Shiza Shahid on the Malala Fund, Building Our Place, and Why Motherhood Is the Most Communal Experience of Her Life

We sat down with Shiza Shahid on set for our 2026 Changemakers campaign. Shiza co-founded the Malala Fund at 22, then built Our Place with her husband into one of the most culturally relevant brands in America, and she's now a new mother. In this conversation, she talks about finding belonging as an immigrant, catching herself before she passes on the habit of making herself small, the beef puree her daughter never got to try, and why the US needs guaranteed parental leave.

We're so excited to honor you as a 2026 Changemaker. You co-founded the Malala Fund, built Our Place into one of the most culturally relevant brands in America, and you're now a new mother. What do you want people to understand about how you got here?

That I didn't get here alone. Everything I've achieved has come in partnership with so many amazing team members and people who have held me up.

You were 22 when you co-founded the Malala Fund. What was the mission you had in mind, and how has it influenced the rest of your career decisions?

The mission of the Malala Fund is to help girls around the world get a secondary education. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunities I had, which my mother fought to make sure I was given. It's taught me how to pay it forward.

You and your husband founded Our Place as immigrants in America, cooking and sharing food with new friends who became your chosen family. The brand has always been about belonging. Has becoming a mother changed what that word means to you?

Becoming a mother has definitely created a deeper sense of belonging. Being an immigrant is lonely, and you work hard to build community. That's probably what inspired Our Place. Now I have community all the time. It's also given me a deeper understanding of what so many women and mothers experience, and what they sacrifice to build families, build careers and juggle it all.

You've said before that becoming a mother feels like the most communal experience of your life, a daily reminder that we were never meant to do this alone. Where do you actually find that community, and who are your people right now?

I'm lucky to have an amazing husband and partner and an amazing team. I also have so many women around me who are mothers, whether they're new mothers or they've been there and done that. I'm constantly asking them for advice, and I learn so much from them.

You've said that continuing to show up for Our Place has been grounding in a season of so much change, and that becoming a mother isn't a replacement for who you are, but an expansion of it. How easy is it to hold on to that feeling in the hard moments?

I feel really lucky to have work I believe in, that brings me so much meaning, with people I love being around and have so much respect for. But it's really hard to juggle it all. I knew it would be hard, but I didn't really know until I was in it. What women are able to achieve and juggle blows my mind every day. I can't believe so many women are doing this every single day. It always feels imperfect, and it's always a juggling act, but I'd rather be very tired and have this full life than miss out on it.

You've spent your career fighting for girls' rights, education and opportunity around the world. Now that you have a daughter, does that work feel different?

Everything feels different now that I have a daughter. Working on girls' education around the world feels so much more personal. I want her to experience showing up and giving back: going back to the community I grew up in and volunteering at the school her grandmother runs for underprivileged children.

I also think consciously about the language I use around her. Every time I say something that makes me feel small, I catch myself and think, "I don't want that passed down to her. I want it to stop here." It's really changing who I am, and helping me step more fully into who I've always been.

What do the first 10 minutes of your morning look like?

For context, I have a four-month-old. So within 10 minutes of waking up, I'm attached to a pump, probably answering an email I'm a little late replying to, and maybe downing a cold brew.

You co-founded a cookware brand. What's the first meal you cooked for her?

I was so excited when my daughter started solids. We started a little on the earlier side. I had all these ideas about cooking her iron-rich beef, so I made a beef puree, took a bite and thought, "I can't do this to my daughter!" I don't know why people say babies don't have taste buds. She's very particular. She lets you know what's good and what's not.

So instead I steamed some organic carrots in my Always Pan and blended them with breast milk. It was delicious, and she loved it. That was her first meal. We do a lot of carrots and sweet potato right now.

What's your favorite way to treat yourself?

I used to love getting a massage. It's been a little while, but I'm looking forward to getting back to it.

What does rest mean to you?

Rest means sleep. As a new mom, I'm sleep deprived. I want to be there for every moment with my daughter, I want to keep up with everything I'm building in my business, and I want to be there for the people around me. Often that means I come last. At a certain point I have to make sure I'm rested, so I'm trying my best to prioritize sleep so I can show up better.

What are you most hopeful about for the future of motherhood?

I'm hopeful that we'll have more support for parents at the government level, including federal, guaranteed parental leave. It's so important that all parents, women and men, have the opportunity to be present for their children, and aren't stretched so thin that they're running on empty. We're so far behind in providing the basics that set families up to succeed.

What does being a Changemaker mean to you?

I wouldn't be here today if women hadn't opened doors for me. Being a Changemaker means doing the same for other women.

Read more about the Changemakers here.