Mutual respect, unconditional love and plenty of humour allow Dubai-based Emirati lawyer Diana Hamade, 56, and Nada AlGhurair, 27 to not only navigate their mother/daughter relationship but truly thrive within it. On Mother’s Day, they talk to MOJEH about their similarities and differences, how time has turned the tables on how they support one another and what a mother’s love truly means.
As an introduction, how would you describe each other?
Diana: Nada is a sweet person with the best intentions. She carries herself as someone who really cares — about everything and everyone.
Nada: My mum is a warrior, but with a very soft heart.
In what ways are you alike and different?
Diana: We’re very similar in our style — the same clothes, the same colours. But also, in that we both really care. About people, our pets, everything.
Nada: The biggest difference is that my mum is an extrovert and I’m an introvert. My star sign is Cancer, and when I was a kid, she’d say: “Little crab, come out of your shell, don’t be scared.” But I’d be like, no, I like it in here! We’re two completely different personalities. She’s also a doer — a very fast-paced, hasty person who wants things done ASAP, whereas I like to think and take my time.
What does mother/daughter love look like?
Diana: I think a mother has a very special place in her heart for her daughter; her daughter is literally part of her. At times, the love is too intense and can restrict that little child from growing their own roots, but… That kind of love, I want that.
How has your relationship evolved over the years?
Nada: When I was young, she was my best friend. I knew she was always there for me. She’d tell me: “I’m your mum, but I’m also your friend, your sister, your best friend. I’m everything at once.” So I never felt the urge to hide anything from her. And our relationship has always been like that. I think we’re also each other’s strongest critic. And now it’s changed completely… Now she’s the one coming to me. I’m like the mum!
Diana: Yes, today I just ask for her advice — what I should wear, how should I answer this email… She’s my best person. She supervises me! The authoritarian relationship that a mother has with a child doesn’t exist anymore. She’s a young woman with her own law degree, her own business. I mean, who am I to tell her what to do?
And you still live together?
Diana: Yes, we have to live together, there’s no option! I always joke that she doesn’t leave our house until she gets married. And her dad says: “Whoever marries our daughter will have to move in!” And he’s right. We’re not letting her go!
Nada: It makes me feel special, I’m not going to lie, because I have two younger brothers and I don’t hear my parents talking about them like this. When I was younger, I wanted to escape, but now it’s nicer to be closer to them. I want to be here.
Nada, you also followed your mum into a career in law?
Nada: Yes. I didn’t know what I wanted to study at university, though a part of me always wanted to study law, despite my mum not wanting me to! I can’t even tell you why I chose it — perhaps to make a difference in people’s lives.
Diana: Maybe because you thought I was a super person, a superstar mum, maybe that?!
Nada: Maybe! You always made it sound like a fun, glamorous profession. Then I worked for the DFSA [Dubai Financial Services Authority] for a year, before moving to my mum’s company. We worked together for three years but butted heads a bit too much at home and at work, so it made it difficult.
Diana: It was my firm, my legal practice and she wouldn’t take orders or direction from me! [Laughs]. The learning process for her was always challenging, because she believed she could do it a different way. And I do understand. She’s a Gen Z – they do things in their own way.
Now, Nada, you’ve launched a new business?
Nada: Yes, last year I went down a completely different path to set up a meal prep company called Livit Daily, which is a food delivery, macro-counted meal plan in Dubai that introduces people to a healthier lifestyle. It took a year to get kick-started and we launched three months ago.
How did your mum support you in the new venture?
Nada: In the beginning, she was upset that I was leaving law to do something entirely different. She was a bit sceptical, and there was a bit of push and pull. But once she saw that it’s a passion of mine, she’s been incredibly supportive.
Diana: My law degree was my life saviour. My father was a lawyer, so law is not a practice, it’s a life. I didn’t understand why she wanted to leave something so profound. But, she didn’t feel like it was part of her. And Nada’s loved food since she was a kid – analysing every green plant to put in this salad, or that, so fussy about dressings, and just baking all the time.
You have a beautiful relationship – what are the core foundations?
Diana: It’s not to expect your daughter to just be you. They have their own life, their own dreams, their own passions. Let them thrive in their own way. The more you put pressure on them, the less you’ll be able to hold hands and go through life together.
Nada: Honesty and guidance. The more honest my mum was with me growing up and the more I got to know her, it made it easier to relate to her as she guided me and the closer we became.
What have you learned about love from each other?
Nada: That it’s unconditional. We could have the worst fights, the worst days, be each other’s enemies, but I knew the love was unconditional. Nothing would ever change.
Diana: My daughter has been my rock at times in my life, especially during difficult times. It was because she was by my side that I was able to stand up again. She’d say, “Mum, you’re a warrior, you’re a fighter, just get up and do it.”
All relationships go through challenges, how have you navigated yours?
Nada: I would say, never let things go by too long. If we had a fight, we’d give each other a few hours, a day, then pick up the phone and apologise. It’s that reassurance that whatever has happened hasn’t changed the relationship. We would never sweep things under the rug, we’d tackle them as fast as we could. Communication is key.
Diana: Exactly, it’s about not giving the other person the cold shoulder and speaking things through. This is what I taught my children.
What would be your one over-riding law of love?
Diana: Love is all about being there, standing up for that person, being present. That’s what really shows love.
Nada: To stick with each other no matter what.
Diana, do you have one last piece of advice for Nada?
Diana: I see mothers and daughters struggling with their relationship, which is normal. I had struggled with my own mother. We all do. But there’s one thing she always used to say to me, “The fire of tonight will be ash tomorrow”, which basically means tomorrow is another day. It always made me feel that the world is going to be okay.
Nada: The same thing my mum was told, she now tells us and it’s what I believe, too. It might be a stressful situation, but guess what? Tomorrow, it’s going to be ashes. So don’t let anything eat you up – just love and be happy.
What do you most look forward to about the relationship?
Diana: I’m most looking forward to seeing my daughter excelling in whatever she is passionate about – whether it’s work, family, friends. I want her to do her best. It’s always been about that, about seeing her shining in whatever she does.
Nada: My wish is for my mum to be genuinely at peace and happy. I know she loves hustling, and it feeds her and brings her joy, but one day I want her to just relax and to enjoy and love what’s around her, because love is everywhere and in everything. To just be at peace and to be happy. That’s what I’ve envisioned.
Photographed by Ziga Mihelcic | Styled by Lindsay Judge | Hair by Elisabeth Mp | Makeup by Ria Jaini.
Originally published in the March 2026 issue of MOJEH Magazine. Subscribe here
