Meena - The Empowered Woman 🦋

I help you build your self worth and your net worth 🔥 | Link in featured section l 0 to 7 Figures in 24 Months | Dubbed "Top Negotiator" by Globe Asia I Keynote Speaker | Corporate Trainer

I find the gaps in your business and turn them into profit.

Over the past two decades, I’ve stepped into companies across media, finance, nonprofit, and consumer sectors to do one thing: turn missed opportunities into real revenue.

Whether it’s a broken revenue stream, a deal that needs to be renegotiated, or a marketing strategy that isn’t converting — I know how to find the gaps and build smart, fast solutions that drive profit. That’s why the Jakarta Globe once called me “the best negotiator in town.”

I’ve closed $25M in media deals, raised $500K in marketing funds in just 3 weeks, tripled profits in under 6 months, and helped businesses hit 5-year targets in a single year.

My background spans legal, marketing, partnerships, and strategic leadership — and I use all of it to see the business from every angle and move the needle where it matters most.

If your business needs stronger deals, cleaner strategy, and faster revenue — let’s talk.

Chief Executive Officer

Meena Adnani - The Empowered Woman 🦋

Corina Goetz 💫

Middle East Strategist | Keynote Speaker | Simple steps how to decode the Middle East | Consulting | Training and Online Resources at star-cat.co.uk |

Most Western businesses do not fail in the Gulf because of their product.
They fail because they misunderstand the culture, the moment, and the way trust is built.

I explain how business and culture actually work across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait—beyond outdated assumptions and surface-level advice.

Doing business in the Gulf today is not about flying in with a polished pitch or translated materials.
It is about understanding:
- how decisions are really made
- why relationships come before transactions
and how national pride, ambition, and context shape every interaction

When those things are missed, deals quietly stall.
When they are understood, doors open.

I work with Western leaders and teams who want to operate in the Gulf with confidence, credibility, and cultural fluency—not guesswork.

What I help with:

- Navigating business and social etiquette without second-guessing
- Building trust with senior stakeholders
- Adapting communication and strategy to how the region actually works
- Turning insight into long-term presence, not short-term wins

What clients say
“For years we dabbled in the GCC. Now we have a focused, confident team that knows how to build real relationships—and we are seeing the impact in our pipeline.”

“We struggled to connect before. Shifting our mindset and communication changed everything.”

Ways I work with teams
- VIP strategy days
- Cultural and commercial advisory (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman)
- Workshops and group training on Gulf business culture

Speaking on:
- Doing business in the Gulf as a Westerner
- Saudi cultural insights
- Women, entrepreneurship, and influence in the Middle East

Resources and tools:
👉 www.star-cat.co.uk/shop

If you want a simple place to start, I share practical insights in my free newsletter:
👉 https://star-cat.uk/newsletter-page-8920

If this resonates, you can reach me via DM or email: support@star-cat.co.uk

Founder

Star-CaT helps companies and professionals to succeed in the Gulf region. We have been trusted advisors to many HNW clients from the Gulf and we now teach others how to build these relationships.
Our Services include:
🌙 Training 
🌙 Advisory
🌙 Middle East Membership for ongoing support (for companies and individuals) 
🌙 Speaking
🌙 Online Resources
www.star-cat.co.uk

Everyone talks about NEOM.

What projects are still on, which are scaled back.
The headlines.

But Vision 2030 is more than just Giga Projects.

In Saudi Arabia, Vision 2030 is embedded into everyday life — quietly, consistently, deliberately.

You see it in:
– how young Saudis think about careers and global exposure
– how women move through leadership, business, and public life
– how cafés, galleries, gyms, and co-working spaces shape daily rhythm
– how digital services, AI, and cashless systems are simply… normal
– how health, sport, culture, and creativity are prioritised alongside growth

This is what many Westerners miss: 
Vision 2030 is not just infrastructure.

It is mindset architecture.
It is about confidence.
Capability.

And a generation that is globally relevant without losing its identity.

The giga-projects are the visible symbols.

But the real transformation is happening in conversations, choices, ambition, and pace.

This is the Saudi Arabia most people do not see on LinkedIn headlines (and it is my mission to change this) —
but 
once you experience it, you cannot unsee it.

Here is a list of all projects under Vision 2030 (be prepared to be surprised):
https://lnkd.in/dVi5hx3i

Corina Goetz

Explaining how Business and Culture actually work across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait.

I thought I was arriving in Istanbul for work.
I did not expect to leave with my heart this full. ❤️

Within hours of landing, I finally met Özge Tekalp in real life — someone I had first connected with virtually.

And within minutes, she said something that genuinely stopped me in my tracks:
“Because of you — and your course — I felt more comfortable speaking at this women conference in Saudi. You gave me confidence. You inspired me.”

Those words did not just land.
They stay with you.

And they make my work worthwhile.
Because it made a difference.

She told me how learning about the Gulf through my work helped her navigate conversations and business in Saudi Arabia with more ease, clarity, and self-trust.

Then she took me to the most beautiful local café — the kind you never find online 
— 
and over coffee we talked about leadership, culture, and how women across the region are stepping into visibility and influence in their own way.

No agenda.
No performance.

Just real conversation.

This is the part of my work that never shows up in dashboards or metrics:

🫶 The quiet confidence someone gains.
🫶 The courage to raise their hand, take the stage, speak up.
🫶 The ripple effect of being seen — even when the connection starts through a screen.

Virtual connections are powerful.

But when they move into real life?
This is where the magic happens.

I left that café reminded of something I deeply believe:

🤍 The real return is not ROI. (return of investment)
🤍  It is ROR — Return on Relationships.

And sometimes, it looks like leaving a city with a full heart and a renewed sense of why this work matters so much.

You can get my course here: https://lnkd.in/dwCCKmAw

This last year tested me. (more than ever before)
My female friends carried me.

I am feeling so incredibly blessed to have so many powerful female entrepreneur friends around me.

The kind who do not just cheer when things are going well — but who check in when things feel heavy.

🫶 that were there to discuss the same situations over and over.
🫶 that send memes to cheer me up
🫶 that send good advise on anything from mediation to therapy
🫶 that got me little gifts that mattered
🫶 that made me laugh when I was crying (and there was a lot)

No fixing. 
Just presence.

And yes…
the Year of the Snake has felt heavy.

Deep. 
Transformational. 
Uncomfortable.

A year of shedding, truth-telling, endings, and recalibration.

So I am so ready for the Horse energy to ride in 🐎 (bring on 17 February)

Momentum. 
Expansion. 
Forward motion. 

What I have learned this year:

– strength does not mean doing it alone
– ambition still needs softness
– and the right women in your corner change everything

If you are one of the women who has checked in, held space, sent a voice note, or simply said “I see you” — thank you.

I could not be more grateful. ✨

ps. please forgive me if I have forgotten anyone.

He turned down being invited to Saudi Arabia for years. 
I changed his mind in 20 minutes.

For years, he said no.

One of the leading voices in AI and sustainability—invited to Saudi Arabia multiple times. 
Every time, he declined.

Not because of logistics. 
Not because of timing.
Because of perception.

Everything he knew about the country came from headlines. 

And headlines made him hesitant.

Then we had a conversation.

I told him about Taif, Abha, AlUla. 

I showed him photos from my solo travels there—as a woman, exploring freely.

He went quiet. 
Then: “I had no idea.”

Years of invitations could not shift his perspective.

One honest conversation did.

He is now open and excited to the idea to speak in Saudi.

This is what happens when we replace assumptions with first-hand experience. 

When we let curiosity win over caution.

Sometimes the people shaping our future need their own perspectives shaped first.

So if you are worried about doing business in Saudi you need to speak to someone who has been doing this for years. Me.

You can book a consultation here: https://lnkd.in/e49vnNuJ

Ps. This happened this week whilst I was  speaking in Istanbul at the Global Leaders Summit.

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One of the biggest mistakes Westerners make in Saudi Arabia is assuming progress looks visible.

More communication.
More meetings.
More movement.

So when things slow down, they panic — politely.

They follow up.
They try to clarify.
They offer help.
They try to be useful.
And without realising it, they fail the test.

Because in Saudi, when nothing is happening, everything is happening.

Silence is not a gap.
It is a diagnostic tool.

This is what Part II of our Saudi Trilogy looks at.

Something that is deeply uncomfortable for all of us:
How silence tests quietly before Saudi ever decides whether to trust.

If you have ever thought:
“Everything seemed positive… and then it just stalled.”
This one will land.

Read the full Middle East Sunday Pages here: https://lnkd.in/euwrazAC

The last Part, Part III drops next week. Do not miss it: https://lnkd.in/esA2CMaN

This is not about what to do.
It is about what is already being noticed.

I hear this all the time 
“Yeah… LinkedIn is for finding a job.”
“Our HR team manages LinkedIn.”

I could honestly cry. 🫣 

Because the missed opportunity is enormous.

Here is the disconnect 👇

In the Gulf region, LinkedIn is NOT a job board.

It is a modern Majlis.

When I am in Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates, everyone wants to connect on LinkedIn:
– CEOs
– Ministers
– Family office principals
– Investors
– Board members

Not to hire you.

To read you.

Your thinking.
Your tone.
Your credibility.
Your judgment.

In the Gulf, LinkedIn answers one silent question:
 “Can I trust this person?”

And this is exactly what Niraj Kapur and me unpacked in the LinkedIn MasterClass we just ran:

– what you should do with your profile to build authority
– what to post (and plenty of ideas)
– how to position yourself so doors open before you ever ask

If you are serious about the Gulf (and frankly anywhere else in the world) —
and 
you are still treating LinkedIn like HR admin — you are playing the wrong game.

Luckily the replay + all the tools we shared are available now.
👉  https://lnkd.in/e-Du_gRE

This is not about visibility.
Or being an influencer.

It is about being taken seriously.
And it is about time you made your move.

ps. and I do love a good meme. (and the Bad Bunny one keeps on giving)

Linkedin Masterclass

HRH Prince William began his Saudi visit exactly where understanding begins: Diriyah.

I have been saying this for a long time:
If Westerners want to understand Saudi Arabia, they need to understand Diriyah.

Not NEOM first.
Not the headlines.
Diriyah.

So this is why HRH the Crown Prince took HRH Prince William to Diriyah.

This was not accidental.
This was intentional.

Because Diriyah is not just a heritage site.

It is the foundation story.

It is where:
– Saudi identity is anchored
– leadership legitimacy is rooted
– continuity matters more than speed
– past, present, and future are deliberately connected

This is the part many Western leaders miss.

Saudi Arabia is not moving away from its history to modernise.

It is moving forward by standing firmly inside it.

Diriyah tells you how decisions are made.

What is respected.
Why patience, symbolism, and lineage matter so much.

If you understand Diriyah, you stop asking:
“Why is this taking so long?”

And you start seeing:
“Oh. This is being done properly.”

There is a reason every serious delegation goes there.

And a reason I keep saying:
 👉 Diriyah is your starting point.

You can read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/dQV9a-xW

Today is Sports Day in Qatar 🇶🇦

And it is one of those moments that quietly tells you everything about how the country thinks.

This is not a token wellness initiative.

It is a national day dedicated to movement, health, and balance.

Offices pause.
Meetings stop.
Families, leaders, executives, children — everyone is encouraged to move.

And this is the part many outsiders miss 👇

In Qatar (and much of the Gulf), performance is not separated from wellbeing.

Energy, clarity, longevity, resilience — these are treated as strategic assets, not personal hobbies.

You see it in:
– leadership behaviour
– long-term planning
– how talent is supported
– how success is defined beyond short-term output

A country that puts health on the national calendar understands something many businesses are still catching up to.

🫶 Strong bodies.
🫶 Clear minds.
🫶 Sustainable ambition.

Happy Sports Day, Qatar. 🇶🇦

ps. make sure you do not miss any of the important events - they are part of the Gulf Etiquette Success Playbook because anyone doing business in the Gulf needs to know.  Get it here: https://lnkd.in/dwCCKmAw

Qatar did something quietly radical.
And it changed everything.

When Qatar National Sports Day was introduced, it was not framed as a campaign.

Or a fitness trend.
Or a wellness slogan.

It became an official national holiday.

No emails.
No excuses.
No “after work if I have time.”

Just movement.

This video of HH Sheikh Tamim captures exactly why it worked so well.

Not perfection.
Not performance.

But presence.

Leaders moving.

Families outside.

Children watching what actually matters.

Because the real lesson was never “do sport.”

It was: health is a national priority.

And here is the part the West still underestimates 👇

This has been going for 15 years.

Fifteen years of:
– normalising movement
– role-modelling healthy behaviour
– showing children that wellbeing isn’t optional
– embedding health into national culture, not personal guilt

Kids do not learn from policies.

They learn from what they see.

And on Qatar Sports Day, they see:
– their parents moving
– their leaders moving
– an entire country choosing health, together

This is not optics.

This is long-term thinking.

Sometimes the most powerful leadership move is simply getting up… and moving.

If you want not miss any more news from the Gulf subscribe to the Middle East Insights: https://lnkd.in/esA2CMaN

ps. video courtesy of the official IG account of HH Sheikh Tamim.

If you think you are doing well in Saudi Arabia, you might already be plateauing.

This is the truth.
Uncomfortable - yes.

You are invited.
But 
not embedded.

Respected.
But 
not protected.

Here is what most Westerners miss:
Access is not acceptance.

Saudi Arabia is exceptionally polite.

It does not reject loudly.
It does not correct publicly.
It does not announce categorisation.
It simply adjusts distance.

Some foreigners thrive here.
Their names carry weight in rooms they are not in.

Others stay… useful.
The difference is rarely competence.

It is permission.
And permission is never granted explicitly.
 
It is recognised over time — through judgement, restraint, and alignment.

Part III of my Saudi series for the Middle East Sunday Pages explains this exact dynamic:
Why some foreigners go deep in Saudi Arabia — and others remain politely peripheral for years without understanding why.

Read it here:
https://lnkd.in/euwrazAC

This is not a tactics piece.

It is not a checklist.
It is not about “cultural tips.”
It is about what is being decided quietly — while you think things are going well.

Saudi Arabia rarely closes doors dramatically.
It just stops opening them further.

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Corina Goetz 💫

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The Battle

Meena Adnani - The Empowered Woman 🦋

Corina Goetz 💫

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Corina Goetz 💫's LinkedIn Performance

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