I was born and raised in Kabul, in the heart of the American compound, where my father worked as a chef for diplomats. My early years were filled with laughter, music, and the scent of cardamom rising from the kitchen. But as my siblings and I grew older, Afghanistan revealed its harsher truths.

At 14, I was tortured—electrocuted during a regime crackdown. That moment didn’t just mark me; it fractured something inside. I often think a third of my potential brilliance was stolen that day.

Later, we lost a younger sister and fled to Pakistan—our second time as refugees. But in time, those brutal pressures forged resilience. They shaped the storyteller I became.

Today, I live in America, an Emmy-winning story producer and a writer charting my own course—on the page, on the screen, and in life.