PODCAST · society
This Stays Between Us
by Be the Change Media Network and Zarin Khan
This Stays Between Us is more than just a podcast; it is a quiet revolution. It is a mic being passed to the girl sitting at the back. A gentle uproar against the systems that told us our worth as women lies in silence, in stillness, in being small. Here, I gather the stories that live in the corners — unspoken, untold, tucked beneath generations of “what will people say?” Through intimate monologues, cultural reckoning, and gentle faith reflections, I invite you to remember the girl you were before the world taught you to hide her. With each episode, I peel back the layers of shame, expectation, and silence stitched into the seams of culture. I talk about body image, healing, modesty, desire, faith, and the quiet power of coming home to yourself. Here, nothing is too small to matter. Here, in this reflective space, this stays between us.
Episodes
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S4 Ep 7 - On What It Means To Be A Good Man
In this episode, I critique the traditional expectations of masculinity and explore how they limit men from the opportunity to expand and grow into changemakers. I explore whether a good man is someone who would never hurt a fly OR if a good man is someone who, whenever he notices injustice…
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S4 Ep 6 - When I Wear Kohl, I Find Me
Last year, I went through the worst friendship breakup ever, thinking that I would not be able to function without this person. This year, join me as I write a letter exploring my thoughts and how I've learned that Allah puts people in your life to teach you something, then removes them to make...
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S4 Ep 5 - On Loving in Silence, Secret and in the Dark
Is there someone in life who you miss? Maybe the two of you don’t speak, there’s been a fall out, or they have left this world and you will only meet them in the next. Does that mean love stops flowing? No. It means that love takes on a different form. Love becomes a prayer you whisper in the…
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S4 Ep 4: The Four Extra Days I Spent Inside the Womb
February 14th was my due date, but I arrived into the world four days later. I never thought much of it at first, until I realised how merciful it was of Allah, Ar-Rahman, to let me stay another four days inside my mother’s belly. Allah SWT knew of the hardships I would face in this world, so He...
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S4 Ep 3: The Sky Was Never The Limit
So... where do I begin? There was a guy. And his name was Sky. My first love has always been reading and writing. But at 17, my interest in this guy disturbed my art so deeply that I struggled to rescue it. Now, at 22, I’m looking back. In this episode, I explore a question every creative soul...
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S4 Ep 2: Uh-oh, it's the dreaded M's
Being both Bengali, a woman and in my early 20s, I know one thing for certain. The dreaded M's are coming my way. And what could they be? Maths equations, a masters degree, a minotaur? No - (surprisingly those things are less scary). It is the season where I am forced to reflect deeply on whether…
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S4 Ep 1: On algebra and Al Jabbar
As an engineer, I've never felt comfortable with the unknown. Solving for x and y is one of the hardest tasks, because I like the certainty of knowing which equation to use and when. But as a Muslim especially, it is important for me to relinquish the need for control, and surrender to Allah. The...
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S3 Ep 9: Be Kind To Yourself First with Eden Byrne
In this episode, Eden and I will be talking about how important it is to be kind to yourself and to look after yourself as an eldest daughter. It is easy to put other people first, but what about you? What is it that you would like out of life? Join us as we unpack what it means to be kind…
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S3 Ep 8: It's Not That Deep, with Moka
In this episode, I sit with Moka - an engineer, designer and secret poetic genius - who tells me about how she would tell her younger self to be grateful for each phase of her life, from being a college student to a university student, and to not worry so much. She describes her journey during a...
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S3 Ep7: Is My Laughter Too Loud? - an episode on Bengali girlhood with Dia Islam
Growing up, Dia was told that her laughter was too loud. Being the eldest girl in her family, she felt the weight of her father's expectations, and the need to maintain her family reputation. Her story is a mirror for many Bengali sisters alike, who have shrunk themselves into tiny spaces to...
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S3 Ep 6: Who You are is in the Now, with Fizza Khan
In this episode, we meet the very lovely Fizza, who is a first-year journalism student with a passion for writing and poetry. We talk about our hijab journeys, life in Year 4, the importance of accepting who we are now and living in the present moment, and how public speaking can help with this....
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S3 Ep 5: From Personal Story to Published Novel, with Samiha Hoque
Today I get to sit with the debut Bangladeshi-American author, Samiha Hoque, and discuss the inspiration behind her novel 'Slums of Paradise'. Samiha talks about her research process when documenting the generational impact of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, a time of great political turmoil,...
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S3 Ep 4: On Being A High Achiever and Giving Yourself Grace, with Lily Mott
Were you an overachiever at school? Did you always want to be like Hermione Granger? Did you ever feel that if you did not get the highest mark, you were not enough? Today, in this episode of my 'Advice To My Younger Self' series, I am joined by Lily Mott, the CEO of Be The Change Media Network,...
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S3 Ep 3: For The Feminist Sister Warrior Who Reads
In a funk? Need a new book to pick you up? Or are you tired of having nothing interesting to read? In this special episode, I will tell you all about my latest favourite reads, from The First Jasmines by Saima Begum, to Mongrel by Hanako Footman, to my favourite story by Angela Carter: The…
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S3 Ep 2: Advice To My Younger Self - A Guest Episode with Mariam and Khadijah
Salaam, in this special episode I am joined by Mariam and Khadijah, two best friends who will talk about the friendship and life advice they would give to their younger selves in secondary school. Khadijah will also tell us a really heartwarming story about her school friend Maja who helped her…
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S3 Ep 1: On Freedom, Belonging and The Voices In My Head
Welcome to Season 3 of This Stays Between Us, where I will be talking about the pursuit of freedom, what it means to belong inside your body and finding comfort in the voices inside your head. This episode is an introduction of what's to come, with a special teaser on my guest episode series:...
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S2 Ep 5: This Stays Between Us Writing Competition - Winners and More!
In this post-Eid episode, I will read out the poems written by the two winners of last year's creative writing competition - Janki Shah (@wordbyjanki) and C.Louise (@hersoftspokensoul). The theme of the competition was secrets. One line in particular stuck out to me by C.Louise: 'secrets make a...
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S2 Ep 4: Shame Need Not Make a Home Out of You
Dear listener, when you feel a yearning in your heart. Ask. Ask the One who created you. He will not let you down. In this episode, I dive into a time where I made dua for good friendship. At the time, a major friendship had ended and left a hole inside me, a hole that I filled with dua. I…
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S2 Ep 3: This Stays Between Us - Ramadan Special
Picture this. You’ve moved out. You miss the comfort of your mother’s arms. You miss seeing your siblings tease you and laugh. You miss the warmth of your dad when he sits at the dining table, and asks you how your day is. Suddenly life has changed. You are living in a place where you should hear...
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S2 Ep 2: Pick up the pen, babe! For the girls who love to write
Is there a novel that you've been wanting to write? A poetry collection hiding at the back of your OneDrive? A protest speech that you just don't think is good enough but rehearse when no-one's watching you? In Episode 2 of Season 2: Go Global, we dive into a deep conversation with Ayman Sabir…
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S2 Ep 1: All Eyes on Sudan - The Crisis The World Has Ignored
Content warning: this episode mentions abuse, violence, torture and sexual assault in the context of the experiences of Sudanese people during the war. Welcome to episode 1 of a new chapter in my podcast: 'This Stays Between Us'. This series is called Go Global. Today we will be learning about...
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S1 Ep 8: What Do I Know About Love, Part Two
To wrap up 2025, I will tell you a winter love story featuring two people. The girl who held a date between her fingers, and the boy who stared at her in wonder. The girl who choked on her Arabic, and the boy who picked up each word. The girl who couldn't make eye contact, and the boy whose eyes...
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S1 Ep 7: What Do I Know About Love?
My generation thinks that love is a YA novel. That love is Draco and Hermione making eyes at each other. That love is the chocolate boxes, the bouquet of roses, and the candle lit dinners. And yes, maybe all of those contain an element of love. But what about the love that our parents have for…
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S1 Ep 6: Tea and Paper Cranes, Part 1
Being the only brown girl and hijabi at school was never going to be easy - except it became one of my biggest battles in my self-worth journey. From being bullied over my skin colour to finally seeing my worth, this has been a tough ride through which I hope to share some key learnings that…
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S1 Ep 5: 15 Qs to get to know your podcaster a bit better
As a thank you to everyone for all the support you've given me with my podcasting journey, I wanted to give you a bonus episode which is called: 15 Qs to get to know your podcaster a bit better (that is one mouthful of a title AHAH)! In this episode, I asked Chat GPT to come up with 15 questions...
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S1 Ep 4: When I Wear Kohl I Think Of You
In Episode 4 of my podcast, I will be exploring the break-up that no-one really talks about - the death of a friendship. I know! We should talk about this more! But don't worry, your big sister on the internet is here to talk about this huge topic and (hopefully!) make it easier to come to terms...
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S1 Ep 3: A Bengali Woman Does Not Shrink
“A Bengali woman does not shrink. She burns. She blooms. She becomes.” In the third episode of ‘This Stays Between Us’, I challenge the negative expectations placed on a Bengali woman and teach you that she does not have to shrink to please others. For the girl who had to walk on eggshells around...
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S1 Ep 2: The Tea on Tawakkul
In the second episode of ‘This Stays Between Us’, I will take you back to my first year of uni. I studied engineering for the first time and hit a wall. I bunked lectures. I failed modules. I wanted to walk away. On top of that, I wanted to be a writer, and thought, what am I doing in this degree...
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S1 Ep 1: Let Their Words Be Air
In the first episode of 'This Stays Between Us', I take you back to a moment where someone once said something that almost made me give up on my dreams. A boy who made me question my worth. But this episode isn't really about him. It's about the journey I took to silence his criticism and trust…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
This Stays Between Us is more than just a podcast; it is a quiet revolution. It is a mic being passed to the girl sitting at the back. A gentle uproar against the systems that told us our worth as women lies in silence, in stillness, in being small.
Here, I gather the stories that live in the corners — unspoken, untold, tucked beneath generations of “what will people say?” Through intimate monologues, cultural reckoning, and gentle faith reflections, I invite you to remember the girl you were before the world taught you to hide her. With each episode, I peel back the layers of shame, expectation, and silence stitched into the seams of culture. I talk about body image, healing, modesty, desire, faith, and the quiet power of coming home to yourself.
Here, nothing is too small to matter. Here, in this reflective space, this stays between us.
HOSTED BY
Be the Change Media Network and Zarin Khan
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does This Stays Between Us have?
This Stays Between Us currently has 29 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is This Stays Between Us about?
This Stays Between Us is more than just a podcast; it is a quiet revolution. It is a mic being passed to the girl sitting at the back. A gentle uproar against the systems that told us our worth as women lies in silence, in stillness, in being small. Here, I gather the stories that live in the...
How often does This Stays Between Us release new episodes?
This Stays Between Us has 29 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to This Stays Between Us?
You can listen to This Stays Between Us on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts This Stays Between Us?
This Stays Between Us is created and hosted by Be the Change Media Network and Zarin Khan.
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