NAME: Samina Selena Minhas
AGE: 33
INSTAGRAM HANDLE: @sheknowsbestofficial
JOB TITLE: Founder of She Knows Best
MOVED TO THE UAE IN: 2015
Samina moved to Dubai in 2015, to continue her career as a primary school teacher. The move to the UAE was an exciting one however with the very many highs of living in the Emirates, came the very difficult lows. Samina often battled through problems on her own and often had nobody to talk to or friends to turn to in her hour of need. She used to think that she was the only one who felt these emotions. The feelings of sadness, inertia, loneliness, isolation and anxiety became overwhelming and at times crippling. Samina realised that she was one out of hundreds of other women who felt the same. After building up the courage to share her story to the world after 9 long years, Samina decided to create a much needed platform where women can ask for and share advice anonymously based on their own experiences of life and personal stories. This is how She Knows Best was created. The uniqueness of She Knows Best is that it is a truly anonymous platform that allows females from the UAE and around the globe to speak about real life issues in a safe and supportive online environment.
Samina believes that She Knows Best is not just a platform. It is a friend, it is a confidant, it is a revelation. Samina wants women to feel seen, guided, valued and heard so that all women can share their life experiences and ask for advice with no bias, no agenda and no judgement. As the launch of She Knows Best approaches, Samina hopes that women will feel a sense of relief using the blog and enjoy the beautiful bond of female sisterhood through shared life experiences because ultimately, We Know Best, You Know Best and She Knows Best! She Knows Best will officially launch on Sunday 13th October.
Samina is originally from the United Kingdom and will be getting married in April next year! Aside from teaching full time and managing She Knows Best, Samina enjoys reading, eating out and learning Arabic. She is passionate about children’s education and enjoys travelling to experience different cultures and ways of life.
Let's discover a day in Samina's life:
6 AM: I wake up and have my usual bowl of cereal and cup of tea! I usually put on the washing machine and listen to Sade or Mariah Carey as I potter around the house. I like to read quotes that help settle any nerves or anxiety I may be feeling and then enjoy putting on my make-up and clothes, so I feel ready to face the tasks ahead. I have a “check-in” meeting with my website developer later this morning, so I make notes on improvements and tweaks I would like to be made on the SKB official website before the launch.
10AM: To prepare for the upcoming launch of www.sheknows-best.com, I have a meeting with my website developer and speak to him about updates on the website. I usually have a list of tweaks that I would like to be made to ensure the user experience on the She Knows Best website is truly anonymous, secure and safe for women to use. We work on this together and share ideas based on his expertise and experience in creating many successful and powerful blog platforms.
2PM: I draft some notes on new social media content that I would like to share on the SKB Instagram page, @sheknowsbestofficial. I then discuss my ideas with my marketing and social media advisor who provides me with valuable insights and advice about what the current engagement trends are suggesting and how best I can reach women in Europe and the UK. We have a really productive catch up and I feel excited about the launch!
4PM: I then head to another meeting, this time with a wonderful CEO of a large online fashion boutique to discuss a potential collaboration for the She Knows Best launch. We discuss ideas and ways that we can support the SKB sisterhood in line with the official launch in 7 days time. Its lovely to connect with a strong, inspiring female CEO who can resonate and empathise with the vision and message of SKB.
6PM: I have an online call with an inspirational life coach and former COO of a large bank who helps me to further plan the launch and next few months as She Knows Best becomes established. It is lovely to speak with her about my short term vision for the inception of SKB and her advice is valuable and motivating. I am nervous about the launch but her guidance and own experience of setting up many large business ventures, inspires me to give it my all and not give up.
8PM: I usually start to prepare dinner and often procrastinate with my partner for about 30 minutes as we decide on what to eat! I also use this time to prepare my lunch for the following day and lay out my clothes for another early morning start. I have recently started listening to a new podcast run by Paul C Brunsen entitled “We Need to Talk” and his guest is Lauren Goodger. Lauren’s honesty and bravery to speak about loneliness and lack of friendship in recent years, moves me to tears and makes me reflect on my own journey of trying to make friends and deal with social anxiety.
10PM: I am usually in bed and reading one of my many self-help and social science books. Currently, I am reading “All About Love: New Visions” by Bell Hooks – a fantastic book that discusses love and how it is perceived in modern society. One of my favourite quotes from the book so far is – “When we are loving, we openly and honestly express care, affection, responsibility, respect, commitment, and trust”. What a lovely quote and a wonderful reminder that through it all, love is all we need. Goodnight world!
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