The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with Mo!- Mo!nologue II: Unmasking my Thoughts
Another monologue coming your way this week courtesy yours truly. In this episode, I got a bit intimate with the mic and shared a lot of the thoughts circulating in my head. Think of it like I was reading my diary aloud.
So, what things did I unearth in this episode, exactly? A lot, actually. Beginning with some personal reflections on stress, rest, and therapy. I also talked about all the travels I did this summer – spanning 11 cities and states and one foreign country, the 5-week cancer fellowship done at the NIH (National Institute of Health) and the amazing people I met, the implications of my beloved therapist quitting her practice, and how my imminent birthday is giving me major depression vibes.
Finally, I am turning 33 in a couple of weeks and I’d like ALL of the attention from that to go towards my educational scholarship – The 33 Project. My goal is to identify and shortlist 33 indigent children in Nigeria who will benefit from the scholarship for a given period of time. I am hoping to raise $3,300. Look out for more information on that, especially how you can be a part of that (yeah, I need your money :-D), please and thank you!
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The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with Lizzie Lopez – Mexican-American, Korean-Speaking, Spanish-Learning Lizzie
Meet Lizzie! A Mexican-American who is learning Spanish. I met Lizzie at my language school (s/o to Northwest Baptist Church); she was one of my former Korean teachers. Lizzie spent a year teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to Korean elementary students (K-6) in Gunsan, South Korea. Lizzie is also an artist who teaches arts to children and the elderly. She belongs to the Canadian Valley art Guild (CVAG) and loves to paint human and animal portraits, abstract art and illustrations.
In this episode, we talked about her cultural history and what her identity means to her, especially the pressures of cultural expectations. We also talked about the year she spent in Korea and why she won’t be moving back there permanently. She also shared some tips for those considering teaching abroad. Finally, we explored the downsides of being creatives, how to cultivate friendship, and what her faith means to her.
Listen, download, share, and please leave a comment to support the show!: http://bit.ly/LizzieL2019
Recommended Song: “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” – Selena (1994)
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The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with Omotayo – A Nigerian in Brazil
It is a well-known fact that Nigerians can be found in several pockets around the world. In fact, it is said to avoid spaces where Nigerians cannot be found because we go where prosperity can be made (#Amirite?). In today’s episode I introduce you to – Omotayo Fadina – a Nigerian living in Brazil. She moved there three years ago to pursue a PhD in Environmental Geochemistry after completing a Master’s degree in the UK
In this episode, we talked about why she left the UK, life being a Nigerian in Brazil, the culture and lifestyle of Brazilians, her research and its environmental impact especially opinions on climate change, opportunities for Nigerians in Brazil, and why we should all include Brazil on our next travel destination.
Finally, we also briefly talked about Yoruba not as a culture but its traditional religious and spiritual concepts, as widely recognized in Brazil.
Mo! Says:
“Han is to Koreans as Hygge is to the Danish people. I wonder what collective term can be used to describe the Brazilian spirit”
Quote:
“The average Brazilian sees happiness as the most important thing. And they derive happiness from interaction with people and nature, rather than in material things.”
PS: Speaking of BRAzil (see what I did there. This is why my friends won’t say hello to me anymore :-D), check out my new post on braffering (a term I just coined about the pains of wearing bras) to hear more about my convoluted history with this contraption of tortures.
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The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:
From his book – The Four Loves, CS Lewis had this to say about friendship. “The ideal climate for friendship exists when a few people are absorbed in some common, but not always necessary interest. Lovers are usually imagined face-to-face, friends are best imagined by side; their eyes ahead on the common interest.”
That said, here’s reintroducing my dearest friend – Olabimpe - with whom I am well-pleased. Our common interests being doing God’s will, Jesus and plantains (expect a 7-min full convo on our love for Jirade’s plantains: s/o to my supplier – (Mojirade Bepo of Jirade Diadem (@jiradeventures), and fighting injustices in our little spaces. Bimpe and I met when I was 16 when we both signed up to be a part of a choir for teens and youth ministry (@solid_live). So you can say we go a long way, despite how much I moan about not being good with female friendships.
In this episode, you get to hear all about Olabimpe’s story which is a rare opportunity given how private she is. We talked about her being single, a recent heartbreak that almost made her curse the guy out, signs you might be dating a narcissist, how she nursed her broken heart, why she’s still hopeful about love. We also talked about what it takes to be a good friend, the huge fight we had that nearly changed the course of our friendship, as well as conflict resolution tips. If anything, you get to hear two silly friends talk about everything! Yeah, we failed the Bechdel Test a few minutes into the episode.
A friend loves at all times and a brother (or sister) is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17)
Question of the Day: Why would a man who’s on his way to marrying someone “commit” himself to another?
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The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:
This week’s episode with my guest – Bibi – attempted to answer the following questions surrounding single life: How do you maximize your singleness and joy in a world that wants everyone to be coupled up, by any means necessary? What can the church do to encourage everyone, especially singles, to find their life purpose above and beyond the institution of marriage? We also explored the many gifts singles have that are envied by the married (especially yours truly). And yes, we also went there – to talking about premarital sex, porn, and masturbation. And finally, I threw a wild question at my guest as to why it seems that single (godly) men aren’t committing to women these days.
My guest, who is in her 20s and whom I met on Twitter BTW, Bidemi “Bibi” Babatunde, is a minister of the gospel of Jesus with this central message: “God is not angry with you, He expended all His anger on Jesus.” She is passionate about helping believers grow in their full identity in Christ and drop the cloak of meaningless religiosity. She was the best graduating student of her bible college (The Stand Point Church Refinery) in 2018 and currently lives in the Greater Toronto area where she manages fundraising and communications for a charity that helps children with autism.Find out more about her on www.bibilamour04.com or via Twitter bibilamour04.
Read more on www.mosibyl.com
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The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:
Meet Adekunbi Oyelade, a lawyer, youth advocate, and the CEO/founder of Sesewa - Nigeria's first internship-focused career development company. Sesewa was founded in her college dorm room in 2009 while a student of the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. She founded it due to the frustration with difficulty in getting an internship position.
Subsequently, in this episode, we talked about her entrepreneurial journey, regrets, and future plans. We also did a smooth segue into gender roles and the relative advantage of the gender-selective child-rearing conferred upon the Nigerian girl child as well as tips to balancing this.
Mo! adds: A brief observation about Adekunbi: She’s business, man!
PS: Got some major announcements to make regarding the podcast, if you are yet to subscribe or will like to be in the loop, sign up here: https://www.mosibyl.com/ (scroll down to the very end to “Let’s Get in Touch”)
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The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:
Let’s take a trip to Nepal, everyone, with today’s guest - Sujana Rupakheti. Sujana is a pre-med international student from Nepal and she holds a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry and mathematics. In this episode, we talked about her move from Nepal to the US, adjusting to the educational system here, acculturation challenges, and her reasons for choosing the US to pursue a medical degree.
Facts about Nepal
Their flag is the world's only non-quadilateral flag.
Despite sandwiched between two super giants – China and India, Nepal has never been colonized.
In 2001, there was a royal massacre that decimated several members of the royal family.
Nepal has its own calendar system – the Vikram Samvat and according to it, it is the year 2076
You also hear about the similarities between Nigeria and Nepal and why relocating from either of these countries to the US is not without its challenges.
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Here’s the much-anticipated story of the other woman – aka Dr. Diana Escobedo or Diana as I fondly call her. Because you get “more” listening to the show, we also explored her life. In addition to the unique role she plays in our lives, Diana comes with her own story.
She was raised in Mexico and grew up in a less-traditional household where children were given free reins to explore their unique individuality. With this flippant freedom, Diana found herself pregnant at 16. Yet, she pushed through this and completed medical school only to be bedridden for almost two years. With her liver failing, and a looming diagnosis of the autoimmune condition – rheumatoid arthritis, she was at the brink of death.
Listen to hear more on how Diana turned all of these around, broke the family cycle of alcoholism, found purpose in her suffering, and her suggestions on how not to give up on our own dreams too. Diana is now a licensed family medicine practitioner and will be opening up her clinic in the El-Paso area with a focus on providing care to low-income families. Also, hear about the key people that helped her get from there to here.
Listen, download, share, and please leave a comment to support the show!
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The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:
하늘의 왕국| The One with Patricia Qhobela-Jenkins: Stories from Lesotho – The Kingdom in the Sky: Episode 18
Still on Africa! Today I bring you stories from an expat Brit/Mosotho who was born in the UK to Mosotho (refers to persons from Lesotho) parents. When she was 16, she was whisked back to Africa, which made for a lot of stories that we unpacked in this episode. Patricia Qhobela-Jenkins, who I once dubbed ‘African Leprechaun’ the very instant I met her, and I talked about Lesotho’s history relative to Africa’s and why we don’t know so much about her country, her losing both parents and the process of grieving, as well as upholding choices regarding marriage and decisions not to have kids. Lesotho, a constitutional monarchy, regards water as white gold and exports it to South Africa to boost its economy. Lesotho, where owning cows is a sign of wealth, is a beautiful country with hillsides reminiscent of The Shire, traditional ponies, and lush greens but find out why I won’t be visiting it anytime soon.
Patricia is the founder of Podcast Maven (www.podcastmaven.com), and for over four years has helped introvert female business owners find their voice, connect to their audience, and launch their unique podcast.
Follow Patricia on IG: @the_podcast_maven
PS: Looking for investors and partners for a cultural exchange program idea I have for Africans and Asians.

Listen, download, share, and please leave a comment to support the show!
Recommended Song: “This is Me” – New Found Glory (2019)
Visit www.mosibyl.com to see show notes.
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The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with Selena: The Girl from Mauritius – On Island Living
Let’s explore an African country together in this episode. And no, it’s not Nigeria, haha.
Welcome to the Island, peeps! This African island boasts of enviable beaches for destination weddings. It is a religiously diverse nation, with freedom of religion given as a constitutional right and the only African country with a Hindu majority. As Hawaii is seen drifting away from the continental US, so is this country relative to Africa when viewed on a map. It’s also a country close to Madagascar and the only known habitat of the now-extinct bird – dodo. Mark Twain once quipped that Heaven was copied after this country and Lewis Carroll was inspired by the dodo to write his famous book “Alice in Wonderland” in 1865. Life expectancy here is well higher than the world average and is well above the average for African countries.
Welcome to Mauritius – one of only four countries in the world with no involvement in ongoing international or domestic conflicts and no tensions with neighboring countries. The others being Botswana, Chile, and Uruguay.. As a result, Mauritius does not maintain a standing army.
I invited Selena – who I describe as a spunky, ethnically-ambiguous, culturally-rich, cosmopolitan, Mauritian gal - to talk about her country’s history, its unique aspects, and what her identity and nationality mean to her. We also talked about her overcoming body image issues, experiences as a US immigrant, and how she responds to questions about her origin.
Recommended Song: “Lingua Lebi” – Talulu (2006)
Enjoy,
모 /Mo!/
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