Her Zindagi: Recent Episodes
Maheen
Her Zindagi translates to Her life in Urdu. It's a podcast sharing the untold stories of Muslim and/ or South Asian women living their best lives. Each episode a new guest will be interviewed and they will share their story of how they got to where they are. This is a place to learn from the incredible women around us.
Simrah Farrukh is an upcoming photographer based in the Bay Area. Common themes she explores are identity, social issues and womanhood. Simrah's work is intimate, nostalgic and feminine. In the Fall of 2019, she had her first solo exhibition as a fourth-year student at Loyola Marymount University titled, The Brown Gaze. Now a graduate, she is exploring an intersection of fashion photography, art and portraiture. As an artist, Simrah ultimately aims to help South Asian- American's represented in art + fashion.
Listen to Simrah talk about:
- Cultural representation in art
- Difference between appreciation and appropriation
- Brown girl double standards
- Toxic brown boy culture
- What will people
Introducing Conversations with Gen Z with Guest Host Manaal Abbasi. Manaal is the Gen Z, younger sister of the normal host Maheen Abbasi. This episode is meant to highlight the conversations the younger generations are having, want to be having and what questions they are asking each other.
Follow Simrah on Instagram at @simrahfarrukh
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Manaal, on Instagram: @maanaaaaal
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com.
Fareeha Molvi is a cultural essayist who’s work explores identity in America. Her work has been featured in Allure, Glamour, Teen Vogue, New York Magazine and others. She’s been cited as an expert in the New York Times, Inc. and CBC Q. She runs a website and Instagram account called Brown in Media, where she explores how brown people are represented on screen.
Listen to Fareeha talk about
- Working as a writer
- Representation in media
- The concept of identity
- The Model Minority concept
Follow @browninmedia
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Archana Subramanian is the SVP and COO of AMER Verticals, responsible for running the Sales Strategy and Sales Development teams for the Healthcare, Financial Services, Commerce Cloud, and Retail & CPG sales verticals. She grew up in Cochin, India, where she received her undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering. She moved to the United States 12 years ago to pursue a Masters in Information Systems from Indiana University. After spending 3 years at Infosys Consulting, Archana joined Salesforce almost 9 years ago. She has been living in San Francisco for the past decade with her husband, chasing their 2 daughters.
Listen to Archana talk about
- Her career story
- How she makes career decisions
- Being a Woman of color Leader in male-dominated tech
- Advice of being the minority in the room
- Finding mentors
- Other passion projects
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Archana Subramanian is the SVP and COO of AMER Verticals, responsible for running the Sales Strategy and Sales Development teams for the Healthcare, Financial Services, Commerce Cloud, and Retail & CPG sales verticals. She grew up in Cochin, India, where she received her undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering. She moved to the United States 12 years ago to pursue a Masters in Information Systems from Indiana University. After spending 3 years at Infosys Consulting, Archana joined Salesforce almost 9 years ago. She has been living in San Francisco for the past decade with her husband, chasing their 2 daughters.
Listen to Archana talk about
- Her career story
- How she makes career decisions
- Being a Woman of color Leader in male-dominated tech
- Advice of being the minority in the room
- Finding mentors
- Other passion projects
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Kausar Mohammed is a half Bengali, half Pakistani writer, actress, and comedian born in San Jose, California. She is a writer/performer in the distinguished all-South Asian comedy troupe, The Get Brown, and in the 2021 CBS Diversity Showcase. She has worked on and written a variety of award-winning digital projects, such as "Smyle" and "Namaste" featured on Huffington Post, NBC, and Al-Jazeera. Kausar plays series lead in Paul Feig's (“Bridesmaids”) dramedy, “East of La Brea”. She also has worked alongside Taraji P. Henson on the film “What Men Want” (Paramount), Issa Rae on the film “Little” (Universal), and has additional credits on shows such as “Silicon Valley” (HBO), “Black Lightning” (CW), and “Carol’s Second Act” (CBS). Kausar also voices series lead characters on both Spielberg’s upcoming Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous and the hit anime show, Great Pretender. She also is the co-founder of SHIFT, a racial justice and gender justice consulting group created by all women of color. You can find her performing regularly at the Upright Citizen's Brigade theatre on their house team, Emerald. She is Queer, Muslim, and a Hufflepuff/Slytherin hybrid.
Listen to Kauser Talk about:
- How she got into acting
- Choosing a career she loves
- Always checking in to what you want
- Power of saying No
- A Racial Justice consulting group she created
Follow Kauser on Instagram at @kausertheperson
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Noor Molvi created the jewelry line, NOORNOIR, after years of dreaming about being a designer and entrepreneur. She has always been a creative and visual person. After working a few different jobs in the fashion industry, She realized the only way she could truly satisfy my longing for creating beautiful design was by doing it on her own time and in her own way. SHE was scared to take the leap into entrepreneurship but I have gained so much along the way.
NOORNOIR is a collection of elegant, timeless jewelry handmade and designed by its namesake owner in Los Angeles, California. Often mixing high-quality gold pieces with natural materials such as pearls and aquamarines, every stunning creation feels simultaneously classic and one-of-a-kind, evoking found treasures washed up from the sea. NOORNOIR jewelry has been featured in VoyageLA Magazine and seen on celebrities like Olympic Golds Medalist Nastia Liukin & Tara Lipinksi as well as CW "Roswell" star Heather Hemmens and ABC "American Housewife" star Carly Hughes.
Listen to Noor Talk about:
- How she started her company
- Her tips to success
- How her biggest let down ended up being the best redirection
- What it's like being a Female, Muslim, Pakistani founder
Follow NoorNoir on Instagram at @Noornoir
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Batul Joffrey is an investor with Kapor Capital, making socially mindful investments that aim to close gaps of access, opportunity, or outcome for underserved communities. She is the current vice curator of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shaper’s LA Hub - where she leads the group in driving dialogue, action, and change through local projects, such as Los Angeles Votes, where their current focus is on increasing civic engagement in the younger LA populations.
Previously, she was Chief of Staff at a social impact startup and also a senior consultant on a complex data analysis and management team.
Outside of work, you can find her with a cup of chai in hand, enjoying the art of storytelling through different mediums whether it be books, movies, or photography and engaging with the people and components that make up her identity as a Pakistani-Indian Muslim American woman.
Listen to Batul Talk about:
- How she got into the VC
- Being a woman of color in this field
- What they look for when providing funding
- The importance of opening up opportunities to diverse backgrounds
- What her day to day looks like
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
My name is Zoha Hussain and I was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. I currently live in London where I work at the University College of London Hospitals as a Clinical Systems Senior Analyst. I have always been inspired to create positive change, whether that is by improving healthcare in low-income areas, mentoring high school children, embracing my passion for dance or using my journey as a survivor to empower other Muslim women.
Muslim women face abuse or abusive behaviors in all aspects of life- be it religious, social, cultural, interpersonal, or domestic.
Cultural, societal and religious stigma around abuse has planted immense pressure on South Asian Muslim women to remain silent, afraid and simply helpless. Just one hand, one similar experience can pull one out of darkness towards an imaginable light of hope.
My hope is to build a community of young women who will support, strengthen and empower one another to fight against any adversity, any inner or external battles we experience in life. Awareness and understanding begin from within. Together, we can empower one another to move through the silence.
Contact information: zohafatima91@gmail.com.
Listen to Zoha talk about
- Growing up with financial struggles in the Desi Community
- Surviving an abusive relationship
- Going through a traumatic health scare at 25
- Losing her memory
- Rebuilding her life
- Learning how to put yourself first
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Sofia Haq was born and raised in Southern California. She graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts in Gender Studies and studied International Business abroad for a summer at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). In 2018, she graduated from the Riordan MBA Fellows Program at UCLA Anderson School of Management and the Forte MBALauncher Program.
Currently, she is an Ambassador at the United State of Women (USOW) and Founder and President of Muslim Women Professionals (MWP).
MWP is an organization that promotes empowerment amongst Muslim women by educating, empowering, and mobilizing a global network.
Sofia lies at the intersectionality of multiple identities: Muslim, woman, Pakistani, and Mexican. She has written for outlets like Forbes, was featured on multiple podcasts, and interviewed for various publications. She is a frequent panelist at events centered around female empowerment and diversity and inclusion. Her mission is to foster unity amongst Muslim women, bring awareness to the struggles of underrepresented communities, and create resources to help them thrive.
Listen to Sofia Talk about
- Being a Biracial Muslim - Pakistani and Mexican
- The toxic aspects of Pakistani/Muslim culture (Auntie culture!)
- Founding Muslim Women Professionals
- Importance of Gender Equity in Desi Culture
- 2020 election, VOTE.
Find Sofia on Instagram at @sofia__haq
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Nadia is an activist and organizer who has worked in digital strategy for the last 14 years, and has channeled that skillset into creating awareness around the issues and candidates she cares about. Originally from Texas, Nadia spent 8 years in the DC area before moving to San Francisco three years ago where she ran for office as a candidate herself earlier this year. Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from Pakistan and Nadia identifies as Muslim and Pakistani American.
Listen to Nadia talk about
- Going through a divorce at the age of 30
- What she learned from divorce
- Following her intuition to start a new life
- Getting involved in the Democratic Party
- Being a Muslim Pakistani woman in politics
- Running for office
- 2020 Election, VOTE VOTE VOTE.
Follow Nadia on Instagram, @nadiarahmansf
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Navjot Dhaliwal is a yoga instructor, meditation guide, and life coach on a mission to serve others on their journey of reprogramming limiting beliefs. She shares her story of breaking past her cultural and societal pressures to do what best aligns with her soul.
Listen to her talk about:
- Breaking past the cultural norms of what’s expected
- Taking the leap into what you care about
- Getting past caring about community judgment
- How deal with Imposter Syndrome
- And so much more!
Follow Navjot on Instagram: @metaphysical_goddess
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Alaa Massri is a nineteen-year-old University of South Florida (USF) sophomore studying biomedical sciences on the premed track. She is also the founder of Our Power United, an organization created to promote and ensure the eradication of injustices. She is also a board member of the Revolutionary Round Table and the leader of the street medic team.
Recently Alaa has been in the media because at a Black Lives Matter protest she was wrongly taken into custody and the police forcibly removed her hijab for her mugshot.
Listen to Alaa talk about
- How she got involved with Activism
- Her experiences at the BLM protests
- Her story of getting her hijab forcibly removed by the police
- What a better world can look like
- How you can get involved
Follow Alaa on Instagram, @alaa.massri
Follow Our Power United, @ourpowerunited
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Anum Hussain is the co-founder and CEO of Acciyo. (AH-KEY-OH) Acciyo is a browser tool that provides automatic context as you're reading an article. Anum's journey to founder was inspired by her former roles as a correspondent for The Boston Globe and Growth Marketer for HubSpot. Along the way she held roles at Rough Draft Ventures and Snapchat, and has spoken at marketing conferences across the globe, and co-authored Twitter for Dummies. Find her on Instagram @anumaunty.
Listen to Anum talk about:
- How she got the idea for founding a company
- How acciyo is changing the news game
- Being a south Asian Muslim in the start up world
- Advice about who should get an MBA
- How to support other women
Follow Anum on Instagram, @anumaunty
Follow Acciyo on Instagram, @acciyo
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Fizaa Dosani is a Los Angeles-based comedian and creator of Facial Recognition Comedy, a stand-up tour and weekly podcast. As an actor, she has had roles in acclaimed TV shows such Dear White People, Snowfall, and How to Get Away with Murder. For more info, check out www.FizaaDosani.com
Listen to Fizaa talk about:
- How she got into the career of comedy
- Being a Muslim, women and south Asian in comedy
- Why she created Facial recognition comedy group
- Her tips to stop caring what other people think
- How to be more yourself
- The importance of balance
- And so much more…
Find Fizaa Dosani on instagram @fizaadosani
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Meryum Khan began her legal career in 2011 and is currently an Assistant Attorney General with the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, where she works to enhance the economic security of vulnerable workers. Along the way, Meryum has become an active member of the South Asian Bar Association, the Pakistani Association of Greater Boston and the New England Muslim Bar Association. Meryum is dedicated to community engagement and advocacy. In her non-attorney life, you can find Meryum cooking, dancing to Bollywood or Bhangra music, and entertaining her 4 year old son, Zeeshan.
Listen to Meryum talk about
- What she does in her day to day
- What it’s like to work as a minority in government
- Why it’s important to get involved and how you can
- How to best prepare yourself for your future career
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Nusaiba Mubarak, M.A., served as the National Muslim Outreach Coordinator for Bernie 2020. Nusaiba advocates for human rights issues such as healthcare, racial, and immigrant justice by mobilizing her community and building allyship among communities of color. In over 10 years of organizing and campaigning, she’s built coalitions and strategies driving meaningful change. She is also the founder of Los Angeles Muslim Professionals (LAMP).
Listen to Nusaiba talk about:
- How she got involved in working in Politics
- What she does as a political community organizer
- The importance of representation in politics
- How we can get involved
- The stigma of this kind of careers in our communities
- And so much more...
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Zahra is the Chief Operating Officer of Hikma Health, a non-profit startup borne out of the MIT Refugee Accelerator working to bring healthcare data solutions to refugees in the MENA region, and is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers. She is also Senior Manager of Global Health Economics and Outcomes Research at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where she leads quantitative evidence generation studies to support global market access and reimbursement of their Cystic Fibrosis portfolio
Zahra talks about
- Balancing your day job and side passion
- Figuring out what makes you happy
- What does self-care look like for you
- Joining communities of interest in your adult life
- And so much more…
Find Zahra on Linkedin
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Nurjahan Boulden grew up with dreams of becoming a dancer. When she was shot in the leg with an assault rifle in a random attack at age 21, those dreams were destroyed. She suffered in silence physically and emotionally for almost a decade before she met another survivor who inspired her to share her story. She’s now a dancer, survivor, community builder, and storyteller, inspiring audiences around the world to face their greatest fears and rise in the face of adversity.
You can access her free guide to releasing anxiety at releaseanxietytoday.com. Follow Nurjahan on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for dance classes, inspiration, and tips on how to build a life you love, no matter what you’ve survived.
Facebook.com/nurjahanboulden
Instagram.com/nurjahanboulden
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Dr. Sundas Fick PsyD graduated from Alliant International University with a PsyD in Clinical Psychology and now she works at Kaiser Hospital with patients, specializing in Pain Psychology.
Listen to Sundas talk about:
- Her journey to figure out what she wanted to do
- Marrying outside her ethnicity
- Dealing with Desi parents
- Tips on how to deal with anxiety and stress
- And so much more…...
Follow Sundas on Instagram: @brainbodydoc
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Sadia Saifuddin is the co-founder and CEO of SuccessCo, a consulting company that helps high schoolers get into college. She also works for Salesforce on the Market Strategy team. Sadia graduated from UC Berkeley and served as the UC Student Regent in 2014-2015.
Listen to Sadia talk about:
- How she started a business while balancing working full time
- The struggles of the US college system
- How we can and should decolonize our minds
- Her story with her Hijab
- And so much more…
Follow Sadia on Instagram: @sadia.saifuddin
Check out Sadia’s website: https://sadiasaifuddin.com/
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com
Her Zindagi translates to Her life in Urdu. Its a podcast sharing the untold stories of Muslim and/ or South Asian women living their best lives. Each episode a new guest will be interviewed and they will share their story. This is a place to learn from the incredible women around us.
Maheen Abbasi is a Pakistani Muslim American woman. She was born in Islamabad, Pakistan and moved to the Bay Area with her parents when she was 3. She went to college at UCSD and currently lives in Los Angeles,CA. She is passionate about empowering women and believes everyone should be living their best life.
Follow Her Zindagi on Instagram: @her.zindagi
Find the host, Maheen, on Instagram: @maheen93
If you or someone you know would make a good guest on the podcast or if you have any questions/comments/concerns please email herzindagipodcast@gmail.com