E308 Aidana Ablyazova

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 life. Too many women in this world feel alone. They worry about the judgment of others and they struggle with their mental health. But when they listen to the Rare Girls podcast where empowered women share their voices and tell their stories, many women will feel inspired to live a life of freedom and to overcome all their insecurities. They will feel it is a safe space to find their confidence, to remember their unique beauty and to feel their self-worth and they will connect with the sisterhood of rare girls who encourage their success and support their dreams. That's what this podcast is all about. My guest today is Aydana Ablyazova. Aydana was raised in Dubai, the UAE, and attended university in Virginia, USA. She studied business and mostly focused on building her beauty empire. Her hobbies include exploring, traveling, and business development. Aydana currently doesn't have a permanent place as she is traveling often, mostly Dubai or USA. Her business has allowed her to have a very flexible schedule. Aydana, how are you today? Hi Aziz. I'm very well. Thank you for asking. I feel happy, honored, lucky, and very, very much looking forward to know more about you as a person and as a woman. So I'll begin with this nice first question, which is, if your friends and the people who know you best could describe your personality, what would they say about you? I would say very hardworking, random, and silly. I love that. At the same time, being random and silly is usually a characteristic of a person that gets bored easily, but hard work can be boring to some people. How do you combine both or did you find a way to get fun, adventurous vibes from hard work? Well, actually, because I get bored quite easily, hard work has kept me at the right level because I always keep adding new things to my beauty, business, or I try to find new ways to express my creativity through work. I love that. I wanna go a bit deeper, although I want to return to that point of you expressing your creativity through work, there are many, many women who might have an idea for their own business for something that expresses their creativity, but they worry. They think, oh, nine out of 10 businesses fail. If I fail, I'll be judged by others. I will disappoint my family. I don't know if I'll find a job. If I quit my job and go for the big adventure, how were you able to find that confidence to start your business and what's your advice for them? Well, I did fail. I had a... I did fail at first. I did have another salon actually that I had to close due to COVID conditions. That was tough. But you know what? People around you, that's what matters. The right people who support you. Even if you fail, they will stay strong next to you and they will push you to do better next time, which is why I am where I am now. I love that. And you are someone who's interested in business development. I don't know whether that means you're extroverted, but you probably meet a lot of people. How do you recognize quickly or does it take time or whatever that someone new should be part of your inner circle, that there will be an asset, that someone who supports you, who is not toxic, brings good vibes. Do you have, have you ever developed because of your experience, a way to sift through the right people and people that you keep at distance as acquaintances. To be honest with you I give chance to everyone so you know usually when you meet a person yes you get certain vibes but it takes a few seconds to recognize it but if I see that that person has potential and maybe they're working on themselves I welcome them and then you know what happens happens. So far I've only had good experiences. That's great. You are in the beauty industry. What interested you in it? What attracted you to it? Is it something that maybe since you were little, you were always fascinated with makeup and beauty things so you knew it more than others? Is it some other reason? Maybe you thought actually there is an opportunity for that or whatever? Share more about that story. It's more of a family thing. I'd say my mom used to have a salon when I was like five years old and to be honest I never thought to get back into it until it's just I started taking interest in makeup again you know skincare I went to actually I started working at the mall as a makeup artist and from there I figured I think I will switch to a salon industry so I went and worked as a front desk and a manager at a salon and then eventually I started building connections, I started learning how to do services and opened my own. Thank you. And nowadays we live in a time where there are many girls and women who struggle with self-esteem and their sense of beauty because they compare themselves to a lot of women on social media that could look perfect compared to those girls and they feel ugly. Do you feel that makeup, them going, you know, taking care of their beauty, investing in it in whatever way could be a way that helps them raise their self-esteem or do you have any other advice or any other perspective on this? Yeah I mean self-care is so important I definitely recommend not just women but people in general you know take action towards their outer appearance I mean inside definitely is what matters but you know if you look at yourself and you're not happy with how you look it's gonna make you feel a certain way inside as well. So definitely, I say like skincare, makeup, getting your hair done, getting your brows done. And we have to remember that, you know, women and social media, it's all fake, really. It's a lot of FaceApp, a lot of Facetune, a lot of tweaking. I understand. Thank you for sharing that. And you are someone who travels a lot, who has lived in the UAE and in the US. Have you had an experience of maybe being far away from your family and needing to take care of your mental health because it was overwhelming, too much change, too much stress, too much responsibility at an early age. And if so, what did you do and what's your advice to women who might be struggling with mental health because of big changes in their lives as well? I'd say make sure you take time for yourself. I went to Thailand and I just kind of isolated myself everyone. There was barely any internet connection so I couldn't really check up my social media. I just turned it all off. I kept in touch with my parents, you know, and just posted here and there, but mostly like I just spent time getting massages and there, I mean Thailand is so cheap, it's like six dollars for one massage. So you can literally just spend the whole day getting massages and just relaxing and letting all the negative emotions out. And how is it being a woman in the UAE. Imagine there are women from all over the world and they wonder and they think, I don't know Dubai, is it women friendly? Is there support for women over there? Is it, will I wear whatever I want? Maybe they never visited, I don't know. And so in your own perspective, someone, you are someone who could be living in the US, let's say. Why did you decide to start a business in Dubai? And is it too competitive or is it a place full of opportunities, how do you describe the reality of it? It's definitely a place full of opportunities. You just have to really work hard for it. A lot of girls, a lot of people have this assumption that if you come to Dubai, you just meet a guy and call us, you're good. But no, you have to make sure you put hard work into it. You have the right connections. You have to go out there and meet people and not be afraid to put yourself out on the display and just introduce yourself, let people know what you do. Social media will definitely be a friend. UAE is very women friendly. I'd say men in UAE respect women a lot more than in other countries even. You know, it's just women are prioritized. Women are given, I don't know, like even if you're going out somewhere with guy friends, they will always take care of you. If you are going, I don't know, to an event, you will always be the first to walk, meaning like there is chivalry left in you. Yeah, I'd say the women are very well supported. Thank you. And you spoke about yourself and you said that you're a workaholic. Does it mean literally your work all the time? Or if you need to balance yourself and recharge yourself, what are some things you can do over there that maybe, I mean I imagine in Thailand there a lot more green space and there is a lot more sea and ocean and water for you to enjoy. So how do you balance yourself emotionally to have the energy to work hard in Dubai? The thing is I really enjoy what I do like working with women and beauty industry in general so it doesn't even feel like work to me. So I'd say if I need to take a break I mean Dubai has so many places you can go to just to relax, even staying at home, but I have like an amazing view everywhere you look in Dubai, it's beautiful. But, you know, because I like what I do, I don't feel like I need a break from it, but I'd say I need, whatever I do, I basically combine it with work. Like even if I'm going out, I start creating content and, you know, showing it to my clients just for entertainment purposes or maybe develop new ideas as I go. Recently, I decided to get into clothing lines. Thank you. I have a question about what you mentioned earlier, expressing yourself through your work. I can see that through the clothing line, but in general, how did you find ways to express yourself using the salon itself, like the different things that you do? How does that toward? So I started building a brand beauty by Aydana, meaning whatever is connected to beauty, whether it's makeup, hair, lashes, brows, I set a certain standard that everyone has to follow. And it kind of became, you know, brand itself. So people know they come to my salon, if they come to me, if they get any medical services, it will be top notch, like, they don't have to question it, they don't have to worry. I'm always on top of trends. Also, we like to create trends, you know, like basically create new fashion looks or new a lot of things we take from back home like from Kazakhstan or from Ukraine or Russia like all of these countries because they're way ahead when it comes to trends and usually that's when US and Dubai and like Europe somewhat start following. Thank you and you mentioned that you love the work you do so much that you always combine it with even fun activities, et cetera. What do you love most about it? Is it, for example, noticing the extra energy and excitement that women get when they look at themselves and see the results of the treatment? Is it you that, I don't know, you feel that you were born to do this, so you feel connected to the legacy of your mom as you do this? Or what about this makes you so happy, excited, and in your element? I definitely don't feel like I was born to, you know, do this, but I love seeing women happy afterwards. I love seeing how their life changes, how they start taking different, you know, actions towards certain people or certain situations. They start handling things differently and that all comes just from a small change in appearance. Sometimes, you know, let's say, sorry, I'm just going to carry on with one point. we had some customers who were, you know, post-cancer survivors and like giving them eyebrows or you know, like we would donate certain services. It really changed their perspective of life and I find that very beautiful. I agree 100%. That's absolutely kind of you and something wonderful that you're doing in this world. And I would like to ask you about your advice for women to have and get their Maybe there are some women who are living too much in their comfort zone and they feel too much worry, anxiety about going out of their comfort zone in order to build their potential and reach what they can reach. Do you have advice for them if they feel stuck within a routine and at the same time they worry about breaking that routine because maybe it keeps them and gives them bearings? What should they do so that they confidently go out of their comfort zone? I'd say they should find a mentor, someone who can also guide them and help them. Because I have had a few girls who wanted to change their careers. They would come in, like take courses with me for, let's say, lash extensions or permanent makeup, or, I don't know, they want to do nails. But suddenly, like, they get this fear and sometimes I just have to really push them. And one of the girls, she actually works for me now. she first when she came to me she was crying she was like I can't do this this is too hard and I had to push her a little bit and tell her like no you're gonna do this sit down let's let's do this again let's go over this again so some people I think they need a push and if that push isn't enough then maybe you're in the wrong industry and you need to switch up a bit. Thank you and another thing we live in a time where there is like a lot of thought and confusion about what is femininity? What is masculinity? Some women will say, I don't want to be a business woman. It's too much masculine energy throughout the day. I will feel exhausted or something like that. What would you say about that? Do you feel that you stay in your masculine a lot? Is that comfortable for you? Do you define that as a way to be feminine? If not, what is to you masculine energy within a woman? What is feminine energy? And how do you balance or combine both? I mean, being a businesswoman and a boss definitely makes you a lot more, I guess, masculine. But when it comes to your personal relationships, you have to keep that separate. You cannot be the same way that you are at work with your loved one. And I think with the right person, your femininity or feminine side will definitely, you know, come out and be just fine. Thank you. And to ask you a bit more, you are originally from Kazakhstan, correct? Yes. Do you feel that when you are in Dubai, you tend to gravitate towards and hang around and have friends who are from Kazakhstan? Or because you grew up in Dubai, you have friends from all over the world? Because there are places in this world, for example, and without any like judgment or anything, people from India, anywhere they go, they will be connected with other people from India, and less with other people from or from Pakistan, let's say or China or something like that. And so to you, how do you experience that? Do you feel that you're spending most of your time in friendships, connections, family visits with people from Kazakhstan or are you literally totally international and all your friends are from all over the globe? I wish I had more friends from Kazakhstan to be honest, But most of my friends are just from all over the world. It's very random, just like me. And how was growing up in Dubai? If you could go back in time, or even now, if there is like a family that has kids that could be living in Dubai, is it a great place for them growing up? Is it better that they visit there before having kids and maybe go to Kazakhstan to raise them? Or I don't know, what's your perspective since you lived that first hand? Well, I mean, as much as I love being in Kazakhstan, I left at the age of 12. Dubai has been very good, I think, for that age because it's so safe. Education is absolutely amazing. You know, it's very international, so it raises you to be very open-minded and very well-diverse, I'd say. So I definitely recommend going to Dubai and raising a family there. But, yeah, I haven't been to Kazakhstan for a while, actually, so I wouldn't even know how it is to raise a family there. I understand. And I understand, too, that the next step in your career is your clothing line. Can you share how that idea came through? It's a very competitive field. What do you feel the uniqueness of it will be? And also, why expanding specifically to that rather than, let's say, accessories, hair extension, I don't know whatever you will be interested in. So what was that idea all about? Well, we already do have, like I already have my perfume line. I have the, not accessories I'd say, but just like little beauty by Dana. I guess you can call them accessories, yes. So I'd say clothing line is the next step because I have already been through like skincare, perfumes. So now I just want to go into more, I guess fashion lifestyle, or fashion industry, let's put it that way. Thank you so much. And to finish this, is there any advice that you try to remind yourself of that may be a lesson you realized recently that you can share with other women and you feel will be beneficial for them to hear and to use in their lives? I'd say don't compete with others, compete with yourself, because there are so many other people out there and they're all different levels. you don't know who's where. And it's not about being better than anyone else, but being better than you were yesterday, as corny as it sounds. But it's important to keep it that way, so that way you're staying positive, you're staying healthy. And it's very important to, I guess, remind yourself that tomorrow's another day and you can always do better. Thank you so much, Aydana. It was my privilege and my honor to have you here, to share your voice, your perspective, and this slice of your life and your journey. I wish you all the success and keep going. Thank you so much, Aziz. It's been amazing to be on your podcast. Super amazing. Thank you so much. You are welcome.