In today’s wellness landscape, gut health has become a central pillar of overall well-being impacting everything from energy levels to skin and mental clarity. For Hadil Alkhatib, this journey is deeply personal. What began as a search for answers evolved into a transformative path toward understanding the powerful connection between the gut and the body as a whole. Through her experience, Hadil has not only reshaped her lifestyle but also inspired others to listen more closely to their bodies and prioritise internal health as the foundation of true wellness. In this interview, she discusses her journey so far, the effect it’s had on her personally and her ambitions looking ahead.
Can you take us back to the beginning? What first led you to explore gut health and create The Broth Lab?
My story is not a straight line, and I think that is what makes it real. I started my career in the energy sector in a very structured, high-performance environment. It taught me discipline, strategy, and how to operate at scale. On paper, everything looked successful, but internally, I felt disconnected.
The real shift happened after I had my child. I went through a very difficult and dark postpartum period where my body felt completely depleted. That was the first time I truly questioned everything I thought I knew about health.
I started going back to basics. Ancestral nourishment, and real slow-simmered bone broth. What began as personal healing became something much bigger. That is how The Broth Lab was born. And from there, it naturally evolved into building a huge community that supports modern wellbeing in a practical and accessible way.
Were there specific symptoms or challenges that pushed you to seek answers?
It was not one dramatic symptom; it was a buildup. Bloating, low energy, brain fog, and a constant feeling of depletion, especially postpartum. Individually, you can brush them off, but together they slowly become your normal. And that is where the problem begins. I reached a point where I knew this could no longer be my baseline.
I think this is something many women relate to. We are often told to tolerate more, to push through discomfort, to normalize feeling unwell. Our pain thresholds are almost expected to be higher, rather than properly understood. At some point, I had to step back and question that narrative. Because feeling constantly depleted is not something we should be adapting to.
That was the moment I stopped accepting and started seeking real answers. I enrolled in a research-backed integrative health nutrition school, and that is where the real shift started.
At what point did you realize that gut health was the root of the issue?
It came from patterns, not a single moment. Every time I supported my gut, I felt better. My energy improved, my body responded, my mood shifted. And when I ignored it, everything else started slipping again. That is when I understood that gut health is not just one part of the equation, it is the foundation. Bone broth is a gut-healing elixir. The broth lab brought me back to life. Back to my family. Back to health. Literally. I owe it a lot.
What were some of the biggest misconceptions you had about health before starting this journey?
That health needed to be complicated to be effective. I believed in doing more, more supplements, more routines, more “advanced” solutions. Now I understand that simplicity and consistency are what actually work. Also, the idea of quick fixes. Most of them are not fixing anything, they are just masking the problem.
How did your personal experience with gut health influence the direction of your career?
It shaped everything. I did not come into this from theory; I lived it first. That is why my approach is grounded in what is realistic and sustainable. The Broth Lab is really an extension of that. It is about making healing simple and accessible, not overwhelming.
When did you decide to share your journey publicly? What challenges did you face, and what kept you going?
I started sharing and even opened a public account called @healwithahadil because I feel I am constantly healing with others, I do a lot of mirroring with other people’s stories, & that is when I realized how many people were silently struggling with the same things. Like they were ashamed or started normalizing that it is what it is. Feeling healthy, vibrant, and focused daily is unattainable. It is the sad reality of many women. The challenge was finding my voice in a very crowded wellness space. There is a lot of noise, a lot of pressure to follow trends or sound a certain way. What kept me going were the real stories. When people come back and say something you shared helped them feel better, that becomes bigger than any doubt or noise.
How do you balance authenticity and responsibility when speaking about health and wellness?
For me, it comes down to staying in my lane. I share what I have experienced, what I have studied, and what I genuinely believe in. I do not overpromise, and I am very clear that there is no one-size-fits-all. Authenticity is honesty. Responsibility is understanding that people trust what you say, and that trust is not something you can take lightly.
I have turned down hundreds of thousands of dirhams worth of collaborations that did not align with my values or with what I truly believe supports health. That was a very conscious decision because credibility is built over time but can be lost very quickly. I will always choose integrity over opportunity. And I have been fortunate to share that message on platforms like TEDx and Forbes US, which only reinforced the importance of staying grounded in truth, even as you grow.
How was your experience appearing on Shark Tank, and what impact did it have on your journey and career?
Shark Tank reminded me that you do not need to follow noise to be seen. You just need to be clear on what you stand for. It pushed me far outside of my comfort zone. You are not just pitching a product; you are representing your story, your values, and everything you have built from the ground up.
It gave The Broth Lab a level of visibility and credibility that would have taken years to build otherwise. But more importantly, it reinforced something I have always believed, that even in a trend-driven wellness space, there is still room for truth, simplicity, and substance.
What has been the most rewarding part of turning your personal journey into a professional path?
The most rewarding part is seeing the impact beyond myself. I still think about the early days, personally delivering orders and explaining bone broth to people who had never heard of it. I remember one customer asking, “So this is just soup?”
And I said, “No… this is not just soup. This is 15 hours of intention, over 32 amino acids, the most bioavailable electrolytes, minerals and collagen, an immunity and gut health ancestral wisdom elixir gold.” We laughed, but it captured everything I was trying to do, reintroduce something simple, yet powerful, in a way people could truly understand.
But beyond that, the most meaningful moments are when people come back to tell me how it supported their recovery, gut health, or postpartum journey. That is when you realize this is not just a product. It becomes part of people’s lives.
What’s next for you? Are there any projects or goals you are currently working towards?
What is next is intentional growth. Continuing to expand The Broth Lab while staying deeply rooted in its core values. Making it more accessible, not just across the UAE, but beyond.
At the same time, continuing to build an ecosystem of products and education that simplify wellness rather than complicate it.
The focus is not just growth for its own sake, but growth with purpose, making real nourishment part of everyday life in a way that feels practical, sustainable, and honest.
By Lea Nouhra
