Ambition, Motherhood, and the Courage to Change Direction with Shireen Qadri

Ambition, Motherhood, and the Courage to Change Direction with Shireen Qadri

In this episode of Not Your Lawyer, Mona Reza sits down with Shireen Qadri – founder of moji masala – to discuss career transitions, motherhood, and building a business rooted in personal values. Shireen shares her journey from Wall Street to entrepreneurship, and reflects on burnout, identity, and the realities of redefining success while navigating family and ambition. They discuss what it means to create work that aligns with life, purpose, and joy. What You’ll Learn: * How to navigate career burnout and major life pivots * The balance of motherhood, ambition, and timing * Building a business aligned with your personal values * Redefining success, balance, and joy over time As always, while Mona is a lawyer, she is not your lawyer. This episode is educational conversation, not legal advice. ABOUT OUR GUEST, SHIREEN QADRI: Shireen is the founder of Moji Masala, a modern food brand inspired by Kashmiri flavors and family tradition. A former Wall Street professional, she left finance to build a values-driven business that makes home cooking more accessible, healthier, and culturally rooted. Through Moji Masala, Shireen brings together entrepreneurship, identity, and care by creating products that reflect both heritage and modern life. You can learn more at: mojimasala.com [http://mojimasala.com] WHERE TO FIND MONA REZA, HOST OF NOT YOUR LAWYER Follow along with Mona: Instagram: @stellar5legal https://www.instagram.com/stellar5legal/ [https://www.instagram.com/stellar5legal/] Website: https://www.stellar5legal.com/not-your-lawyer-podcast [https://www.stellar5legal.com/not-your-lawyer-podcast] Watch Not Your Lawyer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotYourLawyerS5L [https://www.youtube.com/@NotYourLawyerS5L] Questions, thoughts, or want to collaborate with Mona or Not Your Lawyer? Email Mona at mona@stellar5legal.com [mona@stellar5legal.com] This podcast is produced and supported by Other Kind Media – otherkindmedia.com [http://otherkindmedia.com]

Real Estate, Risk, and Building Wealth with Kim Kash

Realtor Kim Kash joins Not Your Lawyer host Mona Reza for a conversation about real estate, entrepreneurship, and the legal realities behind one of the biggest financial decisions people will ever make: buying a home. This episode explores what homeownership really means as an asset, a risk, a business tool, and a legal responsibility. Kim, consistently recognized by Real Trends and Washingtonian as a leading Realtor in the D.C. metro region, shares what most buyers don’t see: the strategy, financial literacy, and long-term planning required to make real estate a wealth-building tool. In this conversation, she and Mona discuss where real estate decisions intersect with credit, liability, trusts, taxes, business ownership, and asset protection. What you’ll learn: * Why your home is both a personal space and a business asset * How entrepreneurship changes your mortgage eligibility, lending profile, and credit strategy * What first-time buyers often misunderstand about financing contingencies and appraisal gaps * The financial and legal risks of borrowing against your home to fund a business * Why having the right professionals matters, and where a Realtor’s role ends and legal advice begins This is a must-listen for: * First-time homebuyers * Entrepreneurs and small business owners * Parents helping children buy property * Anyone thinking about property as part of their long-term financial strategy As always, while Mona is a lawyer, she is not your lawyer. This episode is educational conversation, not legal advice. ABOUT OUR GUEST, KIM KASH Kim Kash is a highly respected Realtor serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, with offices in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Capitol Hill. She has been repeatedly recognized as a top-producing agent by Real Trends and Washingtonian magazine. Raised in a real estate family in Prince George’s County and later building a career in communications and publishing before returning to the industry, Kim brings both strategic expertise and deep market knowledge to her work. She is known for helping clients navigate not just transactions, but the larger financial picture behind them. You can learn more at KimKash.com [http://KimKash.com] http://kimkash.com WHERE TO FIND MONA REZA, HOST OF NOT YOUR LAWYER Follow along with Mona: Instagram: @stellar5legal https://www.instagram.com/stellar5legal/ [https://www.instagram.com/stellar5legal/] Website: https://www.stellar5legal.com/not-your-lawyer-podcast [https://www.stellar5legal.com/not-your-lawyer-podcast] Watch Not Your Lawyer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotYourLawyerS5L [https://www.youtube.com/@NotYourLawyerS5L] Questions, thoughts, or want to collaborate with Mona or Not Your Lawyer? Email Mona at mona@stellar5legal.com [mona@stellar5legal.com] This podcast is produced and supported by Other Kind Media – otherkindmedia.com [http://otherkindmedia.com]

How Estate Planning Protects Your Intellectual Property: Let's Talk About AI, Copyright Theft, and Estate Disasters

Award-winning children’s book author, Hena Khan, joins Not Your Lawyer for a conversation about winding career paths, creative work, intellectual property and asset protection, and the surprisingly emotional legal questions behind the books we love. Hena is the author of more than 35 children’s books, including “It’s Ramadan Curious George” and “Night of the Moon”. In this episode she shares how she found her way back to her first love, writing. Her story is a reminder that callings aren’t always linear, and that side projects can become life’s work. Together, we explore: * How Hena transitioned from public health and international development into writing books for children and young adults * The realities of work-for-hire writing, IP ownership, and what authors actually give up * A discussion around copyright basics such as, public domain, life-plus-70 rules, and why some books disappear * What happens to creative work after an author passes, including unpublished drafts and artistic estates * The ethics, fears, and frustrations authors face around AI and creative ownership * Why estate planning isn’t just legal paperwork, but a love letter to the people you leave behind The conversation also dives into reading tastes across generations, nostalgic childhood favorites, and how personal libraries, manuscripts, and even unfinished ideas carry both emotional and legal weight. As always, while this episode touches on legal concepts, nothing discussed is legal advice, just thoughtful conversation meant to help you better understand the world around you. ABOUT OUR GUEST, HENA KHAN Hena Khan is an award-winning author of over 35 children's books written over the last two decades. Many of them draw on her own experiences as a Pakistani American, as a Muslim, and as a young woman growing up in a multicultural America. You can follow her on Instagram @henakhanbooks https://www.instagram.com/henakhanbooks/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/henakhanbooks/?hl=en] and visit her website at https://henakhan.com/ [https://henakhan.com/] . WHERE TO FIND MONA REZA, HOST OF NOT YOUR LAWYER Follow along with Mona: Instagram: @stellar5legal https://www.instagram.com/stellar5legal/ [https://www.instagram.com/stellar5legal/] Website: https://www.stellar5legal.com/not-your-lawyer-podcast [https://www.stellar5legal.com/not-your-lawyer-podcast] Watch Not Your Lawyer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotYourLawyerS5L [https://www.youtube.com/@NotYourLawyerS5L] Questions, thoughts, or want to collaborate with Mona or Not Your Lawyer? Email Mona at mona@stellar5legal.com [mona@stellar5legal.com] This podcast is produced and supported by Other Kind Media – otherkindmedia.com [http://otherkindmedia.com] Swedish Death Cleaning: https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/organizing-tips/a65983186/swedish-death-cleaning-process/ [https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/organizing-tips/a65983186/swedish-death-cleaning-process/]

From Children’s Books to Life Lessons: Creativity, Culture, and Legacy with Hena Khan

Hena is an award-winning author of over 35 children's books written over the last two decades. Many of them draw on her own experiences as a Pakistani American, as a Muslim, and as a young woman growing up in a multicultural America. Not Your Lawyer podcast, where we talk about everything related to businesses, estate planning and administration, nonprofits and tax for female founders and entrepreneurs. Connect with the host: Website: www.stellar5legal.com [http://www.stellar5legal.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Stellar5legal [https://www.instagram.com/Stellar5legal] LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/smonareza [http://www.linkedin.com/in/smonareza]

From NIL to Generational Wealth: Money, Taxes & Legacy with CPA Diana Ingemanson

Diana Ingemanson is the owner of White Wolf CPA. She is a CPA, a business and tax advisor to both athletes and traditional business owners, helping them grow and keep more of their wealth. Not Your Lawyer podcast, where we talk about everything related to businesses, estate planning and administration, nonprofits and tax for female founders and entrepreneurs. Connect with the host: Website: www.stellar5legal.com [http://www.stellar5legal.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Stellar5legal [https://www.instagram.com/Stellar5legal] LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/smonareza [http://www.linkedin.com/in/smonareza]