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It’s our 50th episode! Anees and Foz discuss the journey from being complete giggling novices to interviewing high-profile and inspirational guests. The conversation is open and honest. They talk about the incredible growth of the podcast, the highs, what went wrong, the struggles of maintaining the podcast and what lies ahead for One Foot In The Sink.  If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify  Follow us on Instagram or Facebook For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com

Zahra Shah is from the UK and is on a mission to grow Iraq’s tech ecosystem and build talent among youth, so that they can solve local issues using technology. She is a Program Manager for Re:Coded, whose purpose is to provide opportunities for young people affected by conflict to enter the tech industry and become entrepreneurs. Zahra is a ‘tech humanitarian’. She has previously worked at Gaza Sky Geeks, Gaza’s first accelerator and coding school, the UN, and various startups based in London and Amsterdam, including Groupon. In this episode we speak to Zahra about her mission in helping displaced and conflict affected youths to enter the digital economy and become entrepreneurs. We talk about her work with the UN, how technology can help in solving many humanitarian issues, Gaza Sky Geeks, living and working in Iraq, women in tech, her tips for entering the tech industry and so much more! We really enjoyed our chat with our fellow Londoner. We learnt a lot about how technology and a startup ecosystem can greatly benefit a generation of conflict affected youth to step in to the digital space, something that we didn't know existed before we spoke with Zahra If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

Tez Ilyas is an award winning British comedian and actor who started comedy in 2010 as a hobby. He is regarded as one of most celebrated rising stars in British comedy. After studying biochemistry at university, Tez went on to work as a civil servant for a decade. He was told by his friends that he was quite funny, so he started to speak at open mic events in London and soon discovered that he was quite good at stand-up comedy! Tez left his job to pursue show business full time and achieved phenomenal success with his debut tour, Tez Talks, followed by his own series on BBC based on his show. In 2016, his highly anticipated follow up show, Made in Britain, debuted at the infamous Edinburgh Festival Fringe and went on to sell out every performance. In 2018, Tez toured with his latest show, Teztify, which he also performed at the prestigious venue, Live at the Apollo. Tez also appears on the hit BBC show, Man Like Mobeen, where he plays the character ‘Eight’. On the show today, we talk about how Tez stumbled into comedy, dealing with nerves on the stage, transitioning from stand-up to acting, and so much more! Please excuse our giggles and laughter but it was too hard to resist laughing at Tez’s jokes throughout this episode.  If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

Original broadcast date: 11th June 2018 Nazia Nasreen is the founder of Ibraheem Toy House, the world’s leading online Islamic toy store. She’s also a mum of 2 children, a wife and an audiologist. In 2014, Nazia founded Ibraheem Toy House whilst on maternity leave for her second child. She always struggled to find good quality Islamic toys for her daughter to make religious education fun. She decided to create her own online toy store and via word of mouth, this quickly spread and ending up being a full-time business. Nazia shares her story on how, as an introverted and a shy person, she would attend networking events and, whilst being the only Muslim woman, she would volunteer to present her business and really throw herself outside of her comfort zone. She talks about running out of money and going back to her old job to raise cash, how her product inspired someone to accept Islam and why she wanted to quit and sell her business but instead Allah had other plans! Nazia has an inspiring story. From selling toys on a single Facebook page to now having a team of people working for her. We were inspired by her and proud to see a Muslim woman on top of her game! If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook. For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com.

Original broadcast date: 1st October 2018 Peter Gould returns to share his reflections from his recent journey to Hajj in 2018 (1439). Peter provides a powerful reflection based on his experiences , encounters with diverse pilgrims, looking at Hajj from a designer’s perspective and talking about some of the gadgets he came across. He also shares his views on the importance of creating a community, how he created a community of global creative Muslims, and the power of creativity within the youth and what we can do to empower it. We had a great time hearing Peter’s Hajj stories. We think this episode may inspire you to start thinking about planning your own journey to perform the Hajj insh’Allah! If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook. For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com.

Zara Choudhary is a travel blogger and the founder & editor of Sacred Footsteps. Sacred Footsteps is an online publication dedicated to spiritual & alternative travel, history and culture from a Muslim perspective. Sacred Footsteps provides articles and guides that aims to highlight aspects of history and culture that are often overlooked. It also looks at trends within travel and the ‘halal travel’ industry. In this episode we talk to Zara all about travel! We discuss trends amongst Muslim travellers, uncommon destinations which have a connection with Islam and we also talk about some of their articles like origins of coffee and Islamic history of Jamaica! If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify  Follow us on Instagram or Facebook For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com

In part 2 of our episode with Shabbir, we talk about his other endeavours outside of being an Imam such as starting the Nikkah Co., his love for poetry, embarking on a UK-wide tour with other notable artists and on how to deal with conflict between your faith and pressures of the modern society and trends he sees at Muslim weddings! If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify  Follow us on Instagram or Facebook For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com

Shabbir Hassan is an Imam, a spoken word poet and a presenter At the age of 15, Shabbir completed the memorisation of the Qur’an. He eventually went on to graduate from the Ebrahim College in London as an Alim (Islamic Scholar). Shabbir is a young Imam who is looking at ways to change the role of the Imam in order to adjust to modern day challenges and engaging with the youth. In addition to his usual Imam duties, Shabbir recites poetry which has led him to tour major cities in the UK, alongside renowned artists and influential speakers. His poetry has been featured on different platforms including the Transport for London & BBC News. He also hosts the Ilmfeed podcast. Shabbir is the founder of the Nikah Company, a bespoke Nikah service provider, ensuring that the religious parts of the wedding day are done in a proper and professional way. We had a wide-ranging conversation with Shabbir about matters that relate to a young Muslim. In part 1, we talk about why Shabbir chose to be an Imam, the journey towards becoming an Alim, tips on memorising the Qur’an, the job of an Imam and the financial rewards of the occupation, issues with how mosque are run and why Shabbir is trying to make a change to attract youngsters to the mosque, common issues he encounters when speaking with the youth, and so much more! We really enjoyed this conversation. It gave us an insight in to the life of an Imam, how mosques are run and the need to become involved to have our views heard If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify  Follow us on Instagram or Facebook For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com

Zain Bhikha is a world-renowned singer and songwriter who performs Islamic songs. He began his illustrious career 25 years ago and since then he has released 13 Albums, collaborating with numerous artists such as Native Deen, Outlandish, and the legendary Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens). Zain was one of the first to start performing Islamic nasheeds in English. If someone were to search for Islamic song on YouTube, Zain’s songs would come up top. His songs inspired and continues to inspire many generations of Muslims. In 2005, Zain created his own label, Zain Bhikha Studios, based in his native South Africa. The label aims to provide a platform for local and international talent. Zain also engages in talking to the youth to motivate them to utilize their creative talents for the benefit of society. In this episode, we talk to Zain about his journey as a performing artist, the tragic event that lead him towards a singing career, the impact his music on the Muslim Ummah, the challenges of creating new music and staying fresh and how he has been able to spread a message of peace with the platform he has been given. This was an exciting episode for us since we both grew up listening to Zain’s songs. Sometimes we ask ourselves why we preserver with the podcast with the sheer hard work and little gains but listening to Zain’s story has reignited our why! If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify Follow us on Instagram or Facebook For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com

Melanie Elturk is the founder of Haute Hijab, one of the leading US modest fashion brands. In 2010, she set out with the vision to bring hijabs into the mainstream and to empower hijab wearing women worldwide. She is a regular contributor to Elle.com and has appeared on many mainstream media outlets in the US. Melanie shares how at a young age, her close friends had a big influence in her becoming close to Islam. She describes her early experiences at school whilst wearing the hijab and how she was determined from a young age to show wearing a hijab did not change people. Her story starts in Detroit and moves to Chicago, Dubai and New York. We enjoyed speaking with Melanie. Her brand echoes her loud and colourful personality. Her passion for empowering women is infectious. Not only has she created a leading modest fashion brand, but she has built a tribe of loyal supporters who she interacts with on a regular basis. She’s not one to shy away from tough questions and compassionate to give time to all those who contact her. With the modest fashion industry picking up steam, we picked her brains on her thoughts about the tone of the message that brands put out and being mindful of the ‘halal’ boundaries. If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify Follow us on Instagram or Facebook For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com

We reflect on our experiences of Ramadan at the halfway mark. We compare how we are progressing against our goals, contrast of fasting in the Middle East vs. the West, and reflecting on spirituality. The discussion is broken down into three parts, Goals, Lifestyle and Spirituality. The hope for this discussion is to provoke listeners to reflect on their own experiences of Ramadan, celebrate the small wins and gear up for a strong finish towards the end of the holy month. If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify Follow us on Instagram or Facebook  For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com

Fikra Yel is the founder of Ramadan Sharing Fridges, an initiative that serves the less fortunate community workers and labourers with free food and drink during Ramadan. In 2015, Fikra had a spare fridge and wondered what to do with it. She decided to put the fridge in her front yard and stock it with free food and drink for the workers in the neighbourhood. It was also a great way of instilling the value of sharing in her children. Fast forward a few years, her single fridge evolved in to a Dubai wide initiative where members of the community share a fridge outside their houses, stock it with food for the less fortunate. Today, there are over 150 fridges across Dubai, bringing communities together, breaking barriers and helping the less fortunate. Fridges are stocked voluntarily by generous members of community multiple times a day. The movement is now an annual event in the Dubai Ramadan calendar and is backed by many schools and large household names as corporate sponsors. Fikra discusses how it all started, building a community led initiative, the true value of Ramadan Fridges. Fikra’s story is so inspiring. She could have sold her fridge for some profit but instead decided to use it for a good cause. Her idea was unique. The initiative not only provides free food for the less fortunate, but establishes a relationship with them which would have been possible before. If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify Follow us on Instagram or Facebook For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com

In our final episode of our ‘Ramadan prep’ series, we speak to Hiba Masood from Drama Mama about making Ramadan fun for kids! We talk to Hiba about teaching children about Ramadan in a fun way, instilling the spirit of Ramadan into children, craft activities, creating traditions, tips on getting children involved in charity, how can adults who don’t have children make Ramadan special for kids and lots more! If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify Follow us on Instagram or Facebook For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com

In our next episode of the ‘Ramadan prep’ series, we speak to nutritionist Nazima Qureshi about eating healthy during Ramadan. We talk about what we should be eating, foods to avoid, sunnah foods, tips on getting through the long summer days, some great recipes to make sure we have a healthy Ramadan and much more! Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast so you don’t miss out on future episodes! If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify Follow us on Instagram or Facebook For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com

Ramadan is nearly here! To help prepare we have put together some very special episodes. These will cover how to be prepared from a spiritual aspect, nutrition during Ramadan and how to make Ramadan fun for kids! This is the first of our special episodes focused on how to be prepared from a spiritual aspect with our very own One Foot In The Sink Imam, Saifullah Nasir, one of the riders of Hajj Ride. Saifullah gives us some great advice on how we can prepare spiritually for Ramadan. He shares great advice on what we can do during ramadan, duas we should make, reading the Qur’an, making the most of the last 10 nights (Laylat al-Qadr) and so much more! Remember to subscribe so you don't miss our upcoming Ramadan bonus episodes. If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook. For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com.

Zehra Allibhai has been passionately involved in the health and fitness industry for the past 15 years. She is a certified fitness instructor focused on living a healthier lifestyle. In 2016, Zehra started her own brand, ‘The Fitnest’, as a means to build a community to support people to achieve their health and fitness goals by sharing workout plans, recipes and creating fitness challenges. Today, she is a popular, trusted fitness advisor to the global Muslim community. Zehra has worked at some of the leading fitness clubs in Canada and has been recognised as a top trainer. Today on the show we talk about health and fitness, overcoming cultural barriers in pursuit of a more active lifestyle, feeling strong & confident, how to build a strong community of people with a shared passion, inspiration behind her amazing recipes and empowering ourselves to push past our limits. If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify Follow us on Instagram or Facebook For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com

Isam Bachiri is a vocalist, rapper and former member of the hip-hop group, ‘Outlandish’. Together with his friends Waqas Qadri and Lenny Martinez,  they formed ‘Outlandish’ in Denmark in 1997. ‘Outlandish’ went on to enjoy international success, with songs reflecting their respective musical and ethnic backgrounds. Their music represented religious diversity and touched new depths of musical creativity, as well as political and social consciousness. In 2007, Isam released his first solo album, ‘Institution’. He has recently released his second album, ‘Lost for Words’ In this episode, we talk to Isam about how he was influenced by hip-hop and what drove him to start a group against all odds. We discuss the trials and tribulations of making it in the music industry, the importance of staying true to yourself and how self-reflection has helped him to continue to create meaningful music today. Isam opens up about his spiritual journey over the past decade where he has spent time on reconnecting with his soul to be able to express himself via service and love. If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook. For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com.

Layla Hassanali is the founder and the person behind the popular food blog, Halal Girl About Town. In 2012, Layla started ‘Halal Girl About Town’ in her quest to explore the variety of options in halal dining around London and internationally. She soon established herself as a Halal Foodie, well known for her reviews and finding very unique Halal serving restaurants across many cities. Today she is recognised internationally as a trusted food critic within the Halal space. She also advises mainstream businesses on how to make their restaurants suitable for Muslim diners. In this episode we talk about food trends, the halal food industry, Layla’s meticulous ways of finding a Halal restaurant, her review process and more food talk! We really enjoyed speaking with Layla and experiencing her passion for finding some unique restaurants internationally that we can’t wait to try out! If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify Follow us on Instagram or Facebook For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com

Gemma Elizabeth is a home schooling expert. In 2014, she began to home educate her child after he developed separation anxiety when he first went to pre-school. Gemma began to blog about her experiences on home education and soon became an inspirational figure for other parents looking to home educate their children. Today, she home educates her 3 children and has created an environment in which they are thriving compared to their peers. Through her blogs and videos, she regularly tackles the misconceptions about homeschooling. She is passionate about sharing her own experiences which has led her to happiness and fulfilment as a mother. In this episode we talk about why Gemma started to home educate, the pros and cons of home education, taking care of herself, tips for parents looking to homeschool and we also discuss different learning styles for children. We really enjoyed speaking to Gemma about this topic as it's an area that we both are not familiar with and had our own misconceptions about. There are many takeaways from this episode that you can incorporate into your own life, even if you are not keen on home education.    If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify Follow us on Instagram or Facebook For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com

Huda Fahmy is a cartoonist and creator of the hilarious web-comic series ‘Yes, I’m hot in this’. The comic humorously portrays the life of an American Muslim woman wearing the hijab and is used as a platform to address misconception people have about women who wear the hijab. Huda started the web-comics in March 2017, in reference to a common question she would get asked. Today, via her popular Instagram page, ‘Yes I’m hot in this’ has become a platform to share stories about Muslim life inspired by her own personal experiences. In December 2018, Huda released her first book titled, ‘Yes, I'm Hot in This: The Hilarious Truth about Life in a Hijab’. The book has already received many positive reviews, with many non-Muslims readers stating that the book helped them appreciate and understand different cultures and a way of life. In the episode, we speak to Huda about how the self-taught cartoonist began the comic series, the impact that the comic has had, where does she get her inspiration from, the experience of releasing her own book and so much more! We had a fun speaking with Huda and learning about the world of creating comics and how she breaks down barriers via her comics! If you liked this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcast, Android or Spotify Follow us on Instagram or Facebook For feedback, banter or any business enquiries, e-mail us at info@onefootinthesink.com