E136: Dapo Bankole dreamed for 19 years. Canada still broke him

In this episode, I’m chatting with Dapo Bankole, a project manager and founder of Mentorfy. His viral TEDx talk, “The Hidden Struggles and Triumphs of Immigrant Professionals in Canada,” is painfully relevant to loads of immigrants looking to settle in Canada.

My primary reason for interviewing Dapo on the podcast was to learn the story behind his TEDx talk.

The version that includes the number of times he choked up in tears during rehearsals. The version where he describes a 19-year dream that started before he’d even applied for immigration. The version where he describes the day his family had to decide between gas and food.

The one where he gets moody, irate, and flares up at the small things.

Dapo and I dig into:

• The moment he realized the struggle of the Canadian immigrant professional is systemic

• The day his Nigerian credit card saved him at a Canadian ATM

• Starting his podcast (The Immigrant Life) to sort out the mess in his own head

• Building Mentorfy to connect immigrant professionals with mentors who get it

• The one thing he’d do differently if he were to start over