Who Gets Seen? Visibility, Accessibility, and Community
See Life Different
What does it really mean to be seen — and what happens when being seen is paired with access and community? In this episode, Zaakirah shares reflections from attending SXSW London, the vision behind her panel "Who Gets Seen: Building Accessible Media, Events, and Experiences," and why accessibility can't be an afterthought — on stages, in content, or in business, the history of Black Business Month, and the power of LinkedIn networking. This episode weaves together visibility, accessibility, and community into one cohesive conversation that remains relevant long after any voting deadline....
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ADHD, AI, Artistry: Amber Andrews on Building a Brand that's Honest, Creative and Converting
See Life Different
Amber Andrews, co-founder of Amber's Artistry, shares how she turned an engineering-and-art background into a branding business that helps creatives turn attention into revenue. She gets candid about running a business with ADHD, why she's hesitant to let AI touch her design work, and how living with hearing loss has shaped her mission to make professional spaces more accessible for everyone. 1:03 – Amber's background: from engineering to art, building Amber's Artistry with Brooke 5:14 – The value of creative communities, online and in person 5:59 – Amber opens up about her hearing...
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Heart Led Awakening Turning Grief into Strength with Debi Lynn
See Life Different
Debi Lynn is the Founder of Heart-Led Awakening™, a Certified Grief Educator, keynote speaker, and international bestselling author. Drawing from her own journey through profound loss, divorce, and rebuilding her life as a single mother, she helps women leaders and entrepreneurs move beyond survival, restore confidence, and create lasting personal and professional success. In this episode, you'll learn how to navigate change, make confident decisions, prevent burnout, and lead with greater clarity and purpose. 0:00 — Intro: healing from the inside out; the show's mission 0:57 — Meet...
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Sensory Reset: Soft Stories of Joy, Belonging, and Healing Inner Child Live from Essence Fest
See Life Different
Sensory Reset: Rediscover Inner Joy — a live recording from the "Unbothered and Well" Activation during Essence Fest (New Orleans, July 4th, 2026). Timestamps: 0:41 — Session context: recorded live at Essence Fest's Unbothered and Well Activation 1:42 — Zaakirah shares her story as a childhood eye cancer survivor 2:48 — Learning to breathe, unclench the jaw, and reset the nervous system 4:03 — Reconnecting with your inner child through travel, art, and music 5:13 — Erica Chidi welcomes the room to the Talking Circle and explains Unbothered 7:02 — Explaining the...
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Essence Fest 2026 Recap As a Speaker And How to Become One
See Life Different
Zaakirah recaps her third Essence Festival experience — this time as a speaker across three different platforms. She breaks down how she landed the opportunity, what she covered on each stage, and gives a full budget-friendly itinerary for anyone planning their own Essence Fest trip. In this episode: – Intro: Who is Zaakirah & what See Life Different is about – Overview: Speaking on 3 stages at Essence Fest 2026 – Zaakirah's backstory: childhood eye cancer, vision/hearing loss, and her Essence Fest history (2016 → 2024 → 2026) – History of Essence Festival & the...
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WITS Travel Creator Recap and Keynote: How to Make Your Content More Accessible
See Life Different
Listen to the full audio of Zaakirah's main stage talk on creating more accessible travel content from the WITS Travel Creator Summit in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as well as the recap of the conference experience. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: [0:00] – Introduction: Who is Zaakirah Muhammad? [1:09] – First time attending the WITS Travel Creator Summit in Chattanooga, TN [1:35] – About Zaakirah: brand strategist, travel creator, blind in one eye, hard of hearing [1:50] – Being in a room with women and gender-diverse creators; her first major keynote session [2:23] – Why she wasn't nervous: her...
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You are Leaving Disabled Travelers Out of Your Content
See Life Different
This episode challenges content creators and travelers to make their content more empathetic and inclusive for disabled audiences. Timestamps 0:00 — Intro & welcome to the See Life Different podcast 0:28 — Zaakirah's background: cancer survivor, brand strategist, author, world traveler 0:42 — Episode topic: Are you leaving disabled travelers out of your content? 1:20 — Zaakirah's personal story: visually impaired and hard of hearing, visited 15+ countries and 4+ continents 1:48 — Her role as an accessibility advocate and travel consultant 2:21 — How the pandemic amplified the...
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Why I Left Kenya Went to Ghana, How I Grew Through It All
See Life Different
In this personal episode, Zaakirah Nayyar Muhammad — eye cancer survivor, brand strategist, author, and world traveler — shares what the past six months have looked like since leaving Kenya. She opens up about a year of meaningful volunteer work at a Kenyan orphanage, the visa challenges that made long-term living there unsustainable, and the emotional weight of losing an aunt, uncle and her older sister in 2025. From Kenya to Ghana, Zaakirah takes us on her mother's bold solo move, her own 40-day visit to Ghana during Ramadan, and all the cultural, professional, and healing...
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Grief, Love, and Recalibration of Self: Reflects on Islam and the Anthony Joshua Tragedy
See Life Different
In this episode, host Zaakirah Nayyar Muhammad talks about the intersections of grief, love, and self-reflection. Drawing from her perspective as a cancer survivor, world traveler, and death doula, Zaakirah reflects on how loss reshapes our understanding of faith, identity, and legacy. Prompted by the collective loss of Abdul Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami—friends and teammates of Anthony Joshua—Zaakirah revisits her own upbringing as an African American Muslimah. She discusses the complexities of living between cultures and expectations, and the early lessons learned from navigating diverse...
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How to Create Vision Board Manifest Dream Life and Goal Set 2026
See Life Different
In this episode, we dive into the power of vision boards, intentional goal setting, and manifestation. Zaakirah Muhammad offers practical steps, personal stories, and actionable advice to help you set meaningful goals for 2026—whether in your personal or professional life. Learn how to overcome limiting beliefs, use both digital and traditional tools, and turn your dreams into reality. This podcast is perfect for women of color ready to step outside their comfort zone and see life differently! Zaakirah is a cancer survivor, brand strategist, and world traveler. Zaakirah is also the...
info_outlineThis episode challenges content creators and travelers to make their content more empathetic and inclusive for disabled audiences.
Timestamps
0:00 — Intro & welcome to the See Life Different podcast
0:28 — Zaakirah's background: cancer survivor, brand strategist, author, world traveler
0:42 — Episode topic: Are you leaving disabled travelers out of your content?
1:20 — Zaakirah's personal story: visually impaired and hard of hearing, visited 15+ countries and 4+ continents
1:48 — Her role as an accessibility advocate and travel consultant
2:21 — How the pandemic amplified the need for accessible content for disabled audiences
2:51 — Living with invisible disabilities: hearing loss, low vision, and the challenge of being seen
3:50 — What most people get wrong about disability — visible vs. invisible conditions
4:15 — Neurodivergence, recent injuries, and why empathy matters
4:35 — Upcoming speaking engagement: Women in Travel Summit (WITS) in Chattanooga, TN
5:18 — Zaakirah's history with travel content creation, dating back to the early 2010s
5:39 — How a Kodak Polaroid camera at age 5 sparked her love of storytelling
6:18 — From blog to vlog to podcast to TEDx stage
6:19 — Travel should expand how we see the world — but the world isn't designed for disabled travelers
6:49 — The Sunflower Lanyard: a tool for identifying hidden disabilities while traveling
7:08 — Lip reading, airport navigation, and advocating for yourself on tour
7:08 — The simple question most people forget: "How can I help?"
7:47 — Creating accessible visual content: font contrast, color readability, and DIY graphics
8:08 — Captions: why they matter beyond just muting your phone
8:30 — How social media platforms handle auto-captions — and where they fall short
8:37 — Captions as a tool for language learners AND those with hearing loss
9:11 — Describing images and videos the way you'd explain it to a five-year-old or an elder
9:35 — Screen readers and alt text: creating content accessible to those who cannot see
10:00 — SEO bonus: accessibility features also improve content discoverability
10:21 — Inviting disabled travelers into your hometown content
10:41 — Where to start: use your five senses to describe people, places, and things
11:02 — Enable captions and edit auto-generated ones for accuracy
11:28 — Why Zaakirah is personally passionate about accessible content
11:45 — Scrolling past content you can't hear or read — and the revenue creators lose
12:07 — How to work with Zaakirah: mentorship sessions and accessibility guides
12:39 — Booking a session: 30-min to 1-hour with an included accessibility guide
12:59 — Speaking at the WITS Travel Creators Summit
13:05 — The financial case for accessibility: disabled audiences represent real spending power
13:29 — Confidence, advocacy, and telling your story as a disabled person
13:48 — Zaakirah's personal experience with low vision at night and hearing high pitches
14:05 — Processing time and neurodivergence in accessible spaces
14:26 — Book written with her mom: resilience, confidence, and being the only one in the room
14:37 — Book available on Amazon (ebook, paperback, audiobook)
14:37 — Visit zaakirahtnayyar.com/social for all links
15:08 — Mentorship, brand strategy, and being a "brand therapist"
15:31 — Finding joy in creativity and entrepreneurship amid life's responsibilities
15:49 — 10 years of helping people build their brands and tell their stories
16:09 — Women in Travel Summit: stay tuned for more details
16:24 — In-person community with fellow creators and speakers
17:04 — Call to action: speak up in comments, advocate for accessibility, share this episode
17:09 — Closing: share this episode widely and see you next time
Zaakirah is a hard-of-hearing, visually impaired traveler who has visited over 15 countries. She is an accessibility advocate, brand strategist, and travel consultant.
Connect with Zaakirah
- Website & all links: https://zaakirahtnayyar.com/social
- Mentorship sessions + Accessibility Guide available for booking: https://zaakirah-nayyar.kit.com/profile?
- Book available on Amazon (ebook, paperback, and audiobook): https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Life-Through-Different-Lens-ebook/dp/B081MR9TKP/
If this episode resonated with you, share it — accessibility starts with awareness