Unmuted Moments

Paul Adeyeye, an award-winning author and host of The Thriving Immigrant Podcast, shares his journey from Nigeria to Canada, including the experience of navigating and overcoming layoffs in a new country. 

He provides insights on what it means to be a thriving immigrant, emphasizing the importance of adaptability, genuine love for humanity, curiosity, and maintaining a proactive mindset. Paul stories and advice, offer a roadmap for immigrants striving to thrive in their new environments.

Learn more about Paul:

Website: https://pauladeyeye.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-adeyeye/

Paul Adeyeye, an award-winning author and host of The Thriving Immigrant Podcast, shares his journey from Nigeria to Canada, including the experience of navigating and overcoming layoffs in a new country. 

He provides insights on what it means to be a thriving immigrant, emphasizing the importance of adaptability, genuine love for humanity, curiosity, and maintaining a proactive mindset. Paul stories and advice, offer a roadmap for immigrants striving to thrive in their new environments.

Learn more about Paul:

Website: https://pauladeyeye.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-adeyeye/

Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@deyeyepaul

Jane Mepham, CFP®, breaks down why some immigrants still feel financially insecure even with $1 million in the bank and how mindset, not money, is often the real barrier. She explains why money should be treated as a tool rather than the goal, and how culturally aware financial planning can empower immigrants to build stability and long-term wealth.

Jane is the founder of Elgon Financial Advisors where she helps immigrants and foreign nationals build wealth while navigating the complexities of U.S. financial systems.

Learn more about Jane:

Company Website: https://elgonfa.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janemepham/

Check out her podcast (the International Money Cafe):

https://www.theimcafe.com/podcast

Storyteller and strategist Leeah Marie Derenoncourt joins Ehis to unpack the concept of personal culture: the idea that we each have the power to design the ecosystem of our own lives.

Drawing from her experiences growing up across five countries, Leeah shares how she learned to validate her story, embrace intentionality, and choose what to keep, change, or create for herself. This episode explores identity, ownership, and the freedom that comes from realizing you get to decide who you are and who you become.

Learn more about Leeah:

Personal Website: https://leeahmarie.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeahderenoncourt/

Check out her podcast Expressions:

https://open.spotify.com/show/6g5WmDC8k4z5nxj1A95YeZ?si=f64afe536cbc4e83

For many immigrants and first-gen professionals, politeness is taught as a virtue, a sign of respect, humility, and grace. But those same lessons can also come with a cost.

In this episode, Ama Annoh, shares how she navigated these cultural expectations and how she learned to speak up without guilt, own her story, and build platforms where others can do the same.

Learn more about Unfading Beauties (Her not-for-profit org): 

https://linktr.ee/unfadingbeauties

Learn more about Ama:

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ama-annoh/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/amalove23/?hl=en

Legacy N' Lifestyle Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@legacynlifestyle

From feeling like an outsider in small-town Connecticut to representing the United States on the world stage, Sourav Bhowmick shares the pivotal moments that shaped his journey from immigrant son to presidential appointee.

We explore his path from private sector success to public service, including his role as Chief of Staff for the Inflation Reduction Act implementation at the U.S. Treasury under Janet Yellen, and what the American Dream means today. He reflects on overcoming imposter syndrome, the significance of community, and the responsibility that comes with achieving personal success.

Follow Sourav:

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/souravbhowmick/

From growing up in Ghana to building yShade, an AI company in the U.S., Emmanuel Acheampong shares a candid look at what it means to navigate bias in tech and entrepreneurship while holding on to your voice. We talk about the tension between cultural humility and the confidence required to lead, how communicating with authority changes the way people receive your ideas, and the reality of being underestimated until you overdeliver.

This is a conversation about resilience, identity, and why in a world increasingly shaped by AI, your voice and how you use it matters more than ever.

Follow Emmanuel:LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmanuel-acheampong/

Website: https://yshade.ai/

Utibe Bassey, Vice President of Customer Experience at Dominion Energy and creator of the Love as a KPI framework, shares how redefining success starts with how we measure impact. She explains why love, expressed through delivering undeniable value, is a critical metric for organizations and individuals, and how anyone can apply her framework even without a leadership title. Utibe also reflects on moments when success didn’t feel like success, the lessons she’s learned about setting meaningful goals, and practical ways to navigate self-doubt early in your career.

Follow Utibe:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/utbassey/

Website: https://www.loveasakpi.com/

Bruno Yoshioka, Principal Software Engineering Manager at Microsoft, didn’t plan to become an engineer. For most of his life, he dreamed of becoming a music professor until a summer internship changed his path. Born in Brazil to Japanese parents and raised in the U.S., Bruno grew up navigating multiple cultures and expectations. 

Bruno shares how he accidentally found his way into tech, how mentorship played a pivotal role in his growth, and why he now pours that same energy into supporting early-career engineers and professionals on their own journeys.

Follow Bruno:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/byoshioka

Website: www.byoshi.com

Music recommendations:

Polyphia - Playing God: https://youtu.be/Z5NoQg8LdDk?si=QZ3zRzwRwWHNFlE_

Jacob Collier - Over You: https://youtu.be/laI3x0bdgxQ?si=QZXIgprhxI41y-zZ

At 10 years old, Nde (The Engineer Emcee) Nkimbeng, froze during a rap performance and lost out on $50. But what he gained instead was a mindset that would shape the rest of his life: Do it anyways even if you are scared. In this episode, Nde shares how that early moment of fear helped him unlock his voice and eventually led him to become The Engineer MC, an international event host who has now led over 150 events across five countries.

Follow Nde:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/youreventmc/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ndenkimbeng/

Website: https://www.youreventmc.com/