She Wasn’t Allowed to Travel Alone, Now She’s Touring the World With Her Book | Shubnum Khan | Author & Artist

Shubnum Khan is a South African author, illustrator, and Muslim woman writer whose journey to creative freedom was anything but expected. In this episode, she talks with Kara about growing up in a conservative Muslim community, how travel opened her imagination, and why storytelling has the power to heal. They discuss her viral travel memoir, her breakout novel The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years, and how writing helped her find a life that felt like her own. Chapters: (00:00:01) – Writing, Politics, and Finding Her Place as a Brown Woman in South Africa (00:03:15) – Studying English, Starting Over, and Finishing Her First Novel (00:06:00) – Choosing Writing Over Art and the Dream of a Graphic Memoir (00:09:00) – Boundaries, Confidence, and Letting Go of People Pleasing (00:11:30) – Fighting to Travel Alone and Why Seeing the World Changed Everything (00:15:00) – Grief, Rejection, and the Choice to Stay Soft (00:20:30) – Single Women, Storytelling, and the Lives We Don’t Usually See (00:27:00) – Her Breakout Book, U.S. Tour, and What’s Coming Next The Powerful Ladies podcast, hosted by business coach and strategist Kara Duffy features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, creatives, athletes, chefs, writers, scientists, and more. Every Wednesday, new episodes explore what it means to lead with purpose, create with intention, and define success on your own terms. Whether you're growing a business, changing careers, or asking bigger questions, these stories remind you: you're not alone, and you're more powerful than you think. Explore more at thepowerfulladies.com and karaduffy.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices