We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Abraham Adegbesokun a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Abraham, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Traveling has long been one of my greatest passions. The world is so big and there is so much beauty to behold. Growing up in Washington, DC, the first-born son of Nigerian immigrants of modest means, most of my travel was done in my imagination and dreams. I know that there are other Black people in the U.S. who are interested in traveling, but perhaps don’t have the finances, confidence, or other resources needed to do so. I was struck by inspiration after seeing articles and social media posts about the Black populations in countries such as Ireland and Costa Rica. I realized that I want to serve as one of the bridges or conduits that helps unite us all by sharing our stories and reconnecting the many unique communities across the Black and African diaspora.

Abraham, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

While in college, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Rome. I spent several months traveling throughout Italy, absorbing the language, eating the food, learning the history, and generally having the time of my life. While traveling on weekends, I found myself in Sicily — where I was more than a bit surprised to discover Black Sicilians at a reggae festival. We connected instantly and felt like long-lost friends, and ended up having an amazing time at the concert. From then on, vacations transitioned into opportunities for cultural exchange. I re-engaged my foreign language studies in order to increase my ability to communicate with local and indigenous people in some of the beautiful communities that I would visit. I want to document and share these journeys (via Anthony Bourdain-inspired interviews with the gritty and honest vibe of Michael K. Williams’ VICE series “Black Market”), designed to show the reality of life in Black communities everywhere. And in sharing these conversations and perspectives, perhaps others will feel inspired by and connected to their counterparts across the globe.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the idea that I was not good, talented, or worthy enough — for anything, you name it. I was easily convinced of why things might go wrong and rarely put stock in what might go right. Even coming up with the idea for my business, I was terrified. “I have no experience with this, who is going to care? Why would anybody want to watch my videos? Why would anyone allow me to interview them? Who do I think I am?” That omnipresent voice of doubt in my mind kept infringing on my brainstorming sessions. I know that stems from my upbringing. Particularly, the oft-heard story of immigrant parents pushing their children very hard to succeed academically. This all translated into me also thinking that everything I did wasn’t good enough. But in order to begin pursuing this dream of mine, I had to unlearn that pattern of extreme self-doubt so that I could lean into my purpose and mission.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?