29. Shereen Kassam - the corporate/comedy combination

Shereen Kassam defines herself as a corporate America addict, stand-up comedy lover, speaker of all things fun, podcasting enthusiast, improv teacher and shoe junkie. What a list! Shereen's dad wanted her to be a doctor, but she couldn't cope with the blood so instead, after her degree at Brown University, she became a strategy consultant, and now works in-house for Disney in Florida, where she grew up.

Shereen was a shy child, but tried stand-up for the first time after reluctantly escorting her drunk housemate to a comedy club. It's fair to say she's progressed quickly, winning multiple awards with her show, Funny Brown Girl, and performing worldwide from New York to Saigon. Shereen draws on her relationship with her South Asian Muslim parents, and is not afraid to mine material that others might be nervous of tackling. She is an honest, hilarious podcast guest and it was such a pleasure to chat to her!

In this episode we discuss: 

- Shereen's early life and how her career choices were shaped by conversations with her parents

- Her career in strategy consulting and how her corporate life offers an unexpected degree of creativity

- How she unexpectedly found stand up comedy and discovered the joy of being on stage

- Her podcast, Creative Breakthrough, and the pleasure and satisfaction she draws from that

- Her future aspirations for her career, succeeding in her goals and her aims in comedy 

Where to find Shereen:

- The Funny Brown Girl website: https://funnybrowngirl.com  

- The Creative Breakthrough podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-breakthrough-jumpstart-your-creative-career/id1437082823 

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funnybrowngirl/ 

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shereenkassam/   

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/funnybrowngirl 

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FunnyBrownGirl/ 

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/shereenkassam 

Follow us for more:

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smashingtheceiling/

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/smashingceiling

- Facebook: www.facebook.com/smashingtheceiling 

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-mellor-171550150/