Welcome to Islamic Life Coach School Podcast. Apply tools that you learn in this podcast and your life will be unrecognizably successful. Now your host, Dr Kamal Atlar.
Speaker 2:Hello, hello, hello everyone. Peace and blessings be upon all of you. It is my honor and pleasure to bring to you today a very talented podcaster, mrs Hashmi. She is an elementary school teacher, a mom of three, volunteer on weekends and summers. She is the writer and narrator of Muslim Kids podcast Once Upon a Crescent. We had such an enlightening conversation. You will notice how many abundance mindsets she's actually practicing. You will also notice the personal journey she had to go through to come to a point where she is now. Like always, my only instruction to you before going into this podcast is to listen in for what thoughts you can borrow to create your own ideal life Without any further ado. Mrs Hashmi, host of the podcast Once Upon a Crescent. As-salamu alaykum, mrs Hashmi. How are you today?
Speaker 1:I am well, I'm doing good, alhamdulillah, walaykum as-salam.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for coming on this podcast. Me and actually me among all of our family members is your biggest fan of the podcast, so I listened to it, my kids listened to it on the way to school and on way back and super educational, super entertaining. I look forward to it. So, given that I've kind of outed myself as your biggest fan, how did you come up with this idea?
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for the encouraging words. Honestly, it always touches my heart when people tell me that they like my work. So I am actually an elementary school teacher. I've taught Islamic school. I've taught fourth grade and before I even pursued an education in teaching, I used to teach the Islamic Sunday school at my masjid as a teenager.
Speaker 1:So I kind of knew all my teenagehood and young adulthood that I am really appealing to young kids. So when I started podcasting I really understood that too, because I had really great feedback about the stories. But what really sparked it was my own kids. So when the pandemic started, my kids started listening to little stories. For tiny people it's like a bedtime story podcast and my then eight-year-old he had so many questions about the stories that he would listen to and he would talk about oh mama, you know what does a stepmother, what is a stepfather, what is valentine's day? And he was at an islamic school, so he wasn't really um fully exposed to like mainstream american culture, but I would say that really sparked my motivation to create my own stories. I was like we need stories for muslim kids that they can relate to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was an awesome idea, I should say. I mean, no matter how you came about, the product of it is just so phenomenal, because I myself face the same dilemma and there's a lot of education that goes around and my kids attend Islamic school as well and they go full time. So when they come to this information about Valentine's Day or any of the other non-religious holidays, I have to sit down and just educate them about it. They don't really find it relatable. So what I found with your podcast was that it was extremely relatable, and especially that one episode where they were having a very chaotic time at the masjid and I think it was called Mayhem at the Masjid or something.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Mayhem at the Masjid. That's one of my earliest episodes.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, yeah it was a great episode and I'm like, oh my God, that's exactly how it happens. It was a great episode and I'm like, oh my god, that's exactly how it happens. And it was so beautiful to see the look in their faces because you could tell that whatever you were saying, it was familiar to them and they felt right at home yeah, you know it's funny because, um, I also tried to like incorporate themes that I think kids, kids are already exposed to in the real world.
Speaker 1:I remember I wrote that episode right around the George Floyd incident that happened and there was like Black Lives Matter movement. That was really, you know, at its peak during the summertime. And I remember thinking like man, this is, this is racism. How would you talk about racism with kids? And I always wanted to like make a story that helps bridge that understanding between kids and adults, like something that will spark meaningful conversation, right, like how do you talk about these difficult things with children? And I did the same thing with with like difficult things with children.
Speaker 1:And I did the same thing with with, like Felicina as well, like there's a episode that I did Dinoland defending Dinoland, so the parallels in that story, like there's a dinosaur group and they're being pushed out of their land and you know they have to defend their land and things like that.
Speaker 1:And I felt like you know, if there is a way to casually bring up these heavy topics, then it should be through like a lighthearted story. So that was kind of the motivation behind that to talk about racism and how, just because we look differently and you know even any given masjid, you go to right, you see shades of people, mashallah, and it's a beautiful thing. And if, as a parent, you can highlight that to your kid before they're exposed to the ideas of like superiority and stuff like that, then I think you're like getting ahead of it and you're doing something about it, like kind of doing your part to touch on that topic yeah, I saw those parallels that you were talking about and initially when I started listening, especially to the Dinoland episode like how is she going to make that connection?
Speaker 2:but it was was refreshing that you never did. But at the same time it was so similar that you could tell and it pretty much pointed to the universal struggle of colonialism or people taking over other people's property just out of superiority complex or whatever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think that's what's kind of cool, right, like you, as a parent, have the option to expand on the topic If you want to delve deeper, if you want to get into it, like you know, based on how appropriate you feel it is for your kid.
Speaker 1:I did have some parents got uh message me and they were like, oh, you know, we weren't uh, we don't know how to um approach this conversation, isn't it too young? My kid is only five, my kid is six, but I mean, for sure, to each their own how they want to handle these conversations, you know, with their kids. But I personally, like I used that as an opportunity with my eight-year-old back then and I told him you know well, there are people in our world. You know this is a fiction, a fake story, it's about dinosaurs, but this conflict does happen in the real world. You know this is a fiction, a fake story, it's about dinosaurs, but this conflict does happen in the real world. So I kind of touched on that topic for him. But again, it's, it's open ended, right, you can, you can take it or leave it, kind of thing. You can enjoy it as a story or you can build on it.
Speaker 2:So I love that open ended part of it because it's so the way you narrate it. It's so imaginative that you can literally place it in any area of your life and reference it Okay. So this is kind of like oh you remember, we heard about it in the podcast and Mrs Hashmi was talking about it and it quickly connects to many areas in your life. I mean without giving the podcast away, but everyone should listen to it. Like especially my child. He's obsessed with dinosaurs and we thought it was just like an initial phase, but now he's into genus and species and time periods and I was okay I thought that was going to be over.
Speaker 1:But he's seven and he's like reading more and more books about it and it was very relatable to him and I'm sure like other kids too yeah, I was thinking it's funny that you say that I think, um, you know, when I, when I'm thinking of things that are relatable to kids, I think for sure dinosaurs and then for sure legos, right, like there's um a story that I think I did, two stories, um, where I kind of placed the Lego as the focal point, because you know a lot of kids they can understand oh you're, you lose a Lego or you really want a Lego, so bad, but your mom says no at the store.
Speaker 1:Hamza's Lego lesson was about a kid who kind of justifies shoplifting. You know he doesn't mean to, he literally doesn't mean mean to steal, but like his inner voice is like, oh, this box is already damaged, who's gonna buy this? You might as well, just like you know, pick at it and then, before he knows it, like he just walked out of the store with the packet of legos. Um, so I think that one, that one got really good feedback from parents on instagram. They messaged me about it and that one was really relatable too.
Speaker 2:So the themes that you know you were saying that I feel like kid toys, kid things it helps Absolutely and, like I say, I could literally see their faces in a movie playing in their brain as they're listening to you and it's so fascinating, the very relatable topics like Legos and toys and pets and dinosaurs, like you said, this particular Hamza episode that you're talking about.
Speaker 2:It was just so fascinating to me because I'm always trying to explain to them this inner dialogue that we're having and it's very obscure type of a concept, so it's hard for me to help them understand that sometimes we have these inclinations that aren't in our best favor and they're learning to separate themselves from that narrative. And that episode really helped me especially set that groundwork that okay, remember that guy he could tell himself that it's okay to steal and he was able to justify it to an extent where he actually even did it. But eventually I don't want to give the ending away, but eventually things come around and if you recognize that you did something that you weren't supposed to and if you repent, if you do your tawbah, it doesn't make you a bad person. It really gave me a very strong foundation and really strong groundwork to help explain to them that this is a part of life, this is something you're going to have to overcome and understand about yourself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know, in part of the episode the kid he has like a very physical reaction, right Like his hands are sweaty, his heart is racing.
Speaker 1:And I really wanted to point that out because for my kids, when they listen to it, I kind of expand on these topics by saying, like you know, like subhanAllah, our bodies know right, like we don't want to do these things and it's uncomfortable, just like you know, when a kid lies for the first time or when they're experimenting with lying, their eyes are shifty. They're kind of like you know, when a kid lies for the first time or when they're experimenting with lying, their eyes are shifty. They're kind of like, you know, uncomfortable and you can visibly see that this is abnormal. This is not what they usually do. So I think that's such a beautiful thing to highlight. Like Allah created us on fitra. Allah created us pure, like our souls are pure and you know, when we do things that are not in line with our fitra, our body like reacts to it. So I think that was another thing that I I got to deep dive into with my, with my eldest son.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a lot of healing in that. Definitely because a lot of my coaching is curated around this body's reaction not being present or they suppress it so much that if, even if it is present, clients are not in touch with it or they don't recognize it when it does happen and, like you say, the body knows and a lot of healing from big t trauma or little t trauma. In my coaching we do a lot of this body awareness work, getting in touch with these sensations coaching.
Speaker 1:We do a lot of this body awareness work, getting in touch with these sensations, heart racing, sweating, flushing and imagine teaching these things to a kid, right To give them the tools before that trauma even hits. Like you, this is how you may respond to something that doesn't line up with your morals or your values. And what do you do then? You know, who do you, who do you go to? And I think that narration that I really aimed for was that the mother was like the safe space, right, he was comfortable to confess His mom didn't have like this shaming reaction to it.
Speaker 1:And it was funny because my sister-in-law, she messaged me and she was like, oh my gosh, my kids are saying, mama, you'd be so mad. And I'm like, okay, the moms and the dads in these stories are ideal. Even I try to like push myself to be reflective of that. But I mean, the big picture was that so long as, like you know you feel comfortable with expressing those I guess those mistakes, those mishaps, then you know you feel comfortable with expressing those, I guess those mistakes, those mishaps, then you know you'll be guided right back to your goodness anyways. So I thought that was. That was funny how even my son pointed it out.
Speaker 2:He was like would you actually say that, mama? They know, yeah, they know, but that's our journey as parents and Melis Manotarla make us all improve as parents and when I heard that episode I had a lot of self-reflective moment in that part as well, where I was like, ok, this is. I would definitely be shocked if somebody, if my kid, did that, be thankful if they found it safe enough to come to me, that right and that, to stay out of that judgment, because they have all their own judgment going on. They don't need more from me.
Speaker 1:they need guidance, they need what the next step is, without being in that shame absolutely and I think like the gravity of that, that deed right, we as adults, we as parents, like we attach like this weighty gravity, like oh my god, they just stole this. What are they going to do tomorrow? Are they going to end up like this random person who steals from people and ends up in jail? Like we let our mind go racing and we attach those labels? But to that kid he was just like really impulsive, really itching to just get that one thing. They, you know they live in the moment. They can't really foresee the future the way we're like attaching.
Speaker 1:So that's definitely something I'm working on to like, honestly, I had to, I had to remove labels for my son. The way I saw him, especially during the pandemic. You know like the anxiety, the anxiousness, the tantrum, especially during the pandemic. You know like the anxiety, the anxiousness, the tantrum, having to be at home all day long and you know, I think that knowing that kids will go through a phase and you know to just let it roll, keep going with it, I think that really helps to, you know, guide them, yeah definitely, definitely.
Speaker 2:And it's interesting that you say that there are mind races, because our mind immediately jumps to the worst case scenario yes, oh, I got this lollipop, was I not supposed to? And you're like, oh my God, they're going to end in jail and they're going to be horrible, and it's really like we got to compose ourselves. And definitely a journey, definitely something that I'm working on. I've gotten much better, alhamdulillah, and I'm able to coach other women around it as well. Especially, this doomsday scenario that our mind builds is just so. Our mind is so good at it, and there's a lot of mind management that goes in with all of these. I wanted to ask you is it your kids that come on the podcast with you? When I hear the children's voice, and who's the male voice in your podcast?
Speaker 1:Yes, so it is my kids it's. It's so sweet to hear like my, my two year old. She was two back then, but now she's like three and a half. You can kind of hear the progression of her vocabulary. So she's. Yeah, they've all been on it my 10 year old, who's 10 now, but eight when I started and then my five year old and the male voice.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, it's so interesting how I came across him. He's actually a podcaster too. He's from Australia, his name is Ali Memon and he has a podcast called Corporate Majlis. It's like young professionals had a like about career growth as a Muslim. I was a visitor on his podcast. We talked about like you know what I'm doing and how I want to go about with my stories, and just on the side he was like hey, if you ever need another voice, you know I have my podcast set up anyways. It'd be super easy for me to just record a tidbit here too.
Speaker 1:But it turned out that he actually very much enjoys voicing characters like and he's so good at it, he was the dinosaur, he was the bear, he's like the Baba in a few of the episodes and totally voluntarily like may Allah reward him. He has a daughter of his own that listens in and she gets excited when she hears her dad. But you know, subhanallah, allah finds ways for you, right? I've always kind of wondered about that. I'm like man, how am I going to bring in like an X factor it's just me at this point my voice. So you know, sometimes the kids will come and go, but I feel like that door really opened up for me and he is available and to just voice however I see fit yeah, it is.
Speaker 2:He's so vocal and I love the, his voiceovers and the character it just comes to life in his voice. It's incredible and definitely he has a great talent in that regard. So when you say things kind of open up for you, doors kind of open up for you, did you have any doubts before you started this or while you're doing it, and if so, how do you overcome them?
Speaker 1:So I did have doubts, right, like at first it was the whole like breaking out of my shell and being this persona online. Like I don't have any pictures online, I have literal no online presence. Like I'm not an extrovert at all. I keep to myself, it's just me, the kids and you know, my family. So I'm like a, like a nobody on the online world. So for me to put myself out there and, like you know, be silly or, you know, make these voices, it's, I still struggle with it.
Speaker 1:But I think the main thing I always done I was like, are these stories even even engaging? Like will kids even listen to it? You know that kind of thing. And I kept telling myself, like you know, there's no, there's no harm in just trying. Like I don't lose anything by just doing it. Right, like okay. So someone says, nah, I'll pass. Everyone has the right to say that right, they should, they should be able to say this is not my cup of tea and move on. Like that's not really a reflection of of me. I'm going to put my best foot forward and it'll be good enough for someone, you know, if it's good enough for my kids, if anything, they'll listen to it. There'll be one subscriber and listening in.
Speaker 1:So I kind of went in with that mindset like no expectations, you know if it's, you know good on everyone else. If they want to hear, if they want to tune in, if they don't, it's all good. But um, after a year of podcasting I think I came to a point where I'm like, oh man, this is very time consuming. It was like eight hours right for me to publish. It takes me about eight, eight to nine hours to put a story out there, writing a story, narrating it. I do all my editing myself, I do the the sound effects myself. I have like it's kind of like a one woman show.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I kept struggling with this idea of whether I should continue or not, or you know if I even have the time and you will not believe what I'm going to tell you. So I had this mom who messaged me on Instagram and she put herself out there. She's like hey, I really want to support your cause. I really want to hire, like an editor or something. I noticed on your Instagram stories that you said that editing is the most tedious part. Like how do I make your job easier on you so that you can create more stories?
Speaker 1:She's like I kind of want this to be a sadqa jariyah for my dad, who always wanted to support like children's content and like Muslim kids things. And I was like what? Like how does that happen? How does this just land? And you know what I mean. Yeah, and you know we got in touch and you know the person that I am. I'm like, no, I'm okay, I got it. I got it.
Speaker 1:And she kind of picked up on that vibe. She's like, look, you're going to be helping me because I want to do something good on my late father's behalf. She's like, whether you take it or not, like I still want to help. And I was like okay, and I just kind of pushed through and she, you know, she paid for the editor who edited and cleaned up some of the episodes for me in season three and that saved me like four hours. Truly, it saved me like four or five hours if anything, and I thought that was amazing. And same kind of thing, another parent. He messaged me saying you need to create a Patreon page and I was kind of like oh no, that's so weird.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to ask for people to donate, I'm not going to ask people to pledge money. And he was like look, what you're doing is like a labor of love. You know, you put so much time into it. Like, just put your page up out there, just announce it once or twice. Whoever wants to, they, you know they'll support it. And you know, like alhamdulillah, six months later I'm like wow, that's amazing that people want to like you know, support this, if anything. It's like extra coffee during the month and I'm like, oh, this is nice. These are from my parents that support me.
Speaker 2:I don't know. It's a moral boost for sure, yeah. So my podcast is all about borrowing these mindsets from otherwise successful women like yourself that are multitasking, juggling many responsibilities between your teaching responsibility, your parenting. And then you took on this podcasting, which seems to be your passion, which came out of a genuine need, has a huge need. What I noticed is this abundance mentality.
Speaker 2:You had to get over yourself when you had this struggle, this nervousness that I'm an introvert, I'm not really a person that wants to be in front of people and got over it to get into, wants to be in front of people and got over it to get into. Okay, what's going to help me take the very next step is, if there's nobody else, it's going to be my children that are going to listen to it, and that one subscriber is enough for me. And that mind shift is exactly what I help my listeners see, my clients see that it's going to seem that it's nothing. It's going to seem that it's very inconsequential what you're doing, but it's not that we're able to overcome a mountain in one day. It's that we start that journey, we create that direction, we create that momentum, return into that direction and, like you say, then the doors will open.
Speaker 2:There are people out there. If, let's say, you didn't do take this initiative, there'd be no way for somebody to ask you to start a Patreon page or for them to have the opportunity to donate money so you can hire an editing service which takes your podcast to a higher professional level. You put your work out there for them to take that opportunity. And it's also fascinating for me when you say that you are a one-woman show and you were kind of reluctant into accepting this help. But accepting help from others is not as much about us as it is about them. And she said, like you say, the parent or the woman that helped you is she was going to do it regardless and she was doing it for you. So very abundant of you to let her be in her element and do what she's capable of doing. That is a gift that you gave her.
Speaker 1:That's a really nice way to see it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's kind of like because sometimes we get uncomfortable, like no, no, no, it's fine, you don't have to you. Because, like, let's say, dinner parties, and like the women, guests always want to help you out in the kitchen, they're like, okay, I will clean up. And no, no, no, please sit down. And they insist and it's like it. You have to get over your own discomfort of letting them just help you clean a few dishes. They'll feel good about themselves if they're doing it out of the genuine goodness of their heart and you get to let them feel good. So if you think about it like that, rather than taking this service from them, letting them give me this gift, right, it opens up a whole new level of abundance and it lets you accept help without your without you literally having a nervous breakdown that, no, this shouldn't be happening, I shouldn't be asking this. No, it was supposed to be like let them give them the gift of this contribution and it's a beautiful way of doing the way you did it.
Speaker 1:That was incredible yeah, honestly, I think that trusting that people have that innate goodness right, like you know, just knowing that they, there's a light in everyone and you know, maybe they want to let that shine. If we still have time, I wanted to share one more way that a parent like pushed me to challenge myself even more. Sure, there was a parent who had asked me. She was like you know, in order to create revenue and to, like, bring in something for yourself, you should do, like a personalized story where you create a story specifically for a kid, and you know how awesome would it be if you did that and a parent paid you for that service and that audio file. And, oh my gosh, it was such a journey.
Speaker 1:I was basically very unconventionally asking people I'm like, would you be interested in this? What's the range? And I kept lowballing myself, like, according to everyone, right, like the parent herself is like I would pay this much and I and I would just like bring down the price to, like, the very lowest end, thinking like I can't really, I can't ask for that or I can't price it that way. But it's been such a self-discovering journey for me personally, because now I'm like, why do I have all this baggage around finance and around money, right, like, why do I have such an uncomfortable approach to saying this is what this is worth? Like I'm, you know what I mean? It feels so icky, it feels so gross to talk about it. And so I think, just knowing that you know, like, just just know that there is abundance, people want to give, and you know, like, just just know that there is abundance People want to give, and you know we can't just hog it all for ourselves, like give people the opportunity to step up. I think that's something I've learned for sure.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. You're building them up while you're building yourself up. It's a beautiful exchange of value. Beautiful exchange of value it's when you step into your value, if you're realizing your dream, the way you are and you sound you're very enthusiastic about, very passionate about this is you come into your limitations. Okay, I have to expand myself into producing this podcast, but I'm also having mind drama about money, about my finances, about figuring out how much I'm worth, how much my ideas are worth, how much what product I put out in the world is worth and can I up-level it? Do people value it? If they don't, why not? Can I redesign my product to something that people value? And this relationship with self-worth as even exchange of value with money, with entrepreneurship, like you say, self-discovery that's a huge, very deep term, because you don't come into this path of self-discovery if you're just not realizing your dreams.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and if you're not doing anything about it, right, where are you going to get that push and when are you going to challenge your own thoughts about it?
Speaker 2:true to me, that is the real life of your son to me, following that north star of yours and then aligning yourself with your highest value, that, okay, this is what is acceptable in islam, this is what my values are and this is how I'm going to generate value. Whatever exchange of value money, most often, is the most common exchange token of exchange of value, but there are other exchanges of value, like the podcaster that you found, or this parent that donated editing time. It really expands your horizon and I want you to help us just take this a step further, because, like you say, you don't have any pictures online and women are stuck in this black and white mentality especially Muslim women that if they have to pursue their dreams that somehow they're exposing themselves and then, all of a a sudden, their nervous system is shocked that this is not what I'm used to. This is difficult, and how would you help them come to terms with this dichotomy of you can have, you can't keep conservative values and you can add value to the world?
Speaker 1:yeah, absolutely. Um, I think that you know, for each person who has that dilemma, I think for sure you have to ask the hard questions, like you know immodest, or you know you've been shamed for it at some point and you're like no, I'm not that person that's so extroverted and so out there. But you know, somehow there's so many times that even I I'm like rechecking my intentions, talking to myself internally like what am I doing this for? Who am I doing it for? Am I just sitting there like refreshing to see if I have comments or likes Like no, none of that right. Like you have to pull yourself and be like no, this is, I'm going to put some semblance of goodness for the sake of Allah. Like may Allah accept right. That's something that I've learned over Ramadan, that you have to constantly ask Allah, like may Allah accept my effort, may Allah accept this good deed. And if we don't ever put ourself out there and push ourself to, you know, do those deeds that that could come about, then I think we're just kind of stuck.
Speaker 1:One last thing that I would say is that I haven't I still am not online or anything, but you know, I do think about it. I'm like man we're in such a digital world. Is it just me that has this hypersensitivity over my face and who I am? Is it me that's uncomfortable with myself because you know, I'm a woman and I'm like, oh, I don't want to be extra, but who's to say, maybe in a year or two I'm like you know what. I think I'm over this. I think modesty can still be present. I think I can still pursue my dreams. I think this feels comfortable. I feel like I'm shedding layers as the year goes by too. I'm participating, like, on an interview on podcasts, podcasts. I'm discussing things with other people, male and female. So I think that I'm I'm not so hypersensitive to where it's like crippling yeah and that's so beautiful, hypersensitive the you're.
Speaker 2:It's not so crippling. Excellent thoughts. Also, I want to point out that when you say that you are reinventing yourself, that happens regardless. When you're constantly reorienting yourself, it happens regardless if you have something that you're pursuing passionately or if you're just holding back. It's just that one reinvention is more constructive and one is not so constructive.
Speaker 2:So, to continue to recheck your intention. It happens constantly. It has nothing to do with how much you've accomplished, how many followers you have and if you're inclining towards okay, is that number going up, or how many messages do I have or how many interactions do I have Then just come back to what you're supposed to be doing, which is creating value for your ideal listener through this podcast, and that happens regardless of what you do. So to shy away from realizing your dream because you think that somehow that's going to expose you or somehow it means immodesty. I think that is a very big lie that our brain tells us and mostly it's Shaitan's voice, really.
Speaker 1:So that is so true? No, honestly, I'm sitting with your thoughts too. It's really refreshing to hear what you have to say. I'm learning a lot just by having this conversation.
Speaker 2:Awesome, alhamdulillah. So any words of wisdom that you want to share that we haven't touched on already?
Speaker 1:I think that now that I am more involved in you know children's content, I'm also doing things at my local masjid. I teach Sunday school at my local masjid. I'm doing like a summer camp with kids that are ages six plus. I'm starting to see the beauty in childhood more and more and I feel like we just miss out. Right, we miss out on the giggles or like the smiling faces of our kids, or like the annoyances of having kids around. Even that is it's. It's sweet.
Speaker 1:Like when you, when you read the news and you're like consumed with negativity on the media, you're just like you know where? Where is that safe bubble? Like that, that innocence, and I really think that if more people like channeled themselves into the eyes of a child, it would be such an amazing recharge. Right, like sometimes I just like put my phone away and I leave what I have to and I just get on the floor with my kids and I just listen to them, just talk and talk, and like their eyes are lighting up and their facial expression is just so expressive and I'm like I really hope people are able to soak this in right. Childhood is like a glimmer of our life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, subhanallah, that is so beautiful.
Speaker 2:I teach an exercise through my podcast and in my program where I take people through it step by step is it has to do with our essence, our primordial self, our fitrah being most naturally and purely being reflected as a child.
Speaker 2:And when they are unable to find that type of safe space around children is because they haven't created a safe space around themselves.
Speaker 2:So if, as a Muslim woman, someone struggling with finding that connection with children, they're having a hard time being patient or they're struggling just doing their everyday activities that quote unquote is expected or they expect of themselves as a mother, then it's because they haven't healed themselves. So what I ask them to do is to look at their childhood picture and imagine that pure being and, like you say, that pure being is children, because they don't have the influence of that corrupt voice. They are pure in their essence and it's the purest form of the essence that a person can see in their lifetime. So then, to go back and connect to your children at that level, like you were saying, and connect to themselves at that level, and to start seeing that beyond all this facade of what this life created, there is a pure essence, the primordial self, and I totally agree with what you said. It just gives me an idea of how much passion and drive you have behind the work you do, and I can't wait for the rest of your work, thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Honestly. I have one more wait for the rest of your work. Thank you so much. Honestly, I'm I'm. I have one more story for the end of the season and then, inshallah, I'll start up again towards the end of the summer. Summer break is gonna is a little hectic, but sometimes, when the inspiration hits, I'm like you know what, I'm just gonna go ahead and record my story. But yes, for sure I'll be uploading that the last one for the season in about a week or so. Honestly, your words of validation have been so nice to hear. I'm just like it's really touching. It almost feels like, isn't it sound so lame? It almost feels like it's like Allah's way of saying yes, like go on, you know you have an impact and things will be easy. Like just keep at it. You know, sometimes we have those self-doubts, but, you know, may Allah make it so that everything that I do is a means of goodness, it's a means of understanding for kids, so that they can build their moral compass. Inshallah, I really pray that it's a khair for everyone.
Speaker 2:Amin, Thank you so much. That was so beautiful. Thank you very much for your kind words and your time. And you do you okay? You do the next episode when it's convenient for you. No pressure, even though I'll be waiting, okay.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having me on. Thank you so much. Thank you, assalamualaikum, waalaikumussalam.