Greetings Reader,

It’s a new season, the official start of the new year for most, and the start of Women’s History Month. This is the year to take relationships out of the group chat. Out of the comment section. Out of the algorithm. And into real life.

I’ve been doing some reflecting that might empower you.

Reflection Number One

My podcast, See Life Different (fka Living Legacy) launched March 1st, during Women’s History Month in 2019 in my bedroom at my parents’ house for rent.

At the time, I didn’t fully grasp the significance of that timing. I was simply thinking about creating something honest. About proving to myself that my voice still had a place in the world. I thought it was time to let people know how I became a childhood eye cancer survivor. My first few episodes before I opened it up for guests that I met in virtual forums and groups, were of relationships I had built over time. Now, seven years later, in 2026, I get accepted to speak at and moderate events because I was in their ecosystem, in their private forums, on their podcasts. I didn’t know then that it would become part of a longer arc — one that would lead me to publish an impactful book and speak on a TEDx stage.

I recently got off two calls with people whose ecosystems I’ve been part of. We have mutual connections. We’ve followed each other’s work. Supported from a distance. Built trust quietly, without urgency or expectation. And for the first time, those relationships moved beyond the screen because of alignment.

Thought Number Two

Recently, I submitted applications to two grants that would allow me to tell stories from a disabled lens — stories that center access, adaptation, and the creative ways we move through the world. Around the same time, Facebook memories resurfaced PSA and documentary videos I created years ago, reminding me that this work began long ago when I gave myself permission to heed the call of my purpose. To accept the fact that I am a woman whose path does not look linear in hindsight. What I’ve come to understand is that history is also shaped by the women who do not fit the status quo. Who begin before they feel ready. The women who create while they are still healing. The women who build something without knowing who will listen, or read, or watch — only knowing they must.

Since 2024, I’ve been quietly working on the deck for my documentary series. Each time I think I’ve narrowed the story, another layer reveals itself. Every revision brings new clarity, but also new questions — and new ideas I couldn’t see before. This week, It also made me reflect on how easily places — and people — are misunderstood.

Thought Number Three

After the latest headline about Mexico, I watched the familiar reactions unfold. Fear. Assumptions. Entire narratives formed by people who have never been in the country, never listened closely to the locals, and never witnessed the nuance that exists beyond the headlines.

It brought me back to my pandemic road trip to Brownsville, Texas.

Brownsville sits at the southeasternmost edge of the United States, where it meets Matamoros, Mexico. Far away from Puerto Vallarta. That trip happened in 2021, a time when my life was unraveling in ways I also didn’t know. At the time, it was the entry point to exploring ways to be a digital nomad abroad. It was also the second to last road trip with my dad. Along that trip is when I became more comfortable with setting the camera up, and simply recording my trips. It led to my highest viewed YouTube video yet.

As you reflect on your last seven years, you’ll realize that second chances rarely arrive in familiar forms. They don’t always look like returning to what was. Sometimes they look like building something entirely unexpected, yet full circle, that leads you to rediscover the work already created and done with.

Nothing was wasted. Not the pauses. Not the pivots. Not the uncertainty.

If you’d like to see the visual stories that have shaped this journey — and the foundation for what comes next — I invite you to take a look at my Vimeo. It holds pieces of the past, and glimpses of the future I am actively creating.

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I am Zaakirah (zaa-key-ra) Muhammad, a deafblind retinoblastoma cancer survivor, creative tech-savvy entrepreneur and TEDx speaker, with over a decade of experience in photography and digital communications. As a brand cultivating strategist, author, and podcaster, I empower you to step outside of your comfort zone, understand your purpose, and show you how to powerfully tell your story through digital marketing. As your brand therapist, I uncover your blind spots showcasing your superpower. Learn More $9.99 Seeing Life Through a Different Lens eBook This book will inspire you to overcome adversity with resilience. Featuring real-life stories about a young adult and... Read more Get it now! ​ ​​​​​​

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