Nada Baeshen is making her way through passport control as we speak — she is flying back home to Saudi Arabia for a few days and then jetting off to London. She tells the immigration officer that she’s being interviewed on Zoom and he doesn’t seem to mind, perhaps even recognising the Saudi personality — an MBC Arabic television host and influencer with over 700,000 followers on Instagram.
Nada is no stranger to the power of social media. After her wedding photos went viral in 2016, she woke up to an influx of nearly 170,000 followers on the Instagram page of her multi-brand boutique The Huntress, where she would often post live videos on topics ranging from entrepreneurship and fashion to health. Nada has since closed the chapter on her store, now focussing on two other business ventures in the fitness and wellness industries, all while prioritising authenticity through her digital profile. “I always swore that I would never grow from a trend or anything like that — I will always be myself, and I will never be pretentious,” she tells MOJEH. “At the end of the day, I was a Saudi girl from a conservative background, and me being on social media was pushing boundaries, especially being a woman in a very serious field. I was not born a blogger, I was born a corporate girl, who comes from a background that’s very realistic.”
Equipped with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s in management from Boston, Nada entered the workforce through the world of finance, where she was employed by regional firms and international banks for over a decade. “It was a very good base for me to get to know numbers,” says Nada, who decided to open a retail business alongside her full-time banking job. She first called the multi-brand boutique Newbury, inspired by Boston’s bustling Newbury Street — home of cool boutiques and chic restaurants galore. But working long hours in the office while pouring her heart into her first entrepreneurial project proved too demanding. “I was working from 8am to 10pm and one morning, I woke up, got into my car and started crying,” she recalls. “I asked myself, ‘why on earth am I doing this? I’m 28, and I don’t even have a family to feed.’ I realised this was not where I really wanted to be; there was no joy anymore.” Nada quit the corporate world and turned her focus to her boutique, earning additional experience by joining Saudi retail giant Bin Dawood as a buyer across a wide range of levels — from supermarkets to luxury clothing. “When my business was sustainable enough and I could pay my salary, I left my buying job,” says Nada, who married her Kuwaiti husband and relocated to his home country soon after.
But with more and more opportunities opening up back home under Saudi Vision 2030 — the nationwide programme that supports local business ventures, encouraging women’s participation in society and recognising their leadership value — Nada decided to bring her new family back to Jeddah. There she co-founded Padel Pursuit, a community-based complex housing both indoor and outdoor padel courts. She also co-founded Bimini Beauty, a massage home service concept specialising in treatments like lymphatic drainage, body shaping and maderotherapy, all of which she previously had difficulty accessing in Saudi.
In between running her businesses and growing her profile on social media, Nada was recruited for a regular role on MBC1 Arabic show Kalam Nawaem, elevating her influencer status to a whole new dimension. “We’re four women who discuss real topics and cover success stories about thriving businesses in the Middle East,” she says. On the day of our conversation, Nada and her panel of co-hosts delved into issues including gender-based abuse, divorce and avoiding plastic surgery at a young age. Social media, after all, has glamourised body-altering procedures and extravagant makeup methods for young women across the globe — Saudi included. “I’m not going to lie to you, it’s a very harsh world,” says Nada. “At the end of the day, you have to use your head, think with your mind, and not let things get to you. You need to accept that life will create changes in your body, that these changes are beautiful and that with age, there’s still beauty.”
Nada’s own Instagram page is brimming with Dior and Prada cosmetics and fragrances, along with elegant, tailored separates and head-turning gowns with daring cut-outs, often photographed on picturesque Italian hotel balconies and at quaint Parisian cafés. Both on-screen and in her day-to-day, Nada prefers silhouettes that are fitted and flattering in mono-toned styles, and this winter her colour of choice is burgundy: “I just want everything in burgundy right now, it’s driving me crazy,” she says.
Classic fits with sharp details are her sartorial calling. “‘Less is more’ is my motto, and I don’t follow trends — I follow what suits me and my body,” says Nada. Luxury vintage clothing also holds a special place in her heart, and in her wardrobe: she collects vintage John Paul Gaultier pieces, and one of her favourite possessions is a gown by John Galliano for Dior. “I find that pieces that were created before were done way better than they are now, and there’s something so unique about a piece that’s not everywhere — there’s an edge to it,” says Nada. She attended September’s fashion week circuit in Paris and Milan and says she was floored by the stunning designs at Schiaparelli, as well as the upscale bohemian allure at Etro. “It’s the only brand I wear print from,” says Nada, adding that she recently scored an Etro piece from her visit to Bicester Village this summer. “It was a beautiful experience — it’s just an hour out of London and you can find every brand you can think of, with great deals.” Having formed a close connection with the luxury shopping destination in Oxfordshire, Nada took her husband and two children for the day trip, where they dined at Italian eatery Cecconi’s, and enjoyed the village’s by-invitation-only VIP shopping suite.
As we near the end of our interview, Nada begins boarding her plane. And while the constant travel might sound stressful, it’s a form of self-care for the entrepreneur. “I don’t really switch off, I’m always on — but if I do want the joy of detaching and being away, I get on a plane. Travel is my leisure time,” she explains. Still, while Nada’s lifestyle right now involves a flurry of flights, embarking on adventures to shoot exciting campaigns, splurging on luxury shopping escapades and attending glamorous fashion weeks around the world, she always looks forward to returning home. The Kingdom holds a special place in her heart — now, more than ever. “It’s an exciting time for Saudi,” she says. “I always knew that the Saudi woman was capable and educated, she was just in the dark. But now she is shining, in magazines, in sports and in government. It’s not just a change for women, it’s a change for the whole country. I actually moved back here because I couldn’t handle being so far away from a country that’s growing with a lot of positive change.” And while pursuing entrepreneurial dreams may be daunting amid so much societal transformation, Nada urges aspiring visionaries to take the first steps — for they may regret not doing so later. “Believe in yourself, and never let anyone tell you that you can’t do it,” she says. “Life will open up so many doors for you. I got into three different fields I never knew I was capable of, and it worked — so take chances in life.”
Originally published in MOJEH Magazine November 2024. Subscribe here
