Notes to Self is a documentary‑style podcast rooted in the notes I collect on my phone and elsewhere — the moments, questions, and half‑formed thoughts that linger. Together, we follow where those notes lead, into the real stories of living, working, and figuring things out far from home.
Notes to Self
Claim This Podcastby Safa
5.0(3 reviews)
7 episodes
Updated Daily
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Podcast Overview
Notes to Self is a documentary‑style podcast rooted in the notes I collect on my phone and elsewhere — the moments, questions, and half‑formed thoughts that linger. Together, we follow where those notes lead, into the real stories of living, working, and figuring things out far from home.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
5/11/2026
1 verified contact email on file for Notes to Self
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Recent Episodes
June 30, 2026
Ep6 On Music as a Second Language: regulation, expression, and connection
<p>This episode moves through the places where music has helped me reach my inner world and translate it into something I could share. You’ll hear the first song I ever wrote, and we’ll revisit a 20-year-old playlist, early musical memories, and the ways sound has helped me regulate emotions long before I understood it.</p><p>I open up about my middle school choir songs — the ones that alienated me from singing — and I share Sumeyya’s voice note about growing up with similar experiences on the other side of the planet.</p><p>I also look at how music supported me in the aftermath of October 2023: the drummers at Berlin demos whose rhythms steady my body, the resistance songs that opened a whole world of connection for me, and the quiet ways music continues to translate experiences that words can’t hold.</p><p>This episode is a reflection on how music has carried me, clarified me, and stayed with me across time.</p><p>Many thanks to TorGado for composing the music just for this podcast. Art from my sketchbook. </p><p>Instagram: @notestoselfpod</p><p>All links: <a href="https://linktr.ee/NotestoSelfPod" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://linktr.ee/NotestoSelfPod</a></p>
June 22, 2026
Ep5 On Grassroots Fundraising: community-led care and material support
<p>In this episode, I sit down with Ash and Nassim to talk about the steady, deliberate work of grassroots fundraising — the kind that grows out of relationships, trust, and the conscious decision to stay engaged even when it’s difficult.</p><p>Their Berlin‑based initiative* sells artisanal goods at markets around the city, using every Euro to support families they’re directly connected to in Gaza and, when needed, beyond. What they’ve built is not a simple project, rather, it’s a mutual aid structure shaped by care.</p><p>We talk about how their work began, how they organize together in practice, and the moments where they’ve seen the most impact. We also explore what it means to build community care in a political climate that often feels hostile to Palestinian visibility and how they navigate that tension with clarity and intention.</p><p>What moved me most is that Ash and Nassim don’t do this professionally, they volunteer their time and energy. Their resolve is rooted in humanity and the courage to stay present.</p><p>They share what it’s like to be in ongoing contact with families living through genocide in Gaza: the discomfort of not always knowing the right words, the inevitability of making mistakes, and the commitment to center the people whose needs are most urgent. Their honesty stayed with me long after the conversation ended.</p><p>This episode is about fundraising, yes — but it’s also about responsibility, connection, and the ongoing work of caring across borders while tending to one’s own capacity. It’s a conversation about what it means to show up consistently, when the stakes are real and the relationships are lifelines.</p><p>*We intentionally left the name of the initiative out for privacy reasons.</p><p>Many thanks to TorGado for composing the music just for this podcast. Art from my sketchbook. </p><p>Instagram: @notestoselfpod</p><p>All links: linktr.ee/NotestoSelfPod</p>
June 15, 2026
Ep4 On My Identity Crisis: external projections, Orientalism, and post-9/11
<p>Here I trace the long, complicated arc of an identity crisis that began in childhood, in the misunderstandings and misreadings that quietly shaped how I learned to see myself. I talk about how hard it can be to unlearn the stories we never chose.</p><p>The episode quotes Edward Said’s “Orientalism” to make sense of the context in which I was emerging and the larger forces that had already been shaping the lens through which others inevitably saw me. I revisit the post‑9/11 moment, which was a time when Arab and Muslim identities were cast under intense suspicion, to understand how those pressures deepened the fracture between how the world saw me and how I wanted to be seen.</p><p>This is about the complex realities of defining yourself after years of being named by others, the tension between internal truth and external projection, and the slow process of self-awareness.</p><p>Many thanks to TorGado for composing the music just for this podcast. Art from my sketchbook. </p><p>Instagram: @notestoselfpod</p>
7 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Notes to Self?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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