Unswtnd + Unfltrd

There’s no set guideline on what to do when it comes to helping your child through their mental illness and no such thing as a perfect parenting plan.

In Ep. 8 of Season 2, we sit down with Summer Shatat and her 17 year-old daughter, Bayan Rafati, to talk about their journey to mental wellness.

You probably remember Summer who joined us back on Ep. 5 of Season 1, where she opened up about her personal struggles with mental illness, but in this episode, the conversation shifts over to her kids and how she’s choosing to talk to them about their personal mental health journey.

The door is always open in Summer’s house. She’s given her kids a judgement free-zone to express their worries, anxieties and bouts with whatever they may be facing as teenagers in today's society - ranging from bullying to health issues in general. 

But although it was known that this door remained open, it took Bayan some time to build up the confidence to walk through it and let her parents know that she was suffering. The high schooler discusses the struggles she faced in silence and the events leading up to the moment she confided in her parents.

We talk about seeking therapy, how to properly discuss mental health with your teenagers and why it’s important to let them be in charge. We also discuss how to break down the barrier between a daughter and her father and how important it is to allow our children to sit in the driver's seat of their healing journey. 

Parenting is tough and being a teenager with unexplainable emotions is a hardship in itself, too. 

In a time when mental illness is very prevalent and suicide is on the rise - it is crucial that we educate ourselves in the best ways to approach this and normalize these conversations together as a community.

Enjoy and remember to follow us on Instagram: @unsweetenedandunfiltered
Follow Summer on Instagram: @summer_shatat
Follow Bayan on Instagram: @bayan.rafati

We’re done with allowing fear to dictate our lives and keep us from truly living out our dreams. 

In Ep.7 of Season 2, we talk to Malika Bilal about how we can look our fears straight in the eye, and conquer them. 

When it came to choosing a career, Malika didn’t allow her fears to sway her decision. And yes, she deals with the unknown and the mental chatter in her head from time to time- but Malika explains how she’s able to move past these obstacles. 

As a black-Muslim-female journalist, Malika is a walking billboard of all her identities. She explains to us how she’s using her platform both on social media and through her work at Aljazeera’s AJ+, to debunk any false information and squash any stereotypes. 

As an on-air journalist with a flourishing social media account, it's hard to picture Malika as someone who is reserved. But as a self-proclaimed introvert, Malika lets us into her world and opens about her struggle with balancing a successful career. Yes, you can be an introverted person in the media, and yes - we exist! 

Malika is a force to be reckoned with, and we’re so grateful for the many women who have dedicated their lives to fighting for knowledge and uncovering the truth.


Enjoy and remember to follow us on Instagram: @unsweetenedandunfiltered
Follow Malika on Instagram: @mmbilal
Listen To Malika's Podcast "The Take"

After the big white dress is taken off, the party planners have packed away all of the decor you spent months going back and forth on and the guests have all gone home - that’s when reality really kicks in. 

In Ep. 6 of Season 2, we are joined by matchmaker, comedian and all around lovable  Yasmin ElHady aka Yasguru to discuss life after the wedding. 

Marriage is a beautiful thing - it really is! But, it also brings along some not so picture perfect moments such as picking up laundry off the floor for the umpteenth time, deciding on how to raise your kids, discussing budgets and coming to terms with the fact that you now have a roommate for life.

Marriage takes some getting used to and learning how to adjust to a new lifestyle takes time. Yasmin walks us through how to avoid losing your mind, your sanity and all of your hair. 

We totally get it : fights happen. But, learning how to diffuse the situation is critical in keeping a healthy relationship going. Yasmin explains why we need to throw out the old saying, “don’t go to bed angry.” It’s ok to walk away, cool off, and approach the issue at hand with a clear mind. 

As you scroll through your feed you see - flowers, vacations, kisses on the cheek, a new diamond ring, so on and so forth. It’s easy to get jealous and it’s hard not to compare. But, as Yasmin explains, a perfectly cropped and filtered post only captures a fraction of what’s truly happening. Social media may be the culprit but comparison is truly the thief of joy. 

Pointing the finger at your spouse every time something goes wrong is something we are all guilty of. We dive into the reasons why it’s important to note our own faults. Being self-aware can help you and your spouse get on the same page and avoid similar future conflicts. 

We also discuss preserving our identity after marriage. We all know that one person who got engaged and was never seen or heard from again. Don’t let your relationship status become your identity. As Yasmin explains, spending all day everyday with your partner will get old, real quick. You know the saying, “distance makes the heart grow fonder.’ 

Whether you're engaged, married or happily single, Yasmin has a ton of great insight when it comes to maintaining a successful marriage that's built on love, trust and a mutual understanding that dirty laundry belongs in the hamper not on the floor beside it.

Enjoy and remember to follow us on Instagram: @unsweetenedandunfiltered
Follow Yasmin on Instagram: @yasguru

Check out Yasmin on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCURpYI86UnAFDzoEAJ4FjXQ/featured

Let the zagroutas ring like Shakira at this year’s Super Bowl Half-Time Show! 

We have a lot to celebrate this week: Our one-year anniversary, International Women's Day and a very special guest!

In Ep.5 of Season 2, we sit down with Hassanah El-Yacoubi or as we like to call her:
The Woman Of All Trades (mashallah!)

A mother, wife, doctoral student and entrepreneur are just a few titles Hassanah holds under her belt and she’s not here to sugarcoat anything. When it comes to life, Hassanah says it's all one big balancing act and one she’s still trying to figure out. 

Keeping God on your mind and in your heart. That’s the message Hassanah has for our listeners. Connecting to her faith is what helps this soon-to-be mother of two stay grounded and true to herself. Her motto: follow God and not the crowds! 

When it comes to social media and the heightened focus on influencers, we definitely have a lot to say. Posting on your feed comes with a responsibility- a responsibility Hassanah says most pay no mind to. Enough is enough with mindless posting just to stay relevant. 

She also gets candid about the struggles she faces balancing work, life, school and home. It’s not always pretty and it’s not always conventional, but Hassanah is writing her own rule book when it comes to these things. 

Bottle-feeding and whispering sweet-nothings to her little one during a work meeting- why not! The world is definitely cruel and unaccommodating to new mothers. She explains why she’s done apologizing and why she’s choosing to remove the words, “I’m sorry” from her vocabulary. 

Hassanah is also the creative drive behind the “Perfect For Her” convention and blog. This initiative was born out of her struggle to find fashionable pieces that meet her level of modesty. The PFH Convention features a bazaar full of products useful to Muslim women in this day in age, panel discussions, fashion shows and so much more. 

This episode also includes a special appearance by OG Unsweetener Lisa Vogl as she tells us about her new initiative, Hijabs For Humanity, in partnership with Penny Appeal! 

We can’t thank you enough for joining us on this journey of self discovery, cultivation of a sisterhood like no other and a bond that’s stronger than Turkish coffee!

Enjoy and remember to follow us on Instagram: @unsweetenedandunfiltered
Follow Hassanah On Instagram: @hassanah_pfh
Support Verona x Penny Appeal By Shopping 'Hijabs For Humanity':
Verona-Collections.com

Toss out those outdated lesson plans and forget about sticking to the book. 

In Ep. 4 of Season 2, we are joined by Detroit educator, Bayan Founas, who is truly redefining what it means to be an educator.

Teaching is by far one of the most important careers out there. Bayan spends a good chunk of her day shaping the future leaders, doctors, lawyers and artists of our next generation. 

But as rewarding as this may sound, teaching can also be extremely difficult.  With limited resources and disruptive environments, a career in education can be time-consuming and can provide little to no stability. Bayan dives into the unjust disruption of funding throughout the public school system and with the lack of technology and baseline materials, some low-income areas are set up to fail. 

We also discuss a disturbing national trend: The School To Prison Pipeline. 

This happens when minors and young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds become incarcerated because of increasingly harsh school and district policies. 

What this means is that the kids who need help the most are shut off and ignored. 

Bayan dives into the world of the negative consequences of disciplining students, and how most of the time “acting out” is a cry for help with several underlying factors. 

When it comes to the classroom, Bayan explains it's never just black and white. Adapting lesson plans and teaching methods to her present students can make a world of a difference. Comparing “Shakespeare” to “The Lion King” is a much more efficient way to teach. 

Science and math are very important topics, this we know. But we can't forget about the arts, which allows kids to push the envelope when express themselves. Bayan realizes the importance of it, which is why she began the first poetry club at the school she teaches at. 

Speaking of poetry…did we mention Bayan has her own poetry book?

Diary of a Daughter In Diaspora focuses on Bayan’s life experiences as a child of Algerian immigrants living in America. The highs, the lows and all things in between, this book gets the Unfiltered and Unsweetened seal of approval for sure!

Enjoy and remember to follow us on Instagram: @unsweetenedandunfiltered
Follow Bayan on Instagram: @thatalgerian
Buy "Diary of a Daughter In Diaspora" on Amazon 

We’re flipping the script and rewriting our own narrative!

In Ep 3 of Season 2, we’re joined by award-winning screenwriter, filmmaker and producer Samah Safi Bayazid -  talk about being a triple threat! 

Going against cultural norms and paving a way for others to follow, Samah explains her personal journey of finding a career that she is truly passionate about. 

Samah is fed up with the racial stereotypes and blatant Islamophobia portrayed in movies and on television (as are the rest of us!), but now she’s stepping in with her own script and a camera crew to tell stories much closer to reality. If you’ve ever longed to be “seen and heard”, Samah’s work is definitely for you! 

With all of the success that follows the Jordanian turned Washingtonian, Samah says she couldn’t have done most of what she accomplished if not for the support of her family and husband. We dig into why having a spouse that also serves as a motivator is crucial for a healthy and happy relationship. Support is a two-way street after all. 

The topic of hijab also comes up in this conversation. While the media is typically a male-dominated field and on a typical movie set you might be surprised to find a female director and a hijabi at that, but Samah doesn’t let anything get in her way. She talks to us about how the hijab empowers her and how she’s deciding to let her work speak for itself. 

No matter how many films she makes or scripts she writes, Samah couldn’t escape that nagging question that follows us all: “When are you planning on having a baby?” We discuss the societal pressures we women face and how we can overcome it together. 

You’re definitely going to want to listen to find out how she responded to anyone who dared ask that question!

Throughout our conversation Samah taught us the importance of doing things at our own pace and no one else’s - we cannot wait to see what other future projects she has in store for us all!

Enjoy and remember to follow us on Instagram: @unsweetenedandunfiltered
Follow Samah on Instagram: @samahsafi
Take a look at her work her: lightartproductions.com

There are a few things in life that are hard to find: perfectly fitting jeans, eyeliner that doesn’t smudge, and a naseeb. 

In Ep 2 of Season 2, we’re joined by Suzie, a 26 year old Palestinian-American from the D.C. area, for a much needed girl talk. We discuss the journey of finding the one, and let me tell you the struggle is REAL. 

All three of us share our very different approaches when it comes to meeting someone and the process of getting to know them. We dive into personal anecdotes of the good, the bad and the extremely awkward. 

Uncomfortable first meet-ups, red flags, meeting the family, expectations, relationship timelines - we get into it all and hold nothing back. 

There’s plenty of fish in the sea, but from where some of us are standing, it sure doesn’t feel that way. 

HEADS UP: You can look forward to our upcoming episode with Yasmin Elhady aka Yasguru, where we’ll talk about life after the wedding bells have stopped ringing and the zagrootas have come to an end!

Enjoy and remember to follow us on Instagram: @unsweetenedandunfiltered

*Trigger warning: We discuss domestic violence in length throughout this episode. If you feel the content discussed may be triggering, please either proceed with caution or feel free to listen to any one of our previous episodes.* 

In our first episode of Season Two, we are joined by an anonymous guest who opens up about her experience with domestic violence and the impact it has had on her life to this day. We respect our guest's decision to remain anonymous due to her children not knowing the extent of their father's abuse.

Sometimes our minds are so clouded by love that we're blinded to what's really going on around us. Other times, no matter how vigilant we are, abusers can be extremely deceitful. It's important to realize that when we find ourselves in similar situations - it is never our fault. 

Our guest walks us through her engagement period and describes the red flags she didn't realize were early warning signs. She discusses her first few years of marriage when the physical abuse first began alongside the pre-existing emotional/verbal abuse, and how the mind games slowly trickled in. 

Several failed attempts of repairing the marriage, multiple pregnancies and a plethora of mental, physical and spiritual abuse, our guest spent years dealing with a nightmare she had only wished she could wake up from. 

She also opens up about the moment that will forever be etched into her memory of what finally made her decide to stand on her own two feet and leave the abusive relationship once and for all. This life-changing decision was also potentially a life-saving one.  

We hope this episode will raise awareness in regards to the stages of abusive relationships, how a victim can find his/her way out, how we can collectively prevent a loved one from facing abuse and in what ways we could be of assistance to those who are facing domestic abuse.

Important Resources!

We have listed out credible resources below to help those who are struggling in a domestic relationship to get the help that they deserve. Remember to also seek assistance from your local mosque, women shelters, and licensed mental health professionals. 

1. PEACEFUL FAMILIES PROJECT: WWW.PEACEFULFAMILIES.ORG
A national organization devoted to preventing domestic violence with a focus on Muslim families of all backgrounds, through education and interventions.

2. THE ASIAN PACIFIC INSTITUTE ON GENDER BASED VIOLENCE: WWW.API-GBV.ORG   
A resource center for sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence in Asian communities. They provide training and technical assistance with the help of advocates, community based service programs and both legal and mental health professionals.

3. PROJECT SAKINAH: WWW.PROJECTSAKINAH.ORG         
A program that assists with community efforts to grow healthy families that protect women, children and men from neglect and homes broken by violence.

4.  KHALIL CENTER: WWW.KHALILCENTER.COM         
A spiritual wellness center which applies the traditional Islamic spiritual healing methods to modern clinical psychology. Services include: religious consultations, immigration evaluations and premarital coaching. They also have a crisis hotline: 855 543 5752

5. TAHIRIH JUSTICE CENTER: WWW.TAHIRIH.ORG         
Their mission is to protect immigrant women and girls who refuse to be victims of abuse by elevating their voices within the community, courts and Congress. They also provide free immigration, family and civil legal services, and they help their clients rebuild their lives, safely.

In Episode 40, we’re kissing 2019 goodbye. Ma3a salama!

We sit down to answer all of your questions. Some are intense and raw, like “What stands between you and becoming a happier person?”

Others are a bit more silly, like “What’s the stupidest thing you’ve been dared to do?” You guys are not going to believe Dounya’s answer! 

We discuss stress, dealing with conflicts, mistakes we’ve made in the past and all things in between. We laugh, we (almost) cry and we let it all out. 

In this episode, you’ll also come to find out just how hypocritical we are. Yup, we don’t practice what we preach. We’re calling ourselves out and putting it all on blast. This also ties into our announcement at the end of the episode. 

You’ll just have to listen to find out. 

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making 2019 a year for the books. We could not have made it to this point of our podcasting journey if it wasn’t for you and your support. You have made the handwork, sleepless nights, stress-induced acne and dark under-eye circles worth it all!

But on a serious note, thank you for making our small circle much bigger than we could have ever imagined it to become! This sisterhood is here to stay!

We have so many incredible things planned for 2020, so make sure you stay tuned for Season Two! 

Enjoy and remember to follow us on Instagram: @unsweetenedandunfiltered

In Episode 39, Lina Bettayeb joins us as she dives into the family trip that had completely changed her life. 

At the age of 16, Lina and her family embark on a journey to Umrah. Her memory jumps from a joyous van full of her loved ones on their way to complete their pilgrimage to waking up in the hospital connected to several life-saving machines. 

Although, she still can't piece together the memories of what happened that day, Lina tells us that her dad was the one to fill her in: A reckless driver crashed into their vehicle leaving Lina and her mother both paralyzed. 

Lina spent one year in the hospital and was told by multiple health professionals that she would never be able to walk again. 

But she didn't let that stop her from trying. She spent her time in the hospital with her nose nuzzled in books, conducting her own research and working on a rehabilitation plan that was best suited for her. 

Through this experience that had shook the core of her livelihood, Lina explains how she trained her brain to see the silver lining within this hardship and how she truly connected to her faith for the first time and strengthened her relationship with God. 

Lina's message to the world is to truly believe in the power of our mind. She explains to us how our positive thinking and overall attitude towards life's situations has a real impact on the way our body heals. 

As you listen to Lina share her story and her message, we hope that you can take away a new definition of gratitude.

Enjoy and remember to follow us on Instagram: @unsweetenedandunfiltered
Follow Lina on Instagram: @linathedreamer