We recently had the chance to connect with Kayodè Soyemi and have shared our conversation below.
Kayodè, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Who are you learning from right now?
Right now, I’m being called to stop shrinking and take up space. It sounds simple, but honestly, it’s terrifying. Society tells Black men not to do it. It’s seen as aggressive, or even worse, violent. I’ve spent a lot of time adjusting myself to fit the rooms I was in, instead of building or joining the ones that actually
make sense for me. That comes from years of code switching and going to predominately white schools and just being an immigrant. It was the struggle of giving people what they want versus what I think they want. And I’m learning that I deserve to take up space.
Today that calling feels much quieter than when it first rang, but it’s much stronger now. Almost like my signal got an upgrade. I don’t have to announce it anymore, but it’s definitely there. You see the color. The shine. And the call isn’t telling me to be fearless, rather it’s about being brave, being willing. Even if my hands shake a little on the way in or the call drops, I know that taking up space, especially in my vulnerability and my emotions, is possible. I keep practicing. You ever had a loud and messy cry?! Giving yourself permission to do that, it feels so good, right? I have no reason to stop practicing.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Kayodè, thanks for having me. I’m an actor, writer, producer, and the founder of The Well | Productions & Consulting. My work sits in that space where imagination meets discipline. The acting craft is my foundation, writing is like my compass, telling me where I am and where to go based on what’s happening in and around me, and producing is the way I bring ideas into the world without waiting for someone else to give me the green light.
The Well is small, but it’s growing. I am really focused on development and collaboration. Consulting is where the money comes from, but the door is purposely and hopefully permanently left open for any
and all kinds of storytelling. Storytelling is the best tool for clarity, empathy, and change. All of it aims to leave people fuller than they were before.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
The relationship that shaped me most is the one between my Nigerian upbringing and my life in Atlanta. I know it’s a bit existential, but growing up between those worlds was a constant translation between culture, expectations, humor, discipline, and dreams.
Being Nigerian teaches me legacy and gives me pride (the good kind). Growing up in Atlanta taught me creative invention. Between the two, I developed this dual awareness, and a lot of immigrants talk
about this duality. It manifested in me as being soft and stubborn, curious and grounded, imaginative and strategic, gritty and elegant. I didn’t always understand how Nigerian pride and Atlanta invention fit together, especially when others questioned my Blackness. The tension forced me to define identity for
myself. I had to name and claim it myself and believe it. Of course I’m still learning; we contain multitudes. But the work I did taught me something very important: identity is not inherited, it’s built. Nobody can define it for you. And as you do the work it begins to connect to something deeper, something we all share, blood memory. We must connect to THAT and use it as a blueprint for how to shape the work.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Honestly? Pretending stopped working.
There was a stretch after drama school, the pandemic, and the strike where I felt completely stripped down. I’ve been an artist for a very long time and this was truly the first time that the industry felt so completely unpredictable, not that it ever was predictable, but I was exhausted from trying to “power through” everything. I always thought I had some sense of direction, I knew my path… I was
pretending. I had no idea. I was really asking “When will I get a chance? When will I get the chance to show what I can do?”
At some point I realized all of the questioning and struggling was actually shaping me. Then the question became how do I begin to shape it back? I’ve been asked by many why I decided to pivot. I never saw it as a pivot but as an expansion. A way to transfer the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. A way to create on my own terms while still honoring the craft I’ve spent my whole life training in.
Once I stopped hiding the hard parts, the fear and disappointment, the grip loosened. The first step is acceptance they say. It’s true. Accepting it gave me room to breathe. Breathing is the only way to make moves. Once you start moving, that movement becomes momentum. Momentum builds up to
confidence. Confidence leads to the finish line. It’s a long race though, and sometimes you go backwards and then forward again or get lost, or maybe you find a shortcut, regardless, you must stay in the race.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
I think a fad is immediately recognizable. They happen fast and you watch it happen in real time, and it goes away just fast. It’s the rabbit. It’s fun at first, but then it’s noisy and annoying. A real shift is subtle. It’s the turtle — slow, steady, patient. Things are rearranging before the world catches up. By the time
they do, it’s already in the body and you can feel it. Fads just want attention. Shift couldn’t care less about attention because it’s felt in your bones.
And you have to pay attention because sometimes fads disguise themselves as shifts! But if you open your eyes and observe, there are certain things that stay true when nobody is watching.
The big changes start small, very quiet. Shifts take the time to understand themselves in values, in instincts, in what people are willing to risk or question. That’s where the real movement lives.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I don’t think creativity is about expression, I think it’s about honesty. Not perfection, not performance. Just honesty. We are creative because we were created. And whatever created us channels that through the heart.
Most of what I see and feel as “talent” is really the courage to tell the truth without dressing it up. And most of what I call “vision” is paying attention long enough to hear yourself clearly.
We create because something ancient and divine created us first. Creativity is the essential skill — the one everything else in us grows from.
It would be really cool to leave behind a list of credits. But what’s even cooler is leaving behind an honest body of work that makes an impact. If I can do that, even in small ways, that’s enough.
Contact Info:
- Website: Kayodesoyemi.com / Thewellisfull.com
- Instagram: @Fkaseun
- Linkedin: N/a
Image Credits
Arielle Gray (blue vest, standing b/w, seated off white loose shirt). Traditional photo shoot in Nigeria at age 3.
Family photos with Sister, Mom and Dad.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
