Anything Goes with Bilal Ali

Seif Metwally is an undergraduate student researcher at the University of Alberta studying math and finance. He joins me to talk about his position doing research at the University of Alberta on optimally executing foreign exchange positions. We dive into algorithmic trading; what is it, how and who is using it, and what does it mean for our market and economy? Seif shares his passions, goals, ins...

Aaima Azhar is a Pakistani-Canadian author, spoken word poet, artist, and award-winning filmmaker from Edmonton, Alberta. Her co-directed films based on poetry written by her,  Muhajir  and  Khalil , won "Best Local Film' at the 2019 and 2022 Mosquers Film Festival. Aaima's debut poetry collection,  A Thing With Teeth , is now available on multiple platforms! ​She is a University of A...

KudaThaKidd has paved a name for himself in the Edmonton music scene. Kuda joins me to talk about his journey so far with everything from life to music, he shares the story of coming to Canada from Zimbabwe with his family, some of the struggles growing up, his purpose with music, aspirations, and motivations. He shares his experiences performing on stage, and when he opened for Lil Mosey, and dre...

The owners at the Pharaohs Restaurant share their journey of opening the first authentic Egyptian cuisine in Edmonton, we learn about their mouth watering menu, the significance behind the food, their goals, and struggles. We also dive into who Egyptians are and our culture, as well as being Egyptian-Canadians growing up in Canada, and everything that comes with that! - Check out the amazing Egypt...

Noah and I discuss the importance of sports, how we as competitive athletes (Noah a lacrosse player, and myself a gymnast) balance our day to day sports and schooling, what it takes to be successful in both fields, and how covid has impacted our trainings. We talk about our respective sport journeys, and Noah tells us about his future scholarship for lacrosse in the United States! This episode is...

Olympic gymnast and world champion in the sport of gymnastics Brandon O'Neill tells us about his upbringing, growing up in gymnastics from such a young age, he tells us about all his international competitions and travels, and those experiences leading up to the Olympics. We learn about the shocking life of Brandon, the injuries he suffered, and how he competed with those injuries on the biggest s...

On the season 2 finale of Anything Goes 15 high school graduates from the Class of 2021 share their favourite memories from high school, their future plans, the greatest lessons they've gained, and they share advice with students entering high school. You do not want to miss this episode. Congratulations to all you wonderful grads! The end of a chapter is the beginning of a new one!  -  Each Grad...

A Palestinian living inside Jerusalem tells us about the reality of Palestine, and Jerusalem. We've been seeing the genocide of Palestinians around social media for a while now, but do these stories and posts capture the full picture? The answer is NO! Listen to this episode to hear how Palestinians are really being ethnically cleansed, and battling an apartheid occupation from the people living i...

Two Palestinians living inside the Gaza Strip tell us about the reality of Palestine, and Gaza. We've been seeing the genocide of Palestinians around social media for a while now, but do these stories and posts capture the full picture? The answer is NO! Listen to this episode to hear how Palestinians are really being ethnically cleansed, and battling an apartheid occupation from the people living...

The ethnic cleansing of an entire Palestinian state has been happening at the hands of an apartheid and colonial state for over 73 years! But what really is the history of Palestine and Israel, how did we get to where we are today, and how can we make a change? Join me in this episode to learn all about that in a short summary! - Resources to learn more about/support Palestine: https://www.instagr...

Communication is something we all do on a daily basis whether with family, friends, neighbors, teachers, etc. It's a skill we always practice, but even with that many of us don't actively work on enhancing it. Hannah and I talk about some of our relationships and communication with the individuals in our lives, and how we can all work on bettering our overall relationships through healthier use of...

I sit down with lawyer, army soldier, comedian, podcaster, and author Eric Vern to discuss all things from the experiences that brought him to where he is now to his inspirations and more! Eric is a man who really goes outside the box or rather "Goes Against The Grain" we contemplate as well as have some good laughs a long the way. Make sure to check this episode out! - Check out Eric's podcast an...

TV and the entertainment industry as a whole have a lot of control over our societies; they can make and break entire races and cultures. Red and I dive into the negative and positive aspects of TV: how it enforces certain stereotypes, but also has the power to end them, and bring forth new perspectives and understandings of societies. - Check out Red's podcast: https://linktr.ee/RedsRamblings - F...

Ex-journalist and current author: Christina Hoag has had her laptop searched by Colombian Guerillas, phone tapped in Venezuela, was suspected of drug trafficking in Guyana, and of course posed as a nun to get inside a Caracas jail! She tells us about all these experiences amongst many others in detail in this episode. Christina has accomplished and seen things in the reporting field that only a ti...

Miinkay quit her 8 year career in a corporate firm to pursue something she really loved which turned out to be massage therapy, and life coaching! We talk about her journey, starting her own business, a long with intuition, what it is, and how we can chase what really makes us happy (which isn't always what we may think or are told is best) - Check out Miinkay's website: https://miinkayyu.com/ - F...

It's been five months since my last podcast episode, and I'm excited to be back! In the first episode of season 2 I introduce the podcast, what you can expect in this season, and I catch you all up to date on what's been happening in my life during these past months! Subscribe, follow, and rate Anything Goes with Bilal Ali so you don't miss any of the great episodes planned for season 2! Lets Get...

Join us on this episode to listen to award-winning writer, researcher, and Muslim activist Nakita Valerio talk about the things that got her to where she is today in life! We sat down to discuss her journey to Islam, how she found it, the reactions of people around her after her conversion, how her life was before and after Islam; and we also talk about problems in the Muslim community and our soc...

The food, schooling system, culture, traditions, festivaties it's all quite different when it comes to India and Canada. Join us on this episode to learn about some of these differences and laugh a little too!  Check out Asit's podcast/site: https://wykipodcast.com/  Chhena Poda (one of the deserts we talked about): https://www.sid-thewanderer.com/2016/08/chhena-poda-indian-cake-from-odisha-.html...

From recording in between hikes on the go, to being restricted by a budget. How'd we get into podcasting? We talk about starting podcasting, tips, mics, setups, and a lot more.  Check out Blake Cutrer's Podcast: https://linktr.ee/hearmedaddy  Music:  Provided by CFM: https://cfmfreemusic.com Music & Arrangement :  Marjan Gjorgjievski  Mix & Mastering : Marjan Gjorgjievski

Growing up as family friends then getting married years later! In this episode we talked about a lot from Patrick's marriage, to gymnastics, karate, and tech!  *Note: The number of covid-19 cases said in this episode is not accurate due to recording this episode about a month ago. Check out Patrick's podcast: https://anchor.fm/sillymundanethings Music:  Provided by CFM: https://cfmfreemu...

Taking a different path in life to do what you love can be risky, but it can also be one of the best decisions that you make. Today I sat down with professional Dominican Republic illustrator and graphic designer Charlie Mu! We talk about his journey to becoming successful in his fields and many of the struggles he's faced to get to where he is today.  Check out Charlie Mu's website: https://...

"Why aren't you eating bro"... I can't i'm fasting. "Well at least have some water"... I can't drink water either. These are things that people ask Muslims all the time during the month of Ramadan and they usually get pretty basic responses. But what really is Ramadan, and why do Muslims fast. All that is answered in this 'Ramadan Special' episode. Music: provided by CFM: https://cfmfreemusic.com...

From battling depression, to going through the struggle of having a disability, Natalie Hibberd is a professional author, who's gone through a lot to get to where she is now. She tells us her inspiring story and how she overcame all of that in this episode.    Check out her book "Inside Out":   Website: https://www.nataliehibberdauthor.co.uk/   Her social media: ...

Today we sat down with fellow podcaster Ladaene to talk about how our different countries (Jamaica and Canada) are reacting to the coronavirus pandemic, we discuss the differences and similarities between both. Go give Ladaene's podcast "The umm Daene Podcast" a listen and subscribe to him! Note: the number of coronavirus cases/deaths may be a little inaccurate due to recording this episode 2 week...

Veganism and vegetarianism, their pros and cons, why people follow these diets, and our positions on them all discussed in this episode!     Music: CFM Production   https://www.youtube.com/CopyrightFree...  provided by CFM: https://cfmfreemusic.com  Music & Arrangement :  Marjan Gjorgjievski   Mix & Mastering : Marjan Gjorgjievski