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What if access to culture isn’t the same as connection? We dive into lens two of the Caribbean Diaspora Experience model (CDEM) and map how place and personal drive intersect to shape identity; whether you’re surrounded by patty shops and dancehall flyers in Brooklyn or piecing together community in a low-density city in middle of America.

I share a grounded look at density, from high to low and how each environment changes the kind of effort it takes to stay rooted. You’ll hear the difference between ambient culture and intentional culture, why businesses become community anchors, and how motivation shifts across life phases: leaving home, starting a family, chasing opportunity, or confronting moments that make you cling tighter to who you are. We explore the four density motivation quadrants, real stories that span Brooklyn to Wisconsin and even a Paris–Iowa thread, and the inventive ways people adapt.

The big takeaway is simple and strong: your environment influences your cultural connection, but your intention determines it. That mindset changes how we see one another across the diaspora and how we show up where we live and moving from passive consumption to active stewardship. If you’ve ever wondered whether living far from a cultural center means losing yourself, this conversation offers a roadmap for staying rooted and making roots wherever you are.

If this resonates, share it with a friend, subscribe for the next lens on cultural anchors, and leave a review so others can find the show. Then tell us: where do you land on the density–motivation spectrum?

Missed previous episodes covering CDEM? You can catch up here.

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Simone W. Johnson Smith is the author of Decoding America: The Immigrant Experience and host of The Immigrant Experience in America podcast. A Jamaican-born public servant and cultural coach, Simone supports immigrant professionals through the emotional and cultural transitions of life in a new country.

Caribbean immigrants create something new and powerful when they leave their birth countries—a hybrid identity that's neither fully their native culture nor completely American, but according to Simone, a third culture person with unique strengths and perspectives.

Key Takeaways:

• Third culture persons develop a hybrid identity that becomes their superpower.
• Code switching is a natural adaptation strategy that all humans use in different contexts.
• Culture shock symptoms range from mild depression to fatal self-harm and should be taken seriously.
• Coming home to yourself means integrating valuable parts of both cultures deliberately.
• Healthy boundaries with family back home are essential for immigrants' well-being.
• The immigrant experience involves balancing communal values from home with American individualism.
• Work environments often present the greatest challenges for Caribbean immigrants.

This conversation complements the Caribbean Diaspora Experience Model (CDEM), developed by Carry On Friends to help Caribbeans better understand their evolving identity across time, place, and life stages.

Connect with Simone - thebridgeconcepts.org

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"When someone asks you where you're from, what's the first thing that comes to mind?" This seemingly simple question opens a window into the complex world of cultural identity for Caribbean people living in diaspora communities. Your answer likely depends on who's asking, where they're asking, and your unique migration journey.

The Caribbean Diaspora Experience Model (CDEM) provides a way for understanding how our cultural identities form and evolve outside the region. Unlike academic theories, this model emerges from real lived experiences – my own family's migration story, countless conversations with community members, and insights gathered through years of podcast interviews. It offers six interconnected lenses that help us articulate what many have felt but struggled to express about our complex cultural journeys.

In this deep dive into the first lens – "Where You Start Shapes the Journey" – we explore how your starting point profoundly influences your relationship with Caribbean culture. Whether you migrated as an adult with established cultural connections, came during formative teenage years like I did at 14, arrived as a young child with few concrete memories, or were born in the diaspora with varying degrees of cultural connection, each starting point creates a different foundation with unique challenges and strengths. The model acknowledges that even within families, different starting points create entirely different relationships to culture. My brothers and I all left Jamaica together, yet our age differences mean we each carry very different connections to our homeland.

The model also considers what was happening when your cultural journey began – the decade, political climate, and social context that shaped how freely Caribbean culture could be expressed in your new home. Someone who migrated during the dancehall explosion of the 1990s had vastly different opportunities for cultural expression than someone who arrived during earlier decades when Caribbean cultural visibility was more limited in diaspora spaces.

Understanding your starting point isn't about determining who is "more Caribbean" – it's about gaining clarity on your unique journey and extending grace to others whose experiences differ from yours. As we continue exploring the remaining lenses in future episodes, you'll discover how location, cultural anchors, identity shifts, professional expression, and embracing multiplicity all build upon the foundation established by where you began.

How has your starting point shaped your cultural journey? Reflect on this question as we continue unpacking the language and framework that helps us make sense of our beautiful, complex Caribbean diaspora experience.

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In this riveting conversation, food security activist Peter Ivey reveals that approximately two-thirds of Jamaica's population experiences food insecurity despite the island's abundant natural resources. As founder of Mission Food Possible and CEO of The Reggae Chefs, Peter is fighting to reconnect communities with their culinary heritage and build resilient local food systems.

"I didn't choose food security," Peter explains, "it chose me when I realized I probably was food insecure my whole life growing up in Jamaica." His organization identifies the most valuable local produce in different parishes, then trains school canteen workers, parents, and community leaders to create nutritious, affordable meals using these ingredients. The impact? Over 60,000 people, mostly children, now have improved diets and communities are regaining lost culinary skills.

Peter's mission reminds us that food security isn't just about having enough to eat – it's about maintaining the cultural knowledge, skills, and connections that allow communities to thrive independently.

Links & Resources:

• Mission Food Possible: missionfoodpossible.com
• Follow Peter on Instagram: @peteriveyofficial
• Email: info@missionfoodpossible.com

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What happens when you follow your dreams across the Atlantic? Tahia Hobson is a Jamaican-American professional currently based in Paris, France. With a 20-year career in healthcare behind her, she recently made a bold pivot to luxury marketing, fueled by her love of culture, service, and personal growth. We talk about cultural identity, starting over, and finding Caribbean community abroad.

Tsahia documents her life, studies, and insights at tsahiahobson.com

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What happens when you leave behind the familiarity of corporate America for an uncertain future on a small Caribbean island? For Stacey Liburd, it became the first step in an extraordinary journey toward becoming the CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority.

Stacey's story is one of courage, faith, and purpose. Ten years ago, she abandoned her New York-New Jersey commute for Anguilla, a tiny island of just 35 square miles and 15,000 residents. What began as a personal quest transformed into professional leadership when she was appointed to Anguilla's Tourist Board and later became Director of Tourism.

Her recent appointment as Grenada Tourism Authority CEO represents not just a career achievement but a vision for community-centered tourism development. Throughout our conversation, Stacey shares her approach to destination management – one where success is measured by how tourism dollars reach small local businesses, not just major resorts. Her leadership philosophy centers on transparency, community buy-in, and developing local talent to assume management positions throughout the hospitality industry. Beyond Grenada itself, Stacey articulates a compelling vision for regional collaboration to enhance Caribbean tourism.

For anyone contemplating a major career pivot or seeking to lead with greater purpose, Stacey's journey offers profound inspiration. As she reflects on the principle that guides her work – "To whom much is given, much is required" – we glimpse the heart behind her leadership: gratitude expressed through service, opportunity translated into responsibility, and personal success measured by community impact.

Connect:

Grenada Tourism Authority - https://www.puregrenada.com/

Stacey Liburd - LinkedIn

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What happens when your language becomes a battleground for identity, education, and cultural sovereignty? When Oneil Madden, a Jamaican linguist who speaks five languages, joined me for this conversation, we uncovered the profound connections between language, heritage, and self-perception that shape the Caribbean experience both at home and abroad.

Oneil shares his journey to becoming a lecturer at the University of Technology, where his passion for language education has fueled groundbreaking research. The revelation that really struck me was his experience of being told by a French supervisor that he was bilingual—something he hadn't fully internalized until his twenties despite growing up speaking both Jamaican Creole and English. This moment mirrors so many of our experiences as Caribbean people, where our native language is often dismissed as merely "bad English" rather than recognized as the sophisticated linguistic system it truly is.

We dive deep into the challenges facing Jamaican Creole today—from standardization efforts by the Jamaican Language Unit to the fascinating paradox that while most Jamaicans speak Patois fluently, many struggle to read it in its codified form. The translation of the New Testament into Jamaican Creole serves as a powerful example of both the progress made and the distance still to travel.

As artificial intelligence increasingly enters the language landscape, we confront complicated questions about who "owns" Jamaican Patois. Is it something to gatekeep, or should we celebrate its growing global influence? .

Language shapes how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. If you've ever felt your accent was a weakness rather than a strength, or if you're curious about the future of Caribbean languages in a digital age, this conversation will resonate deeply.

Resources Mentioned:

• Jamaican Language Unit at UWI Mona
• Jamaican New Testament (via Bible app)
• UN Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032)
• BBC article on Patois in Toronto
  
  

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Welcome to back to another episode of Caribbean Adjacent, a series within the Carry On Friends Podcast!

Tiffany Cohen is back on the podcast and this time she is with her husband Jorge. They are dynamic husband-and-wife duo behind Flor de la Jara, an olive oil brand rooted in generations of Spanish farming and powered by cross-cultural connection.

In this episode, they shared their airport meet-cute (yes, another one!), Jamaican-Spanish fusion cooking, raising a trilingual son, and building a legacy together. From curry chicken with a Spanish twist to navigating language mix-ups, this is a joyful celebration of culture, family, and flavor.

Connect with Tiffany & Jorge: Flor de la Jara - Website | Instagram

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