Rana Nawas left the corporate world nearly two years ago to produce and host a podcast — one that is now considered the most popular in the Arab world.
The English-language series, When Women Win , tells the stories of successful women from all over the world and, according to Apple, has become the most listened to podcast in the Middle East.
It first gained traction in 2017 in Dubai, where it is produced, before it started to spread across the region.
Ms. Nawas said she created the series “to give women all over the world access to role models” by highlighting the “extraordinary things” ordinary women are doing.
“I’ve been surprised at how the region has embraced When Women Win ,” the 40-year-old said, adding aviation giant Emirates Airline would start airing her show this month.
“There’s a thirst for content, there’s clearly a thirst for female role models,” said the Briton of Lebanese and Palestinian origins.
“ When Women Win , which is available to download in 144 countries, is the most popular podcast even in the ultra-conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to Ms. Nawas.
Ms. Nawas, whose show is entirely self-funded, said she hopes to be able to draw financing from other sources. “It’s not sustainable,” she said.
“I am hoping in a couple of years, once I have the impact that I want... to start bringing investors on or bringing advertisers or sponsors on board.”
Like Ms. Nawas, Sudanese-born Omar Tom and friends created a podcast in 2016 that touches on topics they feel are neglected in traditional media.
His English-language podcast — the Dukkan Show — focusses on is life in the Gulf for members of its huge expatriate population.
In the show, the hosts chat to guests as if sitting in a dukkan — or “corner store” — where it is common culture in the Arab world to socialise with friends and neighbours.
Podcast vs radio
Many young Arab people now prefer podcasts over traditional radio programmes. For Rami Baassiri, 26, podcasts allow him to be more productive and do two things at once.
“There’s a lot of downtime in my day, whether I’m commuting to work, driving, in the gym, in queues in the mall, at the airport, so I like to make use of that time,” he said.
