11. Working to Become a Better Human with Shiva Roofeh

One thing that has become blatantly clear in the 2020s is the way we are all connected to one another. Equally so is the importance of self care and self reflection; we need to understand and take care of ourselves so we can understand and take care of each other. Shiva Roofeh joins us this week on Being All Of Us to share her story. She talks about the many moves she made as a child and then an adult, and the challenges she faced in feeling at home and understanding her full identity. We discuss how who we are goes beyond the usual categories, the blessing and curse of greater self awareness, and how to better serve others, or to put it in Shiva's words, "how to be less of an a**hole." She is both spicy and sweet, and brings out the best in others. I think she'll bring out the best in you too! The journey to being all of us begins with you. Come join us! We Talk About: 1:30 minute mark – Finding and then losing a welcome in the U.S. 6:45 – Feeling at home and answering the where are you from question 11:00 – The challenges and joys and hangovers of a life abroad 19:30 – Straddling being Muslim and Jewish 25:30 – Expressing a multifaceted identity 29:30 – Less heralded forms of identity 36:00 – Living in and out of whiteness and privilege 44:00 – How to address inequalities, and calling things out vs. people in 50:00 – Recognizing how we affect one another, and our part in effecting a better world 54:30 – Personal and societal change Challenge of the Week: Ask yourself what’s the biggest thing keeping you from becoming a better person and think of one way, it can be small or big, you can use your power to improve the world’s unjust systems. Connect with Shiva: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivaroofeh/ https://www.instagram.com/shivaroofeh/ Music credits: Bombadil for the intro song, "Avery", and Scott Gratton from the Free Music Archive for the outro song, "Mo Town is Yo Town."