Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud, the first female Saudi ambassador to the US, appeared on The Mo Show podcast earlier this month, for a candid hour-long conversation on her upbringing, her career path, the importance of financial literacy for both genders, empowerment of Saudi women in sports, and even Abouther.com. We have rounded up our favorite moments from this important talk here. You can also watch the insightful episode in its entirety here.
- On her position as the first female Saudi ambassador to the US
Princess Reema responded that “it was one of the most emotional days of my life.”
- On life lessons from her family
Princess Reema evoked sincere admiration to her family lineage. Her Royal Highness also stressed on the lessons she learned from her father and uncle. She stated that she takes warmth and the connectivity from her father, and that impact it had on people when Prince Bandar Bin Sultan spoke to people. From her uncle, Princess Reema mentioned a very powerful sentence that she learned from him: “Be brief, be thoughtful, be direct.”
- On advice to younger women and girls
HRH gave a very inspiring set of lessons for young girls, mainly about being self-confident, being inquisitive and curious. She also mentioned that learning, trying, and failing are very important for self-growth. Trusting your journey is crucial because it might also take you on a different path.
Her diplomat position is a different turn her life took, which she welcomed with open hands.
- On Vision 2030
“If you’re from the generation of 2030, how are you going to inspire the generation post 2030?” Her Royal Highness mentioned how the current generation has the creativity and soundness to pass on the amazing energy the vision has fostered. “Just like we did to you. It’s not over in 2030,” she states.
- On unwinding and de-stressing
“The biggest gift you can give yourself is sleep,” the Princess responded, talking about how important and healthy it is to just sit and be quiet, and reflect on what happened. “I enjoy my time alone because I meet so many people all day long,” she says.
Princess Reema also mentions that it is important to recognize the energetic impact one has on a team, so she makes it a thing to bring the energy down, in order to be her best self for her team the next day. Oh, and she loves the outdoors of Virginia, and thinks they are “gorgeous”.
- On her favorite books and movies
Giving a solid point, she says, “I like books, I like movies, and I typically don’t like movies of books I’ve read. Because I’ve imagined a world, but then I would watch someone's imagination. I would rather not read the book of the movie, or only read the book and not watch the movie.” However, Her Royal Highness mentioned that her favorite movie was The Princess Bride, starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, André the Giant, and Christopher Guest.
- On feeling good
The Princess answers that her kids, family, friends, music, and sunshine puts her in a good mood. She jokingly says, “I am not a winter child. I am grateful for the rain, but it doesn’t put me in a good mood.”
- On her favorite workout that she continues to benefit from
A rowing machine! Princess Reema talks about how she started rowing on this machine called Hydro, about a year and a half ago, and how it has changed her life.
- On her message to people who look up to her or admire her
Princess Reema concludes the podcast with a powerful message of self-care, “I first would say thank you. I am very humbled that I am someone you would take advice from. Remember to be kind to yourself. You, as an individual, you need to take care of yourself if you need to take care of ours.”
