Journey back to the UAE despite flight disruptions with Rory McEntee (07.04.26)

April 8, 2026·12 min·1 clip

Rory McEntee recounts being stranded in London while his wife and child were in the UAE during rising geopolitical tensions.

The episode is a conversational interview segment from Pulse 95's Morning Majlis with Rory McEntee, Chief Marketing Officer of Gymnation, covering two intertwined stories: his personal ordeal returning to the UAE during regional conflict, and Gymnation's community response to member anxiety and wellness needs. McEntee explains that he was in London on a personal trip when a conflict broke out in the Middle East. He had a wife and two-year-old son in the UAE and was urgently trying to return. Over four to five days, his British airline kept rescheduling and then cancelling his flights. His wife, reporting from inside the UAE, described feeling safe and encouraged him to try to come home rather than her evacuating. McEntee reflects on his background living across Boston, London, and Melbourne before choosing the UAE with his wife to raise their family, citing quality of life and career opportunities. He notes that when the conflict began, leaving the UAE permanently was never considered — both he and his wife felt more comfortable reuniting there. Since returning, McEntee describes normal family life continuing: beach visits, parks, lunch dates with his son. He highlights that the UAE extended free hotel accommodation and taxi services to stranded British visitors who were not even UAE residents, which he cites as evidence of the government's approach to protecting people beyond just its own citizens. He also describes the UAE's multicultural community as a distinct quality: a melting pot of people from India to Australia to Europe who look out for each other. On the fitness side, McEntee reports that Gymnation gyms saw a brief initial attendance dip followed by a surge to record-high levels as people sought routine, community, and mental health support during the uncertain period. He personally noticed his own anxiety dropping when he went to the gym and found it full of members — seeing people in person, away from social media, was grounding. Gymnation has responded with new community programming including Thursday night run clubs in Dubai, Sunday beach runs across the UAE, and a new 'nap time' class featuring guided meditation, breathwork, and a 30-minute structured sleep session inside the gym. The nap time class is framed as a direct response to members being overwhelmed by phone use and news overload, and has been popular from launch.

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