Pivots and Peaks:
Escaping the Ayatollah, Navigating a career in Tech, and Finding Home in the Himalayas
Maryam Hosseini Mozari
Date: Thursday, September 10, 2026
Time: 3:30 - 4:45 PM
Location: Edna Anderson-Taylor Communication Institute, LNCO 2910
About the Talk:
How do we find our purpose amidst profound upheaval? In this deeply personal talk, Maryam shares her extraordinary journey from her early life in post-revolution Iran to building a thriving, two-decade communications career at some of the world's top organizations. Maryam weaves together stories of immigration, corporate resilience, and mountaineering to explore what it means to start over and scale entirely new heights. Centered around her upcoming Summit for Sahar expedition in the Himalayas, she demonstrates how embracing our personal "pivots and peaks" can ultimately help us forge community, elevate others, and find true belonging no matter where we are.
About the Speaker: Maryam Hosseini Mozari
Maryam Hosseini Mozari is a storyteller, writer, and explorer with a passion for amplifying diverse voices. Born in Tehran, she spent her first 16 years in Iran before immigrating to the US, an experience that shaped her profound dedication to community building. Over her 20-year communications career, Maryam has developed impactful content and strategy for notable organizations, including REI, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Amazon, and Google. She holds a Master's in Professional Communications from Westminster College and a Bachelor's from the University of Utah. Beyond her corporate work, Maryam is dedicated to elevating Iranian voices in her local community and promoting peace through citizen diplomacy. Her latest initiative, Summit for Sahar, combines her love for mountaineering with her commitment to paying it forward. By striving to summit Nepal's Ama Dablam (6,812 meters / 22,349 feet), she aims to secure college education for a community of Afghan and Iranian students in Utah.