Lupita Nyong’o Is Spotlighting African Diaspora Stories With New Podcast ‘Mind Your Own’

The podcast will tell "more of our nuanced, intimate stories," says the Oscar-winning Kenyan actress.

A portrait photo of Lupita Nyong’o in a white suit.

The podcast takes listeners through cities like Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Los Angeles, Johannesburg, Toronto and Kampala.

Photo by Christian Cody.

Lupita Nyong’o is making podcasts now!

Today, the Oscar-winning Kenyan actress announced her upcoming podcast, Mind Your Own, which will focus on telling the personal stories of Africans in the diaspora in a 10-part series, with guests taking listeners through cities like Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Los Angeles, Johannesburg, Toronto and Kampala. The announcement comes with the release of an official trailer.

Produced by KQED's Snap Studios and distributed by Lemonada Media, the podcast brings together a broad representation of African cultures, featuring six African languages and music by 15 composers from the African diaspora.

For Nyong’o, who has her own diaspora story, this project is personal. Born in Mexico, raised in Kenya, and having spent the past 20 years in the U.S., she understands the complexities Africans in diaspora face as they navigate life far from home.

“It is deeply important to me that honest and authentic stories about the African experience are made widely available to all,” says Nyong’o. “This podcast is close to my heart, reflecting both my personal connection to these narratives and the work of the talented team of African voices, composers, and editors who brought them to life. I’m thrilled to partner with Lemonada Media to share this powerful series with a global audience.”

In the trailer, Nyong’o reveals that Mind Your Own came to her while longing to hear a story that felt like home. The goal of the podcast was “to go beyond the news reports about Africans and hear straight from us—more of our nuanced, intimate stories.” She adds, “I want to help share them, and tell a few of my own,” finishing with, “We are going home.”

Mind Your Own debuts with two episodes on September 19 across all major podcast platforms, with new episodes released weekly.

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