The Ismaili Connection

Alnoor Maherali is a former Canadian diplomat, certified mediator, and co-founder of VennMediation, which helps people have difficult conversations and resolve conflicts in a more equitable way. Before starting his company during the height of the pandemic, Alnoor spent about a decade in public service, first working as a diplomat for the Canadian Foreign Services and then later working for the Aga Khan Development Network. His career journey has led him to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Kenya. He’s helped governments shape their policies and helped during stressful moments such as hostage situations. In this episode, Alnoor breaks down his career, shares several life and career lessons, and gives tips on how people can be better negotiators. 

Connect with Alnoor Maherali on LinkedIn.

Check out VennMediation for your mediation needs.

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?

Jazzmin Jiwa is an international journalist and documentary filmmaker. She is also the founder of Stories of Survival, an independent online project that shares the stories of survivors from all over the world. Jazzmin, who originally hails from the U.K. and now resides in California, dove into the journalism field after realizing that was her passion rather than artificial intelligence which she studied in university. Her decades-long career in both print and broadcast journalism has allowed her to travel the world, particularly reporting in war-torn countries in the Middle East and Africa. In this episode, Jazzmin shares the skills and lessons that helped her in her career, tips on breaking into journalism, mental health, and life-defining moments.

Connect with Jazzmin Jiwa on LinkedIn.

Support Stories of Survival here.

Read Jazzmin’s piece in The New Humanitarian. 

Check out The Artist’s Way here.

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.

Naina Noorani is an aerospace engineer at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Naina grew up as a quiet kid who loved sports and school. She knew at a young age that she wanted to help the world and improve society in some way.

A math and science lover at heart, Naina fell into aerospace after taking a chance on applying for the Pathways Program at NASA. She eventually got in and spent one year rotating through three different internships at NASA before completing her final year at Rice University.

On this episode, Naina pulls back the curtain on projects she’s worked on and shares tips for acing an interview. She also explores life lessons she’s learned along the way--from the power of curiosity to not being afraid of taking risks. 

Connect with Naina Noorani on LinkedIn. 

Learn about the NASA Pathways Program here. 

Read the transcript here.

Join the Ismaili Professional Network here or send us an email at IPNPodcast@IPNOnline.net and we’ll be happy to direct you to the right area.

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.

Shereen Ladha is a dancer and choreographer who has performed all over the world, including Portugal, Dubai, and Australia.

She began attending dance classes at the age of 4 years old. Since then, Shereen has performed on international stages, in Hollywood movies and TV shows, and in videos for her YouTube channel, which has amassed over 130,000 subscribers and more than 27 million views.

Shereen says dancing is the lens through which she sees the world, and it’s also the way she deals with her spirituality. When she’s not dancing, Shereen is a brand strategist at an advertising firm.

On this episode, Shereen shares what it was like to choreograph performances for the Jubilee Games in Dubai, detailed her audition experience for her first Hollywood movie, and much more. 

Connect with Shereen Ladha on LinkedIn.

Find Shereen on YouTube at DanceWithSL.

Watch Shereen’s most viewed dance to Ayyat here.

Watch Shereen’s group performance to a Bollywood remix of Justin Bieber’s Sorry here.

Learn more about Shereen by checking out her website.

Read the transcript here.

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

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).

While empowering people and inspiring minds has always been Anar's purpose, her decision to go into STEP hinged on a faith-shattering moment. At 19 years old, Anar lost her father to a sudden and unfortunate crime.

On this episode, Anar dives into her STEP journey, how she rediscovered her faith, and the things that bring her joy both in and out of the classroom. She also talks about self-care and how she finds balance between seva and her full-time responsibilities.

Connect with Anar Amin on LinkedIn

Learn more about STEP

Latif Nasser is a storyteller who is always curious about the world around him. He's a science journalist, a podcaster, host of Radiolab, and hosts his own traveling science show on Netflix called Connected. On this episode, Latif takes us through the journey that led him to where he is today, from growing up in Canada, attending boarding school at 16, and studying at Ivy Leagues in the U.S. He also details the challenges and opportunities that he encountered on the way, and shares advice for those looking to pursue journalism.

How to Find Stories via Latif Nasser 

The Other Latif Podcast

Connected On Netflix

Radiolab Podcast

Transcript