She burst into tears as she talks about her biggest dream. A dream so big and unimaginable that aches her heart. For most of us, her dream is our everyday life. Empowering conversationZ guest this week was Maria Estrada, a trauma nurse, and a firm believer in humanity instead of documents. In this episode, she talks about the pains of not belonging, the pains of being rejected and disrespected during her migration journey, and also the many strengths she developed through time.

Bio: Maria Estrada was born in Mexico, and raised in San Diego, CA. Once in the states, she felt rejected as a Mexican national in America. She never felt belonged, as she was not Mexican enough to be accepted by her Mexican natives, or American enough to be allowed a place in her American society. Regardless, she embraced her Latina/Chicana roots in college and learned to wear her “undocumented” label like a badge of honor. Maria is currently an undocumented nurse practicing in the state of Texas. Working as a Trauma nurse felt like a perfect fit for her as she could find peace and solace knowing that she would serve those most in need. She finds satisfaction in providing healthcare to her community, for which healthcare is often denied, people like her father.
Her path to citizenship has been bumpy and traumatic, however, she has healed from her traumas through motherhood and she shares her narrative as an undocumama.

Subscribe to Empowering conversationZ podcast and hear immigrant stories and other issues important to immigrants on your favorite app by searching Empowering conversationZ 
or
Through our page https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz

EZ32 Undocumented Mama's Wildest Dreams with Maria Estrada

Some conversations are hard to have for immigrants especially when it comes to racism and sexism. They could be easily misunderstood for lack of communication skills or cultural differences. They might be unaware of ways to respond when racist comments are made. That’s why I invited Maame Afon Yelbert-Sai who is an internationally recognized thought leader, passionate activist on anti-racism and anti-sexism work. As an immigrant, she is sharing with us 
-Ways to educate ourselves and increase our awareness.
-How to define the boundaries between ignorance and racism/sexism.
-How to have race-related conversations in our personal and professional lives.

her bio: Exuberantly embracing her calling as a consummate connector and networker, Maame Afon enjoys her work as an activist, facilitator, executive/life coach, and mentor, supporting leaders internationally. She is an internationally recognized thought leader, passionate advocate for women and girls and a leadership development enthusiast. She is also a recording artist who uses music to promote social change and philanthropy. 
Maame Afon currently serves as the board chair of African Women’s Development Fund, USA and We Care Solar, and sits on the board and advisory council of other international organizations including Cocoa360, Ghana Bamboo Bikes, Days for Girls-Ghana, Moremi Initiative, Street Business School, Women Leaders for the World, and Nurturing Minds/SEGA among others. 
She holds a B.A. in French and Spanish and an M.A. in human rights, gender, and international development. She was named among 100 African Women in Development by Donors for Africa (2020) and has been recognized as one of the 18 African Feminists to know by For Harriet (2015). She has also been featured in AfroElle Magazine (2015) and the #Pretty-Period Campaign that celebrates black women. In 2019 she was featured in Leading Ladies Africa (LLA) as part of the release of her #RightNowAfrica single. 
Maame Afon is the recipient of several fellowships namely, 2020 Perennial Fellow, 2019 Rise Up Leader, 2017 Hive Global Leader, 2016 Cordes Fellow, and 2009 Woman Leader for the World. Furthermore, Maame Afon contributed her story to We Will Lead Africa - Volume Two: Women (African Everyday Leadership Stories) – 32 stories by 36 contributors, available now on Amazon. She is currently working on a full chapter titled “Steward Transformation” as part of her contribution to “The Palgrave Handbook of Learning for Transformation.” As a Whole Woman, she brings all of who she is to her work as Chief Steward of MILT (Management for Impact Leadership and Transformation), the organization she founded in 2017. She also enjoys her calling as mother and wife, raising her three children with her husband.
Social Media Handles
Website: www.themiltedge.com |  www.maameafon.com 
FB: Maame Alice Yelbert-Sai; @themiltedge
IG: @MaameAfon @themiltedge
T: @Maameafon    @themiltedge

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EZ33 Immigrants guide to Racist comments

How lonely do you feel as an immigrant?

-Did you have difficulty finding your first employment in the U.S?
-Are you looking for meaningful connections to serve as your allies?
-Are you currently looking?
 
If so, listen to this episode of Empowering conversationZ where Haleemat Fa-Yusuf talks about her journey in the States and how one organization became the pillars of her success. She will also talk about what in her experience is important to find a meaningful job here in the states. 

Bio: Haleemat is a Nigerian immigrant living in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their 3 young kids. Asides from her passion for serving marginalized communities through her career in public service, Haleemat is on a personal journey to make the most of life; paying attention to often overlooked concepts like the gorgeous blue skies and a beautifully illustrated children's book. She admires the simplicity, humor, and inspiration from the works of children authors like Sue Hendra and Kobi Yamada. She especially enjoys Kobi's work: What do you do with an idea? 

Upwardly Global website: https://www.upwardlyglobal.org/

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EZ34 Job Search effectively as Immigrant

In this episode, Empowering conversationZ hosts Jane Leu Upwardly Global Founder and Jina Krause-Vilmar the current President and CEO. Together they talk about:
-Upwardly Global story and the meaning behind its name,
-How supported over 18000 immigrants and what it can do for you and your family,
-The different ways male and female immigrants transition to the workforce,
-And ways immigrants can network in order to reach their professional goals.

Jane Leu is Upwardly Global’s founder. An internationally recognized social entrepreneur and expert on global immigration and workforce issues, Jane has nearly 20 years of experience as an innovator in the social sector. In addition to Upwardly Global, Jane was on the founding side of numerous projects and enterprises, including the Craigslist nonprofit venture forum, RefugeeWorks, seven Welfare-to-Work programs, and the Hauser Research Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and most recently Smarter Good, a professional services firm that leverages talent in emerging and often high out-migration markets, like the Philippines. As the Founder and CEO of Upwardly Global (2000-2009), she focused on creating the day when skilled immigrants from around the world will be seamlessly integrated in the U.S. workforce in ways that optimize their skills. 

Upwardly Global’s innovative idea and Jane’s leadership has been recognized by many awards, including Ashoka: Innovators for the Public; the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award; the Jefferson Award for Community Service; as well as awards and support from the Manhattan Institute, Robin Hood Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Draper Richards Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Jane’s vision and work have been covered by National Public Radio, BBC, CNN, TIME, and Wall Street Journal. Jane holds a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University. She is on the Advisory Council of the Migration Policy Institute, Joshua Venture Group, and Ashoka U, Ashoka’s university division.

Jina Krause-Vilmar (President & CEO): Jina brings 15 years of experience in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. She oversees the agency’s workforce operations in four cities. Under Jina’s leadership, Upwardly Global has expanded to skill a growing number of immigrant and refugee professionals. The organization is implementing an ambitious strategy to bring clear outcomes, strong evidence, innovation through a collaborative partnership with public and private sectors.
Prior to Upwardly Global, Jina worked alongside the government, the UN and corporations, to craft and implement solutions to enable refugees and immigrants to integrate into the workforce. At HIAS, she was charged with reshaping and building the agency’s economic integration programming in the U.S. and internationally, bringing clear outcomes, strong evidence, and collaborative partnerships with the public and private sectors. From 2013 to 2016, Jina started the Near East Foundation’s refugee portfolio in Jordan and Lebanon, advising the U.S. Department of State and USAID on Iraq and Syria response, and initiating the One Refugee Response.

Jina has been interviewed on Aljazeera America, the New York Times, Huffington Post, and Guardian, and published in CNN, Times Magazine, and other news outlets. Jina co-chaired, alongside UN Women, an international network of agencies to advance women and girls. Jina earned her MSc in Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics and a Bachelor’s degree in Government from the University of Texas at Austin.
https://www.upwardlyglobal.org/all-news/covid-19-resources-for-job-seekers-alumni/
https://www.imprintproject.org/
https://www.upwardlyglobal.org/all-news/where-can-i-find-help-during-the-pandemic-government-assistance-faqs/

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EZ35 Immigrants & First Professional Job

800,000 people lose their lives to suicide every year. 
Aside from its statistics and its increasing rate, suicide is personal for Mehran. In this episode, Mehran, the podcast host talks about her personal encounter with suicide, the pain of losing someone to suicide, and the 7 lessons she learned from the journey.  

Below are the promised links:
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/suicide-prevention
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-causes-depression
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-immigrants-more-depressed-than-those/immigrants-more-depressed-than-those-who-stay-idUSTRE7335VJ20110404
https://www.today.com/specials/suicide-attempt-survivors/
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/01/15/2019-28429/implementation-of-the-national-suicide-hotline-improvement-act-of-2018
Suicide hotline: 800-273-8255
Text HOME to 741741 for free, 24/7 crisis
Books: It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand by Megan Devine
Books: I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye: Surviving, Coping and Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One by Brook Noel
Books: Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
Shattering the silence: Youth suicide preventionhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRo5Db_7yVI
Lessons from the mental Hospital https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHHPNMIK-fY
Brene brown on Vulnerability https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0
What I learned from my husband’s suicide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb_1IklnhaU
The bridge between suicide and life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CIq4mtiamY&t=672s


Subscribe to Empowering conversationZ podcast and hear immigrant stories and other issues important to immigrants on your favorite app by searching Empowering conversationZ or through our page https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz

EZ36 Suicide is Personal

Mehran, your host, has the honor to share with you another immigrant story. My guest today is Ilya Somin who migrated as a young child with his parents from Russia.  In this episode, as always we will talk a little about Ilya's migration journey, what foot voting means, and how as an immigrant you can get a better education for your child or have a greater impact on your community.  in the end, we will hear about Ilya’s opinion on Afghanistan and what he is doing to help Afghan refugees.

Link to Khoshhaulam: https://khoshhaulam.com/

Link to vote for Mehran until October 8th: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BRAVARisingStar2021

Link to Ilya's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Free-Move-Migration-Political-Freedom/dp/0190054581

Ilya's Memoire: https://www.law.gmu.edu/assets/files/faculty/Somin_HIASMemoir.pdf 

Ilya's Biography: 
ILYA SOMIN is Professor of Law at George Mason University. His research focuses on constitutional law, property law, democratic theory, federalism, and migration rights.  He is the author of Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom (Oxford University Press, 2020), Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government is Smarter (Stanford University Press, revised and expanded second edition, 2016), and The Grasping Hand: Kelo v. City of New London and the Limits of Eminent Domain (University of Chicago Press, 2015, rev. paperback ed., 2016), coauthor of A Conspiracy Against Obamacare: The Volokh Conspiracy and the Health Care Case (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013), and co-editor of Eminent Domain: A Comparative Perspective (Cambridge University Press, 2017).  Democracy and Political Ignorance has been translated into Italian and Japanese.

Somin’s work has appeared in numerous scholarly journals, including the Yale Law Journal, Stanford Law Review, Northwestern University Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, Critical Review, and others. Somin has also published articles in a variety of popular press outlets, including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, the New York Times Room for Debate website, CNN, The Atlantic, USA Today, US News and World Report, Newark Star Ledger, South China Morning Post, Legal Times, National Law Journal and Reason. He has been quoted or interviewed by the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, The Economist, the Christian Science Monitor, The Guardian, the Associated Press, CBS, MSNBC, NPR, BBC, Reuters, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Al Jazeera, and the Voice of America, among other media.

Somin’s writings have been cited in decisions by the United States Supreme Court, multiple state supreme courts and lower federal courts, and the Supreme Court of Israel. He has testified on the use of drones for targeted killing in the War on Terror before the US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights. In 2009, he testified on property rights issues at the United States Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Somin writes regularly for the popular Volokh Conspiracy law and politics blog, now affiliated with Reason magazine (previously affiliated with the Washington Post from 2014 to 2017). From 2006 to 2013, he served as Co-Editor of the Supreme Court Economic Review, one of the country’s top-rated law and economics journals.

EZ37 Foot Voting with Ilya Somin

Evelyn Perez migrated to the United States from Guatemala at a very young age after crossing the Rio Grande River. In this episode, she talks about her immigration journey, the nights she locked the doors to stay safe while her mom worked, the days she had to try to fit in and many incidents that made her feel like an outcast both as a child and as an adult. 
One of the main parts of the conversation was her divorce process. How her immigrant family finally supported her decision despite their cultural norms, alcoholism, abuse, and the process that enabled her to stand up on her feet while supporting her boys as a single mother.

Her Bio: Evelyn Perez is a leader who is passionate about advocating, equipping, and raising young Latina women leaders. She is originally from Guatemala but has called the Bay Area home since immigrating at the age of 2. She has served her community throughout several stages of life. Perez currently serves as director of ministries to an organization in California. In 2018 she decided to pursue her calling to ministry and is now attending North Park Theological Seminary. Perez experiences deep joy when hanging at the skatepark, with her two sons Andres and Fernando or simply taking a day to enjoy all nature has to offer. 

Subscribe to Empowering conversationZ podcast and hear immigrant stories and issues important to immigrants on your favorite app by searching Empowering conversationZ or through our page https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz

Immigrant platform story: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/9101fbc6/ez38-educational-platform-i-build-during-pandemic
Website for becoming a teacher: https://khoshhaulam.com/

EZ25 episode: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/c1b79b7b/ez25-refuge-for-rape-victim

EZ39 Outcasted, Happy, and Confident

Immigrants rarely are aware of their rights and the resources available to them. Most often they choose silence for cultural and personal reasons feeling unsatisfied at work. In this episode Sarah Calfee, an experienced Human Resource professional with over 20years of experience, educates our listeners on the following topics:
-When to seek HR help and when to start searching for your next job
-How can immigrants discuss difficult conversations with HR 
-Different strategies to speak up

You can connect with Sarah via https://www.calfeehrconsulting.com/
Her Bio: Sarah Calfee, Principal Consultant, Calfee HR Consulting
Sarah is an HR Consultant with more than 20 years of experience in Human Resources. Over the years, she has earned an MBA, the SHRM Senior Certified Professional certification, and a diversity trainer certificate. 
Since 2009, Sarah has maintained a passion and focus on developing increased awareness in diversity, equity, and inclusion matters. She was the 2020 Diversity Committee Chair for the San Diego Society of Human Resource Management, working with HR professionals on how to address DEI concerns in their organizations and communities. Most recently, Sarah has been designated President-Elect for the 2022 San Diego SHRM board of directors.
Using her education and experience, Sarah understands business objectives and how they tie to people. She helps organizations and individuals work through sensitive scenarios to anticipate the people's impact and to translate communications so different parties hear the right message. Her goal through this approach is to help others develop higher emotional intelligence, successfully navigate sensitive topics, and foster an intentional culture.
In addition to her consulting work, Sarah is a speaker for organizations about a variety of HR and DEI topics, volunteers as an HR Guru for Hera Hub, and is a part-time nanny for her infant grandson.

👉Subscribe to Empowering conversationZ podcast and hear immigrant stories and issues important to immigrants on your favorite app by searching Empowering conversationZ or through our page https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz
Don’t forget to subscribe to our email list and receive information that is beneficial to you and your growth!
Recommended episodes:
-EZ16 Impacted by undocumented contract https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/c0b492e1/ez16-impacted-by-undocumented-contract

-EZ33 Immigrants guide to Racist comments https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/8e97f693/ez33-immigrants-guide-to-racist-comments

-EZ24 Immigrants and "Bad Bosses" https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/c329a6d8/ez24-immigrants-and-bad-bosses

EZ40 HR Addressing Immigrant’s Common Issues

Setting goals can be hard for us immigrants. Most of us haven't learned how to set them right and how to achieve them. That's why in this episode, Mehran, Empowering conversationZ host talks about a personal experience that made her aware of setting balanced goals in life. and the culprit behind her failure in reaching her 40th birthday goals. 
In this episode, you will hear about the importance of goal setting.
several techniques in setting goals.
achieving them while living a balanced life.
As a career coach, she helps her clients set goals and reach them feeling supported and in this special episode, she is sharing the many techniques that she uses in her practice.

my email: Mehran@MehranS.com
Read more about Mehran: https://www.mehrans.com/about
subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about her group sessions: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz
Goal setting by Jim Rohn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOOYeMDLgC0
Explore coaching with Mehran https://www.mehrans.com/book-online

EZ41 Setting Achievable Balanced Goals

Migrated despite her will, slept on cardboard boxes, and left her house at the age of 15 because she couldn’t tolerate her abusive father anymore. My guest this week is Dr.Bahareh Sahebi who talks about her migration journey and the different elements that make leaving abusive relationships difficult especially for immigrants. She also educates us on the steps to take to prepare.

Dr. Bahareh Sahebi Bio:
https://www.family-institute.org/therapists-locations/staff/bahareh-sahebi
Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology with specialization in the treatment of trauma
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Illinois and a practicing clinician at The Family Institute
·         Assistant Program Director, Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy, in the Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies at Northwestern University  
·         Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Northwestern University
Clinical Fellow of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
·         Teaching Faculty in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University
·         Clinical Supervisor of the Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program at the Bette D. Harris Family & Child Clinic
Dr. Sahebi is a researcher, educator & consultant of the ParentLENS.com project that she co-developed with one of the most prominent figures in the profession of Marriage and Family Therapy, Dr. Mudita Rastogi
She is also the recipient of Dr. Christine Bard, Compassion and Skill in Rehabilitation Practice Award; nominated by the Illinois Chapter of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals
 In the more recent 2 years:
Associate Editor for the Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy
Co-author of the Integrative Systemic Therapy (IST) Handbook currently in press
Published the preliminary article on telehealth clinical supervision practices and clinical supervision during a global pandemic published in Family Process
Sahebi B. (2020). Clinical supervision of couple and family therapy during COVID-19. Family Process, Vol. 59(3) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12591
Co-authored series of 4 published articles for caregivers, teachers, and psychotherapists related to E-learning for children during the global pandemic

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Please write us a review: https://mehrans.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=6dfc4750bd3f20b3caae4503f&id=0329b857f8https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empowering-conversationz/id1502034147
You can connect with Mehran: Mehran@MehranS.com 
Resources for domestic abuse: https://www.womenslaw.org/about-abuse/abuse-specific-communities/abuse-immigrant-communities & https://www.thehotline.org/ & https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/userfiles/file/Children_and_Families/Immigrant.pdf

EZ42 What Makes Leaving Abusive Relationship Difficult with Bahareh Sahebi

Migrated at 18, faced an identity crisis as a Japanese Brazilian living in Utah, tried many jobs, pivoted multiple times until she found her desirable career. My guest this week is Fabiola Fujiwara. She is an HR professional with 10+ years of experience in developing, implementing, and administrating corporate policies and procedures. Fabiola shares with our audience her migration journey as well as the many valuable insights as an HR professional. One must listen to this episode if they don't know 
-How to negotiate, 
-How to start conversations when they are happy with their jobs, 
-How to build their network
-Why it's important to keep your resume up to date. 
Sign up for our newsletter to be notified when new episodes air: https://mehrans.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=6dfc4750bd3f20b3caae4503f&id=0329b857f8 

Resources:
Fabiola’s Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabiola-fujiwara/
Washington Post article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/brand-studio/wp/2020/11/30/feature/culture-fit-is-outdated-its-time-to-think-about-culture-add/
Mehran email: Mehran@MehranS.com
Podcast website: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz
Episode 3:https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/c0a6d889/ez03-on-attitude-for-climbing-in-corporate
Episode 40: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/90f54071/ez40-hr-addressing-immigrants-common-issues

EZ43 Grow Professionally by Implementing These Techniques with Fabiola Fujiwara

Have you ever felt like you don’t belong, that you are an imposter waiting to be found? If so, this episode is for you. We have Kim Meninger who's an expert in the area of imposter syndrome with years of training corporate women and men on the podcast. 
She shares her experience about: 
-What imposter syndrome is, 
-The history behind it, 
-Who suffers from it,
-How men and women suffer from it differently 
-The underlying racism 
- and what can we do about it. Both as an individual and as a manager.
Kim Meningers bio:
As a women’s leadership coach, Kim Meninger is passionate about empowering women to become more confident, visible and influential leaders. Having spent over 10 years in the high-tech industry, she experienced first-hand the unique challenges and opportunities facing women in traditionally male-dominated environments. She strives to be the resource to women that she did not have during her own corporate career.
Kim has a BA in psychology and an MBA from Boston College. She is an ICF Associate Certified Coach and CCE Board Certified Coach with certifications in career, executive and leadership development coaching. 
The Impostor Syndrome Files Podcast – Listen to the stories of women who have struggled with and have learned to manage Impostor Syndrome. 

If you are a new listener, make sure you subscribe here: 
Sign up for our mailing list to be notified when an episode is released. https://mehrans.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=6dfc4750bd3f20b3caae4503f&id=0329b857f8 
Nominate our next guest: 
Suggested episodes: 
EZ08 Perfectionism, know it & manage it: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/c119a0f0/ez08-perfectionism-know-it-and-manage-it
EZ16 Aftermath of accepting verbal offer: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/c0b492e1/ez16-aftermath-of-accepting-verbal-contract
EZ22 Creating your leadership advantage: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/c31f426c/ez22-creating-your-leadership-advantage
EZ33 Immigrants guide to Racist comments: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/8e97f693/ez33-immigrants-guide-to-racist-comments

EZ44 How to Deal with Imposter Syndrome with Kim Meninger

Mehran is a communication coach helping countless immigrants and minorities improve their communication skills at work. In this episode, I, Mehran the host of the Empowering conversationZ podcast share the story of the very first time I spoke English with a native English speaker. How it felt, the shame, and how I became fluent in English plus the 4 tips that I give my clients on improving their language while using the wisdom from my previous guests and many conversations I've had with successful immigrants, refugees, and Dreamers. Listen, Subscribe and share!

EZ3 Attitudes on climbing the corporate ladder: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/c0a6d889/ez03-on-attitude-for-climbing-in-corporate
EZ10 Born Twice, CEO's Story https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/c1174648/ez10-born-twice-a-ceos-story
EZ Frederic Cherau on Accent and Culture https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/c23901b0/ez15-frederic-chereau-on-accent-and-culture
EZ08 Perfectionism, know it & manage it: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/c119a0f0/ez08-perfectionism-know-it-and-manage-it
EZ35 Upwardly and their role in supporting you get your first job as an immigrant https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/9159709c/ez35-immigrants-and-first-professional-job
Sign up for our mailing list to be notified when an episode is released. https://mehrans.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=6dfc4750bd3f20b3caae4503f&id=0329b857f8
Booking a complimentary session: https://www.mehrans.com/service-page/explore-coaching?referral=service_list_widget

EZ45 Tips to Speak with Confidence with Mehran Sorourian

Immigrants face many aggressions in society especially professionally, one is around their language and their accents. In this episode, our guest is Meenakshi Iyer and we talk about 
Why it's important to celebrate our culture
What is language inclusion
Examples of microaggressions around language and accent 
And much more…
Here are the TED talk links:
Taiye Selasi: Don't ask where I'm from, ask where I'm a local - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYCKzpXEW6E
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg
Sir Ken Robinson - Do schools kill creativity? - https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity?language=en
EZ33: Immigrants guide to racist comments: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/8e97f693/ez33-immigrants-guide-to-racist-comments
EZ44 How to deal with imposter syndrome with Kim Meninger: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/916ec209/ez44-how-to-deal-with-imposter-syndrome-with-kim-meninger
EZ 45 tips to speak with confidence when starting from scratch: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/905031b9/ez45-tips-to-speak-with-confidence-with-mehran-sorourian
Newsletter sign up link: https://mehrans.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=6dfc4750bd3f20b3caae4503f&id=0329b857f8
Apple podcast link:		https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empowering-conversationz/id1502034147
Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/mehrans.com

Her bio:
Meenakshi Iyer thrives at the intersection of People, Process, and Technology. She is a T-shaped servant leader with an international and interdisciplinary career in IT, Agile/Business Process Transformation, international healthcare, HR, and Training, in India and the USA, spanning more than two decades. “Stop, breathe, think, act.” is her motto.

Meenakshi is the Founder and Principal of NorthStar Solutions and Services - a future-of-work oriented, virtual coaching, training and consulting practice serving clients globally.  She is an ICF-certified Personal Agility and Self-Leadership Coach. She specializes in supporting People and Technology leaders in co-creating their personal transformation and leadership development journeys. Meenakshi is fluent in four languages, and has lived and worked in 10+ cities in India and the US.
Connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/meenakshi-iyer-northstar/
More about her and her work - https://www.northstaratwork.com/

EZ46 What Language Inclusion Means with Meenakshi Iyer

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Pavna Sodhi about the challenges of the LGBTQ community, the process of Coming out, the role of family, community, and the host culture in the process. Common issues LGBTQ and their families face especially as an immigrant in BIPOC communities, the Role of host culture in the process, how to educate our children,  and a lot more…
https://positivespacenetwork.ca/
https://egale.ca/
https://www.rainbowrefugee.com/
https://lgbtq.wvu.edu/state-and-national-resources/-resources-for-queer-and-transgender-black-indigenous-people-of-color
https://www.samhsa.gov/behavioral-health-equity/lgbt
https://www.strongfamilyalliance.org/parent-guide/

Dr.Sodhi’s last episode: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz/episode/c2a4e1fa/ez28-managing-covid-trauma-for-immigrants
List of books for children: https://www.readbrightly.com/9-great-lgbtq-books-kids/ & https://www.familyequality.org/family-support/lgbtq-books/early-elementary/
Dr. Pavna Sodhi Bio:
With over 20 years of psychotherapeutic and research experience, Dr. Pavna Sodhi (she/her) has interacted with a multitude of populations in both clinical and academic spaces. Her professional background and personal narrative offer a unique research perspective regarding culturally responsive trauma work, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) communities, and immigrant mental health. Her research has been featured in national and international scholarly journals and books. In 2017, she wrote, Exploring Immigrant and Sexual Minority Mental Health: Reconsidering Multiculturalism (Routledge). Content from her book is supported by first- and second-generation immigrant narratives, who share their experiences of migration, trauma, overt/covert racism, identity formation, and mental health concerns. She is currently authoring a book regarding decolonizing mental health and trauma-informed practices.
Insta : @sunotherapy
Website: www.pavnaksodhi.com
Twitter: @DrPavnaKSodhi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavna-k-sodhi-67b81615/?originalSubdomain=ca
Book: https://www.routledge.com/Exploring-Immigrant-and-Sexual-Minority-Mental-Health-Reconsidering-Multiculturalism/Sodhi/p/book/9780415841870

EZ47LGBTQ & the process of "coming out" with Dr.Pavna Sodhi

How to make difficult changes, especially regarding your culture, beliefs, and assumptions? Learn to negotiate. Both with yourself and with others. Listen to this episode and learn from Reut Schwartz-Hebron, an immigrant from Israel who initially worked as an HR director and was blindsided by the non-verbal cues she received at work and more. She is currently the author of two books: Outswim the sharks and The art and science of changing people who don’t want to change and the certifying Partner with KCI. 
Sign up for our newsletter to be notified when new episodes air: https://mehrans.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=6dfc4750bd3f20b3caae4503f&id=0329b857f8 
List of episodes: https://www.mehrans.com/empowering-conversationz
Contact Mehran: Mehran@MehranS.com

Reut Schwartz-Hebron Bio: 
In her role as Certifying Partner with KCI, Reut has trained and certified hundreds of HR leaders, coaches, consultants, and other change professionals to use powerful Neuroscience-based models for guiding people through difficult change.
She started her career at the rank of a Lieutenant Commander working with elite training teams in the Israeli military, and was the first woman consultant to be offered a prestigious field position with a combat unit. She has a BA in Psychology, an MBA in Business and Organizational Development, and has been collaborating with Neuroscientists for the last 17 years to develop a neuroscience-based Unlearning Model. While she supports coaches and change leaders to use a wide range of Neuroscience-based models, she is internationally renowned as one of the top experts in this specific field of guiding people to unlearn and relearn as part of making transitions and transformations. 
For the past 25 years Reut coached and consulted in organizations that range from Fortune 500s such as NIKE, Avaya, GSK, Comcast, and Philips Medical to medium sized companies in a large variety of industries including financial, high-tech, telecom, universities, hospitals and other health organizations, retail, manufacturing, and government agencies. She is a published author of books and numerous articles, but perhaps most importantly, she is a mother, a wife, a sister, and an avid supporter of human rights.
 To learn more about Reut’s work and the Certification in Applied Neuroscience, please visit: www.KCIcertification.com

EZ48Neuroscience of Change with Reut Schwartz-Hebron

Dr. Nelson Chau is a successful immigrant with contributions in discovering and developing multiple pre-clinical RNA based therapeutics. He is currently serving as Vice President of Discovery Biology and Translational research at Logic Bio Therapeutics. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he shares his challenges during early immigration and beyond. As a minority with English as his second language, Nelson gives many insights on growing in a competitive environment such as the biotech industry.

EZ03 On Attitude for Climbing in Corporate

In this episode of Empowering conversationZ podcast, Mehran shares the difficulties her community is facing during COVID-19 pandemic. Providing valuable resources and techniques, she inspires them to think back to their immigration journey and utilize the muscles they have developed to overcome the challenges they are facing today. Topics she covers are:
Ways to entertain and home school kids peacefully
Working efficiently from home
Managing stress

To pick up your copy of your cheat sheet sign up at https://www.mehrans.com/ezpodcast

EZ04 Control Your Life during COVID- 19

Born and raised in Afghanistan, Homa Taghizadeh fled her country and through UNHCR found her way to Canada and ultimately to the States. Despite being born in a culture that limited women’s value, she dreamed of becoming an independent, capable woman. That dream became the reality in various stages throughout her life.

-When she migrated by herself to Europe
-When she fled her country alone and found her way to the states
-And ultimately when she rose to rescue her mother and two sisters during a difficult time in Afghanistan, leaving behind her dream career. 
Now, she owns her business interpreting, supporting and educating immigrants in their very early stages.

nominate an immigrant: https://www.mehrans.com/ezpodcast
Learn about Mehran: https://www.mehrans.com/about

EZ06 Story of a Refugee's Sacrifice

Dr. Mohamad Oskoorouchi migrated from Iran at the age of 25 despite his visa application being rejected over 10times. Once out of Iran, he found his way to the states and is currently the associate dean at the College of Business at California State University-San Marcos. 
In this episode not only he shares his life story and struggles but also educates our audience on the importance of mindset and ways to be confident as an immigrant.

Reach out to him: moskoorouchi@gmail.com
Questions for me: Mehran@MehranS.com
website: https://www.mehrans.com/

EZ07 From Visa Denial to Associate Dean

Certain cultures are more predisposed to perfectionism and the complications that come with it.
In this episode, Mehran shares her research on different types of perfectionism, the impact of culture on raising a perfectionist child, and ways we can mitigate its impact on our personal and professional lives.

https://www.mehrans.com/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/tests/personality/perfectionism-test

EZ08 Perfectionism, know it & manage it

This week’s guest Dr. Kleanthis Xanthopoulos was a serial entrepreneur whose passion is building healthcare companies focused on innovation. He has over two decades of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical research industries as an executive, company founder, chief executive officer, investor, and board member. Dr. Xanthopoulos has founded four companies, introduced three life science companies to NASDAQ, and financed and brokered numerous creative strategic alliances and partnership deals with large pharmaceutical partners. 

In this episode, he talked about his immigration journey and offered many suggestions for those with a passion for business and entrepreneurial path.

As promised below are some of the Value assessment tools:
–Value assessment by D. Martini (http://fillyourcup.global/values-determination-test-dr-john-demartinti/)
– Values Assessment List (VAL) by Golden LLC (https://www.psionline.com/assessments/values-arrangement-list-val/)
–Read the book: Actions speak louder than words by Celia Oyler

For questions about the podcast, speaking opportunities or nominating an immigrant contact us at Mehran@MehranS.com

https://www.mehrans.com/

EZ10 Born Twice, A CEO's Story

Are you overwhelmed and burnt out during the pandemic. Your health is at risk due to the level of pressure? 

In this special episode Mehran gives insights on how to manage burnout and provides may solutions to manage emotional, financial, and professional challenges that her audience is facing. This is to create a more peaceful environment for themselves and their loved ones while navigating one of the toughest periods in their lives. Financial wellbeing being the main concern of her audience, she shares Money man’s insights. In this episode he talks about the common mistakes people make during this time. Living through one of the most competitive job markets, she talks about attitudes that can reduce one’s layoff chances and provides insights on growth despite the outcome. Listen to this episode packed with information and insights from various individuals including a CEO who recently laid off some of her employees.

Article on playpen vs. playground:https://now.tufts.edu/articles/why-parents-shouldn-t-worry-about-how-much-screen-time-kids-have-right-now
Money Flow worksheet: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/ab060082-c800-43bd-9f6c-9a5b1e24e9b8/downloads/1B.%20MONEY%20FLOW.pdf?ver=1587859563400
Dimitris book: https://moneymanhelps.com/buy-book
Dimitris website: https://moneymanhelps.com/
Let's stay connected,
https://www.instagram.com/mehran.sorourian/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/comunicationcoach/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1hYCLVWaNShHu0482IqP1A?view_as=subscriber
https://www.mehrans.com/

EZ12 Recharge and Get Back on Track

San Diego business journal names her one of the architects of the local life science sector. As the first woman inducted into the Connect Entrepreneur Hall of fame, Dr. Magda Marquet is an accomplished immigrant from France.
In this interview, you will hear
-Magda's immigration story
-Her path to success
-Her insights on why women don’t grow in leadership positions
-Her suggestions on how to grow in leadership positions regardless of gender, ethnicity, and …

To know more about her
Dr. Magda Marquet has built, led, and commercialized multiple life science companies. She is the co-founder of AltheaDx, a commercial-stage, precision medicine company with the world’s leading pharmacogenomics test for anxiety and depression, and ALMA Life Sciences, LLC, an early-stage investment firm creating and growing innovative healthcare companies. Dr. Marquet co-founded Althea Technologies and, as its co-CEO with full P&L responsibility, led the company to become a leader in the field and a highly profitable, commercial company. As a result, she guided Althea to a successful acquisition by Ajinomoto, a global Japanese company and leader in amino acid technology.Prior to starting Althea Technologies, Dr. Marquet held several positions in pharmaceutical development in companies such as Vical and Amylin Pharmaceuticals.She currently serves on the following Boards: Arcturus Therapeutics (ARCT) (Compensation Committee Chair, member of the Audit Committee). She also serves on the Board of Pfenex (PFNX) (Nomination and Governance Committee) and she serves on several private companies boards such as Senté, Micronoma, and HUYA Biosciences International.As a former founder and CEO, Dr. Marquet has broad operational, fundraising expertise including venture, private equity, and venture debt. She also brings expertise in M&A, global commercial development, regulatory strategies, and building a winning culture of innovation and strategic growth.Dr. Marquet holds a Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from INSA/University of Toulouse, France. She has received numerous prestigious awards throughout her career including the 2005 Regional Ernst&Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Life Sciences category, the Athena Pinnacle award, the Director of the Year award (Corporate Governance) from the Corporate Directors Forum and has been inducted into the CONNECT Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.

EZ13 Magda Marquet on Compassionate Leadership

Azita Khatami’s story is an empowering tale of a typical stay home mother from the middle east. Back home, her husband provided financially while she was responsible for everything kids and house related. After they won the green card lottery and moved to the States, they happily maintained their culture until the accident. The tragic accident that killed her husband. Losing her husband, Azita had to make a major decision, leaving the states knowing financial and emotional support is readily available back home or to keep her late husband’s promise and fight her way through life’s obstacles. She stayed. And not only mothered her two young boys but also learned English, attended college and found a job. 
Looking back Azita tells her story and hopes to inspire other women from similar cultures to be more independent. To her, this is real life!

EZ14 From Stay Home Mom to Independent Immigrant; Tragedy changed her life

My guest this week is president and CEO of LogicBio Therapeutics. With 25 years of experience in the life sciences industry, he is an immigrant from France. In this episode, Frederic Chereau talks about his journey, his cultural differences as a team leader, and how his English affected the opportunities presented to him as an executive. He also shares many tips and lessons with Empowering conversationZ audience.

You will enjoy this episode, especially if: 

-You have a strong accent wondering how it impacts your professional growth.

-You have a multicultural team and looking for ways to improve communication

-You are lacking a little motivation in life

EZ15 Frederic Chereau on Accent and Culture

Cultural awareness plays an essential role in one's professional growth. In this special episode, Mehran educates her audience on different aspects of culture that impacted Layla’s growth and how the new awareness lead her to become an effective leader.
In this episode, she talks about
-Communicating with Low vs. high context cultures
-Hierarchy and its role in one’s leadership development
-Different ways trust can be built

EZ16 Aftermath of Accepting Verbal Contract

With 35 years of experience as a healthcare executive, he is a board member to CVS Health and 7 other companies. Being involved in acquisitions and mergers up to a billion-dollar in the states and around the world, he an advisor and consultant to many new ventures in the US and Europe especially during early development. My guest this week is J.P Millon, an immigrant from France who talks about his immigration journey, his learnings in the area of cross-cultural communication, and his vision on leadership development among minorities.

EZ18 J.P Millon on Decoding Cultures

Coming from a high profile affluent family, she fled Afghanistan with nothing but a bag of clothes. Following the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, she first moved to Germany in 1979, and later to Chicago at the age of 17. Currently, she is residing in San Diego, CA where she works as a speech and language pathologist in Poway Unified school, one of America’s best public school systems.
My guest this week is Neda Olomi a refugee from Afghanistan. In this episode she shares her journey, her vision and her aspirations as an Afghan-American. Neda loves to paint on her spare time. She paints for herself, her clients and the charities she is involved in. you can visit her site at https://www.nedaokart.com/
The link to her charity is http://helpinghandrftp.org/ to donate to their winter drive using this link: https://venmo.com/code?user_id=234094...

To increase awareness please share the incidents where you felt discriminated against at Mehran@MehranS.com or fill out this form:
Coming from a high profile affluent family, she fled Afghanistan with nothing but a bag of clothes. Following the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, she first moved to Germany in 1979, and later to Chicago at the age of 17. Currently, she is residing in San Diego, CA where she works as a speech and language pathologist in Poway Unified school, one of America’s best public school systems.
My guest this week is Neda Olomi a refugee from Afghanistan. In this episode she shares her journey, her vision, and her aspirations as an Afghan-American. Neda loves to paint in her spare time. She paints for herself, her clients, and the charities she is involved in. you can visit her site at https://www.nedaokart.com/
The link to her charity is http://helpinghandrftp.org/ to donate to their winter drive using this link: https://venmo.com/code?user_id=234094...

To increase awareness please share the incidents where you felt discriminated against at Mehran@MehranS.com or fill out this form: https://forms.gle/c2h6DLbjxa7aGXqQ6

EZ19 Refugee Standing on Two Feet

She spent her wedding gift on moving to the states and fulfilling her dream of higher education. She faced many obstacles but she kept one motto in her life. My guest this week is Mastaneh Sharafi, an immigrant from Iran. Mastaneh has a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences and is a Registered Dietitian. She has received training in diet quality, ingestive behavior, and nutrition across life stages from the Pennsylvania State University and the University of Connecticut. She is an author of multiple papers in peer-reviewed journals. Her experience beyond the academic years includes working in scientific and clinical affairs for nutrition and fitness industries, as well as serving as an expert, and keynote speaker for scientific and leadership platforms. She is currently the senior director of scientific and clinical affairs at Ritual, a health and technology company dedicated to improving public well-being through evidence-based science.

EZ22 Creating Your Leadership Advantage

Being the victim of sexual violence at a very young age, seeing the impact of the Rwandan genocide, and being discriminated against in her new home for her identity could be enough to traumatize someone for life but Empowering conversationZ guest chose to heal and create a refuge for others to heal.

Tabitha Mpamira is a mental health therapist, activist, motivational speaker, and consultant on sexual and gender-based violence with a long working history in the mental healthcare industry. 

In 2015, Tabitha founded EDJA to provide free medical, legal, and mental health services to survivors of sexual assault in East Africa. 

EDJA, now a program merged with Nyaka Global, has sparked rapid change in rural Uganda by supporting hundreds of survivors and bringing perpetrators to justice.

Tabitha’s work in this area has been widely recognized and vividly depicted in the documentary Victors: Singing to the Lions, which has been screened globally, including at the United Nations Association of New York. She was recognized by Global Citizen in 2018 when she won the People’s Choice Waislitz Award. Tabitha has been invited to speak across the globe; recent examples include her speech at the Vatican about the urgency of working to end sexual violence and her widely viewed TEDx Talk on the transforming or transferring of trauma. Tabitha is currently pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology with a specialization in sexual trauma. 

organization:https://nyakaglobal.org/
Her ted talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4loBphYCXI

EZ25 Refuge for Rape Victim with Tabitha Mpamira

Covid has been traumatic for all of us especially immigrants coming from collective cultures. With over 20 years of psychotherapeutic and research experience with first and second-generation immigrants, Dr. Pavna Sodhi weighs in on what immigrants need to do to create mental resilience and manage the stress they are facing at the moment. 


Her Bio: With over 20 years of psychotherapeutic and research experience, Dr. Sodhi has interacted with a multitude of populations in both clinical and academic spaces. Her professional background and personal narrative offer a unique research perspective on diaspora issues, sexual minorities, and immigrant mental health concerns. Dr. Sodhi's research has been featured in national and international scholarly journals and books.
Since 2011, She has developed and taught a variety of face-to-face, hybrid, and online undergraduate and graduate courses at the university and college level. Within these modalities of teaching, her role is more of a facilitator where she helps students share, collaborate, and nurture each other's learning. 
In addition to her teaching and clinical experiences, Dr. Sodhi stays current in her research by presenting at various conferences and publishing scholarly pieces. Based on her diverse clinical and research experiences, she wrote Exploring Immigrant and Sexual Minority Mental Health: Reconsidering Multiculturalism in 2017. The content of this book is supported by first- and second-generation narratives, who share their experiences of migration, overt/covert racism, trauma, identity formation, and mental health concerns. A theoretical framework: Diversity of Identity Formation Therapy (DIFT), specifically for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities is also introduced and exemplified in a family case study format.
•Insta : @sunotherapy
•Website: www.pavnaksodhi.com
Twitter: @DrPavnaKSodhi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavna-k-sodhi-67b81615/?originalSubdomain=ca
Book: https://www.routledge.com/Exploring-Immigrant-and-Sexual-Minority-Mental-Health-Reconsidering-Multiculturalism/Sodhi/p/book/9780415841870

EZ28 Managing Covid Trauma for Immigrants

Empowering conversationZ is about inspiring stories of immigrants who build their success from zero. Those who didn’t succumb to the challenges they faced. Those who thrived and impacted their new home. In this bi-weekly show, Mehran interviews successful immigrants who talk openly about their challenges and their proven solutions in becoming successful in life. Whether you are an immigrant, born to an immigrant, or someone with very limited resources like an immigrant,  tune in. Our mission is to inspire you, challenge your mindset and empower you to build the life you desire.

Mehran

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