EP10: DRIVE: Saudi Motorsport Athlete Dania Akeel on the ‘in the moment’ mindset and racing in the Dakar Rally

Our guest today, Dania Akeel, is the first motorsport athlete on our podcast. And it's fitting since she has a lot of firsts herself:  The first Saudi woman to hold a National Competition License for Speedbike Circuit Racing. The first Saudi woman to participate in an international Rally Competition. The first woman globally to win an FIA Cross Country World Cup in the T3 Category.   The first Saudi woman to complete the Dakar Rally and last but not least,  the first Arab woman to finish in the top ten of that same Dakar Rally All this achieved in a little over three years of racing.  In our chat with Dania, we discuss how her love of driving started early and an unintentional start to her racing career which eventually led her to the prestigious Dakar Rally.  She also tells us about the mindset that carried her through a period of recovery after an accident, and her wonderful and judgment-free perspective on life and racing. Dania shares that she is going to be racing in the 2023 Dakar Rally in January and we will be sure to be watching. Dania can be found on social media at @dania.akeel and at www.daniaakeel.com. To learn more about the Dakar Rally, visit www.dakar.com To learn more about motorsports in Saudi Arabia, visit https://samf.gov.sa Our wider support team for this episode includes Editor JJ Thompson and our Artwork is by the talented Alexandra Hickey of Studio Theodore. For more info,  visit www.themettleset.com , and follow us on @themettlesetWe hope you enjoy the episode! Dawn & Afshan @dawnable @afshahmed