Tala Badri

About Beyond Cubicles

📢 #BeyondCubicles is a weekly LinkedIn series created by Carolina D’Souza, born out of her own experience transitioning from a corporate career to independent consulting. Since its launch in June 2024, the series has evolved into a platform that showcases the inspiring journeys of several founders who have redefined the traditional 9-to-5.

Through authentic narratives, #BeyondCubicles highlights themes of courage, resilience, and purpose. The stories feature individuals from diverse industries—ranging from tech and education to wellness and adventure—who share their experiences of stepping away from conventional roles to pursue passion-driven careers.

✨ Note: All features in this series are unpaid and shared as a way to honor and amplify real stories of transformation.

When Tala Badri returned to work after maternity leave, her daughter was diagnosed with ASD.

“The decision was made for me,” says the Emirati founder, who left her role at a multinational to support her daughter’s therapy. She had a degree in music, though building a career in that field had not been possible.

The impact music therapy had on her daughter became the foundation of Centre for Musical Arts, a non-profit founded in 2005 with a mission centered on ‘Bringing Music to Everyone’.

“I never expected to feel both happy and challenged doing something I love. I wanted others to experience the joy and progress that music can bring,” she says.

Leaving behind a steady income was the biggest change. The rest required learning: business planning, financing, managing contracts. “It was a steep learning curve,” says Tala.

Momentum came four months after launch. The center had a team of five and around 100 students, with a waiting list of over 500. “That was when I realized this was working.”

Two decades later, she still leads the organization, working with more than a thousand students across 28 schools.

“It has come at a cost,” she says, “sleepless nights, anxiety, and at times significant personal financial investment.”

There were moments she questioned it. “But then I see our orchestra perform, or a child walk out of a lesson full of confidence, or a parent share how their child has grown, and that’s when I know it’s worth it,” she says.

She also discovered that the freedom people expect from running their own business rarely arrives as imagined. “It’s the opposite,” she says. “I also didn’t expect how emotionally invested I would become in my team, and how hard it would be to make difficult decisions. That’s something I still find tough.”

In corporate she was highly regarded. As a social entrepreneur and educator, she says that perception shifts. “When I say I run a music school, the response is often, ‘Oh, that’s nice’. It doesn’t always reflect the scale or complexity of what I do,” she says.

Her husband, who works alongside her, and organizations including #DubaiCulture have remained central to the journey.

“In my previous roles, I never felt I was making a difference. Now, I can see the impact every single day,” she says.