Uzma Jalaluddin (@uzmajalaluddin) is the bestselling author of Hana Khan Carries On and Ayesha At Last. During Uzma's day job as an English teacher, Uzma has built a wildly successful (and, unbelievably nascent) career as a novelist. Most recently, Mindy Kaling announced that she would be producing an adaptation of Hana Khan Carries On for Amazon Studios. While the Muslim rom-com is being produced, Uzma is busy working on her third novel. Listen to Uzma's story on today's epi! 

Follow Uzma on Twitter @uzmawrites
Check out Uzma's website


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Zaki Hasan is a film critic -- and a top critic, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Zaki's interest in writing about film started in high school, and he has invested the last quarter-century in the craft. Zaki currently writes for the San Francisco Chronicle and IGN. He is also a professor and talks about film in his own decade-old podcast, The Moviefilm.

Where to find Zaki:
Twitter, @zakiscorner
And his own website 


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Mona Hayder is a rapper...and so much more. She is also a mother, a chaplain, and a poet. When Mona studied English in college, she knew that she was creative and had immersed herself in a community of spoken word poets. Before long, she was performing on stages herself, and her love for poetry and the community that shaped her unlocked a career in music. Mona's debut single, Wrap My Hijab, has 9 million views on YouTube. Billboard named it one of the top 25 feminist anthems of all time.
Follow Mona on Instagram @themostmona 

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This episode is super special -- because it is 1 year after the pod launched (47 episodes!!!!)! And it's with my sister in law, Yasamine, who pushed me to start Muslims Doing Things in the first place. Yasi is also a different kind of guest, because she is very early in her professional career. She graduated college less than 6 months ago -- and in quarantine decided to take her creative energy and invest it into social media alongside her coursework. She picked up 70k TikTok followers and works full-time in philanthropy. This episode is an homage to beginnings. A celebration for the 1 year. And a way to learn how to build a platform, if you're interested.

• Keep up with Yasi on IG


• Keep up with Yasi on Tiktok

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Maytha Alhassen studied political science and international relations in hopes of living a life in the foreign service — until life took her to academia, and academia took her to Hollywood. Maytha’s current work in Hollywood, as a TV and film writer and executive producer, includes work on Hulu’s Ramy and her own show, Key Terms, available on 11/11. Listen to Maytha's journey on today's epi.

To stream Key Terms, follow Maytha on IG

Reach out to Maytha on her website

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When Amin Aaser graduated from Harvard, he took a mergers and acquisitions role in corporate venture capital, preparing himself for a life in finance. On the side, for 5 years, he worked on a passion project, creating educational content for Muslim kids in the form of books. Fast-forward nearly a decade, and Amin is the full-time Executive Director at Noor Kids, a character building program for over 25,000 (which hosts 66 children's books). Amin works with his wife on the company, they have a staff of nearly 17 people. 

• Subscribe to Noor Kids


• Follow Noor Kids on Instagram


• Follow Noor Kids on FB


• Subscribe to the Noor Kids parenting podcast: Muslim Superdad and Wondermom 

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When a young Fatmah Muhammad's Palestinian family was nearly driven out of town in Missouri, she learned a valuable lesson that would shape her future career: empathy and persistence win. Fatmah's parents of 6 slowly won their neighbors over with hospitality and food. Life took Fatmah's to Southern California at 17, where she married the nominated Knafeh King and had a family. Over a decade later, Fatmah and her eldest daughter Rheyanah co-founded the business, that within 3 years has grown a social media following of over 35,000 and has caught the attention of celebs from the Hadids to DJ Khaled (and his mom) to Dua Lipa. 

Listen to Fatmah's story today, and while you are at it - get yourself some Knafeh here.

Follow Knafeh Queens on Instagram

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When Shahd Batal's (@shahdbatal) mom got her a laptop after high school, she imagined it would be the tool to help Shahd get through her PR degree. Shahd used it to make YouTube videos in her spare time, like many of the YouTubers that she grew up to and appreciated. Fast-forward a signed career as a content creator, influencer, model, and so much more, Shahd landed on the receiving side of the PR equation. Listen to Shahd's journey on today's epi.

Follow Shahd on IG
Follow Shahd on Twitter
Subscribe to Shahd's YouTube



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When Ndaa Hassan realized that there weren't enough English resources to teach her kids about Ramadan in 2018, she took initiative and published her own childrens' book. 3 years later, Ramadan Around the World is a best-selling childrens' book. Ndaa has since published two more books and built a company, My Arabi Box, around Arabic curriculum (with incredible products, btw) for children. Ndaa's background in marketing and passion for Arabic language development has fast-tracked her ability to be part of a generation of authors creating content for young Muslim children. (Also, teaser, Ndaa is very open about how to self-publish -- and will share some tips in the epi).

• Follow Ndaa on Instagram


• Check out Ndaa's website to get a glimpse of her publishing house


• Follow Ramadan Around the World on Instagram

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When Amany Killawi studied social work, she had an image for her future in macro impact. Her life took an unexpected turn when she met her co-founders and started what would be come the largest Muslim crowdfunding platform on the platform. The company bootstrapped the company to where they are today, with $250 million raised, and Amany serves as the COO for 100 people working towards the vision of $1 billion raised on their platform. Listen to Amany’s journey as a the founder of a growth stage company, from the ups of serving the community to the downs of surviving without a salary.

• Follow Amany on Instagram 


• Follow Launchgood on Instagram


• Follow Amany on Facebook


• Or reach out to Amany via email @ [email protected]

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