Myra Ali: The next day I was discharged and I got back home and I had an email come the next morning and they were like, oh we've approved your interview with Michael B. Jordan for his next film. And that was a sign. I was like, that's it, you know, I'm getting back to normal. And despite being heavily bandaged up, lost skin on my stomach, a few days later I interviewed them. So it was Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. Luckily, if someone was watching the interview, they would not know that a week ago I was in hospital having major surgery. They would just not have a clue.
Dr Rupy: Welcome to The Doctor's Kitchen podcast. The show about food, lifestyle, medicine, and how to improve your health today. I'm Dr Rupy, your host. I'm a medical doctor, I study nutrition, and I'm a firm believer in the power of food and lifestyle as medicine. Join me and my expert guests where we discuss the multiple determinants of what allows you to lead your best life.
Dr Rupy: What an amazing conversation of positivity, mindset and resilience that you're about to hear today. Myra Ali is a freelance celebrity and lifestyle journalist and BBC guest editor with bylines in British GQ, Marie Claire, and the New York Post. She interviews A-listers such as Tom Holland, Riz Ahmed, Samuel L. Jackson, just to name a few. But Myra's story, however, is much deeper than the glossy magazines that she writes for and the red carpet events that she attends. Myra was born with the rare condition of butterfly skin, epidermolysis bullosa, an extremely rare, life-threatening skin condition that causes her body to blister and tear at the slightest of touches. And as a result of surgeries, she's also been left with a physical disability too. Growing up with such a severe and disfiguring condition had obviously a significant impact on her self-confidence, ability to make new friends, as well as choose a career suited to her abilities and ambitions. But, undeterred by her limitations, her incredible mindset has been key to breaking barriers and stereotypes and has landed her into the career of her dreams. She's been open in her writing about living with disability and the way in which disabled women of colour can be too easily left out of the conversation. And honestly, I'm delighted to showcase her incredible story with you. And I really hope that after hearing about her perspective on how the practice of gratitude has been impactful for her, you'll also undertake a daily gratitude practice. Just to preface the interview, as a result of Myra's condition, her audio might be slightly difficult to hear, but I really hope you can just sense that sheer positivity and vigour that Myra brings to her work and every day. This is a raw and authentic conversation, and I really, really respect Myra's openness to talk about her personal life, the impact on her romantic life, family life, as well as all the other obstacles that she faces as a result of her condition. And I recently listened back to the conversation in full to prepare for this intro, and I honestly just had the biggest smile on my face because Myra is just such a rock star. And I really hope her story and importantly, her energy really inspires you as well. You can check out the YouTube links to the interviews that she's performed herself on thedoctorskitchen.com, where you can also sign up to the newsletter where I try and inspire you with something to eat, listen to, or watch every single week to help you live a happier, healthier life. On to the pod.
Dr Rupy: Myra, thank you so much for coming on the pod today. It's a pleasure to have you here.
Myra Ali: Oh, thank you for having me.
Dr Rupy: I've, I've been the recipient of a lot of your interviews over the past couple of years, or the past year I'd say, which has been so lovely. And it's very genuine whenever you interview someone, you can really tell that you're passionate about the subject. So I just wanted to say that as an, purely as an interviewer, someone who's interested in journalism themselves, like you're, you're, you're awesome. So you're definitely going to be big. So, obviously we want to talk today about your, your condition, your upbringing, you know, how this has impacted your life because what you do and the level to the extent that you do it in journalism is, is amazing for your age, let alone given that you have a chronic disability. So I wanted to get into it and perhaps you can explain your long-term condition and a bit about when you were diagnosed and your upbringing.
Myra Ali: Yeah. So, I was born with a rare skin condition called epidermolysis bullosa. And what that means is that my skin is really fragile and I have like chronic wounds that heal then break down. And I was born with it. So when I was born, the doctors, my parents knew that there's something not right because I didn't have any skin on my foot. And they thought that was from like kicking, like in the womb. And it's obviously such a rare condition. There's only like 5,000 people in the UK who have it. And obviously even more, a smaller amount who have the most severe type, which is my type called dystrophic EB. And it's, you know, it is a difficult condition. It causes a lot of pain and it affects, you know, my eyelids, my hands, my throat. And I've just learned to deal with the problems it gives for good 33 years now. Yeah. And so with regards to the actual condition, can you explain what that feels like? Because it sounds very, very uncomfortable if I'm putting it quite mildly. What, what are the sensations?
Myra Ali: Yeah, it's definitely painful, like daily pain, and I have to take painkillers like regularly throughout the day. But unfortunately, I can't take strong painkillers because of the side effects that come with it. So I just have to weigh up that get rid of a bit of the pain rather than have the side effects. So I just take paracetamol. And years ago, I could take something stronger, but then for like any medication, sometimes you get side effects later in life. And that's what happened. But I've just learned to deal with it. And it's kind of like the best way to describe it is the wounds are the equivalent of burns, like second-degree burns, but the only difference is a burns patient can have their burns healed with skin grafts, but mine just keep open.
Dr Rupy: And initially it was on your, on your foot when you were just born.
Myra Ali: As soon as I was born, but then it, it was, you know, everywhere.
Dr Rupy: Wow. And was the diagnosis found too pretty quickly?
Myra Ali: Oh yeah, at birth, straight away. Okay. And and can you, can you remember like some of your first memories when when you were a child?
Myra Ali: Yeah, I'd say I always knew that I had to be careful, like in school in the playground, that I just automatically knew that if I fall, it's not going to be a graze, it's going to be my skin would rip off. So I had like an assistant in school and my friends were like really protective and careful, even, you know, at a young age under 10. And it was always a case of, oh, be careful that Myra doesn't get hurt, whether that's in the house, in school, even if we had like a pet, it was like, be careful, she doesn't get hurt.
Dr Rupy: That that must have left you with a lot of fear, I guess, of just of going outside, of of, you know, just coming into contact with anyone.
Myra Ali: I'd say it was more the case of, you know, falling over. It's like, it's almost like if someone falls over, you get that, you know, they just get back up. But with me, if I did fall over, I, like, it would be quite a bad injury, you could say. And they needed to put bandages on me straight away. And it's almost you get pins and needles, that sensation, and it was always quite scary, quite frightening. But I would say it didn't stop me from, you know, being a kid, being a normal kid, you know, playing outside or anything, luckily. Like my parents didn't mollycoddle me as much. And plus I was quite stubborn as well.
Dr Rupy: And in terms of like your siblings and and friends and stuff like that, what what was that like? I mean, how many siblings do you have?
Myra Ali: So I've got two brothers, two sisters. And I'm second oldest. So my younger brother does have the condition, but we have like a 10-year gap. So when I was born, I was like the first one in my family to have it. And they also like learned to, you know, deal with this condition and like help me whenever I need it. And that's, it's quite, it's almost like that's not really changed because they kind of, they do that now as well. And I don't know, sometimes my, you know, when we have conversations, you know, without a doubt, our lives would be different if I never had this condition. But the positive is that, you know, whatever, you know, nice stuff, exciting stuff has happened, in a way, it is because of my condition, because of the work I do. Without a doubt, it's made me stand out because of the condition, because there's a whole pool of journalists, but when you have a story, a unique story like mine, you know, an editor wants to hear about it. So in my career, it has helped me.
Dr Rupy: How were your ambitions actually fostered whilst you were at school? Were you, were you already quite focused on journalism or a career in the media, or was that something later on?
Myra Ali: That is definitely later on, but I would say I was, what the condition did, it, it definitely made me more confident because, which sounds strange because, the reason why, I was always asked, oh, what's happened to you? Have you got burns? Have you got this? And because you speak to so many people from such a young age, you learn to deal with all sorts of, you know, people, and you get used to talking about it that it makes you confident. Even though there was a time where I used to hate being asked about it, or if I went into, you know, particular like areas and people might, you know, stare a bit too much. And, but then I learned, you know, just to deal with it. And the more practice you have in talking about it, it just makes you more confident and it makes you more okay with talking about your life. And I would say I, when I was a teenager, I started talking for, for charities, for the charity that helps my condition. So I was quite comfortable in talking to, you know, big audiences. So I think that was the starting point where I kind of knew that I want to be in media, but the start of the media work happened in my 20s when I started social media and I started blogging about my condition.
Dr Rupy: And that confidence, which I'm, I'm really fascinated by that because I think a lot of people would hold that negative grudge against anyone inquiring about their condition, particularly as someone who, who essentially wears it with them all the time, right? You can't get away from the fact that there is a very visible condition. And and just for those listening, perhaps you could describe some of the the scarring and and the, and the disability that you have.
Myra Ali: Yeah, so like my hands are scarred and you could say like mittened because I have fingers, but the skin is covering them with scar tissue. And I have to have operations that release the fingers. Like when I was younger, I had the whole hand released, but what we found is because the scar tissue comes back again, it's a lot of hassle and effort and a lot of pain for the dexterity to, you know, go really fast. So what we do is just open up the thumb and like the index finger or something, so I have use, but I'm not, you know, the recovery is faster. So really, if anyone saw me, you know, anywhere, they, they'd actually think I have burns because that, that is the best way to describe it. Because if I was to tell someone who didn't see me, oh, it's a skin condition, they would think I have eczema because they can't, no one can really imagine a skin condition to look that severe. So the best way is to say I've got burns because I feel I know a few people who have had burns and we have more in common than I have in common with people with other skin conditions because I've had all of the operations they've had, the skin grafts, the, you know, the, the loss of, you know, the layers of skin and, you know, the plastic surgery teams, whereas a person with a skin condition, all they see is a dermatologist and it's not that intense, if you know what I mean.
Dr Rupy: Yeah, yeah, I understand that totally. And and it's hard to imagine because once you have a burn, it's something that can go through a recovery phase, but in your condition, because you've lost some of the ability to rebuild essentially, it's almost like having constant burns. Is that, is that something that...
Myra Ali: Exactly. Yeah, it is exactly. Yeah. So I've had eyelid surgery so I can close my eyes properly, but it will last a few years and then I'll have to have that same surgery again because scar tissue builds up.
Dr Rupy: Wow. How many surgeries have you had so far?
Myra Ali: I've had probably like over 20 to 30 surgeries in my lifetime, but I only started having surgery when I was about 18 because I was too scared to have surgery when I was younger.
Dr Rupy: And for those who are listening, you're repeatedly dabbing your eyes with a, is it a wet cloth or is it just a simple tissue?
Myra Ali: Because they're a bit watery. And basically, I am due eyelid surgery and right now they're quite dry. And if you have excessive dry eyes, obviously they water. But what it is is just due to the pandemic, I haven't been able to have surgery.
Dr Rupy: And it was one of those things actually that you struggled to even get simple analgesia as well during the pandemic because of stockpiling. Is that right?
Myra Ali: Yeah. Yeah. So when the pandemic started, the UK obviously went into some sort of meltdown for, for a few weeks. And in supermarkets, they stockpiled all the paracetamol. And I thought, I'd better get some paracetamol just in case pharmacies can't get it. And it's better to be safe than sorry. And I could not find it in the supermarkets. So I had to get a private pharmacy who gave me some.
Dr Rupy: Wow. Wow. I mean, people don't really think about the impact of the pandemic on chronic disease and something as simple as paracetamol, which is the only painkiller that you can tolerate, even though really, if you could tolerate other painkillers, you'd probably be on much stronger ones that we have access to. But I don't think people really realize the impact of delayed surgeries on, on, on people like yourself with chronic diseases who need them just to function on a day-to-day basis. I'm really interested in how you cultivate this positive energy because I see many people, some of whom are like yourself, but other people who, for whom it's very reasonable to fall into a spiral of negative self-talk, rumination, particularly against the cloud of chronic pain, right? If you're constantly in pain, everything you do, you have a disability, you're trying to break into an industry that we'll get to in a bit about the, you know, the challenges of being disabled in the media, in acting, in, you know, all the other elements that prevent disabled people from entering into those professions. How on earth do you cultivate that, that wonderful, like, bubbly sense of personality and positive energy? It's every time I speak to you, you always seem to have a smile on your face. It's brilliant.
Myra Ali: I, I would say I'm quite good at coping with the condition. I think because I've tried like really hard not to let this condition define me because I feel if you focus too much on the condition, because let's be honest, the condition is negative because, you know, who'd want constant pain and constant daily, you know, bandage changes. But if someone was to focus on that too much, so focusing on negative too much, the outcome is just going to be negative. You're not going to get any kind of progression out of it. So I try to be as positive as I can. But I'd say the only time where I kind of blamed my condition was when I was in my early 20s and there were, you know, when I used to think about relationships and stuff. And, that was when I thought, you know what, maybe it would be easier if I never had this condition. And I was blaming everything on the condition. And from the culture I'm from, so I'm from the Asian culture, and as you'll know, that there is a, you know, a decent amount of cultural pressure in the Asian community on women especially, that when it comes to talks about, you know, marriage and stuff, we think about it, like any woman really, you think about it at a young age. And I went through a period where I thought that, um, if I don't, if I'm not in a relationship, it's, you know, going to be the end of the world. But this is in my early 20s when I was at university. And, uh, that I would say was a point where psychologically I was affected a lot because of this condition. But to overcome it, I, it helped I started working, because I worked in the NHS for a little bit as a translator. So working, then, you know, having that normal life, meeting friends and talking, talking about it with friends as well helped. But then I thought, you know what, I need to be grateful for what I have. And that slow kind of being positive and practicing gratitude. And I also read this book called Secret. And, uh, where it says, be positive, visualize, you know, how you want your future, etc. And I had never heard of that book before. It was when I went on a night out with my sister and a family friend, she was talking about it. And I thought, you know what, I'll check it out. And it really changed my mindset. And I would say, uh, it was the beginning of when I started social media, which I really, you know, enjoyed as well. So it was that the whole thing of gratitude and life moving on got me out of that really like dark place that I went through.
Dr Rupy: It's amazing that you've read that book. I mean, I love that book. And there's a new version out now, I think, that just came out a few months ago that I still need to read. But the fact that, you know, you made those small, continuous positive changes and you use gratitude as a tool, I think it's just wonderful because it's, like I said earlier, it's very easy to fall into the trap, and understandable, I must stress as well, to fall into that negative self-talk trap. And the fact that you've been able to get yourself out of it is wonderful. I didn't know that you were an interpreter in the NHS. That's amazing.
Myra Ali: So I did that like right after university. Really? Yeah. And it, it was good. But like, it was good. I loved like, you know, meeting the patients and in a way, it, I kind of understood that, you know, I'm a good listener. So it helps with my job now as a journalist. And people, you know, naturally, maybe because of my condition, they open up to me. And I had patients, they have their own problems, but they were like, just telling me their story. And they felt they could open up just because they saw I have a condition. And, I did that for a few years, but deep down, I wasn't completely happy with my job. And I had that thing of, you know, when am I going to move on? Because I was doing the social media side and the opportunities that were coming with that, in my head, I was thinking, God, I hope something happens. And in my head, like, I knew something is going to happen, but I had moments of being a bit impatient and just thinking, oh, just God, just make this happen fast because I want to move on. And then an opportunity just came with interviewing a celebrity chef for a charity event. And it was the chef called Jason Atherton. And they were like, oh, do you want to interview him? And I was like, yeah, definitely. And just while I was interviewing him at that event, the photographer there was the actor Tom Holland's mum.
Dr Rupy: Right, yeah.
Myra Ali: We had lunch after that event and during the lunch she goes, oh, you're a really good interviewer. How long have you been doing this for? And I said, not long at all. Not knowing that that was your first celebrity interview. That's brilliant. And, um, she goes, oh, do you want to interview Tom for the Spider-Man movie? And not going to lie, at the time, I didn't know that this is huge, that movie and what an audience that movie and obviously the actors in that have. And I was like, yeah, that'd be great. And I ended up moving to London in a few weeks later anyway. And everything just went a bit quiet. And then out, then out of nowhere, I got a text saying, oh, do you still want to interview Tom? And I was like, yeah. And a week later, I was doing this press junket at a fancy London hotel. And all the other journalists, they were all American, like from CNN and like E! News and, you know, NBC. And I was like, okay. And what the hell? I was, in a way, I was like faking it to make it. And people were nice. They were giving me like advice and what not. And, yeah, it was an experience I won't forget because it was the start of it. And, I was like, if I don't take this huge opportunity and make the efforts to really increase this career now, I'm going to miss out. So after that event, the response was great to the interview, but I kind of made a lot of effort to, you know, get a little bit known in my career.
Dr Rupy: That's amazing. I mean, just from turning your disability into a superpower, seeing the positiveness of it, and then almost using it to get you, you know, your foot in the door. I'm just in awe of, of, of how much you've achieved at that point. But, you know, that that went on to lead to a burgeoning career where you've interviewed some pretty heavy hitting A-listers, right? And that's something you continue to do. Is it still in a freelance capacity or do you work for an organization or?
Myra Ali: It's a freelance capacity, but some companies, because they've seen I've worked with them a few times and because they've seen my work, they want to have repeat work for me, which is quite nice. And, so I've interviewed like A-listers, like from Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal, like Timothée Chalamet. And, and many other like proper like A-listers. And it's such a fun, amazing experience. And I would say, um, one thing with this industry I've learned is, you have to make a lot of effort to get your opportunities, but that could be for any industry as well. But you have to make a hell of a lot of effort, but also, you know, ask, um, advice from people in the industry. And I won't forget this guy, he works on, um, I think there's a program called Masked Singer on ITV. Okay. Right now. But at the time, he was working on a Channel 5, the Jeremy Vine show. And he wasn't as well known as he is now. But for the whole of, uh, the summer after my interview with, you know, the Spider-Man cast, I was trying to get opportunities and it took about three months and I came to a point where I like, I was like, maybe I need an agent or something. And I felt really like deflated and frustrated. And I reached out to this guy who works in media. And, um, I said to him, you know what, this is what I've done, but now I feel really down and frustrated because I'm not moving on. And he goes, ignore that, put yourself out there, show what you've done, and see what happens. Just keep going, stop getting impatient. And those few words changed my thinking again, hearing it from an experienced person. And what happened was, I did what he said, and in two weeks, I was interviewing on the red carpet at the London Film Festival.
Dr Rupy: Wow. Yeah.
Myra Ali: And I had never done red carpet before. And the first time I did red carpet interviewing, when you include a disability in it, without a doubt, it is challenging. You're on your feet for two hours waiting for a five-minute interview if you're lucky. And it was almost like, the first time I did it, the publicist of Timothée Chalamet saw me in this like press pen, and I wasn't, you know, with a well-known publication at the time. So easily, I, they didn't need to give me the interview. And she saw me, she saw I looked a bit different. And that was what helped me get the interview out of the whole, you know, journalist line. And she goes, oh, you can have the interview, just come over here, where other journalists never got it.
Dr Rupy: That sounds pretty brutal considering your condition as well, you know, standing on your feet. I can imagine it's super uncomfortable. What's your experience been like in the media as a, as a disabled journalist? I mean, have you been looked on positively like that or, or are those incidents quite isolated?
Myra Ali: It's been positive and negative. Overall, it's positive. So even that event, you could say, that was really tiring because I had to watch the film in the morning, come back to my house, which is an hour away, get back to Leicester Square, and then, uh, get the interview and then get back home late night. So tiring it was, but the actual high, it almost omits the, you know, the pain, the tiredness that comes with it. And that's where I learned how much I love my job that I could do it, um, despite the physical challenges that come with it. I, I unfortunately in 2019, I had skin cancer, which is a risk with my skin condition. I always heard about it my whole life that, oh, maybe you can get it. The doctors always told me. I had skin cancer in December 2019. And for a whole six weeks, I had major surgery on my hand. It was really, really painful. And my hospital at the time was in a different city because I have like military surgeons. And, um, and I was, uh, you could say, uh, physically in a bad place and really tired always because of the morphine and what not. And I remember getting discharged from hospital because I couldn't wait to be out of hospital because, um, I was just so, uh, you know, sick of it and deflated. And it, it took over Christmas because I didn't have a normal holiday for the whole month. And it was New Year and I got discharged. And, um, my last operation, like the day before I got discharged, I had this like thing that, you know what, I actually don't live a normal life, but it's okay because my surgeon, he was operating on me and I'm awake during the surgery. He's doing the skin graft, like cutting my stomach to get the skin off it. And the night before was the Golden Globes. So my surgeon knows I'm a journalist. And he goes, oh, if you could choose your dream interview, and I said, it's Leonardo DiCaprio. And he goes, oh, you, you're too old for him. Whilst he's operating on you. Whilst he's operating on me. And I started laughing and so did he while, you know, cutting me up with a scalpel. And, um, the next day I was discharged and I got back home and I had an email come the next morning and they were like, oh, we've approved your interview with Michael B. Jordan for his next film. And that was a sign. I was like, that's it, you know, I'm getting back to normal. And despite being heavily bandaged up, lost skin on my stomach, a few days later, I interviewed them. So it was Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. Amazing. I, I, I think I've watched that interview on YouTube. It's, it's awesome. It's so, so good. I mean, yeah, you just got a presence about you and, you know, you didn't seem nervous at all. You just seemed like you were just rolling off the questions, having a casual chat with these A-listers. It's brilliant.
Myra Ali: Oh, thank you so much. Because the night before I watched the film and on purpose, I didn't take the morphine that I needed because I was like, if I take morphine, I don't want to fall asleep in the while watching the screening. And, so I interviewed them and luckily, if someone was watching the interview, they would not know that a week ago I was in hospital having major surgery. They would just not have a clue. But I don't know, I, I, I'm really grateful that my work helps me get out of those, you know, dark moments. So when I think about the whole skin cancer thing now, it just seems like a six-week nightmare that happened.
Dr Rupy: Wow. I mean, I watched that interview. I wouldn't have guessed that you had surgery a week before. I mean, that's, that's even more incredible now. And I guess, you know, you've, you've created a process in your head and your daily activities where you can maintain that positive energy, but by focusing on those highs that to ride you through. What, what are, what are like your, your current challenges, I guess, in your, in your current vocation?
Myra Ali: In my job? Um, it's an interesting one. Um, because I think it does affect all journalists with disabilities. And back, uh, you know, a few months ago, I, I did this big interview with this actor called Michele Morrone, who was the lead actor of the film that was really popular on Netflix called 365 Days. And I interviewed him and I had a little bit of trolling on my video on YouTube. And this troll, he was like, oh, why is she interviewing him? What, what has happened to her? Why is she even allowed to interview him? And, um, luckily, you know, the comments were deleted and the person was blocked. But what it made me, um, you know, think about is that the lack of not having enough disabled journalists, uh, in the media, it can make people say questions like that. And there needs to be more kind of disabled representation to, you know, make people think that, you know, it is normal to see women who look different. Because you wouldn't really say that about any other presenter that why is this person interviewing, you know, a celebrity or what not. It was just because they had not seen someone, you know, who's wearing bandages or whatever, that they could even say a comment like that. And I, I did this talk, uh, that I was invited to for the University of Cambridge, and there were other fellow disabled journalists there, and they said the same thing that there's not enough, um, disability out there in the media. That's why a lot of disabled people are targeted online especially. But the, it's an interesting separation that when it comes to women with disabilities, beauty will always be associated with us. And people will either really positively talk about our looks or they will troll. There's no middle ground.
Dr Rupy: Yeah, yeah. And what, what was the outcome of that? Because you're now involved in a number of different initiatives to try and increase awareness of disability, the challenges of disability in the media, and also encourage representation as well.
Myra Ali: Yeah, I spoke about this, uh, as an article for Stylist magazine. And, uh, after that, the BBC got me in as a guest editor to talk about it. And I, I said that there, there needs to be opportunities where whether someone talks about their disability or not, there just needs to be more, uh, disabled presenters out there because, you know, in 2021, it's not good enough that there's only like a select number of a very, very small number of disabled journalists and very, and even more smaller number, you know, doing on-camera work. And, um, also just in the media as a whole, for, you know, films that are out now, like the sound of metal, you know, with Riz Ahmed, it's been great disabled representation. But again, there's not enough representation for disabled women. And I think for voices like mine, um, who are also from the ethnic background as well, so it's even less in our, you know, cultures and communities where disabled women really get into industries like the media. Um, it's important that we encourage that for other women, uh, so they have the confidence to, um, you know, do these kind of creative jobs because when you have a disability and, you know, Asian culture, um, the normal thinking is that, you know, um, you are limited and you're not going to achieve as much in life. And I think people need to see that, you know, actually a disabled woman can be in the media, can be on camera, living her life, getting through the disability, and it doesn't define her in order to inspire others and inspire parents that they can also give the same support to their kids.
Dr Rupy: Absolutely. It's a, it's a really taboo topic, isn't it? Particularly within certain communities, the Asian community being one, a big one, in terms of the limitations, um, if you do have a disability, and also the, the almost shame attached to it as well. Um, you know, that somehow the parents or the family have done something wrong or they're being punished. And also, I think when you fit in the other sort of, um, cultural norms around marriage and building a family and all those things that, you know, we're encouraged to do at quite an early age, or now it's considered quite early. Um, I mean, these must have been quite difficult topics for you to break through on top of everything else.
Myra Ali: Yeah, for sure. Because out of, uh, my family, I'm the only girl with this condition as well. So naturally, um, these kinds of, uh, things about relationships and marriage, I thought of, uh, that, you know, what if there's a difficulty with my condition? And in the Asian culture, uh, it is harder for women. I think even, it's not even just a disability, uh, you know, you can have a, you know, a birthmark, and in the Asian culture, they consider that a big deal. And I know a, she's a doctor, and she's got a port-wine stain on her face, and she goes, um, when it came to, you know, getting married, there were potential guys who would, you know, say no just because of the, you know, the birthmark on her face, which is just absolutely ridiculous. But unfortunately, I've heard so many stories of this, but I think you need to have so much resilience to know that it's only a select number of people who have this view even in the culture. And, uh, you have to maintain, you know, you have to keep positive and, uh, you have to know that, um, you can have any condition, but it's not, you know, it's not really your fault or it's not a problem to have a condition. It's the person who has the problem with a condition, you know, they're not really, um, it's them who have the problem, it's not you.
Dr Rupy: Yeah, yeah. And this is why, Myra, that I wanted to, you know, tell as much of your story as possible because you, whether you want to be or not, people will look up to you as a role model, as someone who has not allowed themselves to be defined by a very limiting condition. And you've broken through what most people without any disability would struggle to do in your, you know, your relatively short career. What, I mean, what's next? You've, you've ticked so many boxes in terms of, you know, doing media journalism, you've been on the red carpet a bunch of times, you're interviewing A-listers, like what, what, what are, what are the next, um, sort of, uh, visions for you?
Myra Ali: Um, I would love to, um, write for a lot of, you know, massive publications like, you know, the New York Times or something. Um, and, uh, I, uh, with the work I've done with my interview work, um, I interview a lot of actors, so it's really increasing that. And I've kind of got a bucket list of actors I want to interview. So it's almost like I want to tick them all off. And, uh, I also hope to get into, um, you know, TV work because, um, many times I, I would look up to, uh, you know, presenters who had, uh, disabilities or burns and they were the ones who encouraged me to, uh, go into this industry. So I hope, uh, you know, I can, I can get there. But right now, uh, I feel like my, being freelance, my, my work is kind of separated into interviewing celebrities and even doing, um, you know, food articles. And that is how we met as well. And it's almost like, you just don't know what can come with this career. So, um, one thing I've learned is, uh, just be really ambitious because you just never know, uh, what can come with it.
Dr Rupy: Absolutely. Absolutely. I, I so see you doing TV. I so see you doing, because you've got the experience of interviewing A-listers and, you know, people who are used to being interviewed all the time, and you break them down in terms of, you know, you allow them to open up and it's certainly to do with your interviewing style and, and, you know, how, how you encourage that to come out. And I, and I see you doing that in a very public arena, maybe on a morning show or something where you ask the public questions as they go about their day and because it demonstrates that A, you can do that, but also it normalizes disability on the screen. And I, and unfortunately, we're in a position where that needs to happen.
Myra Ali: Yeah, for sure. Um, definitely. I think there will be a lot of disabled journalists or disabled people thinking how to get into the industry. And it is hard, there's no doubt because you have to network a lot, but you have to have so much self-belief. And, but it does take for other people in the industry to help encourage you. And thankfully, I did have that. Um, but also, uh, because when I started, uh, not going to lie, I had one person say to me, oh, um, you know, you won't be able to get a celebrity on a cover for a cover story. Other people do that. You, you won't be able to do that. And they, like, advice or response was quite negative, but I never let it get, get to me because I thought it's only one opinion, like, you know, who are you? I kind of had that attitude. And I was just starting. And I think having that attitude of, you know, a thick skin, which, um, in reality I don't have at all, really helps.
Dr Rupy: Oh, that's great. Honestly, you're such a breath of fresh air and it's, it's so good to chat to you and laugh with you as well. And I can't wait to finally be able to cook for you as well when we, when we're able to do that.
Myra Ali: Yeah, definitely.
Dr Rupy: Thank you so much. And I will, I'll definitely put all your links and everything, uh, on the show notes so we can, we can direct people to find you and, and support you. And I, and I can't wait to see you on regular TV as well. I see it's definitely a position for you.
Myra Ali: Well, thank you so much for having me. And, you know, your work, I, I'm so inspired by as well and how, how just how real you are and how you connect with your audience. I still, um, that video you did where you talked about your journey and how you became a Sunday Times bestseller, that was like, I remember watching that the first time and just thinking, that will motivate so many people. I hope so. And one thing I've, you know, what I love about you is how generous you are with advice because a lot of successful people, it's almost like they, they don't really tell the secrets, but you do. And I think you, um, you help so many people.
Dr Rupy: Oh, thank you. Thank you so much. I just want to see more people, you know, get up there and chase their dreams and I think people like yourself are doing great. You know, you're showing that it can be done. And that book as well has been really impactful on me and my goal setting. And I think, you know, if you can crystallize a vision of what you want your life to look like, the world's your oyster, you can make it happen regardless of any barriers that you have. It's easy for me to say that, and I think it's, your testament that it is possible and you're going to achieve so many more things.
Myra Ali: Oh, thank you so much.
