What's up Emz?

In this episode, I catch with a good friend of mine JC Calvez, who's currently working as a nurse on a COVID-19 ward at a hospital in Ireland. JC gives us an insight into what it's like dealing with patients, how medical workers are coping and advises us on how we can all stay safe at this time.

At this time when many of us are isolating at home, staying fit and healthy can be a challenge. Our homes are now offices and schools and many of us can't face using it as a gym as well. In this episode, I chat to personal trainer and fitness coach Jason Grima, about what we can do to keep moving, eat well and stay healthy at this time.

These are certainly challenging times that we're living in. It's hard enough for many people to be inside, but what about our furry four legged friends? There have been changing restrictions when it comes to dogs in Dubai, as to whether owners could take them for walks or even toilet breaks. With man's best friend currently by our sides all the time as we stay in isolation, I caught up with Dr Lucinda Nattrass, Managing Partner at DKC Veterinary Clinic in Dubai to ask her what we should do to help our dogs adjust.

This week is Shark Week, an annual event that highlights these incredible creatures of the sea, dispelling myths and misconceptions through documentaries and educational activities. Atlantis in Dubai has got on board with and talks from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, IFAW, CITES and special guest the 'Shark Man' himself, Mike Rutzen. Mike works tirelessly to highlight the plight of sharks worldwide, researching and funding projects to protect them, as well as creating documentaries and educational programmes. I was lucky enough to catch up with Mike when he visited Dubai to launch Shark Week.

In this episode of What's Up Emz, I sat down with Gbemi Giwa to talk about the launch of her West African food outlet 'Catfish'. Formerly known as Dubai Fit Foodie, Gbemi has taken her passion for food and fitness, and created a food concept based on her African roots. I wanted to find out, why she started Catfish, the concept behind it all, the advise she would give to other young people wanting to give their own startup a go and where she sees the food outlet in the future. You can find more information on Catfish on social media: @CatfishDXB

I recently got invited to the launch of The Body Shop's new festive range 'Enchanted By Nature', so I took the opportunity to sit down for a chat with Iftekhar Siddique, Retail Manager for the UAE, to talk about the products, the social responsibility of the brand and it's plans for the future. The Body Shop has a long history, with founder Anita Roddick opening the first store in 1976 in the UK. The brand is well known for being cruelty free, committed to fair trade and having a social conscience. For more information about the UAE outlets, check out their social handles @TheBodyShopUAE

The Global CEO Forum was recently held in Dubai, where I had a chance to sit down with Founder of Vbites, Heather Mills. Heather is well known for be a vegan and sports woman. Heather lost part of her leg in an accident with a police motorcycle in 1993, and she credits being put on a raw, vegan diet as helping her to heal and improving her health. Ever since she's been an advocate of the vegan lifestyle and has started her own range called Vbites - soon to be launched across various stores in the UAE. In this interview we chat about the benefits of going vegan and how vegan diets and foods are becoming better and ever more popular.

I recently sat down for a candid chat with Natalie Banks, the Founder of Azraq, to talk all things marine conservation, the #stopsucking campaign, how to rid the beaches of cigarette butts and the problem that plastic is causing our environment. Looking after the enviroment, marine conservation and educating others about why we shouldn't keep cetaceans in captivity are all subjects close to my heart, so it was a pleasure to talk to Natalie about all of this and the plans the organisation has for the future. For more information on Azraq and the work they're doing, please check out their website https://azraqme.org/ and you can follow them on social media: @azraqme

Recently I got invited to the launch of a new healthy eating restaurant, the flagship outlet of Under500 in Dubai's Motorcity. All the dishes are under 500 calories, with the calorie breakdown. The food is healthy, hearty, with nice vegetarian and vegan options. I sat down with Ghenwa Tarabay, Marketing Manager for Under500 to find out more about it.

There's something new an exciting in Dubai. Something that will challenge you, both physically and mentally, but is a lot of fun and will leave you with a gigantic smile on your face. That something is Aventura Parks. It's Dubai's 'One of a kind, tree-surfing, zip-lining, rope-climping adventure'. I got the chance to have a go and I absolutely loved it. I also had a chat with co-founder Hadi Fakhoury on why he decided to bring Aventura Parks to Dubai. For more information you can head to the website: www.aventuraparks.com

This year I managed to take in a very short, but amazing trip to Oslo, Norway. I've always wanted to visit the Nordic countries as they've long held a fascination for me. In this podcast, I bring you the highlights of my trip - getting there, getting around, things to see and do and some handy travel tips.

This year I went to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, for the very first time. In this podcast I give you a bit of history behind the most popular festival in the world, tell you what to expect, what I think and also chat to others about their experiences.