The Moroccan business-news anchor and author of new book ‘Don’t Look Down’ talks women in the workplace, loyalty, and falling over on live TV DUBAI: I never dreamed of being a journalist. I’m a very shy, reserved person. I though journalism and media work was for people who are very sociable. When the opportunity arose, though, I was at a point where I was willing to try something else. I think everyone has that time. Ads by optAd360 For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle The fear factor plays a big role in people’s lives, but it just leads to regrets. Don’t be afraid. You should look at the worst-case scenario, for sure, but taking risks is very important for self-discovery. You have to challenge yourself. And you have to fail. Failure puts you in a place where you start asking questions. All this is part of discovering yourself. What I thought was the worst thing I ever did was — lots of people say — the best. It was when I fell live on air. It broke the internet. Apparently, it’s been on a blooper reel on “Ellen.” I’ve never watched it back. It was unreal — like a nightmare. I didn’t want to be famous for falling over! I wanted to be famous for breaking news… But that’s how it was, and, yes, it did help make me famous. You can’t control everything. Women often have to work harder than men to succeed. Institutions were built on a culture that aligned with what men can, and can’t, do. And that culture has barely changed over the past 100 years. Yes, women started going to university and getting educated, and we have female executives, but what has not changed is the culture that was already built. So women had to work within those settings. I had to do probably 10 times what my male colleagues had done before in order to be recognized. Which shouldn’t be the case. We should all be examined by the same criteria. Any woman entering any career has to disprove a stereotype. There’s always that fight. But we should be assessed on our achievements. That’s all. It’s very simple. Ads by optAd360 I am not against men. No. I believe we complement each other. We need a combination of male and female thought to move forward in every aspect of life. I think people are here to learn from each other. We shouldn’t look at it as a man/woman thing. I learn so much from men, and I think men can learn a lot from women. If we can accept that we’re all humans, the world will be much better. Work-life balance is a hot topic. But if you enjoy your work, you don’t need to build a wall around it. And if you hate it, you should be asking yourself, “Is this what I really want to do for the rest of my life?” What would make you happier? When you find that, then it’s no longer ‘work-life balance,’ it’s just life. The best advice I was ever given was “We don’t need to know everything.” I’m talking about our personal lives here, not journalism. Sometimes we have this thirst to know everything about everything, and we end up regretting it once we do know. But the things I don’t know won’t hurt me. Ask yourself: What would change if you knew that thing about that person? Will it really make your life better? I want to deal with people based on my own judgement. The two things I appreciate the most in my friends are loyalty and respect. I’m very loyal, I take that very seriously. And respect goes above everything.