October 6, 2025 • 11 mins
In this episode Nour takes you behind the veil of the glamorous life of a content creator, from weekly invites to VIP events, to opportunities that are diverse and varied, so does one choose what to show up for? Nour dives deep into the art of saying "no" as a strategy for alignment, credibility, and brand longevity. We share why selective choices build trust, how to decline without guilt, and a real example of Nour walking away from a nostalgic invite to protect the vision.
• saying no to create space for aligned work
• how declines shape brand edges and perception
• audience trust versus short-term cash and clout
• simple scripts to say no without burning bridges
• self-trust and the power of selective presence
• a personal example of turning down a past partner
• scarcity, credibility, and showing up with meaning
Make sure to follow @TheCurationPodcast on Instagram, @NourHassan, and @PilatesbyNour to stay tuned on all of the content that is available, as well as The Curation Podcast on all podcasting platforms and @the.curation on TikTok.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:06):
Welcome to The Curation, a show for the
culturally curious.
This is your host, Noor Hassan.
Each week, I'll guide youthrough a curated edit of the
finest in art, fashion, design,culture, luxury, wellness, tech,
and more.
This is your go-to space fordiscovering trailblazing ideas,
untold stories, and meaningfulconversations with innovators
(00:29):
and creators who are shaping ourworld.
There's no gatekeeping here, sosit back, tune in, and let's
discover only the best together.
Welcome back to the CurationPodcast.
So, this episode today issomething that I've been
(00:50):
thinking about for quite sometime now.
And I thought I would share itwith you guys because it is a
really, really important one,Linneus Eliza, to build their
career.
And not just that, it's alsoimportant in life with friends,
with family in general.
Fahseit.
And no, it's a perfect time forthis episode.
This episode's title is The Artof Saying No.
(01:15):
And the idea of this episode is,and no, there's a couple of
points that I want to share withyou guys that I learned recently
about the importance of sayingno and how this actually propels
your career forward.
If you don't know whatopportunities to accept, ill
(01:38):
haget ille monken you can passon them, then that's really
going to mess up your career.
It's really gonna affect yourcareer.
But basically, I'm gonna have mylaptop here and I'm gonna read
through a few little points thatI created for you guys.
So the first thing is thatsaying no actually creates space
(01:59):
for alignment.
I think it's a little exercises,but business building, business
management, will kalem da koloof kar kitir kibira regarding
how to uh create a five-yearplan for your business, how to
build a strategy for your brand,how to do all of those things.
(02:21):
Let's say an opportunity comesup, and it's gonna get you a lot
of money.
Okay, you're gonna make a lot ofcash from this opportunity, but
it is gonna mess up your brand'simage.
So what?
What's a bit of quick cash andit'll help reinvest for business
(02:42):
with repercussions?
That does not make sense withyou or your brand.
Your audience gets veryconfused.
They're like, Noor, I trust you,I listen to you, I watch you for
a reason.
You're collaborating with abrand that is not of the caliber
that I thought this curatorialplatform is.
(03:06):
But you lose so much by sayingyes to things, even if it's for
clout or networking or cash orwhatever, you lose community,
guys.
Where community is the core,it's the foundation of your
brand.
So that's my first point, Jenny.
Saying it actually kind of opensup space for the things that are
(03:31):
aligned to find you.
Where I know it sounds a bitwoo-woo, but Sana, I really
believe in this, guys.
Like if you understand what youwant, and if you really, really
have an idea of what the visionfor your brand is, certain
people, certain things, certainopportunities will find you.
Best if you say yes to thethings that have nothing to do
(03:56):
with your vision, it willdeflect those opportunities that
you want to come near you, awayfrom you.
That the art of saying no issomething that I learned at 31
years old, guys.
It took me good ashar SineenShock, and I'm not gonna be able
to do it.
(04:21):
If it's a why not, it's a no.
And that's a really importantpoint.
So my second point is yourbrand, it's built on the
opportunities that you accept,but also on opportunities that
you decline.
A brand is built exclusively onthe opportunities that you
(04:43):
accept.
Whenever an opportunity comes toyou, say yes, be a yes woman, a
yes man, whatever.
It took a very long time tolearn, and you decline also
define you.
Yani, it's not just in a sayingno brings alignment.
The things that you declinedefine your brand.
(05:04):
No, noor does not work with XYZbrands, she does not associate
with XYZ people, she does notattend XYZ types of events.
They stop reaching out to you,and the opportunities you
(05:26):
actually want start coming toyou.
International opportunities,more money, more respect, more
credibility.
There is a level of credibilityand scarcity in the fact that
you cater to something specific.
You're not always everywhere,all at once, saying yes to
(05:49):
everything.
There's nothing worse than beingthe person where I know if I
invite her, she'll show up.
That's not the person you wantto be in our industry, girls.
My third point is how to say nowithout being guilty or burning
bridges.
Um, anapsaroha, I'm a Libra.
I've spoken about this before.
(06:11):
I'm a manifesting generator.
If you don't know your humandesign, please check it out.
It's an incredible um sort ofthing to dive into, and I'm very
big on astrology.
But what I do want to say hereis that at first I did use to
burn bridges because I feltlike, hello, Siani, what does it
matter?
(06:31):
But I learned after a while thatthere's a time and place for
burning bridges.
I am not the type of person thatdoesn't believe in that.
I don't think that youropportunity is connected to
humans, it's connected to God.
That's how I think.
So burning a bridge with aperson for me is not something
that I hold to too much of ahigh like fear point or whatever
(06:55):
that people think of.
But you should never feel guiltyfor saying no, and there's
always a nice way to do it.
It does not mean you're burninga bridge.
You can say thank you, you canexplain a little bit, although
there is no need for anexplanation.
Be very, very clear and don't beafraid of burning bridges.
Don't be afraid of feelingguilty.
(07:15):
You can say no in a very clearway and you can move on from it
very fast.
And trust me, the nextopportunity will be there right
around the corner.
And that is kind of the wholepoint, isn't it?
I think my favorite point that Ithought of is that saying no to
things that do not align withyou is a form of self-trust.
It's a form of an of kind oflike backing yourself, investing
(07:39):
in yourself, believing inyourself, saying that, yeah, I
don't do that because I knowthat I'm worth this.
So I'm gonna wait for this, andI'm not gonna associate or
engage with or even entertainthe idea of being involved in
anything that is less than this.
And that, my friends, is how youbuild brands that actually have
(08:02):
lasting power, that are notfads, that are not trends, and
that are not based on floatyengagement.
You know what I mean?
I think the last thing that Iwant to say is that yeah, I know
that it's difficult to say no tothings.
And the art of saying no, itaffords you so much, guys.
Alignment, opportunities thatyou can accept without feeling
(08:24):
guilty or burning bridges, it'sjust kind of a form of betting
on yourself.
And I'll give you a simpleexample that happened recently.
Like I was invited to an event,and it was for a brand that I
had worked with so extensivelyyears ago, when I at the
beginning of my career, okay.
And this brand, I love thisbrand, it's a it's an amazing
(08:47):
brand.
But I worked with this brand inmy early 20s, and it was just
such a nice relationship.
I swear it was one of my bestrelationships.
Um, you know, we'd do campaignstogether, they paid very well,
giftings, everything.
And then we parted ways like acouple of years later, because I
(09:08):
was an ambassador, and that wasthat.
Now, kind of five, six yearslater in my early 30s, they're
back again to represent in Egyptand they just did an event.
And I was invited, and then Ithought to myself, you know
what?
That is kind of a chapter in thepast for me.
Like it was such a beautifulphase, but this brand does not
align with 31-year-old Noor andor the vision or the curation
(09:32):
that I'm trying to put together.
So essentially, um, I decidednot to go to the event.
And I would have never done thatin the past, and it just felt so
aligned.
And I seriously think that thisis the key to building slow and
steady brand longevity thatultimately wins the race because
(09:55):
it's become kind of a rat raceat this point on social media,
and if you want to stand out,you just can't be everywhere,
and that is kind of the goldennugget of this episode, and it's
actually one of the 48 laws ofpower by Robert Green is that
you need to disappear for alittle bit sometimes.
(10:16):
Make people realize that you'renot there, you're not always
gonna be there, you don't sayyes to everything.
Your presence is special, it'svaluable, it's important, it has
weight so that when, forexample, Noor Hassan shows up to
an event, that's a big deal.
Or who or who whatever, Yanni,whatever your name is.
(10:38):
That's kind of the point becauseat this point, access is so
available to everyone, nothingis really gate kept.
Let's be real with ourselves.
(11:00):
And I'll see you guys on my nextepisode.
Thank you for listening.
Make sure to follow at thecuration podcast on Instagram,
at Nour Hassan, and at Pilatesby Nour to stay tuned on all of
(11:21):
the content that is available,as well as the curation podcast
on all podcasting platforms andthe curation on TikTok.
Welcome to The Curation, a show for the
culturally curious.
This is your host, Noor Hassan.
Each week, I'll guide youthrough a curated edit of the
finest in art, fashion, design,culture, luxury, wellness, tech,
and more.
This is your go-to space fordiscovering trailblazing ideas,
untold stories, and meaningfulconversations with innovators
(00:29):
and creators who are shaping ourworld.
There's no gatekeeping here, sosit back, tune in, and let's
discover only the best together.
Welcome back to the CurationPodcast.
So, this episode today issomething that I've been
(00:50):
thinking about for quite sometime now.
And I thought I would share itwith you guys because it is a
really, really important one,Linneus Eliza, to build their
career.
And not just that, it's alsoimportant in life with friends,
with family in general.
Fahseit.
And no, it's a perfect time forthis episode.
This episode's title is The Artof Saying No.
(01:15):
And the idea of this episode is,and no, there's a couple of
points that I want to share withyou guys that I learned recently
about the importance of sayingno and how this actually propels
your career forward.
If you don't know whatopportunities to accept, ill
(01:38):
haget ille monken you can passon them, then that's really
going to mess up your career.
It's really gonna affect yourcareer.
But basically, I'm gonna have mylaptop here and I'm gonna read
through a few little points thatI created for you guys.
So the first thing is thatsaying no actually creates space
(01:59):
for alignment.
I think it's a little exercises,but business building, business
management, will kalem da koloof kar kitir kibira regarding
how to uh create a five-yearplan for your business, how to
build a strategy for your brand,how to do all of those things.
(02:21):
Let's say an opportunity comesup, and it's gonna get you a lot
of money.
Okay, you're gonna make a lot ofcash from this opportunity, but
it is gonna mess up your brand'simage.
So what?
What's a bit of quick cash andit'll help reinvest for business
(02:42):
with repercussions?
That does not make sense withyou or your brand.
Your audience gets veryconfused.
They're like, Noor, I trust you,I listen to you, I watch you for
a reason.
You're collaborating with abrand that is not of the caliber
that I thought this curatorialplatform is.
(03:06):
But you lose so much by sayingyes to things, even if it's for
clout or networking or cash orwhatever, you lose community,
guys.
Where community is the core,it's the foundation of your
brand.
So that's my first point, Jenny.
Saying it actually kind of opensup space for the things that are
(03:31):
aligned to find you.
Where I know it sounds a bitwoo-woo, but Sana, I really
believe in this, guys.
Like if you understand what youwant, and if you really, really
have an idea of what the visionfor your brand is, certain
people, certain things, certainopportunities will find you.
Best if you say yes to thethings that have nothing to do
(03:56):
with your vision, it willdeflect those opportunities that
you want to come near you, awayfrom you.
That the art of saying no issomething that I learned at 31
years old, guys.
It took me good ashar SineenShock, and I'm not gonna be able
to do it.
(04:21):
If it's a why not, it's a no.
And that's a really importantpoint.
So my second point is yourbrand, it's built on the
opportunities that you accept,but also on opportunities that
you decline.
A brand is built exclusively onthe opportunities that you
(04:43):
accept.
Whenever an opportunity comes toyou, say yes, be a yes woman, a
yes man, whatever.
It took a very long time tolearn, and you decline also
define you.
Yani, it's not just in a sayingno brings alignment.
The things that you declinedefine your brand.
(05:04):
No, noor does not work with XYZbrands, she does not associate
with XYZ people, she does notattend XYZ types of events.
They stop reaching out to you,and the opportunities you
(05:26):
actually want start coming toyou.
International opportunities,more money, more respect, more
credibility.
There is a level of credibilityand scarcity in the fact that
you cater to something specific.
You're not always everywhere,all at once, saying yes to
(05:49):
everything.
There's nothing worse than beingthe person where I know if I
invite her, she'll show up.
That's not the person you wantto be in our industry, girls.
My third point is how to say nowithout being guilty or burning
bridges.
Um, anapsaroha, I'm a Libra.
I've spoken about this before.
(06:11):
I'm a manifesting generator.
If you don't know your humandesign, please check it out.
It's an incredible um sort ofthing to dive into, and I'm very
big on astrology.
But what I do want to say hereis that at first I did use to
burn bridges because I feltlike, hello, Siani, what does it
matter?
(06:31):
But I learned after a while thatthere's a time and place for
burning bridges.
I am not the type of person thatdoesn't believe in that.
I don't think that youropportunity is connected to
humans, it's connected to God.
That's how I think.
So burning a bridge with aperson for me is not something
that I hold to too much of ahigh like fear point or whatever
(06:55):
that people think of.
But you should never feel guiltyfor saying no, and there's
always a nice way to do it.
It does not mean you're burninga bridge.
You can say thank you, you canexplain a little bit, although
there is no need for anexplanation.
Be very, very clear and don't beafraid of burning bridges.
Don't be afraid of feelingguilty.
(07:15):
You can say no in a very clearway and you can move on from it
very fast.
And trust me, the nextopportunity will be there right
around the corner.
And that is kind of the wholepoint, isn't it?
I think my favorite point that Ithought of is that saying no to
things that do not align withyou is a form of self-trust.
It's a form of an of kind oflike backing yourself, investing
(07:39):
in yourself, believing inyourself, saying that, yeah, I
don't do that because I knowthat I'm worth this.
So I'm gonna wait for this, andI'm not gonna associate or
engage with or even entertainthe idea of being involved in
anything that is less than this.
And that, my friends, is how youbuild brands that actually have
(08:02):
lasting power, that are notfads, that are not trends, and
that are not based on floatyengagement.
You know what I mean?
I think the last thing that Iwant to say is that yeah, I know
that it's difficult to say no tothings.
And the art of saying no, itaffords you so much, guys.
Alignment, opportunities thatyou can accept without feeling
(08:24):
guilty or burning bridges, it'sjust kind of a form of betting
on yourself.
And I'll give you a simpleexample that happened recently.
Like I was invited to an event,and it was for a brand that I
had worked with so extensivelyyears ago, when I at the
beginning of my career, okay.
And this brand, I love thisbrand, it's a it's an amazing
(08:47):
brand.
But I worked with this brand inmy early 20s, and it was just
such a nice relationship.
I swear it was one of my bestrelationships.
Um, you know, we'd do campaignstogether, they paid very well,
giftings, everything.
And then we parted ways like acouple of years later, because I
(09:08):
was an ambassador, and that wasthat.
Now, kind of five, six yearslater in my early 30s, they're
back again to represent in Egyptand they just did an event.
And I was invited, and then Ithought to myself, you know
what?
That is kind of a chapter in thepast for me.
Like it was such a beautifulphase, but this brand does not
align with 31-year-old Noor andor the vision or the curation
(09:32):
that I'm trying to put together.
So essentially, um, I decidednot to go to the event.
And I would have never done thatin the past, and it just felt so
aligned.
And I seriously think that thisis the key to building slow and
steady brand longevity thatultimately wins the race because
(09:55):
it's become kind of a rat raceat this point on social media,
and if you want to stand out,you just can't be everywhere,
and that is kind of the goldennugget of this episode, and it's
actually one of the 48 laws ofpower by Robert Green is that
you need to disappear for alittle bit sometimes.
(10:16):
Make people realize that you'renot there, you're not always
gonna be there, you don't sayyes to everything.
Your presence is special, it'svaluable, it's important, it has
weight so that when, forexample, Noor Hassan shows up to
an event, that's a big deal.
Or who or who whatever, Yanni,whatever your name is.
(10:38):
That's kind of the point becauseat this point, access is so
available to everyone, nothingis really gate kept.
Let's be real with ourselves.
(11:00):
And I'll see you guys on my nextepisode.
Thank you for listening.
Make sure to follow at thecuration podcast on Instagram,
at Nour Hassan, and at Pilatesby Nour to stay tuned on all of
(11:21):
the content that is available,as well as the curation podcast
on all podcasting platforms andthe curation on TikTok.
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