358: Lessons from Malcolm X’s Travels, Black-American Expatriation, Living in Cairo, and Building Global Solidarity with Imani Bashir

358: Lessons from Malcolm X’s Travels, Black-American Expatriation, Living in Cairo, and Building Global Solidarity with Imani Bashir

Author: Matt Bowles: Full-Time World Traveler Since 2013 October 13, 2025 Duration: 1:08:57
Learn about being a Black Muslim activist in the U.S., meeting Malcolm X’s daughter, moving abroad and living in Cairo. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Imani Bashir joins Matt in Washington, DC and they reflect on their Keynote panel at Nomadness Fest and their experience meeting Malcolm X’s daughter there.  Imani breaks down the neocolonial dynamics that often pervade the travel industry and travel journalism, and then offers tips on how be a more socially conscious traveler and content creator.  Next, she talks about the history of Islam in Black America, her experience navigating her Black and Muslim identities in the U.S., her experience after 9-11, and how her father raised her in an activist home.  Imani then talks about her commitment to Palestine solidarity work and reflects on the history of Palestine solidarity within Black American and other anti-colonial struggles around the world.  She then takes us on her personal journey attending an HBCU, getting her first passport, the impact of visiting London, and recognizing the beauty of immigrant communities.  Finally, Imani reflects on the history of Black-American expatriation, how the death of Sandra Bland motivated her to move out of the U.S., and her lessons and reflections from living in Cairo, Egypt. ⁠⁠ → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are available here. ============================ FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU: See my Top 10 Apps For Digital Nomads See my Top 10 Books For Digital Nomads See my 7 Keys For Building A Remote Business (Even in a space that’s not traditionally virtual) Watch my Video Training on Stylish Minimalist Packing so you can join #TeamCarryOn See the Travel Gear I Use and Recommend See How I Produce The Maverick Show Podcast (The equipment, services & vendors I use) ============================ ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Maverick Show on Instagram and DM Matt to continue the conversation Please leave a rating and review — it really helps the show and I read each one personally You can buy me a coffee — espressos help me produce significantly better podcast episodes! :)

There’s a certain texture to life lived in motion, a collection of stories that emerge not from postcards but from the messy, beautiful reality of planting roots in foreign soil. The Maverick Show: Global Travel Stories & Life Beyond Borders captures that essence through long-form conversations hosted by Matt Bowles, who has been navigating the world full-time since 2013. This isn't a guidebook podcast; it’s a series of intimate dialogues, often unfolding casually over a shared bottle of wine, where the destination is understanding. You’ll hear from a diverse range of voices-expats, digital nomads, women forging paths abroad, and diaspora storytellers-each sharing the raw, unfiltered nuances of what happens when you cross borders for good. The focus is on the human narrative beneath the itinerary: the cultural misunderstandings that become breakthroughs, the loneliness and liberation, and the profound ways a global life reshapes identity. Listening feels like pulling up a chair at a cafe somewhere in the world, eavesdropping on a conversation that’s equally about internal discovery as it is about geographic change. Matt’s own experience as a long-term traveler informs these discussions, steering them toward the substantive lessons learned far from home. If you’ve ever wondered about the true weight and wonder of building a life between cultures, this podcast offers a genuine, thoughtful window into that journey.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Maverick Show: Global Travel Stories & Life Beyond Borders
Podcast Episodes