What Built Me  |  Curated by Yasmeen Tadia

The conversations that changed everything for me.

I share these not because they are popular. I share them because they moved me. Each one shifted something in how I think, how I take care of myself, how I lead, and what I believe is possible.

These are the podcasts I actually returned to. The ones I sent to friends at midnight. The ones that made me put down my phone and sit with a thought. If something I said today resonated with you, start here.

Section 01

Health, Sleep & Biohacking

Your energy, your sleep, your metabolism, and your longevity are not separate from your success. They are the foundation of it. These are the episodes that gave me the science and the permission to make my health a non-negotiable, not a nice-to-have.

01
Health and Performance Science
Muscle, Metabolism, and the Real Science of Longevity

Not about aesthetics. About building the physical infrastructure to sustain everything you are creating. Skeletal muscle, metabolic health, hormone balance. Life-changing for any woman in high-performance mode.

"I am not working out for how I look. I am building an organ that will protect everything else."

02
Metabolic Health and Nutrition
Glucose, Fasting, and What Your Body Is Actually Telling You

I use intermittent fasting as part of my own practice. This gave me the research behind why it works, what inflammation means for daily energy, and how to stop guessing about what your body needs.

"I stopped treating food as comfort and started treating it as information. That one reframe changed everything."

03
Longevity and Prevention
What the Research Says About Living Longer and Reducing Cancer Risk

The conversation I wish I had heard a decade earlier. Specific lifestyle and metabolic factors that genuinely protect you, delivered without fear and grounded in science. Prevention is a daily practice.

"Longevity planning is how I make sure I am still standing and still present for Zain through every chapter ahead."

04
Movement and Daily Habits
The Fundamentals: Walking, Strength, and the Habits That Actually Work

No noise, no complicated protocols. Just the things science consistently shows matter most: daily walking, resistance training, quality protein, and sleep. Save this one.

"I started treating my daily walk like a non-negotiable meeting. This episode made the case so clearly I could not argue with it."

Section 02

My Entrepreneurial Journey

Not the highlight reel. The real story. The pivots, the payroll out of pocket, the single motherhood from day one, and the moment I chose to rebuild instead of quit. If you are in the middle of your own hard chapter, this one is for you.

01
House of Shine Podcast
Sweet Success: Building a Global Brand Through Grit, Faith, and Purpose

My story, told in full. Host Claudy Beeny and I go deep on what it really took to leave corporate America, become a single mother, survive a pandemic with an all-women team on my own payroll, and pivot from events to a 21-course dessert omakase at the Dallas Galleria that became profitable within months.

"The pivot is not a failure. It is proof you are still in the game and willing to evolve. Someone in the room always needs to hear that you can lose everything and still rebuild into something that matters."

Section 03

Mental Health & Mindset

You cannot pour from an empty place. These episodes gave me language for what I was carrying, and the permission to stop carrying it alone. Mental health is not a soft topic. For a CEO, a parent, and a builder, it is the most strategic conversation there is.

01
Mental Health and Emotional Resilience
What High Performers Carry and Rarely Talk About

For the people who appear to have it together from the outside while quietly holding more than anyone knows. The mental load of building a business, raising a child alone, and leading a team rarely gets named with this kind of honesty. This one does it without drama and without minimizing it.

"I heard this and felt genuinely seen. Not motivated. Seen. That is a different thing entirely."

Section 04

AI & the Future of Work

I am not watching AI happen. I am building with it, from the ZIYA AI Watercolor Portrait Experience to how we run operations at Make Your Life Sweeter. These are the episodes that gave me clarity on where to lean in, what to protect, and how to lead through the shift.

01
AI and Business Strategy
What Every Founder Needs to Understand About AI Right Now

Makes the AI conversation accessible without dumbing it down. Where AI creates real leverage, where it falls short, and how to make integration decisions without losing the human core of your brand. If you feel behind, start here.

"I stopped asking whether I should use AI and started asking where I am not using it yet and why."

02
AI Strategy and Application
The Practical AI Playbook: How Smart Leaders Are Building with It Now

Specific frameworks, real workflow shifts, and the mindset required to lead a team into an AI-augmented future. Especially relevant for founders building premium, experience-led brands where the human element must stay irreplaceable.

"Technology does not replace the experience. It amplifies the parts only a human can design."


This page grows as my listening does. The best podcasts for entrepreneurs, health optimization, and leadership are not a fixed list. They are the conversations that meet you where you are. I built a global experiential dessert brand, speak internationally on entrepreneurship and innovation, and am actively building with AI across Make Your Life Sweeter. These episodes are the curriculum behind that work. Bookmark this page and come back to it as your own journey evolves.

Stay in the Room

More curated insights,
delivered to you.

This page is one layer of what shapes how I lead and live. If something here moved you, join the inner circle for resources and reflections I share with people serious about building something that lasts.

 
Yasmeen's Favorite Things

Things I Use,
Love, and
Actually Swear By

As someone obsessed with longevity, performance, and showing up fully in every room, the tools I use daily matter. These are not sponsored placements. These are the things on my nightstand, in my kitchen, and in my carry-on. I share them because they genuinely changed something for me, and I want that for you too.

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share things I personally use and believe in.

⚖️
Upload product image
Smart Scale • Body Composition
Renpho Smart Body Fat Scale

Measures 13 body composition metrics including BMI, body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, metabolic age, and visceral fat. Syncs instantly to the free Renpho app and connects with Apple Health and Fitbit.

"I track my skeletal muscle weekly. Not my weight. My muscle. That is the number that tells me if I am actually getting stronger and reducing my cancer risk."

Shop Renpho Scale →
💍
Upload product image
Wearable • Health Intelligence
Oura Ring Gen 3

Tracks sleep stages, HRV, body temperature, recovery score, and daily readiness. The most accurate ring-form wearable available. Tells you how hard to push and when your body needs rest.

"My Oura ring detected I was getting sick two days before I felt it. That is not a gadget. That is a body intelligence tool."

Shop Oura Ring →
🏋️
Upload product image
Strength Training • Home Gym
Kettlebell

A single kettlebell is one of the most versatile strength tools you can own. Swings, goblet squats, deadlifts, Turkish get-ups. Total body strength and cardio in one compact piece of equipment.

"Building skeletal muscle is one of the most powerful things a woman over 40 can do for her health and longevity. A kettlebell is where I started."

Shop Kettlebell →
🧬
Upload product image
Protein • 25g Per Serving • No Flavor
Unflavored Protein Powder

25 grams of clean protein per serving with zero flavor and zero taste. Stirs into anything, including coffee, smoothies, oatmeal, or just water. No chalky aftertaste. No artificial anything. Just protein.

"I found a protein powder that I actually forget is in my coffee. No taste. No texture. Just 25 grams of protein I needed anyway. Game changer."

Shop Protein Powder →
🚶
Upload product image
Movement • Under Desk • Daily Walk
Under Desk Walking Pad

Folds flat and slides under any desk. I walk 8,000 to 10,000 steps daily, often while on calls or reviewing decks. Low impact, consistent movement. One of the highest-ROI health investments I have made.

"I do not have time for a two-hour workout every day. But I do walk. Every single day. This made that completely non-negotiable."

Shop Walking Pad →
🪑
Upload product image
Recovery • Home Office • 400 lb Capacity
Massage Office Chair with Foot Rest

6-point vibration massage with heat, reclining design, ergonomic lumbar support, and a foot rest. Supports up to 400 lbs. In cream. Built for people who work hard and refuse to destroy their bodies doing it.

"I run multiple companies from this chair. It has heat. It vibrates. It reclines. Recovery is not a luxury, it is a performance strategy."

Shop Massage Chair →
🌙
Sleep • Recovery
Silk Sleep Mask

Total blackout, zero pressure on eyes, cool against the skin. I travel internationally and sleep quality on red-eyes changed completely once I committed to a proper sleep mask.

"My Oura recovery score on travel nights with this mask versus without is not even close."

Shop Sleep Mask →
📖
Mindset • Current Read
Atomic Habits

James Clear's framework for building systems instead of goals. I re-read this every year. It rewired how I think about consistency, identity, and the compound effect of small decisions.

"Systems beat willpower. Every single time. This book taught me how to build the life I have."

Shop Atomic Habits →
🧘
Mental Clarity • Daily Practice
Five Minute Journal

Three things I am grateful for, three intentions for the day, one affirmation. I have done this for years. It anchors everything, especially on hard days.

"I do not start my day without this. Your mind needs a morning briefing just like your team does."

Shop The Journal →
🧳
Luggage • Carry-On
Away Carry-On

Lightweight, hard shell, TSA-approved built-in battery for charging on the go. I have taken this to 20+ countries. Still looks new.

"My Away bag has been to more countries than most people's passports."

Shop Away →
🎧
Noise Cancelling
Sony WH-1000XM5

Best noise cancelling on the market. I use these on every flight, in every airport, and during deep work sessions.

"Long international flights are my best writing and planning time. These headphones make the cabin disappear."

Shop Sony Headphones →
💧
Hydration • Travel Non-Negotiable
Electrolyte Packets

LMNT or Liquid IV. I pack these on every international trip. Flying dehydrates you more than most people realize.

"I land in Dubai or Singapore and go straight to an event. You cannot do that dehydrated."

Shop Electrolytes →
Morning Ritual
Nespresso Vertuo

My morning begins with intention and espresso. The Vertuo makes a perfect crema every time. Compact, fast, and consistent.

"Before the emails, before any demand on my time, there is coffee. Alone. In quiet. That is sacred."

Shop Nespresso →
🫙
Artisan Cotton Candy • MYLS
Sugaire Organic Cotton Candy

USDA Certified Organic cotton candy made with clean ingredients. My own brand. Obviously biased. Also genuinely the best cotton candy you will ever taste.

"I built an empire on this product. I use the word empire lightly and the word obsession literally."

Shop Sugaire →
💧
Hydration • Daily
Stanley Quencher 40oz

Insulated for hours. Holds enough. Fits in a cup holder. The hot pink one is, obviously, the only acceptable color.

"Hydration is non-negotiable for skin, energy, and brain function. This makes it effortless."

Shop Stanley →
Skincare • Daily
Vitamin C Serum

Brightening, anti-aging, hyperpigmentation control. Applied every morning before SPF. Consistent use for 90 days changed my skin more than anything else I have tried.

"I speak on stages around the world. I need my skin to look like I slept. Even when I did not."

Shop Vitamin C Serum →
👠
Style • Statement
The Perfect Blazer

A structured blazer in hot pink or black is my armor. It says I am here, I am intentional, and I dressed for the version of myself I am becoming.

"The right blazer changes your posture, how people receive you, and how you receive yourself."

Shop Blazers →
🌺
Fragrance • Signature
My Current Signature Scent

Fragrance is memory and identity. I change my scent with my season of life. Right now something warm, complex, and unapologetically feminine.

"People remember how you made them feel. And how you smelled. Choose both with intention."

Shop My Scent →