Farah Meghji on Building Change Inside Healthcare and Learning to Advocate for Yourself | Be Anomalous by Sai Menon

In this episode of Be Anomalous, Farah Meghji joins me for a grounded, honest conversation about identity, reinvention, and what it really means to navigate healthcare when the system isn’t designed to guide you.Farah grew up as the only South Asian kid in a small town outside Toronto—raised by immigrant parents who believed in education, sacrifice, and blending in to stay safe. But her life and work eventually pulled her in the opposite direction: toward visibility, voice, and building something that challenges the way healthcare has always been done.We discuss the tension that many of us carry—wanting to fit in as kids, then spending our adulthood unlearning that survival strategy. Farah shares how her worldview shifted as she moved through school, work, motherhood, and caregiving—until she realized the “rules” of healthcare aren’t neutral. They reward confidence, access, and self-advocacy. And most people aren’t taught how to do any of that.That’s what led her to co-found Unum—a company built on a simple but radical idea: lived experience is expertise. Not as a nice-to-have. As something that should shape decisions, policies, and solutions.We also get into the role AI is already playing in healthcare—how it can help patients translate complex information, prepare for appointments, and advocate more effectively—without replacing the human heart of care.If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed inside a system that expects you to “just know,” this episode will make you feel seen—and better equipped.