Well Rooted

Эпизоды

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  The Potion Studio Founder Aziza El Wanni on Palestinian-Carribean Roots and Hair Care Entrepreneurship 05.08.2026 59мин

  In this episode of Well Rooted, Aziza El Wanni - founder of luxury hair care brand The Potion Studio - breaks down the full arc of building a culturally-rooted beauty company from the ground up: identifying a real gap in the hair care market, the early kitchen-table formulation stage, funding and manufacturing challenges, and the behind-the-scenes story of how The Potion Studio landed on shelves at Nordstrom as a culturally-specific brand. Aziza also opens up about her dual heritage - Palestinian and Curaçaoan - and how inherited beauty rituals, hair oiling traditions, and undocumented generational knowledge shaped both her personal identity and The Potion Studio's actual formulations. We talk about what other brands get wrong about haircare, how growing up between two diasporic identities shaped her as an entrepreneur, and how her own relationship with her hair has evolved over time. To shop The Potion Sutdio, click HERE To follow The Potion Studio on Instragram, click HERE To follow Aziza on Instagram, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE To learn more about how Jarrar & Associates and setup your free consultation, click HERE
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  Ebraheem Al Samadi | Star of Dubai Bling on Building Forever Rose, Reality TV, & Staying Unfiltered 30.07.2026 1ч 24мин

  This week on Well Rooted, we're revisiting our episode featuring Ebraheem Al Samadi - the breakout star of Dubai Bling and founder of Forever Rose and Forever Rose Café - for a conversation that's as candid as it is captivating. Ebraheem takes us from his Florida roots to the glittering world he's built in the UAE, sharing the story behind the empire with humor, heart, and zero filter. We talk entrepreneurship from the ground up, the mindset that fueled his rise, and the confidence he brings to using his platform for the causes he cares about. He also pulls back the curtain on life on a hit Netflix show, gets real about relationships and the cost of fame, and reflects on what it actually takes to stay grounded while reaching higher. Bold, honest, and full of laughs this is one episode you definitely need to relive.   To follow Ebraheem on Instagram, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE To learn more about Jarrar & Associates and schedule a free consultation, click HERE
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  Palestinian Olive Oil, Diaspora Identity, and the Business of Reclamation with Ya Albi Founder Yasmeen Abouremeleh 15.07.2026 48мин

  Yasmeen co-founded Ya Albi with her mother to put Palestinian olive oil back in the hands of people who understand what it means. What she built is one of the most visually striking food brands in the diaspora: hot pink tins, Y2K aesthetics, custom bottles for a Huda Beauty event - proof that Palestinian products don't have to look like grief to be taken seriously. We get into the truth about the global olive oil supply, the decade in fashion that shaped the brand's entire identity, and the resistance she's faced as a founder, including being pulled from a Los Angeles shelf for no reason other than being Palestinian. This is a conversation about land, lineage, and building something beautiful in the middle of an erasure.   To follow Ya Albi on Instagram, click HERE To order Ya Albi, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE To learn more about Jarrar & Associates CPAs, click HERE
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  Roots, Land, & the Power of Indigenous Storytelling with Jenan Matari 03.07.2026 1ч 11мин

  Award-winning author, publicist, and activist Jenan Matari joins Well Rooted to discuss her upcoming Palestinian children's book, Everything Grows in Jiddo's Garden, and the deeper mission behind it: raising children with a strong connection to their roots and and their land. In this episode, Jenan opens up about reclaiming and preserving Palestinian identity through storytelling, and what it means to parent within a diaspora that often challenges indigenous connection to land. We talk about the sacred relationship between indigenous people and their land, and how protecting that bond becomes its own form of resistance and reclamation. We also go beyond the book to explore Jenan's entrepreneurial path - from founding MISSMUSLIM, one of the first lifestyle platforms built for Muslim women, to launching ZAYTOUN Publicity, a PR agency dedicated to amplifying native, Arab, and Muslim voices. A conversation about identity, motherhood, land, and the power of storytelling rooted in culture - from the voices leading the SWANA cultural shift forward.   To follow Jenan on Instagram, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE To follow us on YouTube, click HERE To learn more about Jarrar & Associates and book your free consultation, click HERE
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  Abeer: Arab Girl Problems, Palestine & Why We Still Laugh | ICYMI 11.06.2026 49мин

  In this episode, we're joined by Arab comedian and content creator, Abeer, for an honest conversation about dating as an Arab woman, advocacy for Palestine, and using humor to challenge cultural expectations. Abeer shares how she built her platform, what drives her creative voice, and why she believes comedy and activism belong in the same space. This episode is for anyone that's ever been made to feel like they're too much but knows they're meant for a lot more.   To follow Abeer on Instagram, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE To learn more about Jarrar & Associates and schedule your free consultation, click HERE
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  How to Build Wealth as an Entrepreneur: Common Financial Mistakes and Why Filing Taxes Isn't Enough | CPA Sam Jarrar, Jarrar & Associates 05.06.2026 1ч 11мин

  Most people think hiring a CPA is just about filing taxes. Sam Jarrar-with his extensive experience managing high profile clients and guiding enterpreneurs of all experience levels-is here to change that. In this episode of Well Rooted, we sit down with Samer Jarrar, founder of Jarrar & Associates CPAs, Beverly Hills' award-winning accounting firm-to talk about what it really takes to build and protect wealth as an entrepreneur. Sam opens up about his journey from immigrant to industry leader, the financial mistakes he sees new business owners make over and over, and why your relationship with your accountant should go far deeper than a once-a-year tax return. He also answers real questions from our audience on navigating the financial side of entrepreneurship. If you're serious about growing your business and building lasting wealth, this episode is your blueprint.   To learn more about how Jarrar & Associates can help you reach your goals, or to set up your free consultation with Sam, click HERE To follow Jarrar & Associates on Instagram, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE
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  Paul Elia on Being a 'Good Son,' Chaldean Assyrian Identity, and Breaking Into Hollywood 27.05.2026 1ч 1мин

  Paul Elia is a Chaldean Assyrian comedian who almost became a lawyer - until Hollywood had other plans. On this episode of Well Rooted, we sit down with Paul to talk about his brand-new stand-up special Good Son, now on YouTube, and the winding road that brought him here: from law school dreams to becoming a Hollywood regular, to finally leaning all the way into where he comes from. We get into what it really means to be Chaldean and Assyrian in America, how Hollywood sees - and often misreads - Middle Eastern artists, and why his most personal work is also his most fearless. To follow Paul on Instagram, click HERE To learn more about Paul's upcoming shows, click HERE To watch Good Son on YouTube, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE To learn more about Jarrar & Associates, click HERE
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  Lara Salmon on art as resistance, the Middle East's transformative power, and why FYVP is clothing with a conscience 13.05.2026 51мин

  What happens when art stops being decorative and starts being dangerous — in the best possible way? Lara Salmon has spent her career asking that question. A world-renowned Irish-American performance artist and co-founder of social justice apparel brand For Your Viewing Pleasure (FYVP), Lara has built a life at the intersection of radical creativity and deep human solidarity. In this conversation, she joins us to talk about all of it — the work, the world, and the cost of paying attention. We trace her journey from immersive performance practice to years spent living in the Middle East, where proximity to conflict, beauty, and survival fundamentally shifted how she thinks about art's purpose. Her time working alongside refugees and marginalized communities didn't just inform FYVP — it became the reason for it. The brand she built with her partner and designer Vanessa is clothing as conscience: wearable resistance for people who refuse to look away. We also go there on the art world's relationship with Palestinian liberation — who's speaking, who's staying silent, and what that silence costs. This is a conversation about creativity as a form of courage. About what it means to make something when the stakes are real. To shop FYVP, click HERE To follow FYVP on Instagram, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE To learn more about Jarrar & Associates CPAs and book your free consultation, click HERE
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  Can art change the world? Lara Salmon of For Your Viewing Pleasure on resistance, healing, and why staying silent was never an option 13.05.2026

  What happens when art stops being decorative and starts being dangerous — in the best possible way? Lara Salmon has spent her career asking that question. A world-renowned Irish-American performance artist and co-founder of social justice apparel brand For Your Viewing Pleasure (FYVP), Lara has built a life at the intersection of radical creativity and deep human solidarity. In this conversation, she joins us to talk about all of it — the work, the world, and the cost of paying attention. We trace her journey from immersive performance practice to years spent living in the Middle East, where proximity to conflict, beauty, and survival fundamentally shifted how she thinks about art's purpose. Her time working alongside refugees and marginalized communities didn't just inform FYVP — it became the reason for it. The brand she built with her partner and designer Vanessa is clothing as conscience: wearable resistance for people who refuse to look away. We also go there on the art world's relationship with Palestinian liberation — who's speaking, who's staying silent, and what that silence costs. This is a conversation about creativity as a form of courage. About what it means to make something when the stakes are real. To shop For Your Viewing Pleasure, click HERE To follow For Your Viewing Pleasure on Instagram, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE To book a consultation with Jarrar & Associates, click HERE
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  ROOTED RECAP | Culture is Not For Sale and Other Musings on the Met 08.05.2026 22мин

  This week we're doing a quick recap on the Oligarch Gala: who showed up, why it's embarrassing, and why money and power do not translate to cultural currency and relevence. We're also shining a light on one of our previous guests, Sylwia Nazzal, and sharing why we want to see here-plus more Arab artists-celebrated at future (hopefully less problematic) Met Gala carpets. Catch up on Sylwia's episode down below!   Listen to Sylwia's episode HERE Watch Sylwia's episode HERE Follow us on Instagram HERE
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  Acne, Sobriety, and Building a Skincare Empire with Marya Khalil-Otto of VI Peel 01.05.2026 1ч 36мин

  Marya Khalil-Otto didn't just inherit a company - she inherited a mission. As CEO of VI Peel, the first painless chemical peel formulated for all skin tones, Marya carries forward the legacy of her father, Dr. Khalil, who originally created the peel to treat her own acne. In this episode of Well Rooted, Marya gets real about what it took to step into leadership after losing her father, relocate to LA, and go back to school to get her aesthetician license - not because she had to, but because she wanted to truly understand the brand and the people it serves. We get into the actual science behind acne and why it's never just a skincare issue, how sobriety completely shifted her relationship with herself and her work, and what inclusivity in the aesthetics industry actually looks like in practice. Plus, what it's like to run a thriving company while showing up as a mother and a whole person.   To follow Marya on Instagram, click HERE To follow VI Peel on Instagram, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE To learn more about Jarrar & Associates and schedule a free consultation, click HERE
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  ROOTED RECAP | Nochella, Coachella, and the SWANA Takeover 23.04.2026 19мин

  I'm back from Coachella where I watched SWANA artists, representing Palestine to Algeria and Egypt to Pakistan unleash their incomparable energy on the festival stage. I'm sharing my thoughts on DJ Habibeats and Zainab's Coachella premiere, DJ Snake's legendary back2back trap takeover, and what I really think about Sabrina Carpenter's response following the now infamous "Zaghrootagate." Plus, I'm unpacking the brilliant execution of the community led Nochella event that saw brands like For Your Viewing Pleasure and Diaspora People's Place raise over $31,000 for Palestine and Lebanon while uniting LA's finest to celebrate community, resilience, and art.  Listen, comment, or send us a DM (see below for details), and we'll feature you on the next Rooted Recap! Follow Well Rooted on Instagram HERE Listen to our episdoe featuring Lara Salmon of FYVP HERE Listen to our episode featuring Nael Atweh of Grassfed Music HERE
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  Building Power with Layla Shaikley | Identity, Entrepreneurship & Emotional Intelligence 08.04.2026 59мин

  What does it take to build power when the system wasn't built for you? This week, I sit down with Iraqi-American entrepreneur, startup founder, and one of the most trusted voices in entrepreneurship and career strategy on social media, Layla Shaikley. Layla's story spans architecture school, NASA, MIT, building a multi-million dollar tech startup, and even a viral Muslim hipster music video. She didn't wait to be chosen. She built her own table. In this episode: ·        Growing up Muslim and Arab in post-9/11 America with zero representation ·        Why your identity is your greatest strategic asset ·        The "super founder" concept and what your first business actually teaches you ·        Why emotional intelligence is the most underrated form of generational wealth ·        How to find your voice as a creator (even when it feels embarrassing) ·        Why representation is just the first step, and ownership is what gives us real power This one is for the founders, the creators, the first-gen dreamers, and every parent thinking about the environment they're building for their kids.   To follow Layla on Instagram, click HERE To learn about Layla, click HERE To follow Layla on Substack, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE To learn more about Jarrar & Associates and schedule your free consultation, click HERE
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  ROOTED RECAP | The Duality of Arab-American Identity, Judgment, and Community 03.04.2026 27мин

  Apparenlty, we listen and we do judge! Wow, guys-our last episode featuring the talented and relatable Farah of Lesh La2 really resonated with so many of you and inspired me to share a bit of my own experience and perspective growing up as a first-gen Arab-American. I also reflect on the role judgment and scrutiny plays in our society (you know aside from uplifting the patriarchy), and I offer up some practical ways I've cultivated the community I seeked and how I found confidence in identity. Reclaiming ownership of the MENA/SWANA narrative starts with us sharing our stories, so enjoy a snippet of mine.   Follow Well Rooted on Instagram Here  
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  "Why Not?" Rewriting the Arab Narrative with Farah Fezz of Lesh La2 26.03.2026 1ч 8мин

  In this episode of Well Rooted, Farah, founder of Lesh La2, shares how she built a design-led creative brand rooted in Arab nostalgia, culture, and storytelling. What started as teaching Arabic on TikTok quickly evolved into Lesh La2-a platform blending design, typography, and Arab pop culture to reshape modern Arab identity and narrative ownership. Farah breaks down how she transformed digital content into a purpose-driven brand, and how nostalgia can be used as a creative tool to inspire the future. We also explore entrepreneurship, pivoting careers, and the importance of Arab women reclaiming their stories through design, media, and culture. This episode is a deep dive into Arab creative entrepreneurship, cultural storytelling, and the rise of design-driven brands in the digital age.   To follow Lesh La2 on Instagram, click HERE To follow Farah on Instagram, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE
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  Feeding Gaza: Hani Almadhoun on the Gaza Soup Kitchen, Humanitarian Aid with UNRWA, and Palestine 11.03.2026 41мин

  In this episode of Well Rooted, Hani Almadhoun, founder of the Gaza Soup Kitchen and Head of Philanthropy at UNRWA USA, shares the story behind a grassroots humanitarian effort feeding thousands in Gaza. Hani reflects on the loss of his martyred brothers and the legacy they left behind through a community-led operation built by the people of Gaza to sustain the people of Gaza. We also discuss the emotional toll of humanitarian aid work, how to identify trustworthy organizations when donating, and why Ramadan is a powerful time to make a zakat-eligible donation to support UNRWA and families in Gaza.   To follow Gaza Soup Kitchen on Instagram, click HERE To make a donation to UNRWA USA, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE To learn more about Jarrar & Associates and schedule a free consultation, click HERE
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  Reclaiming Palestinian cuisine and identity with the Knafeh Queens | ICYMI 26.02.2026 59мин

  This week we are revisiting last year's Eid episode featuring the mother-daughter duo behind Knafeh Queens, Fatmah and Reyhanna. I don't think I ever laughed as hard during a taping as when we recorded this fun, truly wholesome, and valuable episode. Fatmah is a testament to Palestinian resilience and community building, and through her journey with Knafeh Queens, has reclaimed Palestinian cuisine and built a brand that resonates across cultures. We'll be back next week with a new solo episode!    
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  Manifestation in Islam, Realizing your true potential, and living intentionally with Nadia Khaled | ICYMI 19.02.2026 1ч 2мин

  Ramadan Mubarak to all those celebrating! We are kicking off this month of faith, intention, and realignment with a rerelease of our episode featuring manifestation coach, content creator, and host of the Limitless with Nadia podcast, Nadia Khaled. This is a great episode to dive into as we dicuss making Du'a vs manifestation, setting and executing on goals, and what it really means to live intentionally and with purpose.  Enjoy the episode and I'll be back next Wednesday with a brand new solo episode!  
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  ROOTED RECAP| The Cultural Impact of the Bad Bunny Bowl, Rolla Selbak's Creative Defiance, and Leaving Comfort Behind 12.02.2026 13мин

  In this solo episode, we reflect on the cultural impact of the Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show-what it revealed about language, identity, and who gets to take up space on global stages. We also recall our recent conversation with filmmaker, Rolla Selbak and our discussion on narrative ownership, creative risk, and telling stories that push boundaries. At its core, this episode is about why growth, personally and culturally, requires us to try new things and step outside our comfort zones. Because real change, in art and in life, usually starts where comfort ends.   Follow Well Rooted on Instagram HERE
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  Rolla Selbak on Palestinian Cinema, Industry Censorship, and Shooting The Visitor with Watermelon Pictures 04.02.2026 56мин

  In this episode of Well Rooted, we sit down with Palestinian filmmaker Rolla Selbak on the brink of herrr next chapter - preparing to shoot her upcoming film The Visitor in collaboration with Watermelon Pictures. Rolla reflects on her journey through the film and entertainment industry, from navigating and resisting deeply ingrained stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims to the professional cost of standing firmly with Palestine, including being let go by CAA for refusing to stay silent. We trace her earliest memories of Arab cinema and art, the images and stories that shaped her creative consciousness, and how those roots continue to guide her work today. This conversation is about redemption through truth - what it means to reclaim one's voice after erasure, to create without apology, and to stand fully in alignment with who you are, even when the industry pushes back. We go deep into the systemic censorship of Palestinian voices, the limits placed on "acceptable" narratives, and the responsibility of artists to humanitarian and political causes in moments of global reckoning. A powerful, honest dialogue on narrative ownership, creative courage, and what it means to tell our stories on our own terms - no permission required.   To follow Rolla on Instagram, click HERE To learn more about the Safina Film Project, click HERE To follow Well Rooted on Instagram, click HERE To learn more about how Jarrar & Associates can help you grow your business, click HERE