jason who, you know wanted to write about the menswear which is very unique care and in Chicago and that I had another friend Priya who came in to write about the food and like it just started developing and turning into a magazine.

26:15 And because I write and I spend a lot of time, you know in the past. I've also in Dubai I wrote for a lot of magazines and newspapers. I I have that I had that training journalistic training to like at a copy and and presented nicely. So I just ended up falling, you know into the role of an editor I guess and I'm through that it just grew and you know we

26:49 We became a magazine that goes. Yeah, and but recently I've redirected completely and I've always been passionate about the environment and recently liked with all that's been happening with climate change.

27:06 Especially in the last two three years. I felt that it's important for me to go and talk about my true my life right now after having children as well and and how you know, how we can encourage people to preserve the planets in any way they can buy living more consciously and substantive play ride, cuz you're thinking about their future absolutely going to be no matter how much I write or say to try and convert people's lifestyle choices and two more in for endure conscious consumer choices. It is very hard to convince hundreds of thousands of millions of people.

28:03 On on what to do unless there is a like laws that are enforced early governmental intervention that would you know change things for people it's hard. It's hard to know where we're living in age of convenience where you know, everything is convenient and unless unless you know bigger a laws on Forest people will still consume. I mean, you know and spitting a lot of bad men will come back to the business you grew up in the you're born age if you grew up in the UA went to British school and now I live in America. How would you define your identity?

29:01 I still call myself an Egyptian because that's where I was born. That's for the first five years of my life. That's like who I became, you know, you form your identity the first five years of your life from what I've read and Ice I speak the Egyptian dialect and Arabic or is it be living in Dubai just learned so many other dialects I'm fluent and all of them because you know to buy but I I still I I say that I'm originally injection living in Chicago or living in the US.

29:42 That's awesome. Yeah. I'm so tell us how you met your husband.

29:48 I told you.

29:51 We were both, you know traveling and we we were both at the same Arts Festival and Nevada and we were with friends are friends or talking to each other a little groups groups. And then we just sort of our groups merged airplane cuz I hear about Arts festivals, but I don't really hear this one is really interesting. It's really interesting is really out there at first people were like, what are you guys doing is burning man, you know, this was like

30:33 I like I went like 12 Years a sound like you have no idea how long I've been trying to go to the Festival. But now I finally have the time because you know, I was fired from the economy and I was just traveling right I was and he was like on a similar Journey as well. You know, like he he was in you know, he ended a relationship and what not and he's thought well, this is a great time to just go out there and explore and the funny thing about burning man as it's it, like people from all over the world go there to try and it's a social experiment as well where the economy is like a gifting economy and there's so many volunteer opportunities, which we were part of and it was just so nice to see a place where there was no,

31:33 Monetary attachment to any sort of kind of action or like you you didn't even have to bother you just gift from what you have and vice-versa. Yeah, so I was always curious about that the culture of that festival and yeah there and stayed in touch and he came to see me in to buy that my family and Chicago British fully born bread like middle and which is spirits.

32:22 Yeah, I have to meet him because I have a friend that went to the same school.

32:32 We both go to the same school and it's a small world, but that's cool so we can go back to the to the business and he said, you know, you pivot it sort of like looking at set of the

32:51 Climate change and so on like what other issues do you guys cover in your diversity as one I've always covered diversity. Also, I've always featured female entrepreneurs. Listen cool, but there's so much that goes behind it and the whole process that people go through entrepreneurship like it's just really fascinating so I don't just feed sure woman but I feature entrepreneurs cuz there's like a bunch of men inspiring men that have started sustainable or ethical companies that are featured. But yeah, so so that's and obviously, you know, we talked about parenting wellness and anxiety is a big Topic at the moment because of our culture, you know.

33:51 Being on the our phones the whole time. So we always like, you know, put out some messaging about how on how to manage your anxiety, you know on your own or if you know by encouraging it to talk to friends and you know and get closer with techniques and tools on like how to self help the audience so changed. I think it's grown with me. So I've had a lot of a lot of people there were like early adopters that have grown with me. I have become parents now, so like writing about parenting topics are irrelevant, but I do have a lot of diverse like, you know, I think they like middle-eastern following and people aren't interested in sustainability.

34:50 Man woman now, but majority woman, of course, I am hoping to launch a I love design. So I'm hoping to launch a table where a line called tell Len and starting with just like a salad bowl, you know that you can take everywhere instead of those doggie bags or take out boxes and you could use that for like and I was like your your hats bowler of fruit bowl on the table or just like a multi-function. We'll start with that and see where it goes from there.

35:38 I told you there's a lot of work that goes into the whole process. So I'm learning from from all the people that featured. So yeah, you're here to stay.

35:52 Because we're not tied down to family in the US. We just we don't know like we don't know what what's our next next date to know. We just feel like there's so much of the u.s. To explore and so we might we might be moving down south caf2. What are the names Casper and Leo. Babies. I'm a very busy woman. How do you do it all and my neighbor is help. I live in a building. We're currently in between houses. And we live in a building. The community is Great Pyrenees.

36:52 I just love them so much that they come and they just take them for half an hour at a time or are you know and it's amazing like having a community is so it's really important as awesome. Who are they?

37:08 I'm guessing I was way before I left 4 and a half year old speaking the $200 or so. Is he?

37:17 More than I want them to have you started teaching them Arabic, you know, I started from the beginning to try not to like this morning this evening, like what we've I talked to him as much as I can the little one started a note demanding that I don't like know Arabic but it's hard when your partner is is not an Arab speaker to reinforce the language or I like to to do the back and forth language, but I tried to put some media like a Egyptian movies. Are you no music or whatever and we travel to them at least annually, so

38:03 But that's one big challenge that I have. How do I teach them Arabic? Of course, it would be my pleasure has been a wonderful wonderful interview Friday and interview. I was asked like to ask this last question is what advice do you have? You know for someone who's just like in school or starting their, you know, career man, you mentioned entrepreneurship and how hard it is in a lot of you know, young people now want to be entrepreneurs, right it what would your advice you know, baby, you know, it depends on what what you want to do and what path you want to take. But anywhere you go build

39:03 Sing a strong network is as really crochet. Like if you're in school, if you're in an College building at work get to be nice to people be kind to people, you know, I read read about other entrepreneur put in the hard work, you know, it's so easy to just you know, do other things and you know get you don't have a lot of fun but hard work pays off. But yeah, I think I think building your network as as important because you never know what person can open a door for you later on. I'm based on what ideas you have. And yeah, so thank you Nancy today for sharing your story. Thank you.