Omid was born in 1970 in Abadan, Iran. Her father was a multi-millionaire that abandoned the family and sought refuge in the United States when she was a child. She grew up in Isfahan and was 9 years old when the Shah of Iran was overthrown by the Ayatollah Khomeini. Omid is a Muslim and has made the religious pilgrimage to Mecca. In 1995, she fled Iran and moved to Canada.

Omid's autobiography, Living In Hell is critical of Iran and the human rights abuses there. Because of this, her book's website has been the focus of online abuse and threats from computer users in Iran, Turkey and Pakistan. Omid has criticized Iran for using books to teach martyrdom to children. She wants the books to be changed so that they don't refer to the United States as the "Great Satan". Omid is concerned that the book may be turning children into "ticking bombs".

In 2007, she appeared on Glenn Beck's TV show on CNN to talk about the treatment of women in Iran.