Tell Them, I Am

Anousheh Ansari grows up looking up at the moon and the stars, never expecting to one day float among them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Imam Khalil Abdur Rashid’s father gifts him a family heirloom at his college graduation -- a watch that ends up putting its new owner’s life at stake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Fox grows up glued to her mom, and unsure of her relationship to her dad. But after a difficult childhood, she tries to change that dynamic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

French athlete, Tariq Abdul-Wahad is thrilled to get invited to a prestigious college basketball camp in the United States... Then he gets stranded at the airport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wai Wai Nu bonds with her dad by listening to the radio together, but in 1990’s Burma, this is considered a crime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Away at college, Amrou Al-Kadhi find themselves without supervision for the first time and decides to step out onto the stage as a drag performer. They never expect to be confronted with their own biases, though. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Malala Yousafzai is the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, but her early success as an activist placed her in a world of serious (and much older) professionals. Which is why, when Malala gets into college, she is determined to make friends her own age and show them a new side of her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sumayya Usmani rebels against her parents by getting a boyfriend, but ends up finding a freedom within her own family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enes Kanter recounts a game of one-on-one from when he was a kid that would determine his entire future as an athlete. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Imagine the legendary tabla virtuoso and composer, Zakir Hussain, getting boo-ed off stage. Well, it happened, and it made him into the artist he is today Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Halima Aden’s “the new kid” in a small, Midwestern elementary school. After years of bullying, she finally snaps, leading to a moment that changes the trajectory of her life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Eight-year-old Sophia Mohammad is excited about her little sister being born, until it actually happens and she realizes her mom’s attentions are elsewhere.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As an English Literature professor during the Iranian Revolution, Azar Nafisi forms a close friendship with a student. Years later, she receives some painful news that puts this friendship into a whole new context.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alsarah wants desperately to be a musician but suffers from debilitating stage fright. Then, she meets a man named Haig who takes her under his wing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fawzia Mirza and Sonal are best friends, and it seems like nothing can tear them apart. But when Sonal leaves the country for med school, Fawzia makes a huge mistake that could jeopardize their relationship.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a devastating breakup, Yuna Zara'ai — a gigantic pop star — meets a local dance instructor who teaches her more than just a few hip hop moves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In high school, Latif Nasser thinks science is boring. But all his notions are challenged during a scuba diving excursion with his high school classmates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jewher Ilham is close to her dad, an Uyghur professor and human rights advocate. But her dismissal of his concerns about the Chinese government is challenged after a terrifying incident at the Beijing International Airport.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the stress of career goals and inter-family turmoil compounds, Ever-The-Rule-Follower Salma Hindy needs a way to get out of her head. The solution? Shrooms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Moving to the U.S. from Iran as a kid is hard, so Arya Ghavamian tries to relate to his new American friends by playing them some Iranian pop music. But they don’t get it, and Arya determines that Iranian music is “lame”...until one special night at a bar in NYC.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices