The Hopeful

by Shayda Omidvar/ Frequency Podcast Network

Amir Omidvar left Iran during the revolutionary crisis in 1982. For twenty months after leaving his home, Amir did everything he could to cross the Atlantic ocean. While taking refuge in Spain, he made three failed attempts to enter the US; a fake passport in Heathrow, a Mexican jail, and a beating by customs officers in Milan — until a fourth and final attempt brought him to Canadian shores. Amir speaks to his daughter, Shayda, about why he decided to leave and how arriving in Canada has impacted his life and the life of his family. The Hopeful, at its core, is about the Canadian Dream. Walk side by side with Amir through his personal journey, and hear how he persevered not only through physical obstacles, but feelings of desperation, loss, and loneliness, only to find hope and happiness in his new forever home.

Recent Episodes

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Recent Reviews

sunbunz666

Relatable and Important

So many of our parents keep these stories buried and hearing Amir share his was an honor and so incredibly powerful. Thanks for creating this series and sharing it with the world. Truly beautiful work.
rhoadesm

All should listen

Thank you for sharing a personally painful, strength, and determination to be a positive impact on society and what people may assume but you have been able to communicate nicate for all to hear, listen, process, and reflect on our thoughts, unintentional negative and misled beliefs, and the insight and wisdom to learn the truth and life changing preconceived notions and assumptions we too often conclude today. Beautiful and you and your family should stand proud making our world more evolved, understanding, and proud of the lives we chose to live. Insight was life changing.
Janill Gilbert

This should be a movie

One of the best podcasts ever, should be made into a movie because it’s such a good story and screen worthy, but also because it’s an important story in our current days to give people some understanding of the migrant story.
PeterGRUKCAN

Immigration, Perseverance, Canada!

We take different paths and follow uncharted terrains, but we eventually arrive home. Thank you for reminding us.
Kfugfhgvjhg

This is so real.

This podcast is raw and human, and underlines both the incredible capacity of individual conviction and the impact of the helping hand or friendly face of a stranger. Highly recommend listening, particularly during this time of the pandemic when it can be harder to be hopeful and it’s easy to feel stuck.
Love from NYC

An absolutely incredible listen

I’m so grateful to have found this podcast. Amir’s story is so inspirational and truly restored my faith in humanity, in a time where that’s increasingly hard to come by. Shayda and Portia did such a great job in telling this story, it was the highlight of my week to listen to each episode. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
MCABBDB

Thank you

I’ve just finished listening to ‘Winter’. My parents are immigrants and this particular episode was very familiar to me. Your father is a truly resilient man and an inspiration in his perseverance and integrity. I have shared your podcast with many friends who also love listening. We all look forward to each episode. Thank you so much.
SamanthaRae_of_light

Do yourself a favor

and just listen. We have so much more in common with each other than we think.
Mvtkg

Beautifully crafted

A touching story about a immigration story that perfectly encapsulates the Canadian story. A must listen to!
Callyt1123

Captivating and warm

Beautifully sculpted, honest, and warm — a moving look at the choices we make and their consequences, and the different ways our lives diverge from that of our families.
nashionalGeographic

An epic story that needs to be heard!

Captivating, honest and so heartwarming. Looking forward to hearing the rest of it