Not Really Strangers

USA for UNHCR
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Discover just how connected the refugee experience is to our everyday lives, and to the social issues that matter to us most. Join host Suzanne Ehlers, Executive Director and CEO of USA for UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, as she and her eclectic guests share personal stories and frontline insights. We’re more connected than we may think.

Episodios

  1. HACE 6 D

    Dance or Die: Ahmad Joudeh on Statelessness, Belonging, and the Body as Home

    In this episode of Not Really Strangers, host Suzanne Ehlers sits down with internationally acclaimed ballet dancer, choreographer, author, and humanitarian Ahmad Joudeh. Born stateless in 1990 in Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, Ahmad carries a story that is both extraordinary and deeply representative of the millions of people around the world who exist without nationality, without a passport, and without a country that claims them as its own. When Syria's civil war broke out, Ahmad faced death threats from extremists simply for dancing; he responded by performing in the ruins of Palmyra's Roman amphitheater and having "Dance or Die" tattooed on the back of his neck. The conversation moves from the body as a home that carries East and West, grief and resistance, within a single dance to what it felt like to finally hold a Dutch passport and "see life in colors." Ahmad also reflects on his upcoming role as Young Gilgamesh in a new opera as a meditation on power, love, and the kind of legacy that outlasts any government. Lastly, when asked what he wants on the dinner table, his answer is immediate: "I don't care what is on there. I care who is in there." This is an episode about the distance — real and invented — between those we call strangers. Topics Discussed: What statelessness actually means, how it differs from being a refugee, and navigating borders without a passportThe generational cycle of Palestinian statelessness in Syria, from the Arab-Israeli war to the present day,The role documentary filmmaker Roozbeh Kaboly played in bringing Ahmad's story to the world and how the Dutch National Ballet changed the course of his lifeHow Ahmad merges classical ballet with Sufi dervish tradition in his dance, and what it means to carry culture, ancestry, and resistance in physical movementWhat the Dutch passport represented: belonging as a privilege, not just a right,  and what it feels like to "see life in colors"Why Ahmad continues to post on social media: reaching young people in the Middle East who deserve to see that freedom is possibleThe myth Ahmad most wants to bust about displacement, identity, and what it actually means to be a stranger Resources: Podcast show notesDonate nowFollow USA for UNHCR on InstagramConnect with Suzanne on LinkedIn

    27 min

  2. 23 ABR

    Caring in Crisis and Responding to Hate: Dr. Suzanne Barakat’s Story

    In this episode of Not Really Strangers, host Suzanne Ehlers welcomes her "name twin" — Dr. Suzanne Barakat, physician, humanitarian, and a leading voice on refugee health, asylum medicine, and countering Islamophobia.  Dr. Barakat, who is from North Carolina, traces her connection to the refugee experience back to her own roots: from summers in Syria and then two years of high school there, to watching as an adult as the Syrian crisis forced her her extended family— who once all lived on the same street — to relocate  across the globe. She describes her journey as a doctor caring for those in crisis, including returning again and again to the Syrian-Turkish border, and shares her most recent trip topost-regime Syria to bear witness and help forge the country’s forensic response . Dr. Barakat also shares the gripping story she shared in her popular TED Talk: when she was still a medical student, a white supremacist broke into her family members’ home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and murdered them while they were eating dinner. She asks the question: What if rather than “otherize” her relatives, the perpetrator of this hate crime had sat down and gotten to know them? And what can we learn from this unspeakable tragedy about the power of asking, as leaders, “Who is not at this table, and needs to be?” This conversation raises important questions about our shared humanity and gets to the heart of what the Not Really Strangers podcast is all about.   Topics Discussed: Growing up between North Carolina and Syria; two formative years of high school in IdlibThe slow, devastating displacement of Dr. Barakat's extended Syrian familyVolunteering on the Syria-Turkey border: clinical work under impossible conditions, language barriers, and dignity of careOtherization as the root cause of violence and genocideThe 2015 Chapel Hill murders of Dr. Bakarat’s family and her fight to have them recognized as a hate crimeVisiting Syria six weeks after the fall of the Assad regime; bearing witness to the destroyed town of WultaShaping Syria's national forensic response: missing persons, mass graves, and the imperative of local leadershipWhy justice, including narrative acknowledgment, is inseparable from peaceConfronting implicit bias and the moral courage required to actFinding purpose after personal trauma: the SF Muslim FellowshipThe dinner table as a question of inclusion: who is not here and needs to be?Episode Resources: 36 Seconds DocumentaryDr. Suzanne Barakat’s TED Talk Resources: Podcast show notesDonate nowFollow USA for UNHCR on InstagramConnect with Suzanne on LinkedIn

    38 min

  3. 16 ABR

    What Actor Kristin Davis Witnessed as Families Flee Sudan’s Brutal War

    In the inaugural episode of season two of Not Really Strangers, host Suzanne Ehlers speaks with Kristin Davis, internationally acclaimed actress and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, fresh off a visit to South Sudan to see the organization’s response to the deepening emergency caused by the war in Sudan. Kristin shares how an encounter at a Hollywood party first connected her to UNHCR, and what she witnessed at the Joda border crossing and Renk transit center: families arriving with nothing, safe spaces shuttered due to funding cuts and the gut-wrenching reality of women and children receiving only a high-calorie biscuit as their first meal after harrowing journeys through a war zone. But alongside the devastation, she also found extraordinary resilience in a group of teenage girls reclaiming their voices at a program called Girl Shine, and in a woman named Jacqueline who, after being displaced three times, opened a tea shop and hired her first employee. Kristin and Suzanne reflect on the difference between humanitarianism and politics, what it means to truly see another person and why — no matter where in the world Kristin has traveled — she has never once felt like a stranger. Topics Discussed: How a chance encounter at a Hollywood party connected Kristin to UNHCR and set the course of her advocacy workWhat Kristin witnessed at the Joda border crossing and Renk Transit Center — and what was devastatingly missingThe human impact of funding cuts: safe spaces closed and hot meals gone for families arriving with almost nothing after violent and dangerous journeysGirl Shine: the safe space near Juba where displaced teenage girls are learning to use their voices, understand their rights and imagine different futuresJacqueline's tea shop: the story of a woman displaced three times who built a small business from scratch and hired her first employeeWhy Kristin believes humanitarianism must be separated from politics and why it's everyone's responsibilityWhat "stranger" means to someone who has never felt like one and the shared humanity that makes that possibleEpisode Resources:  Kristin + UNHCROn South Sudan visit, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Kristin Davis calls for urgent support for families fleeing Sudan Resources: Podcast show notesDonate nowFollow USA for UNHCR on InstagramConnect with Suzanne on LinkedIn

    31 min

  4. 16/12/2025

    Building Home, Far From Home: The Power of Education, Family and Refugee Voices with Nabin Dhimal

    Today Nabin Dhimal joins Suzanne for the final episode of season one of Not Really Strangers Suzanne originally met Nabin in Geneva at the Global Refugee Forum, where he helped her feel at home and confident in her then-new position as the executive director and CEO of USA for UNHCR. Nabin was born in a refugee camp in Nepal after his family was displaced from Bhutan, and he later resettled in Portland, Oregon. Today, he’s a master’s student at Georgetown University, an advocate for refugees, and a community builder. In this conversation, he and Suzanne explore what it means to call a place “home,” how food and education shape identity and why being a “stranger” is so often just a matter of being misunderstood. Nabin’s story invites us to see how deeply intertwined our lives really are and how, by listening more closely, we start to realize we’re not really strangers after all. Topics Discussed: Nabin’s journey from Bhutan to a refugee camp in Nepal, and eventually to Portland, OregonThe emotional toll and hope embedded in the refugee resettlement processThe meaning of home, belonging and identity as a Bhutanese-Nepali refugeeHow education, vulnerability and storytelling helped Nabin build community in the U.S.The role of food and tradition in maintaining cultural roots across continents Episode Resources: Read: Inspired by a love of education, a former refugee is making a difference in Portland, Oregon Resources: Podcast show notesDonate nowFollow USA for UNHCR on InstagramConnect with Suzanne on LinkedIn

    35 min

  5. 11/12/2025

    Human Rights and Democracy in the Age of AI: A Conversation with Malika Saada Saar

    In the latest episode of Not Really Strangers, Suzanne sits down with Malika Saada Saar, a human rights lawyer and tech policy strategist whose career spans grassroots advocacy to leadership roles at Google and YouTube. Malika shares how she fought to end the shackling of incarcerated women in childbirth, founded Rights4Girls to combat child trafficking and worked to embed human rights into global tech platforms. Together, they explore the intersections of displacement, vulnerability and innovation and why designing from the margins creates stronger, more just systems. Malika also reflects on collapsing the concept of “stranger” and reimagining belonging in our communities and technologies. Topics: Malika’s path from community organizing to human rights law and why she chose that framework over civil rightsHer groundbreaking advocacy to end the shackling of incarcerated pregnant womenThe intersection of displacement, trafficking and technology — and how refugees face heightened vulnerabilitiesLessons from embedding human rights into Google and YouTube’s policies, products and partnershipsCollapsing the concept of “stranger” and reimagining community, belonging and design from the margins Episode Resources: Rights4Girls“We Were Here”: UNHCR and YouTube highlight the shared passions that bring us togetherPAI 60: Rights and Results: A Reproductive Health IndexBlack feminist theorist, Patricia Hill Collins on the “Outsider Theory” Resources: Podcast show notesDonate nowFollow USA for UNHCR on InstagramConnect with Suzanne on LinkedIn

    49 min

  6. 04/12/2025

    Home in Many Places: Thao Nguyen on Heritage, Art and Connection

    Musician Thao Nguyen joins Suzanne this week on Not Really Strangers for a heartfelt conversation about family, heritage and the power of art to process identity and loss. Thao shares her parents’ remarkable journey as Vietnamese refugees, the emotional experience of returning to Vietnam with her mother decades later, and how her albums A Man Alive and Temple became tools for self-discovery and liberation. They explore what it means to call multiple places “home,” the role of language as a personal and artistic currency, and the unique way live performance connects strangers in moments of shared humanity. This episode is a moving reflection on belonging, bearing witness and the stories that shape who we are. Topics Thao’s childhood in Falls Church, Virginia, growing up in a close-knit Vietnamese refugee communityThao’s parents’ story of leaving Vietnam, meeting in a refugee camp, and building a new life in the U.SHow returning to Vietnam with her mother reshaped her understanding of home, loss, and heritageThe role of music, specifically her albums A Man Alive and Temple, in helping Thao process identity, grief, and self-loveWhy words and language became Thao’s most valuable tools for expressionHow performance creates space for authentic connection between strangers Episode Resources Linda Gowler-Blunt + The Black Women's Health Imperative Jess Mack Prospect New OrleansSong Exploder Podcast Resources: Podcast show notesDonate nowFollow USA for UNHCR on InstagramConnect with Suzanne on LinkedIn

    55 min

  7. 13/11/2025

    Dignity in Livelihoods: The Power of Economic Inclusion with Jina Krause-Vilmar

    What if the key to a thriving workforce and stronger communities lies in removing barriers that keep refugees from contributing to the full extent of their abilities and gifts? In this episode, Suzanne speaks with Jina Krause-Vilmar about what economic inclusion really means for immigrants and refugees. Jina shares her personal story as the daughter of Indian immigrants raised by a fiercely determined single mother, some of the lessons she learned throughout her childhood, and what happens when we deny people the right to work. They also talk about workforce barriers; policy changes that can make it easier for refugees to resume their careers in their new homes; and the power of livelihood to strengthen identity, dignity, and belonging. Jina’s insights are both practical and deeply human, and will encourage you to reflect on the universal human desire to feel useful. This episode is about resilience, but even more, it’s about recognizing the profound level of skill and talent that refugees bring to every community they join.  Topics: How Jina’s upbringing shaped her views on home, strength, and belongingThe vital link between livelihood, dignity, and identity for refugeesWhy refugee women face unique challenges and lead bold transformationsCommon myths about refugee skills and the systemic barriers they faceHow workforce inclusion benefits not just individuals, but entire economies Episode Resources: The Malala Fund and Charmaghz Mobile Library on giving women more economic inclusion and options Resources: Podcast show notesDonate nowFollow USA for UNHCR on InstagramConnect with Suzanne on LinkedIn

    37 min

  8. 06/11/2025

    Why the Refugee Crisis Isn’t Just a Government Problem with Colin Browne

    In this episode of Not Really Strangers, Suzanne sits down with Colin Browne—newly appointed board member at USA for UNHCR. His experience as a former global supply chain leader, and someone who’s lived in nine countries, offers a rare behind-the-scenes perspective on displacement. From a powerful refugee simulation in Hong Kong to the role businesses can play in humanitarian crises, Colin shares what connects us, why the private sector matters, and why he believes we’re not really strangers. Topics Discussed: How a 24-hour immersive simulation reshaped Colin’s understanding of the refugee experienceThe surprising ways global supply chains intersect with displacement crisesWhy most refugees are hosted in low- and middle-income countries, not wealthy nations—and what that means for humanitarian responseThe critical role the private sector can play alongside governments in addressing global crisesWhy the phrase Not Really Strangers reflects our shared humanity, no matter our backgrounds Episode Resources Report: Nearly 2 million refugees at risk as Uganda emergency funds dwindle and services cutReport: Refugees generated a stunning 2.7 percent of Poland’s GDP in 2024, study showsCrossroads Foundation Hong Kong Resources: Podcast show notesDonate nowFollow USA for UNHCR on InstagramConnect with Suzanne on LinkedIn

    27 min

  9. 16/10/2025

    Health, Migration and the Power of Imagination with Thoại Ngô

    In this episode, host Suzanne Ehlers speaks with Dr. Thoại Ngô, an internationally recognized scientist and the Chair of the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health at Columbia University. Thoại’s work lies at the intersection of global public health, gender equality and sustainable development, and he has dedicated his career to improving health and social outcomes for young people and marginalized communities around the world. From founding the GIRL Center at the Population Council to launching the Adolescent Data Hub, his leadership has shaped how the global community understands and responds to issues like adolescent well-being, climate justice and migration. In this conversation, Thoại shares both his professional expertise and his personal story as a former refugee from Vietnam, reminding us how resilience, imagination and community can dissolve distance and build a more just future. Topics Discussed: Thoại’s personal story of being displaced from Vietnam at age 12 and resettling in the U.S.How home can be both a place and a web of relationships, stretching between New York City and VietnamThe intersection of public health, forced displacement and climate migrationWhy migration should be seen as a solution, not a threat, to global challenges like aging populations and labor shortagesFaith communities and the surprising role they’ve played in refugee resettlement and welcomeThoại’s reflections on “stranger” as an opportunity for curiosity, connection, and discovery Episode Resources: GIRL Center at the Population CouncilHeilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health at Columbia University Resources: Podcast show notesDonate nowFollow USA for UNHCR on InstagramConnect with Suzanne on LinkedIn

    38 min

  10. 02/10/2025

    How Lien Ta Used Her Restaurants to Turn Strangers into Community

    I’m deeply honored to have restaurateur and writer Lien Ta on the show today. I found her Instagram during the pandemic and I’m grateful to say that she’s now a friend. In our conversation, Lien shares what it means to her to belong and how we build spaces that help others feel they belong too. We talk about her parents' harrowing journey as Vietnamese refugees and how this has impacted their family through generations. Lien shares how connection emerged as her most essential value, one that shaped her life in hospitality and continues to guide her next chapter. We also explore what it means to be a “stranger,” and how the simple act of asking a question or noticing a detail can bridge worlds. This conversation highlights grief and generosity, family legacy and found community, plus the courage it takes to see and be seen and the powerful trust that grows in between. Topics: Lien’s childhood dreams of cozy sitcom bedrooms and how this helped her create a sanctuary for herself in Silver Lake, believing that home can be something we construct for ourselves, often for the first time.Lien’s family’s escape from Vietnam, fleeing by boat, then their time in Thai refugee camps, and their eventual resettlement in the U.S.How, through therapy, Lien rediscovered her core values after burnout during the pandemic and why connection now anchors her relationships, career, and creativity.From All Day Baby to Here’s Looking At You, Lien opens up about the intentional ways she designed her spaces to be spaces where strangers become community.What the hospitality and restaurant industries have taught Lien about trust, grief, and generosity – especially after loss.  Resources: Podcast show notesDonate nowFollow USA for UNHCR on InstagramConnect with Suzanne on LinkedIn

    56 min

  11. 18/09/2025

    Kat Graham on Family, Resilience, and Advocating for Refugees

    In this episode, I talk with actor, musician, and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Kat Graham about her deep personal connection to refugees. Kat shares both sides of her family’s stories of displacement from Liberia to the Holocaust, the moments that have stayed with her from visiting camps around the world, and why she believes small acts of giving can create lasting change. We also discuss the power of education, art, and shared humanity and why refugees are never really strangers. Topics discussed: Kat’s personal connection to refugee issues through her own family’s history from a Liberian father and a Jewish mother whose family survived the HolocaustThe resilience and generosity that Kat has witnessed in refugee camps in Syria, Jordan, Sudan and more and how it puts the abundance in refugee camps on display Why education and creative expression are vital for displaced children and how this was really shown to Kat via a school visit in the middle east The story behind Kat performing Peace Talks at the Nansen Refugee Awards and the moments that stood out to Kat the most  Resources: Podcast show notesDonate nowFollow USA for UNHCR on InstagramConnect with Suzanne on LinkedIn

    54 min

  12. TRÁILER

    Introducing: Not Really Strangers

    Discover just how connected the refugee experience is to our everyday lives, and to the social issues that matter to us most. Join host Suzanne Ehlers, Executive Director and CEO of USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, as she and her eclectic guests share personal stories and frontline insights. We’re more connected than we may think. The podcast will be launching this fall, subscribe now to never miss an update! Resources: Podcast show notesDonate nowFollow USA for UNHCR on InstagramConnect with Suzanne on LinkedIn

    1 min

Tráiler

Información

Discover just how connected the refugee experience is to our everyday lives, and to the social issues that matter to us most. Join host Suzanne Ehlers, Executive Director and CEO of USA for UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, as she and her eclectic guests share personal stories and frontline insights. We’re more connected than we may think.

Ficha técnica

  • Creado por
    USA for UNHCR
  • Años en activo
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodios
    12
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Derechos de autor
    © 2026 Not Really Strangers
  • Sitio web del podcast
    Not Really Strangers

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