TimeOut Dubai Kids – August 2019

Health & Wellbeing

Time Out UAE Kids August 2019 61

“We

converted

my living

room into

a studio”

and an online community space where other

mums and dads can go to Ànd information,

encouragement and practical advice.

Going live in May 2018, Think Like Mama

recently celebrated its Àrst anniversary and

with the help of a videographer, shared a

diverse selection of inspiring video interviews

on YouTube that are up to 30 minutes long: a

vegan mother describes what it’s like to raise

her child as a vegetarian, a mum explains why

she set up an activity centre in Dubai called

Moms & Tots, a Àrst-time mum shares what

it was like to only get 45 days maternity leave

in the UAE (this woman found it comforting to

return to work quickly as she suffered from

postnatal depression), and one mother who

was forced into an arranged marriage that

fell apart and is now living as a single mum in

Dubai. Not forgetting about dads, the two had

an in-depth conversation with a father and a

number of videos proÀle experts such as a

physiotherapist about how best to approach

tummy-time for newborns.

“Some of our interviewees are intimidated

by the camera at Àrst,” Aeckerle-Ekambi

says. “So we converted my living room into a

studio with sofas and soft lighting to create a

relaxing space. What I love is that after these

conversations, some women are standing

about 3cm taller as the whole experience of

sharing their life struggles, their knowledge

and their wisdom is so empowering.”

Aeckerle-Ekambi is clear about one

thing – the pair do not see themselves as

social media ‘inÁuencers’ but rather content

creators for their own media platform. “The

typical ‘inÁuencer’ shares personal details

of their lives which we don’t do,” Aeckerle-

Ekambi explains. “We offer a service by

sharing personal stories and insights that

will enable others to approach parenting in a

more balanced and conÀdent way.” Aeckerle-

Ekambi believes that an outlet such as Think

Like Mama is even more important in the UAE

where many expats are living far from the

support network of family and friends in their

home country.

Running their business from home and

in their spare time, the two mothers are

otherwise busy with their toddlers (both

roughly three

years old)

and work

• Aeckerle-

Ekambi has

gone back

to school to

study video

editing and

storytelling on top of her job as a freelance

event manager, while Arougueti works as a

customer services coach. Their ambition is for

their other baby Think Like Mama to become

their primary career via collaborations with

companies and brands.

Think Like Mama is compiling a series of

‘how to’ videos this year, such as ‘how to

get toddlers to listen’ and ‘how to deal with

emotions’ and the aim is to bring this online

community into the real world via coffee

events and yoga mornings.

O Get in touch: if you have a story you’d like to share

email [email protected] Find Think Like Mama

on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube,

http://www.thinklikemama.com.

58-61 TOKU_1208_HEALTH & WELLBEING_10778031.indd 61 28/07/2019 16:08:53