In this episode, we sit down with Ameen Soliman - community leader and mentor - as he reflects on the grief of losing his father and what it truly means to surrender to Allah (SWT).

Through personal reflections and raw honesty, Ameen shares how grief shaped his understanding of tawakkul: trusting in Allah not just in ease, but in life’s hardest, most uncertain moments. He speaks about navigating du'a, disappointment, and acceptance — and how faith can quietly carry us through what feels unbearable.

This is a deeply moving conversation on loss, divine wisdom, and healing through surrender.

🟢 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube

🔗 Links in bio or descriptionIf you or someone you know is in crisis, please seek help:

📞 Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14

👐 Helping Hands – Our peer support program is available via sixdegrees.org.au

🎵 Music credits: @HalalBeatsWorld

License ID: P358-68

In this episode, hosts Hana and Ahmed sit down with Hiba Adam - student, organiser, and advocate.

Hiba shares her family’s story of fleeing Libya during the Arab Spring and rebuilding life in Australia as a refugee. From carrying the weight of multiple identities - Muslim, Black, refugee, woman - to navigating expectations placed upon her by different communities, Hiba reflects on the personal and political toll of displacement.

This conversation explores the mental health impact of forced migration, identity fragmentation, representation fatigue, and the complexities of belonging as a young Muslim in the West.

🟢 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube

🔗 Links in bioIf you or someone you know is in crisis, please seek help:

📞 Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14

📞 Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800

👐 Helping Hands – Our peer support program is available via sixdegrees.org.au

🎵 Music credits: @HalalBeatsWorld

License ID: P358-68

#SixDegreesPodcast #RefugeeStories #MuslimIdentity #ForcedMigration #MentalHealthAwareness #RepresentationMatters #Intersectionality #ArabSpring #IslamAndMentalHealth #StoriesThatMatter #PodcastSeasonTwo #CommunityHealing #BelongingAndIdentity

Hosted by Hana and Ahmed, this episode features Heba Moubarak - a maternal and child health nurse, and a mother navigating the silent heaviness of postnatal depression.

Heba shares her raw, deeply personal journey through early motherhood - the emotional numbness, the guilt, and the pressure to hold it all together. From silent tears to intrusive thoughts, she speaks openly about the mental load too many mothers carry alone.

This episode explores the intersections of mental health, motherhood, and faith - and asks what it really means to show up for the mothers in our communities.

Trigger Warning:

This episode contains discussion of postnatal depression and suicidal thoughts. If this content may be distressing, we encourage you to prioritise your wellbeing - pause, skip, or seek support as needed.If you or someone you know is in crisis, please contact:

📞 Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14

🟢 Available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

🔗 Links in bio

#SixDegreesPodcast #PostnatalDepression #MuslimMothers #MentalHealthMatters #StoriesThatHeal #PodcastSeasonTwo #FaithAndHealing #MaternalMentalHealth #IslamAndWellbeing #YouAreNotAlone

What happens after someone embraces Islam? In this episode, Josh - founder of Convert Collective - shares his powerful journey of hiding his faith, navigating community isolation, and the emotional realities of being a Muslim convert in the West.

We discuss the spiritual highs, the burnout, and the friendships that helped him hold on. Hosted by Hana (Psychologist) and Ahmed (Community Organiser), this conversation is an honest look at the gaps in support and the deep need for care that goes beyond the Shahada moment.

🟢 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube

🔗 Links in bio

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please seek help:📞 Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14📞 Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800👐 Helping Hands – Our peer support program is available via sixdegrees.org.au

🎵 Music credits: @HalalBeatsWorldLicense ID: P358-68

#SixDegreesPodcast #MuslimConverts #ConvertSupport #FaithJourney #IslamAndIdentity #RevertStories #SpiritualHealing #ConvertCollective #JoshR #PodcastSeasonTwo #MuslimCommunity #StoriesThatMatter #FaithBeyondTheShahada

⚠️ Trigger Warning:Before we begin, we want to let you know that today’s episode includes discussions on sensitive topics such as child abuse, sexual abuse, and suicide. These are heavy and important issues, but we acknowledge they may be triggering or distressing for some listeners.If you feel this content could impact you negatively, please prioritise your well-being. You are welcome to pause, skip this episode, or seek support if needed. If you or someone you know is struggling, we’ve included helplines and support resources below:CASA HouseFree, confidential support for people impacted by sexual assault.casahouse.com.auBlue Knot FoundationSpecialist support for adult survivors of childhood trauma.Helpline: 1300 657 380blueknot.org.au1800RESPECT24/7 national support for sexual assault, domestic and family violence.Call: 1800 737 7321800respect.org.auBraveheartsSupport and education for survivors and their families.bravehearts.org.au---------------------------------------------------------------------Childhood Trauma and the Search for MeaningS2 | EP1 — The Six Degrees PodcastSeason 2 of The Six Degrees Podcast opens with a story that is both heart-wrenching and profoundly hopeful. Michael Sunderland — medical student, father, revert to Islam, and founder of @90plusgamsat — shares his journey through childhood sexual abuse, isolation, bullying, and injustice.In this episode, Michael reflects on what it meant to survive, the moment everything changed, and how the path of healing eventually led him to Islam, medicine, and fatherhood.This is a deeply reflective conversation about trauma, masculinity, and spiritual growth — a reminder that even in silence and struggle, meaning can still be found.The Six Degrees Podcast amplifies the lived experiences of Muslims navigating mental health. Through honest stories and faith-based insight, we’re creating space for healing, connection, and community.🟢 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube🎧 Subscribe to catch every new episode🔗 Link in bio or descriptionIf you or someone you know is in crisis, please seek help:📞 Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14📞 Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800👐 Helping Hands – Our peer support program is available via sixdegrees.org.auMusic credits: ‪@HalalBeatsWorld‬ License ID: P358-68#SixDegreesPodcast #ChildhoodTrauma #SexualAbuseAwareness #FaithAndHealing #IslamAndMentalHealth #MuslimStories #MichaelSunderland #TraumaRecovery #BullyingAwareness #SuicidePrevention #SpiritualHealing #IslamicPsychology #MentalHealthMatters #StoriesThatHeal #PodcastSeasonTwo

In this episode, hosts Hana (Psychologist) and Ahmed (Community Organiser) sit down with Dr. Yassir Morsi - academic, writer, and provisional psychologist.

Together, they explore the complexities of Arab Muslim identity in the West: how masculinity, vulnerability, and language shape the mental health journey, and what it means to navigate belonging in a world that constantly sees you as an outsider.

🟢 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube

🔗 Links in bio

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please seek help:

📞 Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14

📞 Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800

👐 Helping Hands – Our peer support program is available via sixdegrees.org.au

Music credits: @HalalBeatsWorld

License ID: P358-68

#SixDegreesPodcast #MuslimIdentity #MasculinityMatters #ArabMuslimVoices #IslamAndMentalHealth #StoriesThatMatter #PodcastSeasonTwo #SpiritualHealing #ReflectionsInFaith #MentalHealthAwareness #BelongingAndHealing

⚠️ Trigger Warning:

Before we begin, we want to let you know that today’s episode includes discussions on sensitive topics such as child abuse, sexual abuse, and suicide. These are heavy and important issues, but we acknowledge they may be triggering or distressing for some listeners.

If you feel this content could impact you negatively, please prioritise your well-being. You are welcome to pause, skip this episode, or seek support if needed. If you or someone you know is struggling, we’ve included helplines and support resources below.

Jazakum Allahu Khairan for being here. Please take care of yourself while you listen.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Childhood Trauma and the Search for Meaning

S2 | EP1 — The Six Degrees Podcast

Season 2 of The Six Degrees Podcast opens with a story that is both heart-wrenching and profoundly hopeful. Michael Sunderland — medical student, father, revert to Islam, and founder of @90plusgamsat — shares his journey through childhood sexual abuse, isolation, bullying, and injustice.

In this episode, Michael reflects on what it meant to survive, the moment everything changed, and how the path of healing eventually led him to Islam, medicine, and fatherhood.

This is a deeply reflective conversation about trauma, masculinity, and spiritual growth — a reminder that even in silence and struggle, meaning can still be found.

The Six Degrees Podcast amplifies the lived experiences of Muslims navigating mental health. Through honest stories and faith-based insight, we’re creating space for healing, connection, and community.

🟢 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube

🎧 Subscribe to catch every new episode

🔗 Link in bio or description

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please seek help:

📞 Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14

📞 Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800

👐 Helping Hands – Our peer support program is available via sixdegrees.org.au

Music credits:  ⁨@HalalBeatsWorld⁩  License ID: P358-68

#SixDegreesPodcast #ChildhoodTrauma #SexualAbuseAwareness #FaithAndHealing #IslamAndMentalHealth #MuslimStories #MichaelSunderland #TraumaRecovery #BullyingAwareness #SuicidePrevention #SpiritualHealing #IslamicPsychology #MentalHealthMatters #StoriesThatHeal #PodcastSeasonTwo

The Six Degrees Podcast is dedicated to amplifying the diverse voices within our Muslim community who have lived experiences with mental health. Through heartfelt stories and unique lessons, our guests openly share their personal journeys, to create understanding and connection. We also invite esteemed scholars and community leaders to provide their insights on mental health and Islamic psychology, bridging faith and well-being. Join us as we explore the intersection of mental health and spirituality, creating a supportive space for dialogue, healing, and growth.

Sh Wael Ibrahim, founder of the Aware Academy, is a certified Master Life Coach, author, and counsellor at the Australian Islamic College in Perth. Through his work, he focuses on helping individuals overcome challenges like pornography addiction and other harmful habits using faith-based and practical approaches.

In this episode, Wael discusses the nature of addiction, its impact on the brain, and the deeper underlying issues such as trauma and depression that often lead individuals toward these struggles. He emphasises the role of community, compassion, and a supportive environment in fostering change and recovery. Listeners can expect an insightful conversation on the balance between addressing personal accountability and understanding the root causes of addiction.

The Six Degrees Podcast is dedicated to amplifying the diverse voices within our Muslim community who have lived experiences with mental health. Through heartfelt stories and unique lessons, our guests openly share their personal journeys, to create understanding and connection. We also invite esteemed scholars and community leaders to provide their insights on mental health and Islamic psychology, bridging faith and well-being. Join us as we explore the intersection of mental health and spirituality, creating a supportive space for dialogue, healing, and growth.

In our third episode, we spoke to Sh Abdullah Oduro. Sh Abdullah Oduro is a first generation Ghanaian native and convert. He graduated from the College of Islamic Law from the University of Al Madinah and is the Imam at the Islamic Centre of Coppell. He is also a contributor at Yaqeen Institute and has delivered various lectures on topics such as self-improvement, motivation and masculinity. Sh Oduro came down to Melbourne in August of  2023 for a series on Masculinity and Islam with Podium Productions, where Six Degrees had the pleasure to host him on our podcast.

Within this episode, we discuss our souls within the context of mental health. We also explore what it means to be a man, the concept of masculinity from an Islamic perspective and how physical activity has a spiritual aspect to it. 

The Six Degrees Podcast is dedicated to amplifying the diverse voices within our Muslim community who have lived experiences with mental health. Through heartfelt stories and unique lessons, our guests openly share their personal journeys, to create understanding and connection. We also invite esteemed scholars and community leaders to provide their insights on mental health and Islamic psychology, bridging faith and well-being. Join us as we explore the intersection of mental health and spirituality, creating a supportive space for dialogue, healing, and growth.