Welcome to Season 2! We're so excited to be back. We're picking up right where we left off after a two-year pandemic break. Our personal and professional lives have significantly changed since the start of the pandemic. So in this season, we'll be doing things a little differently. We'll introduce the new format of the podcast, our respective roles, and new exciting segments and projects we have in store for you. Happy listening!

Check out Defiance Academy for more information.

https://www.defianceacademy.com/

Welcome back! The ladies of The Professional Muslim Women podcast sit down and catch up on all that 2020 has dropped into their lives. As front line healthcare workers in the pandemic, their personal lives have been deeply affected and they discuss what they have been up to in the intervening months.

They also discuss the protests for racial justice and the ongoing struggle for racial equality, particularly through the lens of the healthcare system. They discuss the impact Covid19 has had bringing into stark relief the racial disparity in health outcomes. .

They give their take on the upcoming Election and discuss how voting is a powerful tool for progressive change. We are not powerless and they offer some ideas on how to use our power to improve our lives and our communities.

For details on how and where to vote go to https://iwillvote.com/

Building wealth is not as hard as you think. The secrets have been out years ago. We just have to remind ourselves again and again and make a conscious effort to follow it.

What comes to mind when you hear terms like the stock market, bonds, investment, and other financial jargon? It sounds intimidating and scary, right? And you feel like you'll just lose money if you invest it, so you never really bothered. But it doesn't have to be.

After listening to this episode, you'll learn useful financial information to get you moving towards building wealth!

Our guest is Saima Ali, a neurologist who has a deep passion for finance and teaching others the financial skills they needed to improve their financial wellbeing. She shares important resources to manage your debt and make saving money easier.

Saima talks about the difference between halal and haram investments, and things you need to know about life insurance. She also speaks about what it means to live below your means and pay your future self first and how to set your mindset for financial success.

Her goals are to have every woman retire as a millionaire. She created a free introduction to the stock market training, which can be accessed below.

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• The story behind Saima's finance projects
• Resources to improve your financial wellbeing
• Managing debt wisely
• Building your credit score
• What it means to live below your means
• Why finance is a mindset game
• Instant pleasure vs. delayed gratification
• How to make saving money easier
• The FIRE movement
• How to ensure your assets
• What you need to know about life insurance
• Halal vs. Haram investments

Where to reach Saima Ali

• Instagram @wealthymuslimwomen
• Facebook @WealthyMuslimWomen
• Wealthy Muslim Women - website
• Wealthy Muslim Women Podcast

Resources:

• The Stock Market: mini-training

Want to hear more stories from amazing Muslim Women?

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Let us know what you think and what part of the podcast conversation you enjoyed the most by leaving us a review and rating here!

Quitting your job to start your own business is probably one of the riskiest paths you'd ever take. It's full of uncertainties. What if you fail? You will surely scratch your knees along the way but once you get past the trying times, the results are going to be gratifying! Join us in this episode as Samira Ali shares her inspiring journey of entrepreneurship and how she left her secured employee position to start her own company. She shares her experience being in the field of HR and how it is like to do volunteer work for a charitable organization. We also touch the topic of self-worth and how you can stand up for yourself. Find out what compelled Samira to leave her secured work and follow the risky path of being an entrepreneur.

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• How Samira got into the field of HR
• Volunteering for a charitable organization
• Samira's journey to entrepreneurship
• What the star method all about
• Self-worth

Want to hear more stories from amazing Muslim Women?

Please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast platform. Get notified so you never miss out!

Let us know what you think and what part of the podcast conversation you enjoyed the most by leaving us a review and rating here! And don't forget to join us on our Facebook group Professional Muslim Women to continue the conversation and connect with a community of Muslim women like you!

Science and faith are often in conflict but our guest for today has integrated both science and faith into her own life that created the synergy to accomplish her aspirations.

Join us in this episode as we discuss the rich tradition of faith and science in Islam with Oncology Hospitalist Marium Husain! She is a hematology-oncology at The Ohio State University. She actively works on community service projects and has volunteered with the WHO on nutrition-related projects. Religion is the opposite of scientific principles, but Marium will educate us about the impact of Islam and the contributions of Muslim scientists to medicine and science in general. Marium also talks about the importance of finding your talents and pursuing a career that you love to enjoy life and fulfill your purpose!

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• What led Marium to the field of hematology-oncology
• Marium's experience working in international medicine and abroad
• Sustainability, science, and faith
• The role of Islam in relationship to Medicine and Science
• Finding your talents and pursuing a career that you love

Where to reach Marium Husain

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Resources:

• IMANA
• Science Jummah

Want to hear more stories from amazing Muslim Women?

Please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast platform. Get notified so you never miss out!

Let us know what you think and what part of the podcast conversation you enjoyed the most by leaving us a review and rating here! And don't forget to join us on our Facebook group Professional Muslim Women to continue the conversation and connect with a community of Muslim women like you!

Know that you will fail. Know that you will scrape your knees but you will be okay and you'll be so much stronger. ⁠— Deqa Gelle To get to where you need to be, you must take the initiative and take action to get there. You won't learn how to run unless you learn how to walk. In this episode, we explore Deqa's journey in finding her path and how she started One Stone HR. Deqa is an experienced Recruitment Manager with 10 years of experience in the recruitment industry. She helped build successful and harmonious teams for corporate organizations and she currently helps individuals and corporations in cultivating their brand. She talks about how taking action - big or small helps her show up every day for herself and others. Find out how Deqa overcame her adversaries and what motivates her to push through and take continuous action.

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• Deqa's journey to HR Recruitment
• What drives Deqa to keep pushing on
• Making the leap and getting over self-doubt
• The stigma around divorce
• Action, action, action

Where to reach Deqa Gelle

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Deqa Gelle YouTube Channel
• One Stone HR Website

Want to hear more stories from amazing Muslim Women?

Please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast platform. Get notified so you never miss out!

Let us know what you think and what part of the podcast conversation you enjoyed the most by leaving us a review and rating here! And don't forget to join us on our Facebook group Professional Muslim Women to continue the conversation and connect with a community of Muslim women like you!

"Make your mark and don't be afraid."

-Dr. Samira Hassan

Dr. Hassan, General Practitioner, Family Medicine Specialist and vice president of the British Somali Medical Association shares with us her unconventional path to medicine.

On this episode, we explore Dr. Hassan's journey of finding her self through the culture shock of being transplanted in the Somali community as a teenager, her meandering path to solidifying her interest in medicine including turning down an offer of admission to medical school, and dealing with the agony of rejection after re-application and how she learned the importance of seeking feedback in the face of it. She also shares her passion for community outreach in addressing health awareness and literacy including mental health awareness as well as creating career fairs for the youth. She has certainly made a mark and has influenced Somali youth globally with the spread of her Careers Fair platform on a global scale.

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• Dr. Samira's journey to medicine
• The value of listening to your inner voice
• The value of finding yourself and what your true passion really is
• Community outreach
• Hidden blessings

Where to reach Dr. Samira Hassan

• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Want to hear more stories from amazing Muslim Women?

Please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast platform. Get notified so you never miss out!

Let us know what you think and what part of the podcast conversation you enjoyed the most by leaving us a review and rating here! And don't forget to join us on our Facebook group Professional Muslim Women to continue the conversation and connect with a community of Muslim women like you!

It's never easy being a mom and having a full-time job. Balancing work and home is always a very challenging feat but is it really impossible to become successful at both? Recently, the Harvard Business Review published an article that talks about women, being an ideal worker or a perfect mom. The article was demeaning as it deems that women have to choose between motherhood and career if they want to excel and meet society's high standards. Join us in this episode as we break that narrative that society continues to throw at us. We will also tackle the issue of pregnancy and breastfeeding in the workplace as well as debate on why the article written by Harvard is wrong in many ways.

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding in the workplace
• Why there is nobody who's an ideal worker and a perfect parent
• Filtering out people who aren't good candidates for you to work for or work with
• How to advocate for yourself

Want to hear more stories from amazing Muslim Women?

Please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast platform. Get notified so you never miss out!

Let us know what you think and what part of the podcast conversation you enjoyed the most by leaving us a review and rating here! And don't forget to join us on our Facebook group Professional Muslim Women to continue the conversation and connect with a community of Muslim women like you!

Resources:

• Ideal Worker of Perfect Mom? From Harvard Business Review

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:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• 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.

Want to hear more stories from amazing Muslim Women?

Please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast platform. Get notified so you never miss out!

Let us know what you think and what part of the podcast conversation you enjoyed the most by leaving us a review and rating here! And don't forget to join us on our Facebook group Professional Muslim Women to continue the conversation and connect with a community of Muslim women like you!

Resources:

• Revolution Counseling, LLC

"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 Rodaah

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.

Mentioned from this episode:

• Muhiima's Quest by Rahma
• Little Brother for Sale by Rahma
• Pebbles that Build Mountains by Rahma Mohamed | TEDx

Want to hear more stories from amazing Muslim Women?

Please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast platform. Get notified so you never miss out!

Let us know what you think and what part of the podcast conversation you enjoyed the most by leaving us a review and rating here! And don't forget to join us on our Facebook group Professional Muslim Women to continue the conversation and connect with a community of Muslim women like you!