Episode Transcript
Hello, my name is Aziz and I'm the son of a divorced mother. She is really my superhero.
That's why it's important for me to support women to share their uniqueness, their personalities,
perspectives and emotions about this world. In these difficult times in human history,
we need to bring the people of the world together. And when we hear the voices of women, when
we listen to real lives of women from other countries, we connect our cultures without
differences or stereotypes and we get inspired by their stories to live a better life. That's
what this podcast is all about. My guest today is Louise Bergdahl. Louis is a Swedish girl,
the first girl from Sweden on this podcast. Currently, she lives in Dubai and works as
a sales executive for a Swedish company. Louis grew up in a poor household and worked hard
to live her dream life now in Dubai. Louis, how are you today? I'm good. Thank you so
much for having me. I'm honored, privileged and very curious about you as a person. So
I'll begin with this nice first question. If your friends, the people who know you best
could describe your personality, what would they say about you? I think they would describe
me as like a very outgoing person, very bubbly with a lot of energy. And they would probably
say I'm a lot of fun. I love that. And it makes me wonder because I notice more and
more whether it's just the times or after the pandemic, etc. A lot of people are not
so energetic. They're more zombie-like. And so I'm really curious about the source of
your bubbly energy. What is it? Because some people, they have some traumatic experiences
or near death and they're like, wow, life is too precious. I'll enjoy every day no matter
what. Other people, they just have high energy. They're born that way. They're buzzing all
the time. And some other people, they just decided like life is too short. Let me enjoy
it and love myself no matter what. What is it in your case? What creates this bubbly
energy and drive within you? I think it's because I went through so much as a child
and in my life and that I went through so many hardships that I feel like I don't take
life too serious. So you have to really indulge in the moments you have with people and make
the most out of it. I am under the conviction and I love what you said that people who had
trauma become really wise and interesting compared to people who had no hardships. They're
much more naive and somehow shallow when it comes to the depth of their experience of
life. But to ask you, a lot of people, when they experience difficult situations, they
either become traumatized or bitter, but they don't become bubbly and positive. What happened
that made you go through the path of self-improvement and becoming better and stronger because of
those difficult situations rather than be crushed by them and becoming grumpy, depressed,
bitter all the time? It seems to happen to a lot of people who go through difficult situations.
I think it has to do a lot with the hardships that happened to me. It happened to me at
an early age. So I grew up, like I said, very poor and both of my parents passed away at
an early age. So my father passed away when I was 12 and my mother when I was 18. So I
didn't have a choice. It's not like I could choose to be depressed or choose to be grumpy.
I just had to experience the world in my own pace, you know, and that's a very fast pace.
So I think it has a lot to do with that the hardships happened to me at an early age because
I feel like if it happened to me now when I'm 27, almost 28, I feel like I would have
a different approach to it. I understand then to ask you because through
your formative years, your teenage years, you had very, very difficult situations, difficult
moments. And nowadays, teenage girls are growing up in an age of social media where they compare
themselves to women who look perfectly photoshopped or people who are living super jetset life,
etc. And they think, oh, I'm not that beautiful. I'm not that successful. I'll never be and
they become depressed and lose their self-confidence. What do you recommend to them? What have you
done in order to not take life too seriously in order to be confident just because you
exist and enjoy life, etc., without putting too many criteria on it? What would be your
recommendation for yourself if you were growing up today as a teenager and you were facing
the same bombardment of social media photos and messages and all that?
Well, in this day and age, it's kind of scary because when I grew up, we didn't even have
phones. You had to knock on the door of your friends to be able to hang out or, you know,
to see them. So for me, growing up poor, I didn't have clothes like the other people
had in my class, for example. Or after Christmas break, I would have to lie to say that I received
Christmas gifts when I didn't get any Christmas gifts. So being like an outcast, it's something
that I take very close to my heart. And I think about the youth and I'm kind of scared
to have my own children in this day and age, because like you said, it's a lot of social
media. It's a lot of editing photos and showing this extravagant lifestyle, especially here
in Dubai. It's like a bubble you live in. So the only thing that made me strong is just
to push through as a kid. It was hard growing up. But now when I'm more mature, I have,
I feel like I know myself and my self worth, but I feel like it takes you to grow up to
feel that it's nothing that can happen in your in your youth, because I feel like mostly
girls also will feel the pressure to look a certain way and to act a certain way and
to have certain material things. And when you don't have those, or even if you do, you
just want to fit in to the crowd. And that's something that's very hard to do. And I feel
like that's something that should grow out of as you grow. So it's just the teenage years.
That's very hard. But I feel like the only thing to manage that is to find yourself 100%.
And you mentioned being extroverted, and living in Dubai, and you probably meet a lot of people,
you found yourself or have a lot more maturity. What do you look for in people that you consider
can make part of your life, you know, you consider to be your person rather than some
nice people who stay as acquaintances? Are you looking for similar bubbly energy, values?
Maybe you feel you know them all your life, like from a previous reincarnation, when it
comes to people selection, because over time, you learn who will be too toxic, who will
be fake, who will be real to you? What's your method or criteria?
I don't have a lot of close friends, I have a lot of acquaintances. So what I look for
in a close friend is just a positive outlook on life. Because nowadays, I feel like it's
so common to look negatively on everything. So just look positively at the small things,
and not complain about everything that's going on, even if it's a big problem or a small
problem, because it's very easy for you to find a circle that's negative. And then all
of a sudden, you're so negative, your your circle is negative. So I like to surround
myself with like minded people last. So just positive, it doesn't have to mean that you're
an extrovert, a lot of my close friends are actually, you would kind of call them introverted,
but not really. So just positive outlook on life, you know?
I know. And those people tend, like I said, to have had some difficulties or troubles
or traumas early on that shaped them compared to those who didn't. And speaking about Dubai,
can you tell me the story of how did you choose to go to Dubai? Why was it one of your goals
or dreams? And how would you describe life in Dubai, compared to other places you might
have visited for some listeners who might not have lived there the way you do?
So I worked as a sales executive for almost my whole life. It was my first job. And I've
been in the field for almost 13 years now. And I was working in 2017. I was working for
a company back in Sweden. And then we had a competition, a sales competition, which
I won. So we traveled to Dubai, and then they had an office down here for the same branch.
So I moved out here for a year from 2017 to 18. And then I moved back home. And then a
year ago, I actually got accepted to university for teaching. And when I got accepted, I just
felt like that wasn't my destiny. I wanted to go back to Dubai to see what I can do,
because I feel like I'm destined for greater things. I felt like I wanted to become a teacher
for a big part of my life. And then when I got accepted, I just didn't feel right. So
I just moved out here again.
Thank you. And I noticed you said you feel you're destined for big things or greater
things. And it makes me think, what is your metaphysical belief that gives you this sensation?
Is it like you believe that the world is created for you in order to develop? Every person
is a lesson, whether positive or negative, and you are manifesting your destiny? Or is
it that you believe in destiny and that you're meant to do some big purpose and that it's
part of your spiritual or meditation feeling, et cetera? Or are you a girl who's always
reading about horoscope, doing some tarot readings, et cetera? Or you're just very logical
as a sales executive and just had this feeling because you had too much trauma and you're
like, this has to mean something.
So for a long time, I was very into manifesting. I actually believed in the simulation theory.
So I believe that we all just lived in a game. And now I've converted to Islam. So my views
on life has changed a lot through the past years. But in my life, everything just happens.
There's no contemplating. I just do what feels right. So for example, my move to Dubai happened
within a month. I just said, you know what? I got accepted to university. I don't want
to do this. I want to go back to Dubai. So I just found a job through Facebook talking
to some people. I still have my friends from back in the day when I used to work here.
And I just feel like, like I said earlier, I don't want to take life too serious. So
whatever happens, happens. And I have a theory in my life that if you have an impulse to
do something, you should always act on that impulse. And that has led me to good things
and great things in life. If you just trust your gut and just go with your gut and don't
think too much about the decisions you make.
Yes, interesting. And you mentioned that you're now converted to Islam. How did that happen?
Can you share more?
It just kind of happened. So I grew up with a lot of Muslims in my life, and I've never
really thought about faith for my whole life. Like I said, I believe that we live in a simulation.
I believed in manifesting. And then I was just, I would say for three months, I was
just contemplating it for myself. I didn't tell anyone. I was just talking to God. And
obviously, I don't speak Arabic. So I was just talking to God. And then I was saying,
you know, if Islam is the right way for me, show me a sign. And then the sign would show
up, but I would disregard it. So every day I would say, show me a sign, show me a sign,
up until the day that there was no denying. So I was just, I was just overwhelmed. And
I said, Okay, so I, me and my friend, we went to breakfast. And then she said, Isn't it
time for you to convert? Because I told her about all my feelings and all my thoughts
and everything. And she's born a Muslim. So I said, Yeah, I think it's time. So we went
to a small mosque here in Dubai in Ajan. And I did my Shahada. And I'm still learning.
Like I said, I don't speak Arabic. I can't really pray. I read the Quran, small, small,
small pieces. You know, I take it one step at a time. And I look at a lot of YouTube
videos, you know, and I asked my friends, I have some group chats that I'm in. So it's
been very interesting for me. And it was, I would say, three or four months ago, I converted.
So it's very new to me.
I'm very happy for you. At the same time, I'm sensing that you're a very spontaneous
person who, like you said, you do what feels right, you follow your emotions. Usually a
person like that tends to be chaotic, somehow disorganized because you go in all directions
at once. So how did you keep your success? For example, you said you won that competition
for sales in the previous Swedish company, and now you're building your life in Dubai.
So how do you create the discipline necessary for you to succeed and achieve your goals
while still following your impulses, what feels right and riding the emotions to enjoy
everything new and fresh and exciting?
I'm very blessed, I would say, to work at the job I'm working at right now, because
I feel like I'm surrounded by very like minded people. And I feel like my boss challenges
me a lot mentally. So I'm very lucky to have that in my life right now. And in Dubai, it's
a lot harder than back in Sweden. So it's up and down. And then I have very much structure
in my life. So back in the day, I used to party a lot. I still party, I still go out.
I still enjoy to go to nice dinners or beach clubs and stuff like that. But for me, it's
a lot about the routine. So like, I wake up in the morning, I go to the gym, I go to work.
And then after work, I come home. And usually I just, you know, cook some stuff, or I clean
my apartment. And then I don't have the same impulses that I used to have if I if I look
back even only six months from now. So I'm changing every day. And the thing I said about
always acting on your impulse, that also applies to your routine. So for example, if you wake
up in the morning, you feel like I want to go out for a run, you wake up and you go for
that run, you know?
Yes, that keeps life fresh and exciting. And therefore you don't get bored of being productive,
etc. So it's a really great idea. And to finish this, is there a lesson or some insight or
anything that you wish someone told you some years ago that maybe you're trying to implement
in your life or you believe that if other women and girls could implement they can enjoy
life fully and at the same time, feel blessed, be great, be confident, etc. What would be
your advice to them or your words just to share more of the good vibes and the good
wisdom?
I would just say try to always stay positive no matter what happens in life. So even if
the worst possible thing happens to you, for example, the worst possible thing for me was
losing my parents. But if I look at a positive view, from that experience, it would be like
I said, I grew up in a poor household. Now, I would love to have my parents here with
me and have a big family. I don't have one. So instead, I say, you know what, I'm out
here in Dubai. The positive note when not having a big family is that I'm not tied down
to anything. I can move wherever I want in the world. I don't have any obligation to
stay in one place like my friends have, for example, you know, they they want to go back
to Sweden or they have family that they miss. I am free as a bird. So I would just say to
all the women out there, look at everything from a positive perspective, even if it feels
like you really can't. And then also, try to not care about what other people think
about you. And that's very much easier said than done. But yeah, try to be positive and
just stay on your own path and find your own lane and then just go, you know.
Thank you, Louis, for these wonderful words of wisdom. It was really my privilege and
my honor to share your voice, to interview you. I wish you success there in your big
life decision to move to Dubai instead of teaching, which was another dream of yours.
I wish you happiness, peace of mind and thank you again.
Thank you so much for having me. It was a pleasure and it was very nice meeting you.
I'm looking forward to your project and to listen to other girls episodes.
