The Newcomers Podcast Dozie Anyaegbunam

Former elementary ESL teacher, college instructor, mother, and founder of the handcrafted decorative pillow company Smithy Home Couture, Smithe Sodine is an Amazon.
And she reminds me so much of my Mom, who passed away five years ago.
Smithe moved to Florida from Haiti as a 16 yo.
She couldn’t really speak English at the time, and she remembers sleeping off in class because there’s only so much stress the teenage brain can take when trying to learn Math or any other subject in a new language.
So it’s heartwarming to see she went on to become an elementary English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher.
She joined me on The Newcomers Podcast to chat about:
* The danger of ignoring acculturation
* Dealing with the negative perception of Haiti
* Her Haitian heritage
* Her approach to dealing with cultural differences
* Moving as a teenager, and more
Enjoy!
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Imagine for a moment you are on the metro headed to work. Suddenly, the bus lurches to a stop, and the driver makes an announcement in Dutch. And everyone hurriedly gets down.
You try to ask them, but everyone seems to be in a hurry to get off the bus.
What would you do? I would probably get off the bus scared and all. Nkechi Runsewe was no different.
“They say everyone in The Netherlands speaks English. But the system is designed for those who speak or can read Dutch.”
On this episode of The Newcomers Podcast, Nkechi and I chat about:
* The overwhelming supermarket moment
* Going to a country as a tourist vs. going there as a local
* Dealing with change
* The amazing Nigerian community in Amsterdam and how they helped her settle in
* The tradeoffs when choosing between putting her kids in the Dutch school system vs. the International school system
* The importance of replacing the traditions you took for granted back home with new ones
Enjoy!
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And I agree. The journey changes you, so I like to call immigrants “the in-betweeners.” You are in between cultures.
I wonder what I would call Kateryna Makysmenko, who’s lived in four countries since she turned 16.
On this episode of The Newcomers Podcast, Kateryna and I explore:
* The legendary Canadian kindness
* Moving as a tourist vs. moving as an immigrant
* How moving often means she’s built an automated settling-in routine
* Her first night as a student in Poland vs. her first night as a working professional in Canada
* Why your first month is crucial to easing into your new country
Enjoy!
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Ann shares her experience of moving to Finland and the challenges she faced in integrating into Finnish society. She discusses the overwhelm that led her to start a YouTube channel and the reasons she chose Finland as her destination. Ann talks about the culture shock she experienced and the difficulties in making Finnish friends. She also highlights the importance of learning the Finnish language and the impact it has on building relationships. Ann reflects on what she misses about Nigeria and the cultural differences between the two countries. She concludes by emphasizing the need for long-term goals and planning when considering immigration to Finland.


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I had goosebumps listening to Ayo Owodunni as he told me the story of Election Day…Gosh.
Yes, it was an experiment. Yes, he didn’t expect to win. Yes, they had no idea what they were doing.
But listening to his backstory, this win was years in the making.
He joined me on The Newcomers Podcast to chat about:
* Overcoming his fear of knocking on doors
* The power of systems
* The value of building immigrant communities
* Stamping out the suffering Olympics mentality of older immigrants
* The four types of networks you need to succeed as an immigrant, and more.
Ayo Owodunni is an inspiration. Nuff said.
Resources
* His book on Inclusive Leadership - The Immigrant View is a great read on helping immigrants thrive in any organization.
* You can follow him on LinkedIn here.
* He also has a new book coming out soon titled “Dear Immigrant, Soar!”
Enjoy!
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The Canadian wait time for almost anything is the stuff of legends.
But despite how frustrating it can be, I love how Anna Otroshchenko, COO of Orofy Inc., deals with hiccups like this. Talking to her felt like I had booked a session with a therapist on the mindset an immigrant needs to adopt when trying to settle into a new country.
She joined me on The Newcomers Podcast to chat about:
* Feeling at home in Canada
* How to settle in quickly
* Canadian culture vs. Ukrainian culture
* Her views on the meaning of “home.”
This was a fun one. If there’s one thing you should learn from Anna as an immigrant, it’s always to remember that we are in control.
No matter how chaotic things might feel, focus on what you can control, take baby steps, and you’ll find your way to the sunlight.
Enjoy!
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