The Defiant Career | Career Strategy for Women in Medicine

Join us in this episode as we sit with Dr. Anjabeen Ashraf to talk about trauma, depression, mental health, and social justice activism. Dr. Anjabeen is a mental health expert, speaker, researcher, educator, and social justice activist. Her work is mainly centered on exploring the experience of American Muslims and South Asian Americans. In this conversation, Dr. Anjabeen explains what vicarious trauma is all about and how one can heal from traumatic experiences. She also shares some of her findings on vicarious trauma from her research study. Moreover, we also tackle the issue of postpartum depression and what you can do about it. Talking about your struggles is another way to heal, and so Dr. Anjabeen elaborates on the importance of honoring your mental, reaching out for help, and the role of a community in helping others heal. She offers tools you can apply to yourself and your community to cope with stress, depression, and trauma. Lastly, we talk about boundaries, how to set up healthy boundaries in the workplace and Dr. Anjabeen's social justice work as part of the hate crime law implementation committee in Oregon. In this Episode, We Talk About:

• What is 'vicarious trauma'?
• What Dr. Anjabeens research study reveals about vicarious trauma
• Honoring your mental health
• Healing through community
• Coping with your stress and trauma through 'grounding'
• What to do when you have symptoms of postpartum depression
• Boundary work and why it matters
• Setting boundaries in the workplace
• Dr. Anjabeen's social justice work on the hate crime law implementation committee in Oregon
• Dr. Anjabeen's advice to young Muslim women who are thinking of a career in counseling, psychotherapy, mental health, and psychology

Where to reach Dr. Anjabeen Ashraf:

• Instagram

Dr. Anjabeen Ashraf Bio:

Dr. Anjabeen Ashraf holds a doctorate in Counselor Education and a Master's degree in Counseling. Her work has focused on vicarious trauma in American Muslims, mental health counseling, and anti-oppression work.

She has presented on a number of topics including working with Muslim clients, social justice issues, mental health issues, and courtship/marriage.

Dr. Ashraf is currently serving on the Hate Crime law implementation committee in Oregon. This groundbreaking legislation passed in Oregon in 2019 and amends the criminality of hate crimes and expands the state's tracking of hate crimes and hate incidents. Dr. Ashraf's work on the steering committee focuses on trauma-informed practices and support for survivors of hate crimes.

Dr. Ashraf firmly believes in the power of counseling and personal growth work. Her online presence is focused on destigmatizing mental health and wellness in South Asian and Muslim communities. Engaging with the public outside the siloes of academia is important in Dr. Ashraf's anti-oppression framework.

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"For the little girl that didn't know a word of English or French, then to graduate in University with both official languages, I felt victorious." -Rahma Mohamed

Literature has always been a passion of Rahma's. Having to forego pursuing her college studies in literature to satisfy her immigrant parents' need for security in choosing a career, Rahma found her way back to her passion unexpectedly. Having never read a children's book herself, Rahma became fascinated with the value and legacy in nurturing and sharing this childhood experience with her own children. As she tried to create this experience with her children, she realized the scarcity of diversity and representation in children's literature. Because of the lack of diversity in the market for Muslim Children's Book, she decided to self-publish children's books to encourage kids to be proud of their uniqueness, spread awareness, and celebrate diversity.

Join us in this episode as we talk about diversity in literature, storybooks and parenting with Rahma Mohamed, a children's storybook author. In this Episode, We Talk About:

• Rahma's early school and career experience
• What made Rahma walk the path of being a Children's Storybook Author
• What it feels like to be the only child of color in your class
• How to raise your child so that they have self-confidence within themselves
• Why literature representation for people of color is important
• The role of diversity in literature

Where to reach Rahma Mohamed:

• Instagram

Rahma Mohamed's Bio:

Rahma Mohamed was born and raised in Hargeisa, Somalia. At the age of eight, her family immigrated to Quebec, Canada where she attended her first formal school in French. She mastered both French and English and became the first to graduate from University in her family.

She didn't learn to read until she was at the age of ten. When she learned to read, a new world opened up to her. And she read all kinds of stories. But sadly, she never found herself in any of them.

Once she became a mother, she set out to self-publish children's books to encourage youth to be proud of their uniqueness by celebrating diversity.

Fueled by her struggles and life experience, she became determined to offer books centered on characters that are Muslim and with African roots.

She firmly believes that children need to be able to identify themselves in the book they read to enhance their self-confidence as well as bolster their sense of pride. She writes under the pen name Rahma Rodaah which is her first name and middle name combined.

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As a Muslim, how should we approach parenting? Raising a child is no walk in the park. It's confusing and daunting, especially that as a parent you're expected to do a perfect job. But it is also rewarding at the same time, especially when your child grows into a fine, responsible, and loving adult. What should we do as parents to raise our kids properly while still keeping with the principles of Islam? Join us in this episode as we talk about parenting in the Islam perspective with Gulnaz Ahsan, the editor of Halal Parenting. Halal Parenting is a magazine that offers parenting techniques that work. It provides a delicate balance of fresh, modern parenting content that incorporates Islamic principles to help you make the best decisions for your children and family. In this conversation, Gulnaz shares why she decided to become an entrepreneur and why she founded Halal Parenting. She also talks about parenting from the perspective of Islam and how parenting is likened to an on-the-job training. She also addresses the misconception that women automatically know how to take care of and raise a child. Gulnaz explains why entrepreneurship is the ideal career for women and moms who want to stay at home and take care of their children. For our Professional Muslim Women listeners, we're offering you a 15% discount off the annual subscription to Halal Parenting magazine! Use our exclusive coupon code PMW15 when you purchase! In this Episode, We Talk About:

• Gulnaz' early career experience
• From finance to entrepreneurship
• Parenting from the perspective of Islam
• What to do when your child is throwing a tantrum
• Staying consistent as a parent
• Why entrepreneurship is a good career choice for women

Where to reach Gulnaz Ahsan: LinkedIn

Gulnaz Ahsan's Bio:

Gulnaz Ahsan the editor of Halal Parenting magazine. She studied International Business Finance in the UK and later took Business Software Applications in Northern California. She works as a licensed investment advisor with a focus on managing clients for a few and then later on married and moved to Milwaukee Wisconsin. She continues to work for project outsourcing companies that serve large financial institutions throughout the country.

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Choosing a career is hard enough. Having a mentor to guide and help you with your chosen career makes all the difference and keeps you right on track.

Today, our guest is Dr. Uzma Syed who is a true Muslimah trailblazer. She is the President of Align Us, a not-for-profit organization that offers unique mentorship opportunities to help foster career development for high school students. Align Us is an after school program which helps students bridge classroom to real-world experiences.

Join us in this episode as Dr. Uzma Syed shares her experience in becoming a public figure and trailblazer in her community. She tells us about the difficult road of pursuing her doctorate career without a mentor and how that experience inspired her non profit. Her ultimate goal is to bridge cultural and societal gaps so that all American citizens have an active role in their community at hand.

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• Her activism in having Islamic Holidays recognized state wide
• The huge benefits of mentorship to young students
• Advise for blazing your career
• Getting the right resources

Where to reach Dr. Uzma Syed:

• Instagram @uzmasworld

Dr. Uzma Syed's Bio:

Dr. Uzma Syed is a board-certified infectious disease specialist, an education leader and a political activist. She cares a lot about education, from directing a nonprofit called Align Us that provides mentorship and career development to serving on school board committees as an advisor.

She's a rising Muslim civic figure in Nassau community politics, she co-founded the eighth-holiday coalition, served on the commissioner's community council, and is recognized by the legislature as a female trailblazer.

She also ran as a school board trustee candidate in 2018 all while being a proud and visible Hijab Muslim woman.

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Beauty comes in all colors. But sadly, skin color (colorism) features in defining standards of beauty due to the historical context of colonialism in large parts of the world.

Our next guest, Amira Adawe, MPH was the researcher who discovered the high levels of mercury and other toxic chemicals in skin lightening creams. These chemicals were not identified on the label, which not only bucks FDA laws but led to harmful effects on unsuspecting women.

Amira shares why she started her research on preventing skin-lightening products and the dangers it can cause. We also discuss the topic of beauty standards and how we can change the narrative around it.

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• The origin of skin-lightening practices
• The reason why Amira started her research on preventing skin-lightening practices
• How colonialism affected the defining of beauty in many cultures around the world
• The dangers of skin-lightening products
• What beauty means in the culture
• Is a career in public health really fulfilling?
• Educating individuals about wellness
• The reason why Amira chose to teach

Where to reach Amira Adawe:

• Twitter

Amira's Bio:

Amira is the Founder and Executive Director at The Beautywell Project, a non-profit organization that aims to combat skin-lightening and chemical exposures as well as addressing other environmental impacts in Minnesota, nationwide and international.

She previously managed Minnesota's Children Cabinet of Governor Mark Dayton where she worked on early childhood in all policies and systems using equity lens. She's also a public health researcher and her research interests include women's and children's health in the areas of access to health care, skin-lightening practices, and chemical exposures.

Amira is the host of Beauty-Wellness Talk at KALY Radio and Podcast. Amira has an undergraduate degree in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. She was also a Policy Fellow 2015-2016 at Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Amira's work has been featured on local and national media including StarTribune, Minnpost, STAT News, National Public Radio (NPR), Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien and WSB-TV.

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This week, we're doing things a little differently! We will be talking about one of the most frequently requested topics of discussion: Time management. We will be tackling this subject in an interactive way with our first ever Facebook live event.

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When you look up Muslim women online, the search results you'll mostly see are negative. It's constantly about how oppressed we are or how we've been attacked. How do we change this negative narrative that is surrounding our community? How can we create a more positive impact and encourage more Muslim women to step up and own their stories?

In this episode of the Professional Muslim Women, Founder and Executive Director of Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment (RISE), Nausheena Hussain, joins us to talk about how their platform is elevating how Muslim women are perceived. They're on a mission to make sure that Muslim women are at the table.

Reviving Sisterhood is a platform created to showcase Muslim women's work and empower them to grow and develop in every aspect of life. Get empowered as you listen to Nausheena's words of wisdom and motivation so that you can claim your voice and create impactful change in your community.

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• What made Nausheena pursue the amazing arena of social justice, activism, and civics

• What is RISE

• Gender Islamophobia

• Taking back the negative narrative about Muslim women and turning it into something positive by telling the story ourselves

• Muslim Sheroes of Minnesota

• Why you can't be what you can't see

• Ways to connect and empower Muslim women

• RISE's 1st conference

• Nausheena's vision for RISE

• Focusing on our similarities and honoring our differences

• Building your personal BOD

Where to reach Nausheena Hussain:

• Nausheena Hussain's Website

Nausheena's Bio:

Nausheena Hussain is the co-founder and Executive Director of a new platform to empower women in her community known as Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment. She is dedicated in building a movement to address leadership development, increase community engagement, and create a philanthropic legacy for change.

One of Nausheena's top strengths is that she is a learner. So naturally, she's always on the path to increase her knowledge and better her skills. Nausheena graduated from the University of Minnesota cum laude in 2003 with her MBA in Marketing and Healthcare Administration. She holds certificates in Executive Leadership from Stanford and Harvard Universities. She is a fellow graduate from the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute, Studio/E entrepreneurial program, Rockwood Institute Fellow and is a 2016 Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow.

Because of her hard work and dedication, Nausheena has been recognized for her achievements. She was named the 2012 Catalytic Leader by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. In 2016, the Minnesota Women's Press named her "Changemaker of the Year."

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Figuring out what brings joy and fulfillment in one's life is a struggle many are faced with today. With societal pressure, it's easy to go down a path you never really intended. Listening to that tiny voice inside you that's telling you to chase after real joy. Listening to that tiny voice inside fo you that's telling you to chase after real joy is not always easy, because along the way we tend to detour or get lost.

How can we become connected to ourselves and start seeking real happiness?

Join us in this episode as we talk about personal development in relation to the principles of Islam with Kaltun Karani. Kaltun is a tafsir teacher and the founder of Hikma Academy. She's also the author of the book Intentionally Rising: Lifestyle Design for the Conscious Muslim.

Kaltun shares what motivated her to write her book. She also talks about how, within her journey, she resisted external pressures around her and chose instead to listen to her heart. At the end of this episode, Kaltun leaves us with an amazing message that reminds us of what our purpose is in life!

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• Listening to your heart and figuring out what really brings you joy
• Calculating your decisions and going for what makes you feel better
• What motivated Kaltun to write her book
• How Kaltun face and overcome obstacles
• Kaltun's passion for teaching women and the youth about Islamic studies
• Self-care and community service
• Trusting the process and doing your best

Where to reach Kaltun Karani:

• Facebook

Kaltun's Bio:

Kaltun Karani is the founder of Hikma Academy. She has over 10 years of experience working with youth and women in the country as a teacher and mentor in spiritual and personal development. She has also worked as an early childhood coach supporting teachers in quality interactions with children.

She's also the author of the book, Intentionally Rising Lifestyle Design for the Conscious Muslim, a workbook that uses Islamic Principles of self-development to guide readers to intentionally design their ideal lives.

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Let's be honest, achieving work-life balance is hard! There are times you're more active and present at work than you are in your personal life. And sometimes, it can burn us out. That's why it's really important to have a good work-life balance so that stress can be minimized and work won't feel more of a burden.

In this episode of the Professional Muslim Women, join as we talk about the six ways to create a better work-life balance according to the career experts at FORBES. We also discuss the reality of work-life balance for medical professionals. Learn why you need to let go of perfectionism, burnout, the concept of Kaizen and many more!

Listen on and learn how you can elevate your work-life balance and start living a life that is comfortable for you!

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• The reality of work-life balance in the medical world
• What is burnout and how to beat it
• Consequences of burnout for medical professionals
• Unplugging from your source of stress
• How journaling can help alleviate your stress
• Why you need to spend less with people who waste your time
• Self-care and Kaizen

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Do you have a goal that you've been wanting to achieve but it's still not crossed out on your list? You know how to get it but somehow you lack the motivation to move forward and accomplish it. Most people make excuses on why they're not doing it. For others who already started, sometimes they quit halfway through. If you're one of those people, then you might consider getting a life coach to help you!

Joining us today is Ifrah Ibrahim, a Biochemist turned life coach. She specializes in helping Muslim women find meaning and clarity in their lives. Ifrah uses traditional Islamic approach to healing trauma, creating mindset shifts, and making powerful decisions.

In this episode, we're going to talk about how she transitioned from working as a Biochemist to becoming a life coach and counselor. Ifrah also shares important tips on how not to feel fatigued when making decisions, managing work-life balance, and creating productivity strategies.

Listen till the end to find out how you can overcome your procrastination and have the willpower to thrive and live a purposeful life!

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• What is life coaching and why it's important
• Why we don't automatically do the things that we know we need to do
• What does a life coach do and why you need them to equip you for success
• What is decision fatigue
• How can you make powerful decisions
• Muslim life coaching
• Why Ifrah chooses to focus on coaching and working with Muslim women
• What motivated Ifrah to get into the arena of coaching and personal development and how that shift affect her personally
• Managing work-life balance
• The best way to honor your parent's sacrifices

Where to Reach Ifrah Ibrahim:

• Email: [email protected].

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