In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sherina AlSowaidi, an NYU Abu Dhabi alumnus, realized that there were very few safe spaces for people to focus on their mental well-being.
Recognizing this need, AlSowaidi started Ritual Cafe and Studio in 2021 to provide a safe space where people could unwind, reflect, and focus on mental health awareness through workshops and meditative art.
"One of the biggest questions I started asking myself after graduating, especially during COVID, was about our awareness of the topic of mental health. I realized that there was a big gap,” said AlSowaidi, who was born and raised in Abu Dhabi.
The NYUAD Class of 2017 alumna with a double major in social research, public policy, and visual arts also recognized the stigma around discussing mental health. People would hold back from admitting they were struggling with anxiety or depression, which led her to think about the use of common spaces to bring people together to unwind without feeling judged.
AlSowaidi believed that the best way to bring people together was over coffee and good food.
Starting Ritual Cafe and Studio
"I started the Ritual Cafe and Studio as a place where we started with meditative art,” said AlSowaidi.
Guests came to explore watercolor therapy, reflection, and meditative practices, making the venue both a platform for experiences and a space for trying new things.
Located in Reem Central Park, the cafe expanded with various workshops, eventually branching into catering and business supply.
After expanding her business, the entrepreneur later opened Bento Bowls, which offered healthy, super foods. Though her ventures grew in the food sector, she felt her original purpose of the cafe’s message was missing.
The emotional wheel that became a book
In 2024, AlSowaidi authored the book My Feelings, aiming to normalize conversations about emotions between parents and children.
As a parent, it was important for AlSowaidi to normalize conversations about emotions with her three sons. So one afternoon, she sat with one of her sons and created an emotional wheel to help him choose what to do when he felt angry, happy, disgusted, sad, etc, with the goal of helping him regulate his emotions.
“I wanted him to keep it (the DIY emotional wheel) in his bag with him in school, so every time he felt dysregulated or overwhelmed, he knew he had this tool to help clear his mind and thoughts,” AlSowaidi said. The solutions on the wheel were simple, such as reading some Quran, getting a drink of water, washing one’s face, or going for a walk.
She posted a picture of the DIY emotional wheel on social media, and many people responded with appreciation. This simple exercise unexpectedly became a valuable tool for building emotional regulation, which is fundamental for addiction prevention and anger management as children grow.
Impressed by the response, AlSowaidi decided to create a printable version of the wheel and expanded it into a book exploring each emotion.
She published the book in 2025 with the support of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood in the UAE, a federal entity focused on motherhood and childhood that has an in-house publishing arm.
While workshops for children increased after publication, limited distribution meant reduced outreach; her next step is securing an international publisher for broader access.
Experience at NYUAD
AlSowaidi’s time at NYUAD provided a foundation and a time for introspection to understand the impact she wanted to make in the world. "It sparked in me the idea of a multidisciplinary experience in life, that you don't have to live by the book,” she said.
"My biggest takeaway was the critical thinking that's really important, and the resilience when you go into the workforce,” she said.
Entrepreneurial attitude
AlSowaidi immersed herself in the food and beverage sector, learning all aspects of entrepreneurship, and not just the financial side.
"I needed to learn how to not micromanage but delegate, how to build a team, how to get into marketing, how to get into cost control, how to work with suppliers, and to negotiate with them,” she added.
It was during a modern architecture class with NYUAD Professor Pascal on preserving Abu Dhabi’s heritage buildings that made AlSowaidi do a double take in what she thought she knew.
"I thought I knew my city so well… but the class completely shifted my perspective,” she said. "The biggest takeaway at NYUAD was the mindset shift, seeing things from a different perspective, exploring it… it wasn't just theoretical.”
Needless to say, all that helped prepare AlSowaidi for her life after graduation. As an NYUAD alumna, AlSowaidi is keen on mentorship, and giving back to the community by offering opportunities for NYUAD students and alumni.
Now alongside her businesses and her writing, she is also building a consultancy to support emerging entrepreneurs, drawing on the hard-won lessons of running businesses across multiple sectors.
AlSowaidi’s entrepreneurial journey traces back to the same source — a university that taught her to ask questions, to look at familiar streets with unfamiliar eyes, and to trust that pivoting was not failure but possibility.
