Confessions Of Successful Asian Women

Hosai Mojaddidi is the co-Founder of www.mentalhealth4muslims.com where she advocates for and writes about various mental health related topics tailored for Muslims. She has served the American-Muslim community for nearly 20 years as an activist, writer/editor, mediator, interfaith organizer, and public speaker, covering a variety of topics including women's issues, marriage/family, education, self development, interfaith bridge building, and spirituality. 

A rising name in the world of dance, known for her powerful and evocative storytelling, technical precision, delicacy, and grace, Farah Yasmeen Shaikh is breaking new ground, bringing a clairvoyant voice to the contemporary stage, whilst simultaneously maintaining the deep roots and traditional aspects of Kathak.    

Dr. Guneeta Singh Bhalla is a physicist turned founder of the 1947 Partition Archive.   After a 2008 visit to the oral testimony archives at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial she was inspired and began interviewing Partition witnesses in 2009.  This led to the concept of crowd sourcing oral histories of Partition, there by engaging the public in recording the people's history of the world's largest mass human displacement.  In 2011, The 1947 Partition Archive was born. 

Dr. Amita Roy Shah is an author, educator and thought leader.  Amita made it her life’s mission to empower parents to invest in the cultural wellbeing of children so that they become connected to their identities and increase their curiosity for other cultures of the world.  Amita published two children’s books, Lights, Camera, Diwali! and It’s Time For Holi!.

Sheba Najmi’s mission in life is to create social impact through technology and design in order to change the way people interact with their governments.  Sheba is the Founder and Executive Director of Code for Pakistan, a non-profit that is improving the lives of citizens through creating innovation in public services in Pakistan.  Her mission is to give a voice to citizens.  Sheba also pays a tribute to her friend, the late Sabeen Mahmud who was murdered in 2015.

Sheba Najmi’s mission in life is to create social impact through technology and design in order to change the way people interact with their governments.  Sheba is the Founder and Executive Director of Code for Pakistan, a non-profit that is improving the lives of citizens through creating innovation in public services in Pakistan.  Her mission is to give a voice to citizens.  Sheba also pays a tribute to her friend, the late Sabeen Mahmud who was murdered in 2015.

Jane Bolander broker barriers as one of the first Asian women to enter the sports public relations industry when she founded her own firm, JSY Public Relations, in 2005.  As CEO and Founder of JSY PR, Jane and her colleagues strive to gain the best national exposure for their clients, which include famous sports celebrities like Yao Ming.  JSY PR also develops charitable foundations and initiatives.    Jane’s world changed on December 26th, 2015.  She was diagnosed with leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant fast.  Jane is fighting for her life right now and is waiting for her transplant.    

Farheen Umar is a documentary producer/director with works that have broadcast on PBS and international television.  Farheen’s first documentary, “Women of Islam-Veiling and Seclusion” sets the record straight on Muslim women and the veil.  Her second documentary, “Farah”, was filmed in the USA and Palestine over four years. Farheen has spoken at numerous forums in USA on the topic of independent filmmaking, women in filmmaking and misrepresentation of Islam and Middle East in USA.

Ching Valdezco helps professionals present, communicate, and influence more effectively.  She had a long standing career working in global companies, which started in the Philippines and ended in the US.  Fifteen years later into her career and three countries later, Ching decided to make a career transition and delved into the training world, where she is doing leadership development for Exec-Comm, a global training company.

Arezoo Riahi serves as Director of TechWomen, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State implemented by IIE, which bring together emerging women leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from across the globe with their counterparts in the Bay Area.  Arezoo’s work emphasizes women’s leadership and harnesses the power of technology to promote social empowerment and positive change, particularly in the developing world.

Myra Nawabi is a Senior Project Engineer with LockHeed Space Systems, a Mentor to several women in tech organizations, and a facilitator of the largest Lean In circles in CA. As a former refugee from Afghanistan, she has had her fair share of adversity. Myra’s mission in life is to help women increase self-confidence and to give back to her community.   

Shradha Balakrishnan spent 6+ years studying and working in Japan before moving to the US.  Shradha managed technology-driven social impact programs sponsored by the US State Department and is currently a Product Manager at GoDaddy.

Michelle Nicole Ng is the owner and photographer for Michelle Nicole Photography.  Find out how Michelle's passion followed her and the journey she took to become a craftswoman.  She has traveled around the world for photography and has been featured in several publications. 

Joy Lin is a Music Industry professional and Career Strategist. She made a commitment to build a purposeful personal and professional path. She recently founded her platform, Quarter Life Joy, to inspire and coach millennials to architect a career and life that serves their unique goals and strengths.

Shalu Saluja is a mother, wife, and General Counsel.  Shalu is a doer, go getter and a lifelong learner.  She defines success as having a happy, well balanced family and a purpose- which is doing positive things and making a contribution.

Born in South Korea and adopted by Caucasian parents from the Midwest, Heather Donnell is a woman of many possibilities.  She is a technical writer in her day job, filmmaker in the rest of her life and a yoga instructor to keep sanity and to share that joy with others.  Heather’s philosophy is when you love something its firing every creative cell in your body, even if its work. Heather wrote, directed and produced her film, Mommy, Murder and Me, which was an official selection of several film festivals.

Salehah Hassan Janjua is one of the first technical recruiters in the Seattle Facebook office. I am thrilled to share Salehah’s story in how she lives by the Facebook motto “fail harder” and uses rejection as a learning tool. 

Minal Mehta is the Co-Founder and President of BollyX and her mission is to empower people who have a passion for dance and fitness, to build a vibrant community around healthy living and to share the joy of fitness with others.    

This podcast is about how Tehniat Cheema stands up for her beliefs and chose a career path that is not sought out by Asian parents.  Tehniat is a trail blazer in her community who is sowing the seeds for a confident and empathetic future generation.

Spojmie Nasiri is a former Afghan refugee turned Principal Immigration Attorney who is helping make a difference in people’s lives.  Spojmie took her own personal struggle as a refugee from Afghanistan and made it her life mission to give back to the community.