Standing in my own truth, by Moj Mahdara

No boys. No dresses. As a teen, Moj Mahdara, founder of the fashion media company Beautycon, knows she’s different. And growing up in a traditional Iranian household, she struggles to reveal her own true identity. When two long-term houseguests descend — her grandmothers — Moj is shocked to learn that each woman has a surprising story of identity of her own. She learns secrets. She also learns that generations before her, family members had fought to define themselves. And it’s through these old souls that Moj finds the strength to stand in her own truth. Listen here. Hear music from Moj's paternal grandmother, Moluk Anghoz (1934–2007), known as Afat: See Afat performing at 5:17 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQlCZ4_PEnk&feature=youtu.be&t=320 And at 9:51 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW5Cez8pSs8&feature=youtu.be&t=591 One more song from Afat, accompanied by amazing photos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vog2KTa7Juw&feature=youtu.be If this episode resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to share your reflections by rating and reviewing Meditative Story in your podcast player. It helps other listeners find their way to the show, and we’d be so grateful. Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.