Authentic Heart & Soul with Akanke Rasheed

Iman Khalid is a dynamic woman. She is a wife, mother, international educator, author, travel enthusiast, event planner, and urban grio who is literally in the middle of rewriting her life. Iman has lived in Abu Dhabi for over thirteen years and has enjoyed watching the UAE become a vibrant country. From Detroit to Abu Dhabi and beyond, Iman’s passion is teaching people how to recognize how much Allah loves them by recognizing the gifts He’s blessed them with in His creation. Her Inspirational Message: “What is meant for you, even if buried beneath two mountains, will surely reach you.” Have faith in Allah. He is the biggest, the greatest and most capable. You can purchase her books via Amazon: The Success of Salah Won’t You Make Wudhu With Me Safiyyah Sunshine Darling Little Dana Twins, How Many of Us Have Them?

Zaimah Habeeb joins me to discuss her love for learning and teaching Arabic, reciting the Holy Qur'an, and producing conscious music for popular culture. She shares how she has worked through feeling divided between her all of these and about reconciling the conflicting feelings she has felt in the past which made her feel she couldn't recite the Quran and sing music. She wants to use her God-given talent to inspire others to know and remember God and as an independent vocal artist, singer, and songwriter she wants to bring God-consciousness to popular culture. She has produced four albums and is now working on her 5th album, which says will be for the world.  Sprinkled throughout this episode are samples of Zaimah's beautiful Quranic recitation as well as songs from her albums. Zaimah is such a delightful person. It is so easy to love her because she truly embodies an authentic heart and soul. I really enjoyed our conversation and I hope you will enjoy listening.

"Authentic Heart and Soul" is back from hiatus and my guest, Qadira Yamini, author, certified health coach, and beautiful believer, joined me to talk about her recent book, Al-Quran, Our "Vibranium" to Fuel a Renewed Society (Kindle), and the need for a better future and a beautiful renewed society using God's message in the Quran. She is also the author of The Big Book for Glowing with Ramadan All Year Long.

Taryn Siddiq joins me to talk about her work as a Clinical Social Worker and the need she has helped fulfill for Muslim women to have a safe space to talk about issues that affect their wholistic wellbeing with an emphasis on their emotional and psychological health.   Taryn recently retired from an illustrious career as a passionate Social Worker. She is the Founder of The Muslimah Connection a Nonprofit organization established 22 years ago to facilitate its main program The Muslimah Consultation Group or MCG. MCG is a vibrant confidential support group that meets monthly to provide a safe space for Muslim women to find wholistic support for their overall wellbeing with a special emphasis on their emotional and psychological needs to help them lead successful lives according to the Quran and the Traditions of Their Faith. MCG’s CORE VALUES are CONNECTION, SUPPORT, EDUCATION, EMPOWERMENT & UPLIFTMENT FOR All WOMEN. They offer training programs, consultation services, crisis management, and focus groups. They also offer Biennial Conference /Educational Workshops/Business Networking, Life & Health Coaching, Stress/Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, Professional Development, Spiritual Retreats, Group Walk & Hikes, Social Activities, Social Services, and Bereavement and Benevolent Support. MCG, Inc. is well known for its community outreach services, assessments & referrals and was awarded in 2011 by SHARE Atlanta, for assisting and contributing resources and services towards the National Day of Dignity. Taryn has received several awards for her dedicated years of great service as a Social worker including the 2007 Social Worker of the Year and the 2010 Practitioner of Excellence in 2010. She is happily married and is the mother of two adult children and one adult grandson. 2022 MCG Free Conference https://mcg2022.eventbrite.com

Hajja Ayisha Jeffries Cisse is a dynamic leader, global servant, and beautiful woman. She is a scholar, humanitarian philanthropist, social entrepreneur, activist, and holistic lover of God and life.  She has worked as the Vice President of Global Affairs and Senior Policy Advisor on Gender Equity to the President of the African American Islamic Institute (AAII), a non-governmental international organization based in Senegal, West Africa. Their mission was to lead sustainable development to promote education, health care, the empowerment of women and children, the alleviation of poverty, and the promotion of peace. Joining AAII as a Resource Strategist, Ms. Jeffries developed numerous multi-lateral partnerships from global organizations to grassroots community initiatives. These included the United Nations, AmeriCares, US Doctors for Africa, and Wassukafo (community advocates for the eradication of Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting in the Gambia). These and over thirty-five other ongoing partnerships have resulted in half a billion dollars in resources and sustained change in the quality of life for the people of West Africa. In her current position, Ms. Jeffries develops strategic policies and strategies that foster enhanced relationships between the Islamic World and the West with an emphasis on gender equity within faith communities. She has co-developed over twenty conferences centering on women’s rights in Islam, health, education, and economic development and serves as the Alternate Representative to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the United Nations. Independent of AAII, Ms. Jeffries is a high-level Community Engagement Partner in Atlanta, Georgia where she works with local leaders on concerns of integrity,  accountability, and service grounded in her passion for bringing needed resources to underserved communities.  

Sade Tuckett is a US Diplomat serving as a Foreign Service Officer (currently in Mexico).  She joins me to talk about growing up in a very loving family and how it nurtured her confidence, creativity, compassion, and spirituality, how she fought the fight of her life to claim her authentic place in higher education and diplomacy, and how lucid visions and serendipitous events led to her spiritual path.   Here is a link to the speech Sade gave at American University, which is featured in the podcast. Here is a description of what a Foreign Officer does: The mission of a U.S. diplomat in the Foreign Service is to promote peace, support prosperity, and protect American citizens while advancing the interests of the U.S. abroad. Any high school graduate at least 20 years of age is eligible to become a Foreign Service Officer. The successful FSO candidate demonstrates the skills, abilities, and personal qualities needed to be a diplomat. Diplomats must stay calm in stressful or difficult situations and be able to think on their feet, adjusting quickly to changing situations. They must be able to work with people from other cultures with different values, political beliefs, and religions. Diplomats need strong analytical, organizational, and leadership skills. They must have good judgment and high integrity. In addition, they must be able to communicate effectively, both in writing and orally. They must be able to learn at least one foreign language, often several, during their careers. Finally, they must be resourceful and creative problem solvers.

Maghboeba is an immigrant from Capetown, South Africa who learned the value of service as a young girl in the harsh and oppressive apartheid system. Her personal sojourn has meant achieving success beyond the limitations of her upbringing and cultivating a deep desire to serve the disadvantaged and underserved influenced by the work she saw her parents do as a child to help others.  

In this episode, I talk with Habiba Ebrahim & Sadia Majola Rantseli, South African Women who are transformational coaches and have experienced the challenges and triumphs of working in male-dominated work environments.  Collectively, they have experienced great success as well as stress and burnout related to the imbalances and challenges of having to prove their worth in these often hostile and uncompromising environments.   They've taken their experiences and their commitment to being spiritual women who desire to preserve the uniqueness of being a woman,  feminine, confident, and successful,  without compromising themselves, and have turned them into passionate businesses for helping other women navigate their way to greater success.   Habiba has an upcoming free 5-day masterclass — From Hustle to Holistic starting Aug 23.  She offers 1-on-1 and group coaching. Sadia runs free coaching clinics regularly in which she teach women how to go from "Surviving to Thriving".  You can find her here on Facebook. 

On this episode, I talk with the wonderful and dynamic Angelica Lindsey-Ali—lovingly known as The Village Auntie™.  She joined me to talk about the spirituality and sacredness of SEX. We talked about body positivity issues that women and surprisingly for men have when it comes to sex and intimacy and about how life is a dance with love...one in which most folks are offbeat, out-of-step, and basically dysfunctional when it comes to understanding True Love and looking for love in all the wrong places.  But, where there is faith and love for God, there is hope.   The future is bright for lovers of The Most Loving!    Angelica is a certified sexual health educator, researcher, author, curator of woman-centered spiritual intensives, and a recognized authority in intimacy cultivation in Islamic marriage and emotional well-being. She leads a global following of women (and supportive men) who love her practical, heart-centered advice on love, intimacy, and relationships. She offers workshops and resources on cultivating spirituality, maximizing divine feminine attributes, love, intimacy, relationships, traditional approaches to sexuality, and feminine gender identity within the framework of traditional West and East African societies.  https://www.instagram.com/villageauntie/

Chantal Blake is a Womb Wellness Educator who is passionate about helping women deepen their knowledge and implement wholistic practices to cultivate greater self-love and self-care as it relates to taking care of their feminine nature and their womb.  I met her when I participated in one of her online courses called Deeper Femininity.  Having no biological children of my own, talking about motherhood and childbirth with her intrigued me and filled my heart and soul with warmth and fuzziness.  Chantal and I talk about the three stages of womanhood and the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual development that happens across those stages; the hidden mysteries of pregnancy including how God causes natural hormones to be produced during childbirth, which leads to an altered state of consciousness to help women endure the pain of giving birth; and how women who do not have an ideal childbirth experience can heal any emotional wounds, release suppressed feelings of regretfulness, and restore their spiritual sovereignty.  Chantal's knowledge and wisdom is very grounded and go well beyond her youthful age.