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...
Feb 01, 2021•35 min
Came from India to solely support his family and his 11 brothers and sisters. To help them financially so that they could attend college. Once here, he was isolated and rejected for his color, his heavy accent, and was ready to go back home when someone made a comment that changed many things for him. He stayed. He persevered. And now, he sees each challenge, discrimination, favoritism, and conflicting values as a learning opportunity. In this episode of Empowering conversationZ, he talks about ...
Jan 15, 2021•34 min
He was born deaf and migrated to Canada as an adult because he felt his country limited his growth for his physical disability. Once in Canada he was provided with opportunities to learn multiple languages and earn his PhD in special education. Now he teaches various courses on deaf culture and American sign language to deaf and hearing students in University of Alberta while being a role model to deaf especially deaf immigrants around the world. In this episode of Empowering conversationZ Dr.Ro...
Jan 01, 2021•33 min
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...
Dec 16, 2020•47 min
Mehran shares the opportunities and the struggles she has encountered since she started the Empowering conversationZ podcast and its coincidence with the pandemic. She updates her audience on the changes they will see in the next 3 months and the reason behind her decision. 📧To make sure you don't miss inspiring immigrants stories, you can subscribe to our email list here: https://mehrans.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=6dfc4750bd3f20b3caae4503f&id=0329b857f8 or visit our website at www.Me...
Dec 02, 2020•13 min
It is hard to be stuck with a bad boss in this tough economy especially as an immigrant without support. That’s why Mehran, Career and communication coach for immigrants will address issues immigrants face in dealing with “bad bosses” especially the 3 most toxic ones: The people pleaser, the micromanager, and the Narcissist. And provides tips to deal with them and grow in their presence. Mehran is a career and communication coach and founder of Empowering conversationZ. In addition to 5 years of...
Sep 13, 2020•25 min
Hungry for opportunity, she moved from Brazil to United States leaving behind her successful business back home. Once in the states she worked at Amazon “cutting tomatoes”, for which she was teased by friends and family, but her persistence paid off. This week Empowering conversationZ guest is Flavia Lemos. She is an award-winning brand strategist. She has enhanced the brand identity and generated over a $100M increase in sales for small businesses and Fortune 500 companies. She compiled 23 year...
Sep 06, 2020•30 min
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 pap...
Aug 30, 2020•27 min
With her ailing mother’s encouragement, she packed her two suitcases and moved from Colombia to an empty apartment in North Carolina. She struggled to gather her life before her daughters arrived, but she learned to dry her tears and move on with her life. My guest this week is Maria Isabel Monsalve, who left her life as the dean of the school of education to live in her dream country. She faced many struggles during her citizenship journey, and finally, after 13 years she received her green car...
Aug 23, 2020•40 min
If you are a parent concerned about your children’s virtual learning, this episode is for you. In this special episode, Mehran your host is providing you with research-backed information to help you make an informed decision regarding an In-person vs. Virtual learning. Additionally, she will provide you with 10 tips to improve virtual learning for your children. Below are some of the resources we used in preparing the episode. We invite you to read and interpret the data yourself. Also, please r...
Aug 16, 2020•29 min
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...
Aug 09, 2020•34 min
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 ...
Aug 02, 2020•34 min
Turkey’s got talent semi-finalist Temi Hason joined Empowering conversationZ podcast this week to share her taxing immigration journey. Temi traveled between the United States and Turkey 4 times in a short time to maintain lawful status. Being betrayed by lawyers and sponsors, she learned a painful lesson: to only trust herself and have everything in writing. She didn’t hesitate to clean the bathrooms, live in undesirable conditions, or stand in lines for 16 hrs to showcase her talent in 30 seco...
Jul 26, 2020•41 min
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
Jul 19, 2020•25 min
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...
Jul 12, 2020•35 min
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 ava...
Jul 05, 2020•30 min
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 Marq...
Jun 28, 2020•42 min
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, sh...
May 24, 2020•37 min
Shabnam Lotfi is an immigration lawyer who offers her clients something more than many other lawyers do, her big open heart. In this episode, she shares her journey as a young immigrant and why she chose law as well as her view on our immigration system through her personal and professional lens. Given the present delays on immigration cases, Shabnam continues to support her community around the globe through a large Facebook group where she answers questions in English and Farsi, offers free ad...
May 17, 2020•32 min
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 partnershi...
May 10, 2020•35 min
How does running a chicken business and a tiger mom who can’t speak any English make a forensic psychiatrist with a degree from Harvard? My guest this week is Dr. Michael Takamura who migrated with his mom at 5 from South Korea. Not only he played the role of a translator at a young age but also he managed their chicken restaurant. In this episode, Michael talks about his migration journey, financial difficulties, regrets, and how adversities built his unique character. I especially recommend th...
May 03, 2020•32 min
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
Apr 26, 2020•21 min
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: [email protected] Questions for me: Me...
Apr 19, 2020•32 min
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 ...
Apr 12, 2020•32 min
Dr. Doris Maria Luft Santos Baker was born in Brazil and migrated twice before coming to the States, learning 4 languages and experiencing many cultures. Currently, she is the director of Master in Bilingual education at Southern Methodist University or SMU looking into developing tools and assessments in English and Spanish to improve and monitor the academic performance of English learners with or without disability. As a researcher and a published author with many publications and books, she ...
Apr 05, 2020•36 min
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 u...
Mar 30, 2020•25 min
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.
Mar 22, 2020•34 min
In this episode of Empowering conversationZ, I interviewed Salma Sarawary. She is the Director of business development at a small company here in San Diego. As an immigrant woman born in Afghanistan, Salma experienced a range of challenges. From being smuggled out of her country at a young age to being bullied in the states and facing many obstacles to graduate from high school. However, these encounters only strengthened her to believe in herself more and pursue her dreams courageously. Her ins...
Mar 16, 2020•34 min
In this episode of Empowering conversationZ, Shahram Daneshmand (Dr.D) shared his struggles as a young immigrant who left behind the comfortable life he had in Iran and came to the states with challenges that teenagers can relate easily: Challenge of fitting in especially when you look different and speak little English. Now, he is a successful high-risk obstetrician with a passion to help women and children. Besides his private practice and medical spa, he is the founder of Miracle babies a non...
Mar 08, 2020•38 min
In this episode, Mehran talks about her why and her vision for her podcast.
Mar 08, 2020•12 min
