Reem Abdulrahman Jassim al-Muftah is one of the most popular wellness advocates' in Qatar and works with Aspetar as the Head of Organisational Development. She's a social media influencer who uses the Instagram platform to amplify her message to the community and create awareness about balanced healthy living. She is also a qualified fitness instructor though she doesn't actually train people, but feels it's a good certification to have for educational purposes, so she has more knowledge when speaking about healthy living.

Reem, whose birthday falls on 9 July, is also a Gulf Times wellness columnist who writes articles on a weekly basis to help people educate themselves in different areas of general holistic wellbeing. She is an alumnus from Carnegie Mellon University - Qatar with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

The ILoveQatar.net team had the chance to do a Q&A with Reem and get to know her and what she does better!

What do you consider to be your career highlight?

Reem: I have accomplished a lot through the different roles I have been in, but the highlight of my career was when I was asked to join Aspetar. This was an honour for me because I was head-hunted for that position and I am very proud to be a part of this institution.

Where will you go from here in terms of what you do?

Reem: I just hope to be able to further my message across the community in regards to living a balanced and healthy lifestyle. And, I would absolutely love to author and publish a book about health and fitness, as well as publish a collection of my favourite articles from the Gulf Times. My aim is to be a role model and show people how they can balance being a full-time working woman as well as being a mother.

Who is your inspiration?

Reem: Honestly, I have a very inspirational family in terms of my parents who raised me and my siblings in a very health-conscious and open way so we could understand how to take care of ourselves, to be independent and to actually educate ourselves before making decisions for our health and for our life. So, I have always been grounded, in terms of eating healthy home-cooked food, being motivated to be active and playing sports to break barriers and challenge myself.

Besides my parents, I am inspired by women in general, who I now compare myself to in terms of how motherhood is very challenging, and I see how women are able to multi-task being a mother and being a full-time working woman as well.

What’s the biggest factor that has helped you be successful?

Reem: Keeping myself accountable for my actions and decisions. Always owning up to my mistakes. Accountability is very important to have when you are dealing with yourself.

What mistakes have you made along the way?

Reem: I found that sometimes, I would bite off more than I could chew in terms of taking on projects, and events or, for example, pushing myself towards certain self goals. I have understood that I should be realistic and practical because I have definitely felt the consequences in regards to having anxiety, feeling pressured and stressed, and not being able to maintain my balance because I have taken on too much.

What was the hardest decision you ever had to make?

Reem: Deciding whether I should stay here in Qatar for university or go abroad because I had different options locally and internationally. It was hard to decide but I am happy with the decision I took of staying in Qatar and studying at the Qatar Foundation.

If you could start all over again, what would you do differently?

Reem: I would go back to my younger self and explain that languages are really important. If I had the opportunity to try and learn more languages and definitely take Arabic more seriously. I should have studied it more as a child so I could be more fluent as an adult because I see the importance of knowing your native tongue fluently. Your native tongue is important, especially if you're living in that country.

What would you like to be remembered for?

Reem: I simply just want to be remembered for being a loved and respected person in the community who tried to send out a positive message in terms of loving yourself and taking care of yourself. I want to be remembered for being a role model and for creating awareness and being successful at it.

How would you describe yourself in 5 words?

Reem: Positive. Driven. Logical. Empathetic. Spiritual

What's the best thing about your job?

Reem: The best thing about my job, and I consider my job to be a wellness advocate, and not only my full-time job at Aspetar, being a mother or being a columnist, is to be able to help others and have a positive impact on the community.

What advice do you have for someone new to the industry?

Reem: To be honest with others, so they can actually learn from you and see from your example. Be real with people and with yourself because you are a role model for others.

What are you most passionate about?

Reem: My passion is helping others by helping myself. Learning from my experiences and being able to advise others through those experiences. Helping others be better and, of course, that is crucial to me in raising and being part of a healthy family.

What do you think are the secrets behind getting to where you are?

Reem: Gratitude and being grateful for what you have and not comparing yourself to others and what you don't have.

What are your future plans?

Reem: First and foremost, my future plans are to raise a happy and healthy family, to open an institution and open my doors to those who need help finding and maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle. I'm not sure what that institution would be, but that's what I'm trying to find out through my platform, what people here in Qatar really need that's not available to them yet.

What are your hobbies?

Reem: My hobbies are definitely going to the gym, being generally active and enjoying the beach.

What is your favourite travel destination?

Reem: My favourite travel destinations are Los Angeles and Greece.

Is there any message you’d like to give the people in Qatar?

Reem: Do not underestimate the importance of maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle and looking at it from two perspectives - mental health and physical health. There are no excuses. You can always find a way that's practical and logical for you to find that balance and maintain a healthy and fit lifestyle.

Want to know more about the work of Reem Al-Muftah? Follow her on Instagram: @keys2balance!

Cover image credit: Reem Al Muftah

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Nabeela

Content Writer

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