This UAE mother built a Bitcoin plan that works

When a friend scoffed at her for saving money in a bank, Shereen Qutob realized something had to change. “You’re not even making money on your money,” he told her. 

Qutob, a clarity coach based in the UAE, had grown up with a conventional view of money. Like many people, she trusted her bank, saved consistently, and avoided risk. “I had no idea what cryptocurrency was,” she told The Crypto Radio. “Initially, I was really scared of just sending my money out to the ether.”

As a single mother of two, her financial choices carried extra weight. “I was supporting my daughters,” she said. “So anything that felt unstable made me nervous.”

Her journey into crypto didn’t start with a big investment or a YouTube rabbit hole. It started with a nudge – two male friends urging her to rethink how she handled her savings.

“Your money is not safe in the bank. Your money is actually being used. Do you understand inflation?”

Those early conversations forced her to confront a difficult truth: even careful savers lose purchasing power over time. The reassurance she had felt keeping her money in the bank was no longer serving her.

How she eased into crypto

Qutob didn’t leap into trading or buy random altcoins. Instead, she took her friend’s advice and treated it like a savings plan.

“Why don’t you approach it like a savings plan? Every month just put a set amount. What do you feel comfortable with?”

That approach gave her room to experiment without fear of losing everything. She started with a few hundred dollars per month, choosing established assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

For someone managing a household on her own, this steady, low-risk entry point made crypto feel less like a gamble and more like a savings tool.

Later, she added XRP to her portfolio. “I wasn’t doing any trades,” she said. “I was just putting in smaller amounts over time and growing it that way.”

By focusing on consistency and avoiding emotional decision-making, Qutob gradually became more comfortable with the ups and downs of the crypto market. “I treat it as if it doesn’t even exist right now,” she said. She mentally separated her crypto from her emergency funds – a strategy that helped her stay grounded during price swings.

Rethinking what money means

For Qutob, the shift was about more than numbers. It was deeply emotional.

“I did quite a bit of rewriting my money story. I really had a lot of fear around money.”

She began exploring her mindset and using affirmations to reshape her beliefs. For her, money wasn’t just currency – it was energy, something renewable in an abundant universe. This belief allowed her to move past anxiety and take control of her financial future.

“I started to look into how this is changing the whole way we bank, the whole way we transfer money globally.”

The more she learned about the role of crypto in global finance, the more she understood that this wasn’t a passing trend, and her curiosity grew into empowerment. 

While she’s not a trader, she’s actively exploring how to take her skills further. She sees crypto not as a quick win, but as a long-term part of her financial strategy.

Helping women feel seen in crypto

Qutob also noticed a stark gender gap.

“Within my circle of women friends, hardly anyone has touched it.”

That lack of engagement frustrated her – and motivated her. She began joining women-focused crypto groups and encouraging others to simply start learning. For her, the biggest hurdle wasn’t technical knowledge – it was intimidation and fear.

“Start learning. Start talking about it. Just get curious.”

Her advice to beginners is to keep it simple: join a community, watch some videos, try a small investment. “It doesn’t have to be massive amounts,” she emphasized. “Just test it out yourself.”

Family and friends weren’t always supportive. Many were skeptical, and she often found herself explaining crypto basics. But she stayed committed, buoyed by a sense that she was part of something much bigger.

“I think it’s just the point of being part of a shift in history.”

Why her story still matters

Qutob didn’t set out to reinvent her finances – she just started asking better questions. What was her money really doing in the bank? Why didn’t anyone around her talk about inflation? And what if there was a smarter way to save?

Crypto wasn’t an obvious answer. It took time, research, and a mindset shift to make it feel like a tool she could trust. But the fact that she got there – without hype, without trading, and without giving up – makes her experience worth paying attention to.

Plenty of people still feel uncertain about crypto. Qutob’s approach doesn’t claim to have all the answers. But it shows how someone with no technical background, limited time, and real responsibilities can begin to engage with a system most people still ignore.

Listen to the whole interview on The Crypto Radio's live player or the Chain Breakers podcast.