The Newcomers Podcast 🎙️

Hello, I'd really like to grow this email list. If you enjoy this newsletter, it would mean the world to Jola and I if you encouraged one friend/fellow immigrant/colleague to subscribe…Very likely, the the only thing you will get in return is warm fuzzy feelings, and if I can attribute it to you, I’d personally send you a thank you email.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.In this episode, I’m speaking with Izunna Dike, immigrant, chef, and all-round jolly fellow. When we move to a new country, the traditional dishes we bring along with us change over time, shaped by the realities of ingredients availability, the need to adapt the meal to our new friend’s palate, and experimentation.If properly harnessed, these culinary transformations can serve as an entry point into understanding the people who cook the food. For Izunna Dike, it was no different. The interesting thing was Izunna didn't always cook when he lived in Nigeria aside from random requests by his parents to knock together a meal for them. After moving to the UK as a teenager, and spending a year without eating Nigerian food due to his living circumstances, Izunna started to cook as a way to hold onto his heritage.And he’s never looked back. Cooking become a way for him to write a love letter to home while experimenting with hybrid meals. In this conversation, we chat about the relationship between food and culture. We also explored:* How he replicates Nigerian flavors in Canada* The three Nigerian dishes he would make if he was asked to cook for a global audience* How he balances authenticity and adaptation when fusing Nigerian flavors with flavors from other cultures, and a lot more good stuff.P.S. Did you know that if you added Cameroonian pepper to your mashed potatoes it would taste much much better? Try it this holiday season and let me know.Official Links👋🏽 Follow Izunna on X🤌🏽 Follow Izunna on Instagram🎬 Izunna’s YouTube channel This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Hello, I'd really like to grow this email list. If you enjoy this newsletter, it would mean the world to Jola and I if you encouraged one friend/fellow immigrant/colleague to subscribe…Very likely, the the only thing you will get in return is warm fuzzy feelings, and if I can attribute it to you, I’d personally send you a thank you email.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.In this episode, I’m speaking with Douglas Price — award-winning music teacher and composer turned personal finance educator, and author of Seventeen To Millionaire.When planning to immigrate to Canada, we often spend a considerable amount of time learning about schools, where to find a house, the cost of groceries, the best cities to find a job, rental costs, and more. We rarely bother trying to understand how the Canadian financial system works.It doesn't help that once you land and walk into a bank to open an account, the banks stuff a credit card into your palms and ask you to review dozens of forms and sign. So it's not surprising that when we ignore the one thing that underpins most of the factors mentioned above, we experience a significant drop in financial confidence as we battle with our settling-in checklist. Check out Interac Corp’s survey on newcomer's financial confidence.I was no different. And if I could go back in time, the one biggest thing I would have done differently is to buy the book, Seventeen to a Millionaire by Douglas Price. Yes, it was written for a seventeen-year-old in Canada. But I dare say as a newcomer to Canada, we are all like 17yos when it comes to understanding the nuts and bolts of the Canadian financial system.In this conversation, we chat about his book and why it’s a MUST-READ for newcomers. We also talked about:* The golden rules of making money in Canada* How to approach the world of credit* Why he thinks the TFSA is one of the best tools for saving and investing money* The money truths he’s learned while working on the book* And the backstory of how the book came to lifeEnjoy. P.S. Seventeen to Millionaire is currently #1 on Amazon’s Personal Financial Planning book list and was chosen by Moneysense contributors, influencers, and money experts as one of the top 25 timeless personal finance books.Official Links📚 Buy Seventeen To Millionaire on Amazon👌🏽 Learn more about Douglas’s approach to money This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Hello, I'd really like to grow this email list. If you enjoy this newsletter, it would mean the world to Jola and I if you encouraged one friend/fellow immigrant/colleague to subscribe…Very likely, the the only thing you will get in return is warm fuzzy feelings, and if I can attribute it to you, I’d personally send you a thank you email.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.In this episode, I’m speaking with Tope Fajingbesi, ex-Global Chief Financial Officer of Ashoka, and Founder of She-EO, a company focused on helping women of African descent develop resilience, grow, and become catalysts for positive change. For many immigrants, speaking a second language is a core part of their identity. In some cases, they speak as many as four languages. For example, I am fluent in English and my native tongue Igbo. I also understand a smattering of Hausa (the language spoken in the Northern part of Nigeria) and French. But once we move to a new country, we seem to do a poor job of transferring these gifts to our kids. Tope Fajingbesi thinks we are doing worse than a poor job. She believes we are robbing our kids. We are robbing them of the language. We are robbing them of their cultural heritage. We are robbing them of a core part of their identity.And I think she makes a great point. In this conversation, the farmer lady and I chat about the immigrant identity. We also explored * How she deals with unconscious bias * Food as a way to build community* The immigrant mentality* Why she thinks America hasn’t changed in the past 22 years she’s lived there* And why we must be deliberate as immigrants. Enjoy!Official Links👋🏽 Follow Tope on LinkedIn🔗 Learn more about She-EO This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Hello, I'd really like to grow this email list. If you enjoy this newsletter, it would mean the world to Jola and I if you encouraged one friend/fellow immigrant/colleague to subscribe…Very likely, the the only thing you will get in return is warm fuzzy feelings, and if I can attribute it to you, I’d personally send you a thank you email.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.In this episode, I’m speaking with Daniel Bernhard, the CEO of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC).Anti-immigration sentiment in Canada is at a 30-year high and growing. Some of the recent takes on immigrants and the problems they bring with them make for an interesting read. But, let’s pause for a bit…are we misdiagnosing the Canadian immigration problem? Are we addressing the right issues? Or in a hurry to sound right and get a word in, we've simplified a complex and nuanced conversation into a good vs. bad debate.Daniel believes we can have a better conversation about Canadian immigration. One that's much broader, accommodates all the nuances, and, most importantly, considers everyone affected —Canadians and immigrants.In this conversation, we explore the two sides of the international student debate. We also chat about:* Why we MUST view immigration from an outcome-based lenses* Why The Leaky Bucket Report 2024 and Talent to win study are part of a bigger story* Why the student route should be the best immigration pathway for Canada, and more.This conversation validated a lot of thoughts that I have about immigration. My biggest takeaway as an immigrant: We need to address everyone’s interest. It’s a Canada conversation. If all I consider is my immigrant POV, nothing moves forward. Shoutout to George Carothers and his team for the amazing work they’ve done with the Leaky Bucket report and the Talent to Win study. Read them here 👇🏽* The Leaky Bucket Report 2024* Talent to win StudyOfficial Links👋🏽 Follow Daniel on LinkedIn👌🏽 Learn more about the Institute for Canadian Citizenship🔗 Learn more about the Canoo app This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Hello, I'd really like to grow this email list. If you enjoy this newsletter, it would mean the world to Jola and I if you encouraged one friend/fellow immigrant/colleague to subscribe…Very likely, the the only thing you will get in return is warm fuzzy feelings, and if I can attribute it to you, I’d personally send you a thank you email.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.In this episode, I’m speaking with Kris Granger, who immigrated from Trinidad to Sweden four years ago. The immigrant experience can be stressful, so stressful that Kris ended up with Stage 4 cancer. His story is amazing. Inspiring. Humbling. Kris moved to Sweden with his girlfriend at the time to further her music career. He was going to be a digital nomad and service his marketing strategy clients from Sweden. She would move ahead with her music career. "I thought I could do anything," he says. Boy, was he wrong? A couple of months later, Kris was running thrice as fast to keep up with all life was throwing at him. He was losing his clients back home, he hadn't been able to get a job in Sweden, and things were getting desperate. He ended up getting a maternity cover role at an agency after volunteering with the European Union. But he had to make ends meet, so he still hustled hard for clients back home. He also accepted a guest lecturing position at the University of Gothenburg. This continued for a while. By the time he got his dream job at Volvo, after applying over 50 times, Kris's life was falling apart. His marriage was falling apart. His body was falling apart.In this conversation, we chat about surviving Stage 4 cancer and finding family and community at his Volvo workplace. We also talked about: * The power of volunteering as an immigrant* Why making a decision to fall in love with his city was the first step to falling in love with his new life* The checklist life of an immigrant and how it can lead to dreadful outcomes* The importance of breaking into the existing friendship circles because these are often the work circles, and more.This was some episode. My biggest takeaway: if you move in your 30s, seek community. Seek stability. We trivialize all we walked away from in our former life.Our family. Our friends. Our colleagues. Or the cultural cachets that make it easy for us to approach every day as if it’s nothing. Moving to a new country resets you. The stress of trying to settle in, get a job, while also being a good parent and partner can literally kill you. Here’s Kris’s approach to finding his community:1. Seek out spaces where you feel alive. Look for groups or classes that truly interest you – those are the places where real connections form.2. Give first, without asking. When people feel your genuine willingness to help, trust follows.3. Say yes to small, unexpected opportunities. It’s often the smallest steps that open the biggest doors.Official Links👋🏽 Follow Kris on LinkedIn🫁 Learn more about Grounding—a free, 7-day meditation experienceDid you read this? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Hello, I'd really like to grow this email list. If you enjoy this newsletter, it would mean the world to Jola and I if you encouraged one friend/fellow immigrant/colleague to subscribe…Very likely, the the only thing you will get in return is warm fuzzy feelings, and if I can attribute it to you, I’d personally send you a thank you email.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.In this episode, I’m speaking with Yawa Degboe, who moved to Paris, France as a 4yo. Years later, she moved across the Atlantic to Boston, United States. So, a second-generation immigrant during her time in France. And now a first-generation immigrant in the United States. One would be forgiven to think she would be more French than Togolese. Because I did. think so.Nothing could be further from the truth. Yawa is all about embracing her French and Togolese identities. And I agree. Very often, you hear immigrants talk about discarding who they used to be so they can assimilate into the new culture. You aren't doing yourself any favors if you march down that road. The advantage of being an immigrant is the unique individual you become when you merge your old self and the new self. You create something so beautiful, so different, so special.But back to Yawa. In this conversation, we chat about her journey as a first-generation immigrant to the United States. We also explored:* Dealing with survival mentality* The various identities we immigrants carry with us* The advantages of being an immigrant* How she’s using the lessons she’s learned from her Mom to create a new future for the next generation* Tips for French immigrants looking to move to an English-speaking country, and more beautiful stuff.Integrate folks. Don’t assimilate. Official Links👋🏽 Follow Yawa on LinkedInDid you read this? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Hello, I'd really like to grow this email list. If you enjoy this newsletter, it would mean the world to Jola and I if you encouraged one friend/fellow immigrant/colleague to subscribe…Very likely, the the only thing you will get in return is warm fuzzy feelings, and if I can attribute it to you, I’d personally send you a thank you email.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.In this episode, I’m speaking with Mujidah Sakibu, product manager, job search coach, and 3X immigrant.The job market is brutal, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. This can be discouraging for new immigrants to Canada or those looking to move. I mean, the bills don’t wait. Plus, they can quickly rack up, especially if you’ve got a family or dependents. So, in a bid to make sure you get over this hump as fast as possible, most new immigrants go into an application frenzy. Is this good or bad? The experts say you should get in as many applications as possible. Mujidah has a slight tweak to this process. Remember folks, jobs might have the same title but different organizational needs. And then you also have the fact that we all have what we are really good at. However, desperation to get that first offer means we forget this. And that’s okay, honestly. But what if you could approach job hunting 5X better? In this conversation, we explore her job-hunting process that enabled her to get a six-figure job within seven weeks of landing in Canada. We also chat about:* Her two failed attempts to immigrate* Mistakes immigrants make when looking for their first job* And how settling into Canada was a bit easier because of her experience in Belgium.I know the job market is tough folks. Sending you love and light. You’ve got this!Official Links👋🏽 Follow Mujidah on LinkedIn📆 Book a career callDid you watch this? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Hello, I'd really like to grow this email list. If you enjoy this newsletter, it would mean the world to Jola and I if you encouraged one friend/fellow immigrant/colleague to subscribe…Very likely, the the only thing you will get in return is warm fuzzy feelings, and if I can attribute it to you, I’d personally send you a thank you email.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.In this episode, I’m speaking with Romu Gaboriau, who moved to the United States 15 years ago after spending a significant part of his childhood wondering if everything was bigger in the U.S.A.The American mythology is a fascinating study. As a kid born in 1980s Nigeria, the United States was the ultimate dream. I wanted to go live there. I wanted to see if all I read about in the colorful magazines my Dad brought back home from work was real.So heck, was I surprised to hear Romu say it was same for him in France. America is such a cultural force.In this conversation, we chat about what it’s like to move from France to the United States. We also talked about:* The differences between France and America; food, making friends, and doing business* Struggling with the English Language* Raising kids with dual identities* Tips for settling into a new country if you don’t speak the native language. This was a good one. Enjoy. Here’s my takeaway for you: Forget about learning the accent. Learn to communicate first. As immigrants, we often trip ourselves up because we want to learn how to speak with the accent. Yes, it probably makes you blend in better. But…Learn how to pass your message as clearly as possible before worrying about an accent. It might come in the end. Or you might never have one. And that’s okay.As long as everyone understands you, you’ll be FINE!Official Links👋🏽 Follow Romu on LinkedInDid you read this? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Hello, I'd really like to grow this email list. If you enjoy this newsletter, it would mean the world to Jola and I if you encouraged one friend/fellow immigrant/colleague to subscribe…Very likely, the the only thing you will get in return is warm fuzzy feelings, and if I can attribute it to you, I’d personally send you a thank you email.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.In this episode, I’m speaking with Eyitayo Ogunmola, founder of Utiva, a technology talent development startup. For some people, and I would say for me to an extent, immigrating meant just leaving Nigeria with no clear idea if we would ever go back. Not for Eyitayo.Eyitayo moved to the United States as an Atlas Corps fellow in 2015. While doing research on tech talent development, discovered there was a need to build a talent development edtech business that could export or outsource African engineers, developers, and similar, globally.And so Utiva was born in 2018. But as he says on LinkedIn, "I thought this was first a joke. I made so many terrible startup mistakes. Please don't try this at home."Utiva has gone on to upskill 110K people from 19 African countries and helped over 500 companies source African tech talent.Eyitayo joined me to talk about the concept of reverse immigration and seeing immigrating as a chance to learn and then bring that knowledge back home. He also shared:* His go-to playbook for settling into a new country* Getting intimidated by the accent at his first conference* The power and beauty of sharing the African perspective * Adjusting to life in the United States after moving, and more. Here’s my takeaway for you: You don’t immigrate with cash. You immigrate with a skill. I agree that I am stripping away some nuance there as cash-flow is an advantage in many ways. But this probably applies more to young folks looking to immigrate. Official Links👋🏽 Follow Eyitayo on LinkedIn🔗 Learn more about UtivaDid you read this? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com

Hello, I'd really like to grow this email list. If you enjoy this newsletter, it would mean the world to Jola and I if you encouraged one friend/fellow immigrant/colleague to subscribe…Very likely, the the only thing you will get in return is warm fuzzy feelings, and if I can attribute it to you, I’d personally send you a thank you email.Join us as we explore the bitter-sweet world of the immigrant.In this episode, I’m speaking with Gwen Lafage, whom I would call a serial immigrant. She's lived in the UK, the United States, Sweden, and then back to the United States. And in her words, "Every move changes you." However, I think one of the most important point she makes in this episode are the tradeoffs you have to make when you move to a new country. Family relationships become fragile. Friendships collapse. You find it hard to make new friends. Especially if you're someone like Gwen who's always on the move. Being an immigrant can be lonely journey.In this conversation, Gwen and I chat about her time at Sweden. We also explored:* How culture influences our everyday life* The concept of identity as an immigrant* The concept of home * The tradeoffs we have to make as immigrants* Who she becomes when she gets to France, and more. This episode was therapy for I and Gwen. And I hope it is for you too.Official Links👋🏽 Follow Gwen on LinkedInDid you read this? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewcomerspod.com