Dana Alhanbali is a strategist, storyteller, and founder of Bark & Berg—a creative company built on the belief that the strategy is in the story.
With 16+ years of experience advising 150+ brands, she co-founded the globally awarded agency Beattie + Dane and leads work rooted in purpose, growth, and cultural impact.
A TEDx speaker, writer, and advocate, Dana uses storytelling to challenge narratives, spark awareness, and lead with intention. Her work lives at the intersection of entrepreneurship, identity, and social change.
She is also the host of Something to Consider—an award-winning podcast exploring identity, entrepreneurship, and social culture through intimate, thought-provoking conversations.
This podcast is where those conversations live—real, reflective, and always evolving. We hope you’ll find something to consider.
Dana Alhanbali is a strategist, storyteller, and founder of Bark & Berg—a creative company built on the belief that the strategy is in the story.
With 16+ years of experience advising 150+ brands, she co-founded the globally awarded agency Beattie + Dane and leads work rooted in purpose, growth, and cultural impact.
A TEDx speaker, writer, and advocate, Dana uses storytelling to challenge narratives, spark awareness, and lead with intention. Her work lives at the intersection of entrepreneurship, identity, and social change.
She is also the host of Something to Consider—an award-winning podcast exploring identity, entrepreneurship, and social culture through intimate, thought-provoking conversations.
This podcast is where those conversations live—real, reflective, and always evolving. We hope you’ll find something to consider.
What happens when the goal you’ve spent your life chasing is finally behind you?
In this intimate and reflective episode of Something to Consider, entrepreneur Bilal Ballout — co-founder of BMB Group, the company behind some of the region’s most beloved confectionery brands — joins host Dana Alhanbali to explore the quiet after the exit: identity, integrity, and the freedom to rebuild on your own terms.
From bootstrapping with AED 500K to scaling globally and exiting in 2021, Bilal shares what most founders don’t talk about — the emotional cost of success, letting go of your “baby,” and redefining self-worth when your name is no longer on the door.
Key Takeaways:
- The 12-Month Rule of post-acquisition: why most founders should transition out within a year.
- Knowledge over capital: how deep research and local adaptation built a global baklava brand in Walmart and 30+ countries.
- Resilience over luck: how a tough childhood built the emotional muscle for entrepreneurship.
- Culture over cash: why team belief and small daily wins sustain growth.
- From performance to presence: moving beyond “fake it till you make it.”
- Financial independence = freedom of choice: how autonomy changes what success means.
- Closure is a choice: learning to let go of companies, relationships, and old selves with intention.
- Communication and respect: the two non-negotiables that make relationships (and partnerships) work.
Redefining success: purpose, sustainability, and balance over scale and ego.
If you’re a builder, creator, or founder reflecting on what comes after achievement, this episode will shift your perspective on ambition, balance, and fulfillment.
We hope you will find something to consider.
Connect with the Guest:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bilal-ballout-74192655/
Find us at (Instagram podcast page) https://www.instagram.com/somethingtoconsider.podcast/
Listen to us (all available platforms)
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/something-to-consider/id1674861838
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/618zDVAJO0teMngLOzyKz4?si=8bfddd1364d34fc7
Connect with the Host:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dalhanbali/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/danaalhanbali
X: https://x.com/DanaAlhanbali
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@danaalhanbali
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@danaalhanbali5621/about