Socotra Talks

TW: General discussions of abuse are conveyed in this episode. We all know the virtues and importance in honouring our parents, doing right by & obeying them. It's natural that this tends to be easier when Allah has blessed us with amazing ones but this sadly isn't the case with all. Although it is an unfortunate situation in addressing difficult parents, Ustadh Abdulwahid Stephenson -...

One can imagine how daunting it may be to start a business and let alone in your teenage years. Nonetheless, it was Hamse's goal to attain financial literacy as early as he could; so - at just 16 years young - he decided to pursue entrepreneurship which lead to him co-founding his SEO agency. Socotra's newest guest comes on to explain the reasons behind indulging into business at an early...

In a time today where many complain about the rigid life the traditional 9-to-5 has to offer, it's completely natural for one not to be tempted by the attraction and independence freelancing has to offer. But is it better and - most importantly - the path towards true fulfilment? Shuayb - the founder of Pivot2Tech - has spent the past year creating his bootcamp to help as many people break int...

We all have a hand in crafting our own imprint - the main aim being to leave something that is much greater than ourselves. Every single one of us. Mohamed Dualeh - a life coach & personal development trainer - uncovers his story in order to break down what it means to create a legacy and live a life of purpose. We touched on the following: - His work with Cardiff Council in instilling positiv...

Socotra's finally back. A season of captivating conversations, thought-provoking insights and journeys of personal accountability. Sit back, listen and enjoy the curtain raiser - we hope it'll be a season to remember. Twitter: @SocotraTalks Instagram: @SocotraTalks Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68TEJRlxbovWiYYPzAJahd Ask us a question on Curious Cat: https://curiouscat.live/Socotr...

In our finale, the hosts reflect on a long-winded season, recall their most enjoyable & difficult episodes to shoot and take the time to answer some of the questions from the listeners. More importantly, we could not end on a note other than thanking you all for supporting us this season - it has been greatly appreciated. We're taking a break and should be back for April 2023 but in the meanti...

Broken households. Marital Issues. Living in a porndemic. Problems with finances. Unemployment. Battling the education system. Issues that are all secondary to the main problem in that we have truly lost our way with our Lord & failing to remember the purpose of our existence. This penultimate episode is a deep-dive into the reasons as to why many of us have not worked on our relationship with...

December 1953; Hugh Hefner publishes his 1st Playboy magazine and sells over 50,000 copies whilst becoming an instant sensation.  Fast forward to 2022, where more than 28,000 users are watching porn every second & millions are viewing on a daily basis, it's safe to say that porn is the pandemic that has plagued the world. Accessible, affordable and intense - it is unlike anything our prev...

Despite the countless narrations we've come across highlighting the virtues of seeking knowledge, it doesn't shake off the strong reluctance in embarking on this path & trying to stay consistent. This episode is an honest conversation around the struggles we all have in trying to study our deen in the West. Our former host Jacfar comes on once again & we delve into the following: - Do we r...

The pursuit of marriage can be one that is full of hurdles and hardships. Fahad caught up with long-time friend Leeban, who shared his journey to finding his spouse & gave advice to those yet to find their other half. We spoke about the following: - Accepting the journey to a spouse starts with rectifying yourself - Things to consider on the way to finding compatibility - The uncomfortable rea...

With the increasing number of divorces plaguing the Somali community, we invited Ustadh Abdulrahman Hassan to shed light on why many Muslims have struggled to hold onto their marriages.  From the following that were discussed:  - Rigidity with the general roles & responsibilities of both the husband and wife  - Lack of accountability from parents in raising their children &...

The widening disparity in incomes between ethnic minorities and the White British have been no secret - the Office for National Statistics released a study highlighting households with a White British head being nine times as likely to be in the top quintile of total wealth as those of Black African ethnicity. Coupled with the cost of living crisis and a looming recession set to dismantle househol...

Having endured a childhood filled with pain, uncertainty & struggle, Mohamud Salhan was determined to weather the storm and be the rock his mother needed him to be. This episode takes you back to Mohamud's gruelling back-story & covers the following: - Fleeing the civil war and finding shelter in Italy - The struggles in getting by in Holland - Juggling school with work in order to support...

Having spent 4 years in the Engineering sector, Samatar was at a crossroads in life. Whilst being furloughed from work during the Coronavirus pandemic, he decided to use that valuable time in teaching himself how to code. Although he set it out as a productive hobby at first, he eventually stuck at it for 13 months and successfully got into the Tech industry as a Front-End developer.  This ep...

Mahad's back! Employment - and especially that breakthrough in getting the first role - has been a struggle for many. In this episode, we take it back to his difficult journey is trying to break into the Tech industry, as well as the struggles & obstacles he had to encounter along the path. From that which were discussed are: - His reasons for making the jump to Tech - Ensuring one is locked i...

It's safe to admit our societies troubles in trying to connect with & understand the younger generation, all whilst providing them with the level of care and support they need in order to aspire to be something else; something greater than they could ever have imagined. Our former host Jacfar enters the fray once again with close friend Abdiaziz - both of whom run As Sunnah Youth in the heart...

This episode is a follow-up from the previous in delving into the intricacies of mental health. Counsellor Habib enters the fray once again to discuss the following: - How damaging it is to have a negative mindset when it comes to seeking counsel - The disconnect between our parents & the previous generations - The benefits of counselling & psychotherapy - Being completely honest with your...

More than 30 years have passed since the collapse of the military regime in Somalia, causing a devastating civil war in the process. 30 years have gone by and the psychological and mental repercussions are still felt today all over the world within Somali families. According to the World Health Organisation, the nation has the distinction of having the highest prevalence of mental illness in the w...

We're back! In this episode, we're accompanied by our very own Jacfar - the former host of SocotraTalks - and we reflect on our own experiences during the beautiful month of Ramadan. Topics that were discussed include: - The ways in which we prepared before the month came in - Some of the trials one may face in balancing full-time work & worshipping Allah to the best of their ability - Trying to m...

When taking a look at the world, there are a multitude of ideologies that attempt to define what it means to be a man. Look no further to Youtube, where you'll find an abundance of 'Alpha-males' selling their ideas to the public of how a man can be the dominant & respected - as well as one that oozes class and confidence wherever they place themselves in society. In this episode, we try to crack d...

Broken households have been one of the biggest hurdles in the way of many Somalis in the West to catapult to success. The hosts invited Counsellor Mahamed Habib - a qualified psychotherapist who is part of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) - in order to discuss the following: - What exactly is the definition of a broken household? - Understanding the main reasons for p...

In this episode, the hosts welcome Omar Deria - the Headteacher of East London's Cumberland Community School - in order to tackle the education conundrum and address some of the following: - How Somali's fare in these education systems in the West - Whether we are doing better academically today than the previous generation, and if that still is enough - Are we being practical when choosing a degr...

Many studies have concluded around 80% of people suffer from procrastination and putting things off on a daily basis. So why is it we waste so much time? Better yet, why are we not addressing one of the biggest elephants in the room? In this episode, the hosts - referring to the works of leading expert on this subject Dr Piers Steel - cover the following: - Why we procrastinate effortlessly even w...

Social media has quickly become one of the most important instruments in processing & spreading information worldwide - but were we educated or warned against it taking over our lives?  In this episode, the hosts talk about the ways in which big corporations use addictive design to continuously modify our behaviour, the harmful effects heavy social media has on our souls - all whilst robbing ourse...

In this re-introduction to Socotra Talks, both hosts & close friends Fahad and Mahad delve into why they decided to use this platform, their intentions behind the podcast & dip into their personal lives.