Immigrantly

What happens when a Japanese immigrant becomes Hollywood’s most powerful and controversial coroner? In this gripping conversation, Saadia sits down with historian and author Anne Soon Choi to unpack the life of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, LA’s former Chief Medical Examiner and the man behind some of the most infamous autopsies in American history—Marilyn Monroe, Robert F. Kennedy, and Natalie Wood, to nam...

Subscribe to Hyphenly, our latest newsletter, for a chance to win a gift card  ⁠: https://immigrantlys-newsletter.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠ While host Saadia Khan recovers from laryngitis, Immigrantly brings back a standout episode from August 2024 featuring journalists Antonia Cerejido and Lorena Ríos. Originally recorded in the lead-up to the 2024 elections, this conversation explores politics, ide...

What does it mean to lean into your culture while living in a place that flattens it? In this richly textured episode, Saadia Khan sits down with Sudanese-American journalist and host of The Stoop, Hana Baba, for a wide-ranging conversation on identity, diaspora, and the soundscapes of belonging. From the cacophony of Sudanese weddings to the quiet codes of immigrant survival in the U.S., Hana exp...

Do you speak more than one language—but feel truly fluent in none? You’re not alone. In this deeply personal and thought-provoking episode, Saadia Khan is joined by Angela Lin, founder of Real You Mandarin, to explore how language shapes our identities, relationships, and sense of belonging. Angela, a Taiwanese American polyglot, believes language learning should center on cultural connection—not...

April is Earth Month — a time to reflect on the state of our planet, address urgent environmental issues, strategize action, and hold ourselves and others accountable. In that spirit, we’re bringing back an essential conversation from the Immigrantly vault. This episode with futurist and climate optimist Amer Jandali originally aired on May 28, 2024. Some references may sound a bit dated, but the...

What if the barriers to success weren’t personal but structural, intentional, and decades in the making? In this episode of Immigrantly, host Saadia Khan sits down with demographers Jennifer Hook and James Bachmeier, authors of a groundbreaking new book, Texas-Style Exclusion: Mexican Americans and the Legacy of Limited Opportunity, that traces how Mexican immigrant families in Texas were systemat...

Identity isn’t always a box you check; it’s a journey. In this episode of Immigrantly, host Saadia Khan sits down with Beatriz Nour, the creator of Inbetweenish, a podcast that unpacks the complexities of belonging across cultures, languages, and traditions. Beatriz shares her personal story of navigating three cultures, four languages, and two religions, reflecting on the struggles and privileges...

What happens when we step outside our own understanding of identity and embrace the messy, beautiful, and sometimes contradictory stories that shape us? In this episode of Immigrantly, host Saadia Khan sits down with writer and television executive Nayantara Roy to explore the intersections of storytelling, belonging, and cultural memory. From navigating multiple worlds as an immigrant to uncoveri...

How do you go from fleeing your home country to building a Luxury Fashion Empire? Dr. Neri Karra did just that—without the fluff, the nonsense, or selling out. In this episode of Immigrantly, I sit down with Neri to talk about how she built a global brand, teaches at Oxford, and still finds time to write about immigrant entrepreneurship experiences in her book "Pioneers: Eight Principles of Busine...

I am excited to re-drop one of my favorite episodes featuring the incredible Kareem Rahma! When we first recorded this chat, Kareem was all about "Keep the Meter Running." Now, he's taken his journey to new heights with "Subway Takes." It's a series of short videos created by Kareem Rahma that offer his opinions on brands and pop culture, and he is gearing up to launch his very own podcast. This c...

What does serving in the U.S. military while challenging its norms mean? In this episode of Immigrantly, Saadia Khan sits down with Lieutenant Julie Roland, an active-duty naval aviator and law school graduate who advocates for systemic change.  Julie takes us behind the scenes of military life, its hierarchies, recruitment strategies, and the challenges of gender equity in a male-dominated space....

What happens when a family story takes you on an unexpected journey? In this episode of Immigrantly, I sit down with Jake Warren, founder of Message Heard and the creator of Finding Natasha, a profoundly personal podcast about tracking down the woman who saved his mother’s life decades ago in the Soviet Union. Jake’s mother, a young British ballerina, had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to train...

This episode is sponsored by Bilt Rewards- go to JoinBilt.com/Immigrantly to get started What happens when a country built by immigrants starts redefining who belongs? In this episode, I sit down with Claudia Yoli Ferla, a Venezuelan-born Latina and the Executive Director of Move Texas to discuss the latest political chaos surrounding immigration, voting rights, and civic engagement. From the new...

This episode is sponsored by Bilt Rewards- go to JoinBilt.com/Immigrantly to get started Some stories demand to be told. This one, in particular, struck me deeply. I sat down with Nancy Wang, a storyteller, artist, and author of Red Altar, to talk about her ancestors—Chinese immigrants who helped build California’s fishing industry against all odds. Their ingenuity, their fight against racist laws...

This year, we’ve tackled deep emotions and intricate journeys of faith, and today, we’re diving into the profound yet personal concept of legacy. Legacy—it sounds monumental, right? But does it have to be? For me, crafting a legacy sometimes feels like another overwhelming to-do list. Yet, what if the legacy isn’t about grandeur but embracing our stories and connections in the here and now? That’s...

Talking about religion makes me uncomfortable. Maybe it’s because I practice a faith that’s often misunderstood in this country. But in this episode, I decided to face that discomfort head-on. I sat down with Minister Lydia Sohn, a progressive Christian leader and writer, to have an honest, vulnerable, and surprisingly fun conversation about faith, identity, and shared humanity. We talked about bi...

This episode is sponsored by Bilt Rewards-go to JoinBilt.com/Immigrantly to get started Start the year with powerful insights! In this episode, I reflect on Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire (catchy or cop-out?) and chat with Anita Rao, host of Embodied. We explore working through emotions instead of discharging them and building emotional intelligence; we talk about Anita embracing her mixed-...

Can you believe it? This is the final Immigrantly episode of 2024! As I reflect on this incredible year, I’m grateful for the meaningful stories and conversations we’ve shared. Together, we’ve leaned into curiosity, allyship, and learning, and I can’t wait to bring you even more inspiring voices in 2025. Mark your calendars—our first episode of the new year drops on January 14th! But before we ste...

Today’s guest is Julio Salgado. Through his bold and unapologetic work, Julio challenges the status quo and uplifts voices that are too often silenced. As a queer, undocumented creator, he uses his art to reimagine visibility, joy, and resistance. In this conversation, we connected on our immigrant experiences, love for art, and his beautiful, poetic way of describing the U.S. If you’re feeling th...

Today, I'm thrilled to reconnect with Aymann Ismail, award-winning journalist and the visionary behind the PBS documentary American Muslims: A History Revealed. Beyond the groundbreaking stories from the series, our conversation takes a deeply personal turn. Aymann opens up about his new book, 'Becoming Baba,' which explores his journey of self-discovery, his experiences with dating, and how they'...

I’m so excited to share my conversation with Adam Macias on this episode of Immigrantly. Adam is a comedian, writer, and podcaster whose sobriety journey is just one fascinating chapter in his story. We talked about everything—from how he uses humor to connect with people to his thoughts on Joe Rogan and Andrew Tate and how young men today navigate their identities in such interesting and complex...

Today, I am bringing you something a little different. As we gather with loved ones to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, I am excited to share a special episode from Sportly, one of our sibling podcasts here at Immigrantly Media. Thanksgiving is more than just turkey and pie—it’s about family, connection, and tradition. And for many, Thanksgiving Day football has become a quintessential part of th...

In this compelling episode of Immigrantly, we’re joined by Petra Molnar, a renowned lawyer and anthropologist whose work sits at the intersection of migration, technology, and human rights. As Associate Director of the Refugee Law Lab at York University and a Faculty Associate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, Petra critically examines the role of AI and other technologie...

In this episode, I’m joined by the incredibly talented Delsy, a Guatemalan-American therapist, visual artist, and co-host of the Tamarindo Podcast. She’s also the creative force behind the Ocu-Pasión Podcast, where she amplifies the voices of Latin American artists and visionaries. But Delsy doesn’t just live in the audio space—she co-founded Encuentro: Creative Retreat, a nurturing haven for arti...

Today, on Election Day, Saadia Khan shares an honest conversation about the weight of this election cycle. She reflects on the disconnection many feel with the current political landscape, the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and the moral complexities that define our time. Saadia emphasizes why showing up is crucial—not just for us but for those who can’t vote. Join her for a candid discussion about the...