The Ismaili Connection

Rasool Verjee, originally from Kenya, has gone through many ups and downs and different journeys throughout his life. Having to learn to be independent early on in his education years and discover what career path he wanted to pursue through university, there have been many roadblocks as well as triumphs of success. In Rasool’s later years he was blindsided by a medical emergency. Through this time, he was inspired to write his book “Nugget Road.” He talks about people he has met through his journey and inspirational stories that helped discover his Ikigai. * Connect with Rasool on LinkedIn

Ashraf is the founder and owner of the Heritage Collection, a South Asian fashion brand she started 17 years ago. In 2022, she became one of the first Ismaili fashion designers to display her work at New York Fashion Week. The event happens semi-annually and gives designers from around the world an opportunity to showcase their latest designs and work. Growing up in Pakistan, Ashraf found that happiness and celebrations were her key inspiration for her designs, going as far as designing outfits for her Barbies that matched her own. That sentiment shifted slightly when she immigrated to Virginia. Ashraf’s website: https://myheritagecollection.com Connect with Ashraf on LinkedIn

Riaz Patel serves as an Executive Producer/Director in Los Angeles, specializing in transformative and perspective-shifting TV series and media projects. With two Emmy Award nominations and an NAACP Image Award, he creatively leads shows for major networks like NBC/Universal, Lifetime, Discovery, and others. Riaz’s productions span 21 countries, distributed globally by A&E, MTV, Hulu, and Netflix. Notably, "The RAD Impact Awards," featuring renowned figures like Priyanka Chopra and Margot Robbie, garnered 138.4 million online impressions. Riaz is a board member of Odyssey/Impact (NYC) and The Jenesse Center (LA). Connect with Riaz on LinkedIn Check out interview with Riaz here

Zain A. Gulamali is a technology executive, corporate and business development leader, and venture capital / growth equity investor with nearly 20 years of experience in enterprise, consumer, and healthcare technology investing, as well as strategy, M&A, business development, and startup operations. He is currently Head of Amazon Catalytic Capital (fund-of-funds supporting underrepresented founders), an Investment Partner for the Amazon Alexa Fund (VC fund), and a leader in Amazon's Worldwide Business & Corporate Development group. Before Amazon, Zain worked in startups (Pocket Gems), private equity (Warburg Pincus and Monitor Clipper Partners), and investment banking (Goldman Sachs). He is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Zain has volunteered continuously in community service and international development through the Jamati and Imamat Institutions since the age of 4. Zain’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zgulamali/

For almost a decade now, Sohail Zindani has helped companies build and sustain learning culture through his dynamic, result oriented and focused training and consulting interventions. With the mission of “promoting learning, no matter what”, Sohail is one of the Pakistan’s most sought-after trainer, consultant, thought-leader and keynote speaker. He is arguably the most provocative, engaging and stimulating management consultant in business. In addition to his work in the business sector, Sohail has passion for learning and teaching in the social sectors, including education, healthcare, social ventures, and cause-driven non-profits. He has also authored “Passion Plus” & “Common Sense at Work”.Important links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohailzindani/ Ashrei Tech website: https://ashreitech.com/

Afzal Habib is a co-founder of a social enterprise named kidogo with his wife serving quality childcare in East Africa. Being an undergraduate from York University, Schulich School of Business, Afzal started working as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group for 3.5 years. He is currently serving as a Strategy & Operations Manager with the Central Office for Poverty Elimination (COPE). His career spans around an interesting journey from consultancy (BCG) to entrepreneurship (kidogo) to managing community focused poverty programmes. Important links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/2020-year-i-left-kidogo-afzal-habib/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/taking-leap-3-conversations-led-leaving-six-figure-consulting-habib/ Kidogo website: www.kidogo.co

Dr. Ali Asani is Murray A. Albertson Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Professor ofIndo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures at Harvard University. He has also served as theChair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and Director of the PrinceAlwaleed Islamic Studies Program. A specialist on Muslim traditions and communities in SouthAsia, Professor Asani's research focuses on Shia and Sufi devotional traditions in the region. Hehas been particularly active post-Sept 11 in improving the understanding of Islam and its role inMuslim societies by emphasizing the role of the arts aspedagogic bridges to foster a betterunderstandings of Islam and Muslim cultures globally.The author of many articles and severalbooks, he has been a recipient of awards foroutstanding teaching. In 2020 he was recognizedas Faculty of the Year by the Harvard Foundation and also appointed to the Board of Governorsof the Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Sonya Keshwani is the Founder and CEO of StyleEsteem. Her company designs and provides fashionable head wraps to people coping with hair loss. She is a breast cancer survivor and her hair loss journey has sparked her motivation to help others live with dignity and in comfort when facing disease. Sonya is also a Strategic Communication Faculty and an ex-employee of the United States Department of Justice. In this podcast, she talks about her cancer journey and the cultural stigma around it, the importance of regular health checks, and her motivations for service. * Connect with Sonya Keshwani on Instagram. * For more information about fashion turbans and StyleEsteem wardrobe please visit https://styleesteemshop.com * To learn more about breast cancer, visit the CDC’s website https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/index.htm

Adiba works at Aga Khan National Conciliation and Arbitration Board for the USA. In this episode, she briefly talks about what CAB is and her role within CAB. She also talks about her past work with UNICEF and HOPE and how it ties into her motivation to help people improve their quality of life. Adiba discusses her growing up years in Tajikistan, her family and the unrest situation in the early 1990s and her move to the United States. She expresses her gratitude to Hazar Imam for the help provided to murids in Tajikistan in terms of food supply when there was a shortage. She talks about her education in the United States and the novelties she experienced when she moved to the US coming from a small town in Tajikistan (eg: automatic sliding doors were things that she had never seen before). She hopes to inspire other immigrants to stay motivated and ask for help from Jamati members and institutions when they face the challenges of settlement in a new country. * Connect with Adiba Karimi on LinkedIn. * For more information about the Aga Khan National Conciliation and Arbitration Board for the USA please visit https://the.ismaili/cab

Nabeel Gillani is a postdoctoral associate at the MIT Center for Constructive Communication in Boston, Massachusetts. Nabeel focuses on analyzing and designing communications technologies to foster connections that help reduce barriers to educational, economic, and social opportunities. In Fall 2022, Nabeel will start a joint appointment as an Assistant Professor of Design and Data between the D'Amore-McKim School of Business and College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern University. Prior stops in Nabeel’s career journey include product management at Khan Academy and co-founder of CourSolve -- an online platform designed to connect learners and organizations to collectively tackle real-world challenges. In this episode, hear from Nabeel about lessons learned in his journey, how data and technology can help solve some of the world’s biggest problems, and more. Connect with Nabeel Gillani on LinkedIn. Visit Nabeel’s website to learn more about his projects. Learn more about the MIT Media Lab here. Check out Nabeel’s book recommendations: The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi by Elif Shafak and Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson. Read Barack Obama’s interview with Humans of New York:- When is the time you felt most broken? - Who has influenced you the most in your life?

Amira Valliani is the CEO and founder of Glow, a company that helps podcasters make money. The company was acquired by Libsyn--a big name in the podcasting world--for $1.2 million in April 2021. Prior to finding success with Glow, Amira built a few other businesses, including a start-up that offered people home-cooked meals from their neighborhoods. But building businesses is just one half of Amira’s overall purpose in life, which is to create change in communities. Amira also spent time in the federal government working for the Obama administration.On this episode, Amira dives into key insights for building a company and tips for finding success in podcasting. She also shares the skills and actions that have helped her reach goals, and reveals a funny moment with former President Barack Obama. Connect with Amira Valliani on LinkedIn. Check out Glow.fm. Listen to Backyard Cambridge here. Learn more about Zomida here.

Where did the idea for the Ismaili Connection come from? How are the episodes put together? Who makes up the podcast team? Hear about these answers and more, as special host Farhan Manjiyani chats with Sony Kassam, Kais Ali, and Sameen Jiwani about their involvement, how they balance their day jobs with volunteering, and lessons learned. Email us at IPNPodcast@IPNOnline.net. Connect with Sony Kassam on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter. Connect with Farhan Manjiyani on LinkedIn. Connect with Kais Ali on LinkedIn. Connect with Sameen Jiwani on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Anar Amin is a regional academic lead for ITREB who oversees 20 Jamat Khanas in the U.S and has spent over a decade in the Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP). She went into the STEP system after a personal tragedy put her on a path of rediscovering her faith. On this episode, we learn more about Anar’s childhood and upbringing, her travels teaching in different cities and countries—from Los Angeles to Germany, and her advice for aspiring educators. Connect with Anar Amin on LinkedIn Learn more about STEP For those interested in learning more about Muslim Societies and Civilizations or aspiring to be STEP educators, you can pick up any of the Secondary Curriculums published by The Institute of Ismaili Studies here. STEP educators also teach these modules in Religious Education Classes worldwide. Daughters of Abraham book club Read the transcript here. Books Mentioned: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown No God But God by Reza Aslan A Short History of Ismailis by Dr. Farhad Daftry The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho