The More Sibyl Podcast

친구의 이야기|The One with Princess Angela – Nigerian-Born, US-Educated, Canadian-Living, Introversive Friend: Episode 14 (2019)

The awkward conversations replete in today’s episode is made possible by my guest and friend - Angela; a real-life princess (things I do for you guys, honestly), one of my privileged, certified haters (because I don’t even acknowledge the rest), and a dear friend who is totally in awe of my awesomeness.

Angela is the last of 10 kids, which explains why she is really spoilt. She is a geology scientist and one of the many victims of the oil market collapse, which caused her to seek greener pastures in the oil-abundant area of Calgary, Canada. But as all that glitters isn’t always oil and in need of a job, she did a two-minute elevator speech of her resume. So prospective employers, if you are need of skills like hers, kindly email her on angieluwa@gmail.com

Angela has overcome a lot to be where she is today, especially a delicate, high-risk surgery to treat her chronic back pain from sciatica. And I could not be more proud of her, especially her resolve to find meaningfulness in suffering. That said, I will wish for her to quit her chronic staple diet of Yoruba Demons (and I speak freely on this issue as a Yoruba person) as they have brought nothing but indigestion to her. So, I conducted an intervention for that, and she also used the opportunity to talk about what she wants in a mate. So if you are single and NOT YORUBA, kindly inquire within.

Most importantly, Angela is kind, caring, very thoughtful, and genuine. She will always be unforgettable for a lot of reasons – chief among is how she worked in cahoots with my husband to throw me a surprise party for my 30th birthday that had over 60 people in attendance. I am yet to forgive this transgression.

Love you, Angie. 2,999 times!

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교회와 사회| The One with COZA - When Church Goes Wrong: Lessons from Pain: Episode 13 (2019)

In light of the COZA events, a guest and I explored societal influences on the churches' reactions to such happenings. Also, a take on cultural influence on religion and reverence for men of God, and so much more.

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터키 모험가| The One with Mine Tafolar – The Turkish Adventurer: Episode 12 (2019)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with Mine Tafolar – The Turkish Adventurer

Meet Mine Tafolar – Latin American-loving Byzantine lady. I met Mine through a mutual friend of ours – Gio from Nicaragua (hello, Gio! We love you). Mine was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, where she studied political science and international relations and history at Bogazici University. She has also worked as a journalist for Hurriyet Daily News and prepared internal and international news stories. She holds an MA degree from the Government Department from the University of Texas at Austin with a thesis titled: Buying Support without Brokers: Conditional Cash Transfers in Turkey and Argentina. Right now, she is a Ph.D. candidate at the Political Science Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She's lived in Istanbul, Ankara, Austin, Buenos Aires, and Chicago.

In this episode, we talked about her life, Turkish pride, starting a Ph.D. program, transitioning from being a teaching assistant (TA) to a teaching role, teaching tips, how she deals with imposter syndrome, and her strategies for balancing being a newlywed grad student.

Mine is pronounced – Me Nay.

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사례 발표| The One with Patient X – Case Presentation + Medical Consultation – Episode 11 (2019)

Part 2:

Here’s a follow-up to Episode 10. In this episode, I present Dr. Alalade with a real-life case scenario of a patient named “X.” Her story touches a lot of points discussed in Episode 10. Patient X is a 32-year-old Black lady who currently resides in the US. She has had two pregnancies that resulted in miscarriages during the first trimester. Her clinical diagnoses include left ovarian dermoid cyst, severe pelvic adhesive disease, and stage-4 pelvic endometriosis. Together, Dr. Alalade and I explore this patient’s history with him providing a handful of options in helping Patient X reach her goal of multiparity.

Patient X may very well likely be someone you know or someone whose story eclipses yours. Regardless of which category you fall under, never quit seeking the answers you need. The hope, in the meantime, is to build community around these difficult, untalked about socio-cultural issues.

Let me know how I can help.

Disclaimer: Please note that all the contents discussed in this episode are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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신학자에게 물어보다| The One with Dr. Alalade – Ask the Gynaecologist – Episode 10 (2019)

PART 1:

It all began with this Facebook post I made in March to find answers to some gynecological questions I had. A friend, then, connected me right away with Dr. Alalade – the award-winning, stock market-loving, UK-trained gynaecologist and founder of the Facebook Group – AsktheGynaecologist, which currently boasts more than 1.3 million members worldwide! Dr. Alalade is a diplomate of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and currently a member of the Institute of Clinical Research UK and Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health, London. According to him, his mission is to bring about a total change and accessibility to healthcare information in Nigeria and Africa. He is also a fervent promoter and advocate for maternal health issue. Learn more here.

How, then, can pregnancy outcomes be maximized? How are pregnancy outcomes and sexual intercourse affected by ovarian cysts, fibroids, adenomyosis, and endometriosis? Can you tell the differences between these four gynaecological issues? And why do these issues plague more Black women? What foods can worsen or lessen the symptoms from these gynecological issues? Are herbal products safe to use? Why do fibroids cause painful period and sex, and irritable bowel syndrome? How do we prevent and conservatively manage these issues while maximizing fertility outcomes in women of reproductive age? Why does upward mobility from developing to developed countries worsen reproductive outcomes in women?

So many questions. Not to worry, listen to this episode to get the answers.

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여기도 거기에 없어요| The One with Adrian - Neither Here Nor There – Episode 9 (2019)

#Phew (breathe in and out)

Let’s take a deep breath from the back-to-back heavy episodes of ovary talks and whatnots. In this episode, I titled ‘여기도 거기에 없어 요’ meaning ‘neither here nor there,’ I talked with my friend, Adrian Patenaude – a confessional poet, one of my pen-pals, and one of the 20-something-year-olds who greatly inspire me. Growing up White in rural Northern Thailand sure had its ups and downs; all of which we unearthed in this episode. We also talked about nostalgia of the moment, our love for books, poetry, and music, giving the gift of music to friends, and reminisced on our Black Mirror viewing party days gone by. I live vicariously through Adrian as she does a great job of archiving her 20s and embracing the awkwardness, quirkiness, otherness, and everything-ness of those growing pains – something that came too late for me in my 20s.

Her poetry has really inspired my work and process, especially with my writing and the show. Reading her poetry is like reading a diary that was accidentally left opened, intentionally; a process she calls performed vulnerability. Also, listen to this episode to find out how she practices self-care.

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내 머리 속의 목소리| Rising Above the Voices – A Deep Exploration of A Nigerian Living with Schizophrenia: Episode 8 (2019)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: Rising Above the Voices – A Deep Exploration of A Nigerian Living with Schizophrenia

For more than 15 years, I have battled with pulsatile tinnitus (the closest diagnosis I have been given) – a condition that equips me with the ultimate pleasure of hearing my own heartbeat (24/7) in the form of a pounding or whooshing sound in both ears. I have done all kinds of series of test ranging from MRI, Doppler scans, to conductive hearing tests, but everything checked out. My symptoms are worse at night, away from the humdrum of the city, causing me increased irritability. Using ear plugs and not thinking about it have helped considerably. For the most part, I have been able to cope with it. It doesn’t really affect me except when it does. I think it’s bad enough having this.

Now imagine that scenario but rather than your heartbeat, you hear actual voices – three distinct ones to be exact. Voices with their unique characteristics and personalities with names to boot. This is a tidbit of what those diagnosed with schizophrenia go through. Schizophrenia is an umbrella-like diagnosis (meaning very broad) with symptoms ranging from delusions, hallucinations (auditory and/or visual), disorganized speeches or behavior to some negative symptoms. Suffice to say, each person’s condition is unique to their own.

Take, for example, our guest for today (let’s call her ‘Sis’) loves the color pink and get excited by it whereas, in another TEDTalk video I watched, the speaker therein talked about how the color red triggered them negatively. Today’s guest is based in the south south part of Nigeria. Sis was diagnosed in 2012 and attributed this to being sexually abused for a prolonged period. Noises from a running tap or generator set trigger her.

For a while, she was catatonic when she was first diagnosed – meaning she could not speak, move, or respond. Getting on medications not only helped her regain her activity, reduce the number of voices to three, but also to harmonize the characters and rule over them. She regrets delaying treatment.

In this episode, we explored her life from diagnosis till date, the impact of this condition on her social life, relationships, activities of daily living, and so much more.

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아직도 희망이있다| The One with Angel Moms – Mother Hoodwinked: Episode 7 (2019)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents:

First, Happy Mother’s Day to moms – in every way, form, or the other. This episode is especially dedicated to a special category of moms – angel moms; mothers with babies in heaven. On a day as triggering as today, I hope you remember the strength that already lies in you.

I brought on a dear friend, Jolasun, to share her experiences as well on pregnancy losses and struggles with motherhood. Drawing from our own experiences, we provided tips on how to retain your joy and not feel resentment towards others. Finally, we shared resources on how wives can facilitate the difficult talk with their husbands regarding the anger, sadness, and missed expectations stemming from miscarriages. To such couples, remember that the best place to be is together.

Remember, it's okay to mourn your loss irrespective of the cultural influence. After all, it’s YOUR loss not the culture’s. The hope for sharing this episode is to encourage anyone out there who’s hiding in the shadows out of shame or sadness from pregnancy losses. Come onto the light, lift your head high, and let’s heal together.

I am here, if you need anyone to talk to.

All my love, tender as it may be,

Mo!

Mo says: Losing a child (especially one you never got to meet) is like being lost in a crowded marketplace trying to locate someone without a face.

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명예로운 방문자| The One with Nurse Jolasun – Period and Vaginal Health Talk: Episode 6 (2019)

Vaginal talks, because contrary to what you've been told, the vagina has more uses than just sex. Sometimes, things come out of it and other times, things go into it . Today, we will be talking about the former. And by period, I mean menstrual flow, Aunt Flo, Aunty Fola, The Red Robot, Crimson Tide, Lilith Streak (I came up with this one), Carrie, Shark Week, The Red Wedding. Ah, you get the point already!

This episode is a painfully accurate account about all the changes we women go through and the accommodations we have to make during those days of tumultuous bliss, periodt! Plus a no-holds barred convo style on sex education, vaginal (and women’s) health, symptoms management (boob tenderness, mood swings, painful periods), dealing with heavy flow, preventing and cleaning bed stains, and how to properly insert a tampon without impaling yourself to death!

Rihanot Jolasun, RN-BSN, is a nurse with several years of experience who currently practices in the Dallas area of Texas. We did this episode to build support around taboos that have shrouded this topic for way too long. We hope that by getting this conversation started, women too can serve as an ally to other women.

PS: Heavy blood clots during your period are often an indication of something problematic. See your doctor to learn more.

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내 빛나는 청춘| The One with Victory – An Aspirational Nigerian Youth: Episode 5 (2019)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with Victory - An Aspirational Nigerian Youth

Nigeria has made a lot of impact on increasing the diversity and talent pool in the US educational system. Meet one of its contributors - Victory Ogunbanwo - a junior student majoring in forensic science and accounting. Victory is young, beautiful and one of those aspirational Nigerians I have been honored to meet here in the US.

In this episode, we explored her life growing up in Nigeria, moving to the USA, and the challenges of preserving cultural values. She also shared what she likes and dislikes most about living in the US as a Nigerian.

You will also hear a little bit on about Nigerian names and their meanings and why names are important to us.

Read more on www.mosibyl.com

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