Oh em gee, what a day! It was jam packed with great speakers, delicious food and wonderful supportive women. I learned so much from everyone there, speakers and attendees. Usually I get nervous meeting new people, but everyone there was nice and supportive. I just loved being there!
The first speaker of the day was Jameelah @Iamjamgamble. She was so funny and captivating and I didn’t get to take a lot of notes because I was just in awe of her. I loved her outfit, her style and all of her energy.
- Find your voice and use it to make a difference
- Not everyone deserves your energy
- Don’t let the noise of other peoples opinions drown out your inner voice
- We all of an inner negative critic that will try to hold you back - keep that in check and tame it
- Love your voice, it should be your favourite song
Next up was Zaid from Islamic Relief. His speech circled around the idea of finding your why. because ultimately that becomes the reason for what you do. And the most important takeaway for me was the importance of adding value to someones life and finding ways to help people out.
Work life balance was the topic of discussion for the panel, which included Fariha Khan who is a Family Physician and Board Member of Islamic Relief Canada, Vanessa from @mommunity_, Lauren from @torontobusinessbabes, Laura & Jos from @theggsisters, Sudduf from @salamsudduf, Angie from @leenashijabs and Nazima from @nutritionbynaz
Some of the key points from the panelists included:
- Women are the backbone of everything
- They’re all still trying to figure stuff out
- Fam before the Gram
- Use “protected time” as a means of self care and to be consistent with it
- You will be judged, move along and keep going
- Outsource your go- to people, not everyone in your family will be supportive and that ’s okay
- Less is more, only share with the few people you trust and only if you know that it will benefit the interaction
- Have faith in Allah (swt) and surround yourself with uplifting people
We learned all about sales copy from @itskatyprice. She talked about how we’re constantly being bombarded with information everyday, more than the human mind can handle. And so there’s a lot of noise out in the world. She advised to be mindful, clear and kind with whatever content or information that we decide to put out there.
The conference ended off with a closing speech from Anse Shehnaz from Sanad Collective. Her calm soothing voice was just what we needed to finish things off. Her speech was so enlightening and beautiful. I tried to capture as much as I could in my notes but I really just tried to enjoy the experience.
Some takeaways I jotted down:
- Truly with God is abundance, and there is enough to go around.
- You will always have a Sustainer and Provider
- Do all things beautifully
- Gratitude should be made a habit to start with instead of ending with. Change your mindset, so you’re not waiting to see what God will give you
- Constantly give in charity, and watch how everything flows back into your life
- Our prayers need to be more meditative, because often times while we’re praying we feel disconnected
- Create your own duas in your own languages for everything you do, so you’re in a constant state of gratitude
- Your self worth doesn’t come from other people or your abilities, but rather it comes from....
- Commit to your spiritual well being and your community
The gorgeous and delicious platters were from @thelivingplatter. The giant chocolate marshmallow cookies were EVERYTHING! The other amazing desserts were from @theliftingchef, @lalilascheesecake and @hellosweetdough. The delicious lunch was sponsored by @halalmeals
No detail was left out. Every attendee also received a gift bag of Sudduf's current favourite things From our entertaining host to the love notes on the bathroom wall, everything was well thought out and planned to perfection. I really loved how everything was scheduled around prayer, and there were frequent breaks for us chat and eat. In addition to starting the day off with a prayer, we also took a moment to acknowledge the land we’re on. This was amazing and i’ve never witnessed this at a Muslim event. We definitely need to start doing more of this! A huge congrats to Sudduf and Julia for putting together a beautiful day of learning, networking and growing.
Interested in being a part of this amazing community of Muslim business women? Check out https://mea.mykajabi.com/
Photos by the lovely @momentsbyanjum
