Stories of Transformation is a collection of intimate conversations with some of the most inspiring and courageous minds in art, entertainment, service, business, spirituality, and wellness. Every Tuesday, creator and host Baktash Ahadi, speaks with individuals from around the world who share their unique stories about how they overcame hardships, learned their craft, and found their purpose. These conversations are meant to inform, entertain, and inspire. Learn more by visiting www.baktashahadi.com.
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Emmy-Award Winning Director of The Social Dilemma, Jeff Orlowski, on the Invisible Dangers of Social Media
Episode 70
Tuesday, July 27, 2021 • Duration 35:31
In one of Netflix’s most highly watched documentaries of all time, The Social Dilemma, Director Jeff Orlowski exposed the disturbing extent to which all of us are being manipulated and controlled through the use of social media.
The film was a huge wake-up call for everyone in realizing the insidious implications of social media on our democracy, our culture, and our mental health.
In this episode of Stories of Transformation, we discuss why Jeff wanted to make this film, how exactly social media is a threat to our democracy, how the film has begun to influence policymakers, and what we can do as individuals to protect ourselves and future generations. Jeff also shares how he got into filmmaking, and the struggles of independent filmmaking in the context of his Sundance Award-Winning films, Chasing Ice and Chasing Coral.
Filmmaker Jeff Orlowski served as director, producer, and cinematographer of the Sundance Award-Winning films, Chasing Ice and Chasing Coral. He is a two-time Emmy-Award winning filmmaker, and founder of the award-winning production company Exposure Labs. His latest film, The Social Dilemma, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and is now one of the most-watched documentaries streaming on Netflix.
What Almost Dying Can Teach Us About Living, with Emmy-Award Winning Journalist and Cancer Survivor Suleika Jaouad
Episode 69
Tuesday, July 13, 2021 • Duration 41:23
Suleika Jaouad’s career aspirations as a war correspondent were cut short when, at age 22, she was diagnosed with leukemia.
Faced with slim survival odds, she knew she wanted to find a way to still participate in the world and give back more than she had taken. It started with a daily journal and eventually became “Life, Interrupted,” the Emmy award-winning New York Times column and video series she wrote from her hospital bed.
In this episode of Stories of Transformation, Suleika recounts the darkest and lightest moments of her four-year battle with leukemia. She shares what important life lessons she learned throughout her journey from diagnosis to remission and beyond on her cross country road trip of healing and self discovery.
Suleika Jaouad is an Emmy-award winning journalist, and author of her memoir Between Two Kingdoms. Her Ted Talk, "What Almost Dying Taught Me About Living", has over 4 million views.
Rolling With The Punchlines: How Comedian Maz Jobrani Took Control Of His Life by Taking The Stage
Episode 60
Tuesday, March 23, 2021 • Duration 37:32
Maz Jorbani is an Iranian-American comedian, actor, and performer who has been entertaining audiences for over two decades. Though he is a comedian by profession, and his talent for the craft sometimes make his performances look effortless, Maz' decision to pursue his passion on the stage was not spontaneous, and it didn’t come easy. His parents wanted him to take a more traditional route towards success, to choose a more stable career. It wasn’t until a culmination of events and encouragement that Maz decided to actually take to the stage to try his hand at the art of stand-up comedy.
Maz’ interest in the performing arts began early on. Born and raised in Iran - and living there until around the time of the 1979 Iranian Revolution - Western culture was surprisingly accessible and prevalent in Maz’ life. He recalls loving comic book heroes like Spider Man, American movies like Rocky and The Mask of Zorro, and of course, comedy entertainment. In many ways, his Iranian-American dual identity was being sculpted even before he and his family immigrated to the United States. In high school, Maz joined the theatre group and began performing in plays. He quickly found himself thriving on stage - both literally and figuratively! It was common for him to hear words of encouragement from teachers and peers alike. Maz' interest in the performing arts grew in parallel with his confidence on stage.
Some key moments over the course of his life would come to serve as eureka moments which gave Maz the collective encouragement to get up on stage and face the crowd. As it is for many comedians, Maz didn’t start off bringing down the house - delivering laughs night after night, joke after joke. There was a long road of practice, reflection, and refining ahead of him, but it was all a part of the journey. Fortunately for Maz, his countless hours spent performing plays and practicing on stage gave him an edge that many of his amateur peers lacked. Through time, effort, experience, and encouragement from some key characters over the course of his life, Maz was able to achieve his dream of becoming a professional stand-up comedian. Today, he is not only an accomplished performer, but a father and a husband. For his children, Maz says he wants to be their biggest encouragement in finding their passions and chasing their dreams.
Tune into this episode of Stories of Transformation to hear exactly how Maz Jorbani’s story played out - from his birthplace in Iran, to his relocation to the United States, to his decision to step on stage. Hear about the several key moments which pushed him further towards his dream, and the eureka moment in which he decided to finally go all in on his dream. Maz also shares some insights into his own personal philosophy for how one ought to live their life on their terms, complete with interesting stories, experiences, and anecdotes which have informed him over the years. Finally, we discuss how Maz’ Iranian-American identity has assisted, but not totally informed, his comedy and the way he presents himself on stage and in life.
Empathy and the Art of Acting with Hollywood Star, Faran Tahir
Episode 59
Tuesday, March 16, 2021 • Duration 36:55
Faran Tahir has acted on the stage, on TV, and on the big screen. Starring in major Hollywood blockbusters like Iron Man and Star Trek, as well as countless other acclaimed productions, Faran is as accomplished an actor as they come. But despite all of his success, Faran stills describes himself with a genuine air of humility - a “student” by his own account - always eager to learn and improve, not just in his craft but in the art of being human. Faran’s true character - off the stage, that is - speaks for itself when he shares that his favorite part of acting is the exercise in empathy that comes with stepping into someone else’s shoes.
A beacon of light for an underrepresented community in Hollywood, Faran is of Pakistani-American descent. Having spent time living and working in both regions of the world, Faran holds a unique and insightful perspective on the dual-misunderstanding that affects the perception from both sides of his citizenship. The similarities - the connections - that make us all human are greater than the sum of even our greatest differences, Faran says. And similar to the empathy that he channels when he gets into character, Faran believes that practicing empathy is the key to living beyond the myopic lens of cultural conditioning and stereotypes, and expanding our worldview into a more global, inclusive perspective.
In this episode of Stories of Transformation, Faran Tahir shares the story of how he followed his heart to decide to pursue a career in acting; why he took one of the leading roles in his recent film I’ll Meet You There, directed by Iram Parveen Bilal; the differences between the filmmaking industries in America and South Asia; and how film and the arts can be used as tools for highlighting our shared human connections rather than our inconsequential differences.
Virtual/Augmented Reality as the Ultimate Empathy Machine with Filmmaker Gabo Arora
Episode 58
Tuesday, March 9, 2021 • Duration 30:53
Gabo Arora is on the frontier of a new and exciting artistic medium - one you may not even know exists. He is among the visionaries leveraging virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence, as tools in the art of filmmaking, the efficacy of storytelling, and the progress of positive social change. In this episode of Stories of Transformation, hear Gabo’s story of going from a boots-on-the-ground humanitarian, working in conflict zones around the world and documenting his experiences, to founding the creative arts studio LIGHTSHED, whose mission is to combine immersive reality with real-world change.
In their own words, LIGHTSHED aims to “...shed light on the lives of everyday people struggling to overcome today’s structural inequalities. Because we believe that immersive storytelling leads to empathy - and empathy leads to action."
As a young man, Gabo's passion for humanitarian work found him working on the ground in conflict zones around the world, documenting his experiences through film. When he found out he was going to become a father, Gabo decided it was time to put his more creative endeavors on the back burner in favor of a more stable, centralized career. He got a job at the United Nations, eventually becoming a senior advisor to the secretary general. While his work at the UN was still technically in the realm of humanitarianism, Gabo found himself growing tired of the bureaucratic methods through which the international organization operated.
Over time, Gabo became disillusioned to the formulaic approach the UN took in their efforts, and he knew as well as anyone that their collective efforts were proving to be largely ineffective. Though the stability of the career was inviting, and even though he seemed to have “made it” in the traditional sense of the word, Gabo was unsatisfied with the work he was doing. Through a culmination of other factors, Gabo knew it was at that point or never that he redirect his efforts back to his creativity. His idea would come to manifest itself as the utilization of cutting-edge technologies to break new ground in the way we convey stories.
With empathy as the emotion in mind, Gabo set out to offer people experiences unlike any other - an opportunity to see, hear, feel, and even communicate with parts of the world that are otherwise, to the average person, unreachable. To convey the day-to-day experience of those places that are in such dire need of understanding. Though his portfolio at LightShed is already vast, Gabo is just getting started with his work. As you’ll hear in this conversation, Gabo Arora and his team are more excited than ever about the potential of using technology as a means of eliciting empathy, and promoting meaningful action.
The Potential For Peace With Israeli-born Palestinian Forsan Hussein
Episode 57
Tuesday, March 2, 2021 • Duration 38:25
As a young boy growing up in the Arab village of Sha’ab in Northern Israel, Forsan Hussein had always found himself surrounded at all sides by a troubling narrative. For his entire life, everyone had told him that the Jewish Israelites living nearby were the picture of evil - a malevolent people bent on violence; the harbingers of atrocity and misfortune which had befallen Forsan’s Arab-Palestinian village in the past.
For young Forsan, it was all he knew. Everyone in his world had always said the same thing: Arabs and Jews did not, and would never, get along.
One fateful day, while fulfilling the role of shepherd on his family’s farm, one of Forsan’s sheep wandered off into a nearby Jewish village. The young boy knew he had no choice but to retrieve the animal, but he was terrified. The visions in his mind of what he might see in the neighboring village were traumatizing - fire and brimstone; violence and destruction. His childhood imagination knew no bounds, casting imagery more dreadful than any nightmare.
But yet, through the fear, something within Forsan gave him the strength to go on and see this new part of the world for himself.
Much to his surprise, what Forsan found was a beautiful village - sunny and prosperous, its people welcoming. He saw children who looked a lot like he did playing soccer on a grass field. The people of the village took him in with open arms, fed him, and of course, returned his sheep. Forsan ended up staying late, playing soccer with the children and making many friends. He couldn’t wait to return home to tell his village and tell of the truth he had uncovered.
Before he was even a teenager, Forsan Hussein would go on to help create the first non-profit organization in Northern Israel that supports coexistence, equality, and peace between Arabs and Jews. Later, he would earn a full scholarship to Brandeis University in Boston, Massachusetts - another transformational period of his life - where he would not only expand his mind through education, but further discover the true potential of what he wanted to accomplish in life.
Today, Forsan is one of the founders of Zaitoun Ventures, an investment firm focused on supporting innovative startups all over the world. Though their goals primarily aim to develop a “new", more cooperative Middle East, their reach is truly global, and their network includes people and projects from all walks of life. Forsan and his team strive to change the world by supporting new and interesting technologies that can make the world a better place.
In Search Of Stories Untold with Iranian Filmmaker Gelareh Kiazand
Episode 56
Tuesday, February 23, 2021 • Duration 40:49
Gelareh Kiazand is an Iranian filmmaker who is on a mission to revitalize the film and documentary genre. Integrity, education, and companionship are among the fundamental values she considers in her work. She is founder of SeeTô Productions, a media company which aims to "produce high quality productions by grouping talent that transcend borders.” Indeed, Kiazand and her crew serve as a collective conduit through which the stories of underrepresented people and places can be brought to light.
Gelareh takes pride in her authentic storytelling - at once offering fresh perspectives while being sure to remain subjective, giving utmost credence to the subject. With a modest profundity, Kiazand understands the modern media landscape on a forward-thinking level. Many people today exhibit dual appetites for both short-form and long-form storytelling. Her short films have been played at festivals around the world. On the long-form end of the spectrum, Gelareh directed a 13-part documentary spanning several regions of Afghanistan, and tackling some of the country’s social issues.
Kiazand's myriad passions of learning, traveling, and storytelling eventually found her with a camera in her hand - a companionship which has taken her all around the world. With a goal of expanding her audience’s cultural understanding, her life and work serve as an inspiration to those striving to make a difference.
In this episode of Stories of Transformation, Gelareh Kiazand shares some of the most profound insights she has collected over the course of her life and career. Topics include the a unique perspective on the widespread misunderstanding of Iran and the greater Middle East; the reciprocal benefit of intimate moments between artist and subject; human beings’ attention span vs. consideration span; and the importance of experiencing a place in order to truly understand it.
Moving Forward By Facing The Past — A Conversation With "I'll Meet You There" Filmmaker Iram Parveen Bilal
Episode 55
Tuesday, February 16, 2021 • Duration 33:36
Iram Parveen Bilal was walking through Thomas Bradley Terminal at LAX, awaiting her mother’s arrival for treatment of a life-threatening condition. Amidst the thoughts already racing through her mind, Iram heard the commotion of a crowd growing louder as she walked - a murmur of a different energy than that normally heard at airports. She tracked the uproar until it revealed itself: a group of protestors voicing their disapproval towards the Muslim ban which had just been enacted.
Iram had long-feared the reaction of America - particularly its majority - in the hypothetical event of political action against the oft-misunderstood Muslim population. Would people in positions of privilege stand up for their fellow human beings? Or would they side with the oppressors - either directly or, through silence, indirectly? This appeared to be the day of reckoning that Iram had so feared, and she couldn’t withhold her emotion. Tears began to fall as she stood there, realizing the gravity of the situation that she, her mother, and millions of other global citizens had found themselves in.
But then, seemingly out of nowhere came a woman - fighting her way through the crowd and making her way towards Iram. “You’re going to be okay,” the woman said, embracing Iram. It was the sincerest form of empathy, an unspoken understanding: a stranger helping a stranger caught in the middle and clearly in need.
It appeared, at least in this microcosm of the ongoing political crisis, that the majority was not going to sit by and allow for such prejudicial injustice. That woman’s small act of kindness did not erase Iram’s fears, but it restore some sense of hope as it pertained to the future of America and the world.
This was the decisive moment in which Iram knew that she needed to continue production on her screenplay in-progress - the film that would go on to become I’ll Meet You There. Though funding and the red tape of Hollywood stood in her way, the timing would never be better, and Iram had never been more inspired to tell a much-needed story.
Tune into this episode of Stories of Transformation to hear the story of Iram Parveen Bilal’s incredible, multi-faceted life and career. Describing herself as having a heightened sense of awareness - a deeply empathic soul - Iram understands cultural differences through the vicissitude of her overall lived experience. Her depth of understanding of the human experience is wide-ranging, and evident in her words and storytelling. Through her filmmaking, Iram Parveen Bilal explores ideas which have inspired her, and she hopes that, in turn, her work will inspire others to share their own stories.
From the Newsroom to the Battlefield with Journalist and Author Jessica Donati
Episode 54
Tuesday, February 9, 2021 • Duration 31:56
Jessica Donati never expected to write a book about her experiences in Afghanistan, but then again, she never could have predicted that her journalism career would place her in the middle of some of the fiercest conflicts of the 21st century.
In her book, Eagle Down: The Last Special Forces Fighting The Forever War, Jessica describes in powerful, personal detail the scenes on the ground from her time spent following US and Afghan special forces as they fought to stabilize Afghanistan.
Describing herself as someone “guided by curiosity,” Jessica Donati is a person driven to understand the world through perspectives different from her own. Born in Italy, and raised in a stable environment in which survival was not a daily concern, Jessica understands the relatively privileged position she was born into as compared to many others around the world.
Today, as a reporter covering foreign affairs for the Wall Street Journal, Jessica’s job aligns well with her innate desire to seek out truth and understanding, and to tell stories that need to be told, no matter where the job may take her.
But the trajectory of her career - of her life - wasn’t so clearly defined from the outset.
After graduating with a degree in economics, Jessica combined her college education with her passion for writing, landing a job at Reuters as a financial reporter. Primarily writing on the oil war, Jessica eventually received an offer to travel to ground zero of the ongoing crisis in Libya, to continue her reporting and to see firsthand the places and people she had been writing about from afar. Although she knew the decision would change her life forever, she accepted seemingly out of necessity - it was almost a non-choice due to her principles and values.
After Libya, Jessica thought she might end up in Iraq, one of the central points of conflict in the global oil economy. Instead, she was tasked with going to Afghanistan - a place that she had never been to, and a place that frankly struck fear in her more than anywhere else she had been. In further pursuit of broadening her perspective and understanding of the world, she graciously accepted the offer.
Through her time spent living and working Afghanistan - a total period of four years - Jessica would connect with a region of the world she had never understood. She would gain a firsthand perspective into one of the world’s longest-lasting conflicts. And through her bravery and dedication to her work, she would join Afghan and US forces on the ground to gain a better perspective into the real story of the United States’ involvement in the conflict. The collection of writings and experiences from the latter would go on to serve as the premise for her new book.
Shaharzad Akbar: Leader and Visionary for Human Rights in Afghanistan
Episode 53
Tuesday, February 2, 2021 • Duration 41:54
Shaharzad Akbar may not appear as someone you’d expect to be leading the charge in one of the world’s harshest environments. But don't let Akbar's quiet demeanor fool you without first hearing her incredible story. Indeed, as chairperson at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, fighting for human rights is exactly what Akbar does everyday. Specifically, she fights on behalf of her fellow Afghan citizens' access to the full range of human rights. Her responsibility includes dissecting, criticizing, and reforming a broken system which has rendered human rights as more of a privilege than a precedent.
Born in Jowzjan, Afghanistan in 1987, Akbar’s upbringing is tragically common for those living in the region during this period. Fleeing the violence and conflict that constantly surrounded them, Akbar and her family moved all around Afghanistan, eventually settling in Pakistan for a time after the Taliban took control. As Akbar described this time, there was an underlying sense, even at her young age, of her homeland being disconnected from the rest of the world; and of its people, its history, and its culture on the verge of being forgotten.
During her family’s migration across Afghanistan, Shaharzad was able to see firsthand many of the different landscapes, lifestyles, and cultures that make up the rich tapestry that is Afghanistan. From the city apartment where she grew up, to the small farming village she and her family passed through on their travels, Shaharzad absorbed these images and the people that filled them, and the dreamy vision of a more peaceful, equal Afghanistan began to materialize in her mind.
In contrast to that, Shaharzad's time spent studying abroad in The United States was among the more eye-opening experiences as to how the rest of the world operated. While attending college in Massachusetts, Shaharzad saw firsthand the stark difference between the concerns of the world’s most privileged peoples as compared to her compatriots back home. Whereas many of her American peers were concerned about an upcoming exam, Akbar knew that the common daily concern of many of her friends and family back home was literally that of survival - of actual life and death. She had finally seen the full spectrum of human rights for herself.
Though the weight of her responsibility is great, Akbar is somehow able to keep calm in her dealings with human rights violations on a daily basis. Even with the threat of backlash ideological opposition, and the daily atrocities that appear on her desk, Akbar remains resilient in her responsibility, and confident in her vision of what she knows Afghanistan can become. Akbar believes that improving human rights in Afghanistan begins with stopping the violence, and reevaluating the systems in place and the harmful aspects of society that those systems have perpetuated. How can you improve peoples’ lives if the systems and structures in place are directly preventing that?
Episode Music Credits "Reflections" by Swirling Ship "Mourning Our Loved Ones" by Sebastian Borromeo "New World" by Ian Post
But at the core of their work is a strong set of core values based on the lessons Forsan learned that day, many years ago: look beyond constrictive narratives; dig deep and discover reality for yourself; and always believe in the potential for peace.
Tune in to this episode of Stories of Transformation to hear the story of how Jessica Donati went from newsroom-based economic reporting to war reporting in some of the world’s most war-torn regions. Jessica also shares some details and stories from her book - Eagle Down: The Last Special Forces Fighting The Forever War - which tell the real story from the ground of the US’ involvement in Afghan affairs up until just a few years ago.
Other topics include personal accounts of her times spent in Libya and Afghanistan; emotions that arise for Jessica thinking back on her time spent in these war-torn regions; the unsung heroes of the conflict in Afghanistan; and the hope that remains for Afghanistan thanks to the ongoing peace talks between Afghan government and the Taliban.
In this episode of Stories of Transformation, we discuss the importance of understanding context in different human rights projects around the world; finding the strength to keep going even in the face of daily adversity; what literature, art, and storytelling can teach us about our shared human experiences; and what it means and what it takes to be a leader of a human rights initiative.
Episode Music Credits "Flight of the Inner Bird" by Sivan Talmor, Yehezkel Raz "Be Still" by Doug Kaufman "Neshama Yetera" by Itai Armon "Desert Snake" by Onxy Music "Abdo's Song (feat. Abdo Beko)" by Endure
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