The first season of the highly-anticipated Bravo reality series Real Housewives of Dubai is so close, fans can almost taste it. And everyone is already in love with the new cast. The six women—Caroline Stanbury, Nina Ali, Chanel Ayan, Caroline Brooks, Lesa Milan, and Dr. Sara Al Madani—will be hitting screens on June 1st, bringing all the drama and, well, heat, of their cosmopolitan city.
You can expect plenty of glamour and fabulous ‘fits, but at its heart, this group is one of highly motivated business women who hard at work. Sara Al Madani is no exception. She’s a single mom while also managing a whole host of different businesses.
And Sara’s entering RHODubai with contagious passion, drive, and determination. If you’re hoping to learn more about her, Women’s Health has you covered. Sara chatted with WH a little over a week before the premiere to talk about family, finding balance, and business strategy.
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Sara is actually from the United Arab Emirates.
Unlike the rest of the cast, Sara’s grew up in the UAE in a city called Ajman. Later, she moved to another city, Sharjah for a government job. After that, she made the move to Dubai, where she has fallen in with quite the glamorous squad of women.
Sara loves her city and feels pretty lucky that she’s been able to witness the rapid changes its undergone over the years. She believes its growth is a testament to the country’s mentality and forward drive. “I’ve seen it when it was sand, and now I live between buildings and bricks, I’ve seen the whole transition,” she says.
When describing Dubai, it becomes a living, breathing person who has shaped the woman she is today. “As a woman, I believe nothing is impossible, and I’m unstoppable just like my country is,” Sara says.
She’s passionate about representing the modern Arab woman.
While Sara has never been on reality TV, she grew up watching the Housewives franchise. So, when she was approached to be on the show, she was a bit hesitant. Still, her desire to represent Arab women played a major role in her decision to take the leap of faith. “I looked at it as an opportunity for me to use it as a window, to show the world and the West how Arab women are stereotyped in a very wrong way. And that we’re not who they think we are,” says Sara.
In her travels as a businesswoman and entrepreneur, Sara says she’s met a lot of people who assume Arab women are submissive and controlled, which she found surprising. “I was like, ‘It’s almost 2023. People can’t be thinking like that anymore.’ And then I was like, ‘Sara, do it,'” she said. “‘Now, let’s show everybody how modern Arab women really are.'”
As a self-described “rebel,” Sara has spent a long time pushing back against stereotypes and expectations. “I basically believe that my life is mine and it’s not supposed to be lived to impress, or to achieve any validation from the outside,” she says.
She’s a mom and a businesswoman.
ICYDK, Sara is busy being a single mom and a businesswoman involved in like 10 (!!) companies that span various industries including tech, fashion, and restaurants.
Clearly, finding balance has to be a priority. But while everyone has their own opinion on how Sara should manage her time and what “percent” of her energy should be dedicated to work versus family, Sara’s never allowed it to influence her.
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“Balance is what you create for yourself,” she says. “Let’s not generalize or pressure women into creating a balance that is like a cookie-cutter balance to everybody. I think every woman should make her own balance—whatever makes her comfortable, whatever makes her happy. No judgment, no pressuring from anyone around her.”
This “balance” also comes into play when she thinks about her own values.
“I feel like for me, as a woman, I am modest yet liberal, very liberal,” she says. “I am flowing, yet very stable. I am a mix between traditional and modern, and to me, personally, I think in a very balanced way.”
She’s been divorced twice.
…which Sara says is pretty unusual in her world. Still, she’s out there looking for love.
“I don’t think it’s shameful when a woman is divorced, because it’s normal,” Sara explains. “I’ve been divorced twice—married the wrong people, definitely learned my lesson. And I believe that, you know, two wrong experiences, three wrong experiences, 10 wrong experiences, whatever it is, people should never give up on love.”
Only time will tell if Sara finds her mate!
She takes her “me” time seriously.
This housewife wears a lot of different hats, so when the weekend rolls around, she makes time for herself to unwind. Sara describes her one day off a week (usually Fridays but now Saturdays) as her “no one touches me” day and will treat herself to the spa or the movies. Other times she’s off traveling.
In Sara’s view, her emotional state can impacts her son.”Children don’t want mothers, they want happy mothers,” she says. “They want mothers that are living their life and enjoying their life as well, because they can feel your emotions, whether you voice it or not.”
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It took some time to adjust to being on camera 24/7.
Sara has done her fair share of public speaking, but being followed around by cameras all day still took some adjustment. Luckily, the camera crew did a great job at making her feel comfortable, she says, and eventually, the cast is able to “just fall back into your skin and be yourself.”
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Service is her secret to success.
For Sara, a major part of success involves doing things for others. “I believe in service, and I believe that if you have something you should share, you should support, you should help. That’s my number one recipe to success is service and supporting others,” she says.
The list goes on, but that one was at the top. And TBH, I think it’s a great one. Plus, she’s not afraid to dream big. “I think failure is the biggest and best teacher ever, so I’m not intimidated by failure at all,” she says.
What’s her net worth?
This one is still a puzzle. But considering she’s a single mom who also manages so many businesses and somehow still has time to be on RHODubai, I’d say she’s probably doing just fine for herself.
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