Defiance Academy

Join us in this episode as we sit with Dr. Anjabeen Ashraf to talk about trauma, depression, mental health, and social justice activism. Dr. Anjabeen is a mental health expert, speaker, researcher, educator, and social justice activist. Her work is mainly centered on exploring the experience of American Muslims and South Asian Americans. In this conversation, Dr. Anjabeen explains what vicarious trauma is all about and how one can heal from traumatic experiences. She also shares some of her findings on vicarious trauma from her research study. Moreover, we also tackle the issue of postpartum depression and what you can do about it. Talking about your struggles is another way to heal, and so Dr. Anjabeen elaborates on the importance of honoring your mental, reaching out for help, and the role of a community in helping others heal. She offers tools you can apply to yourself and your community to cope with stress, depression, and trauma. Lastly, we talk about boundaries, how to set up healthy boundaries in the workplace and Dr. Anjabeen’s social justice work as part of the hate crime law implementation committee in Oregon. In this Episode, We Talk About:

• What is ‘vicarious trauma’?
• What Dr. Anjabeens research study reveals about vicarious trauma
• Honoring your mental health
• Healing through community
• Coping with your stress and trauma through ‘grounding’
• What to do when you have symptoms of postpartum depression
• Boundary work and why it matters
• Setting boundaries in the workplace
• Dr. Anjabeen’s social justice work on the hate crime law implementation committee in Oregon
• Dr. Anjabeen’s advice to young Muslim women who are thinking of a career in counseling, psychotherapy, mental health, and psychology

Where to reach Dr. Anjabeen Ashraf:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Dr. Anjabeen Ashraf Bio:

Dr. Anjabeen Ashraf holds a doctorate in Counselor Education and a Master’s degree in Counseling. Her work has focused on vicarious trauma in American Muslims, mental health counseling, and anti-oppression work.

She has presented on a number of topics including working with Muslim clients, social justice issues, mental health issues, and courtship/marriage.

Dr. Ashraf is currently serving on the Hate Crime law implementation committee in Oregon. This groundbreaking legislation passed in Oregon in 2019 and amends the criminality of hate crimes and expands the state’s tracking of hate crimes and hate incidents. Dr. Ashraf’s work on the steering committee focuses on trauma-informed practices and support for survivors of hate crimes.

Dr. Ashraf firmly believes in the power of counseling and personal growth work. Her online presence is focused on destigmatizing mental health and wellness in South Asian and Muslim communities. Engaging with the public outside the siloes of academia is important in Dr. Ashraf’s anti-oppression framework.

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Resources:

• Revolution Counseling, LLC

Know that you will fail. Know that you will scrape your knees but you will be okay and you’ll be so much stronger. ⁠— Deqa Gelle To get to where you need to be, you must take the initiative and take action to get there. You won’t learn how to run unless you learn how to walk. In this episode, we explore Deqa’s journey in finding her path and how she started One Stone HR. Deqa is an experienced Recruitment Manager with 10 years of experience in the recruitment industry. She helped build successful and harmonious teams for corporate organizations and she currently helps individuals and corporations in cultivating their brand. She talks about how taking action - big or small helps her show up every day for herself and others. Find out how Deqa overcame her adversaries and what motivates her to push through and take continuous action.

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• Deqa’s journey to HR Recruitment
• What drives Deqa to keep pushing on
• Making the leap and getting over self-doubt
• The stigma around divorce
• Action, action, action

Where to reach Deqa Gelle

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Deqa Gelle YouTube Channel
• One Stone HR Website

Want to hear more stories from amazing Muslim Women?

Please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast platform. Get notified so you never miss out!

Let us know what you think and what part of the podcast conversation you enjoyed the most by leaving us a review and rating here! And don’t forget to join us on our Facebook group Professional Muslim Women to continue the conversation and connect with a community of Muslim women like you!

As a Muslim, how should we approach parenting? Raising a child is no walk in the park. It’s confusing and daunting, especially that as a parent you’re expected to do a perfect job. But it is also rewarding at the same time, especially when your child grows into a fine, responsible, and loving adult. What should we do as parents to raise our kids properly while still keeping with the principles of Islam? Join us in this episode as we talk about parenting in the Islam perspective with Gulnaz Ahsan, the editor of Halal Parenting. Halal Parenting is a magazine that offers parenting techniques that work. It provides a delicate balance of fresh, modern parenting content that incorporates Islamic principles to help you make the best decisions for your children and family. In this conversation, Gulnaz shares why she decided to become an entrepreneur and why she founded Halal Parenting. She also talks about parenting from the perspective of Islam and how parenting is likened to an on-the-job training. She also addresses the misconception that women automatically know how to take care of and raise a child. Gulnaz explains why entrepreneurship is the ideal career for women and moms who want to stay at home and take care of their children. For our Professional Muslim Women listeners, we’re offering you a 15% discount off the annual subscription to Halal Parenting magazine! Use our exclusive coupon code PMW15 when you purchase! In this Episode, We Talk About:

• Gulnaz’ early career experience
• From finance to entrepreneurship
• Parenting from the perspective of Islam
• What to do when your child is throwing a tantrum
• Staying consistent as a parent
• Why entrepreneurship is a good career choice for women

Where to reach Gulnaz Ahsan: LinkedIn

Gulnaz Ahsan's Bio:

Gulnaz Ahsan the editor of Halal Parenting magazine. She studied International Business Finance in the UK and later took Business Software Applications in Northern California. She works as a licensed investment advisor with a focus on managing clients for a few and then later on married and moved to Milwaukee Wisconsin. She continues to work for project outsourcing companies that serve large financial institutions throughout the country.

Mentioned from this episode:

• Halal Parenting
• Halal Parenting - Facebook
• Hala Parenting - FB Group

Want to hear more stories from amazing Muslim Women?

Please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast platform. Get notified so you never miss out!

Let us know what you think and what part of the podcast conversation you enjoyed the most by leaving us a review and rating here! And don’t forget to join us on our Facebook group Professional Muslim Women to continue the conversation and connect with a community of Muslim women like you!

Choosing a career is hard enough. Having a mentor to guide and help you with your chosen career makes all the difference and keeps you right on track.

Today, our guest is Dr. Uzma Syed who is a true Muslimah trailblazer. She is the President of Align Us, a not-for-profit organization that offers unique mentorship opportunities to help foster career development for high school students. Align Us is an after school program which helps students bridge classroom to real-world experiences.

Join us in this episode as Dr. Uzma Syed shares her experience in becoming a public figure and trailblazer in her community. She tells us about the difficult road of pursuing her doctorate career without a mentor and how that experience inspired her non profit. Her ultimate goal is to bridge cultural and societal gaps so that all American citizens have an active role in their community at hand.

In this Episode, We Talk About:

• Her activism in having Islamic Holidays recognized state wide
• The huge benefits of mentorship to young students
• Advise for blazing your career
• Getting the right resources

Where to reach Dr. Uzma Syed:

• Instagram @uzmasworld
• Twitter @druzmasyed
• Linkedin @uzma-syed

Where to reach Align Us:

• Website
• Email: info@align-us.org
• Facebook
• Twitter

Dr. Uzma Syed’s Bio:

Dr. Uzma Syed is a board-certified infectious disease specialist, an education leader and a political activist. She cares a lot about education, from directing a nonprofit called Align Us that provides mentorship and career development to serving on school board committees as an advisor.

She's a rising Muslim civic figure in Nassau community politics, she co-founded the eighth-holiday coalition, served on the commissioner's community council, and is recognized by the legislature as a female trailblazer.

She also ran as a school board trustee candidate in 2018 all while being a proud and visible Hijab Muslim woman.

Mentioned from this episode:

• Dr. Uzma Syed a Woman of Substance

Want to hear more stories from amazing Muslim Women?

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Let us know what you think and what part of the podcast conversation you enjoyed the most by leaving us a review and rating here! And don’t forget to join us on our Facebook group Professional Muslim Women to continue the conversation and connect with a community of Muslim women like you!

Quitting your job to start your own business is probably one of the riskiest paths you’d ever take. It’s full of uncertainties. What if you fail? You will surely scratch your knees along the way but once you get past the trying times, the results are going to be gratifying! Join us in this episode as Samira Ali shares her inspiring journey of entrepreneurship and how she left her secured employee position to start her own company. She shares her experience being in the field of HR and how it is like to do volunteer work for a charitable organization. We also touch the topic of self-worth and how you can stand up for yourself. Find out what compelled Samira to leave her secured work and follow the risky path of being an entrepreneur. In this Episode, We Talk About:

• How Samira got into the field of HR
• Volunteering for a charitable organization
• Samira’s journey to entrepreneurship
• What the star method all about
• Self-worth

Want to hear more stories from amazing Muslim Women?

Please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast platform. Get notified so you never miss out!

Let us know what you think and what part of the podcast conversation you enjoyed the most by leaving us a review and rating here! And don’t forget to join us on our Facebook group Professional Muslim Women to continue the conversation and connect with a community of Muslim women like you!