The Newcomers Podcast 🎙️

Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them to subscribe here.In this episode, I am speaking with Ritika Saraswat, Founder & CEO of Re-Defined, a members-only community for international students by international students. The past 18 months haven't been exactly fair to international students in Canada. They've been blamed, labelled, and threatened. They've had to deal with policy changes, uncertainty, and expiring permits. And while all that sounds depressing, Ritika has a refreshing take on all the chaos: Come to Canada. Learn. Make new friends. Build connections. And if you get the chance to stay and contribute, great. If not, take what you've learned back home. I know this is easier said than done. You probably have nothing to go back to back home. You probably can't even afford to relocate back home. But where there's a will, there sometimes is a way.In this conversation, Ritika and I chat about why international students need to focus on what they control. We also explore:* How to get feedback from your Canadian colleagues or counterparts* Why playing the long game matters more when planning to immigrate* Why you can’t afford feeling like a victim as an immigrant* What she’s learned after seven years in Canada* Why she thinks immigrants have a responsibility to come prepared, do their research, and contribute to their new societyOfficial Links✅ Connect with Ritika Saraswat on LinkedIn✅ Join the Re-Defined communityOne AskIf you found this story helpful, please forward or share it to one immigrant out there.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them to subscribe here.In this episode, I'm speaking to Aishwarya Khanduja, who moved from India to Canada at age 12, learned English watching Hannah Montana during her first Canadian summer, and has permanently left Canada to build her venture fund in New York.This conversation left me with a bittersweet feel. Canada keeps losing its best and brightest to the south of the border. It sucks because we aren't just losing talent. We are losing the future.And it's a worrying trend that seems to be accelerating by the day. We talk a big game about immigration being a talent pipeline. But it means nothing if the immigrants end up leaving for other countries because their chances of succeeding are higher outside Canada. As Aishwarya puts it, "Canada doesn't have the resources for me to thrive." This is what the Canadian brain drain looks like up close.In this conversation, Aishwarya and I chat about what Canada loses when builders leave. We also explore:* How immigration helps build anti-fragile societies* What you need to qualify for the O-1 visa * Why she’s all for building a life she doesn’t have to escape from* Watching her parents sacrifice everything and start from zeroOfficial Links✅ Connect with Aishwarya Khanduja on LinkedIn✅ Follow Aishwarya Khanduja on Twitter✅ Explore her personal blog✅ Check out what she’s building with AnalogueOne AskIf you found this story helpful, please forward or share it to one immigrant out there.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them to subscribe here.In this episode, I'm speaking with Oluwaseun Ayebiwo, who moved from Lagos, Nigeria to Halifax, Canada with a ready-made community. Most immigrants wait till they get to Canada before they start building a community. Taking this approach means they start with zero social capital, they have no one to turn to when trying to understand the unspoken cultural rules, and they find integrating slow and frustrating. Well, Oluwaseun rolls different. The dude connected with 40+ people who were all moving to Nova Scotia from Lagos at the same time. They planned their trips together, some even flew on the same aircraft, and they've been supporting each other ever since. What started as finding "one person and the other" quickly became a coordinated movement of 40+ people from Lagos, all planning their new lives together. That community has grown to over 700 people over the years. In this conversation, Oluwaseun and I explore his community-first approach to immigration. We also chat about:* How their success attracted and transformed Halifax's existing Nigerian community* Finding people in your new country who share your values and goals* What it means to serve on IRCC's Advisory Council for newcomers* Why Halifax is a geographical hidden gem for NigeriansOfficial Links✅ Connect with Oluwaseun Ayebiwo on LinkedInOne AskIf you found this story helpful, please forward or share it to one immigrant out there.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them to subscribe here.In this episode, I'm speaking with Saïd M'Dahoma, neuroscientist turned pastry chef.For reasons I can understand, people love to flatten the immigrant experience into simple or monolithic narratives. Be one thing so we can understand you.Saïd's story pushes back against this oversimplification. Growing up in Paris as the son of Comorian parents, he had to be French, full stop. His parents' heritage was something to minimize, not celebrate. Integration meant a silent erasure.Then he immigrated to Canada. “I think I am French. I am Comorian. I am Canadian,” Saïd says. “Sometimes people ask you to choose, like, what are you? Which one are you out of the three? I think I'm all of them at the same time.”Saïd’s story isn't just about Canadian multiculturalism being nice in practice. It's a story of what happens when we allow individuals to accept the various parts of themselves, to be complex, and luxuriate in all the nuances that come with being human.In this conversation, Saïd and I chat about how long it takes to feel like you’ve truly settled into your new country. We also explore:* His journey from a PhD holder in neuroscience to pastry chef* Why food is one of best ways to pass on cultural heritage* The immigrant as a monolith* Why the immigrant experience resists categorizationOfficial Links✅ Connect with Saïd M’Dahoma on LinkedIn✅ Learn how to make pastry the French wayOne AskIf you found this story helpful, please forward or share it to one immigrant out there.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them to subscribe here.In this episode, I'm speaking with Victoria Patenaude, a communications coach who helps immigrants find their voice. Literally.For most immigrants, especially the non-native English speakers, they think the reason they struggle to express themselves clearly is due to a limited vocabulary, poor grammar, or a bad accent. Well, Victoria thinks otherwise.And she's not just talking as a coach, she has the lived experience. Victoria grew up constantly code-switching between Polish, Greek, and English cultural contexts. By her twenties, she was what she calls “a very careful person.”That hypervigilance followed her through university and through moves between Quebec and the United States. Even as a successful professional with advanced degrees, she still carried the emotional burden of never feeling quite confident in her communication. Her breakthrough came when she realized confidence isn't something you earn through perfect pronunciation. It's a choice you can make right now, regardless of your skill level. Now she helps other immigrants break free from the same patterns.In this conversation, Victoria and I chat about a teenage years embarrassment that led years of anxiety whenever she tried to speak French. We also explore:* How we pass on our immigration-induced anxiety to our kids* The science behind her method of coaching* Practical tips you can try out for building language confidence* And why we need to stop assuming negative intent when we have cultural misunderstandingsOfficial Links✅ Connect with Victoria Patenaude on LinkedIn✅ Work with Victoria on your communication skills✅ Check out her TEDx talk on Why We’re Connected To The Internet, But Not Each OtherOne AskIf you found this story helpful, please forward or share it to one immigrant out there.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them to subscribe here.In this episode, I'm speaking with the amazing journo, Alyanna Denise Chua, who moved from Philippines to Canada in 2019 to study at University of Toronto.One of my biggest gripes with the dominant immigrant conversation is we often seem to disregard the human in the loop. Policies change overnight (for good reasons they say), and suddenly folks who have followed all the rules find themselves stranded.That is Alyanna's story. She moved to Canada, paid 10X the fees of domestic students to study, excelled academically, gained Canadian work experience, and integrated into the country.She did everything the immigration system told her to do. But by the time she graduated, Canada had moved the goalposts. The same pathway that led to permanent residency now led to... uncertainty.In this conversation, Alyanna and I explore what it felt like to watch the rules change. We also explore:* Missing home while building a new life* Immigrating as a student vs. a PR* Why Canada's rhetoric shifted from “we want you to stay” to “study doesn't guarantee residency”* The unfairness of retroactive rule changes* How Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie inspired her journalism careerOfficial Links✅ Connect with Alyanna Denise Chua on LinkedIn✅ Read her piece on The Walrus; Pay Tuition, Follow the Rules, Then Pack Your BagsOne AskIf you found this story helpful, please forward or share it to one immigrant out there.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them to subscribe here.In this episode, I'm speaking with Gabriela Gutierrez, who's lived in seven cities across four countries.Gabriela believes that the gift of immigration is the opportunity to become a better version of yourself for the world. A kinder human. A more resilient human. An individual who's a bridge between cultures.I personally think being an immigrant is a superpower. But Back to Gabriela. This philosophy has guided her as she's journeyed from Honduras to Spain to Canada and now the United States.And it’s why she insists that before you move to a new country, you should “Connect with your purpose. If you're thinking about immigrating, why? What motivates you to be there? How do you see yourself in five years in that new country, in that new city?” In this conversation, Gabriela and I chat about watching her MBA classmates do great things while she was making minimum wage in Canada. We also explore:* Why she’s kept her minimum wage stub 10 years later* How to deal with immigrant imposter syndrome * Why she thinks immigration is a net-positive to the world* Why focusing on what you control is the best thing you can do for yourself while settling into your new countryOfficial Links✅ Connect with Gabriela Gutierrez on LinkedIn✅ Sign up for Gabriela’s Personal Growth newsletterOne AskIf you found this story helpful, please forward or share it to one immigrant out there.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them to subscribe here.In this episode, I'm speaking with the beautiful ball of positive light called Dennis Agbegha, who resigned from Big Oil and moved to Canada.Dennis is what you would call a super-connector. And while many folks in his shoes would probably worry about not being accepted, Dennis approaches it differently. When he walks into any room, he tries to answer one question, “How can I love and serve these people?”And in his experience, people start seeing him as “one of us” more often than not. I don't think this is naive optimism or toxic positivity. Dennis had to deal with a divorce while settling into Canada, went through the usual immigrant struggles, and dealt with the feeling of being the “other.” But he's refused to carry that as a burden.His approach is simple. Focus on the universal human fundamentals; love, kindness, and service. And let everything else be background noise. The result is he's never met a room he couldn't eventually belong in.In this conversation, Dennis opens up about dealing with a divorce while settling in. We also chat about:* The back-and-forth years and what they taught him* Why cultural obedience can limit immigrants* How to judge beliefs by usefulness, not absolute truth* Why the “spaces weren't made for us” mindset can trap you* Why settling is more than just a change of locationOfficial Links✅ Connect with Dennis Agbegha on LinkedInOne AskIf you found this story helpful, please forward or share it to one immigrant out there.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them to subscribe here.In this episode, I'm speaking with Chris Friesen, Chief Operating Officer at Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISSofBC) about Canada's need for a long-term vision for immigration and why the current system is failing everyone involved. Chris calls Canada a "giant global cohesion experiment." And despite all the challenges that come with our immigration approach in recent years, he thinks we're doing a lot of things well that other countries envy. The challenge now is getting past the current moment where everything feels "grindy." His preferred approach to the immigration conversation? A all-hands-on deck Canadian conversation about immigration. Not screaming or accusing each other on social media. Not electoral soundbites (we recorded this episode before the election). But an informed discussion that considers all the nuances about the kind of country we want to be. The solutions Chris proposes aren't complicated, but require political will. A 10-year population growth strategy. National credential recognition. Better success indicators. Proactive rather than reactive planning. And most importantly, rebuilding public trust by communicating what immigration actually delivers for Canada.In this conversation, Chris and I chat about the economic realities of Canada’s population numbers. We also explore:* Moving beyond “us vs. them” to inclusive nation building* Why we need a national vision for immigration beyond reactive policies* How the temporary resident system became a runaway train* The difference between nation building and short-term labor market needs* Building welcoming communities that work for everyoneOfficial Links✅ Connect with Chris Friesen on LinkedIn✅ Newcomer in BC? Check out ISSofBC immigrant settlement servicesOne AskIf you found this story helpful, please forward or share it to one immigrant out there.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them to subscribe here.In this emotional episode, I'm speaking with Stephanie Kubi, who went from having her entire life planned out to becoming undocumented overnight. All this happened while she was six months pregnant with her first kid.Stephanie had done everything by the book. “I had applied for renewal. Nobody got back to me. I had applied for restoration. Nobody got back to me... I was literally applying based on all that. And even when they didn't get back to me, I was like, in case it's a loss in the system, let's apply for restoration,” she says.One day, she's preparing for maternity leave, setting up a nursery, planning for her delivery. The next day, she's holding a deportation notice, wondering if she'll have to choose between leaving everything behind or staying and figuring out what went wrong with the system.In this conversation, Stephanie and I chat about the constant anxiety. We also explore:* The hidden costs of immigration uncertainty beyond the legal fees* The psychological toll of being the “responsible” firstborn who suddenly can't control anything* Finding your village when you need it most* The fragile nature of the immigrant dream, even when you follow all the rules to the bookOfficial Links✅ Connect with Stephanie Kubi on LinkedIn✅ Check out the Kubi Kollective One AskIf you found this story helpful, please forward or share it to one immigrant out there.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com