The last two years have been quite the journey. Although She Speaks We Hear came into being quite a few years ago, it was only really in 2020 that a vision and strategy was formalised. That was to allow British Muslim women to own their narrative and give them a voice, unedited and unadulterated.
Having good ideas and intentions can only take you so far and what I have learnt and realised as my time as editor-in-chief is that planning is key! Whether it is content or event planning, leaving things to the last minute is not a sustainable strategy. Luckily for me I have a strong female team who are not only organised, but highly motivated and creative.
My personal highlight was getting the She Speaks We Hear podcast off the ground in November 2021. I had been thinking about creating a podcast for a few years but didn’t have the technical know-how or the support. I wanted to focus on debunking myths about Islam and Muslims. As I got more involved with She Speaks We Hear, I thought to myself what better way to do that than have real, authentic and empowered Muslim women tell their stories, and that on a platform that can potentially reach every corner of the world?
Using the podcasting platform, we at She Speaks We Hear have created a space for amazing Muslim women to have their say and give them the opportunity to not only talk about their specific experiences but also those experiences that so many others can relate to, regardless of race, religion, or gender.
Although I produce and host the podcast, the rest of the team, Akeela, Aliya and our newest member Humaira, have been a constant stream of support – full of ideas for guests, promoting the podcast and all-round loveliness. It is even more valuable when they all do this on a voluntary basis. The support from the sisterhood cannot be underestimated whether it is in professional life or personal. We all need that tribe, or that network, to be able to bounce ideas off, or just be able to think out loud without judgement.
Over the next few months, we are organising some great workshops and events in collaboration with other fantastic women. If you don’t follow us already do check us out on Instagram and Twitter, that way you will know exactly what we are up to. Also subscribing to the newsletter is a good way to know what has been happening at She Speaks We Hear headquarters.
If you would like to get involved or just have something to say then you can pop us an email. For now though I hope you have a fantastic summer, and are able to travel like it’s 1999, oops that’s the Prince fan in me, I meant like it’s 2019! xxx
Image source: Wikimedia, License: Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0
Am absolutely loving this tribe 🙂