ABOUT ME

My name is Sarah Babiker. I’ve lived in Dubai for over 13 years, and have pretty much spent my entire adult life here. Whilst living here, I got married, completed my Bachelor’s and my Master’s, had two beautiful children, worked as a behaviour therapist and a children’s yoga teacher, and started my own business. But don’t ask me how to pump my own petrol, haha! I consider myself a very independent woman and always persevere until a solution is found, but the petrol pumping –
that’s the one thing Dubai has spoiled me with.

WHERE IS HOME?

This is a complex one to answer. I was born in England to Sudanese parents and lived in Rugby for 9 years until we all up and moved to Saudi Arabia to get a life upgrade. Up until that point, England was my home. I came back to England when I was 13 and went to boarding school, but considered Saudi Arabia as home as that’s where my parents were. Although I’m originally Sudanese, I only considered Sudan as home for one year in my life when I went there to fail a year at university!
Having been in Dubai for as long as I have, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, but definitely open to possibilities! So Dubai is home, for now.

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER? 

I was never a child who had a strong calling towards a particular profession from a young age. I knew what my parents wanted to be.  I knew what my siblings wanted to be.  All I knew was, I loved to perform – acting and singing – and I loved talking people through their problems.  Eventually, this developed into a strong interest in psychology but still without a specific goal in mind.  I ended up getting my Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, but even after doing that, I left it behind.  Looking back, I can see that it was clear all along that I was destined to carve my own path.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

I am the founder of A Life You Chose, and as a certified positive psychology coach, I work exclusively with mothers.  Through my social media community, my mission is to normalise the realities of motherhood.  So, I’ll delight in sharing the difficult, messy, overwhelming days.  Supermum is an unrealistic standard to be trying to measure up to, and I want to spread the message that we are humans before being mothers.

Through my 1:1 coaching, I help mums who feel they have lost their identity since becoming mothers.  I help them go from feeling mum guilt, overwhelm, pressure, isolation, and unfulfilled, to taking charge of their lives, pursuing their interests, and having confidence about their life choices.  We get there by disrupting thought patterns and beliefs that have kept them stuck, getting super clear on what makes them happy, and creating specific and manageable plans to make sure they stay on track.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ACTIVITY TO DO WITH YOUR CHILDREN?

Nothing fancy.  We just love to laugh and dance.  I’ll stick on a song on full blast and we have a totally uninhibited dance-a-long.  With any activity we get up to, it’s fun as long as I keep my ‘silly’ alive.

HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR WEEKENDS?

We generally go with the flow.  Fridays are slow – we watch a film together, eat ice cream, and just hang out.  On Saturdays, we like to go outdoors to parks, the desert, the pool.  Weekends are also the time that my husband does all the cooking and washing up, so I get to take my mind off the housework and connect so much better with him and our children.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE?

I don’t have just one, so I’ll go with one from each genre.  Rom com – Love Actually.  Horror – The Others.  Action – Fight Club.  Romance – Pearl Harbour.  Comedy – Bridesmaids.  Drama – either 12 Years A Slave, or The Last King of Scotland.

IF YOU COULD EAT ONE MEAL FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Zero hesitation – Japanese.  And if I had to get super specific, it would be sushi.

WHO’S YOUR CELEBRITY CRUSH?

Common.

WHICH DESTINATION IS ON YOUR BUCKET LIST TO VISIT?

Vanuatu.

WHAT’S YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE?

I don’t feel guilty about any of my pleasures.  😊

IF YOU COULD HAVE A SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Being able to fast forward to achieving my visions.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT LIVING IN DUBAI?

I love that I don’t have to be as conscious about my ethnicity as I do when I travel abroad.  That there are lots of people around from different cultures, has meant that my children haven’t been faced with the same racial abuse that I was growing up, and means that they have got to experience the beauty of diversity since birth.  My hope is that this means they will be better equipped to notice and call out instances of discrimination.