Other Women's Jobs // A Day In The Life & Career of Aisha Founder of MamaMind

NAME: Aisha

AGE: 32

INSTAGRAM HANDLE: @mamamind.ai

JOB TITLE: Founder, MamaMind

MOVED TO THE UAE IN: 2015

I’m a mum of two, and one of my children is high-functioning autistic. I moved to the UAE in 2015, and for nine years I was a stay-at-home mum. In that time I got to know a lot of other mums, both those at home and those working full time, and what struck me was that almost all of us found it hard to balance everything, whatever our situation.

It usually wasn’t one big thing. It was the constant pressure of remembering everything: the shopping list, the school letters, the non-uniform days, the dentist, the therapy sessions, the birthday parties, the forms to sign and the bills to pay. As a mum of a child with additional needs, that list is even longer, and it never really switches off. Most of that work is invisible, and it usually sits in one person’s head.

That was my inspiration for MamaMind. I wanted to give mums something that carries the mental load with them, so they can be present with their children instead of constantly running through lists in their heads.

MamaMind is a family assistant that lives in WhatsApp, so there’s no new app to download or learn. You simply message her the way you’d message a friend. You can send a photo of a school letter, forward a party invitation, send a voice note on the school run, or type “dentist on Tuesday at 4”. MamaMind picks out the dates and details, adds them to the family plan and sends reminders at the right time: the evening before and on the morning of. She also keeps shopping lists, helps plan meals and school holidays, and works in both English and Arabic. Parents can share the plan with a partner or, for separated families, with a co-parent, so both homes know what’s happening without the endless back-and-forth.

I built MamaMind here in the UAE, as a mum, for mums. My qualifications are the nine years I spent running a busy household and the lived experience of parenting a child with additional needs, and I’ve learned the business and technology side as I’ve gone along. Families can try MamaMind free on WhatsApp for two days, with no card needed, at mamamindai.com.

Here is a typical day in the life and career of Aisha:

Honestly, my day doesn’t have a fixed schedule. I still work around my children’s timings, and every day looks a little different depending on school, appointments and how everyone is feeling. I work from home, and I try to start my work before 9am. This is roughly how a day goes.

7AM – 8AM: The morning rush. Breakfast, uniforms, bags and getting everyone out of the door. With a child with autism, routine and calm mornings matter a lot, so I try to keep this part of the day as predictable as possible. It’s also when I’m most grateful that the day’s reminders are already sorted, so I’m not trying to remember whether it’s PE day or a non-uniform day at the last minute.

8:30AM: Once the children are settled, I sit down at my desk at home. I try to start before 9, while the house is quiet and my head is clear. First I check how MamaMind is doing: messages from families, anything that needs my attention, and feedback from mums who are using it.

10AM: My most focused time. This is when I work on the product itself, testing new features, writing the messages MamaMind sends and thinking about what would make a real difference to a busy mum’s day. A lot of the ideas come straight from my own life: if something is a pain for me, it’s probably a pain for other mums too.

12NOON: A quick lunch, usually at my desk if I’m honest. Then marketing and community work: planning posts, replying to messages and reaching out to schools, nurseries and other businesses that support families in the UAE.

2PM: The afternoon is where my day becomes flexible. Depending on the day, it might be pick-ups or an appointment for one of the children. I’ve learned not to fight that. My work fits around my family, not the other way round, and that’s exactly the kind of life I want MamaMind to help other mums have.

4PM: Time with the children: snacks, homework, after-school activities and a lot of conversations about their day. My phone is mostly down. If something comes up, like a party invitation or a school email, I send it to MamaMind in a few seconds and forget about it until it reminds me.

6PM: Dinner, bath time and bedtime routines. This is the busiest part of the evening and it needs all of me, especially when one of the children needs a little extra support to wind down after a long day.

8PM: Once the children are asleep, I often get a second wind. I might catch up on emails, look at how the day went for MamaMind or plan the next few days. MamaMind also sends my own reminders for tomorrow at 7pm the evening before, so by now I already know what tomorrow looks like.

10PM: Switching off. I try to protect a little time for myself before bed, even if it’s just a cup of tea and a few pages of a book. Building a business as a mum has taught me that rest isn’t a luxury, and that I can’t look after my family or my work if I don’t look after myself too.

Some days go exactly to plan and some days don’t, and I’ve made peace with that. What has changed since I started MamaMind is that I no longer lie awake trying to remember whether I signed the school form or booked the next appointment. That feeling of a lighter head is what I want every mum who uses MamaMind to have, whether she is at home full time, working full time or juggling a bit of both.

If I could say one thing to other mums, at home or at work, it’s that the mental load is real, and you shouldn’t have to carry all of it in your head. Ask for help, share it out, and let technology take some of it off your plate.