Episode 123: We the Same: A Journey of Resilience and Humanity - Guest: Sangeeta Wylie

Let's face it, life hits hard sometimes. So if you find your hopes and dreams and mental well-being needs a boost, you're tuned into the right podcast. Welcome to Inspire Us with your host, J. Paul Nadeau, a former hostage negotiator turned motivational speaker and acclaimed author of Take Control of Your Life.

Intro: I'm so excited. I'm not only with the playwright of an amazing and true story, but I'm with a wonderful human being, somebody that I've known for several years, someone I met in the acting community. 

In this episode, we're going to dive deep into a story that resonates across cultures and generations. I'm your host, J. Paul Nadeau, and today we have the privilege of speaking playwright Sangeeta Wyley about her profound and evocative play, We the Same. The play delves into the harrowing experiences of Vietnamese refugees, the boat people, who fled their homeland in search of safety and a new beginning after the fall of Saigon in 1975.

Through vivid storytelling and richly drawn characters, Sangeeta brings to life the perilous journeys these refugees undertook, facing threats like pirate attacks, treacherous typhoons, and the uncertainty of refugee camps. Their physical struggles are just one layer of the narrative. The play delves deeper into the emotional and psychological challenges of displacement, the loss of home, the fragmentation of families, and the struggle to maintain one's cultural identity in an unfamiliar land.

We the Same is more than just a historical account of the journey from Vietnam; it's a universal tale of resilience and the human spirit's capacity to endure and heal. Sangeeta weaves her own journey into the narrative, bridging connections between cultures and generations. She invites us to reflect on what it means to belong, to overcome adversity, and to reconcile with our past while forging a path forward.

Join us as we uncover the layers of this remarkable work and the profound messages it carries about identity, survival, and the bonds that tie us together.