The ENODI Podcast

Michael speaks with two Black fathers. Femi Agbayewa is a Nigerian-Canadian storyteller and father to a baby girl. Richard Geneste is a Haitian-American chemical engineer and father of an eight-year-old son. They share their own relationships with their fathers and how that has impacted their approach to being parents. We discuss portrayals and narratives of Black men in media and how this affects their reality as husbands and fathers in the world.

Michael speaks with actor Michael Hyatt, who stars as Cissy Saint on the FX hit Snowfall. You also know her work in HBO's The Wire, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW), Ray Donovan (Showtime), Law & Order (NBC), and so much more.  Born in England of Jamaican parents, she discusses her international background as an African/British/Jamaican/American and how she's grown to embrace being a unique mix of different. She also shares her journey as an artist and why she could not settle for an average life. Connect with Michael Hyatt: Twitter: @michaelhyatt16 Instagram: @michaelhyatt16 Facebook: @michael.hyatt.58760

Michael speaks with Conphidance, a multi-talented entertainer who is a star and face of the Apple TV+ series, "Little America." He has also been featured in the CBS comedy, "Bob Hearts Abishola," “Atlanta” (FX), “American Gods” (Starz), “Complications” (USA Network), and so many more. We discuss his unexpected move to the U.S., pursuing creative careers when your immigrant parents want you to be an engineer, his faith, and the power of art to inspire people with the most need.

Michael speaks with Afua Donkor, Lead of Diversity Inclusion & Belonging at Reddit, where she partners closely with the company's Employees Resource Groups and their Executive Sponsors to help promote a diverse and inclusive workplace. Afua came to the U.S. from Ghana at the age of four, growing up in New York. We discuss how her multicultural background contributes to how she impacts diversity in professional spaces, being authentic in Black and African communities, and the role her hair played in the self-acceptance of her full self.

Michael speaks with Chinasokwu "Nas" Nworu, a Nigerian-American born in the U.S. He is a licensed Occupational Therapist for the New York City Dept. of Ed. He co-founded PVO Global, a platform focused on social change and social responsibility. We discuss the nuance of perceptions of Black Americans, Africans, and Caribbeans, by both intra-diaspora and by non-diaspora people; the significance of names; Jollof wars; and his boarding school years while living in Nigeria.

This week I'm talking to serial entrepreneur Jean-Pierre Adéchi. He is of Benin, Sengalese, and Congolese heritage. His ventures include catering, film, film festival companies, and most recently Wheeli--a Techstars and venture capital-backed tech startup that, disrupted long-distance travel. Jean-Pierre speaks often about being a Black founder. Here he expounds on how his background and experiences contributed to how he thinks about his success and failures. For more on Jean-Piere visit his website and sign up for his newsletter: https://www.jpadechi.com

Michael speaks with Dominican-American, educator, author, and political strategist Remysell Salas. He is a veteran of NYC government, an adjunct professor at the City University of New York and co-author of the text “Dictionary of the Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Biographies.” We discuss Blackness in Afro-Latino communities and how he's embraced all components of his heritage.

Michael speaks with Dr. Jody Dublin, a West Indian-American (Bermuda, Jamaica, Grenada) higher education consultant and scholar of Latin-American and Caribbean studies. She is the founder of The Advisor is In a Brooklyn-based, one-on-one coaching and consulting firm. We talk about the varied components of Blackness and Black identity, as well as the intertwined history of Black immigrants and the American Civil Rights movement. Learn more about Dr. Dublin's work: https://www.theadvisorisin.com/

Michael speaks with Laurel Djoukeng a Cameroonian-American born and raised in Washington, D.C. He's a former Wall Street investment banker, now founder of the social enterprise CNF and the tech start-up Sparc. Laurel talks about how he maintained being his authentic self as he navigated through multiethnic communities and non-diverse spaces in his work and schooling. He also shares his thoughts on how entrepreneurs can better build with Black businesses, and how the global African diaspora can build connections for long-term collaboration. Connect with Laurel: Instagram: @Laurel.Djoukeng | https://www.instagram.com/laurel.djoukeng/ Twitter: @LaurelDjoukeng | https://twitter.com/laureldjoukeng LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/djoukeng Learn more about his ventures: Sparc: https://sparc.world/team Catalyst Network Foundation (CNF): http://catalyst-network.org/

Iveoma Okparaeke is a Nigerian-American attorney and the Founder of IGTN "Iveoma's Guide To Nigeria," a platform that shares insightful information about Nigeria through a diaspora lens.  Iveoma opens up about growing up African in a predominately White neighborhood, her experiences at a PWI versus an HBCU, and her thoughts and experiences with Black businesses.

The ENODI Podcast is here. Welcome to our conversations as we highlight the lives, cultural innovations, and entrepreneurial impact of people with immigrant backgrounds. In this Welcome episode, Michael shares his inspiration for ENODI, and why it is an important space for this time in history.