On a special two-hour episode of NileFM&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Watchlist,&rdquo; social media influencer, content creator, traveler, and humanitarian Rebecca Doudak joined Hisham from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm for an interview about her journey across social media, travel, storytelling, and humanitarian work.
A New York native and longtime content creator, Doudak originally built her online presence around vegan food, fitness, and lifestyle content. Her curiosity gradually took her beyond food reviews and into discovering local businesses, craftspeople, hidden gems, and the stories behind the people who make them.
Today, Cairo is home for Doudak, where she has also expanded her work beyond content creation. She founded a nonprofit organization supporting Gazan refugees living in Egypt and is currently assisting Gazan refugees in Cairo.
During the interview, Doudak reflected on finding her voice online, turning social media into a career, discovering the stories behind small businesses, and learning how digital platforms can be used to make a difference.
From Fitness and Food Reviews to Finding Her Voice
Doudak&rsquo;s journey into content creation was not something she originally planned as a career.
&ldquo;I graduated with a degree in psychology, but I have always been a big talker,&rdquo; she explained.
After graduation, Doudak began posting videos on her personal social media accounts, which had around 3,000 followers at the time. She started creating content around food, the gym, and fitness, particularly as she searched for healthier food options and began filming different places.
&ldquo;My content was beginning with food, gym, and fitness, not vegan,&rdquo; she explained, highlighting that vegan content was not where her journey began.
As she continued exploring healthy food and different places, her content gradually developed and she eventually began creating videos on YouTube. Even while pursuing her master&rsquo;s degree, she kept making videos and continued building her online presence.
What began as an interest in food, fitness, and discovering healthier options would eventually grow into a much broader passion for travel, local businesses, craftspeople, and the stories behind them.
When Social Media Became More Than a Hobby
Doudak realized that her content could have a real impact when she began seeing how people responded to her recommendations.
&ldquo;I realized that when I started, I had a real impact, and I loved promoting small places,&rdquo; she said.
She recalled being invited to a burger restaurant by its owner, who told her that before opening the business, he had watched her videos and used them as inspiration while developing his own burger.
For Doudak, moments like this showed her that content creation was not simply about reviewing a place. It could influence people, support small businesses, and help entrepreneurs reach audiences they might not otherwise reach.
Discovering the Stories Behind the Places
As her content evolved, Doudak found herself moving away from having one specific niche.
She explained that the transition happened gradually, as she discovered that what truly interested her was helping people discover the world around them.
&ldquo;I love to discover and talk with people about their passion,&rdquo; she said, describing her growing interest in craftspeople, travel, local businesses, and stories that deserve to be told.
For Doudak, the most meaningful content is often found in places that might otherwise be overlooked.
Why Craftspeople and Hidden Gems Matter
Doudak&rsquo;s fascination with craftspeople is also deeply personal.
&ldquo;I love to see someone have passion toward something. I love to see a man who has worked and perfected a craft for 40 years,&rdquo; she said.
She is particularly drawn to family businesses and crafts that have been passed down through generations.
Her interest was influenced by her father, who worked as a jeweler. Growing up around his work allowed her to see the effort behind a finished product and understand how much work can go unnoticed by someone simply walking past a shop.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the story behind the business and the people who worked hard to make these things happen,&rdquo; she explained.
That perspective has shaped the way she approaches storytelling, particularly in Egypt and the Middle East, where crafts such as khayamiya, mosaics, and other traditional arts carry generations of history.
For Doudak, sharing these stories is a way of shining a light on the people behind the products and preserving the human stories that might otherwise disappear.
Traveling the World and Discovering How Similar We Are
Doudak has lived and worked across different countries, an experience that has also shaped her approach to travel and storytelling.
Although she has spent time in four different countries, Egypt has become the place where she spends most of her time.
Travel, she believes, has taught her something bigger than simply discovering new destinations.
&ldquo;One thing with traveling that makes me wish anyone could travel is that once you travel and meet different cultures, you realize how similar we are across the world,&rdquo; she said.
Meeting people from different backgrounds has reinforced her belief that, despite cultural differences, people share many of the same experiences.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re all human, and I think the world would be a better place if we knew more about each other,&rdquo; she added.
How Cairo Became Home
Egypt was not necessarily the place Doudak imagined she would eventually call home.
Growing up in the United States meant she did not have the same opportunity to speak Arabic or become familiar with the culture and region.
But after spending more time in Egypt, that changed.
&ldquo;Now when I am here, I feel like I belong here,&rdquo; she said.
Her work in Egypt played a role in creating that connection, but so did the relationships and experiences she developed while exploring the country.
What began as a destination became a place where Doudak found a sense of belonging.
When Content Creation Becomes a Passion Project
Although content creation eventually became her full-time career, Doudak has also learned to create boundaries around it.
She explained that she initially stepped away from long-form YouTube vlogs because of the pressure that came with constantly producing content.
Short-form videos on TikTok and Instagram allowed her to create more freely without feeling that every moment had to become content.
&ldquo;When I was making vlogs on YouTube, I didn&rsquo;t have the chance to breathe from content,&rdquo; she recalled.
Today, she sees content creation differently. Rather than allowing it to consume every part of her life, she approaches it more like a passion project.
The Power and Responsibility of Having an Audience
Building an audience has opened doors for Doudak that would not otherwise have been available to her.
&ldquo;Having an audience opens doors. It gives you opportunities you wouldn&rsquo;t otherwise have,&rdquo; she explained.
But that visibility also comes with limitations.
As her audience became more familiar with her personal life, she began receiving questions about family members and private experiences she had previously shared online.
That realization made her reconsider how much of her personal life she wanted to put on social media.
Over time, she has chosen to share less about herself and focus more on craftspeople, businesses, travel, and stories that she believes deserve attention.
&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t know who is watching,&rdquo; she noted.
Her Advice to Anyone Starting on Social Media
For people who are just beginning their content creation journey, Doudak&rsquo;s advice is simple: start.
&ldquo;You just need to start,&rdquo; she said.
She acknowledged that the first pieces of content will probably not be perfect. In fact, creators may look back years later and cringe at what they produced when they were starting out.
But that is part of the process.
To become the creator you want to be in the future, you have to begin creating now, experiment with different styles, make mistakes, and discover what works for you.
Doudak also emphasized that there is no universal formula for becoming a successful creator. The equipment, software, style, and approach that work for one person may not work for another.
&ldquo;You need to go on a personal journey with your content,&rdquo; she explained.
Her biggest lesson is to stop waiting for perfection.
&ldquo;Let it exist first,&rdquo; she said.
Keeping Humanitarian Work Separate From Her Online Identity
While social media became a major part of Doudak&rsquo;s professional identity, she initially kept her humanitarian work completely separate.
For nearly two years, she avoided discussing her work in the nonprofit space on her main platforms, partly to protect the privacy of the people and organizations she worked with.
There was also another reason.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t want to be seen growing my personal brand based on someone else&rsquo;s hardship,&rdquo; she explained.
Over time, however, Doudak began to see a connection between the two sides of her work.
The relationships she built through storytelling and social media eventually helped her humanitarian efforts, while her platform gave her another way to encourage people to explore the world, connect with others, and give back.
She now believes that using her platform responsibly can inspire others to do the same.
From Discovering Stories to Helping People
Doudak&rsquo;s journey reflects how a social media platform can evolve alongside the person behind it.
What began with food, fitness, and lifestyle videos eventually became a platform for highlighting small businesses, craftspeople, travelers, and overlooked stories.
Today, that platform also exists alongside her humanitarian work supporting Gazan refugees in Cairo.
For Doudak, storytelling is ultimately about people: discovering their passions, understanding their experiences, and giving their stories a space to be seen.

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