Mic check: How podcaster Sabal Almadi is spotlighting Middle Eastern changemakers

From fitness entrepreneurs to fashion stylists, graphic designers to TV hosts, Sabal Almadi is showcasing the creativity at the core of the Middle East on her podcast one guest at a time. 

First launched in May 2021, Bedouin’s Coffee Corner invites one progressive changemaker to share their story each episode, exploring how they got into their industries and the barriers they’ve had to overcome along the way.

"There are a lot more women doing podcasts in Arabic. I feel like women in media are trailblazers. We’re seeing and hearing a lot more Arab women... It makes me so proud, I’m like, you go girl! It’s not a competitive environment. We all follow and support each other"

For Sabal, the story is no different. At first, she was hesitant to launch Bedouin’s Coffee Corner. “I was very doubtful that people would want to listen to [the podcast] or be interested,” she tells The New Arab. “One of the main things that can hold you back in life is your self-doubt, self-sabotaging yourself by not going out and doing something. 

“I’ve always been a fan of podcasts, and I had lots of ideas for what I could talk about on my own. At first, I wanted to talk about health as an Arab woman. I’ve gone through a huge health and fitness journey, but I’m not an expert in that and I thought it could get boring," she adds. 

“What triggered me to start Bedouin’s Coffee Corner was a lot of frustration. I was doing a Master’s at New York University in journalism, and I was the only Arab on the programme. I kept seeing the negative connotations in articles we were studying about the Middle East, written by people who didn’t respect or understand the culture. Every country and culture has good and bad, but it was consistently negative every time you’d hear about Arabs or the Middle East.” 

“I was raised and had some of the most beautiful times of my life here, and I see all the progressive change, amazing projects, the surge of women as CEOs and pioneers in their fields – it’s such a beautiful time to be in the Middle East, so while I was reading all these negative things, I was seeing the opposite. I want people to get on the podcast and tell their stories because that’s a reflection of the society we’re in,” Sabal says.

“We’re still seen as backwards in the Middle East, but it’s always been a place of culture, arts and history. It’s very unfortunate these things are overlooked. These creatives are doing so much in their industries, and this podcast is a reflection of these incredible individuals in society."

In terms of how she finds her guests, who range from Crank gym founder Nuno Costa Fernandes to Zeina Kilani, a stylist who has worked for the likes of Vogue Arabia and GQ, Sabal explains that she is looking for changemakers.

Each episode helps to break down stereotypes about the Middle East. Sabal’s first guest, Mohammed Joudeh, was the first men’s style blogger in Jordan. “He’s showing that it’s okay to be a man, dress well and be into fashion in the Middle East. Lama Alhamawi is an incredible journalist and is really popular on TikTok, showing women in the Middle East can be career-driven and independent. Nuno is an expat who has given so much to the UAE, breaking the stereotype that ex-pats are not always integrated into society.

“Ola Gushta is a hijabi fashion blogger, and we did her episode in Arabic because her message was more about breaking stereotypes for Arab women, that it’s okay to be a hijabi and still feel trendy while you have a career. It’s not an obstacle,” she adds.

As Sabal notes, while the Arab world might be aware of the innovation within the region, the Western world has some myth-busting to do.

So who is the podcast aimed at? “It’s intended for everyone. People in the West who have those assumptions can listen to an episode and change an assumption they’ve had. Ola, who did her episode in Arabic, was more to break stereotypes within our culture because unfortunately we still have those negative connotations. The podcast is meant to inspire people.”

As for being a woman in tech, Sabal hopes that it’s becoming more common. “There are a lot more women doing podcasts in Arabic. I feel like women in media are trailblazers. We’re seeing and hearing a lot more Arab women.” Sabal says it makes her “so warm and fuzzy” every time she sees a woman in the Middle East. “It makes me so proud, I’m like, you go girl! It’s not a competitive environment. We all follow and support each other.”   

By platforming these changemakers, Sabal is making waves herself, influencing a more positive perception of what’s going on in the Middle East right now.

But as much as Bedouin’s Coffee Corner delights and surprises its listeners, the podcast has also opened Sabal’s eyes. “Each person I’ve interviewed has taught me something, whether it’s to be a little bit more open to things that come my way or to feel more inspired. When I interviewed Lama, it made me feel a spark of why I started journalism," she explains. 

“When I interviewed Aya Barqawi, it made me realise how some of the things we talked about hit home when it came to friends, a work-life balance and social media. I feel incredibly honoured to be able to interview the people I do because it allows me to have that connection and take those lessons to heart.”  

So what does Sabal want people to take from Bedouin’s Coffee Corner? “I want Arabs listening to the podcast to feel proud and represented. I want them to feel like the sky’s the limit for them. With all these incredible movements, projects and initiatives, there’s room for everyone to flourish.

"For Western people, I hope that they feel more open and that the misconceptions they might have heard [about the Middle East] are not necessarily true. I hope they can see that there are two sides to everything and that the outlets they might be getting their news from might not be reporting fairly and ethically.”

With a boom of creativity in the region, Sabal has more than enough talent to pick from for her next series.

Isabella Silvers is a multi-award-winning editor and journalist, having written for Cosmopolitan, Women's Health, Refinery 29 and more. She also writes a weekly newsletter on mixed-race identity, titled Mixed Messages.

Follow her on Twitter: @izzymks