What if neuroscience wasn’t just about data but about place, memory and healing?In this episode of the ALSA UK Podcast, we sit down with Dr Egzona Morina, a neuroscientist, educator and founder of the Xheladin and Xhufe Morina Foundation. From Prishtina to Boston, MIT to BrainCamp, Egzona’s story is one of scientific purpose, emotional honesty, and deep-rooted love for community.We talk about rebuilding after failure, finding your calling through detours, and creating space for young minds to grow, in Kosovo and across the diaspora. Egzona opens up about navigating academic pressure, grief, and self-doubt, while also building a neuroscience lab from scratch and pioneering research in environmental stress.🎧 Whether you're a young professional in the diaspora, a student figuring things out, or someone who’s ever felt like an outsider, this episode is for you.You’ll hear about:– Returning to Kosovo as healing, not just heritage– Why failure doesn’t define you—but who stays around does– Building BrainCamp, from idea to impact– Neuroscience that centres culture, context and care– Invisible stressors: what noise and pollution do to our minds– Her foundation, her father, and the legacies we choose to carry– Advice for young Albanians who want to give back📌 Chapters00:00 – Identity, Return & What Egzona Is Building Now08:45 – Diaspora Tensions: Pressure, Belonging, and Second Chances23:15 – Discovering Neuroscience (by Accident) & Getting Started in Labs31:45 – From Personal Gaps to BrainCamp: Making Science Accessible38:00 – Building a Lab from Scratch & Starting ENRI46:30 – Culture, Context & Caution in Scientific Research54:45 – Failures, Grants & Self-Worth in Academic Spaces01:03:40 – Why Her Foundation Carries Her Parents’ Names01:12:00 – Pressure vs Love: A Diaspora Reframing01:24:00 – What Success Means Now: Joy, Purpose & Building with Others🎯 Watch this if you want to:✅ Hear an honest story of academic resilience and purpose✅ Understand how science and community can serve each other✅ Get inspired to give back, even if you’re still figuring it out✅ Reflect on what it means to carry your roots into your work👤 Connect with Egzona Morina🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/egzona-morina-claudi/🌐 Foundation: https://xhmf.org/🧠 BrainCamp: https://xhmf.org/braincamp📸 Foundation Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xhmfoundation/🔗 Follow ALSA UK🌐 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/alsauk👥 Join the ALSA UK Community: https://www.alsauk.co.uk/membership📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alsa_uk_/📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ALSA_UK🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/76KXivrg70p7E87L2cF2wD📩 Email: info@alsauk.co.uk
