Life in Abu Dhabi: How this German expat found success and home

Dubai: For Sabrina Spillner, home is not defined by one address or a single favourite place. It is a walk along Saadiyat Beach with her children. A run along the Corniche. A morning on Hudayriyat Island. Exploring the desert, visiting an art exhibition, or watching her children discover something new.

Since moving to the UAE in 2018, the German-born executive learning and transformation leader has built a life in Abu Dhabi that extended beyond her career.

“Abu Dhabi became much more than a place where I was building my career. It became home,” Spillner told Gulf News.

Spillner has arrived in the Emirates after an international career spanning Europe, the US, and the Middle East. For more than two decades, she has worked with executives, governments, and global organisations in learning, leadership, and organisational development.

Today, she is a writer and founder of FemeX, a female leadership, innovation, and lifestyle hub she has established with co-founder Petya Rasheva. The community has aimed to bring women together around leadership, innovation, personal growth, healthy lifestyles, and meaningful relationships.

“We wanted to create a community where women inspire and get inspired around healthy lifestyle, leadership, connections, and building meaningful relationships, creating a life that feels successful professionally and privately. A space that inspires.”

Spillner has noted that she was attracted to the UAE because of its ambition and openness to international talent.

“I came to the UAE because I saw a country with extraordinary ambition and a genuine openness to international talent, innovation, and new ideas. Abu Dhabi felt different to me. It combines stability and safety with a remarkable sense of possibility,” shared Spillner.

That sense of possibility has remained important to her, but her priorities have evolved since arriving. Her experience of Abu Dhabi has changed the way she views success, with professional achievement now sitting alongside family, health, culture, and community.

“I can have a leadership conversation in the morning, walk barefoot on Saadiyat Beach, explore an exhibition with my children, watch the sunset, go for a run, or practice yoga, all within the same city.”

Spillner has higlighted that living well in Abu Dhabi does not necessarily mean spending more.

“I think the key is to understand that a high-quality life does not have to mean constantly spending money,” explained Spillner.

Some of her family’s favourite activities include walking on Saadiyat Beach, exploring the mangroves and desert, cycling and walking along the Corniche, visiting parks, and attending cultural events.

She has particularly mentioned the “15-minute-city ecosystem” on Saadiyat Island, where beaches, recreation, culture, education, restaurants, and everyday amenities are close to home.

“It reduces the feeling that every family outing needs to involve a major expense or a long drive.”

For families settling in Abu Dhabi, Spillner has recommended prioritising housing, education, healthcare, and savings, while making use of the many public and community spaces available.

“Some of our most memorable family experiences have cost very little, a beach walk, discovering a new park, attending a cultural event, going to the International Book Fair, exploring an art exhibition, or discovering something new.”

For her, financial wellbeing has been ultimately about having choices.

“It is about creating freedom and choices, rather than simply spending more.”

Raising children in Abu Dhabi has been another important part of Spillner’s experience. Safety and stability have been among the qualities she values, but has emphasised that her children’s exposure to different cultures and traditions is equally significant.

They can experience Ramadan and Iftar, celebrate Christmas, visit the Abrahamic Family House, learn about Emirati heritage, explore international art, and attend events where people from different parts of the world come together.

“Even something as simple as seeing a Christmas crib at the Abrahamic Family House can become a meaningful cultural experience,” described Spillner.

Moreover, she has seen Abu Dhabi’s cultural institutions as an extension of education. The Louvre Abu Dhabi, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Qasr Al Hosn, the Cultural Foundation, and NYU Abu Dhabi’s arts scene provide opportunities for children to experience art, culture, and history outside school.

Her children have attended art workshops, exhibitions, and performances and visited the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair at ADNEC.

“Children can run, swim, cycle, climb, explore the desert, discover art and nature, and meet people from around the world.”

When asked about her favourite place in Abu Dhabi, Spillner has bared that it is difficult to choose.

“Abu Dhabi has become a collection of memories for me rather than one single place,” exclaimed Spillner.

Saadiyat Island and its beach has come closest. Walking with her children, watching them play in the sand, and looking across the sea have been among the moments she associates most strongly with the island.

But one of her most memorable experiences has taken place far from the coast. In 2020, Spillner has participated in the Women’s Heritage Walk, crossing the desert from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain over five days and covering approximately 137 kilometres.

The experience has given her a different perspective on the UAE’s landscape, traditions, and hospitality.

“You experience the desert very differently when you cross it on foot.”

The Abu Dhabi landscape itself has become a favourite, “the meeting point of sea, desert, culture, traditions and modern life.”

Sport and movement have been a regular part of Spillner’s life. She runs, strength trains, practises yoga and Pilates reformer, and plays tennis. She has also tried climbing, wakeboarding, horse riding, and rollerblading, and enjoys walking and water sports.

She has joined in the ADNOC Marathon, running the 5km sprint, and attended sporting events such as the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open with her son.

Spillner has pointed out that the city makes it possible to incorporate exercise into everyday life without every activity requiring an expensive membership or formal programme.

The Corniche can become a running route or a place to teach a child to cycle. Hudayriyat can provide a route for a long run, while the mangroves and desert offer opportunities to explore the outdoors.

During summer, indoor recreational initiatives such as Abu Dhabi Summer Sports provide another option for families.

Additionally, Spillner’s life in Abu Dhabi has extended into the emirate’s entrepreneurial and innovation community. She has attended Hub71 events, connecting with entrepreneurs and others working in innovation.

For her, professional networking is part of a wider ecosystem that includes family, sport, culture, and community. 

“Some of the most meaningful parts of life in Abu Dhabi have come through people, friendships, professional relationships, other parents, entrepreneurs, women in my community, and people I have met through sport and cultural events,” stated Spillner.

That sense of connection has shaped her advice to people considering a move to the capital.

“Don’t just move to Abu Dhabi, build a life here.”

For families moving to Abu Dhabi, Spillner believes the decision should involve more than choosing a home and school.

“Think about the kind of childhood you want for your children, not only the school you want them to attend,” advised Spillner.

For her family, that childhood has included nature, culture, technology, sport, and exposure to different nationalities and perspectives. It has also been about making use of what is around them rather than constantly searching for the next destination or activity.

“Abu Dhabi has taught me to slow down and appreciate the quality of life around me.”

According to Spillner, career, family, health, culture, and community are not separate parts of life. They exist alongside one another.

“For me, Abu Dhabi has shown that a successful life doesn’t have to be divided into separate boxes. Career, family, health, culture and community can all co-exist. That is what makes Abu Dhabi home for me.”