Content Warning: Military Combat, Sexual Assault, & Domestic Violence

Noor James was the first-ever Ismaili female West Point Academy graduate. She then served abroad as a First Lieutenant in the armed forces, where she was sexually assaulted, far from her family and support system.

After returning to the US and earning her law degree, Noor married, but quickly realized her marriage was not safe for her after she was physically harmed by her partner. Noor’s decision to divorce impacted her mental health as she tried to understand her next steps.

Shortly thereafter, Noor was happily in an interfaith and interracial relationship. After feeling sick on a trip, Noor found out that she and her boyfriend were expecting. Noor shares the rollercoaster of emotions she felt: happiness and excitement, but also anxiety about what her family and community members would think. Additionally, during another pregnancy later on, Noor suffered a miscarriage, and describes the impact this had on her emotional well-being.

Noor’s story is full of resilience at every turn. We hope all of you learn from her and her immeasurable strength.

For the third episode of our motherhood series, we bring you a powerful story surrounding IVF and the challenges that accompany this process.

At first, Tazim wasn't sure whether motherhood was right for her. She had a career and a life that she loved, and didn’t know if children were in the cards. Once she did decide that she wanted to be a parent, she wasn't able to get pregnant right away. She then pursued In Vitro Fertilization.

In addition to the physical toll that IVF takes on the body, Tazim dives into the challenges that we don't often hear about. She shares how she had to tell her boss and all-male team at work that she would be late everyday due to her doctor's appointments. She shares how she pursued therapy to help her decide if she wanted to put her body through IVF a second time to give her son a sibling. She shares her internal conflict when deciding what to do with her embryos still in storage.

Tazim's story is not uncommon, but it is often not discussed. We hope her story educates and inspires our listeners.

At barely 23 weeks pregnant, Neelum was rushed to the hospital one night after significant bleeding. She was going into labor 5 months early.

Neelum talks us through how she felt robbed of a traditional pregnancy, a baby shower, creating her child's nursery, and even packing a hospital bag. She also shares the significant obstacles her child had to overcome during his months-long stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The health challenges faced by both Neelum and her son were considerable, and she shares how we can better support mothers in positions like hers. She talks us through her emotional and nontraditional path to becoming a mother, and her resilience permeates throughout her story.

We are so excited to bring you the first guest of our motherhood series. Over the course of eight weeks, we will be spotlighting women whose paths to motherhood deviated from the traditional image.

Today, we sit down with Aliya, who is the dictionary definition of resilience. Originally from Dallas, she moved to the Bay and got married at a relatively young age. When she realized the relationship was no longer fulfilling her, she pursued a divorce, but she always knew in her heart that she wanted to be a mom. So, she did her research, talked to other women and single mothers who had pursued similar paths, and had her son on her own. The journey, however, was not without its hardships. She shares how friends, family, and community members reacted, and what her and her son's relationships with the Ismaili community have been like.

She is a brilliant, inspirational woman that we can all learn so much from. We’re so thankful she shared her story with us.

It's our first episode of Season 2!

Fazila is an ER doctor that served on the front lines during the height of the pandemic in New York City. She tells us how this impacted her mental health, after already having struggled with anxiety and depression throughout her life. She also shares her experience of working abroad in hospitals in Tanzania. 

Plus, Fazila waited until nearly age 40 to get married and talks us through her decision to wait. She details the process of freezing her eggs and how it empowered her to control and take charge of her future. She gives advice for women who may be considering the IVF method. Her story is full of resilience, strength, and inspiration.

In this bonus episode, we sit down with Nadia from Indian Matchmaking to reflect on her time on the show and her life since it aired.

She dives into how she landed a spot on the reality show, how her family and friends reacted, and whether she was happy with the way that she was portrayed. She also shares what was "real" within the show, and whether or not cameras on dates hindered her from establishing connections. And, she opens up about the discrimination she faces, and faced on the show, for being Guyanese.

Plus, Nadia answers some listener questions!

It’s our season finale! Join our co-hosts as they look back on their most challenging, most rewarding, funniest, and cringiest moments of Season 1. These two also share how this season has changed them, inspired them, and surprised them. 

Plus, find out what to expect in Season 2!

In part 3 of our interfaith series, Nureen discusses her previously interfaith (now same-faith) and interracial marriage. Her partner, Akil, is Trinidadian and converted to Islam and joined the Ismaili community.

Nureen candidly shares what the conversion journey was like for them and the challenges they had to overcome throughout. She dives into the impact that Akil's embrace of Islam had and continues to have on her relationship and marriage, and what initially drew Akil to the Ismaili faith and the Ismaili Muslim community. Plus, she shares how Akil has now integrated into the Ismaili community.

Note: Nureen makes references to ITREB throughout this conversation. ITREB is an Ismaili institution that oversees the conversion process and curriculum.

In part 2 of our interfaith series, Raeesa tells us what life was like growing up in her dual-faith household: her father identifies as a Maharashtran Hindu and her mother identifies as Ismaili. Raeesa and her brother were raised within both faiths, practicing each one and attending its festivals and rituals with regularity. Raeesa shares how this upbringing has shaped her views on organized religion, what part of each faith she has personally connected to and had challenges with, and how she hopes to engage with these faiths with her own future family. Now, Raeesa identifies as Hindu-Muslim, still actively partaking and finding meaning in both religions.

Armina’s partner, Mike, is Catholic and identifies as white, while Armina identifies as a Pakistani Ismaili Muslim. She details their love story, how their families reacted, and what Mike’s presence and attendance at Ismaili events are like. Armina also discusses the unexpected challenges her marriage poses, as well as what her interfaith wedding ceremony was like.

Plus, Armina explains what questions or comments she’s tired of hearing (hint: think babies and conversion). We also examine the fetishization of mixed beings and why that rhetoric is harmful. She ends with advice to anyone in a similar situation.