Building a Mission-Driven Fashion Brand That Employs Refugees with Shahd Alasaly of Blue Meets Blue
What does it look like to build a fashion brand where human dignity is the bottom line? Shahd Alasaly, founder of Blue Meets Blue, joins Emily Jean to share her journey from sociologist to fashion founder, creating a sustainable clothing line that employs refugee artisans in the United States. From sourcing Damascus brocade from the last remaining maker in Syria to creating safe spaces for refugee women to heal through craft, Shahd's story challenges everything we think we know about fashion, activism, and what it means to build a business that truly matters.
Highlights
The origin story of Blue Meets Blue and why Shahd started a fashion label in response to Syria's civil war
How refugee women's skills often don't "translate" when they come to the U.S.—and how Blue Meets Blue changes that
Why fashion can be a tool for healing and collective trauma without calling it therapy
The moment Shahd went back to Syria after the Assad regime fell and sourced fabric from the last Damascus brocade maker
Why 80% of garment factories in Syria were intentionally destroyed during the war
What it's really like to run a mission-driven company (and why Shahd almost quit in 2019)
The refugee artisan who could finally afford to send cupcakes for her son's birthday—and why that's what success actually looks like
How to build a sustainable fashion brand that's sustainable for people, not just the planet
Why activism and humanitarianism don't have to be add-ons—they can be the foundation
Shahd's vision for the future of Blue Meets Blue and refugee-made luxury fashion
Why this episode matters
Blue Meets Blue isn't just another "ethical fashion" brand. It's a refusal to let Syrian culture be erased. It's proof that businesses can heal as they scale. And it's a reminder that mission-driven entrepreneurship is hard—but it's possible. If you've been wondering whether you can build something that matters AND makes money, this conversation is for you.
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Follow Shahd Alasaly: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shahdxblue/ Website: https://bluemeetsblue.com
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Read Shahd's Book: A Kid's Book About Humanitarianism: Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and akidsco.com
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Transcript
Emily Jean (00:00)
Okay, so Shahd Alassaly of Blue Meets Blue, welcome to Founders in Jeans. I'm so excited to have you today. For people that don't know you, why don't you give me a little bit of a bio about yourself?
Shahd (00:00)
you
Sure, first of all, thanks for having me. ⁓ A little bit about myself. I am a sociologist ⁓ by training. My background is in sociology. teach at ⁓ the university. I teach social psychology, which is really exciting because I get to incorporate all of the things that I'm excited about. we talk a lot about social trauma, collective trauma, historical wounds in class ⁓ as it pertains to society.
⁓ bearing witness and all of these really important concepts. ⁓ Outside of my academic interests, I have written a kids book about humanitarianism ⁓ and I am also the founder of Blue Meets Blue, which is a clothing line that employs refugees in the United States.
Emily Jean (01:06)
Yeah, I actually want to kind of start. have a lot of questions for you, obviously. ⁓ Blue Beats Blue Meets Blue. That's a great name. Where does that come from?
Shahd (01:12)
Awesome.
Yeah, so I think ⁓ when I was trying to imagine this journey that refugees take when they leave their countries, oftentimes it is a journey that is extremely dangerous and it entails being on a boat. And the only thing that they can see is the blue of the ocean, meaning the blue of the sky. ⁓ And so for me, that felt like it was a representation of freedom and a journey to freedom. ⁓
So that's where the name came from. And yeah, we launched in 2015 and we have been working within the refugee community ever since.
Emily Jean (01:57)
That's a great, I love that visual. That's a very powerful visual. ⁓ So I guess I'm curious then. I know, I want to ask, is there kind of a moment that made you begin to think or period where you thought, you began to think about how fashion could be more than just clothing, but also a tool for healing and change?
Shahd (02:18)
Yeah, so before sociology, my graduate work was actually international psychology. And just as I was finishing my thesis, my background is Syrian, my family is from Syria. The civil war in Syria had broken out in 2011. And in 2013, we were starting to see a lot of refugees coming to the country. So I often tell people that, you you hear on the news,
you know, this country has, you know, is going through a civil war, this country, you know, and you're like, it's just a place on the map. But for us, it actually really hit home. And I was pulled ⁓ by, you know, this desire to do something to help the refugees that were coming. And so I wanted to do something really creative because I had this creative itch, always liked design and fashion design. So I wanted it to be a source of art therapy, but without calling it therapy.
So it was sort of this experience where these women would get together and while they were sewing, while they were working, they would have these very difficult conversations. And it was so special to see that happen because you can automatically feel like this is a safe space. They feel, you know, they trust me enough to share this information. But also it was a
moment for them where they felt like they could connect with one another with somebody else who's been through a similar experience, which is so important for anybody that's experienced trauma is that space of holding. So that was sort of this space that was a safe space. It was a holding space ⁓ for them to talk a lot about what they had been through while they were also working on their own skill set. So these were women that used to sew back in their country.
That was a big deal for me because ⁓ statistically a lot of refugees that come to the United States or Germany or wherever, the skill set doesn't translate. So they're often doing jobs that are not what they used to do because that doesn't translate over. And so, and as you can imagine, that also exacerbates feelings of depression and sadness of my skill sets not being ⁓ acknowledged.
And so I really wanted them to work in their skillset. I wanted them to have prior experience in sewing. And it was just really special to see that come together.
Emily Jean (04:53)
I know, I can tell, and because I know you've said that your work is really rooted in trauma and displacement and this kind of idea of collective healing. So how do you think those ideas actually show up in a garment?
Shahd (04:58)
Yeah.
Yeah. ⁓
Yeah.
So the pieces that we make, they're always like, you know, both of these things. have craftsmanship, which is one part of it, but then there's also the story behind it. And so, for example, one of the, we're known for our A-line skirts, right? So a skirt made with our Damascus brocade, it's not just fabric, but it's also the survival of brocade factories, right? So you have this,
⁓ you know, very two-sided, ⁓ situation that we're dealing with. We want craftsmanship, but we also really care about the story. ⁓ it's also a resistance to erasure, right? So at some level, ⁓ the brocade factories and actually many garment factories in Syria were intentionally destroyed during the war. And so, ⁓ about 80%. And so I had gone to Syria this past summer, and I
sure I'll get to this later. ⁓ But the goal this summer because the Assad regime fell this past year, which was amazing. so Syria became free. So it became a full moment for us. Went back in the summer and I sourced the fabric from there. And I really intentionally wanted to get brocade, Damascus brocade fabric, which is a very pure silk. Because there's, like I said, 80 % of the factories were destroyed and I got to meet the final, the last person that makes brocade.
So was a really special moment for us and we actually had stopped Blue Meets Blue in 2019. This was a time that was a little bit challenging for us to continue. I was moving to another state. We started in Chicago. I moved to Florida and then COVID hit. So it was almost impossible to have that same, know, have women in the same room and I didn't want
you know, anything to, ⁓ I didn't want to have anybody, you know, potentially get sick or anything like that. And so for a while we stopped and I just put it on the back burner. I was like, this is, it was really great. I was very proud of it, but you know, moving on to the next thing. And like I said, this year ⁓ when the Assad regime ⁓ fell, I was like so inspired to start this up again and
go back to Syria and it became full circle because the fabrics coming from there now and then the refugees over here are working on it. ⁓
Emily Jean (07:45)
I want to kind of, ⁓ I want to ask you something. It's not in my outline here, but I'm curious for me listening to this, I'm thinking to myself, I really ⁓ don't know that much about Syria and I don't know that much about the Syrian experience in America. I think that's true for a lot of Westerners.
Shahd (07:52)
Mm-hmm.
Mm.
Mm-hmm.
Emily Jean (08:11)
Why do you think that is though? Because I know it's a huge thing happening in the world. I know a lot of people are affected by it and it's a large community. What is kind of the disconnect that's going on there?
Shahd (08:16)
Right.
I think it's multifactorial. It was a civil war, right? So was kind of something that was seen over here as something that's happening over there, right? It doesn't affect us. It's not something that we're impacted by. ⁓ don't think, there was a lot of people that didn't even know where Syria was on the map until the civil war ⁓ had started. And so ⁓ I think that's really the...
the main issue when it's not affecting people. ⁓ It's something that we can easily ignore. We can easily say it's happening on the other side of the world. ⁓ And so I think that that's honestly the main ⁓ reason. But additionally, I would say now, mean, now the region has been in the news in general, and ⁓ it's definitely something that people are more aware of. ⁓
because there's been so many refugees that have come to the country. So now you've got kids that have friends that are from Syria, right? That are their classmates, neighbors, businesses that have opened up because Syrians have come and they've brought with them cuisine and culture and really incredible, you know, parts of their heritage. So, yeah.
Emily Jean (09:40)
Yeah, I am. Thank you. Sorry. Thank you for letting me switch gears a little bit. was just as you were speaking, I was like, my gosh, I'm suddenly feeling a little bit out of my element in a good way. But I know you wrote a kid's book about humanitarianism, which I think kind of goes back to what we're talking about a little bit. Why do you think it was so important to start this conversation with children?
Shahd (09:56)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, so it's a part of a bigger series, which is a kid's book about. So I believe the first book was in 2019. The founder of the whole company or publishing agency was Jelani Memory. And he wrote a kid's book about racism after George Floyd. And then right after somebody wrote a kid's book about systemic racism. And they basically reached out to experts in whatever field to write about a really important topic because
the understanding is that kids are not too young to have these conversations, right? ⁓ Sometimes the parents don't have the toolkit and they don't have the language that's needed to be able to have these conversations. like, I don't know how to talk to my kid about this. So the way these books are, there's supposed to be a read along where you're sitting down with your child, you're having these important conversations, but also understanding that kids get it. Like, ⁓ I think they get it more than we do, right? At some level, ⁓ if you talk to a kid about
kindness and you talk to a kid about empathy, it's just like very easy. They can understand what kindness is a lot more than adults do. As adults, we put in all these layers, right? We put in politics and we put in, she looks different and she dresses different and she talks different. And so, you know, we've got all these layers. Kids don't, the kids are a lot more innocent. And so I think having that conversation from an early age about empathy and about kindness in very active language,
is so important. I'm a mom, I have three kids and it's, I tell my kids all the time, if anything, the most important thing that you can do is lead with kindness and that'll get you really far in life. So yeah, that's why I wrote the book.
Emily Jean (11:43)
Yeah. I love what you said there about kids sometimes get it better than we do. I think that's very true. Is there kind of one lesson that you think kids grasp specifically about compassion, that adults usually struggle with?
Shahd (11:49)
Yeah. Yeah.
⁓ like, I mean, I really think that kids just don't overcomplicate empathy, right? Like, for them, if they see a kid crying, they just go naturally, instinctively, and they hug him, right? Or like, they ask if they're okay. They, even like young kids, right? Like, I'll share my lollipop with you. Kids are instinctively kind. ⁓ They don't have these layers that, unfortunately, with time and, you know,
exposure to people with different understandings, they don't have that. For them, it's just very instinctive. So, yeah.
Emily Jean (12:40)
Yeah. I know you're working on some new books. Can you talk to me a little bit about what they'll explore without giving everything away?
Shahd (12:44)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, so my next book that's coming out that I'm really excited about, it's called From There to Here. ⁓ The point is that you can assume that it's from anywhere there and to anywhere here, right? Because refugees travel around the world. It's also a children's book for early chapter readers. And ⁓ this follows the journeys of a few children that are refugees from different countries. And so they basically start out at the resettlement
center, which is where refugees go to learn about cultural orientation and all these things. So their parents and the story, their parents are doing cultural orientation and these kids are meeting for the first time at the resettlement agency. And so you have a child from Syria, a child from Lebanon, a child from Iraq, a child from Palestine, a child from Sudan, and they're all sharing their last experience of being in their country for the last time. And, you know, they're
It's like that fear component of where they came from and also what they're holding on to and this understanding of belonging, right? Through new friendship, through new country, what does belonging and identity mean? So that's the next one that's coming out this year.
Emily Jean (14:04)
So I do have to ask because you are juggling a lot. You are of course a sociology instructor, fashion founder, and an author, active author. I really want to know how do you balance all of this in one go?
Shahd (14:06)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
I don't know, I think I get bored very quickly. So I need to have multiple projects happening. Like everybody works differently and I have friends that ask me this, they're like, how are you able? And I need to have a different project for Monday that is not the same as the project for Tuesday. And I need to actively be engaged with students because they inspire me and I want to also feel like I'm.
you know, doing something that I'm gonna leave for my children, right, eventually in the future. And so, yeah, and then also, I don't know, ADHD probably. It's like, I think for those of us that have, you know, this like constant need for new novel projects, it kind of hits all of that, crosses off all the checks, all the boxes, I guess. I appreciate that.
Emily Jean (14:56)
you
you
Well, because it's very impressive.
So going back to kind of the storytelling, and I want to get back into fashion because I went off on a tangent there, which I usually do. I want to know, is there kind of a story from a refugee artisan that has with you every time you design or create?
Shahd (15:24)
Mm. Mm.
Mm-hmm.
⁓ I mean, I remember when we had first started working together, one of the artisans came to me and she was telling me how excited that she was, that she was able for the first time to buy ⁓ new supplies and like a new uniform for her child. But like even more than that, she was also able to send, I think, like cupcakes for his birthday.
And it meant so much to her because his friends always used to bring cupcakes for their birthdays and he, ⁓ you know, never was able, he wasn't able to do that the year before and it left ⁓ like a lasting, ⁓ like it felt really bad for her as a parent that she wasn't able to do that for her child. So that next year when she was working with us, she was really excited that that was something that she was able to do. And I was like, you know, it's the simple things.
Emily Jean (16:24)
Mm.
Shahd (16:25)
⁓
You know, sometimes it's like you want these like a grand, tangible, ⁓ you know, like what success looks like, I guess, but it's really these small stories that you're like, my gosh, like that's just everything.
Emily Jean (16:39)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, my ⁓ mom was a school teacher for a really long time, and she worked in King City, which is a very ⁓ just poor community in California. And she used to say, this idea that money doesn't buy happiness is like, you don't know what that's like when you can't provide the things you want to provide for your children. Like, you can't say that. ⁓
Shahd (16:44)
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
Yeah.
Of course. Of course.
Emily Jean (17:08)
which has always really stuck with me. think that's very true.
Shahd (17:10)
Yeah, mm-hmm.
Yeah, I think that's a very reductionist way of looking at things when things are going well. When things are not going well, there's definitely, yeah. ⁓
Emily Jean (17:23)
Yeah, Money is power. But so yeah, getting off topic, I, again, that's what I do. Anyways. So, okay, good. For people who see sustainable fashion, which I know is a big kind of part of your brand identity, I think a lot of people have been hearing that lately and they kind of think it is just buzzwords.
Shahd (17:33)
It's okay, this makes it fun.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Emily Jean (17:53)
How
do you incorporate sustainable fashion into your brand and how do you kind of redefine that?
Shahd (18:00)
Yeah, so that was also one of the ⁓ things that we really wanted to do. wanted, so it was a direct response to the Civil War, but it's also kind of this direct response to fast fashion. ⁓ We wanted to create a slow fashion company. It meant something to the people making it and meant something to the people that were buying it, but a lot of our people, didn't go crazy with inventory. We wanted to make sure that ⁓ we did a lot of made to order ⁓ pieces, which was really
cool because you've got that bespoke element, but also ⁓ it's just a lot less wasteful. So we're buying much better fabrics that are ethically produced and we're also paying fair wages ⁓ and we are not wasting. So that was really important. But I think the main thing for me about sustainability, it's not just about that. It's not just about being sustainable for the planet. It has to be sustainable for the people. It's got to be sustainable for their livelihood.
for their culture, for the preservation of ⁓ the heritage and the livelihoods, right? It's not just only about it being sustainable for the planet. Yeah.
Emily Jean (19:10)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, yes, I understand what you're saying there. I think that's a good point of good way of framing it too. There's definitely been an uptick in brands that are becoming sustainable, but really always sure what that actually means in practice. ⁓ So I'm curious, you've been running this fashion label for how long now?
Shahd (19:25)
Right.
Yeah.
So we did 2015 to 2019 and then we took a break and now we're relaunching in January of 2026.
Emily Jean (19:44)
Okay, got it. So
you've been working on this for a while, especially now with relaunching it. What has been one of the more difficult or one has been the hardest part of running this kind of mission driven based mission driven fashion label.
Shahd (19:47)
Mm-hmm.
Correct. ⁓
⁓ I mean, I think one of the most difficult things running any kind of company ⁓ is ⁓ the survival of the company, especially when it's a company that is like a smaller company or it's mission driven or, you know, that's definitely the thing that we focus on ⁓ and can be sometimes difficult. Social media is difficult, but that's because I don't like it.
Emily Jean (20:30)
Thanks
Shahd (20:32)
And that's definitely something that I would say, but I think fashion in general is a very competitive place to be. So if your bottom line is human dignity, ⁓ you can't cut corners, right? And so at some level, even when it's really tempting to cut those corners, remembering that big picture and why we're doing what we're doing is what keeps us ⁓ going.
Emily Jean (20:58)
For founders who are curious about kind of approaching things the way you have in blending activism along with entrepreneurship, do you have any advice for them or things that you wish they understood?
Shahd (21:03)
Yeah. ⁓
Yeah, and I write about this in my kid's book about humanitarianism, which is that activism is like, it's really not just this ad, like it's not something that has to be difficult ⁓ in humanitarianism in general, right? Like at some level, anybody that's doing anything can practice this and can incorporate it. Like, okay, fashion line, but it's also got this, our tagline is where fashion meets humanitarianism, right? ⁓ So it isn't just.
this like add on, I think if your business does not serve people, ⁓ then it's just profit, right? But I think the best businesses are the ones that heal as they're growing, as they're scaling. And there's so much good that you could do in the world, whatever capacity and whatever industry and sector that you're in.
Emily Jean (22:00)
Has there been ever a time when you are doing this work that you felt like this is really heavy? Like I assume that you what you're working through and working with everybody else, ⁓ it seems like it would take an emotional toll after a while. Is there ever been a moment like that for you? And if so, like what kind of kept you going through that?
Shahd (22:17)
Yeah.
Yeah, absolutely. I I think for sure a lot of the stories are heavy. The other side of what I do is that cultural orientation at resettlement centers, which we're not doing right now because of the current administration. But ⁓ those stories are heavy, right? A lot of the healing circles that we will provide, ⁓ you know, by nature, those stories are difficult. But the reality is those people are the ones that have experienced that.
They're the ones that have gone through it and they are not able to quit, right? Like they don't have that option. And so ⁓ I obviously get a lot of inspiration from them. I see, and it puts things into perspective, of course, but I see what other people are still going through, right? ⁓ In occupied parts of the world and in all kinds of places and they don't have the option to quit, right? They don't have the option to just give up and be like, this is too heavy. ⁓ And so I feel...
very privileged to be in a space where I'm able to help in whatever minimal way that I can. But it would almost feel like really ⁓ awful if I'm like, this is too heavy. And I feel like I can't go on when people are really suffering and they don't have the option.
Emily Jean (23:36)
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I guess I want to know looking ahead, five years ahead, where do you hope Blue Meets Blue will be at that time?
Shahd (23:42)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
I mean, it would be really awesome if it is ⁓ carried in, you know, stores. ⁓ I'd love for it to be a house for refugee-made luxury clothing items, ⁓ know, things that are home goods that refugees make, all kinds of different stories, right? ⁓ It would be really awesome for it to have its own brick and mortar and become a part of, ⁓ because for me, Blue Meets Blue, like the center of the brand,
is where fashion meets humanitarianism. Like don't want that to be just the, you know, on the periphery. I want it to be the center of the brand. I hope that it inspires other people to adopt a similar ⁓ mentality, but I would love to see it, ⁓ you know, just take off and employ a lot of refugees in the US.
Emily Jean (24:41)
If you could collaborate with any one global fashion house or institution, do you have somebody in mind?
Shahd (24:50)
That's a really good question. ⁓ I think it would be really cool if, like, you know, UNESCO, for example, they're all about cultural heritage and ⁓ ensuring that future generations know stories of resilience through craft. So that would be a really awesome collaboration. And then any kind of couture house to see Syrian brocade reimagined on like a global runway by a couture house.
would be this really awesome opportunity to bridge that, like, you know, gap between heritage and tradition and then something that's like modern, right? And then proving that refugee-made is one really awesome and it belongs at the highest level of artistry.
Emily Jean (25:35)
Yeah, absolutely. I have in my mind, I feel like there is a Syrian refugee label. I'm trying to remember. You would probably know better than me. Anyways, I'll have to look it up after this, yeah, it's done it to you. Yeah. Okay, so you're launching obviously in 2026. So what is exciting you the most about this next season of your work?
Shahd (25:50)
Please do, let me know. Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
the Damascus Brocade. So this is the time where we are, like I said, we just went to Syria this summer and we were able to source our fabric from there. So I'm really excited about that because we weren't able to do that for our last collections because we weren't able to go to that country. So that's to me right now, like super exciting. I feel like it's really ⁓ bringing the story full circle and it just makes so much sense.
Emily Jean (26:32)
Yeah, great. I'm
excited to see. It's gonna be so cool. Okay, so I don't want to take up way too much more of your time. So I have some rapid fires for you. And which is always fun for me. Also, no pressure to answer rapid fire. Okay, Like the answers take more than a couple of words. Okay.
Shahd (26:35)
Thanks.
I
No.
Okay, I like rapid fire too.
Okay, I'll try to be, I'll try to keep it short.
I tend to go on tangents.
Emily Jean (27:02)
No worries. I like it. I like it. That's I'm the same way.
Okay, ⁓ what is one? What do think is one of the most underrated wardrobe items?
Shahd (27:17)
⁓ I think a really beautiful, simple ⁓ A-line skirt.
Emily Jean (27:22)
I love that. I feel like A-line skirts are coming back very much so.
Shahd (27:26)
For sure. They've
always been our top sellers and it's because we put pockets in ours, yes. Everything's better with pockets, 100%.
Emily Jean (27:32)
Everything is better with pockets.
⁓ Okay, do you have one fashion rule that you'd like to eliminate?
Shahd (27:46)
⁓ that luxury has to be exclusive. I think that it can absolutely ⁓ be something that everybody can be a part of.
Emily Jean (27:57)
Yeah, great answer.
⁓ Okay, is there one Syrian textile or craft detail the world should know about?
Shahd (28:06)
Damascus silk brocade. Yep.
Emily Jean (28:08)
I was like, I think I know what it is. Okay,
good. Do you have kind of a go-to outfit when you need to feel more grounded and confident?
Shahd (28:21)
I think it depends on the occasion and where I'm going, but definitely a good A-line skirt and a simple blouse is always, ⁓ you can dress it up, can dress it down, and it's always chic.
Emily Jean (28:32)
Yeah.
Do you have any courses or books or resources that you would recommend to kind of budding entrepreneurs?
Shahd (28:43)
wow, that's a great question. Yeah, I actually do have a bunch. ⁓ my gosh, I can't think off the top of my head, but I mean, I'll probably have to send those over and you might have to put them in the notes, but I do have a bunch. Yeah.
Emily Jean (28:56)
Okay,
okay, all right, good. That's what I like to hear. Is there, my final question, is there one humanitarian leader or thinker who really inspires your work?
Shahd (29:00)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. So I, it's so funny because I met him in 2020, ⁓ his name, and I don't want to butcher his name, but he's the founder of Chobani Yogurt, Hamdi Ulukaya, something like that. he, ⁓ it started Chobani Yogurt and he has been employing and hiring refugees. ⁓ And it's really amazing because they have built such a strong company.
and a really strong community and they've been really successful and he's opened factory after factory. And I believe he was a refugee too when he came to the US. we had partnered with, they made, I forgot what it was called, think tent partnership for refugees. And so we were partnered with them through Blue Meets Blue and it was a really awesome experience. And I had always been inspired by his work because he is somebody who
that this not only can be successful, but it can be scalable. ⁓ And then other than that, I really like storytellers, right? Like everything that I do, I feel like I weave story. So for example, you know, the author of Kite Runner, Harit Hosseini, or different authors and different movie makers, because I believe that media connects us. I believe that music connects us. I believe that ⁓ really good books connect us. And so he wrote
you know, Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Sons and I've always been inspired by his storytelling ⁓ as a way to, you know, tell stories about what his people had gone through to the world in an incredible way. So those are, you asked for one, but I gave you two.
Emily Jean (30:52)
Okay, I'll
take it. Wow, that's so interesting too about the Chobani founder. had no idea. That's brilliant. Yeah.
Shahd (30:56)
Yeah, yeah. no, his story is incredible. And
I know I didn't do it justice, but I wanted to keep it simple. But I recommend for anybody who's interested in creating a business that helps people, like this is a really awesome example. Yeah.
Emily Jean (31:13)
Yeah. Okay, great.
I'm gonna have to look that up after this. That's brilliant. Okay, great. Well, thank you so much, Shahid, for coming on.
Shahd (31:22)
You're Thank you for having me.
Emily Jean (31:24)
Yeah, of course. It's been such a good conversation. I'm really excited for people to hear this. So where can people find you? Where can they follow your work? Get your book? All those things.
Shahd (31:29)
Yeah.
So bluemeetsblue.com is the website. We will be launching the line in January and then Instagram, Blue Meets Blue. ⁓ And the book is called A Kid's Book About Humanitarianism and that is online on Barnes and Amazon and Target and all of the other places where you can buy books online, I guess. So it's called A Kid's, and the website, A Kid's Book About. I recommend visiting that because there's so many other topics there that are incredible.
⁓ to read with your child. For librarians, for educators, for parents.
Emily Jean (32:10)
Yeah. Okay, great. Well, thank you so much for joining me. And obviously all of that will be in the show notes as well for people listening. But yeah, okay. I think, of course, I think that's a wrap.
Shahd (32:18)
So.
You're so welcome. Thanks for having me.
