Creator of The Hyphenated Framework.
Exploring healing for the hyphenated identity, and building bridges for the communities who want to connect with them.
Drawing from my own lived experience I've given talks and presentations, and written about how I have come to a place of integration. Now I'm pleased to have developed a framework that turns that process into something others can walk through themselves.
When people hear each other a little differently — that's where things start to open up, and that's where I want to be.
When readers of Your War, Our Lives tell me they feel seen, or more connected to a homeland they've never set foot in, or that they've come to understand us in a deeper way, that's something I treasure. My workshops are interactive, whether academic, youth-focused, or women-centred, and I know from those vulnerable conversations that we're all learning together. A keynote, for me, is a challenge to share in words what an audience may not have realized they were feeling, doing, or missing.
There's a real appetite for more honest, human-centred conversations beyond headlines. This work is ongoing, including a new book built around Hyphenated: A Third Category. New workshops and speaking engagements are part of what's ahead too. Be in touch to learn more about how I can speak, write, or facilitate for your community.
Afghan Short Fiction with ArtLords Illustrations
After 15 years living in Afghanistan, Mina returned to Canada and found a gap between the headlines about Afghanistan and the daily life she had actually lived and witnessed. Sharing the sensory beauty of her homeland through vivid fiction became the starting point for Your War, Our Lives. Through a range of Afghan voices and perspectives, Your War, Our Lives offers an intimate look at everyday life beyond the headlines — blending storytelling with original ArtLords illustrations to challenge assumptions and centre Afghan experiences.
ISBN: 978-1-0694637-0-8 — accessible to indie bookstores, academic institutions & libraries
With my framework, diaspora and non-diaspora audiences alike leave with tangible ways to connect: with each other, with their communities, and with their own sense of identity. Dynamic keynotes on narrative, identity, and connection, delivered across academic, corporate, and community stages.
Hands-on sessions in storytelling, narrative strategy, newcomer best practices, and the diaspora identity framework developed through years of lived experience. Resonant across university, corporate, HR/DEI, and community settings, wherever people are navigating competing systems of belonging.
In-person or virtual visits to accompany Your War, Our Lives — for book clubs, literature courses, diaspora studies, gender studies, and area studies programs.
Commentary on identity, belonging, and narrative strategy, drawing on firsthand experience of Afghanistan and the power of storytelling in shaping public understanding.
"If your organization or audience is navigating identity, belonging, or cross-cultural connection, let's talk."
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Mina's writing and voice have reached audiences across Canadian media like CBC and TVO, Afghan media like Afghanistan International and MAWJ TV, and international platforms like BBC and Al Jazeera.
Whether you're interested in booking a keynote, arranging a classroom or book club visit, a media inquiry, or simply want to connect — Mina welcomes the conversation.