Settling down in the United States had never been part of the plan for Saadia Khan. She moved from Lahore, Pakistan, with her husband, who had been accepted to MIT. Recently graduated, young, and ready for an adventure, she saw the move as an opportunity to experience up close a place she had heard so many great stories about from her father.But when they arrived, America pulled them in, as Saadia describes. Between visa constraints and an atmosphere weighted by fear, suspicion, and anti-Muslim sentiment in the post-9/11 era, she faced anxiety, disorientation, and microaggressions. In the midst of all that, Saadia and her husband decided to start their family — and that’s when they realized they would probably not go back to Pakistan.In this episode, we talk about her first years as an immigrant, the impact of visa dependency, and what it felt like to have her career paused before it even had the chance to begin. She also shares more on how she switched from business to human rights, and how she created Immigrantly media, plus her takes on belonging and identity, and how her journey inspired her to create the app Belong On Your Own Terms.Connect with Saadia:Immigrantly podcastsDownload Belong on Your Own Terms AppInstagram @itssaadiak My episode on Saadia's podcast

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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