The Athlete Behind the Analyst

Becoming a FIG rhythmic gymnastics judge pushed me in a way that felt familiar and new. During the exam period, forty-eight routines lived in my mind. Twelve in each category: Body Difficulty, Apparatus Difficulty, Execution, and Artistry. I studied before class, judged after class, and joined midnight Zoom sessions while balancing projects, client work, and deadlines. It was heavy, but I stayed consistent.

Once I committed, I trained the way I used to as an athlete: focused, structured, and goal driven. I asked questions every day, analysed mistakes, and repeated routines until the patterns were clear. It reminded me of how I approach marketing work: break the problem down, look for insights, make sense of complexity. The exam showed me that the mindset I built in sport is the same one I use in strategy and research.

As I moved deeper into business, I did not realise how much of my athletic foundation shaped my thinking. The discipline, patience, and fast analysis I relied on in gymnastics are the same strengths I use when interpreting consumer behaviour, evaluating campaigns, or transforming data into direction. The athlete trained the analyst long before I knew I would work in marketing.

On exam day, I confronted an old belief that failure defined me. I had to rewrite that. You can work hard and still understand that an outcome does not determine your value. That mindset guides how I handle marketing results today. Performance matters, but identity does not hinge on a single score or metric. What matters is the thinking, effort, and standards behind the work.

Passing the exam made the connection clear. My athletic life and marketing life are not separate. They build each other. The way I approached this exam is the same way I approach research, strategy, and client work.

Today, I am the first FIG judge in Kuwait. And the same mindset that shaped me in sport is the one that guides me as a marketer and business leader.