Tea With ALSA podcast

About Tea With ALSA podcast

A podcast series dedicated to Albanian students & professionals, looking to gain new insights from various fields & industries.

Publisher

ALSA UK

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

12 Nov 2021

Latest episode

22 Oct 2025

Latest episodes

31 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Oct 2025

   Marcela Shehu: Building with Purpose, Across Borders

   What if leadership wasn’t about being loud, but about building quietly with care, clarity, and contribution?In this episode of the ALSA UK Podcast, we sit down with Marcela Shehu, recruiter, co-founder of Honest Solutions and Dental Tourism Albania. From London to Tirana, Marcela’s story is one of bridge-building, mentorship, and purpose-led entrepreneurship.We talk about creating apprenticeships that open real doors for women in tech, building trust across cultures, and why honesty is the foundation of every lasting partnership. Marcela opens up about the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship, the realities of leading teams across borders, and what it truly means to invest back into Albania with intent.🎧 Whether you're a young professional in the diaspora, a founder balancing two homes, or someone dreaming of giving back, this episode is filled with grounded wisdom and heartfelt motivation.You’ll hear about:– Leading with integrity: how honesty and accountability shape every decision– Building trust across teams, clients, and countries– Creating long-term apprenticeships and empowering women in tech– Lessons from Honest Solutions and Dental Tourism Albania– What failure can teach you about clarity and resilience– Diaspora investment as a form of contribution, not escape– Advice for young Albanians who want to start something of their own📌 Chapters00:00 – Identity, Roots & What Marcela’s Building02:49 – Leading with Values: Honesty, Accountability & Boundaries05:51 – Building Trust Across Borders & Cultures08:42 – Women in Tech: Internships, Apprenticeships & Inclusion14:19 – Success Stories & Course Corrections in Early Careers16:46 – Internships from a Business Perspective19:50 – Soft Skills & Workforce Readiness in Albania22:46 – Finding Strengths & Career Alignment25:32 – Giving Back: Solidarity Day & Community Engagement28:25 – Diaspora Investment & Why She Chose Albania30:31 – Risks, Sacrifices & Lessons from Entrepreneurship32:49 – Advice for Future Entrepreneurs & Career Starters🎯 Watch this if you want to:✅ Learn what purpose-led leadership looks like in practice✅ Understand how diaspora investment can create opportunity✅ Hear honest lessons on risk, resilience, and business ethics✅ Feel inspired to bring your skills home and give back👤 Connect with Marcela Shehu🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcela-shehu-4a36b951/🌐 Honest Solutions: https://honestsolutions.co.uk🌐 Dental Tourism Albania: https://dentaltourismalbania.com📩 Email: info@dentaltourismalbania.com📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dentaltourismalbania_/🔗 Follow ALSA UK🌐 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/alsauk👥 Join the ALSA UK Community: https://www.alsauk.co.uk/membership📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alsa_uk_/📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ALSA_UK🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/76KXivrg70p7E87L2cF2wD📩 Email: info@alsauk.co.uk

2. 

   15 Oct 2025

   Dr Egzona Morina: Mapping the Mind, Rooted in Purpose

   What if neuroscience wasn’t just about data but about place, memory and healing?In this episode of the ALSA UK Podcast, we sit down with Dr Egzona Morina, a neuroscientist, educator and founder of the Xheladin and Xhufe Morina Foundation. From Prishtina to Boston, MIT to BrainCamp, Egzona’s story is one of scientific purpose, emotional honesty, and deep-rooted love for community.We talk about rebuilding after failure, finding your calling through detours, and creating space for young minds to grow, in Kosovo and across the diaspora. Egzona opens up about navigating academic pressure, grief, and self-doubt, while also building a neuroscience lab from scratch and pioneering research in environmental stress.🎧 Whether you're a young professional in the diaspora, a student figuring things out, or someone who’s ever felt like an outsider, this episode is for you.You’ll hear about:– Returning to Kosovo as healing, not just heritage– Why failure doesn’t define you—but who stays around does– Building BrainCamp, from idea to impact– Neuroscience that centres culture, context and care– Invisible stressors: what noise and pollution do to our minds– Her foundation, her father, and the legacies we choose to carry– Advice for young Albanians who want to give back📌 Chapters00:00 – Identity, Return & What Egzona Is Building Now08:45 – Diaspora Tensions: Pressure, Belonging, and Second Chances23:15 – Discovering Neuroscience (by Accident) & Getting Started in Labs31:45 – From Personal Gaps to BrainCamp: Making Science Accessible38:00 – Building a Lab from Scratch & Starting ENRI46:30 – Culture, Context & Caution in Scientific Research54:45 – Failures, Grants & Self-Worth in Academic Spaces01:03:40 – Why Her Foundation Carries Her Parents’ Names01:12:00 – Pressure vs Love: A Diaspora Reframing01:24:00 – What Success Means Now: Joy, Purpose & Building with Others🎯 Watch this if you want to:✅ Hear an honest story of academic resilience and purpose✅ Understand how science and community can serve each other✅ Get inspired to give back, even if you’re still figuring it out✅ Reflect on what it means to carry your roots into your work👤 Connect with Egzona Morina🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/egzona-morina-claudi/🌐 Foundation: https://xhmf.org/🧠 BrainCamp: https://xhmf.org/braincamp📸 Foundation Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xhmfoundation/🔗 Follow ALSA UK🌐 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/alsauk👥 Join the ALSA UK Community: https://www.alsauk.co.uk/membership📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alsa_uk_/📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ALSA_UK🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/76KXivrg70p7E87L2cF2wD📩 Email: info@alsauk.co.uk

3. 

   8 Oct 2025

   Jona Doda: Reimagining Therapy for Our Communities

   What does it mean to build a mental health platform that truly reflects who we are? In this episode of the ALSA UK Podcast, we sit down with Jona Doda, founder and CEO of Bliss, a wellbeing platform designed for diaspora communities who’ve long been underserved by traditional therapy models. Jona shares the story behind Bliss, from growing up in Durrës and moving to the UK at 16, to confronting shame, burnout, and generational silence. With honesty and clarity, she walks us through what it means to lead with empathy, design with cultural sensitivity, and care without compromise. 🎧 Whether you're a founder, a diaspora listener, or simply navigating the complexities of identity, this conversation is a deep breath and a clear mirror. You’ll hear about: – Building Bliss from lived experience and professional expertise– How shame, silence, and sacrifice shape mental health in Albanian families– Using tech and AI to scale culturally rooted therapy– Why returning to Albania was both strategic and soulful– The emotional language of switching between Albanian and English– What it means to care for yourself while building for others 📌 Chapters00:00 Introduction & Jona’s Journey to the UK08:21 Burnout, Therapy & Founding Bliss18:51 Cultural Sensitivity & Mental Health in the Diaspora26:58 Returning to Albania & Building Community Trust35:11 Identity, Language & Expanding to Global Diasporas44:20 Leadership, Feedback & What We Deserve in Care 🎯 Watch this if you want to: ✅ Understand how therapy can reflect, not erase, cultural identity✅ Learn what it takes to build a care-focused startup✅ Hear real talk about burnout, AI, and breaking taboos in the diaspora✅ Feel seen in the tension between gratitude and unmet needs 👤 Connect with Jona Doda 🌐 Website: https://bliss.al (https://bliss.al/)📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bliss.al (https://www.instagram.com/bliss.al)🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonadoda (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonadoda)📩 Email: info@bliss.al (mailto:info@bliss.al) 🔗 Follow ALSA UK🌐 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/alsauk (https://linktr.ee/alsauk)👥 Join the ALSA UK Community: https://www.alsauk.co.uk/membership (https://www.alsauk.co.uk/membership)📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alsa_uk_/ (https://www.instagram.com/alsa_uk_/)📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ALSA_UK (https://www.youtube.com/@ALSA_UK)🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/76KXivrg70p7E87L2cF2wD (https://open.spotify.com/show/76KXivrg70p7E87L2cF2wD)📩 Email: info@alsauk.co.uk (mailto:info@alsauk.co.uk)

Who has been a guest on Tea With ALSA podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Loresa Leka
• Ariana Krasniqi
• Lirim Krasniqi
• Alice Taylor

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

11,309

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 63 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

64

Social presence

94

YouTube

76

Engagement

32

Contact Tea With ALSA podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.