Episode 006: Ego Nwodim, The One Woman Wonder

Today’s episode is with the amazing comedian and actress, Ego Nwodim. Known for seven seasons on Saturday Night Live, where she created an indelible gallery of original characters, Ego is now stepping into a new chapter on her own terms. This episode is about the slower, less visible journey underneath her impressive résumé: the role Ego's immigrant mother played in shaping her belief in herself, what comedy taught her about releasing perfectionism, and what it actually feels like to step off the ride after seven years and finally exhale. Tune in for a meditation on creative courage, the art of not thinking, and why learning to enjoy an unpredictable journey might be the most valuable thing time can teach you. (0:00) – Intro & welcome to Take Your Time (0:15) – Introducing Ego Nwodim (1:08) – Three deep breaths segment (6:47) – How Diana & Ego met as NYC neighbors (7:56) – Were we both waiting in line for our big breaks? (8:51) – COVID hits: Ego decides to hunker down in New York (20:16) – Ego's one-woman show: "Great Black Women and Then There's Me" (22:46) – Finding the title first, building the show around it (18:58) – "I'm funny?" — discovering comedy through a roommate (19:03) – The path to improv & UCB's "don't think" philosophy (28:10) – Siblings, growing up in Baltimore & family as first audience (32:20) – Ego's Nigerian immigrant mom: "She's following her heart" (43:02) – 7 years on SNL — the shift after leaving (46:05) – Marathon, not a sprint — running a half marathon & what it taught her (57:48) – What Ego is working on now (Netflix *Little Brother*, NSFW, Thanks Dad) (1:01:45) – Thanks Dad podcast & winning a Webby Award (1:05:14) – Take Your Time Back segment Thank you for listening to Take Your Time. Subscribe to our podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3axzhup... YouTube:    / @diannacohen   Follow along on Instagram:   / takeyourtimeuniverse   Keep up on TikTok:   / takeyourtimeuniverse   Follow Dianna on Instagram:   / diannacohen   Substack: https://dianna.substack.com/ Find everything Take Your Time at takeyourtimeuniverse.com Check out Crown Affair: https://www.crownaffair.com/