Muslims Doing Things

Zainab Johnson (@zainabjohnson) is a comedian, writer, and actress. Zainab Johnson is a comedian, writer, and actress. Zainab’s comedy is based on her unique point-of-view, which as one of thirteen siblings in a black Muslim family in Harlem. After getting a degree in Math and Education and taking a job as a teacher, Zainab quickly learned she had a different calling. And once she started to pursue the calling — she doubled down and rose the ranks quickly.You may have seen Zainab on the Amazon Original hit series titled "Upload" Netflix's "100 Humans", through an appearance on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers, HBO’s All Def Comedy, NBC’s Last Comic Standing, or one of the many gigs she has done. Go watch Zainab in real life! https://www.zainabjohnson.com/Follow Zainab https://twitter.com/zainabjohnson?lang=enhttps://www.tiktok.com/@thezainabjohnson?lang=en--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com

Sarah Ahmed is a psychotherapist Sarah Ahmed’s LinkedIn refers to her as an “experienced Clinical Social Worker with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry.” But Sarah, on social media, is the POC therapist. (@the.poc.therapist). Sarah’s social media presence addresses a variety of mental health related topics in an accessible way. Separately, she went from working in a large scale health system, to starting her own private practice, to employing other practitioners, to most recently enabling Canada-wide mental health services through a technology platform, Leena (@helloleena). Follow Sarah on IG https://www.instagram.com/the.poc.therapist Follow Sarah on TT https://www.tiktok.com/@the.poc.therapist?lang=en Follow Leena on IG https://www.instagram.com/helloleena_/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com

Sabrina Siddiqui (@sabrinasiddiqui) knew she wanted to be a journalist as a Pakistani-American teenager living in Italy, but did not realize her choices would land her a coveted position as a White House correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. Sabrina covers the Biden presidency right now. Listen to Sabrina and I talk about her journey to political reporting and what a day in the life is like as a White House correspondent. Spoiler: it may include an anecdote about a recent top secret trip on Air Force One with the President. Get to know Sabrina through some of her writing: ‘How Will I Pump?’: When Your First Work Trip After Maternity Leave Is to Ukraine With President BidenReporting while Muslim: how I covered the US presidential electionKeep up with Sabrina's journey: Find Sabrina on IG Follow Sabrina on Twitter--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com

Ameena Soliman (@meen_mill) is a pro scout for the Philadelphia Eagles, where she also serves as Director of Personnel Operations. In this episode, Ameena breaks down her journey to scoutdom, which reveals a breakneck speed through the ranks at the NFL. Ameena provides a tactical approach to how to get into sport while revealing a razor sharp intelligence and hyperfocused work ethic. It goes without much assumption that Ameena is the first Muslim woman in her role. And she is believed to be the first female scout, period, for the Eagles. For context, the first female scout for the NFL at large was hired in 2021. By 2022, there were a total of 33 female scouts across the NFL in its entirety. In short, Ameena's path is extraordinary.Also...Go Birds! Follow Ameena’s career on IG at:Follow Ameena on Instagram @meen_mill Follow Ameena on Twitter @meen_millPhoto credit: Joseph Labolito--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com

If you’re on TikTok, you have seen the hysterical (and sometimes unhinged) Duolingo posts. And if you were interested in learning a language (like my husband was, actually), you probably converted into a Duolingo user because of the prevalence of Duo the owl on TikTok. I was stunned to find out that all 6m of us Duo stans were actually following a fresh-out-of-college Pakistani American, Zaria Parvez (@photos_zap). In two short years and with a marketing budget of 0 dollars, Zaria built a cult around the language learning app. The Duolingo account has 121.6m likes, including some from a video from just yesterday with 2m views (a figure 300,000 north of the entire population of Bahrain).Listen to Zaria’s incredible story. This journey is especially cool because she is early in her career, but has already been recognized as a marketing genius. Experience doesn’t always equate to stature or seniority, and Zaria’s story is a testament to that reality.Follow Zaria on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@zariaparvez?lang=enFollow Zaria on IG https://www.instagram.com/photos_zap/?hl=enCheck out Duolingo’s TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@duolingo?lang=en--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com

Manal Aman @helloholydays knew who she admired: Martha Stewart. She went to college with the goal of figuring out the business of Martha, and graduated into an editorial job for the DIY queen herself. Within a few short years, Manal figured out how to get her own line into Crate and Barrel to celebrate Ramadan (yes, that advent calendar — the one we all lost it for). Listen to Manal’s journeyShop the collection at HelloHolyDays.comFollow @helloholydays on Instagram--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com

Anoosha Syed (@foxville_art) is a Pakistani-Canadian freelance illustrator + character designer for animation, based in Toronto. If you have kids, you likely have come across her work (Bilal Cooks Daal and That’s Not My Name are both on Kamila’s bookshelf!).Since graduating, Anoosha has worked as a character designer for preschool series in development working with clients like Disney, Netflix and Nick. After illustrating over 25 books for children, she is now working on several author/illustrator titles — and recently published her her debut book, That’s Not My Name.Anoosha has not only built an amazing career, but she has recreated her path through a series of YouTube tutorials, and shows her work behind the scenes across social media. Listen to Anoosha talk about her journey, and what it takes to build a career in illustration and children's books. Find her on: Check out her website Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok Facebook Buy her books: Buy Bilal Cooks Daal Buy That’s Not My Name --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com

Engie Hassan (@engiestyle) went into fashion without a clear picture of what that could mean -- and has since built her own styling empire. From celebrities, to royalty, to regular folks, Engie knows how to orchestrate the vision behind how someone is perceived. From an internship at Vogue, to a full circle moment with Anna Wintour, real-talk with Yeezy when he was trying to find his personal brand in the 2010s, to life as a personal stylist at Bergdorf, listen to Engie's story about what it takes to build a styling business in fashion.Follow @engiestyle on IG--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com

Zain never imagined that her calling would be in acting, but when she knew - she knew. Having accrued 1.2m TikTok fans that flocked her way due to her lighthearted personality and jokes, Zain has painstakingly taught herself how to make it in acting through a love for growth. Listen to Zain talk about her journey with refreshing transparency, and follow Zain below ⬇️Follow Zain on Instagram @zaincomedyFollow Zain on TikTok @zaincomedy--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com

For the first time in the pod's history, we have a guest come back -- a year later! Yasamine Durali is a content creator and my SIL. Last year, she laid out her roadmap to getting TikTok famous, and a year later she shares how far the journey has come, from expanding platforms, to getting managed, to building the confidence needed to take more steps forward.I enjoyed this epi because Yasi is a sis to me, but also because it is a cool opportunity to watch a career arc in real time.Follow Yasamine on:IGYouTubeTikTokPhoto credit: @beautyisboring--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com

Sarah Khan (@bysarahkhan) is an an award-winning journalist with 18 years of writing and editing experience, most recently as Editor in Chief of Condé Nast Traveller Middle East. Sarah has reported from six continents (almost 7!!) for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, and many others. Earlier in Sarah's career, she worked at Travel + Leisure and Gotham magazines in New York. Listen to Sarah's journey on this week's episode.Check out a portfolio of Sarah's published work at www.bysarahkhan.comFollow Sarah on Instagram--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com

@Ramy Youssef’s show follows a namesake character that is played by him, but the title is not an eponym — to be clear! Ramy has received global acclaim in the form of endless thought pieces, Twitter threads, a Golden Globe (to Ramy himself!), a Peabody Award, and 3 Emmy noms for the show. And Ramy won’t forget to remind you that the accolades are to be spread across the team behind the series. Ramy grew up in New Jersey, and loved to create content with his closest friends. Part way through college, an acting gig got him to Los Angeles. Listen to Ramy’s journey, learn about how he got his show on Hulu, and listen to us chat about the evolution of our representation as Muslim millennials.Watch Ramy’s show on Hulu today, where Season 3 just dropped. And follow @Ramy on Instagram to keep up.Follow the pod on IG @MuslimsDoingThigns and me, the host, @layloolPodcast image is a shot from the show.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com

Huda Idrees is CEO and founder of Dot Health -- a simple and secure way to access your health records. Huda was in college (but, as you will hear, over a decade into her career) when she started her startup journey at a company that was later purchased for half a billion dollars. Shortly after, she become CPO at a company that has since blown up with over 1000 employees. While CPO, Huda left her position to start her own company: Dot Health. Listen to Huda's journey and find Huda on Twitter or email Huda at huda@hudaidrees.com.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/laylool/message This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laylool.substack.com