Balancing Religion and Culture in a Secular Society: A Conversation with Shahira Qudrat

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In this episode, I sit down with Shahira Qudrat to discuss her lifelong spiritual journey and the challenge of reconciling her Afghan cultural upbringing with her American identity. 

As a young Afghan-American woman, Shahira found herself caught between two cultures—balancing the traditional religious values of her family with the modern, secular expectations of American society. 

Shahira also opens up about navigating difficult life experiences like an early marriage, divorce, and mental health struggles, sharing how she learned to find healing and purpose through her personal relationship with God. From her teenage years of exploring various religious traditions to the wisdom she shares with us, her journey is both deeply personal and universally relatable. This episode is filled with powerful lessons on the role of curiosity, community, and the many different paths that can guide us home.


Shahira Qudrat is a 1.5-generation Afghan-American Muslim woman and a dedicated daughter, sister, mother of five, and wife. With over 20 years of experience in private and non-profit sectors and the multicultural identity space, Shahira is a business leader specializing in strategy and planning. Her core strengths include organizational change management, high-functioning team development, business strategy planning, and project management, which she leverages to merge passion with purpose in her professional endeavors.

Find Shahira on Instagram @shahira_qudrat 

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Music credits: Vocals: Zeynep Dilara Aslan; Ney/drum: Elif Önal; Tanbur: Katherine Hreib; Rebap: Hatice Gülbahar Hepsev