Laura-Helene Kopinski
Founder and Director of Inner Seed Wellness
There is so much love and hope offered in the energy of Abu Dhabi. It's definitely a place to check out some time in your life. To live or pass by Abu Dhabi will be life changing.
The adventure to Abu Dhabi is a journey many expats will have experienced but none are ever the same. Some come to the nation’s capital for a few years to work; others fall in love with the city and never leave whereas some have the privilege of growing up and being educated here.
Laura-Helene Kopinksi links with the city begin before she was even born.
“My story is completely entwined with Abu Dhabi. I grew up here, was educated here and now run my own business in Abu Dhabi. Even before I was born, I was linked with Abu Dhabi because my parents met here some 40 years before moving back to France where I was born. They decided to come back when I was six-years-old for the same reason everyone wants to be in Abu Dhabi; the hospitality; the generosity; the kindness; the support and safety of the city.”
French on one side of the family and Lebanese on the other, Laura is no stranger to experiencing a mutli-cultural environment and she believes Abu Dhabi is the perfect melting pot for those wishing to move to a location that promotes a unique combination of diversity and togetherness.
“The beautiful thing about Abu Dhabi is how cosmopolitan the city and emirate is. No matter your background, your nationality or religion, it is very welcoming, accepting and tolerant of everyone so it is easy to adapt and be part of Abu Dhabi. I attended the French school so there was and still is this amazing French community in the city. We never felt the separation of being in a different country which made us feel like we could maintain our French roots while embracing new cultures and customs in a new country. It gave us a very nice balance growing up here.”
The founder and owner of Inner Seed Wellness, a holistic wellness hub for women based in Abu Dhabi, Laura says she found the Government support to be excellent for those individuals looking to branch out on their own and set up their own enterprises particularly for women starting out on their business journey.
“Abu Dhabi has tremendous support when it comes to developing and having a business. The Government can help you through setting up a collaboration with a local partner which makes it easier. As a woman I found a lot of support and did not face the challenges other women may face in other countries. Women are always being encouraged whether through education workshops or measures designed to help them set up their business and I would recommend for any woman to start a business in Abu Dhabi. The community is very engaging and proactive so you will always receive feedback on how to improve your service or product.
A major attraction for most expats moving to the UAE is the lifestyle. Laura believes that residents in the city have started to really take advantage of what Abu Dhabi has to offer in terms of a work/life balance. “It is not that Abu Dhabi did not offer the opportunity for people to have a balance; people had different priorities. People now understand the importance of health and wellbeing and therefore they are consciously finding time to take care of themselves. The fact the weekends are longer now, they have this ability to manage a little bit more of their time.
“Abu Dhabi is offering a lot more opportunities to take care of your health and wellbeing. The parks always have engaging events and workshops, there are a lot of wellness companies, Yoga is becoming very popular alongside a drive to improve everyone’s health and nutrition.”
But as someone who has lived in Abu Dhabi since she was six-years-old, Laura says Abu Dhabi is more than just a place to work and live for a short period of time. She contends that it is a place where you can truly set down roots and establish a life.
“It is not just a place where you work. It is a place where you find an opportunity, find love, and have kids. People come here for two or three years for a contract and the majority end up staying because they just love it here and they feel safe and feel they can build a family.
“I am very grateful to still live in Abu Dhabi and to call this my home. I have gone through the most difficult challenges in Abu Dhabi but I have also healed in Abu Dhabi. There is so much love and hope offered in the energy of Abu Dhabi. It's definitely a place to check out some time in your life. To live or pass by Abu Dhabi will be life changing.”