Conversations from the Diaspora

In this deeply personal episode of Conversations from the Diaspora, I step out of my comfort zone to share a journey that has completely transformed me—my path to motherhood. From navigating nearly three years of unexplained infertility to holding onto faith and finally experiencing the joy of pregnancy, this is a story of resilience, hope, and self-advocacy.

As the eldest daughter in a Nigerian immigrant household, I’ve always carr...

In this episode of Conversations from the Diaspora, a Building Africa’s Future podcast, we dive into the unique experiences of Millennial and Gen Z African firstborns navigating life between cultures. Join us as we chat with two special guests—a Nigerian-American Millennial and a Kenyan-American Gen Z—who share what it’s really like to grow up as the eldest in African immigrant families.

We explore topics like the pressure to meet f...

Kick off Season 4 of Conversations from the Diaspora with a dynamic live episode featuring special guest Nina Esimogu! We dive deep into the heart of cultural identity and generational shifts within the African diaspora. From navigating cultural clashes while raising children to redefining success for African women beyond marriage, we tackle the tough questions: How many generations does it take for cultures to fade? What cultural ...

Join us in this enlightening episode with Dr. Ndu David as we explore the motivations that led a Nigerian family to make a life-changing move to Saudi Arabia. We'll delve into the initial expectations they had before relocating and discover how these expectations evolved over time. Gain insights into the personal stories that shaped their decision to immigrate and how their reality in Saudi Arabia compares to their preconceived...

Join us on an inspiring episode as Sussan Ituen, founder of The Marinade Hub Fertility Foundation, shares her personal journey through infertility, leading to the creation of a transformative support network. Learn about the pivotal turning point that shifted her blog series into a foundation, offering insights into the sociological nuances of infertility within the African context.

Discover how the foundation tackles cultural sti...

Join us on an inspiring episode as Sussan Ituen, founder of The Marinade Hub Fertility Foundation, shares her personal journey through infertility, leading to the creation of a transformative support network. Learn about the pivotal turning point that shifted her blog series into a foundation, offering insights into the sociological nuances of infertility within the African context.

Discover how the foundation tackles cultural sti...

In this episode, Kweku Essien, Chief Commercial Officer of Seso Global, joins us to explore the world of property ownership in Africa and the impact of the Year of the Return on the African diaspora, particularly African-Americans seeking to relocate to Ghana and other African countries. We dive into the challenges of establishing trust when doing business on the continent and the crucial role of the remittance economy from the dia...

In this virtual panel discussion, we talked about a number of things we felt we didn’t have growing up such as the lack of open communication with our parents, assuming parental responsibilities as children, and the lack of affection. We discussed how these things have impacted us as adults and as parents and how we plan on being more intentional in our own parenting.

Links: https://linktr.ee/buildingafricasfuture

YouTube: BAF - Co...

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Jite Lark, the founder of Change4Africa Superfoods and the Embody Program that she started at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss the importance of natural medicine, nutritional balance, and physical wellness and how continental Africans and those in the diaspora can tap into these holistic health practices. Her organization, C4A, works directly with African women farmers to increase t...

I'm joined by Doria Wormbly as she discusses her experiences being the only Black student in her study abroad group and the challenges that she faced as a result of that. She is committed to shining light on the importance of diversifying international education programs on the student side as well as in program leadership and she discusses different ways that this could be done starting with providing additional funding and other ...

I'm joined by a dear friend and sister, Omba Tejan-Thomas, whom I have known for 20 years or so as we attended the same church when we first came to the country as young children. She talks about her experience coming to the U.S. at the age of 8 from the Democratic Republic of Congo and how her family had to assimilate to a new culture, leading to culture loss and feelings of identity crisis, being classified as a refugee, as well ...

I'm joined by Sharif Muhammad who talks about his 20+ year commitment to detailing the black American experience through his digital artwork and teaching. He shares how growing up he couldn't connect in a meaningful way in most of his history classes because the history wasn't reflective of his family experience. 

He discusses the types of stories he tells with his art, what he learned about himself and his creative process du...

I’m joined by Chukwunonso of Chukwunonso Captures as he discusses how he uses his photography to share his culture with others in the diaspora. This quest led to him starting the ‘Igbo Name of the Day’ series. We discussed Igbo naming traditions, navigating multiple cultural identities, the importance of language preservation, and how he intersects his culture into his photography. 

Watch the full video playlist here: https://...

TW: baby loss, pregnancy loss

After nearly 7 years of marriage and 11 pregnancies, I'm joined by Mercy Akinwande as she shares her struggles with infertility on the journey to motherhood. In honor of May being mental health awareness month, one of the reasons why we had this conversation was to try to eliminate or reduce stigmas associated with sharing about difficulties conceiving, going through pregnancy loss, and postpartum depr...

TW: baby loss, pregnancy loss

After nearly 7 years of marriage and 11 pregnancies, I'm joined by Mercy Akinwande as she shares her struggles with infertility on the journey to motherhood. In honor of May being mental health awareness month, one of the reasons why we had this conversation was to try to eliminate or reduce stigmas associated with sharing about difficulties conceiving, going through pregnancy loss, and postpartum depr...

In this continuation of our Black in White Spaces series: HBCU v. PWI discussion, our panelists who are adult students at the university and graduate level as well as working professionals share their different experiences at HBCUs and PWIs. Some of the topics discussed were: 

• what supports would help black and other students of color thrive at PWIs
• cultural advantages of being the majority at an HBCU where they don't h...

In this continuation of our Black in White Spaces series: HBCU v. PWI discussion, our panelists who are adult students at the university and graduate level as well as working professionals share their different experiences at HBCUs and PWIs. Some of the topics discussed were:

• what supports would help black and other students of color thrive at PWIs
• cultural advantages of being the majority at an HBCU where they don't have to...