Today’s BEP Talks episode explored purpose, perseverance, and the courage to take action with Samina Muqarab, author of Pray, Plan, Proceed. Samina shared how her own journey—from growing up in a small village in Pakistan to rebuilding her career in Canada—inspired a practical blueprint for turning dreams into meaningful action.
We dove into moving through fear, taking that important first step, learning from setbacks, seeking mentorship, and creating a ripple effect that reaches beyond ourselves.
If you’ve been waiting for the “right time” to pursue something meaningful, this conversation is a reminder to pray for it, plan for it—and then proceed.
Ready to turn your dreams into action? Discover Samina’s practical blueprint for moving from possibility to purpose in her book, Pray, Plan, Proceed, available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1969338113
Well, hey there, and welcome to this edition of Beptalks.
Beth Johnston:Where wonderful guests from all
Beth Johnston:Industries, professions, all ages and stages of life and career come to share their beliefs, experiences, and passions. BEP, B-E-P. And they do so.
Samina Muqarab:so generously.
Beth Johnston:to inspire, motivate, educate, entertain, all of those things. And my true belief and experience, my own beliefs, experiences, and passions, is that every one of us will find ourselves
Beth Johnston:in that story, where we are supposed to find ourselves. So, today, I'm very, very excited, to share our guest, today. Her name is, Samina
Beth Johnston:Muqarab. Please welcome to today's stage Samina Muqarab.
Samina Muqarab:Hi, Beth. It's been so amazing to be here on BabTalk. Thank you so much. I'm really excited for, being, on BabTalk, and thank you for inviting me.
Beth Johnston:It is my absolute pleasure and honor to have you here today, Samina, and for so many reasons which we're about to, discuss. I want to share,
Beth Johnston:An amazing introduction of you, of who you are, what you do.
Beth Johnston:You're an author, you're an educator. As I mentioned, educating is a lot of the motivation to come on to BevTalks. You are a true, true entrepreneur, in the greatest sense of the word. A business leader, truly a leader among leaders, and you have such a very powerful story.
Beth Johnston:That is so, empowering for other women to discover their own resilience.
Beth Johnston:Which I think we all kind of have within us. Our ability to reinvent ourselves.
Beth Johnston:And to find…
Beth Johnston:purpose-driven success at any stage of life, and for any reason. So I want to share with our viewers and listeners that you made a huge move from Pakistan to Canada. We're going to talk about that in a moment. And you built a very successful business through, establishing
Beth Johnston:multiple Kumon Learning Centers, while helping students and families unlock their own potential.
Beth Johnston:And through your work.
Beth Johnston:through your speaking and writing, certainly we're going to talk about your amazing book, you truly, truly inspire others. And I want to say, I believe you humble others in their own humility.
Beth Johnston:Realizing what is possible in each of our own lives. And I say that particularly for women, we're gonna talk about that.
Samina Muqarab:who…
Beth Johnston:Navigate transition.
Beth Johnston:Which often comes with uncertainty.
Beth Johnston:fear, doubt, all of that. And how you have helped them to get past all of those things. So…
Beth Johnston:Again, I welcome you to Bept Talks.
Samina Muqarab:Thank you.
Beth Johnston:What was your motivation? I mean, people move. They move around the corner, they move, perhaps, Across a state.
Samina Muqarab:A city, a country?
Beth Johnston:What was your motivation to move from Pakistan to Canada? Not exactly around the corner.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah, thank you so much for the lovely introduction, Beth. I really, I'm so humbled to be here. I moved from Pakistan in 2006 to Canada.
Samina Muqarab:And, the motive behind that was just, to provide a good future, to my children.
Samina Muqarab:Over here in Canada. Pakistan, I grew up over there. I really, I'm, I'm so thankful to that country where I got, I grew up, where I got my education.
Samina Muqarab:But the political situation over there is not that excellent. There is something going on the whole time, especially when we were moving from Pakistan, my husband and I, we decided to move from Pakistan to Canada.
Samina Muqarab:The reason behind that was safety. There was, most of the time, because of, the Taliban and the political situation, there were bombs, and there were, the situation was not that great.
Samina Muqarab:And that was the reason that we decided to move our kids to a country where they can feel safe and where they can get their education and can thrive.
Samina Muqarab:And can impact other people, yeah.
Beth Johnston:What children do you have?
Samina Muqarab:I have 3, 2 boys and a girl.
Beth Johnston:Well, God bless you, he clearly has. And… You established, What we're calling learning centers.
Beth Johnston:Kuman, would you explain what a Kuman Learning Center is?
Samina Muqarab:Yes, Kuman is a… it's actually a franchise.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah, it's not… that's something that I have created my own, but, I did, I became a teacher over here in Canada first, and then, I noticed that there is,
Samina Muqarab:a huge learning gap, in students' learning whenever I, would teach to the kids.
Samina Muqarab:And the school system is great over here, but the teachers are so overwhelmed, it's so hard for them to fill up that gap between that learning. They keep on just going from one grade to the other, and the gap gets bigger and bigger. So I thought about something that can help those kids to fill up that gap, so they don't stay behind.
Samina Muqarab:And that's how I came across Kumon. And I applied for that franchise, and I opened my first center in 2015, and then after that, my husband opened his center. He was inspired by the philosophy, and then he opened his center in 2020, and then I, just currently in 2026, I opened another center.
Samina Muqarab:So, in Kuman, we help students with the math and reading skills. It's an after-school math and reading program.
Beth Johnston:So, it's kind of like tutoring.
Samina Muqarab:It's kind of tutoring, we don't call it tutoring, because the focus is on self-learning.
Samina Muqarab:But it's not that we help them directly with the school homework or anything. We… Kuman has its own curriculum that it follows, and then we assess students, we place them in a certain level, and they keep on progressing.
Samina Muqarab:According to their own potential and their own, speed, yeah.
Beth Johnston:Could you make more common sense out of a statement than that? That every child can advance at his or her own level, rather than… it all starts with the date of birth, and what you're supposed to be doing, and I think that, without getting too much into this, but the,
Beth Johnston:the pandemic here in the United States, I mean, the pandemic, obviously, around the world, but in the United States, the pandemic helped us uncover a lot of what was going on, and a lot of what was not going on.
Samina Muqarab:Yes.
Beth Johnston:the educational system. So, Kumon Learning Center, good for you, and congratulations, you now have three of them. And are you seeing great results?
Samina Muqarab:I think wonderful, wonderful results, Beth, and it's so amazing when you see these kids thrive, like, they start with nothing, and then,
Samina Muqarab:after a few months, or a few years, because it's an individualized program, so everyone progressed differently. But when you see their child.
Samina Muqarab:that you could see from their posture that their head was down when they came from the, for the assessment, and now they can walk with their heads up, and when they come and say, oh, I, now I help with, I help with my teacher, I help my peers.
Samina Muqarab:In their math and reading, homework, or math and reading, classwork, and that's so… that's so amazing to see that, yeah.
Beth Johnston:Oh, it has to be. Wow, what a way to put in a day's work. You know, teaching kids math and science, obviously necessary, wonderful, but to give them a sense of self-pride.
Beth Johnston:Yeah. And self-esteem.
Samina Muqarab:And confidence.
Beth Johnston:and confidence, I think.
Beth Johnston:trumps everything. Trumps everything. So, God bless. That is a wonderful, wonderful mission that you're on. So, aside, one of the things I mentioned is that you are an author. You wrote a book
Beth Johnston:The title which grabbed me right away.
Samina Muqarab:Pray.
Beth Johnston:plan, proceed. First of all, I love alliteration. I love things that come in threes.
Beth Johnston:Talk to us about pray… Plan and proceed, because
Beth Johnston:I know that it's a very motivational book.
Beth Johnston:For, you know, as I said, people find themselves in the stories where they need to be found. But it's also a very practical blueprint. It's kind of a plan.
Samina Muqarab:Yes, it is, yeah, yeah.
Samina Muqarab:So, I, I like, writing, and I, I'm not, I would not say I'm the best writer, because English is my second language,
Samina Muqarab:But I like to write, so I used to do journaling every morning, and I would write something, whatever I'm thankful for, whatever my plans and goals are, and whatever I want my kids to read if they find my journal. So I used to write something, and whenever I would review my writing.
Samina Muqarab:It was, just showing me, the same three steps, like, whatever I worked, or whatever I plan to do, it was, like, I always, ground myself, think about it, comfort myself, pray about it, that, wish myself all the best.
Samina Muqarab:And then I do my planning. Like, praying just itself, I think it will be just a wish list, right? So, I do my planning. How can I fulfill my wish? Like, what do I need to do? And then I don't stop while there. I take the action. So that's how I came up with these three words, pray, plan, proceed. And then I thought about, there are lots of women and lots of people
Samina Muqarab:who stop on one or the other step. So I think it's very important to just write about it. Maybe someone would get benefit from that. So that's how I came up with the title.
Beth Johnston:I love it. So, I'm gonna add another P. I'm gonna say, watch this.
Samina Muqarab:That's the goal.
Beth Johnston:All those things that it makes so much… I love common sense. I love things that you can break down and say, that makes sense. Common sense, not so common, maybe, but so, specific to women, listen, change comes all of the time. You mentioned you are a mother of three. You're seeing the changes in your children.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah.
Beth Johnston:sports changes in yourself. The, the transformation that we all go through in life. Life, learning, living, loving, laughing, hopefully.
Samina Muqarab:As life goes on.
Beth Johnston:Some things just happen naturally, some things have to be a little bit more… Carefully, as you say, planned.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah What?
Beth Johnston:Sweet thing.
Beth Johnston:I mean, I know why we pray. I pray every day. Why do we pray, and imagine in our minds
Beth Johnston:But really don't plan.
Beth Johnston:And without a plan, you can't proceed. Why do we continue to get in our own way?
Samina Muqarab:So, when, like, if I would take my example of my teaching certification over here in Canada, when I came in, people would tell me it's too hard to become a certified teacher over here.
Samina Muqarab:Because, especially in Alberta, because of, your, Pakistani education might not be equivalent to, the degrees or the credentials were here, or you don't have Canadian experience, or, you are not trained as a Canadian teacher over here.
Samina Muqarab:And, then.
Samina Muqarab:It was my wish list, like, it was really… it was my desire to become a certified teacher over here.
Samina Muqarab:And then I, I didn't stop at that wish. I took… I did some of my research, and it took me 5 years to take that certification, but I ended up getting it, so I planned.
Samina Muqarab:My English was not that great. I enrolled in ESL classes, English as a second language. I was not familiar with the Canadian culture, so I was not feeling comfortable teaching in a Canadian classroom. So I took odd jobs, I worked at Tim Horton, I worked, like, here and there, just survival jobs, to know more about the Canadian food, Canadian culture.
Samina Muqarab:even the slang language, and then I applied for a teaching job that doesn't… didn't require a Canadian Alberta teaching certification. So that gave me a good, experience. And then when I got my certification, and I became a certified teacher over here, I was feeling totally comfortable with that.
Samina Muqarab:So, I think that planning is super, super important. Whatever you do, you need to go through a process. It's not that you wish for something, and you get it, and you are good to go. Sometimes, as you mentioned, life happens. Sometimes you get, like, you got a lottery or something, it's different. But, if you want to do something practical, I think that planning is super, super important, that you need to go through that
Samina Muqarab:process.
Beth Johnston:Yeah, this brings another very important keyword, let's say, practical.
Samina Muqarab:that,
Beth Johnston:Envisioning something, dreaming about it, picturing it, is great, but if you really are very purpose-driven, and you want it badly enough.
Beth Johnston:It's just not gonna fall from the heavens. You have to take action.
Samina Muqarab:You, you need to, you must take action, yeah.
Beth Johnston:And what I say about ACT, ACT, A-C-T, is to always compress time, to make a decision, and get from where you are to where you want to be, to where you're purposefully driven to go, in…
Beth Johnston:And you said it took you 5 years, but you did it, you took action, and you could have taken those 5 years to just keep thinking about it.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah. So…
Beth Johnston:So, is that the missing step? We're just not taking action, we're just… we're just dreamers?
Samina Muqarab:I would say so, because,
Samina Muqarab:I would give you examples of, some of, like, when I was going through all that process, I met a lot of people, and there were more capable immigrant women, and they were highly, highly educated, and they were, they had high, high dreams, but they, they never took action, because they were all, always
Samina Muqarab:afraid. They would say, oh, what if it, didn't go? What if it didn't work out?
Samina Muqarab:But, I just feel like fear is natural. But if you keep on just, feeling that fear, and you don't take action because you are afraid.
Samina Muqarab:I think the courage is that you take action with that fear, and that's how… like, the first step is super, super important. It's not that, you can get… like, you have to, like, as I mentioned, it took me 5 years, because I took one step at a time.
Samina Muqarab:I didn't want to go through everything, like, super fast, and I couldn't even go through that, right? So, just take the first step, instead of just being afraid of taking action, yeah.
Beth Johnston:Right, and the first step is the hardest.
Samina Muqarab:It is, definitely.
Beth Johnston:You can take the second step if you haven't taken the first step. And I always imagine that if it means enough to you.
Samina Muqarab:Fear…
Beth Johnston:Well, fear kind of defines itself, but worse than fear, or the potential, the 50-50 potential of overcoming it.
Beth Johnston:And or saying, wow, it wasn't that bad at all. What was it that I was fearing? The downside of that is to live with regret.
Samina Muqarab:Yes.
Beth Johnston:That you never even tried.
Samina Muqarab:Yes, yeah, yeah, there is a, a common saying, I don't know the exact words, but it says, it's never too bad to get, to,
Samina Muqarab:to fail, but it's too bad if you never take action, right? So, I don't know the exact words, but it's important. Like, failing is… that's how you learn. But, I think taking action is important. Right.
Beth Johnston:Not succeeding does not equal failure. There's a great saying that a setback is a setup For a comeback.
Samina Muqarab:Yes, yeah.
Beth Johnston:I love that saying.
Samina Muqarab:Very nice, yeah.
Beth Johnston:great, right? A setback is a setup for a comeback. And what it does, you get to cross something off the list and say, well, that didn't work. And some of the greatest inventors in the world, historically, you know, the light bulb took how many hundreds of tries before it was able to become a real thing. And here in the United States, of course, Abraham Lincoln is such a.
Beth Johnston:Prolific example of someone who had resilience and perseverance and lived with undying purpose.
Samina Muqarab:And look what he became. So… So…
Beth Johnston:The book, as I said, it's not just a motivational book, although it is.
Beth Johnston:It's a blueprint.
Samina Muqarab:Good.
Beth Johnston:Is there a plan that you can share with us, other than Pray, Plan, Proceed? Not that that doesn't speak for itself, but…
Beth Johnston:What, what should people do? Give us, give us the blueprint. Summarize it.
Samina Muqarab:Okay, yeah, so I have just my book in front of me. I was, just before our interview, I was looking into it, and there was something that I thought is worth to share.
Samina Muqarab:And, that's the, other than the, the ripple, ripple effect, right? So, it's on page 54 of my book, and, it says, R-I-P-P-L-E. So, R is for rooting purpose.
Samina Muqarab:Start with the vision anchored in meaning, not ego.
Samina Muqarab:And, I is for inspire others. Share it aloud. When you don't share, vision unspoken remains vision unfinished.
Samina Muqarab:So, you feel accountable once you share with someone. When I was writing my book, and I, when I would share it with my friends and my family that I want to write a book, and they would start laughing, oh, because I never wrote a book, so, oh, are you sure?
Samina Muqarab:And then, I just, when I shared it, I just felt accountable. Oh, now I need to do it. So, I is for inspire others. P, partner for growth.
Samina Muqarab:Ask… seek mentorships, alliance, or collaborations. So, when I was writing my book.
Samina Muqarab:I didn't know how to write a book, but I took some courses.
Samina Muqarab:To learn how to write a book, right? So, what should be the format, and what should be… so that really… so I think that, mentorship is super important. And then, another piece, pay it forward. Invest in others' growth without immediate return.
Samina Muqarab:And that was my, for myself, when I was writing my book, it's just that other people could benefit from it. And right now, when my friends ask me, oh, you wrote a book, can you teach us how to write a book? And I love to do that, so…
Samina Muqarab:Yeah, yeah, and then L is for lead by example.
Samina Muqarab:Let consistency in action speak louder than words. So, again, it's not a one-day thing. Whatever you do, make sure you do it, consistently. So, it's not that I have written a book, and now I sit down and don't do anything. I think I should spread the words, and I should talk more about it.
Samina Muqarab:And then E is expand the circle. Ensure your vision lifts not just individuals, but communities.
Samina Muqarab:And that's my dream for my book, that, I want to, I want to convey my message, wherever it's possible.
Samina Muqarab:I love that.
Beth Johnston:And that's what the R stands for. What was the R?
Samina Muqarab:R is routine purpose, so start with a vision, which, is actually pray.
Samina Muqarab:I love… I love… Taking a word.
Beth Johnston:And, you know, making it an acronym for something. And I have often used the ripple effect, metaphorically.
Beth Johnston:And what I love about it, that you say, you know, start with, a purpose.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah. Be inspired.
Beth Johnston:Seek mentorship.
Samina Muqarab:Pay it forward.
Beth Johnston:Lead by example, the best thing always, and to expand the circle. It's so generous. I always say when, you know, you see that ripple effect, it goes on and on for quite a while.
Samina Muqarab:The human eye…
Beth Johnston:stops being able to see it, because it has expanded, it has gone into the communities. But the energy is still there. The energy is now… I'm picturing what a…
Beth Johnston:You've got the bubbling, you see the ripples. The energy is now under the water, and it keeps going until it reaches another shore.
Beth Johnston:When you think about.
Samina Muqarab:The power.
Beth Johnston:power of that.
Beth Johnston:The power of the… I love that! So everybody think Ripple. That is a beautiful and a very generous, and also very practical, the P word, again, very, very practical. So you have to want it badly enough to want to do the work.
Beth Johnston:And to get over, get over the bumps.
Samina Muqarab:Yes, yeah, yeah.
Beth Johnston:And get over that. So… We said about a setback can be a setup for a comeback.
Beth Johnston:I imagine you had some setbacks.
Samina Muqarab:Oh yeah, a lot. All the time.
Beth Johnston:All the time, and yet you kept going.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah, keep on going, like, it's life, right? Life is not just a straight, smooth path, right? It has ups and downs.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah, so I would share some of the setbacks, that, I had, like, even… like, it happens all the time, right? Like, even if I take my childhood.
Samina Muqarab:I was born and raised in a very small village, in Pakistan, where girls' education was… we did not have any girls' school. Like, over there, we have girls' schools and boys' school, and there was just one boys' school, it was elementary school, and my father was an educator, so he loved education, but because of the…
Samina Muqarab:community and, because of the resources, he couldn't afford, we are five sisters, so I'm the youngest one. So all my sisters, they completed their elementary education in that boys' school, and after that, they were homeschooled. They were just, self-learned. So they completed high schools, and then they got a teaching job in the local schools, so…
Samina Muqarab:that's how it… for them. For me, I really wanted to get my education, like, in a real proper school.
Samina Muqarab:And the setback was that we didn't have the resources, but it was just my wish. So somehow, I convinced my parents, and then…
Samina Muqarab:I got into a boarding school, and, where, it was not the best, but at least I could get, education in a school, right? In a proper school.
Samina Muqarab:And my dream was to become a doctor, because so many women were struggling in our village to get, especially when they were in labor. Most of them died because of, not being… the doctors were not convenient. And, I couldn't get into med school.
Samina Muqarab:I couldn't qualify to get into the merit list.
Samina Muqarab:And then, it was like a disaster for me. For the whole year, I cried every time, like, it was… but then I, got up.
Samina Muqarab:And I became a science teacher, a biology. I did… completed my degree in biology. So, throughout life, I think it happens all the time. There are setbacks, but every setback
Samina Muqarab:teaches you… now I'm thankful that I'm not a doctor, because over here in Canada, it would be so hard to get… become a doctor again. But that taught me that, you know what, like, there is a purpose behind every setback. Yeah, yeah.
Beth Johnston:Yes, and to see the opportunities where they come, and you mentioned the word life, we've said it a couple of times, I say, life is just a four-letter word, it happens, it gets in the way, we don't always plan for it, but
Beth Johnston:For me, I've always said sometimes it grounds you. You stop and you think, and you say, oh, I didn't see that coming then. I didn't see that happening now, or in this way. And it causes you to stop.
Beth Johnston:And when the dust settles, and as my mom always said, the best view is the rearview mirror.
Samina Muqarab:Wow, that's beautiful.
Beth Johnston:And you can see, now I get it, thank you, because maybe that was the answer to the prayer, that you did not become a doctor, and that you were able to do this. So, how many children, how many lives between you and your husband with your three Kumon Learning Centers, how many students have passed through those?
Samina Muqarab:Those sectors? Oh, actually, I would say thousands.
Samina Muqarab:You need to know.
Beth Johnston:You need to know that number and be so proud of it. Thousands. So talk about, my God, expanding the circle, the E in ripple, expanding the circle, because now if every one of those.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah.
Beth Johnston:impact a thousand.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah. And so on.
Beth Johnston:and so on, and so on. That's how…
Beth Johnston:That's how the world changes. That's how the world grows.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah.
Beth Johnston:And we see it happening all the time, not always for the best of reasons in our own personal opinions or based on our own
Beth Johnston:Beliefs or experiences, passions, BEP.
Samina Muqarab:But,
Beth Johnston:When the dust settles, sometimes you can see.
Beth Johnston:Understand that there was a plan, and perhaps it was bigger than our own.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah, for sure.
Beth Johnston:Perhaps.
Samina Muqarab:So, Beth, when I opened my Kuman Center in 2015, I think in the whole community of, in Pakistani community, and, in, among women, and in our family, I was the first one to,
Samina Muqarab:start an educational business, something, right? So, and then, I had, I have a friend, who was teaching in a high school, who was a math teacher, and teaching in a high school.
Samina Muqarab:And she had some health issues. She would get so much tired, because it's not easy to teach,
Samina Muqarab:high school kids over here. And, yeah, so she would, she would get, she loved her job, but, she would get so much tired, like, she couldn't continue to do that. So I suggested her, why don't you open a command center? I like it, I think I am… you will like it as well. And she opened it.
Samina Muqarab:And then, today, she, she loves it. And she, she's so, like, she's so thankful that I suggested her to do, to open a Kuman Center. Then I had another friend.
Samina Muqarab:who was, doing, babysitting, like, daycare, day home, who was running a day home, and, she did it for a few years. She had the… working with the children background.
Samina Muqarab:And, I suggested her too, like, but it was, like, she wanted to get a change, like, she didn't want to do the day home, her whole life. And I suggested it to her, and she opened her Kuman Center.
Samina Muqarab:And then my husband opened, and then I have a sister-in-law who did a PhD in electrical engineering from Montreal.
Samina Muqarab:And she was looking for a job, but her children are little, and she couldn't do a 9-to-5 job because of…
Samina Muqarab:her children, because she wanted to give her some time to her home as well, and she opened a Kuman Center. So, the ripple effect is already over there in terms of business. Other than that,
Samina Muqarab:I have, most of my staff, they are university and high school students, that work with me. Yeah, so it's, and most of the time, it's their first job.
Samina Muqarab:And, I train them in a way to get them ready for the future, workforce. So, and, I have some assistants, we call them assistants, co-man assistants.
Samina Muqarab:So, some of them have opened their own tutoring centers, and some of them… yeah, so they are all re-impacting lives over there, other than the children. So, I think whatever you do.
Samina Muqarab:It's always being a blessing when it impacts, yeah.
Beth Johnston:It's so wonderful. You are now being that mentor that you mentioned to go find a mentor. People have found you. So now, saying that with your assistance, that they're high school students, that they're part of the business, per se, and prepping for their own futures.
Beth Johnston:There's layers here to this Kumon Learning Center. There's something for everybody. I love it. This is a great day for me. I've had the pleasure of meeting you, but also to learn something new myself.
Samina Muqarab:That's always what I think.
Beth Johnston:Is a good day. So, you mentioned that you start journaling. Do you still journal on a daily basis?
Samina Muqarab:I, I still journal.
Beth Johnston:What other daily habits can you suggest to our viewers and listeners.
Beth Johnston:To help them take their… what they're envisioning, and to turn it into reality.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah.
Beth Johnston:Give us some advice.
Samina Muqarab:Yes, so the one thing that I love is getting up early.
Samina Muqarab:yeah, I usually,
Samina Muqarab:I tell my kids these days, our father, he used to, like, just before sunrise, he would call us to get up, it's time to get up. And, I would, like, it became a habit till now. When I was little, like, maybe 4 or 5 years old, I got the habit of getting early since then.
Samina Muqarab:And with sunrise, everyone needs to be up, right? So that was just a general rule in our home.
Samina Muqarab:And now, till this day, I get up early, and I do the most important work, whatever. When I was writing my book, I wrote it in about 6 months, just 1 hour per day, every morning.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah, so that's, the routine. I think it's super, super important. Getting up early, I… so what my daily habits are, the first thing that I do, I… I pray, obviously. I, like, I do a little exercise.
Samina Muqarab:Then I sit down and do my whatever's important for me. So there is always one thing that I focus on at a time. So when I was writing my book, I would focus on my book at that time, for that one hour. And then after that, I prepare the breakfast, everyone is done, and then I go to the gym, for, like, around…
Samina Muqarab:I would say 8.30 to 9.30, I go to the gym. And then after that, I come back, and I get ready and go to work.
Samina Muqarab:And when I… after work, like, work is work, work, work. And, Kuwan Center is after school, so then it goes all the way to 7, 7.30. And then when I go home, another good habit is that I'm still working on, obviously I'm not perfect as well, go to bed early. So that's how when you get up… I go to bed, even if I go to bed late, I have the habit of getting,
Samina Muqarab:up early, but most of people, they… they are tired if they don't go to bed early. And, yeah, so… and before I go to bed, I envision the whole day. I kind of reflect on the whole day, what went on, and then I…
Samina Muqarab:I just, I pray again for being grateful for such, for having such a wonderful day today, and, just envision the next day, what is gonna happen the next day. So that's something that, yeah, yeah.
Beth Johnston:Wow, that is a beautifully productive schedule to be on.
Beth Johnston:You know, you said about your dad, my dad also.
Samina Muqarab:hated.
Beth Johnston:When we were, like.
Beth Johnston:in bed too late. Yeah. And when we got older and were going out on, like, Friday nights or something, or Saturday nights, he would… the next morning, he'd say, nope, the fact that you stayed out late doesn't mean you get to sleep late. You still have to get up. And he always said.
Beth Johnston:These were his words. What's on your agenda?
Beth Johnston:What's your plan for the day?
Samina Muqarab:Yeah, yeah, but…
Beth Johnston:And with my brothers and sisters, we kind of say that. What's on your agenda? What do you… do you have a plan for the day?
Beth Johnston:And when you have a plan, for me, there's so much satisfaction. Listen, sometimes I make a list, including things that I've already done that day, just for the pleasure of crossing it off.
Samina Muqarab:You know, I will do that. I will do that.
Beth Johnston:Yes.
Samina Muqarab:That's awesome, actually. I think that should be. Like, we usually… I write it down, what's gonna be done next day, but I don't pass it out, but it can.
Beth Johnston:Can I leave?
Samina Muqarab:is a lot of burden from you, right? So, yeah.
Samina Muqarab:Oh, great! When you…
Beth Johnston:Yes, I did it all, I did it all.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah.
Beth Johnston:Again, we're all different, which makes this a wonderful, wonderful world in which we live. Samina, the wisdom, and I want to say, we've always heard a quote here, early to bed and early to rise makes man healthy, wealthy, and wise. And that goes for women, too. Early to bed, early.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah, definitely.
Beth Johnston:Good, good habits. Good habits, yes. So, I cannot appreciate you enough, and applaud you enough, as well, for
Beth Johnston:I'm gonna say the courage that
Beth Johnston:You obviously had to move from Pakistan, which I'm assuming left a lot of family members behind. Yes. And hopefully there's been wonderful reunions, to come to Canada to… or to go to Canada, I'm in the United States, to something that you really didn't know what was going to be waiting for you.
Beth Johnston:And… and I want to say this, the lucky people in Canada and those thousands of students who have gone didn't know what was waiting for them either. They were waiting for Samina, and there you were, and there you were able to serve.
Samina Muqarab:to share.
Beth Johnston:And you were able to be that pebble to create that ripple effect.
Beth Johnston:You must go to bed early. You must go to bed early.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah, I'm still working on it, yeah.
Beth Johnston:Do it!
Samina Muqarab:I'll go to bed that late, but, like, it's, I think it should be earlier, yeah.
Beth Johnston:Just share with us, what time you're gonna get.
Samina Muqarab:Around 11.
Beth Johnston:It's not early.
Samina Muqarab:Oh, okay.
Beth Johnston:So early.
Samina Muqarab:That's…
Beth Johnston:That's when you… that… and you're getting up before the sun is up?
Samina Muqarab:Yes, yeah, in summer, it's earlier, in winter, it's around 6 o'clock, but in summer, it's around 5, 5.30, yeah. Wow.
Beth Johnston:Well, you put in a beautiful day. You have impacted the lives of so many. And I want to say, with total, appreciation and gratitude, you've impacted my life today. Oh, thank you.
Samina Muqarab:Thank you so much, it's a pleasure, it's, yeah.
Beth Johnston:It's mine. It's truly, truly.
Samina Muqarab:near bets, yeah.
Beth Johnston:It is my absolute pleasure, and I want to say to all of our viewers, our listeners, go get the book, Pray.
Samina Muqarab:plan.
Beth Johnston:Proceed.
Beth Johnston:Where can they get the book?
Samina Muqarab:Oh, they can get it on Amazon.
Beth Johnston:Although, of course you can get it on Amazon, yes.
Samina Muqarab:Yes, yeah, yeah.
Beth Johnston:And give us a website or an email address if you want people to be in touch with you. We'll include that. We'll put that in the information. We'll put that in there.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah, thank you.
Beth Johnston:So, Samina, thank you so much for sharing a magnificent story, a beautiful vision, and… Dreams fulfilled.
Samina Muqarab:Oh, thank you. Thank you for inviting me, Beth. It's been such a pleasure, to be here, and I really appreciate, that, you talked in such a kind way, and, it's so encouraging. Thank you.
Beth Johnston:Thank you so much, I really do appreciate that. And I want to say to all of our viewers and our listeners, everybody has a story.
Samina Muqarab:Not the same.
Beth Johnston:That's what makes it so wonderful. That's why it needs to be shared. That's why it deserves to be heard. Come to Beptalks, go to Beptalks.com, find out how you can be a guest, as Samina has been my wonderful, beautiful guest.
Beth Johnston:Today, we all have a story, and it can change the lives of other people when you share your beliefs, your experiences, and your passions.
Beth Johnston:And as we always say at BEP Talks, until we talk again, may the best always be yet to come. And until that time, bye for now.
Samina Muqarab:Yeah, thank you.