When Karen Campbell first arrived on the Saudi Red Sea, she was met with a landscape that felt elemental and untamed. “The raw untouched drama of the Saudi Red Sea coastline is awe-inspiring,” she tells MOJEH. Towering mountains drop sharply into cobalt waters, shells glint like relics of an untouched world, and the horizon stretches in an unbroken arc. For Campbell, who grew up in New Zealand tending orchards, sheep, and bees, the moment reawakened a childhood instinct for balance and a connection to the natural world.
It is this instinct that drives Jayasom Wellness Resort, AMAALA, the flagship wellness sanctuary she co-founded. “Wellbeing is not a luxury; it’s a birthright,” Campbell says. The resort merges evidence-based medicine with centuries-old Arab and Islamic healing traditions, guided by halal principles she describes as “ethical healing” where “treatments are permissible, clean, safe and respectful; they avoid harm, exploitation and are beneficial.” Every detail – from the texture of the sand underfoot during seaside yoga sessions to the flavours and freshness of the organic farm-to-table meals – reinforces a philosophy of connection, presence and deliberate living.
Before founding Jayasom in 2014, Karen Campbell navigated the high-stakes worlds of finance and diplomacy, from leading a major Thai bank to representing New Zealand abroad. Along the way, she built a bridge between science and strategy, with a Zoology degree from Canterbury University and an MBA from IMD in Switzerland shaping how she sees the world. These experiences taught her how systems – whether markets, ecosystems, or human bodies – thrive on balance, timing, and thoughtful intervention.
It’s a lesson she applies to life as much as business. “Today, we live too fast, consume too much, and disconnect too easily. While we may not be able to change everything, we can reclaim our conscious awareness – still our minds, ease our bodies, and reconnect with the wisdom that has always guided us. To breathe, to be still, to eat thoughtfully, and to make mindful choices.”
Wellness at Jayasom is relational as well as individual. Campbell emphasises the role of family: “It is nearly impossible to adopt or change to a healthy lifestyle alone; if the family eats a large meal at 10pm then it’s hard for an individual to step outside of that. The upside of working with families is that they can support each other and make change collectively; common lived experiences give a language and memory which is a shared foundation and reference point.” Campbell argues that the impact of family can be what kickstarts a wellness journey to begin with. “A lot of people come to realise their own requirement for wellness through the lens of the extended family, for example by looking at grandparents or an unwell uncle, or seeing the effect of food and exercise on children. The family offers a lens to personal introspection.”
Even amid Saudi Arabia’s rapid transformation, Campbell stresses the value of pause. “The pause is the gap between action and reaction,” she says. “The pause is the moment that allows you to breathe and to consider your response, to deliberate, and to choose. It’s really important to be able to identify the pause, and to find it. In fact this is something that we coach, through mindfulness and through breathing practice. It helps with stress management, it helps with sleep, and it helps with relationships.” At Jayasom, breathwork and meditation sessions on platforms above the sea allow guests to feel wind on their skin and hear the faint crackle of waves, reinforcing that reflection is an active, not passive, practice.
Sustainability is central. Solar power, electric vehicles and regenerative design reflect Jayasom’s commitment to responsible luxury. Campbell notes: “Providing wellness destinations within the GCC, of which there are currently very few, will reduce the local distance travel of guests from this area.” Simple interactions with the environment – harvesting herbs, walking dunes at sunrise – become part of the learning and the experience.
Campbell’s personal discipline as a marathon runner – and now triathlete – shapes the approach at Jayasom. “It is a marathon journey and you have to train for what you want to achieve; and while a marathon does appear quite singular, in fact it requires a team – coaches, team runners and specialists.” The resort mirrors this philosophy, blending medical specialists, movement experts and holistic practitioners to support each guest’s journey.
For Campbell, the Red Sea itself is a teacher. “We refer to ‘wellness wisdom’ – this is the tradition that belongs to a place – whether through its geography, culture and social practices. Our intention is to shine a light on some of the forgotten practices and to let history be a teacher.”
When the resort officially opens in 2026, her goal is direct and uncompromising: “If someone says that we made a difference in their life, or the quality of the life of their parents or their child – I will be very happy.”
Jayasom Wellness Retreat at AMAALA is a sanctuary where stillness meets transformation, where ritual meets science, and where guests are invited to recalibrate their lives in alignment with nature. In Karen Campbell’s hands, wellness is not an indulgence or a trend – it is a deliberate, disciplined, and evidence-informed act of living. Book now
