Bridging Cultures and Empowering Voices: A Journey of Storytelling and Mentorship with Afarin Bellisario

My guest today is Afarin Bellisario. Afarin Bellisario grew up in Tehran in a family with its feet in the past and its head in the future: whereas her grandmothers could barely read, Afarin’s university-educated father and uncles were prominent members of Iran’s new technocratic elite. Silenced Whispers is inspired by the women who fought for Iranian democracy and by her upbringing. Upon receiving a Ph.D. (and a subsequent MBA) from MIT, Afarin spent most of her career in the high-tech world, dealing with bleeding-edge innovations. She has worked for firms such as Intel, Analog Devices, and Raytheon, as well as MIT in both technical and business capacities, and consulted many others such as Tokyo Electron. Today, Afarin consults, teaches, and mentors young ventures. But writing has been a passion. Afarin began writing professionally in major publications and the literary magazine Ferdousi at the age of 14, in pre-revolutionary Tehran. In 2013, her essay “Movies with My Aunt” was published in the anthology Love & Pomegranates, edited by M. N. Sayers. The Wall Street Journal and The Boston Globe have published several of her op-eds, and she writes regularly about the clash between tradition and modernity on Medium. Through Afarin’s writing, she actively seeks to create a conversation around the themes covered in her book, Silenced Whispers.. In this episode we discuss storytelling, social narratives, mentoring and personal empowerment.

Website - https://www.afarin.net/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/afarin_bellisario/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/afarin-bellisario-091115/

In this episode you will learn:

1. The differences between mentoring and consulting.

2. How women's voices can be a part of a larger legacy that can inspire future generations.

3. The need for women to reclaim their voices in order to help shed societal expectations and step into authentic power.

 

“So for most people, they think that there's a divide. This is all technology. This is all human, soft stuff, soft skills, if you will, writing and culture and things like that. That's not the case.” - 00:03:56

“South of Tehran, people were religious. Being religious, not bad, but traditionalists, they wanted their tradition." 00:32:34

“We are all the same in heart. The color of skin, the color of the hair, our height, weight, doesn't matter. In the end, we are all the same.” 00:44:00

🎙️ You’ve got a story to share, a message to inspire, and a passion ready to ignite—but where do you start?

The world is waiting for your voice. With From Idea to Implementation: Your Blueprint for Podcast Success, you’ll get the roadmap to turn your vision into reality.

This isn’t just a course—it’s your launching pad. Step-by-step, we’ll break down the process from defining your purpose to recording your first episode so you can finally share your voice with confidence.

✨ Stop overthinking and start doing. Your voice has the power to connect and lead. Are you ready to use it?

Click the link below to Join the waitlist today—your podcast journey starts now. The world is waiting!

https://empowerographypodcast.com/from-idea-to-implementation-622153

Contact Brad:

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