TayTalks

Taymeyah Al-Toubah
  • 5.0 (3)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

TayTalks is a podcast for dynamic people navigating layered, nontraditional paths across work and life. From academia and entrepreneurship to advocacy, science, and the arts, these are honest, down-to-earth conversations with guests whose stories don’t follow a straight line. Hosted by Taymeyah, TayTalks offers a space to slow down and talk openly about identity, growth, and the quiet, meaningful shifts that shape who we become—personally and professionally. It’s less about perfectly polished narratives, and more about the moments in between: pivots, doubts, values, and the courage to move through complexity while staying grounded. Born from spontaneous voice notes and conversations over ice cream, this podcast invites the same kind of real, reflective dialogue to unfold: thoughtful, unscripted, and rooted in care. Whether you’re figuring out your own next step or simply love stories that linger after they’re told, you’re welcome here. 🎧 New episodes every other week

  1. Navigating Care in a Broken System

    JAN 26

    Navigating Care in a Broken System

    In this TayTalks episode, Taymeyah and cancer rights attorney Joanna Doran dive into what it really means to navigate care in a broken system when you’re living with cancer or a serious medical condition. Joanna shares how she found her way into the niche world of cancer rights law, what it’s like co-founding and leading Triage Cancer with her sister, and why education about insurance, employment protections, and legal rights can literally be the difference between accessing life-saving treatment or not. The conversation moves from policy to deeply human moments: invisible illness in the workplace, myths about what “having cancer” entitles you to, the emotional weight of watching patients fall through systemic cracks, and the quiet wins that come from helping someone keep their job, their coverage, or their home. Joanna also reflects on personal loss, resilience, and the reality of doing mission-driven work in a funding landscape that is anything but stable. This episode is a reminder that while you can’t control every diagnosis, law, or policy decision, you can learn the rules of the system you’re in and use that knowledge to reclaim agency, dignity, and options. Why Listen: You’ll learn why “having cancer” doesn’t automatically grant unlimited protections at work and what actually does.You’ll finally understand the basics of health insurance types (Medicaid, Medicare, employer plans, marketplace) and why they matter when things go wrong.You’ll hear how education can be a powerful form of advocacy, both for yourself and for others in your community.You’ll get a candid look at the emotional reality of working in oncology from the legal side, and how proximity to serious illness reshapes your view of time and priorities.You’ll see why prevention, primary care, and social supports (food, housing, education) are not “extras” but integral to a functioning health system.You’ll be reminded that it’s possible to build a meaningful career at the intersection of law, policy, and compassion, even in a system that often feels impossibly flawed.Send this to anyone you think would benefit from understanding their rights, supporting a loved one with cancer, or working in healthcare. Then tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost it. ✅ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app—so you never miss a TayTalks deep-dive on nonlinear paths and full-circle moments. 🎙️ Come for the science, storytelling, and systems talk. Stay for the reminder that advocacy often begins where certainty—and the system—falls short. 🤍 If this episode resonated: Share it with one friend who needs to hear it.Tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost you.Leave a quick rating on Apple or Spotify—your words help more ambitious humans and caregivers find the show.

    57 min
  2. Life is about Time and Relationships

    JAN 14

    Life is about Time and Relationships

    In this TayTalks episode, Taymeyah and Greg Wasserman explore what it really means to build a career (and a life) that aligns with who you are. Greg reflects on early career experiences that shaped his leadership style, including retail “character development”, managing teams across multiple offices, and navigating constant change during his years at Yahoo. The conversation moves into startups versus big corporations, unpacking the myth of stability, the impact of silos, and why understanding how decisions affect people on the ground actually matters. Greg also shares openly about reaching a mental health breaking point in late 2022, what it took to ask for help, and how that moment reframed his perspective on time, relationships, and purpose. This episode is a reminder that you don’t have to have it all figured out, but you do have to listen to yourself, stay curious, and let people show up for you. Why Listen: Your gut often knows before you can explain why something feels offStability is a myth; both startups and big companies changeLeadership is about communication, listening, and understanding motivationSilos exist everywhere and knowing when to break down or embrace them, is a skill Asking for help isn’t a weakness; it’s a form of self-awareness and a gift to those around you Life is ultimately, as Greg beautifully puts it, about time and relationshipsSend this to anyone you think would enjoy. Then tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost it. ✅ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app—so you never miss a TayTalks deep-dive on nonlinear paths and full-circle moments. 🎙️ Come for the science and storytelling. Stay for the reminder that purpose often begins where certainty ends. 🤍 If this episode resonated: Share it with one friend who needs to hear it. Tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost you. Leave a quick rating on Apple or Spotify, your words help more ambitious humans find the show.

    1h 9m
  3. You’re Not Bad at Math, You’re Just Learning

    12/23/2025

    You’re Not Bad at Math, You’re Just Learning

    In this episode, Tay sits down with Pouyan — an engineer, PhD researcher, and creator whose journey spans continents, careers, and deep personal loss. From growing up in Iran to building intuitive robotics systems in Montreal, Pouyan shares how immigration reshapes identity, how grief can shadow (and shape) ambition, and why lowering expectations doesn’t mean lowering your standards. They dive into the realities of PhD life, creativity in robotics, how AI is changing everything (and what it can’t replace), and the quiet discipline required to keep going when nothing feels certain. Pouyan opens up about losing his mother and grandmother, why he still dreams of bringing loved ones back for “just one day,” and the unexpected comfort of learning to release control. This conversation blends engineering, culture, nostalgia, humility, and humor — from Linkin Park to lab automation, from Middle Eastern parents to Montreal winters, from perfectionism to finding your own pace. Why listen: • Hear an honest look at robotics, AI, and what the next generation of innovators actually need. • Explore immigration, belonging, and the strange nostalgia for places you’ve never lived. • Learn how lowering expectations (while keeping high standards) becomes a form of freedom. • Reflect on grief, resilience, and redefining yourself beyond your work. • Laugh about childhood science fairs, Persian food, “inshallah timelines,” and Tay’s show recommendations. A grounded, thoughtful episode for anyone navigating ambition, uncertainty, creativity — or simply trying to become someone they’re proud of, one decision at a time. Send this to anyone you think would enjoy. Then tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost it. ✅ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app—so you never miss a TayTalks deep-dive on nonlinear paths and full-circle moments. 🎙️ Come for the science and storytelling. Stay for the reminder that purpose often begins where certainty ends. 🤍 If this episode resonated: Share it with one friend who needs to hear it. Tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost you. Leave a quick rating on Apple or Spotify, your words help more ambitious humans find the show.

    1h 2m
  4. Grieving the life lost

    12/02/2025

    Grieving the life lost

    In this solo episode, Taymeyah unpacks one of the most quietly devastating experiences we go through: grieving the job, career, or path you desperately wanted, and didn’t get. This conversation goes deeper than rejection. It’s about the identity crisis that hits when the thing you believed defined you suddenly disappears. What happens to your confidence? How do you move forward? And who are you when the gold stars, titles, or next steps fall away? Tay shares her own story, from med-school rejections to rock-bottom MCAT cycles, to the pressure of always being “on,” to the free-fall feeling that comes when the plan dissolves and you’re left to rewrite your future in real time. She breaks down: why losing a job or dream can feel like a deathhow we attach identity to achievement without noticingthe role grief plays in growth (and why it isn’t linear) why balance matters more than obsession how to pivot with intention instead of panic what it means to reclaim confidence after a “no”This episode is a reminder that you are more than what you do, more than the plan that didn’t happen, and more than the title you thought would define you. Some paths aren’t lost, they’re just rerouted. For anyone navigating rejection, transitions, identity shifts, or the quiet grief of “this wasn’t supposed to go this way,” this one is for you.

    23 min
  5. The PA Reality Check

    11/17/2025

    The PA Reality Check

    In this episode, Taymeyah sits down with Jennifer Teeters, clinician, educator, former athlete, and the undisputed queen of the physical exam, for a conversation that every aspiring PA, every pre-PA student, and honestly, every future clinician should hear. Jen’s path wasn’t linear: college athlete, athletic trainer, PA, faculty member, and now a leader shaping the next generation at the USF PA program. But the thread that ties it all together? Energy in how she lives. Diversity in who she learns from and serves. Dedication in everything she commits to. Together, they break down what the PA profession really looks like, not the Instagram version, but the day-to-day reality of showing up for patients, for students, and for yourself. Jen shares: The truth about PA training and why time management matters more than GPA.How to survive didactic year without losing your mind (or your weekends).Why physical exams are a dying art, and why she refuses to let them die.How athletic grit shaped her clinical presence, from the court to the clinic.Why burnout is real… but purpose is stronger.She also talks openly about what she wishes applicants would stop saying, what she loves to hear in interviews, and the misconceptions about “lateral mobility” that every young PA needs to unlearn. This conversation is part mentorship, part truth-telling, and part love letter to medicine. A reminder that the clinicians who change lives are the ones who still care enough to look closely. ⭐ Why Hit Play: 🎧 If you’re considering the PA path: This episode might become the one you return to before every application cycle, every interview, and every moment of doubt. 🩺 If you’re in training: Hear what your faculty wish they could tell you in class — about burnout, balance, and becoming the clinician your patients deserve. 🔎 If you’re already practicing: Reignite your commitment to the physical exam, to listening deeply, and to leaving a legacy that matters. 🔄 If you teach or mentor future PAs: Jen’s perspective is a masterclass in shaping clinicians who care with intention, depth, and endurance. Send this to anyone considering the PA path, or really anyone in the clinical realm wanting to hear about another's journey. Then tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost it. ✅ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app—so you never miss a TayTalks deep-dive on nonlinear paths and full-circle moments. 🎙️ Come for the science and storytelling. Stay for the reminder that purpose often begins where certainty ends. 🤍 If this episode resonated: Share it with one friend who needs to hear it.Tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost you.Leave a quick rating on Apple or Spotify, your words help more ambitious humans find the show.

    1h 3m
  6. Where Pain Meets Purpose

    11/03/2025

    Where Pain Meets Purpose

    What do you do when life doesn’t go to plan, and the only way forward is through? In this episode, patient advocate and Phase I clinical research expert Peter DeMaria joins Taymeyah Al-Toubah for a candid conversation about loss, legacy, and what it really means to make meaning from pain. Peter shares how losing his mother ignited his purpose: becoming the kind of advocate she would’ve needed. He also breaks down the world of Phase I trials, where science, courage, and uncertainty collide, and why hope isn’t just found in results, but in the people who keep showing up for the next patient. Together, they talk about reframing pain, finding purpose in the unpredictable, and the strange beauty of helping others heal while still healing yourself. (Plus: Tay’s Florida-sun equipment meltdown that proved “weathering the storm” can be literal.) Why hit play: Learn what Phase I clinical trials actually are... and why they represent both risk and resilience for patients.Hear how Peter turned grief into advocacy, and how purpose can emerge from loss.Reframe how you think about pain management and palliative care—beyond the physical.Reflect on the courage it takes to lead with empathy in spaces built on uncertainty.Laugh at Tay’s overheated recording setup; proof that even good conversations can melt under Florida sun.Send this to the clinician, the caregiver, or the friend learning to make meaning from the hard stuff. Then tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost it. ✅ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app—so you never miss a TayTalks deep-dive on nonlinear paths and full-circle moments. 🎙️ Come for the science and storytelling. Stay for the reminder that purpose often begins where certainty ends. 🤍 If this episode resonated: Share it with one friend who needs to hear it.Tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost you.Leave a quick rating on Apple or Spotify, your words help more ambitious humans find the show.

    1h 4m
  7. When Caregiving Becomes the Calling

    10/22/2025

    When Caregiving Becomes the Calling

    Nurse practitioner–turned–NET advocate Lisa Yen sits down with host Taymeyah Al-Toubah to unpack the sprint from ICU clinician to full-time caregiver, how a second opinion changed everything, and why pursuing joy (yes, even a same-day Broadway run) is a serious resilience strategy. Why hit play: Trace Lisa’s nonlinear path: from cardiac ICUs to hospitalist pioneer to patient advocate—without the tidy montage.Hear the diagnosis day that blew up “the plan,” and the expert visit that rebuilt it.Steal Lisa’s wellness playbook: free coaching for NET patients/caregivers, “joy reps,” and putting your oxygen mask on first.Reframe ambition with compassion: the real emotional math of caregiving, partnership, and purpose.Get her book + audio recs (rom-coms with range, Project Hail Mary), and a spicy take on what’s overhyped.Remember that spontaneity counts: the one-day NYC flight for Enemy of the People and why seizing moments matters.Send this to the clinician-caregiver, the advocate in training, or the friend who needs permission to choose joy and still do hard things. Then tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost it. ✅ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app—so you never miss a TayTalks deep-dive on nonlinear paths and full-circle moments. 🎙️ Come for the patient-advocacy playbook. Stay for the reminder that resilience is built one joyful decision at a time. 🤍 If this episode resonated: Share it with one friend who needs to hear it.Tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost you.Leave a quick rating on Apple or Spotify—your words help more ambitious humans find the show.

    1h 12m
  8. Medicine, Money & Mindset: Can We Heal the System?

    10/06/2025

    Medicine, Money & Mindset: Can We Heal the System?

    What happens when a healer decides healing the system matters just as much as healing the patient? Clinician-scholar Ramy Mitwalli joins host Taymeyah Al-Toubah for a raw, thoughtful conversation about the intersection of medicine, money, and meaning. With multiple master’s degrees across healthcare and business—and medical training in Europe—Ramy brings a rare perspective on how financial literacy, leadership, and empathy can (and must) coexist in modern medicine. Why hit play: Hear how a personal tragedy reshaped Ramy’s faith, outlook, and purpose—and why mindset became his greatest medicine.Learn why he believes financial literacy should be a core clinical skill, not an afterthought.Get his take on the burnout epidemic, and how corporatization and administrative overload are breaking the people medicine needs most.Explore the hidden costs of student debt—and how tuition-free programs are changing the specialties future doctors choose.See how interdisciplinary education could rebuild trust and balance in a system driven by profit instead of purpose.Find out why he thinks universal basic coverage and preventative care—not reactive medicine—should be our next moonshot.Stick around for the fun stuff: his comfort shows (Peaky Blinders, House of Cards, Chicago Med, and the underrated The Pit), his least favorite food, and which “conspiracy theory” he kind of believes in.Take away his parting advice: pair discipline with kindness, lead with respect, and never lose sight of intention.Send this to the friend who’s questioning whether the system can still be saved—and tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost it. ✅ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app—so you never miss a TayTalks deep dive on nonlinear paths, big questions, and full-circle moments. 🎙️ Come for the healthcare realities. Stay for the reminder that purpose and perspective still matter. 🤍 If this episode resonated: Share it with one friend who needs to hear it.Tag @taytalks_pod with your takeaway so we can repost you.Leave a quick rating on Apple or Spotify—your words help more ambitious humans find the show.

    44 min
See All (15)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

TayTalks is a podcast for dynamic people navigating layered, nontraditional paths across work and life. From academia and entrepreneurship to advocacy, science, and the arts, these are honest, down-to-earth conversations with guests whose stories don’t follow a straight line. Hosted by Taymeyah, TayTalks offers a space to slow down and talk openly about identity, growth, and the quiet, meaningful shifts that shape who we become—personally and professionally. It’s less about perfectly polished narratives, and more about the moments in between: pivots, doubts, values, and the courage to move through complexity while staying grounded. Born from spontaneous voice notes and conversations over ice cream, this podcast invites the same kind of real, reflective dialogue to unfold: thoughtful, unscripted, and rooted in care. Whether you’re figuring out your own next step or simply love stories that linger after they’re told, you’re welcome here. 🎧 New episodes every other week

Information

  • Creator
    Taymeyah Al-Toubah
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Taymeyah Al-Toubah, 2025
  • Show Website
    TayTalks