Yaqeen Podcast The Problem With Hustle Culture | Real Talk ft. Dr. Tesneem Alkiek
Dec 18, 2025
Dr. Tesneem Alkiek, an Islamic scholar known for her insights on mental health and spirituality, discusses the perils of hustle culture. She explores how societal pressures to constantly optimize lead to burnout and dissatisfaction. Reflecting on death offers a grounding perspective, emphasizing that true success should connect us to our purpose and faith. Tesneem highlights slow productivity, self-accountability, and the importance of small acts of worship as pathways to genuine fulfillment, urging listeners to seek God's approval over societal expectations.
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The Productivity Trap
- Hustle culture monetizes every minute and treats constant productivity as a virtue.
- That endless pursuit rarely delivers the satisfaction it promises.
Perfect Morning Fantasy
- Tesneem describes an idealized morning routine starting at 4:30am with workouts, cold plunge, sauna, podcasting and work by 7am.
- She uses this to illustrate pressure to over-optimize daily life.
Achievements Don’t Guarantee Fulfillment
- Achieving milestone after milestone did not produce the anticipated fulfillment for Tesneem.
- That expectation gap reveals that external achievements don't guarantee inner satisfaction.