The Newcomers Podcast 🎙️ E89: Derek Sivers believes home is where you have no obstacles
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Apr 25, 2025 
Derek Sivers, author of 'Useful Not True' and a globe-trotting entrepreneur, shares his unique perspectives on culture and identity as an immigrant. He discusses why he left the U.S., viewing the world as his home filled with potential connections. Sivers emphasizes the idea of seeing people from diverse backgrounds as 'cousins we haven't met yet.' He also explores raising children in multicultural contexts and offers insights on keeping a flexible mindset while settling into new environments.
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Derek's Fela Kuti Discovery
- Derek Sivers discovered Nigerian musician Fela Kuti through a New Orleans taxi driver before the internet age.
- He loved Fela's music so much that he attended live shows twice in the US but has never been to Nigeria.
The Danger of Cultural Labels
- Labeling a country as good or bad creates a limiting frame for how people see that place.
- This framing can unfairly bias others' views about the entire culture or people from that place.
Surprise Keeps Mind Flexible
- Moving somewhere that surprises you daily keeps your mind flexible and open.
- Being open to surprise requires dropping rigid frames and assumptions about new cultures.
