I'm A Muslim (And That's Okay!)

Send me a Text Message! In this episode I talk to, Dr. Rose Aslan, a certified Transformational Life Coach, and we talk about her time in the academic and public sphere, when she and other public Muslims became the "face" of an entire community. Especially after 9/11 and the Trump administration. How that crippling pressure of representing and collectively defending Muslims can take a to...

Send me a Text Message! Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, this year will have no Halloween episode. Because we can all see that the horrors that humanity wreaks on itself are far more horrendous than any spooky story I could possibly find. This episode is my monologue on the genocide that is going on on the Palestinian people. The oppression and killings are happening with blatant cruelty and our taxpa...

Send me a Text Message! *Trigger Warning* Episode discusses suicide and suicidal ideation It's another heavy one folks! But I am hoping that this one helps shed some light on how difficult it can be to get suicide research data, especially in underrepresented communities. In this episode I talk to, Amelia Noor Oshiro, the Muslim suicide researcher, who has dedicated her PhD study to researchi...

Send me a Text Message! What does a podcast host do when they hit a creative block? They ask their audience of course! Y'all I'm fast approaching 100 episodes and 4 years and I'm not sure how to carry on bringing y'all the best that I can! So, please help me out! If you have ideas or subjects you want me to cover, people you'd love me to interview, PLEASE tell me! Send me...

Send me a Text Message! *TRIGGER WARNING* - Discussion of Substance Abuse and Suicide. This is a difficult discussion to have but an important one. No one wants to believe that themself or their children could be in a position where their vulnerability gets the best of them and they could end up in the depths of substance abuse and suicidal ideation. But that is exactly what happened to my guest,...

Send me a Text Message! How do you get people to become more sex-positive? You pivot your medical career and train to become an intimacy coach and at the same time start a podcast to get more people aware about their sexual wellness! And that is exactly what Dr. Sadaf Lodhi did! In this episode we have a wonderful conversation about how she discovered the lack of knowledge even within medical prof...

Send me a Text Message! Information and access to reproductive health is essential for all women but there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all . That is where HEART to Grow comes in, which provides reproductive health information and workshops specifically catered to Muslims of all different backgrounds. I had the good fortune of interviewing Kiran Waqar, the Social Media and Youth Engagement...

Send me a Text Message! Season 8 is here!! And because I have been in an extra mood all Summer, I decided to start it with a bang with not one, but TWO guests! This episode of "The Whole Muslim" segment features returning guest, Professor Rudolph "B-Ware" and his partner in rhyme, Chime "Chizabam" Umesi and we dive in on how they came together to form the rap/hip-hop...

Send me a Text Message! It is the last episode of the season and what better way to end a season than with a bang! I had the great pleasure of interviewing Historian and Academic, Professor Rudolph Ware and I got to do what I love to do the most: tackle difficult subjects! And for this episode we discussed colonization and its impacts on BIPOC communities in the U.S. and globally, specifically how...

Send me a Text Message! War is Hell, but we often only see it as a conflict of grown ups and overlook how it impacts the children caught in the middle of it. For this segment of "Gift of the Gab" I interview Dr. Nour Akhras, a pediatrician and who has been on a number of medical missions in war-torn areas. Her experiences there and how 9/11 impacted her being Muslim in America, inspired...

Send me a Text Message! May is 'Mental Health Awareness' and there could be no better time for me to have a discussion with, Allissa Torres, the Director of Mental Health Equity at the non-profit organization, Mental Health America (MHA)! We talk about the stigma around mental health in BIPOC communities and the need to overcome taboos through education and resources. MHA provides a numb...

Send me a Text Message! I welcome my guest, Saira Sufi, to take a deep dive into the discussion of how one of her twin son's diagnoses of a rare bone marrow disorder, Aplastic Anemia led her and her remaining son to become staunch advocates for bone marrow donations.  Recruiting bone marrow donors of racial minorities is important, because finding bone marrow matches for minorities and mixed...

Send me a Text Message! Happy Eid to my Muslim listeners and to EEEEVVERYONE! Even though Ramadan is over but with my kids fasting this time I learned some new lessons from the month and by the end of it we will be celebrating Eid! This episode is just a few reflections from Ramadan that sort of came up for me and how Muslims in the U.S. are trying to make Eid extra special for their kids. You can...

Send me a Text Message! It is that time of year again! Ramadan and all the Muslims be fasting from dawn to dusk! And my kids doing it too (Bless them!) Watching my kids I suddenly realized how different it is being a Muslim kid celebrating Ramadan in the U.S. as opposed to in a Muslim country. So, join me as I take a nostalgic look and comparison between Ramadan here and Ramadan when I was growing...

Send me a Text Message! *TRIGGER WARNING*: Episode speaks of suicide and suicidal ideation. Listener Discretion is advised. This episode is a tough one because life threw a curve ball and it hit me square in the face. I discuss everything from major life changes to a very real mental health crisis I faced. I was caught unaware, but I got lucky, because it could have ended very badly for me. I lear...

Send me a Text Message! Sometimes your ideal guest just falls into your lap in the form of a book! That's exactly what happened when I was sent a copy of, "Broken: The Failed Promise of Muslim Inclusion" , by one of the leading experts on the history of representations of Arabs and Muslims in the US. media, Evelyn Alsultany. I had the great privilege of talking to her about how Musl...

Send me a Text Message! I know the Winter was hard without me! But I am back and bringing to you season 7 of "I'm A Muslim (And That's Okay!)", with all new solo episodes, interviews and the crowd favorite 'Ask a Muslim' segment. So, if you have any questions that you'd like this Muslim to answer just send them my way via email at shehla.faizi01@gmail.com .  Or s...

Send me a Text Message! The end of 2022!!! How did that happen?? I mean, it started off with my 2 year, 50 episodes celebration giveaway. But the rest of the year...it's been a tricky, y'all, lots of things happened for me and for America. Some good, some not so good and I do a roundup of all that the year brought for me in terms of experiences and new episodes! I got to interview some a...

Send me a Text Message! In this episode I have the incredible opportunity to interview author, body-positivity activist and the first International plus-sized model, Leah V! We talk about how her passion for writing gave way to her starting her modeling career, in an industry that doesn't take kindly to plus-sized models! But Leah V. pushed through the odds and has been featured in Vogue, The...

Send me a Text Message! In this episode of my 'Gift of the Gab' segment, I interview DEI Practitioner, Rahimeh Ramizany, and we discuss the importance of being inclusive in the workplace to the religious needs of practicing minority groups.  Specializing in religious inclusivity for minorities, Rahimeh helps companies create an environment that is accepting and accommodating for workers...

Send me a Text Message! In this episode of the Gift of the Gab, I interview, Nahela Morales, well known in Muslim circles as a public speaker, humanitarian and co-founder of the Muslim convert organization, EMBRACE. But what most people don't know is that as a child, she had been in the U.S. foster care system and we closely examine her experience with the system and what we can do to make it...

Send me a Text Message! You know I'll never miss a chance to share a good, spooky story! And this year, for Halloween,  I decided to do a little bit of online hunting for some ghostly tales from other parts of the world! From Venezuela to Myanmar, I got your global, spooky fix right here in this episode! Also, I didn't share ALL of the stories I found, so if you want to read the rest of...

Send me a Text Message! This week I interview foster parent and co-founder of the Muslim Foster Care Association, Dr. Sameena Zahoor. We talk about how she went into fostering and how that led to the creation of the MFCA and delve into the real need for licensed foster parents, especially within the Muslim community. You can also watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/32iwCR8aswk To find out mo...

Send me a Text Message! Calling all my fantasy nerds!! I'm so happy to have on this "The Whole Muslim" episode fantasy cosplayer and Tiktoker, A'isha Saleh! Join us as we talk about her inherited passion for all things fantasy and how that and the deep desire to see more Muslim women representation in popular media inspired her to create her AMAZING, hijab-friendly fantasy cosp...

Send me a Text Message! In this episode of Gift of the Gab, I interview fellow podcaster, RJ Zimmerman, who documents his journey of sobriety in his podcast "Untapped Keg". Me and RJ discuss all that he has learned on his journey and how that has also uncovered a simultaneous exploration of emotional wellness for him. We delve deep into how that has changed him and how other men could be...