What happens when you leave home at 18… and don’t come back for 11 years?

In this deeply personal episode, I open up about the real story behind my time away — the cold winters, the grocery shock, the friendships and loneliness, the work rejections, the spiritual covering that held me together, and the survival mode that nearly stole my softness.

This isn’t just about moving to Canada.
It’s about becoming.
It’s about what survival taught me — and what I had to unlearn.
It’s about navigating life as a Black, immigrant, first-born daughter, far from everything familiar.

If you’ve ever felt far from home, far from yourself, or stuck in survival, this one is for you.

✨ Real-life stories
💔 Loss, laughter, hustle, healing
📖 The Bible verses my mother marked before I left
💸 Money struggles, immigration realities, and how I finally found LimFi ( link below)
🔥 What I now know about rest, resilience, and the quiet power of returning to yourself

This is the episode I wish someone had recorded for me 11 years ago.

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The Keren Elijah Podcast | Stay Connected & Keep Moving Forward

Need an easier way to receive money from Nigeria while abroad?
I use LimFi (Refferal): get $20 free when you use my referral link and send your first $100. No drama, no funny rates. Just ease.

Want to know when the YouTube version drops?
Join my email list here: Keren's Corner

Follow Keren on Instagram: @thekerenelijah

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It helps more women step out of hiding and find their voice.

You don’t need more pressure. You just need a way forward. Let’s figure it out — together.

After nearly 11 years in the diaspora, I came back to Nigeria—and nothing could have prepared me for the re-entry. This episode is not a recap. It’s a re-immersion.

From the 5am chicken alarms to inverter sounds that spark joy… from the unbearable heat to generator choruses, wedding joy to security fears, farm-to-table sweetness to pothole trauma—this is my real-time, sensory, emotional return.

But it’s more than culture shock. It’s a spiritual reawakening.
A nervous system reboot.
A conversation with guilt, joy, memory, and faith.
This is for anyone living in-between—between nations, identities, or seasons.

Because sometimes, coming home isn’t about comfort.
It’s about clarity.
And sometimes, the place that overwhelms you is also the place that heals you.

🟣 Want the deeper reflections?
Join Deeply Rooted™—the premium layer of this podcast for faith-led women ready for more: honest voice-first content, real life, and revelation not meant for the general feed.

Support the show

The Keren Elijah Podcast | Stay Connected & Keep Moving Forward

Need an easier way to receive money from Nigeria while abroad?
I use LimFi (Refferal): get $20 free when you use my referral link and send your first $100. No drama, no funny rates. Just ease.

Want to know when the YouTube version drops?
Join my email list here: Keren's Corner

Follow Keren on Instagram: @thekerenelijah

LEnjoying the podcast? Leave a review!
It helps more women step out of hiding and find their voice.

You don’t need more pressure. You just need a way forward. Let’s figure it out — together.

You’re not lazy. You’re not inconsistent. You’re not broken.
You’ve just been in survival mode for so long, your body forgot what peace feels like.

In this episode, Keren Elijah shares a personal story—one that starts with dizziness, moves through hospital visits, and ends with a life-altering wake-up call about what the body remembers. Through the lens of nervous system safety, she teaches how exhaustion, overwhelm, and shutdown are not failures—they’re signals. And they deserve to be honored.

Whether you’re building a business, managing a team, or just trying to show up for your life, this episode offers truth that lands:
You don’t have to perform to be powerful.
You don’t have to pretend to be okay.
You don’t have to keep pushing through pain.

This is your permission to pause.
To check in.
To come home to yourself.

Support the show

The Keren Elijah Podcast | Stay Connected & Keep Moving Forward

Join Keren’s Corner (Email List): Keren's Corner
Follow Keren on Instagram: @thekerenelijah
Love the Podcast? Leave a Review! Your feedback helps more women step out of hiding and follow through.

You don’t need more pressure—you just need a way forward. Let’s figure this out together.