Farah Meghji on Building Change Inside Healthcare—and Learning to Advocate for Yourself
Off Script
In this episode of Be Anomalous, Farah Meghji joins me for a grounded, honest conversation about identity, reinvention, and what it really means to navigate healthcare when the system isn’t designed to guide you.
Farah grew up as a South Asian kid in a small town outside Toronto—raised by immigrant parents who believed in education, sacrifice, and blending in to stay safe. But her life and work eventually pulled her in the opposite direction: toward visibility, voice, and building something that challenges the way healthcare has always been done.
We discuss the tension that many of us carry—wanting to fit in as kids, then spending our adulthood unlearning that survival strategy. Farah shares how her worldview shifted as she moved through school, work, motherhood, and caregiving—until she realized the “rules” of healthcare aren’t neutral. They reward confidence, access, and self-advocacy. And most people aren’t taught how to do any of that.
That’s what led her to co-found Unum—a company built on a simple but radical idea: lived experience is expertise. Not as a nice-to-have. As something that should shape decisions, policies, and solutions.
We also get into the role AI is already playing in healthcare—how it can help patients translate complex information, prepare for appointments, and advocate more effectively—without replacing the human heart of care.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed inside a system that expects you to “just know,” this episode will make you feel seen—and better equipped.
🎧 Listen to the episode:
What You’ll Learn
Why “blending in” can be a childhood survival strategy—and an adult limitation
How Farah’s immigrant upbringing shaped her relationship to identity and success
What self-advocacy actually looks like inside healthcare (and why it matters)
Why navigation—not treatment—is often the hardest part of the system
How Unum helps organizations hear the voices they’ve historically overlooked
Why niche-ing your work feels terrifying (and necessary) as a founder
How AI can support patients and caregivers through clarity, translation, and preparation
Why purpose isn’t “found”—it’s created, and it evolves with you
Favorite Quote
“Effort counts twice. Consistency over everything.”
Farah’s reflection:
Entrepreneurship will mess with your nervous system if you let it. The highs are high, the lows are low, and the only thing that stabilizes the chaos is showing up anyway. Not because you feel ready. Not because anyone’s clapping. Because the work matters, and you’re building trust with yourself through repetition.
Favorite Book
📖 Atomic Habits — James Clear
A reminder that identity is built in small choices, not big declarations—especially when you’re trying to stay consistent through uncertainty.
📖 A Return to You - Hina Khan
A grounding read that reinforces a hard truth: most of the barriers between you and the life you want aren’t “out there.” They’re internal narratives you’ve been rehearsing for years.
In This Episode, We Cover
(00:00) Farah’s origin story—before the accolades
(03:30) Immigrant parenting, fitting in, and the cost of “don’t draw attention.”
(06:00) Identity, difference, and learning to see it asa strength
(09:30) How she thinks about raising her kids differently
(11:00) Choosing education without a fixed destination
(13:00) The “there’s more” voice—and the entrepreneurial restlessness
(16:00) Purpose evolves: ambition, motherhood, meaning, impact
(18:30) US vs Canada healthcare: what people misunderstand
(22:00) Self-advocacy in healthcare: why education is the foundation
(25:00) Why she built Unum + the belief that lived experience is expertise
(28:00) What patient voices reveal that organizations miss
(31:00) System change = mindset change (and why that’s where resistance lives)
(34:00) AI in healthcare: clarity, translation, and better navigation
(38:00) What Unum is building next
(41:00) Consistency, effort, and staying in the work when it’s hard
Referenced in This Episode
Immigrant identity, blending in, and unlearning survival strategies
Healthcare navigation and the power of self-advocacy
Caregiving and what the system demands of families
Patient voices as expertise—not a checkbox
AI as support for understanding, preparation, and access
Founder fear: niching, evolving, and building in real time
New episodes drop every Monday and Thursday.
Be Bold. Be Real. Be Anomalous.