The More Sibyl Podcast

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One With Essence - From New York to Johannesburg How does one buy the house of their dreams in New York and then suddenly move to Johannesburg? That’s Essence Hayes' story. Essence is a returning guest who I met through a community of podcasters on Facebook and who has helped me with Livestream questions during the pandemic.  Born and bred in New York, she rece...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:  나이지리아에서 캐나다로| The One With Lamide - From Nigeria to Canada and Other Stories: Episode 19 (2022) Hi everyone! Welcome to this episode. Today, I have a returning guest and a special one at that - Lamide! She was on the podcast some years ago. She is someone who, despite all she has been through, still chooses to be joyful. She is a dentist, entrepreneur,...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:  Munjireen is a dear friend and brilliant colleague whose degrees and work experience speak for her. She is passionate about neuropsychology, mental health, and wellness. Munjireen shared her experience as a second-generation Muslim Bangladeshi- American living in America with her parents and the culture shocks and differences she went through. We saw these similar...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:  We have a returning guest on the podcast! Muloongo was last with us in 2018 , and it’s great to have her back. Muloongo is a fierce advocate for Africa, a pan-African thought leader who blogs about African and global issues on her platform, ONGOLO , and her mission is to change the narrative about Africa as a continent with little to offer. Her blog provides news,...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:    In this episode, Ayomide and I talked about power dynamics in relationships and the forms they may occur. People often hesitate to talk about power dynamics in relationships–many perceive power as negative or manipulative.  But power can be helpful–even beneficial–for both parties in a relationship and can come in many forms: a friend who helped bring you out of...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:    Our guest on this episode is my friend Jenim, a poet and a writer who I first met in college. She has written over 500 poems, two poetry anthologies, and just released her third book, How To Dance In Time . Jenim started writing early on and has since made a name for herself. She likes to read, dance, and watch The Office in her spare time. She dreams of one day...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:  In this episode, we are talking about a topic dear to my heart–- the Korean language and culture! Esther Nneka Nnanna describes herself as “a struggling writer, digital entrepreneur, and culture enthusiast”. She’s also a content creator, Korean speaker and teacher, artist, and self-taught multi-lingual.  As a recent learner of Korean myself, I especially love seei...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One With Rafiat and Her Dad - Exceptional and Exemplary Fatherhood For our annual Father’s Day giveaway, we asked our Instagram followers to share one extraordinary thing their father had done for them. The winner was Rafiat Akinwande , an ambitious Nigerian I have known from the African podcast community for a while now and looked forward to having on the show...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One With Dad - Daddy Dearest Still in honor of Father’s Day this month, I interviewed my dad (yet again). As Ayomide said, “he is the most important father on this show,’, and I couldn’t agree more.  My dad is the most requested guest on the show. This is his third time on (the other two being in 2017 and 2018 ). This time, he shared his childhood experiences a...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One With Jirade Bepo - On Baba: Fatherhood and Sacrifice   Jirade has been on the show before and it’s great to have her again! In honor of Father’s Day, June 19, we invited Jirade to share with us the warm and inspirational relationship she had with her father. Baba, as everyone fondly called him, died a few weeks before we recorded this episode, while they we...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:  아리 아빠| The One With TDawg - From Foster to Forever Father: Episode 10 (2022)   In the Spirit of Father’s Day, my dear husband is the guest on this episode. TDawg and I would be married for eleven years later this month. For those who do not know, we have struggled with having a child biologically, so two years ago, we were blessed with Ariife, our foster child...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:  In today’s episode, Ayomide and I interviewed my dear friend, Von Apochi. He is currently living in the US and is president of the SabiWaka Natural Company. He is also a business analyst in a top financial firm and an entertainer. He is proudly African, loves diverse cultures, and is sociable.  Von has a very supportive family and system and this episode reinforce...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:   Female genital mutilation or cutting is a very old practice that is unfortunately still common in many countries and communities. In fact, it was only just got prohibited in the USA in 1996 and in Canada in 1997, and even then, many states are yet to take a firm stance on its abolishment. Those who advocate for FGM/C justify it with beliefs about marriage, percei...

In Ayomide’s words: “Mental health is not solely individual; it's very much social. It’s relational.”   May is mental health month, and the theme for this year is “Let’s connect.” In this episode, we talked about why mental health is more than just being about you - but relational and social—how you connect with others. We cannot attain the fullness of mental health until all areas of our lives ar...

Urmi Identifies as “Italian by birth, Bengali by blood, and Canadian by love.”   Urmi’s passion for women and children drives her to volunteer in nonprofit organizations and children’s hospitals and help underserved women raise money. She was born in Italy to Bengali immigrants, and she always felt out of place in both worlds. As a result, she gravitated toward interests in mental health, lifestyl...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:  In Mo's words, "I have realized that you can't keep hiding your light or diminishing your strengths. You must learn how to use it because there is just the power in letting it shine. What comes to you so effortlessly might be something someone else is trying to get."   This episode is about strengths, or as we describe them, your superpowers: identifying, cultivat...

Describing Russia in a 1939 radio broadcast, Winston Churchill said, "It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Like a matryoshka doll, one might say?       Today we have a wonderful guest, a dear friend since graduate school (The University of Texas, Austin #Hookem!), where she was my senior – Dr. Natasha Shcherbakova, super smart but very down to earth. Natasha is currently an ass...

When I turned 20, a dear friend, Dr. Olamiju, said to me: "Your 20s are for discovering what you want for your life. In your 30s, you put more meaning into those discoveries. Finally, at 40, you fully live that life in a well-defined way." – Mo!   With this quote in mind, Ayomide shared his thoughts on turning 40! He said he's made mistakes and tried many things, but the confidence he's garnered t...

The best friends to talk with are those friends that you agree enough that you can talk endlessly but you disagree enough that you can debate forever.   Friendship is a place for safety and comfort, so imagine how much more this can be with a “best friend!” What exactly is a best friend and who should a friend or best friend be in the real sense of the word? Today, my friend and new co-host Doc Ay...

The new year comes with a new season for The More Sibyl Podcast but for me, it's not always about resolutions but just implementing on goals I hope to achieve. This episode is to welcome you all to Season Five of The More Sibyl Podcast and to unpack all that we have in store for you. In this episode, I give an update of the things I have been up to since you last heard from me, a recap of last sea...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents 천주교 신부 되기| The One with Father James Anyaegbu – On Being a Catholic Priest: Episode 41 (2021)   When asked what they want to be when they grow up, most children say they want to be a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer, among other things. However, it is rare to come across someone who wishes to become a priest. Well, I had the opportunity to meet someone who ha...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents   새로운 사업주| The One with Olabimpe Shode - On Running a Business from the Diaspora & Other Stories: Episode 40 (2021)   With the discovery of the Omicron variant, another Omega variant, the variability of information, the vaccination palaver, and the travel ban, 2021 has been a ride, like a journey from the big year 2020. My teenage friend, Bimpe, who is not new...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents   Though born in the UK, Ojogbane grew up in the northern part of Nigeria in a large family amidst uncles and aunties. He would eventually move to the UK to begin life for himself. Despite some initial hiccups reintegrating, he's managed to stay resilient and optimistic. Ojogbane, who's now a crypto and NFT trader, talked about his journey toward entrepreneurship af...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:   When you are looking forward to a boat cruise, you will experience both excitement and apprehension. And, until you've done it, it can appear to be a risky endeavor. But you only get one life, and if you don't go on adventures, you'll never know what it's like.   A group of six, my friends, and I decided to just go for it and enjoy the cruise. So we cruised throu...

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:   Happy Thanksgiving, fam! From moving countries and learning new languages (German and then English) to adjusting to gradually losing her eyesight from the age of 13, Dagmar has grown to become tenacious and inspiring. Dagmar Jamieson, my cousin's mentor and a life coach to many, became legally blind as a teenager. She was diagnosed with Stargardt macular dystroph...