Silenced Voices: An Iranian Woman’s Lived Experience, Power, and the Cost of Speaking Truth

In this urgent and deeply moving episode, Julian Royce speaks with D, an anonymous Iranian PhD student living in the U.S., who shares why staying silent has sometimes been the only way to survive. From firsthand experiences with Iran’s morality police to witnessing how academic institutions in the West can erase lived realities, D offers a rare, unfiltered perspective on power, fear, and human rights.This episode is for listeners who care about truth beyond political narratives, the global struggle for women’s rights, and the cost of speaking out. It matters because real lives—and voices—are still being silenced, both abroad and closer to home. Main Topics CoveredWhy the guest remains anonymous and the real risks of speaking publiclyLife as an Iranian woman under the morality policeThe ongoing protests in Iran and mass human rights violationsFear of deportation and ICE from the perspective of a student immigrantSilencing of Iranian voices within Western academic institutionsIdeology vs. human rights in global and campus politicsHistorical context: foreign intervention, revolution, and the Iranian regimeThe psychological toll of living between multiple systems of powerKey TakeawaysSilence is often a survival strategy, not a lack of courageHuman rights abuses can be ignored when they conflict with ideologyPower is not only exercised by governments, but also by institutions and individualsLived experience should never be erased in the name of political narrativesSupporting human rights requires consistency, nuance, and moral clarityConnect with Julian RoyceSomatic trauma informed therapy, Psychedelic assisted Therapy, Meditation training & more with Julian Royce: www.astateofmindtherapy.comSupport the show: www.patreon.com/astateofmindDonate with Venmo: @Julian-RoyceInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/julianoceann/Find Julian on SoundCloud at: https://soundcloud.com/julian-ocean-1Order Premium quality Shilajit from the sacred Ural Mountains of Russia.Message Julian for 20% off your order: www.astateofmindpodcast.comIf this episode moved you, please follow, like, and share A State of Mind with Julian Royce. Conversations like this depend on listeners who are willing to amplify voices that are often forced into silence.