E233: Finding Your Voice: The Healing Power of Storytelling with Naciba Nizamudeen

Well, hello, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of Adult Child of Dysfunction.

Today we have with us Nasima Najadin.

Did I say that right?

It's Nasiba Nijamuddin.

I was close.

There you go.

Thank you so much.

And welcome Naseeba.

How are you doing today?

I'm really great, and thank you for inviting me to your show.

You are very welcome.

So we're going to talk about something today that's fun because Naseeba is a mompreneur, a podcast strategist, and a storyteller.

She helps women's and mom entrepreneurs simplify podcasting, sharing their voice and growing their businesses while inspiring others for hope, healing, and empowerment through authentic storytelling.

And I love that because literally, that's why I started my podcast.

I started it because I just felt like there were so many people out there that needed to hear the stories.

Free time.

I. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but every time you tell your story, you heal a little bit inside.

Yes, yes, that's true.

And I absolutely love that intro also.

First, I have started this podcasting as based on my story because I felt that my story is something which is powerful.

If your story inspires you, if you are okay to share that to the world, then it will definitely inspire others also.

That's how people started into podcasting.

Everybody who is a podcaster will have a story in their backend that will inspire them to start their journey, that will inspire them to go and speak with new people.

That will inspire them to heal.

Not only heal as an individual, but heal together as a community.

Absolutely.

That's powerful.

How podcasting would be.

It will be a bridge between your silence and your healing.

Absolutely.

So do you want to share some of your story so people can kind of see where you're coming from as an example of someone that can start a podcast?

Yes, yes, yes.

I always love stories.

And first, I'm from India and I'm a food technologist.

I have worked in R and D research and development for a corporate for about three to four years.

Like, I was a topper girl in college who also, who always have those big dreams of doing something so big on my own.

I have to join a corporate world.

I have to be a CEO.

Like that I have felt during my college days.

But after motherhood, I got.

I was stepping into a new phase where I had to give up my career.

It was a big, like, it was a big thing I have to do for my baby.

Right.

Because I have to take care of him.

I have to stay at the home.

So I don't know.

I can't go to an industry or lab and be there for 12 hours, 13 hours doing an experiment because my baby needs.

He is brand new to this world.

He knows only me.

I have to be there for him.

That time, for one month, it was okay.

But later I felt that I'm stepping into postpartum depression because we know it's hard.

We don't have a job.

We don't.

We.

We were literally with the baby for 24 hours.

We don't meet so many peoples.

Like, we slowly move into a phase of anxiety.

Like, we slowly move into a phase of depression.

Where I found, okay, I'm.

I'm moving into depression.

I have to speak to a therapist or someone.

That's where I started searching online.

That's where I come across many people saying that you do freelancing on your own, you do something on your own.

That's where I start.

I searched online and came across this podcasting.

I read many women who have who used podcasting as their tools to start healing.

So I thought, okay, let me also tell my story to someone.

I don't know who will be my listeners.

I don't know who.

I didn't care about that.

I just thought, okay, I'm going to speak with me.

I'm going to tell my story to myself so that it will change me, it will heal me.

I will see a new, confident woman in myself.

That's how I came into podcasting.

While I started podcasting, I felt that editing, schedule, schooling, publishing, everything felt tough.

At first, I. I don't know.

I have to search so many things online.

I have to study about so many tools.

That's where I felt like, okay, many women in the world have their voice, have their story, but they don't know how to tell it.

They don't know how to launch their show.

They don't know how to pick, how to grow their ongoing show.

So I decided to help them.

That's where my new passion, my new dream for podcasting was brought into this world.

It's of my baby.

I will tell was a time once I felt like he's a burden.

But later I felt like, okay, it's a blessing, of course, of course.

And it's, you know, it's like anything else.

So many moms go through that.

That is not an abnormal thing to have a career, have a job, and then have a baby and go, I can't do both.

And some people try to do it both.

And.

But depending on your career, you know, if you have a normal 8 to 5 and you can go to work and drop the baby at daycare at 8 o' clock and know that you're going to be home at 5 to give it breakfast or give a dinner or whatever it is that sometimes can work.

When you have a career that is 13, 14 hours in the lab, you know, you're working on something sometimes that probably took you in the lab overnight, like literally gone all the time.

And then you have to pick because you also, I mean, and it's a choice.

And there's no right or wrong.

There's no judgment either way.

So that was the choice you made.

But then there's going to be repercussions because you literally so many people wrap their identity around what they do.

Yeah.

And so you were a scientist, you were a research and developer, you know, you were that.

And then all of a sudden, I'm a mom.

And although that is the most glorifying job you could possibly ever have, sometimes it's lonely.

Yes, it's lonely.

So what was your first podcast?

Or was your first podcast just literally talking to yourself?

It was my own podcast, which I started.

It's the Pod Mama Diary.

It's like I felt like I have to write a diary, which I turned into an audio diary.

Okay.

So that if some women like me who are stuck in, they don't know what to do their journey, this podcasting can help them.

And after that, through my sister, I got a few podcasting clients who need help, who need my help.

Like they were busy with their other work, so they need someone to do their podcasting works in back end.

So I took over their podcast.

Like now currently I have two to three podcasts to take care of.

Nice.

Now.

Now it feels like this podcasting tool is something powerful, which I feel, okay, I have learned this.

So I have to make people who are in the stage, who are this fear of talking, who have this fear of being silenced, if they want to start a podcast, I have to be with them.

Yeah, I have to help them.

Right.

That's how this Pod Mama Diary was started.

And this was growing.

Now I'm launching few episodes in the further weeks, in the upcoming weeks.

Yes.

So.

So for people that are kind of like, wow, this is interesting, I could do a podcast.

Or do you suggest sometimes, Because I know for me, people that come to me and they say, oh, I love your podcast.

How do I do that?

And I'm like, start by guesting, start by coming on other people's podcast to see if you love it.

Because you're either gonna love it or you're not.

And if you don't love it, then the podcast diary thing is great because you're not being interviewed, you're not having to talk to people.

You're literally just doing it.

Like you said, an audio diary.

And that's yes, yes, yes.

And I do suggest that for some people.

I had a client whose daughter was.

She was mildly autistic and she loved the creative art, she loved teaching people things, but she didn't like to be around people.

And so I was like, start a podcast.

You know, literally you can teach people your tips and tricks and all that stuff.

And you don't have to be around.

People if you don't want to be.

Yes, many people think that starting podcasting is like a big thing, but I will tell it's not.

It's just a simple step.

It's a small step.

You can start very small.

If you are not comfortable around the mic, if you haven't speak with most people, if you are fear of mic, then I will give you a framework like just for three weeks, you, your mic and your camera just in a room.

You just close your room and speak whatever in your heart.

Don't publish those episode.

You don't have to publish those episodes.

You just train your mic and yourself.

Right after this, after those three week test, in the fourth week, you will be ready.

You will be confidently ready to publish your episode at the time.

Take any publishing platform.

It can be Spotify, Apple or anything.

Just hit the record button and publish button.

You don't have to worry about.

Yes, yes.

Yeah, a lot of people just do it on YouTube.

Yes, yes.

YouTube too.

Yeah, it's on a growing platform.

Next.

Growing platform.

Yes.

If you want to publish, just choose any platform of your own which you are comfortable with.

If some people are comfortable with audio, some may be comfortable with video, it is their choice.

And some may be comfortable with interview type.

And some may be comfortable with solo.

It's also their choice.

And after that, once you record, you don't worry about your audience.

Okay, who is going to hear my episode.

They will think like I'm sounding ridiculous.

You don't worry about if your message is good.

There will be few audience who will definitely be eager to hear your voice.

You have to think that only about them.

Because I always feel like thousand followers is not worth for those 10 devoted followers.

Right?

Those 10 devoted followers are always good.

Just think about your people.

Just think like you are speaking to Your friend, right?

Start podcasting.

Amen.

And I love it that you said, I love it that you said, don't worry about the audience because people do.

They're like, oh, what if I said this?

Or what if I said that?

Who cares?

I always say the universe is going to bring into my world the people that need to hear it.

The people that need to hear my podcast are going to hear it.

And honestly, the people that hear it and they go, I didn't like that.

So somebody did.

I did.

That's called a pre launch anxiety.

Many people have that because in their age we are not over with the tech, everything.

So people normally have this fear of Mike.

This is.

They mostly people call this as pre launch anxiety.

So you can do this framework, you can get comfortable with your mic and after that you can do publish your episode if once you are confident.

Right.

And also, you know, we're in this world where everybody, everything is perfect, quote, unquote.

Because we have AI and we have this and we have that.

And at the end of the day, what people that are healing want is they want an honest to goodness, real life connection.

They want someone that screws up, they want someone that makes mistakes and go, oop, you know, like I spell.

I mispronounced your name.

You know, I'm human.

I'm human.

And that's what people want to see.

Yeah, they want to hear that.

And it's just, you know, I go through most.

My podcast is called Adult Child of Dysfunction.

Most of the people that are listening to this podcast have gone through a lot of stuff and they have a lot of security issues and they have a lot of anxiety and they, you know, they've been through stuff and they're used to being judged and, and when you get out there on a podcast, it's.

There's no right or wrong.

There's no, yeah, there's, there's just no right or wrong.

It's your story.

Nobody can take that from you.

Yes, yes, yes.

That's the thing I love most about podcast, because it.

People never judge you there because if you don't like the thing which you spoke, you can delete that, you can edit that, you can give the people what's the message.

You want to speak with your heart on a good terms also, because if you don't like this thing, you can edit that, you can publish whatever things you like.

Right?

So it's like a kind of open book for you.

You can speak your heart.

And at the end of recording, if you don't like that you can edit that?

Yeah.

So, yes, go ahead.

No, I 100 agree.

I personally.

And you'll probably.

I don't know if you've listened to any of my episodes.

I don't edit anything because I am like, I literally preach.

We are human.

We make mistakes.

Mistakes, yes.

Life happens.

Like, I remember one time I was doing this video or I was doing this podcast, and I told the girl, this is going to be live.

Like, this is.

People can hear this, but they can also see it.

Well, she's sitting there rubbing her cat's head, and I'm like, that's really nice.

Except the cat's butt was right in the mic, in the.

In the camera.

The people watching it, all they could see was a cat's butthole.

Like, sorry.

And it was so funny.

And I was like, okay.

For the people listening you, this is not going to make any sense if you're not watching, but can you move your cat a little to the left?

Because it's a really bad view.

Right?

Yes.

But I could have cut that whole section out.

I could have, but I'm like, you know what?

It is what it is.

I have animals walk by my screen all the time with guests, you know, And I think the only one I ever edited was I had.

You know, it was an unfortunate story, but her story was that she was trafficked.

She was a human trafficking victim, and she was a survivor.

But she had her baby on her lap, and her name was in the bottom of the screen.

And, like, that just kind of was cringy to me.

Like, I didn't want.

And I said, is it okay?

And she's like, yeah.

And I was like.

And then she said her name out loud a couple times, and I was like, nah, I don't like that baby in there.

You know, like, let's.

Let's edit that out.

Yes.

For safety reasons, because.

Yes.

The other thing about a podcast is I bring people on my podcast.

I want them to feel 100% safe.

Save us.

That is the most important thing.

That's the good thing.

I do do interviews with few podcasters.

Like, we just.

If we don't like any part, I used to tell them, please edit this.

I have spoken something.

Okay.

Okay.

I'll just do some other.

Please edit this.

Okay.

They were also.

Okay.

Okay.

We will do the editing.

Don't worry.

Yep.

So.

So if you don't like this stuff, we can edit that.

Yep.

And if you need me to edit anything, I will edit for you if you ask me to.

I'm just Saying typically I don't, I just am like, whatever.

I mean there's been times where somebody had to go answer the door and I'm like, well, I'm not gonna sit here and just blah, blah, blah.

So I've edited out that.

But to, for the audience out there who is thinking about, oh, I want to start a podcast.

Just start.

You know, like, like Nasiba said, just start.

Because all that other back end stuff you can figure out later.

So many amazing, beautiful podcasts got started with a cell phone, holding it like this and talking, and now they have millions of followers and they're sharing their message and they're giving hope and healing to so many people.

And it started because they just hit the start button.

Yes, yes.

I, I used to tell to the people who come into my discovery call that start messy.

Your podcast don't have to be perfection because many people will come under this perfectionist trap.

It's a kind of trap.

It will keep you from non existing.

If you want, just start.

Just start messy.

Nobody is going to watch you from the episode one.

People will come once you start growing and automatically you will also learn in that journey.

So if you want to start a podcast and if you have the fear, just throw it out.

Just keep it for few 30 minutes.

You record whatever you have in your heart and after that you, you decide whether you want to publish it or you want to edit it.

You can decide that later.

You can decide whatever the platform you have launched, you can decide all the backend work later.

But if you have anything in your heart, you take that guilt out of you.

You take that fear of out of you.

If you take that silence out of you, just think, Mike, as your friend and start telling people your stories.

There are so many people like you waiting to hear your stories.

Your story is powerful.

Always, always, always powerful.

And so many people say to me, well, nobody would understand or nobody's ever been there.

And I'm like, I beg to disagree.

Like your unique to you.

But there's not a story in the world where someone hasn't had a very similar experience and they might be sitting at home afraid to tell their story.

You don't know how many times I've had people say to me, wow, I heard, you know, that guest.

And the way you guys were talking, it was like you were sitting on your couch talking.

I need somebody like that.

I said, then go find it.

Listen to more podcasts.

Come on mine.

Do whatever you know, because people, you know, we lived in this world of not being able to Talk and not.

And being silent, like you said, and it literally eats you up.

I mean, that's.

Now what I do for a living is I coach people that weren't able to tell their stories and weren't able to get that stuff off their chest.

And now they're dealing with stress and anxiety and they're overweight and they have eating disorders, and.

And the list goes on and on.

And it's like the.

Every time, you know, I talk about, like, the invisible backpack of your burdens, and every episode, consider that taking one thing out of that backpack and letting go of it.

All right?

Yeah, yeah.

You know, and you'll feel better and better.

Yes.

I just love when people start telling stories because.

Takes the deep inside their emotions to come out.

Everybody have some hidden emotions in them.

And through stories, through storytelling, they can bring that out, which will inspire some other also.

So I always love the storytelling.

I always encourage people to sit in a group and tell your story.

Nobody going to judge you there.

Okay.

If they judge also, it's okay.

It's okay.

It's their nature.

They can judge you.

It's their nature.

You don't worry about that.

If you have anything in your heart, just speak it out.

Yep.

Until you speak that, people doesn't know what is inside you, what you are thinking.

Yes, exactly.

And for the people that are sitting there going, nobody cares about my story, and blah, blah, blah, you know, and thinking like that, you have no idea if you're out there listening, you have no idea when someone hears your story and it resonates with them.

How many people go and get help or how many people have the courage now to tell their own story.

And that's one of the reasons I want to switch my whole podcast around so that it's got a live.

So people can ask questions while I'm on, so people can come on it.

Like, that's my dream.

That's what I want to do is have a live interactive, like, oh, so and so wants to know this and answer questions.

Because until you see somebody brave enough to do it, you're not going to be brave enough to do it.

Yes.

It's like sitting in that first recovery room in Al Anon or AA or something, and you're just like, oh, I want to talk, but I can't.

Right.

So, yeah, I'm just.

I'm just picturing.

And the people in my niche especially, and the people listening to this, they all have stories.

They all have every.

Everybody has a story.

Everybody has a story.

Some are kind of Boring.

But that's okay.

That's a good thing.

Yes.

If you have any boring story also, just try to talk it out so that you will learn some good stories by the people around you.

Right?

Yeah.

Yes.

I always encourage this storytelling because once you started telling people something, you will get rid of three things.

First is shame.

If what she is going to shame me.

I'm a woman.

I'm.

You will get rid of that thing.

Second is guilt.

You don't have to be guilt of yourself.

Once you started podcasting, once you started telling people your stories.

Okay, I'm, I'm, I'm specific guilt of this thing that will get removed from you.

And third thing is fear.

You will be confident.

After recording 10 episodes, you will see yourself becoming a super confident women.

You will become a powerhouse.

You can see that live in your eyes.

After recording you.

I definitely tell you that there will be small change in you once you started.

From the first episode to the.

Till now.

Yep.

Well, yes, because you, you do well, because also I mean it coming full circle.

It's because you're letting go of the guilt and the shame that accompanies those stories.

And guilt and shame are.

It's what keeps you.

It's what keeps you from being you.

That's at the end of the day, it's.

It literally is what keeps everybody stuck.

I have a coach that I absolutely love.

Her name is Jamie Hayne and she talks about getting visible on camera and she always says, you got.

There's three steps.

You suck, you practice, you suck less.

So it's.

I'd always love that because it wasn't like, you know, you start okay and then you practice and you get back.

No, you just.

Everybody is first one.

Like you said, if I go back and look at my first episodes, I'm like, oh, but that, like you said again, that's the time to practice because nobody's seeing them.

Yes.

Yes.

You know, now if I record an episode and, and I will.

I will say, though I kind of do laugh because people I see like, I'm like, how is my third episode the most watched episode today?

I'm like, that is so bizarre.

But I think people that like an episode will go back and go, well, let me start at the beginning.

And they're not going to listen to 227 episodes.

But you.

I think it's to get that basis.

So, so what are some like, do you have any tips about.

Real quick about.

Well, I know you said about how to start.

Just start, but do you have any tips like with me, when I didn't like just talking to what I call the abyss, the black hole on my computer, I was really kind of weary.

Like I didn't like doing that.

So I put a picture of my best friend over the hole, cut out a little hole and it was her picture.

That's, that's a great idea.

So I was just talking to her and it was like sitting on the couch talking to my best friend and I, I left that picture there for many, many episodes.

Nobody knew it was there.

Okay, so it's kind of tip.

If you are insight anxious over talking or starting your podcast, then first I will ask you to take one month time.

Because nothing starts overnight.

You just take a month time.

For first week I just journal out.

Find your niche.

Like it is your story about sports or is your story about something which you love.

It should be something that for 30 minutes you have to speak about that it your niche should be something like that for 30 minutes.

If I, if someone give me this topic, I will speak about this.

Find such niche and note down the things you love in that it may be your journey, you may be a sports person.

You have come across something most people don't.

Just note it down.

Note all the success, victories which you gained from that race or something.

Just note it out.

And after a week, in second week just try to read your journal.

Just sit in front of the mic and read, read your journal.

Don't I don't want you to speak or something.

Just read it out.

And in third week start trying to connect your journal like you are speaking with your best friend.

It may be a messy one or something.

Don't edit it, just you yourself hear that again.

It can be don't buy an expensive headphones or don't buy anything expensive at the start, just your phone, invoice, memo app or something in a recorder app.

Just record it out.

And once you record when you hear your own story, you will get less fear.

Your fear will be reduced and you are kind of okay, I'm ready when you are ready.

At the fourth week, start publishing.

Just choose a platform and publish your first episode.

And if you are okay, I'm okay with video, go for YouTube or some other and I'm okay with audio.

There are Spotify audios, audio podcast.

You just choose an audio platform which you are okay, you can do that.

This is how from scratch you can start your own podcast.

And if you're having an ongoing podcast like I'm having now, but I got this fear suddenly fear of fear.

Of camera.

How.

How can I do that?

Is that any tip means if you have an ongoing podcast, if you don't want, if you suddenly have this fear of any camera, like just want you to imagine that you are not sitting in front of camera.

You are just sitting in front of your friend or a mother or someone who is close to your heart.

Just think you.

You just take a breathe before starting your podcast.

Just take a deep breath and think you are talking with them.

So talk like a friend.

Don't over stress like you are recording something.

I people will watch that.

Don't over stress yourself.

Just talk.

Just talk casually like people are talking in a snack time or something like that.

And if you are okay, if you want to grow your ongoing, ongoing podcast like that, I suggest you to take it to next level like Facebook live or something where you can meet new people.

Until you want to grow your podcast is best through connecting new people.

Through connecting.

That's also if you are fear of connecting new people, I suggest you to message them so that you will get to know people slowly.

And after that you can start the connecting.

You can start the connection or you can start your community on your own so that many people will get to know you and they will come and they will come and message you.

Okay, what's this what your podcast is about.

People will get eager.

This is how your you can scale up your podcast to next level.

I want to give you something in a single liners.

Just start.

Start messy.

It's okay to start.

Amen.

I was gonna say at the end I always say what's your, what's your tip or best piece of advice?

And that's really what it is.

Start messing.

Just start.

You know everybody.

It doesn't matter the first time.

If you want to learn how to play the piano, the first time you play the piano, you're horrible.

You have to start somewhere with every single thing you do in your life.

But if you never are willing to do the messy part, you're never going to have the beautiful part.

Yes, that's true.

Yeah, that's 100% too.

So Nasiba, if people want to work with you, want to talk to you, find out more about what you do, where do they reach you and all of this is going to be in the show notes.

But if you have a specific place, go ahead and let them know.

Yes, I have a website, www.podmamadiary.com and you can find my show in Spotify as the Pod Mama Diary.

And I will be available in Instagram and Facebook.

Also, you can search the Pod Mama Diary or Nasiba Neja Moddin.

And if you are stuck in your podcast or if you want any help with the launch or something, you can book a call with me.

It's also available in my website.

You can go and search there.

Okay.

So if you are a women podcaster, if you think of starting a podcast, if you want people to hear your voice, it's, it's not like a sales call.

We can just sit and talk.

What, what was your condition?

And after that we can move.

What's it.

If you want to launch, what are the roadmap?

We can sit down and do that and we will figure it out later.

Okay, fair enough.

Sounds good.

Sounds good.

So you guys heard that Pod Mama Diary, and it sounds like Pod Mama Diary across all your platforms.

So it's easy.

And that will be in the show notes.

So thank you so much for coming on.

Yes, thank you.

Thank you for inviting me.

I heard something new and I also loved connecting with people who love stories.

Oh, I, I do, I do.

And if, you know, if you haven't, if you're still in that very, very first stage and you don't know, think about the podcast that you listen to, like go to Apple Podcasts or go to Spotify and type in questions.

You have podcasts about blank anything.

You know, there is a podcast about absolutely everything.

There's a podcast about raising chickens.

Like, who would think that there'd be that much to talk about about raising chickens?

But it's there and it's popular, so it doesn't matter.

There's a niche for every single person out there.

Just what is your passion?

What do you want to talk about?

What do you want the world to know that you want to know?

And sprinkle your stories all throughout that and the world will be a better place, I promise you.

So, yes.

And also if you are having some of those blocks for everybody else out there listening, you've got Naseeba's.

I mean, she pretty much laid it out step by step.

There's no more questioning.

If you're stuck in some of the mental health barriers there, reach out.

I, I, that's kind of what I help people do, is with the mindset stuff, you know, we can tap it out, we can put you on an energy scanner and see kind of where you are energetically.

I can send you some vibes that make you get rid of fear.

I mean, there's things we can all do together because it's about collaboration.

Right?

So, sounds great.

I'm excited.

I'm excited.

I want to hear.

Please anybody drop in the comments.

You know, like subscribe, share all that stuff.

But more importantly, drop in the comments if you think you're going to start a podcast.

I'd love to hear.

So thank you everybody.

Another thing is start, start something.

If you don't start perfection, just start messy.

Absolutely.

Guess can be messy.

There are people out to hear that.

Absolutely, Absolutely.

There's a.

There is.

How many podcasts are in the world?

How many are other out there?

There are numerous podcast out there.

Billions, millions.

And sometimes just for fun, you want to boost your confidence, go listen to some of the first episodes.

Yes, yes.

You'll feel like a genius immediately.

But again, we all have a first episode.

I know my.

Mine was not the smoothest, that's for sure.

But any everybody out there listening.

You all have a very blessed week and do something for yourself.

Explore and let us know, Drop a comment, let us know how it went.

Thank you so much, everybody.

Thank you, Naseeba for coming.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

You are very welcome.