The She Speaks We Hear Podcast

In the first episode of 2023, you can listen to a candid conversation with the She Speaks We team. Akeela, Aliya and Sharmeen talk about the pressing issues affecting Muslim women and society in general. There is discussion of Andrew Tate, how social media has shaped modern society and the polarisation of politics. Aliya shares some absolute gems about a range of topics including the significance of 2008! They also share their pers...

Most of the narrative around Afghanistan is politically charged, especially regarding women's rights. But how often do we get to hear from Afghan women themselves?

In this special episode, Sharmeen interviews Councillor Peymana Assad and Afghan women’s rights activist Sveto Muhammad Ishoq who explain what is really going on in Afghanistan.

What is everyday life like for Afghan girls and women?

Sveto, who was brought up...

Have you ever wondered why so many women convert to Islam? This episode is an honest, spiritual conversation with Aysha Mercedes and Ameenah Shaw about their very personal journeys to Islam. Both women became Muslim in adulthood and share their experiences which led to that moment, and what has happened since. Aysha (a counsellor) and Ameenah (a natural hair product business owner) present the Sister2Sister podcast together and bot...

In this episode, Sharmeen speaks to doula and perinatal wellness professional Anisah Abdullah. Anisah specialises in mindset mastery and birth trauma support for expectant and postpartum mothers. She explains what this is and how she is passionate about offering holistic personalised support, putting the power and autonomy back in the mother’s hands. As a black, Muslim veiled woman she experienced first-hand how some...

Sharmeen speaks to Tabassum Awan about how she swapped her successful career in investment banking for her dream of sharing Kashmiri tea with the world. She explains how lack of fulfilment led her to start her own business - the Pink Tea Café. Holder of two masters' degrees, Tabassum talks about her experience on the trading floor and how her banking career helped start her business. She also talks about her local community wor...

In this episode, Sharmeen and Layla Hassanali aka Halal Girl About Town, a pioneer in the halal food blogging scene, talk about the ups and downs of being a blogger and influencer, being an entrepreneur, parenting and of course the conversation is dominated by food and restaurants which is Sharmeen’s favourite subject anyway. What does BW stand for and what is Layla’s favourite restaurant? Find out in this foodie special…

You can fi...

We hear a lot about diversity and inclusion but why is it so important and what does it really mean for employers and employees? Rukasana, a DEI practitioner, speaks to Sharmeen and breaks it down, explaining its evolution and importance in the corporate world. Rukasana currently works at Warner Bros but has done this work for large organisations such as Ernst Young and Google. You can find her on LinkedIn.

You may hear the followin...

TW: There is some talk about domestic violence, abuse and suicide.

Sharmeen speaks exclusively to the inspiring co-founder and strategic leader of global online community Muslim Mamas aka the ‘Muslim Mumsnet’ – Nafisa Rahimi. Nafisa explains how the group started and what she went through to win the Facebook Accelerator Programme 2021 securing the funding and support of tech giant Meta to help grow the brand Muslim Mamas.

Do check ou...

In this empowering episode, Sharmeen speaks to entrepreneur Khalila Lister about her journey into Islam and how she found her voice again. They talk about her business, her niqab (face veil) and how her family reacted when she became Muslim at 19-years-old. It’s not a long episode but it packs a punch. Listen to her incredible story now.

You can watch Khalilah’s TED talk that she talks about here and follow her on her socials @power...

This episode is a bit controversial! Sharmeen speaks to poet, writer, and educator Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan about her work. They talk about her experience at Cambridge University as a woman of colour and the impact of Islamophobia and how she thinks it motivates policy-making and new laws. They also discuss how she became a spoken word poet and about her recently published book “Tangled in Terror – Uprooting Islamophobia” which is av...

This episode is slightly different because it's a candid discussion between Sharmeen Ziauddin – Editor-in-chief and Aliya Zaidi – Head of Content Strategy of SSWH. They give their views about some of the major issues of the day – the war on Ukraine and refugees, Islamophobia in India, Muslim Women's Day, The Oscars and of course the upcoming month of Ramadan — so definitely a mixed bag!

As promised here are the links to the women th...

No expletives in this episode but there is some discussion about sex workers and suicide bombers.

In this episode Sabbiyah talks to Sharmeen about life as a BBC reporter. They talk about what makes a good journalist, representing Bradford and the North as a communities reporter and what it's really like working for the BBC. You can find Sabbiyah on Twitter @sabbiyahpervez

Please subscribe and follow this podcast to be updated with th...

TW: There is a detailed discussion about the loss of a child, infertility, and trauma.

No swearing but the word p*ki is used when talking about racism and immigration.

This deep and heartfelt episode with Tazeena Dhunna, an transformational life coach and media trainer, discusses grief, spirituality, gratitude and trauma. Tazeen shares her journey from being a successful trader and financial journalist to deliberately changing her ca...

In this episode, Sharmeen speaks to writer and podcaster Tasneem Abdur-Rashid. They talk about her debut rom-com book, Finding Mr Perfectly Fine, and about the podcast she co-hosts. There is talk about marriage and how difficult it can be to find a partner which forms the inspiration for her novel. Tasneem gives her tips on how to get published if you are an aspiring writer and we talk about some controversial guests she has interv...

Warning: There is a tiny bit of swearing in this episode. 

In this episode, Sharmeen interviews the first hijab-wearing Sudanese female comedian on TV, Ola Labib, about her double life as a pharmacist by day and comedian by night. Ola tells us why she became a comedian and what her journey into stand-up was like. She talks about her Sudanese family, what they think of her new job and what it is like being a visible Muslim on the com...

In the first episode of 2022, we speak to Julie Siddiqi MBE about activism and what drives her to keep going, the importance of interfaith work, problems with traditional feminism and the difficulties Muslim women face when calling out issues in their communities. So nothing too heavy then!

You can reach Julie on Instagram  - @Julie.Siddiqi

You can Find out more about She Speaks We Hear on the website:

https://shespeakswehear.com/

Foll...

In this episode, we speak to life and relationship coach Aamna Khokhar of leafcoaching.com. Aamna is also the resident life coach for She Speaks We Hear and has done several workshops with us in the past.

She explains the difference between coaching and therapy, how to find a good coach and how relationship coaching can help couples achieve better understanding.

You can find out more from the website leafcoaching.com or on Instagram ...

In this episode, Sharmeen speaks to inspiring PE teacher and ex-professional sportswoman Dana Abdulkarim. Not only was Dana the first Muslim hijabi to play for England (rounders) but also the first hijabi to become a PE teacher!

Dana, who is from Yorkshire, goes deep into her experiences of racism whilst growing up and playing sport, being the only Muslim in the village and shares her thoughts about racism in cricket.

We speak to the incredibly honest influencer and paediatrician, Dr Kiran Rahim, about going through burnout and working in the NHS through the pandemic. We also talk about mental health, tips for working mothers to avoid burnout and self-worth. 

You can find Kiran on Instagram @themunchingmedic 

Find out more on our website: https://shespeakswehear.com/

Produced by Sharmeen Ziauddin 

Hoste...