For Farah Al Qaissieh, success meant diverging from the typical path of a Emirati woman and a fair deal of self-belief.

The boost of confidence came upon overcoming what many consider a life-altering communication disorder, a stutter, the hints of which are all but gone in her colourful approach to work, life and the support group she started to help others with the condition.

“That’s one of the reasons I wanted to continue with the group, because not everyone could overcome their stutter and feel confident about it,” said Ms Al Qaissieh, 25, from Abu Dhabi. “We either try to hide it or not talk as much because of it, so I wanted to break that stigma.”

In 2013 she started Stutter UAE, a non-profit.

“I am a person that stutters, and my brother stutters as well, and we grew up thinking we were the only ones,” said Ms Al Qaissieh. “We started having meet-ups, just gathering and talking with another friend, and we thought to expand it.”

The aim was to see if there were others who stutter.

“We got so much support, so many people turned up and that just goes to show how much it was needed.”

What began as three people meeting once a month to exchange experiences, techniques and feedback, has grown to 20 who consult with each other and speech therapists in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

However, that wasn’t the end of her personal drive. Upon finishing her degree in finance, Ms Al Qaissieh decided to start a business based on a question commonly asked by locals, expats and visitors in the UAE.

When people would ask her what there is to do, she said, she would ask if they had seen the main sights such as the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Yas Island, and say, “OK, well you’ve seen Abu Dhabi.”

“But then I realised, no, actually, there is so much to do here,” said Ms Al Qaissieh.

She created the blueprint for an app, a treasure hunt across the city to find hidden gems.

“Let’s say you go to visit your friends in Dubai – every time you go, you end up going to the typical attractions, but I am creating an app that gives you an insight into less-known places,” she said.

With an expected release coming before the end of the year, the app is a self-guided tour that will update on the byways of the UAE.

As for her day job, Ms Al Qaissieh works full-time in a government office putting her finance studies to use. When she is not working on her businesses, however, she is attempting to give others her knowledge of entrepreneurship by being a mentor at several organisations and non-profit groups.

“Look, I want to tell them what I would’ve told myself 10 years ago,” she said. “People might disagree with you. Others would jump to support you.

“It’s very important to stay true to yourself and do the things that make you happy,” she said. “Even the smallest change can have the biggest impact.”