The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Lancôme has been leading the cosmetics game for over 75 years, and now they’re empowering Egyptian women to be leaders themselves though the Lancôme Inspires workshop in Egypt, spearheaded by life coach Nevin El-Gendy.

“Women’s empowerment is a core value of Lancôme’s brand, so the aim of this workshop is to inspire Egyptian women to be the best they can be,” says Lancôme marketing manager, Sherine El Naggar.

Lancôme marketing manager, Sherine El Naggar, speaking at the event

The event gathered ten talented, successful Egyptian women of various fields, including singer-song writer and philanthropist, May Abdelaziz, radio and TV presenter, Sally Abdelsalam, renowned makeup artist, Sally Rashid, and singer, Nathalie Saba.

The lucky participants were invited to the Lancôme HQ for a session with certified life coach, Nevin El Gendy, who flew in from Canada to help women in Egypt navigate and make changes in their lives that will in inspire others to do the same.

“I know change can seem scary and sometimes messy, and that is why I do what I do,” El Gendy told us. “I create a safe space for them to go from where they are to the life they really want to live”.

Nevin El Gendy (R) speaks with one of the workshop’s participants

Life coaching is about taking matters into your own two hands and creating the life you desire, which Lancôme considers a priority for Egyptian women’s happiness.

“We want to empower Egyptian women to be the best they can be, to create the world they want to live in,” says El Naggar.

Sharing that mission, Nevin sought to help the attendees discover what they can create in their lives, and through their social influence they’re going to spread that message and inspire other Egyptian women.

The workshop taught the women that you don’t have to accept things the way they are and that through determination and empowerment, you can change the way the world works.

The first question to ask yourself, according to El Gendy, is, ‘what do I want to accomplish?’ Once you determine that, it’s all about setting the intention in your mind and aligning your thoughts with that intention.

“Whatever results you have are based on your thoughts,” says El Gendy. “You need to question your thoughts and emotions before you can move forward to create the life you want.”

Some people prioritise the ‘outside’ and others the ‘inside’, but to be successful, you need to have a balance of both.

“This is where Lancôme and I share the same ideals,” Nevin claims. “We empower women by making them feel good on the inside and outside.”

Through life coaching, women identify ‘blocks’ that have been preventing them from accomplishing aspirations. A major ‘block’, Nevin claims, is the notion of not being ‘good enough’.

“This is what keeps people in their tracks because of the lack of trust in themselves.”

Perfection, according to award-winning author Elizabeth Gilbert, is fear elegantly disguised; Nevin corroborates this, claiming that being afraid of perfection shows that you have the potential to achieve it – all it takes is courage and hard work.

“When I first started on my journey, I told myself that I was going to suck big time, and that’s okay, because I would learn from my results and instead of using them as a tool to judge myself.”

Singer-songwriter, Nathalie Saba, taking part in one of the workshop’s exercises 

The key is to align your actions with your core beliefs and aspirations. For Nevin, transparency and independence are what she strives to uphold. In her sessions, she tells her mentees right off the bat that she doesn’t have the answers – she’s there to give women the tools to discover the answers for themselves. Transparency, authenticity and openness are the foundation of life coaching, and El Gendy encourages Egyptian women to be ‘who they truly are’ and not what they think others want them to be.

TV and radio presenter, Sally Abdelsalam, during a one-on-one session with El Gendy

However, the life coach says that in the Middle East, we tend to be resistant to change – which is a big part of success. She claims Egyptians have a hard time separating fact from fiction in their lives.

“A client of mine was having issues with her father because he wasn’t giving her what she asked for,” recounts El Gendy. “I told her, him not giving you ‘X’ is a fact, but other people may tell you that he’s doing so to protect you, which is fiction.”

Once you determine one from the other, you can change your emotions which will change the way you act. “It creates a ripple effect.”

The most important thing to take away is that you are the most important factor of the equation of change in your life.

“At Lancôme, we believe that your future and path to happiness is totally in your hands,” says El Naggar.

El Gendy’s advice for those feeling lost: “Be clear on what you want to create, align your thoughts with that and allow them to forge the way.”