Reflections from the MEA Conference 2019

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