Park Eun-mi, second from left, celebrates her birthday with Freedom Speakers International (FSI) staffers in 2018. Courtesy of FSI

Before she became a public speaker, author, influencer, political commentator, podcast co-host with me and Ivy League graduate, I received an unforgettable phone call from North Korean refugee Park Yeon-mi in late 2013 or early 2014. It was the first and only time in 13 years of knowing her that I have heard her yell.

Her voice rang out with an emotional mix of joy and disbelief: “THEY FOUND MY SISTER!” As if I had not heard her the first time, she repeated it, just as loudly. After more than six years of separation and uncertainty if Eun-mi was even alive, Yeon-mi had been informed by South Korean government officials that her older sister had safely escaped to South Korea.

I have known Eun-mi for 11 years but knew about her before meeting her. Yeon-mi had even gone on a South Korean TV show talking about her sister asking people for help to find her. When I met Eun-mi, it was like meeting Bigfoot or another mythical legend. I had heard about her but had no idea I would ever meet her.

Eun-mi joined Freedom Speakers International (FSI) in May 2014 before we were even an official organization. At that time, she had no desire to follow in her younger sister’s footsteps as a public speaker and later as an author. Instead, her heart was set on becoming a teacher.

At the time, Eun-mi was at the ABC level of English so she needed to improve that first. It would have been easy for Eun-mi to ride on Yeon-mi’s coattails, leveraging her sister’s fame for her own opportunities. Instead, she focused on her dream of teaching, acquiring new skills, and building a new life in........

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