We are recording again out of Farm Girl, this time with Alya Mooro (and my daughter Aya present). Alya approached me on Instagram with a thank you from one Egyptian to another. I read a bit about her and realized the great value she’s bringing into the world.
The fact is, history has been unfair to women and that continues to this day. As a Middle Easterner, I want to dive into that fact from a cultural perspective familiar to me.
Alya Mooro is an Egyptian born, London raised writer and author of the bestselling 2019 book The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern Woman Outside the Stereotypes. Alya has written for New York Magazine, The Telegraph, Refinery29 and maintains a monthly newsletter titled The Greater Conversation, continuing the themes of her bestseller. She is also host and producer of the podcast Talk of Shame, where she speaks with groundbreaking fellow Middle Eastern women to explore the meaning and impact shame has on our lives, attempting to decipher how we can best stop letting it run our lives and start living our most authentic selves.
Listen as we discuss:
- Alya’s multicultural upbringing.
- The theme of being othered.
- In the Middle East, your friends are your family.
- The immense value of open dialogue between parents and kids.
- At a point in time, you need to stop parenting.
- Middle Eastern stereotypes of women and how they influence the women too.
- What is a feminist?
- The shame around sex and rebranding it.
- These days, whoever cares less, wins.
- You are what you eat on social media.
- Lean into your femininity.
- The difference between childless and child-free.
- Why marriage doesn’t feel worth it for Alya.
- The failure of second wave feminism.
- Alya’s definition of happiness: when what you do and what you want are in harmony.
YouTube: @mogawdatofficial (full video episodes here)
Instagram: @mo_gawdat
Facebook: @mo.gawdat.official
Twitter: @mgawdat
LinkedIn: /in/mogawdat
Website: mogawdat.com
Connect with Alya Mooro on Instagram @alyamooro, Twitter @alyamooro, and her website, alyamooro.com
Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Sunday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy
YouTube: @mogawdatofficial
Instagram: @mo_gawdat
Facebook: @mo.gawdat.official
LinkedIn: /in/mogawdat
Tiktok: @mogawdat
X: @mgawdat
Website: mogawdat.com
Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Saturday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy
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