Chaii Lab

After receiving so many questions about how to find a significant other and exploring dating apps for you all, Naman felt Muzmatch had a personal vendetta against her. In order to get to the bottom of Naman’s luck, what better person to chat with than the CEO of Muzmatch: Shahzad Younas? A former banker turned tech-entrepreneur, Shaz’s mission and passion is making the marriage/dating process accesible for Muslims of all backgrounds. With a community as religiously and culturally diverse as the Muslim community, creating an app that is relatable to all backgrounds is no easy mission. Join us in episode 39, where we chat with Shaz about his journey in creating Muzmatch, the challenges of getting muslims on board, the difference between men & women’s dating app profiles/experiences and the future of Muslim dating.

What does empowering women, specifically Muslim women, look like? In a world where Muslim women are faced with sexism, racism, and Islamophobia, how do we uplift and empower ourselves and each other? Sofia Haq has made that her mission. As the CEO/Founder of Muslim Women Professionals (MWP) and Head Of Operations at Glory Skincare, a Black-owned and Women of Color run skincare company, Sofia works hard to empower and amplify the voices of Muslim women and women in color generally. Join us in episode 38 where we chat to Sofia about her work at MWP, what allyship should look like, and the importance of standing up for ourselves as women. Check out her amazing work at MWP (@muslimwomenprofessoinals) and Sofia Haq (@sofia__haq) as well as MWP’s amazing rooms on Clubhouse!

This one is for our budding entrepreneurs! Chai is not just a drink but a way of life, and a perfect example of that is the wonderful founders of Chai Guys here in London. Run by Gabriel and Abs, Chai Guys was a passion project that turned into reality as they left their jobs to introduce authentic chai to central London. Join us in episode 37 where we chat with the Chai Guys about their love for chai, running a small business in the middle of a pandemic, working with friends, and the risks and rewards of chasing after your dreams. Check them out on insta @chaiguysuk and online at chaiguys.shop

As Muslim Women, our identities often speak for us and we are left to constantly defend what our identity is and isn’t. What does taking back that narrative look like and what does being unapologetically yourself actually mean? Grab your cuppa and join the conversation in episode 36 where we speak with our inspiring guest, Layla Shaikley, who is a multi-hyphenated force to be reckoned with. A co-founder of a tech start-up that has raised over a million dollars, an architect, podcast host, content creator, and a mom, Layla is an example of showcasing your unique identity  unapologetically and paving your own path. Check out her Instagram as well as her podcast at @laylool and @muslimsdoingthings and her tiktok (@laylool) where she gives invaluable career/interviewing tips.

We are back with another ‘Advice Over Chaii”, where we answer your questions and give our different perspectives on life issues! Join us in Episode 35, where we chat about everything from cheating and narcissistic friends to mortgages and major life decisions.  (Full disclaimer, we are in no way responsible for ruining your life if you do take our advice)

How do our relationships with the men in our lives shape our experiences? From our brothers and fathers to male friends and colleagues, many of our relationships have a lasting impact on our lives and how we view relationships in general. Grab your cuppa and join us in episode 34 where we unpack our personal experiences and relationships and the value of having supportive male figures in our lives.

Growing up, we always see female friendships portrayed as filled with drama and bad energy in movies and tv shows. But as we’ve grown older, we’ve seen how the female friendships in our lives have been the most fruitful and fulfilling. Why are female friendships so important? How do we cultivate meaningful friendships amidst major life changes like distance and relationships? Join us in episode 33 where we discuss the value of female friendships in our lives and the importance of maintaining them.

For many of us, our passports are collecting dust and our usual privileges/opportunities to travel have been halted because of the pandemic. Join us in episode 32 where we have a conversation about what our passports mean to us beyond just traveling, but also the underlying meanings of citizenship and belonging that comes with this small book.  What does our passport represent, what opportunities does it give us, and what does it mean in the increasingly global world we live in?

After a year like 2020, looking back and reflecting can bring up a lot of the emotions and struggles we have faced. It was a year that brought a lot of change, pain, and loss. It was also a year of redefining our priorities, growth, and gratitude for the smaller things in our lives that we often take for granted.  We decided to reflect on the good and the bad and write letters from our 2020 selves to remember the crazy year that we have all experienced. Grab your cuppa and join us in episode 31 where we  share our personal stories from this past year, the lessons we’ve learned, the emotions we’ve felt, and the hopes that we have for the upcoming year. 2020 brought us Chaii Lab and we hope you continue to be a part of our family in 2021 <3

To celebrate our 30th episode and the end of the first season of Chaii Lab, we decided to chat about the city that brought us together: London. This year has been a crazy ride for all of us here at Chaii Lab and we are so grateful that we were able to come together and provide a space for chaii and wholesome conversations for you all. Join us in our 30th episode where we chat about this crazy city that brought chaii lab together and how it has left its mark on us.

What better way to learn how weird your friends are than to play a game of Would you rather? Grab your cup of chaii , be prepared for a good laugh, and join us in episode 29 where we ask each other the most pressing, slightly deranged, existential life questions.

It’s winter and that means that cuffing season is just around the corner. With a whole pandemic center stage, dating has changed its form and the use of dating apps has skyrocketed. Do dating apps work? Is “Muslim Dating” any different and what types of struggles do we as young people have in finding a significant other? Grab your cuppa and join us in episode 28 where we discuss the good and the bad with dating apps, experiences we’ve all had, and how dating is evolving with the changing world around us. (Disclaimer, this episode is for all the times people have asked Chaii Lab for relationship advice despite us directing you to the podcast next door)

We all remember the nerve-wracking decisions of choosing majors or career paths in our teens. From stability and predictability to passion and purpose, so many factors go into our decisions throughout our lives. What happens when we are no longer happy with the current path we are in and how do we navigate career changes? Do we put too much pressure on ourselves to follow one path and what does a more fluid path look like? Join us in Episode 27 where we speak with the lovely  Nada El Azhary @nadazhary who has navigated career changes from psychology and mental health to film production and how sometimes we just need to take a leap of faith.

We are back with another Advice Over Chaii, where we answer your questions and give our different perspectives on life issues! Join us in Episode 26 where we chat about everything from coping with grief to dealing with relationship issues!  (Full disclaimer, we are in no way responsible for ruining your life if you do take our advice)

We’ve all seen the breaking news about a potential Covid vaccine and the polarising opinions that come with the topic of vaccination. Grab your cuppa and join us in episode 25 where we discuss the vaccine, vaccination in general and common misconceptions that we have seen surfacing on social media! (Facts included from our very own Chaii Lab pharmacist and scientist!)

2020 has felt like one long midlife crisis for the world and we have been feeling it here at Chaii Lab. Whether it’s career changes, moving back home, or existential meaning of life dilemmas, this year has definitely caused us to think.  Join us in episode 24, where we talk each other through our different quarter-life  crisis and try to make sense of the dumpster fire.

In our last episode, we discussed the choices our parents made to immigrate to new countries and the sacrifices they made for these new lives. The conversation left us thinking: How do these choices affect our childhood and upbringing? What pressures are put on us growing up and how do they manifest into our adulthood? Grab your cuppa and join us in part two where we discuss the consequences of our parent’s choices and the trade-offs they had to make raising us in the west.

We have all heard the “when I was your age” comparisons from our parents.  Whether it was the fact that they uprooted their entire lives or survived war and conflict, our parents have experienced a universe that we often can’t even begin to understand. Join us in episode 22 where we speak about our parent’s experiences, the immigrant experience, the impact of leaving one’s homeland, and what home even looks like for us and future generations.

From Aladdin to Pocahontas, Disney movies can actually be extremely problematic. Whether it’s the racism/orientalism or the misogyny and sexism, so many things have gone by unnoticed from our childhood classics (maybe we were too busy singing along). Grab your cuppa and join us in episode 21 where we deconstruct Disney movies and discuss what broader representation in the media means.

We are back with another round of “Advice over Chai”! Join us in our 20th episode where we give our perspectives and advice on a range of topics, from fear of failure and parental guidance to relationships and divorce. (And as always, we are no way responsible for ruining your life if you do take our advice)