In this episode, Samnang sits down with Saren Keang for a deeply personal conversation about resilience, education, grief, mental health, and the power of community support. Saren shares how she went from selling food as a child in Cambodia to earning multiple degrees, surviving bipolar episodes and kidney failure, and turning her story into service through books, mentoring, and public speaking. We discuss how education became her escape, how loss and illness reshaped her life, and why she believes men and women both play a role in empowering future leaders. Key topics * Saren shares her childhood in a family of six in Cambodia, where financial hardship meant helping sell dried clams and chicken wings by age eight. * She explains how poverty, gender bias, and colorism shaped her early life, including being bullied for her darker skin tone and hearing that girls should not pursue higher education. * Education became her path forward, and she describes studying constantly, even while working at pagodas and Buddhist monasteries. * She talks about winning a full scholarship to study in Bangladesh, then later earning additional scholarships in the United States, including a dual degree at Brandeis University. * Saren breaks down her academic focus, including sustainable international development and conflict resolution and coexistence, tied to Cambodia’s post-war history. * She opens up about kidney failure, dialysis three times a week, and choosing to transfer from a PhD path to a third master’s degree to protect her health. * The conversation covers her bipolar diagnosis, including psychotic and manic episodes connected to unresolved grief after her father’s death. * Saren shares how her family, therapist, and supportive mentors helped her recover and keep moving forward, even when others in her community dismissed mental health struggles. * She talks about her two published books, A Long Way From Home and Beating the Odds, and how both books combine memoir, scholarship lessons, and mental health advocacy. * The episode closes with a reflection on how men can help empower women, and why support from fathers, uncles, professors, and community leaders mattered so much in her life. Connect with Saren Keang sarenkeang.com linkedin.com saren-keang facebook - saren.saroun instagram - sarensarun SPONSORSHIP This season of The Modern Flow Podcast is proudly sponsored by Allora Labs. Allora Labs helps businesses turn real-world audience data into highly targeted, privacy-safe advertising audiences that can be owned, controlled, and reused across platforms like Google, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and more. Own your audience. Control the outcome. Learn more at alloralab.com. Special thanks to Danny Murawinski and Allora Labs for supporting The Modern Flow Podcast. MUSIC: INTRO: Water Flows by Robert Rothana Chan aka Angchan and Samnang Man IG: Betekaphon OUTRO: Just Love by Robert Rothana Chan aka Angchang This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themodernflowpodcast.substack.com
