Arrivals: Stories of Resilience and Reinvention

In this episode, Carren Jao, an Emmy-nominated content leader, award-winning children’s book author, and the founder of Red Thread Consulting, shares how she built a career across journalism, public media, and creative strategy. Her work has been recognized by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Los Angeles Press Club, the Asian American Journalists Association, and more. A storytel...

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah’s voice doesn’t just inform, it uplifts. As President and CEO of Global Refuge, she shares her journey as a baby fleeing Sri Lanka’s civil war with her parents, and how that experience shaped her path toward becoming one of the most influential leaders in refugee advocacy today. Krish has committed her career to public service because she knows how differently life could ha...

In this episode, Ale Alvarenga shares her story from growing up in Brazil to building a new life in Montreal. She opens up about what it means to start over in a new country, rebuild a sense of home, and stay close to faith and community while far from family and friends. She talks about growing up as a pastor’s daughter, studying in the U.S., and choosing Canada with her husband Ale also reflects...

Iranian-American therapist, writer, and activist Atash Yaghmaian joins Arrivals to discuss her debut memoir, My Name Means Fire . Set during the Iranian Revolution and the eight-year Iran–Iraq War, Atash shares a story of survival through sexual abuse, a mother’s superstitious rituals, and the brutality of war. The conversation moves between her outer life and her interior world, where color-named...

Dr. Alicia Castillo Holley is a leading figure in venture capital and angel investing, with more than four decades of experience. She has invested in over 90 companies, co-founded more than 15 businesses and three non-profits, and is known for her strategic focus on post-seed rounds in life sciences, climate/energy, and disruptive technologies. In 2020, she launched Wealthing VC Club, an investmen...

Sonia Troiani Doulton has lived in four countries since leaving Italy in 2005, navigating life as an outsider while raising three children. She began her career in film as a casting director before shifting into psychotherapy, where she now specializes in psychedelic-assisted therapy. In this episode, Sonia shares how culture shock in London, working with refugees, and community experiences like B...

In this episode, Heidy de la Cruz, podcaster, writer, and speaker, talks about her award-winning show The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants . Inspired by her Dominican-American upbringing and her family’s path to citizenship, Heidy has recorded more than 140 conversations with immigrants and children of immigrants, giving voice to stories that are too often left untold. She also helps women...

This episode features Sharon Harnoy Pilcher, a world-record-holding skydiver turned mental performance coach, who shares what it takes to make clear, conscious decisions under pressure. Sharon’s story spans growing up in Israel, competing at the highest levels of skydiving, leading elite teams, and building a coaching practice that helps people refine their mental operating system to align with th...

Nikita Mandhani is an independent journalist and filmmaker based in India. She spent seven years at the BBC making short documentaries, launching social-first formats, and building new ways to reach underserved audiences. Before that, she worked at The Washington Post in Washington, D.C., and earned her master’s in journalism and documentary filmmaking from Northwestern University. In this episode...

Born in Lebanon and raised across multiple countries, Zeina Lubus became fluent in five languages and learned to adapt quickly. Her life has been defined by bold pivots, from studying Biology as an aspiring Pharmacist to graduating in Performing Arts, and later transitioning into Compliance and now a Product Manager. Today, she’s a Principal PM at Dun & Bradstreet, where she builds tools that...

In this episode, Ella Musina shares her path from Uzbekistan to the US, reflecting on her multicultural upbringing, immigration experience, and the bold transitions that shaped her life. A seasoned software engineer with a career spanning Google, Apple, Thermo Fisher, and AI startups, Ella also leads a spiritual practice as a psychic and tarot reader. We discuss the integration of these two worlds...

Denise Soler Cox is an award-winning activist filmmaker, Top 100 podcaster, and international speaker whose work transforms how we think and speak about culture, identity, and belonging. A former stay-at-home mom turned storyteller, Denise has spoken on over 400 stages, including two TEDx talks, and partnered with leading brands like Microsoft, Amazon, and LinkedIn. Her podcast The Self-ish Latina...

Michelle Downes is an artist, UX designer, and newbie gardener. She moved to America from Ireland to pursue adventure and continue her education in art and design. Michelle was raised on a farm in the west coast of Ireland which is a huge part of who she is.   She reflects on her childhood experiences, the cultural contrasts she faced when moving to America, and her passion for art and creativity....

Ala Stolpnik has lived across three countries, worked at tech giants, and now leads her own startup, Wisary—an AI-powered tool designed to improve collaboration between product and engineering teams. Born in the Soviet Union, raised in Israel, and now based in Colorado, Ala shares how her global journey shaped her career in tech, her path into leadership, and what it really takes to leave the 9-to...

Rebeca Gomez grew up in a small town in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, and began her career as a coastal engineer. After moving to California in her late 20s, she slowly carved out a new path as a Product Manager. Today, she leads the implementation of a digital twin solution for the largest community college system in the U.S. In this episode, we talk about starting over professionally, finding your...

Fiona Siseman moved from Australia to the U.S. after winning the Diversity Visa Lottery, trading stability for uncertainty and a chance to start over. In this episode, she shares what it took to adapt to a new country, navigate cultural shifts, and eventually leave corporate life to launch her own coaching practice. We talk about career reinvention, work culture differences, identity, and what it...

Erika Romero moved from Venezuela to Australia in 2010, planning to stay just one year to earn her master’s degree. But when returning home no longer felt like an option, she decided to build a life in a new country. In this episode, Erika talks about navigating visa uncertainty, landing a life-changing job, and slowly coming to see Australia as home. We talk about work culture, identity, accents,...

Ethar El-Katatney is a journalist, strategist, and now Editor-in-Chief of Documented , a newsroom serving immigrant communities in New York. Born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Cairo, she spent the first part of her career reporting through the Arab Spring and working across global newsrooms like Al Jazeera, AJ+, The Wall Street Journal , and Bloomberg. In this episode, we discuss what it takes to...

Marwa is an Egyptian-born engineer, artist, and entrepreneur who moved to the U.S. for a tech job—and ended up staying. In this episode, she shares what it was like to start over in a new country, navigate isolation, and eventually launch her own startup focused on immersive technology. We talk about identity, burnout in the tech world, and what she’s learned as a highly sensitive person and neuro...