It’s the holiday season, and if you’re observing, you’re probably struggling, or have struggled, to buy gifts for the special people in your life.

But why not just get a gift for yourself? Artist and writer Komail Aijazuddin started this tradition when he was 16 and living in Lahore, Pakistan, to celebrate his birthday.

His first gift to himself was a watercolor paint set that played a pivotal role in the trajectory of his life. Komail now lives in New York City and just published his first book, Manboobs: A Memoir of Musicals, Visas, Hope, and Cake.

It’s a memoir about growing up gay in Pakistan, moving to the United States post-9/11, and struggling with weight. Komail is a humorist, but many reviewers of his book focus on one central theme: heartbreak.

On this episode of It Is Your Birthday, we unpack what it’s like to confront how outsiders may see your life. Listen here, especially if you’re wondering what gift Komail got himself this year.

Please join me in wishing Komail a happy birthday by listening to this episode and telling him about it.

Growing up, you eventually learn that diamonds are forever and that every kiss begins with Kay.
But when Zainab Shah was still a student, she took a class on gender, race, and sexuality in contemporary pop culture where she learned the truth about diamonds—how they’re not scarce, the backstory behind De Beers’ marketing campaign and how that campaign shifted with the rise of female purchasing power across the globe.

But girl boss culture should, Zainab argues, is a manifestation that we could all do away with. Yas queen.

Zainab is an immigrant to the U.S. who has spent the last decade living in Brooklyn, but it’s only in her last couple of years that she’s spent more trying to unlearn the expectations and pressures that come with that dynamic.

Please join me in wishing her a happy birthday, listening to this episode, and then telling her about it.

I am not good with money. The world of finance feels like invented chemistry, where the equations make sense only to a select few. Sorry, Jerome Powell (don’t worry; I don’t think he is a subscriber), but every time you make the news, I assume it’s because bad news is coming—something about the markets and interest rates—then my eyes start to glaze over, and then I feel helpless and realize how I will likely never own a home.

And I am sure I am not the only one who feels a certain way when a peer or friend successfully converts the myth of the American dream into a reality and becomes a new homeowner. “Congratulations.”

Right. Sure. Notice the period?

Here’s the thing: I don’t feel that way about my friend and former colleague, Priska Neely. She moved from California to Alabama and is now helping run an award-winning newsroom in Birmingham—and she’s become situated in a whole new lifestyle.
You’ll have to listen to the episode to find out why you can’t help but root for Priska, American dream be damned. Also, it’s her birthday, and by the end of this conversation, I trust you’ll join me in genuinely saying, “Congratulations!” (tell her here)

Or, at the very least, you might learn a new tune to sing for others on their birthday.

Klarika works in advertising, and I can’t tell if she reads Inc. Magazine. It’s not something that came up in our conversation about her upcoming 35th birthday. To be honest, I’m not sure why it would.

But what did come up in our conversation was the importance of building community in a new place, thinking about confidence and her very own relationship with time, and that’s the first time I heard about polychronic time.

Maybe there is an article in Inc. about it (there is), but it was a pleasant surprise, along with her approach to making time for friends, family, and herself.
Join us in wishing Klarika a happy birthday by listening to this episode and tell her that you listened! (or just check her nail game 💅💅💅)

Gates. They are everywhere. Watergate. Bridgegate. Tan-suit-gate.

It’s hard to know when the facts of life merit such a distinction, but for Shereen Marisol Merjai, the moment arrived on her 40th birthday.

She was at her mom’s house and had one small request for her big day—a homemade cheesecake.

And then…the floodgates opened.

P.S. On September 5th, Shereen’s new Audible podcast, “How I Get It Done,” will drop. Be on the lookout for it, give it a listen, and subscribe. ✨✨✨

If LaNisa Frederick had her way, she’d reply “grown” anytime anyone asked her about her age.
It’s a response she originally read in a Variety interview with Abbott Elementary’s very own Janelle James who said:

“I’m grown. I have a 20-year-old son. I’m not ashamed of my age or anything like that. But for women — and everybody knows it and acts like they don’t — it gives an idea of what you are in people’s heads."

But there is no box to check for “grown,” and LaNisa knows that if she herself tried to kickstart that trend, she would receive very few callbacks, making the whole being an actor thing even more difficult than it already is.

We chatted with LaNisa, who plans to release her podcast, “Black and Cultivated,” in the fall. The show is about the Black and Brown experience in cults.
We ask her what birthdays in a cult were like, her own relationship with age in the entertainment industry and what this year’s birthday means for her.

“I’m grown. I have a 20-year-old son. I’m not ashamed of my age or anything like that. But for women — and everybody knows it and acts like they don’t — it gives an idea of what you are in people’s heads,” James says.

Earlonne Woods has spent more than half his birthdays in prison. He’s not there anymore, but he doesn’t treat the day any differently; in fact, this year, he’ll be working on his “born-day.” Join us in wishing Earlonne a happy birthday by listening to this episode and tell him and the team at Ear Hustle you listened!

We speak with Al Letson, the host of Reveal, a playwright and TV writer, as he celebrates his upcoming birthday.