Founder's Story - Being a Political Trailblazer | Ep. 48 with Bushra Amiwala

Episode Date: April 11, 2021

Today we speak with Bushra Amiwala who is the youngest Muslim elected official in the United States. We ask about her accomplishments, journey to get where she is and why she is breaking down barriers.  For more info on guests and future episodes visit KateHancock.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ibhshow/supportOur Sponsors:* Check out PrizePicks and use my code FOUNDERS for a great deal: www.prizepicks.com* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: www.rosettastone.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome to Inspired by Her, the podcast that will give you the inspiration, motivation and tips for success from some of the top executives, CEOs and influencers from around the globe. With your host, serial entrepreneur and named one of the most influential Filipina in the world, Kate Hancock. My Wi-Fi is on and we are live. Hi everyone, this is Kate Hancock for the Inspired by Her podcast. I'm very excited to introduce to you my guest today, Bushra. Bushra, how are you? Hello, I'm doing super well. Very excited to be here today. How are you? I am great and it's great seeing you. Everyone, Bushra, oh my God, she's going to cover our Time magazine. She's the youngest Muslim elected official in the United States. She's an activist, dynamic speaker, and a media icon. Bushra, welcome. Thank you. Thank you so much.

All right. So tell me, what was your journey like to get where you are, Bushra? Yeah, that is such a good question. So basically, I didn't really know whether politics was for me or not. What I was super involved with was service work and volunteerism. So I would be at five different nonprofit organizations, the five days of the week. And it wasn't until I realized that the best way to make long term practical, tangible change is through public policy when I decided to take an AP government and politics class my senior year of high school and through that decided to work on a U.S. senator's campaign and then on that campaign someone saw leadership ability and

potential in me that I definitely did not see in myself at the time and they asked me to run for public office and the rest is kind of history. That's crazy. So can you tell me that day when you got the news that you're going to be covered? You will be in a covered on Time magazine. I mean, that's huge. Tell me take me that very first moment. Yeah, you know, so what's really funny about that is that people oftentimes ask me like, you know, you're so grounded or like what you showcase like all this humility, like how do you do do it and like the day that I found out that I was going to be on Time Magazine the first people I told were my parents and both of them were like oh that's so cool but what's Time Magazine and I was like oh gosh and then you know just like having to explain

it and do that like it was so sweet you, in a way, but it also showcases that having those sort of instances be around you also keeps you grounded in a way. But I remember, I got an email saying that, like, hey, like, you know, we're putting together a small thing for Time Magazine, like, are you interested in submitting your picture and headshot, and you'll be covered in it. And like, I didn't know that it would be on the front cover until the day it became published. And I saw the cover. And that's how I found out. So it was very surreal for sure. Oh my God, I just saw the photo of you with some other women. That was amazing. And you stand out because of your scar. I mean, like, this is so beautiful. So I'm so proud of you. Now, tell me what what was your parents think about you running an office? Tell me what was that? excited and was my biggest supporter for sure. When I shared the news with my mom, I just told

them both together, but they both had different and very separate reactions. And my mom was like, no. She literally was just like, no. She is very much so feared for my safety. And a lot of her perception of what politics entails and what running for office looks like, like we never met anyone who had ran for office before. was this entirely new um perception and ideal and norm for her so she was really nervous for my safety mostly but both of them had like opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of reactions and my mother totally did come around as well and now you you work for google is that correct yes that is correct i do How do you balance life between you're in the office and you have a full time job? I mean, do you like how do you do that?

Yeah, that is such a good question. So I like to be super transparent about like what my day looks like. So, for example, my job at Google is like nine to five typically. Right. Work about 40 hours a week, sometimes a little more. Usually not any less than that, though. So it's like a full time standard job. And then my elected office role, I have to go to two board meetings a month, it's a part time unpaid volunteer position. And then every now and then I'll get like phone calls or email updates or things like that to tend to. But other than that, like those board meetings are the biggest time consuming. So those can be three to like those board meetings are the biggest time consuming.

So those can be three to four hour board meetings. So they're not short by any means. They're definitely long and like, you know, draining and kind of like it takes your time intensive because there you have to pay attention for every single part of it. Like you're making these really tough, like big decisions that impact

all the stakeholders in schools. And then outside of that, I also do a lot of public speaking, which I think is the most fun thing for me right now. I got to travel quite a bit because of public speaking as well for different conferences, events, and things like that. So that's been really fun too. But all of that sort of takes up my time.

And I know that's awesome. And then I know when you were speaking at the Women's Summit on Clubhouse, by the way, everyone I met at Mo Clubhouse. This is amazing. So it's the first time we're seeing each other in video. But you mentioned about there's a Netflix documentary. Is that out already? Yeah, so it's a Hulu documentary. Yes, yes. And it came out the second week of March, March 13. So it is out. It's called Our America, Women Forward, and it's on Hulu and was super excited about it. They did such a good job showcasing my story and telling my story. And it's actually the second documentary that I've been in. The first one was

on PBS called And She Could Be Next. And then I have an Amazon Prime TV show about me as well called Run the Series. So I've had a quite a bit of time in front of the camera, for sure. But it's all been very fun, to say the least. So how do you practice that, do you ever prep yourself? Like you're so well spoken and like, nothing fazey. I'm so happy and proud of you. Like, and you're just like, you know, being a a documentary there's a lot of places so how where do you get the confidence from that's first of all thank you that is so so sweet thank you so much for this very kind words it means a lot coming from you like I like look up to you greatly and like love all the work that you do and everything like that but I never had formal

media training or anything of that sort and I sort of had to learn as I went on. I think my very first interview, I spoke too fast. I sort of like didn't know if I should look at the camera, look at the person I'm talking to. I feel like I used a lot of filler words like, um, like, but that I still sometimes do, but I'm aware of it now a bit more. So I'm able to control that. And it was, I think I was a mess, right? So if anything, like I have grown in front of the public eye, like with every interview that came my way was almost practicing this muscle or this niche. So and then I would watch interviews that I'd done before and literally criticize myself like, Okay, what can I do better? So I was my own coach

throughout that I was my own like media consultant, and I never had that formal training or anything like that. But the confidence factor, I definitely will say that fake it till you make it right. Like you keep like, no one needs to know that you're not the most confident person on the planet. As long as you emulate it, people pick up on that radiation and accept that and energize that and, you know, come to terms with that as well. But I definitely don't think that I would use the word confident to describe myself 100%. But I think it's really sweet when people think that I am confident. That means it's working.

You are. Now, Bushra, how do you deal with criticism? You're in office. And how do you deal with that? What are some mental exercise that you do? I mean, that's tough to tell us. It is so tough. It's because the thing about holding public office is that you are supposed to give an answer to these people that are

criticizing you because they are your constituents, they're your stakeholders, they're the people in the community who have voted for you, whether they supported you or not support you, like there are people that you owe an answer to. And then what's also challenging is that with the national attention that I got, right, like everything from Forbes, The Hill, Bloomberg, Glamour, Time, Teen Vogue, like all of these publications that I've been in, which I've been super grateful for, but that national media attention would mean national exposure to haters. Because suddenly, like you have like all of these people who don't live in your district who you don't owe an answer to but are suddenly criticizing and critiquing your every move and that's really hard um like there's no other word to describe it like i wish there was a secret sauce that i've mastered

but that's one thing that i personally still struggle with a thing that i have picked up on and have taught myself is that i used to read the comment section with every article, with every video that went viral or anything like that. And I 100% stopped doing that. You can't do that. Like it's just not a healthy thing. Like it's so sad to see the things that people say when while hiding behind a screen. So I definitely don't recommend doing that. And I definitely think that like not doing that is like a really smart tip as well So it's a it's a good way to block the haters and to ignore them And I I boiled it down to this ratio that with every 100 positive comments

You will get one negative comment and you see the whiteboard and there's a black dot on there And all you see is the black dot, right? It's easy to focus on that but you have to look at the bigger picture. You have to look at the proportion. You have to look at the grand scheme of things. And it's so much easier to focus on that one negative comment, but you have to look at the bigger picture.

I love that ratio thing because that happens to me in the Philippines. And I told my family, okay, I've been in this interview, but I don't want you guys to read all the comments because I know you guys are going to get pissed off, right? Like I said, I'm used to that. It doesn't bother me. Like they said in Clubhouse, new level, new devil. You just remind yourself with that, but definitely it's more of your family and friends that get more and more sensitive because it's hard to read those comments. So thank you. That's such a great advice.

Now, Busha, what is your big, hairy, audacious goal? Yeah, so my biggest goal for 2021 is definitely that I want to write a book. And I actually signed a book deal earlier this month or in March, right? We're in April now. But I signed a book deal with someone I actually met through Clubhouse, which I'm super excited about. So just like that networking piece is something that I'm always trying to do and emulate and get to know people and speaking things into existence, right? Like that's what that looks like. The more that you put out there, what you're looking for, the more likely that that is to come to you because people know that that's what you're in searching for. That's what your journey is encompassing. So that's like my biggest goal right now. And then I definitely want to hold higher public office

one day, I would love to be in Congress or in Senate or even state government, state house, state representative. So who knows where that will take me? Absolutely. Okay, so I have this fun question for you. If you could be a president for one hour what is one thing that you would change oh my gosh that is such a good question because there are so much at that there's so much power that people have at the national level like I think we all realize how much power like the President of the United States has like you can sign one executive order and literally change a law in every single state in this country. Right. Which I think is so powerful. But I think the biggest thing that I would want to do would probably be free universal health care.

I didn't have health insurance for a really long time, especially after I rolled off of my parents' insurance. And it was such a really confusing and challenging system to navigate. And there was a lot of back and forth. And I just think that that's a universal basic thing that everyone should have access to. I think health is wealth and health is so important. And like having access to that healthcare is definitely I think a priority that I would make of mine.

Oh, wow. Now your parents, where are they from originally before they migrated to the US? Where are they from? They're from Karachi, Pakistan. Okay, were you able to visit there and be involved and be in the press? Yeah, so I've actually been in like

all of the major Pakistani news publications and on like the TV live news. So they have a lot of morning shows in Pakistan that starts at 10 a.m. Pakistan time, which is 12 a.m. Chicago time. So I literally like for four nights in a row, the four nights in a row that Im. Pakistan time, which is 12 a.m. Chicago time. So I literally like for four nights in a row, the four nights in a row that I was on Pakistan TV, like Hum, Geo, AROI, like those are the big ones that that they're called. I would stay up until 12 a.m. I'd put my makeup on all

over again at that hour and sit in front of my laptop and do these interviews and I can speak and understand Urdu. So the language so it would be in a whole different language. So I think that the interviews that I do in English are a lot more powerful. I know exactly what I'm saying. Like I kind of have a rhythm down but in in a whole different language doing it in Urdu was super challenging in its own way. And I tried really hard not to integrate English words while speaking. But that was like an interesting muscle that I got to flex as well. Wow. So that must be, I mean, it's amazing how many women or, you know, little girls you inspired out there. I'm so proud of you. That's, that's an amazing, I mean, at your age and what do you have accomplished? That's really mind blowing.

That's so sweet. Thank you so much, Kate. That means a lot. That really does. How do you stay grounded? Yeah. So I kind of like mentioned this earlier. I think what really helps is that like a lot of the things that I've been really excited about and a lot of the press features that I've gotten and all that attention, it doesn't phase my friends or family. Like all of them are like oh okay like that's it you know like no i feel like my inner circle does not hype me up as much as

like you one would assume and that's really what keeps me grounded because it's like okay like yes i was just you know on the cover of this or yes i was just featured in this or there was this article that just came out but that doesn't mean anything else if my heart's not in the right place. And if I'm not doing the right work that I'm that I should be doing, or that I'm supposed to be doing. So I think that's really what keeps me grounded. It's that I need to remember that my core values and principles have brought me where I am. And being you know, having an ego or having a big head goes against those principles. So I definitely don't want to emulate any of those. That plus like, my job every day, like at the end of the day is to wash the dishes, which it sounds really funny. But it's like, no matter what has happened in that day, like I remember I was

Glamour Magazine's College Woman of the Year, I had just met Kamala Harris and Chrissy Teigen, Viola Davis, all these amazing, inspiring women. We were all celebrated that evening. And I flew in from New York, came home, had dinner with my family, and then I had to wash the dishes. It was just like my job. And I think it's stuff like that that definitely keeps me grounded. I love it. Now, did you figure out the title of your book or you're still putting it together? I'm still putting it together, but it's going to be something around the word and theme of courage. I love it. And you said you, you, you met this person on Clubhouse. Yeah. Yeah. Tell me about the story. Yeah. So, um, it's so funny. I think it was in one of your

rooms, actually. His name is Michael Butler butler you know him right he sounds familiar i think it was in one of your rooms actually and we connected actually yes i spoke in that room and was like hey i'm looking for a speaking agent or something like that and we connected for 15 minutes and he was like oh yeah like i have a speakers bureau like i can help you get plugged in this and that and then i casually mentioned that i really want to write a book because he asked you what my goals were and he was like you do know I own like a publishing company. And I was like, no, I don't know that I did not do my homework because so many people on clubhouse were so many hats and do so many things. It's so hard to keep up with what that looks like. So very grateful for that.

And then my next sort of step of that journey was like looking for sponsors and people willing to help with the cost of the book, since it is quite expensive and pricey to get that going. So I met one through Clubhouse as well, but I'm like searching for more now. So again, Clubhouse is like the tool, the way to do it. If you know how to use it right, you get all the connections that you need, right? A hundred percent. Well, are you still addicted to it or are you kind all the connections that you need right 100 well are you still addicted to it or are you kind of more mindful of your time i'm definitely a lot more mindful now i think i was more addicted in the beginning when i was trying to build my following up really really quickly and then after i hit like a certain point i was like okay like i'm gonna chill now and then

also there aren't even that many exciting rooms going on as much as there were. You know, I feel like all the good topics have been taken. So I've definitely chilled. What about you? Yeah, I think you have that three weeks window of addiction. And then after three months, you really have to plan it out, be strategic about your time. That way you last long. But just amazing friendship. Like I would have not met you and so many amazing human soul.

I mean, I'm so, if I have to do it again, I'll do it again because it really is a frictionless way of meeting amazing people. I mean, we all have to pay and fly in one place to get together, but there you can just get to know people,

which is such a blessing in a way. It is a huge blessing. And you especially have such an incredible network and presence on there. Like that 24 hour summit you did on women's in honor of women's history month on International Women's Day, like was so inspiring. So you're making huge drives and waves on Clubhouse, as I'm sure you already know, and far and beyond that platform, too. So it's really cool to see. Oh, thank you, Bushra oh thank you with you being one of the speaker that really creates huge impact and a lot of people loves you including my friend christina are you

guys talking now christina harbridge um no i don't think so but i'm definitely gonna like check my instagram dms and like get in touch with her because i don't think we actually like formally connected the way we should have there's just so many people that reached out that day because of that event that it was kind of overwhelming. So I don't think we connected, but we definitely should. Sure, I'll make sure because she will be the right person for you. Now, Bushra, tell me who's your role model? Who's that someone that really create that huge impact for you? Yeah. So I have two.

One is my dad. My dad is my biggest role model because he came to the United States from Karachi, Pakistan with $20 in his pocket and worked every job from busing tables to flipping burgers to delivering pizzas to driving a taxi to later owning his own clothing store on the west side of Chicago. So quite the serial entrepreneur himself and did all of that to help make ends meet for his family and worked so extremely hard. So my dad definitely inspires me and motivates me in so many ways. And then outside of that, I love, love, love Michelle Obama. Like actually, I'm so obsessed with her I think she carries herself

with so much elegance poise and grace and there's so much negativity and hate that she's faced and controversy that she's faced as you know the first lady that so many other first ladies historically never did which I think is really unfair and to some extent in some way yet she didn't let that get to her did her own thing and continues to be resilient and strive for excellence. So those are the two that I would say. And how do you stay inspired? I think it's because I look for inspiration from more than just one source. I don't put all my eggs into one basket. So for example, if you ask me for my inspirations, I wrote my a blog post on this, I wrote it on Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kamala Harris. And it's like all of these women that

have really shattered the glass ceiling and like paved the way so people like me could run on that paved way, right? Like, I guess that's what the metaphor sounds like. But I definitely don't look for it in one place. And it's looking for it in constantly different places keeps me inspired and motivated. And what else I can see motivated is seeing how far that I've come with like literally no infrastructure or like things in place. Like it only makes me imagine like, wow, like how far I truly could go. Love it. Love it. Now, Boucher, how do you want to be remembered? Oh, gosh, that is such a good question um I definitely want to be remembered as you know someone who had a very had pure intentions for everyone around her like someone who you know I think Islam teaches me one thing that is intention

comes before everything and you know someone with good intentions really can make a huge difference and strides in the lives of others. So I definitely want to be remembered as someone who was kind hearted, someone who was nice, someone who made an impact in the lives of others who used her platform for good. And it did things of that sort. So that's how I would want to be remembered. Yeah. And where can they find you? Yeah, I can. I'm on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Clubhouse, and I'm at Bushra Amiwala on all of those. Well, it's so nice having you here, Bushra. And like, again, I'm so proud of you. And I can't wait to see you.

I know I'm going to be seeing you there somewhere. Like I'm going to, oh, I met her when she was just starting. I'm sure that's going to happen. Well, I'm so happy and met her when she was just starting I'm sure that's going to happen well I'm so happy and so proud of you I want you to know that and I will be seeing you around thank you thank you so much Kate for having me you're a gem you're so sweet thank you thank you this is an amazing conversation honor having you here thank you so much and good luck okay yeah bye we hope you enjoyed the show don't forget to rate review and subscribe and visit katehancock.com so you don't miss out on the next episode