The More Sibyl Podcast

내 믿음; 내 세상| The One with Rania - On Being Muslim and More: Episode 4 (2019)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with Rania - On Being Muslim and More

Meet Rania Zeithar: A Middle-Eastern Arabic Muslim woman who has lived on three continents: Africa (Egypt), Asia (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), and now North America (the United States). Rania is married with two children and currently works in special education in the Plano public school system in the US. She is a member of Plano Library’s writers’ group and keeps current with a blog.

In this episode, we explored her tripartite life as a Muslim, African, and an American woman. Other topics explored included whether Islam is a religion of peace and how/why do extremists justify their actions using the Qur’an. It was important for me to initiate this conversation because I could not reconcile the Muslims I knew, while growing up in Nigeria, with the ones portrayed on the news. In short, I wanted to create a space for civil discourse on these matters.

Fun facts about Rania

• She overcame glossophobia to help who are suffering from Islamophobia.
• Has written and published a book and is currently working on another one.
• Credits the humanity and kindness in the American people she’s met in helping her navigate America better.
  

Show Notes

• Book review: Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
• Link to Rania’s book: https://amzn.to/2Y08GJ0
• Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/moresibyl
• Be a guest: Share your story or process, email me on talktomo@mosibyl.com
• Subscribe on: iOS, Android devices, RSS. OR join our email list: for weekly podcasting updates
• I would love to hear from you! Socials: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn

Artists (songs) of the moment:

• Neotheater Album by AJR. My favorites (so far) from the album are:
  
  • Don’t Throw Out My Legos
  • Break My Face
  • 100 Bad Days
  • Finale

Let’s build bridges,

모 /Mo!/

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사랑스러운 Tolu| The One with Tolu - Of female friendships, shared spaces, and empathy: Episode 3 (2019)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with Tolu - Of Female Friendships, Shared Spaces, and Empathy

Here’s a bold story for you on female friendships and how sometimes, it is not organically formed. And how when you get to a space in your life, and you find yourself in shared spaces with some people and realize that you may have been probably wrong about them all along.

Today’s story is about Tolu. She and I go way back; we went to college together. Tolu is a medical doctor and a researcher who’s based in Denver, Colorado. In this episode, which was taped in Denver, Tolu and I examined our paths – the times they did not cross and when they finally did. And the circumstances and commonalities that brought us together. Her story is one of hope and God’s presence, especially in our darkest, lowest times.

More importantly, this episode is also how to walk away from the intergenerational cycle of pain, the burden of firstborns, grieving the childhood you never had, and loving oneself.

Read more on www.mosibyl.com

Best,

모 /Mo!/

--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mosibyl/support

빛나는 법| The One with Mo!- Mo!nologue I: Episode 2 (2019)

Dear Mosiblings!

Woot, woot! She’s back!

Welcome to Season 2 – let’s just say that the creative break taken since December was well worth it. I am kicking the new season off with something a bit different – Mo!nologue series (see what I did there :-D?) – where you get to hear me just talk.

In this episode, I did a quick recap of Season 1 and gave some updates on the outcome of some episodes. A big one is how my podcast episode on miscarriage is changing a clinic’s practice in New York City.

I also provided some updates on what I have been doing since December, upcoming travels (let’s hangout, if I am in your city), how I handled a recent failure in my life, my beef with the IRS, and some other moaning of life, in general.

Finally, I will be rolling out a new initiative this year to help with education scholarships and mentorship programs. Find out how you can be a part of this by supporting the show.

PS: I started adopting ASMR recently to help with insomnia, and I have stumbled upon some good videos. See show notes for details and listen to the end of the episode at my lame attempt to recreate ASMR.

Read more on: www.mosibyl.com

--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mosibyl/support

선량한 국민| The One with Prof. Umez - Nigerian Passport Renewal in the Diaspora: Episode 1 (2019)

Dear Mosiblings!

So, I am not officially back from my creative break. However, as a matter of urgency, here’s a public service announcement to my fellow Nigerians (especially those in the diaspora) about renewing their Nigerian passports through those Passport Intervention exercises.

It’s about time for me to renew mine and if there’s anything the last two renewals taught me, it’s that it’s a stress-inducing expedition coupled with perhaps, the worst customer service experience I have ever had. I did not want to make the trip to any of the Nigerian embassies in Atlanta, DC, or New York (partly to save time and money), so I searched Google for nearby Passport Intervention activities. What I stumbled upon was startling, to say the least, especially an article written by today’s guest – Prof. Umez (umez@umez.com) - on what he uncovered. There are several reports and eyewitness accounts of extortion and corruption by those entrusted to provide this public service to Nigerians. Prof. Umez is the president of the Nigerian Foundation in Houston, Texas and the Founder of the Nigerian Leadership Council in the United States.

In a few days’ time, the Consulate General of Nigeria based in Atlanta will be holding a Passport Intervention in Houston, Texas (see link below for more details). This episode highlights the ban and warning already in place to prevent innocent Nigerians from paying additional charges for this services.

Please share this with every Nigerian you know.

Thanks!

PS: In other news, the Federal Government of Nigeria has launched a new passport scheme that’s damage-proof and weather-friendly with a 10-year validity!

Notable Quotes:

“The true deterrent to crime is not the severity but certainty of punishment.”

Recommended Songs:

“Nigeria Go Survive” – Veno (1985)

Links:

• Passport Intervention Exercise in Houston this coming weekend: http://nigeria-consulate-atl.org/
• Article referenced in the episode: http://umez.com/Ongoing-Passport-Intervention-in-Houston-and-Dallas.html

--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mosibyl/support

Bonus Episode: 브라보, 내 인생| The One with Mo! – Motherhood, Interrupted (2018)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with The Villagers

“It takes a village to raise a child; it also takes a village to help when you have lost a child.” – Mo!

Here you will hear some voice notes from the Villagers - some of those who have been supportive in this journey of miscarriage and pregnancy loss.

I reached out to some of them to leave me voice notes and voicemails. My hope is that some of their words might be encouraging to you too in your own journey.

Resurgam (we rise together),

Mo!

--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mosibyl/support

브라보, 내 인생| The One with Mo! – Motherhood, Interrupted: Episode 45 (2018)

Of all the things we experience as women, there are some stories that remain hidden. And even when you do get to hear these stories, they are often told from the standpoint of someone who has weathered a forgotten storm.

Here’s a story that defies all of that.

In this episode, I had a heartfelt conversation on a recent pregnancy loss with a fellow sister. Mine ended in an early-stage miscarriage in October and hers, a still-birth at 31 weeks, in November. Culture says we are not supposed to tell you this story. But here we are telling it, anyhow.

Please note that I’m not sharing this story because I expect people to care about how all of this affects me. But because it’s comforting knowing that I am not alone. Maybe some of you who listen to this episode will see your story here. If not, I hope you at least find insight into something that happens all of the time, but only few talk about. After all, this affects one in four women.

Recommended Songs:

Background: “Penelope’s Song” – Loreena McKennitt (2007)

Outro: “Let It Be” - The Beatles (Matt Hylom acoustic cover) (2014)

I see you, Sis:

Mo!

--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mosibyl/support

우리 사랑스러운 엄마| The One with Mom - The Life of Mo{m}: Episode 44 (2018)

In Episode 45 – The One with Zainab, Zainab and I talked about the song – Wear Sunscreen by Baz Luhrmann and what this song means to us. A line in that song “Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good,” inspired this episode with mom.

Like most families, mine isn’t without its secrets. Growing up, I had a hunch that my family was different, in terms of its origin. For starters, there were no wedding pictures (my parents legally got married eight years after I was born) and I thought my parents’ lives were interrupted. So what was the big secret?

Country bumpkin girl moves to the city with big dreams and bumps into city boy. Boy falls head over heels in love with girl. On one stormy night of passion, one thing led to another; girl *fell pregnant and yours truly was conceived. Girl gets kicked out of the house and begins life, which became the life of mom. Sounds like an R-rated Korean Drama, right?!

This episode is really about getting to know that girl before she became mom and also an opportunity to give words to her fear. While, it’s a story about mom, her sacrifices, and the sheer strength of this woman I am blessed to call my mom, it’s also one about setting our stories free.

So, here’s me hoping you get to know your parents before they became mom and dad. You might just be surprised as to what you may find. I hope you let me know how it goes.

PS: You also get to hear one of my own struggles in this episode.

*Refer to The Linda Ikeji Dictionary, version 18.5

Recommended songs:

“When You Learn To Sing” – Rocco De Luca (2009)

Very Respectfully,

모 /Mo!/

--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mosibyl/support

내 이상한 이웃들| The One with the Ghanaians - Nigeria (3) vs. Ghana (1): Episode 43 (2018)

Here’s a joke for you:

Two Ghanaians and a Nigerian walk into a bar… but left because they didn’t have Nigerian jollof rice.

Ghana, a relatively unknown place until Nigeria shot them into popularity (ugh, the things we do for them!). Also, Ghana, the place filled with people of mystery, strange English diction, low production movies, and weird jollof rice concoction. In a bid to explore this enigmatic country, I invited two Ghanaians over to my house over a meal of Indo-Thai goat curry, Korean steamed rice, and mixed vegetables (all made by yours truly). We explored salient issues like jollof rice (of course! And why Ghanaians cannot get this right), pet peeves (turned out I am more finicky than I thought, ugh), acculturation problems, adjusting to the educational system, books, what traits determine success in grad school, racial identity, questions about my marriage, and so much more.

PS: One of the guests – Elias – took me on my offer to cook any meal of choice for anyone who was visiting Oklahoma and wanted to stop by my house – this is still an open invitation to anyone BTW. Living in America, the off-and-on Ghana-Nigeria banter never ceases. In fact, we unite more as Africans against common causes like acculturation, socialization, and just everything else American. So I guess this is the story about three Africans who are trying to hack it in America.

We Ghana be alright,

모 /Mo!/

--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mosibyl/support

소녀의 힘| The One with Zainab - The Dreams of a Rural Nigerian Girl: Episode 42 (2018)

Meet Zainab – single mom, graduate student, and special-ed enthusiast! She hails from the Hausa tribe in the Northern part of Nigeria. Zainab has faced some adversities in her life as a domestic violence survivor and divorcee, but she’s turned that all around to pursue her dreams. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Special Education at The University of Texas at Austin, majoring in learning disabilities and behavioral disorders.

She plans to go back to Nigeria to establish a world-class school in rural areas and provide free and subsidized education to children, especially those with special needs, who will otherwise not have access to education.

I met Zainab on an online forum, and we became fast friends. In this episode, we talked about her life story, why Northerners don’t migrate to the US, her dreams for her daughter, and why we all need to wear sunscreen, and so much more. Also, find out one thing Zainab does well, that shook me as a Yoruba girl.

Perhaps, the most central thing about this episode is the merit of educating the girl-child and providing her with equal opportunities to change the world around her. Also, remember to seek help if you are in an abusive relationship. Abuse is not OK!

PPS: Hausas was used interchangeably to refer to those from Northern Nigeria. Please note that this is an overgeneralization.

Recommended song:

“Wear Sunscreen” – Baz Luhrmann (1999)

Trust me on that sunscreen; wear them,

모 /Mo!/

--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mosibyl/support

내 눈을 통해| The One with Teresa Nhi Nguyen - Good Eye for Details: Episode 41 (2018)

As this is a show for Blacks, Asians, and those who love them, what better way to solidify that message than with this week’s guest – Teresa Nhi Nguyen. Nhi is pronounced /ɲi/ and Nguyen /ŋwɪn/. Teresa is a freelance graphic/web designer based in Austin, who hopes to create work that can serve to communicate beautiful messages, inspire others, and change the world. In her free time, she dabbles in HTML/CSS, goes on food adventures, and learn new skills to add to her arsenal. You can learn more about Teresa and her work here: http://nhibnguyen.com/.

In this episode, we talked about what being Vietnamese-American means to her and the gentrification of the Asian culture via food and clothing. We also explored career switch, fear of failing, and managing parental expectations.

Perhaps, the most central thing about this episode is how our dreams can shape our world and that of the people around us – from Teresa’s father’s dream of fleeing communist Vietnam (way back then) to start afresh in the US, to Teresa’s dream of changing the world around her through her eyes and talents.

About Teresa:

She’s really versatile and comes highly recommended. She is the brains behind the More Sibyl website as she designed it. She also curates logos. So, you got design and branding needs? Hit Teresa up; mention the show to get a discount.

Before design became a passion, she was on her way to optometry school. Find out more by listening.

Takeaway Points:

• Parents, especially African and Asian ones, are alike in many ways.
• To appreciate and honor other cultures, learn more about its underpinnings and why things are the way they are. Don’t take parts of a culture, relabel it and tag it ‘authentic.’
• Cultivate your hobbies because they may someday become your passion and lifework.

Mo! says:

“Try everything twice – once for the novelty and second time to see if you really like it.”

Pho-bulously yours,

모 /Mo!/

--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mosibyl/support