Surviving the Killing Fields — Sara Im’s Journey from Tragedy to Triumph

Summary

Podcast Summary: Surviving the Killing Fields — Sara Im’s Journey from Tragedy to Triumph

Podcast: The Amazing Authorities Podcast
Host: Mitch Carson
Guest: Sara Im
Date: November 3, 2025

---

Episode Overview

In this deeply moving episode, host Mitch Carson speaks with Sara Im, survivor of Cambodia’s Killing Fields, about her harrowing journey, the resilience that helped her survive, and her career as an inspirational author and speaker. Together, they explore how unimaginable hardship shaped Sara’s views on hope, faith, and the value of sharing one’s story to inspire and help others overcome adversity.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Life Turned Upside Down: Cambodia, 1975

• Sara describes the momentous events of 1975 when the Khmer Rouge seized Cambodia, uprooting lives overnight ([00:49]):
  • She had just begun college in Phnom Penh.
  • The regime quickly forced urban residents into the countryside, with tanks, soldiers, and closed borders.
  • “It was very scary. And immediately they shut down the country.” — Sara, 01:23
  • The new government believed city dwellers represented corruption and inequality, striving instead for enforced equality under communism.

The Killing Fields: Separation, Labor, and Survival

• Sara recounts years of forced labor, starvation, and seeing families methodically split apart ([07:24]):
  • She was separated from her family, taken to a labor camp, and forced to work 16-hour days with near-starvation rations.
  • “I work really hard, long hours under the intense hot sun every day, seven days a week...with very little food...I become very sick and exhausted and stuffed and I, I become like a walking skeleton.” — Sara, 07:47
  • By the end of the regime, physical and emotional damage was immense.
• After four years, Sara risked her life to finally escape the camps ([08:58]):
  • Remarked on the strange twist: the country had been liberated for months before she realized and escaped.

Reuniting Against All Odds

• Sara was eventually reunited with her family ([09:33]):
  • Her mother nurtured her back to health after years of deprivation.
  • She describes the destruction of Cambodia’s infrastructure and societal fabric post-regime.
  • “After four years, there’s nothing, nothing left.” — Sara, 10:19

Lasting Effects of Trauma and Malnutrition

• Describes health consequences such as night blindness ([11:00]):
  • “After you eat like that for years, your body cannot function normally. Like I become night blind.” — Sara, 12:13
  • Recalls how all family members, even children, were sent to separate labor camps.

Journey to the United States

• Sara details her perilous escape to Thailand and time in a UN refugee camp ([13:09]):
  • Crossed border by foot at night with a relative; stayed over a year at the Khao-I-Dang camp.
• Emigrated to the US in 1981, landing first in Connecticut just before winter ([15:22]):
  • “From hot, muggy, humid environment to bitter cold. Wow. Welcome to America.” — Mitch, 15:29
• Started over with a job, returned to college, and gradually brought her remaining family members to the US ([15:54]).

Writing As Healing and Purpose

• Motivation behind her memoir, How I Survived the Killing Fields: A Story of Hope, Love and Determination ([03:46], [04:21]):
  • Waited 35 years to write, after achieving peace and healing.
  • Sought to educate about Cambodia’s suffering under communism, and to address depression and suicide, especially among people in the US who may not realize the scope of human adversity.
  • “When people never experience any hardship... when they get into the problem, they don’t kill themselves because of that problem... other people in other country or other situation suffer much, much more than that.” — Sara, 06:31

Insights on Resilience, Hope, and Faith

• Sara’s core messages for readers and listeners ([18:06]):
  • The book provides inspiration and hope, showing true endurance.
  • She attributes her survival to love for her family, faith, and the ability to sustain hope.
  • “Going through the hardest time in my life, I thought something is going to change, it might be better, it will be better. So that’s, I keep telling myself and I believe that it will be better.” — Sara, 18:44

Life and Work Today

• Sara now lives in Florida (moved after her husband retired), continues advocacy and speaking work ([17:12]):
  • Enjoys Florida, but notes each place has its strengths and challenges.
• Active in charity and nonprofit sectors ([21:07]):
  • Serves on the board and fundraising team for “Better Livings for Seniors.”

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I was 21 to start with. But by the end of four years, I look like 95.” — Sara, 08:05
• “When I start writing, I was calm and peaceful and I’m ready to share my story. Just want to let the world know what happened to Cambodian people.” — Sara, 04:21
• “[My book] is to tell them that, you know, life is not always easy... there will be problem, challenge and all kind of problem... you don’t expect everything is smooth and rosy all the time.” — Sara, 06:34
• “We have to have hope. We have to have love in our heart. We have to have faith. We believe in ourselves, believe that God is there to help you.” — Sara, 20:38

---

Resources & Contact Information

• Sara’s Memoir: [How I Survived the Killing Fields: A Story of Hope, Love, and Determination]
  • Available at saraim.com/book ([19:12])
• Speaking and Collaboration:
  • Contact and more info at saraim.com ([19:12])
• Charity Work:
  • Partner organization: Better Livings for Seniors ([21:07])

---

Episode Takeaways

• Sara’s story is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of atrocity.
• She emphasizes the lasting importance of hope, faith, and family—and the need to remember that hardship, however severe, can be overcome.
• Her life’s mission is now to inspire others, help those who struggle see perspective, and encourage a global conversation on resilience.

---

For listeners seeking inspiration, reflection, or an example of transformation through adversity, this episode will resonate deeply.

---

Timestamps for Key Segments:

• [00:49] — 1975: The regime’s takeover and Sara's life upended
• [07:24] — Years in the labor camp
• [08:58] — Escape and liberation
• [13:09] — Crossing into Thailand; UN refugee camp
• [15:22] — Arrival in the US and rebuilding life
• [18:06] — Wisdom from Sara’s experiences and her book
• [21:07] — Charity work and present-day life

---

Host contact and further resources:

• For more on building authority, MitchCarson.com

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Amazing Authorities podcast, where game changers, visionaries and category leaders share how they built their brands, platforms and global influence. Your host is Mitch Carson, international speaker, media strategist, and creator of the Instant Authority system. If you're ready to learn from those who've done it and want to become the go to expert in your space, you're in the right place. Sarah M. Is our guest today from Florida, but she's got an interesting story that goes back to 1975, and I want to just jump right in. Sarah, why, what was it about that year that is worth sharing?

[B]

Yeah, that year is. My life was turned upside down. I left my family from Battambang, which is another province, and I went to Phnom Penh, the capital city, to attend college. That's a few months back. And then when 1975, in April, the communist regime took over our country.

[A]

Right.

[B]

They came in, in the military, the tank and truck and soldiers, big gun and all that. It was very scary. And immediately they shut down the country.

[A]

This is Cambodia.

[B]

Cambodia. In Cambodia.

[A]

Well, go ahead.

[B]

When they shut down the country, they also evacuate people from the city. So they don't want anybody to live in the city. This, this, this group is very strange. They want everybody to go to the, the field, the rice field, the countryside. They hate people from the city.

[A]

What was their issue? What, what I mean, it was disruptive. What was their whole propaganda?

[B]

Well, they, they think that the, the people in the city are very corrupted, very corrupted. And there's a lot of inequality. There's rich people, there's poor people, and they don't like that. And they want to turn to communism where everybody is equal. So that's their propaganda. There's no more too rich, no more too poor people. And that's what happened.

[A]

So everybody would, would be treated equally. And where's Cambodia today?

[B]

Cambodia right now. It look like free. Look like, look like the democrats. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But the dictator was ruling for over 40 years. One person ruling the country over 40 years. And he didn't want to have let anybody else win the election.

[A]

So the election was rigged. Okay. Kind of like Cuba was with Fidel Castro. Yeah, very similar. So, Sarah, you've written a book. Share with us about your book. Please show us your book.

[B]

This is my book. It's called How I Survive the Killing Fields. A story of hope, Love and Determination. It's my memoir. I describe my journey from the child, from a young. From a young child until I arrived in the United States.

[A]

And why did you write the book, was it, was it a catharsis? Was it a way of healing yourself?

[B]

No. Well, I wait until I was healed. I wait 35 years before I wrote my book. So I'm not angry, I'm not bitter. When I start writing, I was calm and peaceful and I'm ready to share my story. Just want to let the world know what happened to Cambodian people and what happened when the communists take over. So I don't want to see any country suffer like Cambodia anymore. So that's, that's one reason I wrote the book and another, another reason I wrote was that I heard about people commit suicide and, and I just couldn't believe my ear because I thought that United States is. It's amazing that when everybody in the world dreaming to come to live here and why people in United States still not happy. So that's the reason I wrote, to tell them that, you know, life is not always easy. There will be problem, challenge and all kind of problem. So if they know that life, there are problem in life, then when, when they get into the problem, they don't kill themselves because of that problem. So just to say it broadly, when, when people never experience any hardship and when they come to realize that their life is too hard, they think that that's the worst. They think that nothing else is worse than that. But they didn't know that other people in other country or other situation suffer much, much more than that. So when they, they know that life is suffering, when they know that you don't expect everything is smoothing rosy all the time, then the, the. The urge of, of taking their own life is less.

[A]

Well, you, you. You survived some, I mean, uprooted your life. What was your journey after you left? I guess you came here under not the best of circumstances to the United States. Did you come alone? Did you come with your family? What was your story?

[B]

After I survived the four years in the regime, I found my family again in 1975 when they shut down the country. I was separated from my family. I cannot go home because there's no transportation. So. And then I was taken. Pushed me down till. And finally they put me in the work camp, a rice field. They pushed me to work to the extreme. I work really hard, long hours under the intense hot sun every day, seven days a week, 16 hours a day with very little food, very little time to rest, no rest time, but very little time to sleep. So I become very sick and exhausted and stuffed and I, I become like a walking skeleton. I was 21 to start with. But by the end of four years, I look like 95.

[A]

Wow. So they, they abused the, the people. So what changed where you, you escape that? I mean you were. So then.

[B]

I escaped. At the end of four years I escaped, but I found out after I escaped, I found out that the whole country had been liberated, had been liberated a few months before I ever get out. So then I realized if I did not escape, I was probably still in the jungle with them until now. But thank goodness something urged me to escape. I risked my life with a few of my friends. I had my friend come along with me because I cannot do it myself. I was too frail, too skinny. So I grabbed two couple of my friends to come with me and they did. And finally I found my family. And then my mother pampered me with good food, good nutrition, everything. So I like recover. After a year of pampering, I recover. But the country was very, it totally destroyed. There's no infrastructure, there's nothing, nothing left. After four years.

[A]

What did you, how did you survive? I mean I can't even relate to that because I come from America and I've always been provided for. I've never been hungry. Hungry to make money and do different things, but never where I didn't have food. You were in the most horrible conditions, I would say. And you said you went frail and you were working in a rice field. Oh my gosh. And then after that, what did your, your family do to survive at the in war torn environment like that?

[B]

Yeah, my family experience similar to, to me my brother was, was taken away from my, my mom and dad to put in the work camp. Just like me and my little, my younger brother, like 10 years old and 6 years old. They put in a different place. It just like destroying the family. And they give us food a little, very little. Okay, very little with no nutrition. Talking about nutrition, they just give us rice and a little bit of this watery soup with very little fish in it and maybe a few pieces of watercress. Just that, just a few spoon of soup with some rice. And, and after you eat like that for years your body cannot function normally. Like I become night blind. The night blindness. It's a strange condition when you don't have enough nutrition. For me, it attacked my vision. I could not see anything at night.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

So that's just one, just one example how when you are malnutrition, you experience very challenging condition in your body.

[A]

So. Well, so your mother pampered you after being away for four years. That must have been nice. And did your brother and Your other siblings come back around as well. Once the company was. Our country was liberated. It was nice to have the unity. Is your family together today or are in the us? Are they still in Cambodia?

[B]

They are in the US I, I'm the, the first one who get out, get out through a very difficult way because there was no airplane, no bus, we had to cross the border. As you know that Thailand and Cambodia is next door to each other.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

So we crossed the border. I crossed the border with one other relative. And when we got to Thailand, there was a tent that was created, established by United Nations. It's a refugee camp.

[A]

So how long were you there?

[B]

I was there more than a year.

[A]

Wow. In Thailand. Wow.

[B]

Yeah. In the border. In the border.

[A]

Udon. Were you in Udon, Tawny?

[B]

It's called Cowedown.

[A]

Okay. Yeah. Because I know I've been to Cambodia when I, When I was. I live in Thailand, so I did the visa run, so I flew up to Udon Thani and then went over to Cambodia and just got the stamp and turned around and came back.

[B]

Yeah, Yeah. I, I don't know much. All I know is I get to the border and then wait until night time. A few of us band together, you know, my, my. One of my relative and me. And then wait for a few more people to. To.

[A]

To join you.

[B]

To join us and, and go together at night time. Yeah.

[A]

And then after a year, you emigrated the United States.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

How was that? I. I don't think you took a bus. That, that was a. That's a long flight.

[B]

A long flight. Oh, my goodness. I swore. I swear I will never fly again. I. I have air sickness. Just like I thought. I'm dying. Yeah.

[A]

So you ended up in Florida or did you move, go somewhere else first?

[B]

No, I arrived in Connecticut.

[A]

Oh, Connecticut, Okay.

[B]

Yeah, just before winter.

[A]

Oh, wow. Wow. Well, you had a different experience from hot, muggy, humid environment to bitter cold. Wow. Welcome to America, Sarah. My gosh, that would have been a shocker. So what year did you arrive here in the US?

[B]

81.

[A]

81. Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then your life forward. Did you end up having a family yourself?

[B]

Yeah, after I, I do. I did a few things. I. I got myself a job. I went back to. To school to get my college, the education, excellent job. Yep. Get a good job. And then brought my family over.

[A]

Wow. Okay. You brought your family.

[B]

That's.

[A]

That's such a great story. So you're able to. Who came first?

[B]

My. Well, my mom and my three brothers. They all came together, but the application. For some reason they split. My brother who is married with two, two little children, they came in as a one family.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And. And then my mom and my youngest brother came a little later. A couple months later. Yeah.

[A]

And are you, are they still close to you now?

[B]

Well, they are still in Connecticut and my mom lived with me for 13 years and I was a caregiver until she passed away.

[A]

Right. And then you, how did you end up in Florida?

[B]

Well, my husband retired and he always want to live in Florida. So after he retired he came to Florida. We came to Florida. That's 20 years ago.

[A]

Okay. And. And do you prefer that over the cold of Connecticut?

[B]

I, I like Florida. I, I like everywhere, you know, everywhere. I, I like a certain, a certain thing. And in New England I like the season, but I don't like snow in Florida. I like everything except the hurricane.

[A]

Well, I get it. So how, what will people take away from your book? What are some of the benefits of. Of reading or buying your book and then reading it? Of course.

[B]

They get inspired. First of all they see how, how somebody go through such an ordeal and still survive. And I wrote a about my thinking about the reasoning why I keep moving forward. And it's about my love for my family, my faith and the hope that I always have a glim of hope that something is going to change. Going through the hardest time in my life, that I will almost die many times and I thought something is going to change, it might be better, it will be better. So that's. I keep telling myself and I believe that it will be better.

[A]

Well, that's great.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And where can people buy your book and get in touch with you to learn about maybe booking you as a virtual speaker to share your story?

[B]

Yes, my book is available on my website. It's called saraim.coms a r a I m.com book and my first book is about my life journey in Cambodia. And I have a couple more book that I collaborate with other, other authors. We wrote about a certain topic and I contribute a chapter.

[A]

Okay. So you're part of anthologies. Okay. Great anthology.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh yeah, sure. That's. I, I'm in a few of those as well. It's, it's been helpful. It's a good stepping stone to write your own book and, and do that. Well, that's fantastic. Well Sarah, I, I'm sure this has been an inspiration for our listeners today. I appreciate you as a guest and saram.com is where they can learn about you book you as a speaker to Contribute and share and slash forward slash book is where they can get your book. Is it available on Amazon or just on your website?

[B]

Just on my website.

[A]

Okay, well, great. Well, Sarah, thank you very much for your time today and you have inspired people that have gone through the ups and downs of life. You can still continue. Is that, would that be a summary of your message?

[B]

It's like that's a summary. Yeah, yeah. We have to have hope. We have to have love in our heart. We have to have faith. We believe in ourselves, believe that God is there to help you.

[A]

Okay. Yeah. All those things combined have made you who you are and, and you're still out there contributing and helping people, I would imagine. Are you involved in any charity work?

[B]

Yes, yes, I. I'm part of the board of nonprofit and I also part of the fundraising for nonprofit, one of the organization that I'm working diligently with. It's called Better Livings for Seniors.

[A]

Oh, well, great. Well, I'm a member of that. I'm a senior as well. So I just keep charging forward just like you. Well, Sarah, you've been a great contribution today and I thank you very much for your time and I'll certainly have you on, I mean, get another book written. We'll have you on again as a guest.

[B]

Awesome. Thank you so much, Mitch for inviting me and I enjoy our conversation.

[A]

Likewise. Thanks for tuning in to the amazing Authorities podcast. If today's episode inspired you, take a moment to subscribe, rate and leave a review. It helps more experts like you rise to the top for behind the scenes access and free resources to boost your authority. Head to MitchCarson.com until next time, stay amazing.