Hanan: It’s quite simple. I remember recording our first episode with absolutely no equipment except for a pair of AirPods and an iPhone 6. Now we record on Zoom using portable microphones, and we use our phones or laptops to upload to Anchor. To block out noise we either go into our basements or a closet in one of our rooms. 

How do you promote your podcast?

Sulphia: We use Instagram posts, stories, reels, IGTVs, and guides. Malak (our talented art manager) and I work together to create posts for our episode covers. But the biggest way we’ve been able to grow our audience is through our “Muslimah Monday'' series, where we feature an inspiring Muslimah and her story. These women vary in ages, careers, and backgrounds, which is exactly the point—Muslimah women are excelling in so many areas of life! It’s allowed us to create a vast network of young Muslimah across the country, and inspire Muslim girls to pursue fields we often don’t see Muslim women in.

Amena: I wish I knew beforehand that my opinion and experiences really do matter. At first, I was pretty quiet. I’d let the other co-hosts take the wheel during interviews and discussions. But I soon realized that one big purpose of podcasts is to let your personality shine. Nobody is judging me, so why not say what I’m thinking? I wish I understood the value of my words sooner. 

Why did you want to use audio to tell your story? 

Hanan: Growing Up Halal is a story of growing up Desi-American Muslim (or just Muslim) and the nuances that experience comes with. By using audio to tell that story, we felt it brought our audience closer to us. I think working on this podcast has been able to unite our listeners, helping them realize how much they had in common. It even helped bring our team closer, too. 

What’s a podcast that you look to for inspiration?

Sulphia: The first podcast I ever listened to was “Teenager Therapy” my sophomore year of high school. I remember listening to it on the bus and feeling comforted by their relatable conversations, especially because I was the same age as the hosts. These days, I’m inspired by “Get Real w/ Ashley, Peniel, and Junny” and “How Did I Get Here w/ Jae and AleXa”, which are both under Dive Studios. Aside from having some of the wittiest and authentic hosts ever, they have such creative promotional content. To whoever is editing Dive Studios’ YouTube videos and Instagram reels, I am your number one fan!