Episode Details

SUMMARY:

In this episode of TLC Connections, GT Freeman sits down with Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American consultant, strategist, and former hostage who spent 2,898 days imprisoned in Iran.

Siamak shares how what he expected to be a four-day trip to Iran in 2015 became more than eight years of captivity. He describes his arrest, time in solitary confinement, the devastating experience of being left behind during a hostage deal, and the imprisonment of his father. But much of the conversation focuses on what Siamak did when he realized he needed a different way to think about his circumstances.

Drawing on his career as a strategist and political risk consultant, Siamak began separating “hostage me” from “consultant me”—approaching his own situation as if he were advising a client. That shift helped him create routines, find leverage where seemingly none existed, and make difficult decisions with limited information and extraordinarily high stakes.

The conversation follows Siamak through the final years of his captivity, including his hunger strike and his decision to conduct an unprecedented CNN interview from inside Evin Prison.

Now nearly three years removed from captivity, Siamak also speaks candidly about returning to everyday life, seeking therapy, reconnecting with family, and learning how to live outside prison again. He and GT close by exploring the lessons Siamak now shares with others: creating distance from a problem, establishing routines, finding leverage, accepting mistakes, drawing strength from other people, and making decisions when the stakes are high and the information is incomplete.

GUEST BIO:

Siamak Namazi is an Iranian-American consultant, advisor, speaker, and advocate who spent 2,898 days wrongfully imprisoned in Iran’s Evin Prison before his release in September 2023, making him the longest-held American hostage in Iran.

Before his captivity, Siamak advised multinational organizations on strategy, market entry, risk mitigation, and public affairs across the United States, Middle East, and Africa.

Today, Siamak advocates for hostages and policies aimed at deterring hostage diplomacy while drawing on his experience in captivity to speak about strategic thinking, leadership, resilience, decision-making, and managing through extreme uncertainty.

Siamak holds an MBA from London Business School, an MS in Urban Planning and Policy Development from Rutgers University, and a BA in International Relations from Tufts University.

HELPFUL LINKS:

• Siamak Namazi – McCain Institute: https://www.mccaininstitute.org/about/the-washington-forum/siamak-namazi/?
• John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative: https://www.mccaininstitute.org/fppi/?
• Siamak Namazi – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamak_Namazi?

SPONSOR:

The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth (TLC) is a social enterprise company based in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Founded in 1970 by a behavioral health hospital, TLC is an entrepreneurial nonprofit providing innovative education, coaching, and counseling services to individuals and families, as well as grant writing and management services for school districts and universities.