Wellbeing entrepreneur Natasha Rudatsenko is the founder of Dubai yoga studio Dryp and Health Nag, a functional health service and holistic health education platform. Ms Rudatsenko, 37, from Estonia, was inspired to focus her career on wellness after being diagnosed with chronic illnesses including hypothyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome. Educated in London, she moved to the UAE in 2010 and now lives in Dubai Marina.
How did your upbringing shape your attitude towards money?
I only became financially stable after 34 years, so very recently. You fall, you dust yourself off and try again.
I come from a very average Eastern European family. We didn’t have much. We had the basics: food, clothes, a small apartment in a very provincial city of Estonia. Growing up in that environment, I always wanted more. My mum always used to say that 'money doesn’t grow on trees' and that 'life is hard'. This instilled in me that you have to work hard, and sacrifice a lot to achieve any level of success. I became a fighter and a success chaser before anything else. I put family desires out of the way because I did not believe I could have both, so I chose to follow my career instead. Down the line, I realised you can have a much better work-life balance but I did not see this at first. I don’t have kids now, but I do think about it more often.
How much did you get paid for your first job?
When I went to Estonian Business School to study business management and marketing, I couldn’t really afford it so I begged my mum to take a loan which I promised to pay back. My mum could not afford to support me fully with my university costs, so I also had to look for a job. My first job was a waitress in a Russian restaurant, and I was offered about €700 (Dh2,816) per month. I was studying during the day and working as a waitress on most evenings. Now looking back, I am not sure when I had time for any homework, but somehow, I managed. The work allowed me to take care of myself, my accommodation and food and I managed to pay off the loan five years after I finished school. I am grateful to my mum for that risk she took.
When did you launch your businesses and how did you finance them?
I opened my first-ever business, Rawr Yoga, which focused on Bikram Yoga, in 2012. It was partially set up with money from my ex-husband and I also had a co-founding financial partner. I was in real estate back then and used the money I made from sales. I later sold it in 2015. Dryp was co-founded in 2018 and offered a variety of fitness and yoga classes. It's been closed since mid-March due to Covid-19 regulations but I hope to reopen it soon. Health Nag launched last year and is self-funded.
How did Covid-19 affect your businesses?
For Dryp, we didn't let go of any staff. I relocated them to our main office for some other responsibilities. For Health Nag online, my mission is clear; to educate people about health, immunity and diet and luckily I've been able to do it online. Now, instead of people going to doctors and clinics, people can get professional health advice over the internet.
Have you ever had a month where you feared you could not pay the bills?
Most of my life I really struggled. I have set up a few businesses, lost them and got into debt. There have been many times that not only could I not pay the bills, but I did not even have money to eat. My money fluctuated all the time. I was purely in survival mode for most of my life. I only became financially stable after 34 years, so very recently. You fall, you dust yourself off and try again.
How has the pandemic affected your personal finances?
It is important to save but at the same time it's important not to waste time on Netflix. Now is the best time to invest in a new skill, take that seminar or a course and learn something new which in return can create a new source of income. Something you can do from home or via internet. In my case, I was already doing it. I am an online-based entrepreneur, so it is a little different for me.
However, like many people, I've tightened up all my other expenses and only invest into something that I know will pay the highest dividends – self-education and self-mastery. There is now so much quality content on social media where one can literally learn anything for free; yoga, meditations, free webinars on health and even financial education.
Are you a spender or a saver?
I am an all-or-nothing kind of person. I can be irrationally frugal at times and then I can splurge big on something I regret after. I spend a lot on experiences and personal development, seminars and all sort of educational travels. I don’t spend on fashion items or luxury purchases. That is not me.
What is your most cherished purchase?
A ticket to a Los Angeles entrepreneurial festival in November last year with top class business leaders as speakers and incredible entertainment. It cost me Dh15,000 for the summit ticket and flight in business class. I do these kind of events all the time, so it's not a one-time purchase. They are not cheap but I believe it is the best money spent ever, investing in your personal growth, meaningful connections and business inspirations. These events act as a serious kick in the butt towards your bigger dreams.
Do you have any financial regrets?
I should have saved more along the way while educating myself more in financial literacy and planning, but then I wouldn’t be who I am today. You should have regrets, so you are wiser next time.
What luxuries are important to you?
A beautiful home, geographical fluidity, work that I am passionate about which isn’t driven by financial gains only, comfort travelling, the luxury of time for personal growth and events and the luxury of freedom.
What car do you drive?
A Porsche Cayman.
Do you prefer using a credit card or cash?
Credit card. It makes me feel anxious carrying cash. Somehow, I don’t feel it’s safe.
How do you separate your business and home lives?
I treat my work and my employees as family. My work is my lifestyle and my lifestyle is my work. I have lost all boundaries now. I often make emotional decisions, not necessarily business ones, but that works for me. I am not financially driven. For me, it’s important that what I do helps people. It may sound cheesy, but my businesses are an extension of my passions, habits and personality. This is the way I express myself to the world. I would probably be way more financially successful if I focused on the business side of my start-ups rather than my emotional fulfilment from it.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
DUBAI CARNIVAL RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner Dubai Future, Harry Bentley (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm UAE 1000 Guineas Listed $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner Dubai Love, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
7.40pm Dubai Dash Listed $175,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Equilateral, James Doyle, Charles Hills.
8.15pm Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions $100,000 (D) 1.900m
Winner Laser Show, Kevin Stott, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Al Fahidi Fort Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Glorious Journey, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner George Villiers, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
Sunday's games
Liverpool v West Ham United, 4.30pm (UAE)
Southampton v Burnley, 4.30pm
Arsenal v Manchester City, 7pm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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