EPISODE · May 5, 2026 · 1H 15M
Nizam Missaghi MD - Passport to Freedom - From Tehran to Triumph
from Tell Me Your Story · host Richard Dugan
PASSPORTTOFREEDOMBOOK.COM [email protected] Born an American citizen but raised under Iran’s theocracy, Dr. Nizam Missaghi grew up with a secret that could save his life — or cost him everything: a hidden U.S. passport. In his powerful new memoir Passport to Freedom: From Tehran to Triumph, Missaghi offers a firsthand perspective on life inside authoritarian rule and what it truly means to choose freedom. Please refer to the press release below for additional information, and let me know if you would like to see a copy of Passport to Freedom for interview and/or review purposes. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Passport to Freedom: From Tehran to Triumph Shares American Doctor’s High-Stakes Escape from Iran “Nizam’s journey from a child climbing stairwells during missile attacks in Tehran to becoming a top physician in the United States is not just a personal triumph — it is a story of what happens when human potential is finally allowed to breathe.” — Rainn Wilson, Actor and author of the foreword to Passport to Freedom WESTPORT, Conn., April 21, 2026 — A gripping memoir of faith, identity and the fragile line between belonging and exile — where freedom is never guaranteed, and survival depends on who dares to help you carry it — Passport to Freedom: From Tehran to Triumph shares the story of Dr. Nizam Missaghi’s harrowing escape from Iran as a child. Born in the United States and taken back to Iran as an infant, Missaghi grew up free on paper but trapped in practice. At 7 years old, he was expelled from school for the first time in Tehran — not for misbehavior or poor grades, but for belonging to a faith the Islamic Republic refused to recognize. In post-revolutionary Iran, being Baha’i meant fractured futures: no university, no profession, no way to support a family. Yet hidden in a dresser drawer was a golden ticket: a United States passport quietly renewed every five years in secret. As adolescence gave way to urgency, Missaghi had to decide whether hope was worth the risk of escape. With surveillance closing in and many doors slammed shut, he faced an unthinkable choice: remain invisible or gamble everything on a document that could save or destroy him. He can discuss: · Life under the Islamic Republic · Escaping Iran · Religious persecution · Born American, raised under theocracy At a time when authoritarian regimes cloak oppression in the language of culture and faith, Missaghi’s unbelievable journey reminds us what is lost when conscience is outlawed — and why America remains a refuge worth choosing. Passport to Freedom: From Tehran to Triumph Publisher: Regalo Press Release date: September 22, 2026 ISBN (paperback): 979-8895654736 Available from https://us.amazon.com/Passport-Freedom-Nizam-Missaghi-M-D/dp/B0GRJB1T74 ### TIP SHEET The press release above may be published in part or entirety by any print, broadcast, or internet/digital media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing. Reviews, photos, links to previous interviews and Q&As are available upon request. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nizam Missaghi, M.D., is an Iranian-American physician. He left his native Iran after the completion of high school due to being deprived of access to higher education as a religious minority in the Islamic Republic. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia and pursued his medical education at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. After completion of his residency in anesthesiology, he moved to the Phoenix metro area, where he is a founding member of Grand Canyon Anesthesia and a clinical assistant professor of anesthesiology at the University of Arizona School of Medicine and Midwestern University.
What this episode covers
PASSPORTTOFREEDOMBOOK.COM [email protected] Born an American citizen but raised under Iran’s theocracy, Dr. Nizam Missaghi grew up with a secret that could save his life — or cost him everything: a hidden U.S. passport. In his powerful new memoir Passport to Freedom: From Tehran to Triumph, Missaghi offers a firsthand perspective on life inside authoritarian rule and what it truly means to choose freedom. Please refer to the press release below for additional information, and let me know if you would like to see a copy of Passport to Freedom for interview and/or review purposes. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Passport to Freedom: From Tehran to Triumph Shares American Doctor’s High-Stakes Escape from Iran “Nizam’s journey from a child climbing stairwells during missile attacks in Tehran to becoming a top physician in the United States is not just a personal triumph — it is a story of what happens when human potential is finally allowed to breathe.” — Rainn Wilson, Actor and author of the foreword to Passport to Freedom WESTPORT, Conn., April 21, 2026 — A gripping memoir of faith, identity and the fragile line between belonging and exile — where freedom is never guaranteed, and survival depends on who dares to help you carry it — Passport to Freedom: From Tehran to Triumph shares the story of Dr. Nizam Missaghi’s harrowing escape from Iran as a child. Born in the United States and taken back to Iran as an infant, Missaghi grew up free on paper but trapped in practice. At 7 years old, he was expelled from school for the first time in Tehran — not for misbehavior or poor grades, but for belonging to a faith the Islamic Republic refused to recognize. In post-revolutionary Iran, being Baha’i meant fractured futures: no university, no profession, no way to support a family. Yet hidden in a dresser drawer was a golden ticket: a United States passport quietly renewed every five years in secret. As adolescence gave way to urgency, Missaghi had to decide whether hope was worth the risk of escape. With surveillance closing in and many doors slammed shut, he faced an unthinkable choice: remain invisible or gamble everything on a document that could save or destroy him. He can discuss: · Life under the Islamic Republic · Escaping Iran · Religious persecution · Born American, raised under theocracy At a time when authoritarian regimes cloak oppression in the language of culture and faith, Missaghi’s unbelievable journey reminds us what is lost when conscience is outlawed — and why America remains a refuge worth choosing. Passport to Freedom: From Tehran to Triumph Publisher: Regalo Press Release date: September 22, 2026 ISBN (paperback): 979-8895654736 Available from https://us.amazon.com/Passport-Freedom-Nizam-Missaghi-M-D/dp/B0GRJB1T74 ### TIP SHEET The press release above may be published in part or entirety by any print, broadcast, or internet/digital media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing. Reviews, photos, links to previous interviews and Q&As are available upon request. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nizam Missaghi, M.D., is an Iranian-American physician. He left his native Iran after the completion of high school due to being deprived of access to higher education as a religious minority in the Islamic Republic. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia and pursued his medical education at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. After completion of his residency in anesthesiology, he moved to the Phoenix metro area, where he is a founding member of Grand Canyon Anesthesia and a clinical assistant professor of anesthesiology at the University of Arizona School of Medicine and Midwestern University.
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Nizam Missaghi MD - Passport to Freedom - From Tehran to Triumph
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