Dr. Lamees Hamdan: Creating Your Own Path

“Your profession does not define you. What you studied in college does not necessarily define what path you need or have to take.”

— Dr. Lamees Hamdan


Her Story of Success…

When Dr. Lamees Hamdan struggled to find a safe and effective stretch mark oil to use while pregnant, she decided to make her own. That project grew into Shiffa, a luxury, organic skincare line that focuses on healing the skin from within. Dr. Lamees took a major risk when she left her job in the medical field to launch Shiffa, but her efforts paid off. Today, the brand is sold in Sephoras in the Middle East and in Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s in the U.S., and Dr. Lamees’ products are also used by spas around the world. 

Dr. Lamees recently re-entered the medical profession and is now working with the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Health, promoting integrative healing. She also launched a new company, DL.MD, where she used her knowledge to develop a liquid multivitamin. Dr. Lamees has achieved so many things while also raising her four children and committing to continue learning about holistic health, and she serves as a huge inspiration.

In This Episode: In this episode, Dr. Lamees tells her story of discovering a new passion for clean, safe beauty products (4:44). After developing an organic stretch mark oil for herself, she realized she could build a business around it, so she decided to launch Shiffa (6:10). Even though leaving the medical field to start a new business involved major risks, Dr. Lamees learned to overcome the fear of “what if” and start new projects without having all the answers (7:48). She offers advice about moving past fear of failure and learning from the people who tell you “no” (11:45). Dr. Lamees also explains how watching her father’s entrepreneurship taught her important lessons about taking smart risks and making sacrifices for your business (17:15). 

Because she started Shiffa while also raising young children, Dr. Lamees leaned heavily on the support of her husband and family, and she shares how their help allowed her to grow her business from products she made in her kitchen to the successful brand it is today (21:06). Though being a mom of four while also running her businesses comes with plenty of challenges, Dr. Lamees has learned to communicate openly with her kids so they can know that she’s involved in their lives (30:32). Dr. Lamees has still struggled to make time for herself, though, and she opens up about learning to overcome guilt and prioritize rest and self-care (34:35). Today, Dr. Lamees tries to focus more on enjoying the journey rather than racing toward achievements, and she talks about how she’s applying that philosophy to her new company (39:25). Dr. Lamees also shares some of her favorite wellness trends and advice, from oil pulling to finding the right supplement for you (45:17).