One morning, Mazin AbdelMagid left home to take a college quiz. By the end of the day, his city and country were at war.

In this episode of How Life Shapes Us, host Tesla Mitchell sits down with Mazin AbdelMagid, a Sudanese international student and junior studying mass communication at Winona State University, to share the story of how a normal day turned into a fight for survival.

When conflict erupted in Sudan in 2023, Mazin and his family found themselves navigating gunfire, extreme heat, and the need to his childhood home immediately. What followed was a journey of difficult decisions, family separation, and an escape that took Mazin across deserts, borders, and eventually continents.

Mazin recounts:

• The moment he realized war had arrived in his hometown
• How his family navigated evacuation amid chaos and uncertainty
• The challenges of being separated from loved ones due to visa restrictions
• His solo journey through the desert and eventual path to the United States
• How faith, courage, and gratitude helped him through the unknown
• What living independently in America has taught him about responsibility, resilience, and adulthood

If you've ever wondered how ordinary people survive extraordinary circumstances, this episode offers a powerful and deeply human perspective.

In an upcoming episode set for June 23, international student Mazin AbdelMagid shares his perilous journey alone from the war-torn country of Sudan to Egypt and later to the United States as he looks to finish his college education.

With resilience and fortitude, Mazin's story is full of perspective, wisdom, and gratitude -- and will leave your heart full as you listen to his path toward graduation.

Tune in on June 23 (when we aren't having technical difficulties) to listen in!

Some teenagers discover a piece of their true self while in sports, in the pages of a book, or even during summer camp. And some, like Tsubasa Hidaka, find a piece of their true self by living in another country.

In this episode of How Life Shapes Us, Tesla Mitchell sits down with Winona State University coworker and friend Tsubasa Hidaka, a Japanese international student whose journey from Japan to rural Iowa (and eventually Winona, Minnesota) reshaped the way he sees identity, family, success, and even mental health.

Tsubasa opens up about growing up with a complicated relationship with his father, where judgment, pressure, and limited “mental freedom” often made it hard to speak openly. He reflects on how those experiences shaped the way he communicates, sets boundaries, and sometimes shuts down when emotions run high.

But living in the United States changed something for him.

Through friendships, cultural differences, and life as an international student, Tsubasa began learning how to speak more openly, trust his own opinions, and embrace the idea of being good enough instead of perfect. And that shift, he said, deeply impacted his perspective on mental health and his outlook on life.

Together, Tesla and Tsubasa explore:

• How family dynamics shape the way we communicate and handle conflict
• The emotional toll of perfectionism and pressure in Japanese culture
• The surprising strengths and challenges of both American and Japanese culture
• What the U.S. might learn from Japan (and what Japan might learn from the U.S.)
• Big questions about freedom, healthcare, diversity, money, and what truly makes a fulfilling life

From quiet trains and indirect communication to mental health and personal identity, this conversation offers a thoughtful, honest look at what happens when you step outside your own culture and begin seeing yourself more clearly.

If you’ve ever wrestled with family expectations, perfectionism, or figuring out who you are apart from where you came from, this episode will stay with you.