Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Poppy Farsijani. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Poppy, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
When I moved back to Iran as a teenager from NYC, the world around me was a blur. From the language to the culture to the people, everything. I quickly knew that I was the only one that understood me, and had to move forward with all the obstacles in front of me. I was hired as a sport journalist and later became the anchor in Iran’s state run media TV and it was at that time, another layer of not knowingness was put on my path. But all these hardships shaped me and helped me develop resilience.
I started getting to know my path, myself, my confidence and to build strong, positive relationships with loved ones, people who I trusted and friends can provided me with needed support, guidance and acceptance. It made every day meaningful.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
As a journalist I love community and people. I just recently finished a documentary regarding “Woman. Life. Freedom. Athlete Abuse.” and the abuse athletes, specifically female athletes endure via the Islamic Regime. As a former sports journalist in Iran I was witness to all the abuse these athletes endured under the regime but couldn’t say anything. Now, after the WLF movement in 2022, it’s time to share all that I witnessed and they endured.
In addition to being a journalist I’m also an author, Shaming My Red Lips, and entrepreneur, Poppy Farsijani Fragrance. Curiosity has always been at the forefront of all my endeavors but I feel all of these also lead to “me” and finding who I am as an individual, discovering my full potential. Per Oprah, the AHA moment and how I can contribute to create a difference. That is fulfillment.
Currently, we are making another documentary regarding how the regime uses media to censor information. We are super excited for this and I truly hope it will make a difference. Would love the Iranian diaspora to unite on this end and give voice to the voiceless in Iran. Also, my website is www.poppyfarsijani.com for more context.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Persistence
Letting it Go
Having Fun
These three elements have also helped me get to where I am. The whole point of anyone’s journey is like we’ve always heard before ‘to enjoy the ride’. It’s not hard to figure out that the chance of failure is always going to be there, just like all the other possible outcomes. As Neil Peart wrote “From the point of ignition to the final drive, the point of the journey is not to arrive.” So, we should all set out on this journey, keep on setting high goals, keep on going after that goal and letting go of the outcome and having the time of our life while doing it! At worst we’ll figure out what didn’t work!
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Two books: Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson
Sometimes is more the question that matters than the answer. I’ve learnt that’s almost always the case. So I ask you this question: Why don’t more of us lead a life of adventure—pursuing our passions and building a meaningful life? Could it be fear, not having courage or the feeling of being judged. I feel as I get older, we’re told it’s impossible for us to have what we truly want. So we bury our dreams deep down until we forget about them. And then along the way we forget it’s so very important to be kind, love and also have your boundaries. Then comes failure, most people would rather never try than risk failure because once you try and fail, it’s hard to rationalize why you failed. Failure is the best step towards success! It only really takes one shot to get it right, why not take it? If you never try, it’s easier to claim you never cared about it or that, if you really wanted it, you could do it.
So now its my turn, what’s worse than the fear of failure? Really, what?
Regarding A Return to Love, it’s so important to express love in our daily lives. To our partner, parents, children and also towards ourselves. Love is a potent force, the key to inner peace, and by practicing love we can make our own lives more fulfilling while creating a more peaceful and loving world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.poppyfarsijani.com
- Instagram: @poppyfarsijani
- Facebook: @sharonfarsijani
- Linkedin: @poppyfarsijani
