Throughout my career I have always felt most comfortable being the one asking the questions, shining a light on the success of others and telling the stories of those who had something important to say. Only recently, perhaps as my three daughters begin their own professional journeys, has a new impulse started to drive me. To begin to tell my story, share my accrued knowledge and basically take up a bit more space in the world.

It has been a realisation that while the work I do has value, it’s not the only valuable thing about me. I have something to offer that goes beyond the articles I write, my podcast interviews and the magazines I oversee. It is perhaps this reason that I resonate so deeply with our cover star, the renowned Emirati artist Lamya Gargash.

After over two decades of honing her craft and preferring to let the work speak for her, she too has decided that it is time to step into the spotlight her oeuvre has created for her – to take agency over the narrative of her life. In A New Focus, Gargash delves deep into the motives behind her finally deciding that it was time to be seen. But she is not the only woman spreading her wings in this issue. The nascent Emirati fashion designer Azza Al Suwaidi, who won the inaugural ADMAF x Dolce & Gabbana Design Award, shares her incredible story. As does the American actress Maud Apatow, who opens up about directing her first film. And we can all be inspired in the way Aparna Kaushik found a renewed sense of purpose with her work as an architect and transformed her business into one courted by billionaires.

Lamya Gargash Cover

There is nothing more powerful than being seen. Perhaps this is why, even though I have been in my role for a relatively short time, I was so deeply inspired and moved by the winners of this year’s Emirates Woman Awards. Taking time to celebrate the achievements of an impressive cross-section of women who call the GCC their home has only made me even more intentional with the profiles of the women I want to grace the pages of our magazine in 2026.

So, dear reader, please reach out to me and let me know about the women in your lives that merit recognition. I can’t wait to discover them and have the honour to tell their stories. Enjoy the issue.

Jessica’s to-do list

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Out Of The Blue

Now something of a holiday tradition is a trip to the cinema every few years to see what the Na'vi are up to. This month director James Cameron brings us the third instalment in his cinematic opus – Avatar: Fire and Ash. And mark your calendars for December 2029 and 2031 for the final two features. I guess patience is a virtue.

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LUX LIFE

Rosalía is back with a genredefying fourth album called Lux (latin for light). And what a blinding musical light it is. The artist spent two years on the album, which beautifully showcases her versatility (she sings in 13 different languages) and her vitality.

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We The People

World famous documentarian Ken Burns is back with another historic deep dive. As next year is the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, his six-part, 12-hour series titled The American Revolution is an eye-opening education in what it takes to form a nation.

December’s – The Winter Issue – Download Now

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Images: Shot by Emirates Woman