Monica Gurdjian was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1954. Her mother was a Viennese operetta singer of Jewish descent and her father, a Roman Orthodox Armenian doctor. The family fled the Romanian communist regime for Austria, where prejudice and lack of employment opportunities informed their first year of “freedom”. They eventually settled in Tehran, Iran where Monica spent her formative years, before immigrating to Canada. After pursuing multiple careers, which included the United Nations, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and managing her own international management consulting firm, Monica and her husband now enjoy their retirement. They divide their time between Victoria, British Columbia and Tucson, Arizona.