A decade in Corporate as a Hijabee - My story

In this deeply personal episode of Those Avoided Topics, host Ibtisam Habib turns the mic on herself to share the unfiltered story of her career — the wins, the missteps, and the quiet revolutions in between.From being a top-performing university student to landing a coveted role at Unilever, Ibtisam seemed to be ticking all the right boxes. But behind the scenes was a hijabee woman navigating culture shock, code-switching, and corporate politics in rooms that weren’t built for her. She opens up about the growing pains of first-time leadership, the isolating experience of working as an African expatriate in India, and the moment she realized that asking for help is its own kind of power.Her journey comes full circle when she returns home to revive a brand on the brink — and does it successfully. But even then, she knew the climb wasn't the whole story. This episode is her reclamation — a reminder that career “success” isn’t always linear, and sometimes, walking away is the most courageous move of all.If you've ever questioned your path, felt unseen in your workplace, or wrestled with the fear of leaving something “good” for something more meaningful — this one’s for you.