Zero Generation

Money requests don’t stop just because you got on a plane. In fact, they usually get louder. We sit down with Derrick Oigiagbe , Head of Product Security at Netflix Games, to talk frankly about black tax, firstborn pressure, and the art of giving without burning out. Derrick opens up about growing up as the eldest in a Nigerian household, how strength and softness were modeled by both of his paren...

What does it take to build a life that holds both where you’re from and who you’re becoming? We sit with writer and public health professional Nkem Akinsoto — known to early 2010s readers as romance author Myne Whitman — to unpack identity, love, and the joy of soft living across continents. From keeping her Nigerian accent after sixteen years abroad, to raising two daughters who code-switch with...

What if the boldest move isn't leaving, but choosing to build where others see only exits? We sit down with McKinsey Partner and thought leader, Kemi Onabanjo-Joseph , to explore conviction, career, and community as the real engines of a meaningful life in Nigeria. Kemi's journey pivots on a denied visa as a college-age student, resulting in a newfound commitment to purpose. She walks us...

What if belonging isn't something you prove but something you live? We sit down with Kehinde Winful — attorney, novelist, and proud Nigerian-American — to unpack the messy middle between two homes and two careers. From getting placed in ESL for saying three like tree, to facing men who demand culinary and language "proof", Kehinde shows how subtle pressures can shape identity, and h...

Reinvention isn’t a branding trick, it’s how you keep your center when the ground keeps moving.  On this episode, I sit down with Tayo Rockson , a third culture kid turned behavioral scientist, TEDx speaker, and author, to unpack the real work of belonging across continents. We get honest about the moments that sting and the choices that save you: when a classmate mocks your hair, when a manager r...

The dream of moving abroad promises freedom and fresh starts, but what about the quiet loneliness after the boxes are unpacked? We sit down with psychotherapist and coach Gbemi Adekoya — former tailor, proud "pivot queen", and zero-gen immigrant — to talk candidly about the fine print of relocation: identity shifts, parenting without a village, and the art of rebuilding a life from scrat...

A near-firing. A hard truth over steak. And a choice to stop playing small. Bayo "Lion" Adediji , CEO of Wakanow.com , nightlife entrepreneur, and former Amazon senior leader, joins us for a raw, kinetic conversation about going from accent anxiety and a PIP in corporate America to leading a multi-million dollar travel company from Lagos—and why burning the safety net was the unlock. We...

Everyone leaves home for different reasons. Nobody tells you what comes after. Season 2 of Zero Generation explores the lives Black immigrants build after the leap — the pressure, the pivots, the laughter, the longing, and the courage it takes to redefine success on your own terms. Through intimate conversations with leaders, creatives, parents, and first-generation Americans, this season asks: wh...

How is it that we’re already at the end of a full season of the Zero Generation podcast? The time’s gone by so fast! When I looked back on everything I’ve learned and talked about, I came to one major realization: the Zero Generation podcast isn’t over yet. I thought it would only take a season to tell the story of the brave people who make abroad their home, but there’s so much more to say. So jo...

Segun Adeyina was always the kind of person to be heavily involved with his community, so it was natural to him that when he moved from Nigeria to the United States, he would find a way to connect and engage with the Nigerian diaspora. However, even he didn’t think that he would go from being a migrant student to being voted in as one of Georgia’s first-ever Nigerian-American elected officials. Jo...

So many Nigerians of working age leave their home country for a better and brighter future abroad, and I’m one of them. But what happens when you want to go home? Is it just homesickness or a sign that you’re ready to return to your friends and family? And does the home you’re dreaming of still really exist?  In this episode of Zero Generation, I’m sharing my thoughts about japada, or young people...

You probably know about the American Dream, that anyone who works hard can make it big in the States. But what does it actually take to do that? And just who qualifies for this dream anyway? These are questions that Francesca Uriri started asking herself when she moved from Nigeria to America for a job that was supposed to be a step up in her career. Join us on the Zero Generation podcast for a co...

This episode of Zero Generation is a special one, featuring a conversation with my show producer Ona Oghogho, the founder of Adode Media. Ona shares her inspiring journey as a first-generation Nigerian American carving her own path as an entrepreneur. Together, Ona and I delve into the influences in her life that have shaped her perseverance and overall outlook. From her 3rd grade karate teacher t...

When we think about culture and traditions, we often think about food, ceremonies and religious faiths. But culture is also the way that we live our lives and nowhere do we see that more than how we raise our children. As a Nigerian living in the U.S. who hopes to have children one day, I’ve thought deeply about which parts of my Nigerian upbringing I would want my future children to experience to...

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t fit the mould of who you’re ‘supposed to be’, this episode of Zero Generation is for you. Maya Elious is the embodiment of blazing your own trail – she’s an African-American personal branding expert who defied her strict upbringing with immigrant parents to build a successful business coaching women of faith. In this candid conversation, I got to dive behind the...

Food brings people together and makes them feel at home, no matter where they are in the world. As a Nigerian immigrant who has lived in Chicago, Seattle, and Austin to name a few, I understand this deeply, I feel it in my bones. In this episode of the Zero Generation podcast, I sit down with Bawo Oyowe, the owner of Little Lagos, a Nigerian restaurant that has become a cultural ambassador in Atla...

Have you ever felt torn between two cultures, wondering where you truly belong? Then join me for this amazing conversation with my latest guest, eLDee - the iconic Nigerian musician-turned-American real estate mogul. Growing up straddling American and Nigerian influences, eLDee shares his fascinating journey of immigrating to the U.S. while his music career was taking off back in Lagos. From inten...

What is the ‘Zero Generation’? What’s it like to be a part of it? I’m Damilola Onwah, a writer and product manager, and these are questions I have on my mind all the time. Historically, we have this concept of first-generation immigrants and second-generation immigrants, but what about those of us who moved countries as adults in recent years, charting our own path? I'm part of this ‘Zero Gen...