I was impressed by Hoda’s profile on LinkedIn and so connected with her. Today I caught up with her on Zoom to understand her business and how she is changing lives.
Hoda has majored in Economics, (with emphasis on Philosophy and Psychology) from the American University in Cairo and is also an MBA in Marketing.
Her early career in business development and account management took her to IBM, Oracle, and Raya Information Technology. After a few years of corporate world life, in 2005 she relocated to Vienna to join her husband. After 3 years in Austria, she came to Dubai. Here is where she realized her dreams. Her passion for reading and writing led her to start writing a book on happiness. She found the perfect title, ‘Dare to be Happy’. Once the book was launched in 2018, it was an instant hit – in UAE and Egypt.
In her book, Hoda has explained how people are crazy to spend their lives accumulating assets that do not necessarily translate into happiness. I asked her for advice on how one can seek sustainable happiness. She replied, “Find a higher purpose in everything that you do and once you love what you do, you will start leading a fulfilling life.”
I also quizzed Hoda if being ambitious is a good thing and she emphatically said that ambition is a good trait that leads to progress.
Sounds like a simple mantra but one that is worth trying!
Now Hoda is pursuing the next level of her entrepreneurial journey. She is also the founder of ‘The Happiness Matrix for Successful Executives’, a guide and a step-by-step method to help CEOs and top executives dare to be happy, fulfilled, and successful. To help them reach a state of success, and balance in life through getting hold of their authenticity, and their true sources of happiness. Her method is a product of more than 20 years of trials and errors, and of research, observations, and scientific studies. The act of being happy, productive, and effective is a sequence of simple measures which result in great achievements if followed thoroughly. Hoda is also providing corporate training to senior and mid-level executives on soft skills that help keep the team motivated and results in higher productivity.
During the Covid lockdown times, Hoda pivoted to the digital environment and today uses video conferencing and webinars to promote her life’s learnings.
Dubai is her second home she says. After all, Dubai is the capital city of Happiness and is home to so many dreams that have come true. She is truly aligned with the city’s growth in all life’s domains.
I wish her the best.
Penned by Sharad Agarwal